Collembola of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) with descriptions of five endemic cave-restricted species.

Eight species of Collembola are reported from recent collections made in caves on the Polynesian island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Five of these species are new to science and apparently endemic to the island: Coecobrya aitorererere n. sp.

Inflammasome signaling pathways exert antiviral effect against Chikungunya virus in human dermal fibroblasts.

Arboviruses represent an emerging threat to human. They are transmitted to vertebrates by the bite of infected arthropods. Early transmission to vertebrates is initiated by skin puncture and deposition of virus in this organ.

Haploinsufficiency of TBK1 causes familial ALS and fronto-temporal dementia.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative syndrome hallmarked by adult-onset loss of motor neurons. We performed exome sequencing of 252 familial ALS (fALS) and 827 control individuals. Gene-based rare variant analysis identified an exome-wide significant enrichment of eight loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in TBK1 (encoding TANK-binding kinase 1) in 13 fALS pedigrees.

Redescriptions of Hypogastruridae and Onychiuridae (Collembola) described by David L. Wray.

Species of Hypogastruridae and Onychiuridae described by D. L. Wray were reexamined and redescribed where necessary from type material and other specimens.

Physisorbed H2@Cu(100) surface: potential and spectroscopy.

Using an embedding approach, a 2-D potential energy function has been calculated to describe the physisorption interaction of H2 with a Cu(100) surface. For this purpose, a cluster model of the system calculated with highly correlated wavefunctions is combined with a periodic Density-Functional-Theory method using van der Waals-DF2 functional. Rotational and vibrational energy levels of physisorbed H2, as well as D2 and HD, are calculated using the 2D embedding corrected potential energy function.

Subunit disassembly and inhibition of TNFα by a semi-synthetic bicyclic peptide.

Macrocyclic peptides are potentially a source of powerful drugs, but their de novo discovery remains challenging. Here we describe the discovery of a high-affinity (Kd = 10 nM) peptide macrocycle (M21) against human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (hTNFα), a key drug target in the treatment of inflammatory disorders, directly from diverse semi-synthetic phage peptide repertoires. The bicyclic peptide M21 (ACPPCLWQVLC) comprises two loops covalently anchored to a 2,4,6-trimethyl-mesitylene core and upon binding induces disassembly of the trimeric TNFα cytokine into dimers and monomers.

Dynamic arterial elastance predicts mean arterial pressure decrease associated with decreasing norepinephrine dosage in septic shock.

Introduction: Gradual reduction of the dosage of norepinephrine (NE) in patients with septic shock is usually left to the physician's discretion. No hemodynamic indicator predictive of the possibility of decreasing the NE dosage is currently available at the bedside. The respiratory pulse pressure variation/respiratory stroke volume variation (dynamic arterial elastance (Eadyn)) ratio has been proposed as an indicator of vascular tone.

Fragmented local governance and water resource management outcomes.

Fragmented jurisdictions and decision making structures can result in destructive competition and/or a lack of systematic cooperation that can hamper effective resource management and environmental planning, although the value of local autonomy and stakeholder participations should not be underestimated. This study empirically examines if political fragmentation in local governance is a significant barrier to successful resource management. To test this hypothesis, the authors quantify the degree of political fragmentation at two different geographical scales - 1) site-level: 12-digit watersheds and 2) regional: metropolitan statistical areas or equivalent regions - and analyze how water resource management outcomes vary with the level of political fragmentation using nationwide land cover and stream gauge information in the U.

[Analysis of the question-answer activity of a hospital pharmacy. Example of the handling of drug interactions].

Introduction: The medical care of patients generates questions among healthcare professionals. Some will necessitate an advanced research. The hospital pharmacist is at the interface between prescribers, caregivers and the medicines and is requested to answer these requests.

Human keratinocytes restrict chikungunya virus replication at a post-fusion step.

Transmission of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to humans is initiated by puncture of the skin by a blood-feeding Aedes mosquito. Despite the growing knowledge accumulated on CHIKV, the interplay between skin cells and CHIKV following inoculation still remains unclear. In this study we questioned the behavior of human keratinocytes, the predominant cell population in the skin, following viral challenge.

Development of a bead-based aptamer/antibody detection system for C-reactive protein.

A multiplexing bead-based platform provides an approach for the development of assays targeting specific analytes for biomonitoring and biosensing applications. Multi-Analyte Profiling (xMAP) assays typically employ a sandwich-type format using antibodies for the capture and detection of analytes of interest, and the system permits the simultaneous quantitation of multiple targets. In this study, an aptamer/antibody assay for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP) was developed.

