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Fallen logs act as natural bridges over rivers in a tropical wet forest
No full textStreams and rivers are ubiquitous in tropical forests and can act as barriers for animal movement. This role as barriers can be modulated by connecting features like fallen logs. While logs are commonly observed across rivers, their role as natural bridges has rarely been highlighted. We used motion-activated cameras to characterize how mammals and terrestrial birds use logs across rivers and streams in the Osa peninsula, southern Costa Rica. We investigated factors that influence the frequency and probability of crossing and analyzed interactions like temporal avoidance/attraction or communication. We detected 20 terrestrial mammal species; on most detections (80%) animals used logs to get across the river. Crossing probability depended mostly on the species: species adapted to climbing like tamanduas (Tamandua mexicana), coatis (Nasua narica), and common opossums (Didelphis marsupialis) were more likely to cross than strictly terrestrial species like agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata) and pacas (Cuniculus paca). Animals also crossed logs that were wider, longer, and higher above the water. The diversity of species that used logs suggests they could be important drivers of movement, defining routes across the forest. We found evidence of temporal attraction between coatis, skunks (Conepatus semistriatus), and opossums, probably influenced by scent-marking, observed for 6 of 20 species, suggesting logs also act as inter and intra-specific communication sites. Our results provide evidence of the potential importance of logs and branches and suggest they could be critical features that influence daily movements and long-term space use of many terrestrial vertebrate species in tropical forests.<br/
Human genetics suggests differing causal pathways from HMGCR inhibition to coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes
No full textBackgroundStatins lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and reduce the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, they also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D).MethodsWe consider genetic variants in the region of the HMGCR gene, which encodes the target of statins, and their associations with downstream consequences of statins. We use various statistical methods to identify causal pathways influencing CAD and T2D, and investigate whether these are the same or different for the two diseases.ResultsColocalization analyses indicate that LDL-C and body mass index (BMI) have distinct genetic predictors in this gene region, suggesting that they do not lie on the same causal pathway. Multivariable Mendelian randomization analyses restricted to variants in the HMGCR gene region revealed LDL-C and BMI as causal risk factors for CAD, and BMI as a causal risk factor for T2D, but not LDL-C. A Bayesian model averaging method prioritized BMI as the most likely causal risk factor for T2D, and LDL-C as the second most likely causal risk factor for CAD (behind ubiquinone). Colocalization analyses provided consistent evidence of LDL-C colocalizing with CAD, and BMI colocalizing with T2D; evidence was inconsistent for colocalization of LDL-C with T2D, and BMI with CAD.ConclusionsOur analyses suggest cardiovascular and metabolic consequences of statin usage are on different causal pathways, and hence could be influenced separately by targeted interventions. More broadly, our analysis workflow offers potential insights to identify pathway-specific causal risk factors that could provide possible repositioning or refinement opportunities for existing drug targets
Cardiac substructure radiotherapy dose and changes in physical activity and quality of life after chemoradiotherapy for NSCLC: a secondary analysis of the CLARITY prospective study
No full textPurpose: The objective was to assess associations between cardiac substructure dose and changes in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) post-chemoradiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and Materials: The study population was derived from CLARITY (NCT04305613), a multi-institutional longitudinal prospective cohort study. Patients treated with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (1.8–2 Gy per fraction) with concurrent chemotherapy completed physical activity (Godin) and quality of life (FACIT-Fatigue and Dyspnea) questionnaires at baseline, completion of radiotherapy, 6 and 12 months post-radiotherapy. Thirty cardiac dosimetric parameters were a priori selected from centrally contoured radiotherapy plans: mean dose, maximum dose, volume receiving ≥ 5 Gy (V5Gy), V15Gy, and V30Gy to the whole heart, left ventricle, right ventricle, left atrium, right atrium, and left anterior descending coronary artery, and applied to a LASSO regression model to further define variable importance. Associations between cardiac radiation dose metrics and changes in PROs were assessed using repeated-measures linear regression via generalized estimating