Ancient reticulation, incomplete lineage sorting and the evolution of the pyrenoid at the dawn of hornwort diversification.

Background And Aims: Resolving the phylogeny of hornworts is critical in understanding the evolution of key morphological characters that are unique to the group, including the pyrenoid. Extensive phylogenomic analyses have revealed unexpected complexities in the placement of Leiosporoceros, the previously identified sister taxon to other hornworts. We explore the role of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and ancient reticulation in resolving interrelationships and comprehending the diversification and evolutionary processes within hornworts.

Re-assessment of type material of Broth. and descriptions of four new taxa (Bryophyta, Plagiotheciaceae) from Australasia.

A re-examination of the original collection of described by Brotherus in 1916 indicated that this material is not homogeneous. Re-examination of the diagnosis of this species and morphological analysis supports that two separate taxa should be distinguished - Plagiotheciumnovae-seelandiaevar.novae-seelandiae and P.

The evolution and biogeographic history of epiphytic thalloid liverworts.

Among liverworts, the epiphytic lifestyle is not only present in leafy forms but also in thalloid liverworts, which so far has received little attention in evolutionary and biogeographical studies. Metzgeria, with about 107 species worldwide, is the only genus of thalloid liverworts that comprises true epiphytes. In the present study, we provide the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny, including estimated divergence times and ancestral ranges of this genus.

Variational scaling law for atmospheric propagation.

A new scaling law model for propagation of optical beams through atmospheric turbulence is presented and compared to a common scalar stochastic waveoptics technique. This methodology tracks the evolution of the important beam wavefront and phasefront parameters of a propagating Gaussian-shaped laser field as it moves through atmospheric turbulence, assuming a conservation of power. As with other scaling laws, this variational technique makes multiple simplifying assumptions about the optical beam to capture the essential features of interest, while significantly reducing the computational cost of calculation.

Clinical Outcomes for Diabetic Foot Ulcers Treated with Clostridial Collagenase Ointment or with a Product Containing Silver.

To compare outcomes of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) treated with clostridial collagenase ointment (CCO) or silver-containing products, both in combination with sharp debridement as needed. One hundred two subjects with qualifying DFUs were randomized to daily treatment with either CCO or a silver-containing product for 6 weeks followed by a 4 -week follow-up period. The primary outcome was the mean percent reduction in DFU area.

Far-field propagation of partially coherent laser light in random mediums: erratum.

We present a correction to a typographical error in Eq. (27) and Eq. (28) in our article of [Opt.

Far-field propagation of partially coherent laser light in random mediums.

The irradiance of a partially coherent light propagated under the influence of multiple random effects is shown to be the convolution of the irradiance propagated in a vacuum with the system's point spread function representing the random effects. This is true regardless of whether the propagation is far-field or not. We also show that the far-field irradiance of any laser system, regardless of complexity, can be expressed in terms of three basic parameters; laser power, field area, and a pupil factor.

Baseline factors affecting closure of venous leg ulcers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize factors associated with closure of venous leg ulcers (VLUs) in a pooled analysis of subjects from three randomized clinical trials.

Methods: Closure of VLUs after treatment with HP802-247, an allogeneic living cell therapy consisting of growth-arrested human keratinocytes and fibroblasts, vs standard therapy with compression bandaging was evaluated in three phase 3 clinical trials of similar design. Two trials enrolled subjects with VLUs ranging from 2 cm to 12 cm in area with 12-week treatment periods; the third trial enrolled subjects with VLUs between >12 cm and ≤36 cm with a 16-week treatment period.

General wave optics propagation scaling law.

A general far-field wave propagation scaling law is developed. The formulation is simple but predicts diffraction peak irradiance accurately in the far field, regardless of the near-field beam type or geometry, including laser arrays. We also introduce the concept of the equivalent uniform circular beam that generates a far-field peak irradiance and power-in-the-bucket that are the same as an arbitrary laser source.

World checklist of hornworts and liverworts.