Mini-fluid challenge predicts fluid responsiveness during spontaneous breathing under spinal anaesthesia: An observational study.

Background: The ability to predict fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing patients under spinal anaesthesia is desirable.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test whether variations in stroke volume (SV) in response to a fixed mini-fluid challenge (ΔSV100) measured by thoracic impedance cardiography (ICG) can predict fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing patients under spinal anaesthesia.

Design: A prospective observational study.

Pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction of calcium channel blockers with cyclosporine in hematopoietic stem cell transplant children.

Background: Cyclosporine (CsA) is frequently responsible for hypertension in bone marrow transplant children. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are considered to be the best treatment for CsA-induced hypertension, but they may alter the exposure and the effect of CsA by inhibiting the CYP3A4 pathway of CsA metabolism or P-gp. However, the inhibitory effect on CYP3A4 may vary among CCBs.

The impact of bacteremia on the outcome of bone infections.

Unlabelled: We have used a medical database to analyze our activity since 2005. We observed a frequent association between bone and joint infection (BI) and bacteremia. Our aim was to characterize patients with BI and bacteremia, and focus on the outcome.

[Lacidipine efficacy and safety for high blood pressure treatment in pediatric oncohematology].

In adults, lacidipine seems to have no CYP3A4-inhibiting action. This particular characteristic makes it advantageous when combined with drugs metabolized by CYP3A4, such as cyclosporine. Until now, no data on the efficacy or safety of this calcium antagonist have been available in children.

COI haplotype groups in Mesocriconema (Nematoda: Criconematidae) and their morphospecies associations.

Without applying an a priori bias for species boundaries, specimen identities in the plant-parasitic nematode genus Mesocriconema were evaluated by examining mitochondrial COI nucleotide sequences, morphology, and biogeography. A total of 242 specimens that morphologically conformed to the genus were individually photographed, measured, and amplified by a PCR primer set to preserve the linkage between specimen morphology and a specific DNA barcode sequence. Specimens were extracted from soil samples representing 45 locations across 23 ecoregions in North America.

Katianna maryae n. sp. (Collembola: Katiannidae), a southern Appalachian species of a Gondwanan genus.

Katianna maryae n. sp. is described from turf and grassy fields in eastern Tennessee, USA.

Efficient RNA isoform identification and quantification from RNA-Seq data with network flows.

Motivation: Several state-of-the-art methods for isoform identification and quantification are based on [Formula: see text]-regularized regression, such as the Lasso. However, explicitly listing the-possibly exponentially-large set of candidate transcripts is intractable for genes with many exons. For this reason, existing approaches using the [Formula: see text]-penalty are either restricted to genes with few exons or only run the regression algorithm on a small set of preselected isoforms.

Supporting diagnosis and treatment in medical care based on Big Data processing.

With information and data in all domains growing every day, it is difficult to manage and extract useful knowledge for specific situations. This paper presents an integrated system architecture to support the activity in the Ob-Gin departments with further developments in using new technology to manage Big Data processing - using Google BigQuery - in the medical domain. The data collected and processed with Google BigQuery results from different sources: two Obstetrics & Gynaecology Departments, the TreatSuggest application - an application for suggesting treatments, and a home foetal surveillance system.

Downgrading, downsizing, degazettement, and reclassification of protected areas in Brazil.

Protected areas (PAs) are key elements for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. Brazil has the largest PA system in the world, covering approximately 220 million ha. This system expanded rapidly in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s.

First results from the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford underground research facility.

The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment is a dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Lead, South Dakota). The LUX cryostat was filled for the first time in the underground laboratory in February 2013. We report results of the first WIMP search data set, taken during the period from April to August 2013, presenting the analysis of 85.

End-expiratory occlusion manoeuvre does not accurately predict fluid responsiveness in the operating theatre.

Background: The objective of this study was to determine whether assessment of stroke volume (SV) and measurement of exhaled end-tidal carbon dioxide [Formula: see text] during an end-expiratory occlusion (EEO) test can predict fluid responsiveness in the operating theatre.

Methods: Forty-two subjects monitored by oesophageal Doppler who required i.v.

Accuracy of distinguishing between dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors and other epileptogenic brain neoplasms with [¹¹C]methionine PET.

Background: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNTs) represent a prevalent cause of epileptogenic brain tumors, the natural evolution of which is much more benign than that of most gliomas. Previous studies have suggested that [(11)C]methionine positron emission tomography (MET-PET) could help to distinguish DNTs from other epileptogenic brain tumors, and hence optimize the management of patients. Here, we reassessed the diagnostic accuracy of MET-PET for the differentiation between DNT and other epileptogenic brain neoplasms in a larger population.