equations with correction for multiple testing. Results: In a subcohort of 122 patients, the median age was 67 years, 57% were male, and 41% had prevalent cardiovascular disease. Median whole heart mean dose was 9 Gy, whole heart maximum dose was 64 Gy, and LAD V15Gy was 1%. Godin physical activity (p = 0.0499), FACIT-Fatigue (p < 0.001), and FACIT-Dyspnea scores (p = 0.0037) worsened from baseline to end of radiotherapy, then recovered to baseline levels thereafter. In multivariable analysis and after adjusting for multiple comparisons, no cardiac dose metric was significantly associated with a worsening in patient-reported physical activity, fatigue or dyspnea (p > 0.05). Conclusions: PROs worsened from baseline to the end of thoracic chemoradiotherapy, then recovered to baseline levels. Cardiac radiation dose metrics were not associated with these changes.</p
Plasmonically enhanced Fe( ll ) coordination complexes allow SERS readout of spin state switching below the optical diffraction limit
No full textCreating and monitoring spin crossover (SCO) materials at the nanoscale is challenging since the spin transition phenomena are perturbed and methods for monitoring them are limited. Optical approaches for monitoring nanoscale SCO are attractive but limited by weak signal levels. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) allows enhanced readout of spin state transitions of even <1 µm SCO nano-objects confined within plasmonic nanovoids. Pressing dry crystalline [Fe(Htrz)2(trz)](BF4) (1) into the nanogaps between sheets of metal nanoparticles gave strong SERS signals but was unsuccessful since the surface perturbed the spin transition behaviour. However, when 1 was placed in the plasmonic hotspots between the Au cores in clusters of Au@SCO core–shell nanoparticles, SCO was retained and could be monitored using SERS. Importantly, the clusters showed thermal hysteresis loops which, although narrower than that of bulk 1 (9 K vs. 40 K), demonstrated that cooperative behaviour was retained in the nanovoids
A novel LC-MS/MS multi-group method for simultaneous determination of antimicrobial residues in legume-based alternative proteins
No full textA novel liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of three different classes of veterinary drugs-antibiotics, antifungals, and antiparasitics-in legume-based alternative protein samples, e.g. beans, peas, and nuts. The sample preparation process utilized a modified dilute-and-shoot (DnS) technique, achieving recoveries ranging from 72.08 to 108.11% for 18 of the 26 target analytes. The method demonstrated excellent repeatability (n = 12) with relative standard deviations (RSD) between 1.39 and 9.26%, and intermediate precision (over three days, n = 18) ranging from 5.76 to 19.94%. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.04 to 15.64 ng.g and 0.10 and 47.40 ng.g , respectively, with good linearity. The optimized method was applied to 97 legume samples (primary and processed products) originating from domestic and international markets. Occurrence analysis revealed that all analytes monitored were below the detection limits, suggesting that antimicrobial contamination in legumes-based alternative protein products is low within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region
Global governance: Why bother?
No full textIt may seem like a slightly rhetorical or cynical question to ask, why bother with global governance? With so many global crises, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and dismiss global governance as a useless pursuit. Whether it is the relentless wars in Gaza, Sudan or Ukraine, full of death and unimaginable and irreparable harm, or the fact that global inequality appears to be growing, global governance seems a bygone conversation. Yet, the unrelenting march of people driven climate change and the quite apparent transformation of the world around us require us to reflect on, even what has, on many counts, failed. The continued gaps in wealth between individuals, regions and countries and the resultant life expectations and opportunities that emerge from those gaps, may make pondering global governance indulgent, yet it is also these reasons that make it essential
Cross-scale chip removal process analysis and optimization using hybrid CFD-DEM simulation
No full textDrilling is a critical process in the manufacturing of aerospace components, and the quality of drilled connection holes directly determines the service reliability of high-end equipment. During drilling, different materials produce chips of varying sizes (ranging from micrometers to millimeters), leading to issues such as high temperature and tool wear. Efficient removal of these multi-scale chips is essential for improving drilling quality. However, the narrow and complex internal structure of enclosed or semi-enclosed chip removal systems often result in inefficient chip evacuation. In addition, experimental observation of airflow and chip velocity within such system is challenging, hence numerical simulation of the chip removal process become a practical alternative. This study utilizes a hybrid approach combining CFD and DEM simulation (CFD-DEM) to systematically investigate the characteristics of cross-scale chip removal processes. Simulation results show that the diffused airflow and low/negative velocity flow regions of the existing system are unfavorable for chip removal. To address this issue, different eccentric designs and diversion holes were introduced, and their impacts on the chip removal performance have been evaluated. The results were then used to guide the optimization of the chip removal system. Through combined/optimized eccentric design and diversion hole design, the overall chip removal performance of the system shows a significant improvement (48.27%)
