Coloration in a Praying Mantis: Color Change, Sexual Color Dimorphism, and Possible Camouflage Strategies.

Background matching, an important form of camouflage, can be challenging for animals that range across heterogeneously colored habitats. To remain cryptic in such habitats, animals may employ color change, background choice, or generalist coloration, and the efficacy of these strategies may be influenced by an animal's mobility. We examined camouflage strategies in the praying mantis .

The Effect of Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty Design and Surgical Indications on Deltoid and Rotator Cuff Muscle Length.

Background: Advancements in surgical planning, technique, and prosthesis design have improved adaptation to patient anatomy in reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA). Postoperative changes in deltoid and rotator cuff muscle length are important and may vary based on preoperative indications and prosthesis selection. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the changes in deltoid and rotator cuff muscle length for planned rTSA using the spectrum of prosthesis configurations in both GHOA and RCA.

Electrostatic Contribution to F Chemical Shifts in Fluorotryptophans in Proteins.

DFT calculations indicate that the F chemical shifts of aromatic rings containing single fluorine substituents are sensitive to the electric fields and electric field gradients at the position of the fluorine atom. The present work explores whether long-range structure restraints can be gained from changes in F chemical shifts following mutations of charged to uncharged residues. F chemical shifts of fluorotryptophan residues were measured in two different proteins, GB1 and the NT* domain, following mutations of single asparagine residues to aspartic acid.

Loss of compensation afforded by accessory muscles of breathing leads to respiratory system compromise in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Despite profound diaphragm weakness, peak inspiratory pressure-generating capacity is preserved in young mdx mice revealing adequate compensation by extra-diaphragmatic muscles of breathing in early dystrophic disease. We hypothesised that loss of compensation gives rise to respiratory system compromise in advanced dystrophic disease. Studies were performed in male wild-type (n = 196) and dystrophin-deficient mdx mice (n = 188) at 1, 4, 8, 12 and 16 months of age.

Ventilatory Effects of Acute Intermittent Hypoxia in Conscious Dystrophic Mice.

Exposure to acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) elicits a form of respiratory plasticity known as long-term facilitation (LTF). Interest has grown in developing AIH interventions to treat ventilatory insufficiency, with promising results in spinal cord injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Therapeutic AIH may have application in neuromuscular disorders including muscular dystrophies.

Evaluating trunnionosis in modular anatomic shoulder arthroplasties: a retrieval study.

Background: Shoulder arthroplasty procedures are widely indicated, and the number of shoulder arthroplasty procedures has drastically increased over the years. Rapid expansion of the utilization of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty has outpaced the more modest growth of anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA) while shoulder hemiarthroplasty (HA) has trended down. Recently, shoulder prostheses have transitioned to increasingly modular systems offering more individualized options with the potential for decreased pain and increased range of motion.

A bivalent remipede toxin promotes calcium release via ryanodine receptor activation.

Multivalent ligands of ion channels have proven to be both very rare and highly valuable in yielding unique insights into channel structure and pharmacology. Here, we describe a bivalent peptide from the venom of Xibalbanus tulumensis, a troglobitic arthropod from the enigmatic class Remipedia, that causes persistent calcium release by activation of ion channels involved in muscle contraction. The high-resolution solution structure of φ-Xibalbin3-Xt3a reveals a tandem repeat arrangement of inhibitor-cysteine knot (ICK) domains previously only found in spider venoms.

Site-selective generation of lanthanoid binding sites on proteins using 4-fluoro-2,6-dicyanopyridine.

The paramagnetism of a lanthanoid tag site-specifically installed on a protein provides a rich source of structural information accessible by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Here we report a lanthanoid tag for selective reaction with cysteine or selenocysteine with formation of a (seleno)thioether bond and a short tether between the lanthanoid ion and the protein backbone. The tag is assembled on the protein in three steps, comprising (i) reaction with 4-fluoro-2,6-dicyanopyridine (FDCP); (ii) reaction of the cyano groups with -cysteine, penicillamine or -cysteine to complete the lanthanoid chelating moiety; and (iii) titration with a lanthanoid ion.