A working checklist of accepted taxa worldwide is vital in achieving the goal of developing an online flora of all known plants by 2020 as part of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. We here present the first-ever worldwide checklist for liverworts (Marchantiophyta) and hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) that includes 7486 species in 398 genera representing 92 families from the two phyla. The checklist has far reaching implications and applications, including providing a valuable tool for taxonomists and systematists, analyzing phytogeographic and diversity patterns, aiding in the assessment of floristic and taxonomic knowledge, and identifying geographical gaps in our understanding of the global liverwort and hornwort flora.

Anti-inflammatory Effects of Clostridial Collagenase Results from In Vitro and Clinical Studies.

Background: Digestion of collagen with clostridial collagenase (CC) produces peptides that can induce cellular responses consistent with wound healing in vivo. However, nonhealing human wounds are typically in a state of chronic inflammation. We evaluated the effects of CC on markers of inflammation in cell culture and wound fluid from diabetic patients.

Cryo-Induced Thermal Wounds: A Human Acute Wound Model.

Introduction: Clinical models are invaluable in studying wound healing. Challenges in studying human wounds include heterogeneity of patients and wounds, as well as prolonged study time, resulting in high costs. Animal models are an efficient method to study wound healing, but often lack correlation with human acute wound healing.

Durability of healing from spray-applied cell therapy with human allogeneic fibroblasts and keratinocytes for the treatment of chronic venous leg ulcers: a 6-month follow-up.

Patients who participated in a Phase 2 trial of HP802-247 for venous leg ulcers were invited to participate in this 24-week follow-up study to assess the durability of healing, document additional ulcer closures, and evaluate posttreatment safety. Consent was given by 90% (206/228), with 80% (183/228) completing all visits. Blinding was retained from the previous trial in which subjects had been randomized to vehicle or one of four cell therapy regimens.

The influence of patient and wound variables on healing of venous leg ulcers in a randomized controlled trial of growth-arrested allogeneic keratinocytes and fibroblasts.

Objective: To examine patient and wound variables presumed to influence healing outcomes in the context of therapeutic trials for chronic venous leg ulcers.

Methods: This double-blind, vehicle-controlled study was conducted with randomized assignment to one of four cell therapy dose groups (n = 46, 43, 44, 45) or vehicle control (n = 50). A 2-week run-in period was used to exclude rapid healers and those with infection or uncontrolled edema.

Effects of nonlinear phase modulation on Bragg scattering in the low-conversion regime.

In this paper, we consider the effects of nonlinear phase modulation on frequency conversion by four-wave mixing (Bragg scattering) in the low-conversion regime. We derive the Green functions for this process using the time-domain collision method, for partial collisions, in which the four fields interact at the beginning or the end of the fiber, and complete collisions, in which the four fields interact at the midpoint of the fiber. If the Green function is separable, there is only one output Schmidt mode, which is free from temporal entanglement.

Spray-applied cell therapy with human allogeneic fibroblasts and keratinocytes for the treatment of chronic venous leg ulcers: a phase 2, multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Many patients with venous leg ulcers do not heal with standard care. HP802-247 is a novel spray-applied cell therapy containing growth-arrested allogeneic neonatal keratinocytes and fibroblasts. We compared different cell concentrations and dosing frequencies of HP802-247 for benefit and harm when applied to chronic venous leg ulcers.

Simultaneous frequency conversion, regeneration and reshaping of optical signals.

Nondegenerate four-wave mixing in fibers enables the tunable and low-noise frequency conversion of optical signals. This paper shows that four-wave mixing driven by pulsed pumps can also regenerate and reshape optical signal pulses arbitrarily.

Noise bandwidth dependence of soliton phase in simulations of stochastic nonlinear Schrödinger equations.

We demonstrate that soliton perturbation theory, though widely used, predicts an incorrect phase distribution for solitons of stochastically driven nonlinear Schrödinger equations in physically relevant parameter regimes. We propose a simple variational model that accounts for the effect of radiation on phase evolution and correctly predicts its distribution.

Development of a health care personnel handwash with 6-hour persistence.

Background: Health care handwashes/sanitizers help prevent the spread of infection. Many are alcohol-based, providing immediate microbial kill. Few contain persistence factors for residual antimicrobial effects.