Assessing states’ obligations under the UN guiding principles on business and human rights post-Brexit
No full textPrivate economic actors wield unprecedented influence over the enjoyment of human rights, yet legal systems remain uneven in their regulation of corporate responsibility. Against this backdrop, this article examines a largely underexplored post-Brexit trajectory, the regulatory divergence in the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). While the broader effects of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU have been extensively scrutinised, little attention has been paid to how each jurisdiction has sought to prevent and mitigate corporate human rights abuses. Situating its analysis within the UNGP framework, the article offers a comparative examination of the EU emphasis on preventative regulation and the UK reliance on a largely minimalist adjudicative framework. It argues that the UK risks being shaped by external legal pressures while lacking a coherent domestic agenda. Northern Ireland, partially aligned with EU law, is presented both as an example of this fragmented approach to business and human rights regulation and as a hybrid space where the effects of ongoing regulatory developments might be traced and assessed. Ultimately, the analysis situates this divergence within a wider contest over the legitimacy of transnational human rights governance, where state apathy remains a critical but neglected factor in addressing corporate accountability.<br/
Colourimetric sensor for monitoring ammonia-generating infectious bacteria
No full textA simple, inexpensive bromophenol blue (BPB), colourimetric ammonia (NH3) sensor is used to monitor the growth of different wound associated bacteria in three different, simple wound models which utilise a typical, readily available, commercial occlusive wound dressing. The 25 % colour change point of the sensor is ca. 0.0032 %NH3 and its 90 % response and recovery times are, 8 and 230 s, respectively. Using P. stuartii as the test species, in a model wound with an occlusive dressing, the increase in the sensor’s colour up to the 25 % point correlates with that of the exponential growth of the bacterial species (units: CFU/mL) and a simple mathematical model is used to show that a linear relationship should exist between log(CFU/mL) of the initial inoculum and the time it takes for the sensor to reach its 25 % colour change point, the threshold time, TT. This prediction is confirmed using the NH3 producing bacteria, E. coli, E. cloacae, P. stuartii, and K. aerogenes using three different wound models, namely ones in which the ‘wound’ was a non-urea containing agar plug, a urea-containing agar plug and a damaged porcine skin model, respectively. These results suggest that the NH3 sensor has promise as a non-invasive wound monitoring indicator and the additional work required to progress the sensor in this role is discussed briefly.<br/
Colourimetric sensor for monitoring ammonia-generating infectious bacteria
No full textA simple, inexpensive bromophenol blue (BPB), colourimetric ammonia (NH3) sensor is used to monitor the growth of different wound associated bacteria in three different, simple wound models which utilise a typical, readily available, commercial occlusive wound dressing. The 25 % colour change point of the sensor is ca. 0.0032 %NH3 and its 90 % response and recovery times are, 8 and 230 s, respectively. Using P. stuartii as the test species, in a model wound with an occlusive dressing, the increase in the sensor’s colour up to the 25 % point correlates with that of the exponential growth of the bacterial species (units: CFU/mL) and a simple mathematical model is used to show that a linear relationship should exist between log(CFU/mL) of the initial inoculum and the time it takes for the sensor to reach its 25 % colour change point, the threshold time, TT. This prediction is confirmed using the NH3 producing bacteria, E. coli, E. cloacae, P. stuartii, and K. aerogenes using three different wound models, namely ones in which the ‘wound’ was a non-urea containing agar plug, a urea-containing agar plug and a damaged porcine skin model, respectively. These results suggest that the NH3 sensor has promise as a non-invasive wound monitoring indicator and the additional work required to progress the sensor in this role is discussed briefly.<br/