Evaluation of the Use of Single- and Multi-Magnification Convolutional Neural Networks for the Determination and Quantitation of Lesions in Nonclinical Pathology Studies.

Digital pathology platforms with integrated artificial intelligence have the potential to increase the efficiency of the nonclinical pathologist's workflow through screening and prioritizing slides with lesions and highlighting areas with specific lesions for review. Herein, we describe the comparison of various single- and multi-magnification convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures to accelerate the detection of lesions in tissues. Different models were evaluated for defining performance characteristics and efficiency in accurately identifying lesions in 5 key rat organs (liver, kidney, heart, lung, and brain).

Functional postural-stabilization tests according to Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization approach: Proposal of novel examination protocol.

This paper presents a set of eleven functional Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) tests corresponding with specific infantile developmental stages, clarifying desired postural-locomotion patterns from a developmental perspective, while also describing frequently-observed disturbances of these patterns.

Multi-species transcriptomics reveals evolutionary diversity in the mechanisms regulating shrimp tail muscle excitation-contraction coupling.

The natural flight response in shrimp is powered by rapid contractions of the abdominal muscle fibres to propel themselves backwards away from perceived danger. This muscle contraction is dependent on repetitive depolarization of muscle plasma membrane, triggering tightly spaced cytoplasmic [Ca] transients and rapidly rising tetanic force responses. To achieve such high amplitude and high frequency of Ca transients requires a high abundance of sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca ATPase (SERCA) to rapidly clear cytoplasmic Ca between each transient and an efficient Ca release system consisting of the Ryanodine Receptor (RyR), and voltage gated Ca channels (Cas).

Secreted Cysteine-Rich Repeat Proteins "SCREPs": A Novel Multi-Domain Architecture.

Peptide toxins isolated from animal venom secretions have proven to be useful pharmacological tools for probing the structure and function of a number of molecular receptors. Their molecular structures are stabilized by posttranslational formation of multiple disulfide bonds formed between sidechain thiols of cysteine residues, resulting in high thermal and chemical stability. Many of these peptides have been found to be potent modulators of ion channels, making them particularly influential in this field.

Kinematic chain reactions on trunk and dynamic postural steadiness in subjects with recurrent low back pain.

Although subjects with recurrent low back pain (LBP) demonstrate altered trunk control, the kinematic and kinetic responses of the trunk have not been carefully investigated. This study was conducted to compare the standing time, spine range of motion (ROM), and dynamic postural steadiness index (DPSI) based on visual condition between subjects with and without recurrent LBP during upright one leg standing. Sixty-three individuals participated in the study, including 34 control subjects and 29 subjects with recurrent LBP.

Synthesis of Nitrogen Heterocycles via Photochemical Ring Opening of Pyridazine N-Oxides.

A photochemical method for the direct synthesis of 1H-pyrazoles from pyridazine N-oxides was developed. This chemistry features a regioselective approach to nonsymmetrically substituted pyridazine N-oxides. Herein, we highlight the first strategic use of photoinduced ring-opening reactions of 1,2-diazine N-oxides for the preparative synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles.

Formation and in situ reactions of hypervalent iodonium alkynyl triflates to form cyanocarbenes.

The conversion of readily available silylalkynes, iodobenzene diacetate, and azide anions was utilized to form and react cyanocarbenes. A copper(II)-catalyzed reaction was found to react in a different manner. Both of these methods benefit from the formation and in situ reaction of hypervalent iodonium alkynyl triflates in O-H insertion reactions.

A synoptic review of the genus Stagmomantis (Mantodea: Mantidae).

Stagmomantis is a remarkable genus within the Mantodea, being relatively species-rich and geographically widespread.  Yet, the number of species within the genus remains curiously unresolved.  The present synoptic review surveys the literature on Stagmomantis to identify named species for which scientific consensus exists, as well as to summarize basic biological information for each species, including geographic distribution, morphological features, and sex-specific biometric data.