Front speed and pattern selection of a propagating chemical front in an active fluid.

Spontaneous pattern formation in living systems is driven by reaction-diffusion chemistry and active mechanics. The feedback between chemical and mechanical forces is often essential to robust pattern formation, yet it remains poorly understood in general. In this analytical and numerical paper, we study an experimentally motivated minimal model of coupling between reaction-diffusion and active matter: a propagating front of an autocatalytic and stress-generating species.

Allochromatium tepidum, sp. nov., a hot spring species of purple sulfur bacteria.

We describe a new species of purple sulfur bacteria (Chromatiaceae, anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria) isolated from a microbial mat in the sulfidic geothermal outflow of a hot spring in Rotorua, New Zealand. This phototroph, designated as strain NZ, grew optimally near 45 °C but did not show an absorption maximum at 915 nm for the light-harvesting-reaction center core complex (LH1-RC) characteristic of other thermophilic purple sulfur bacteria. Strain NZ had a similar carotenoid composition as Thermochromatium tepidum, but unlike Tch.

Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory: Relevance and Need for Refinement.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the relevance of Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) in contemporary and future practice, explicitly within the global self-care movement and interprofessional healthcare. The authors discuss the relevance and important strengths within Orem's nursing theory and recommend theoretical refinement within the context of significant societal and healthcare transformation. The constructs of global people-centered care and population health, with related social determinants of health, are identified as critical areas for development if SCDNT is to have continued relevance for nursing practice.

Genomic diversity of bacteriophages infecting Rhodobacter capsulatus and their relatedness to its gene transfer agent RcGTA.

The diversity of bacteriophages is likely unparalleled in the biome due to the immense variety of hosts and the multitude of viruses that infect them. Recent efforts have led to description at the genomic level of numerous bacteriophages that infect the Actinobacteria, but relatively little is known about those infecting other prokaryotic phyla, such as the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic α-proteobacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. This species is a common inhabitant of freshwater ecosystems and has been an important model system for the study of photosynthesis.

Contralesional plasticity following constraint-induced movement therapy benefits outcome: contributions of the intact hemisphere to functional recovery.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. A common, chronic deficit after stroke is upper limb impairment, which can be exacerbated by compensatory use of the nonparetic limb. Resulting in learned nonuse of the paretic limb, compensatory reliance on the nonparetic limb can be discouraged with constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT).

Complete genome of the thermophilic purple sulfur Bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum compared to Allochromatium vinosum and other Chromatiaceae.

The complete genome sequence of the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum strain MC (DSM 3771) is described and contrasted with that of its mesophilic relative Allochromatium vinosum strain D (DSM 180) and other Chromatiaceae. The Tch. tepidum genome is a single circular chromosome of 2,958,290 base pairs with no plasmids and is substantially smaller than the genome of Alc.

When in America, do as the Americans? The evolution of health behaviors and outcomes across immigrant cohorts.

This study seeks to understand US immigrants' health-related behaviors and outcomes across arrival cohorts. We simultaneously examine risky consumption choices (smoking and drinking) and physical health conditions (asthma, diabetes, vision problems, and coronary heart diseases) using data from the National Health Interview Surveys (1989-2018). We incorporate cohort fixed-effects and the interactions between cohort effects and years since immigration into our empirical framework to capture the dynamics of immigrant health over time.

Review and Hypothesis: A Potential Common Link Between Glial Cells, Calcium Changes, Modulation of Synaptic Transmission, Spreading Depression, Migraine, and Epilepsy-H.

There is significant evidence to support the notion that glial cells can modulate the strength of synaptic connections between nerve cells, and it has further been suggested that alterations in intracellular calcium are likely to play a key role in this process. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which glial cells modulate neuronal signaling remains contentiously debated. Recent experiments have suggested that alterations in extracellular H efflux initiated by extracellular ATP may play a key role in the modulation of synaptic strength by radial glial cells in the retina and astrocytes throughout the brain.

Examining Neural Activity Related to Pitch Stimuli and Feedback at the Plate: Cognitive and Performance Implications.

This study investigated the relationships among neural activity related to pitch stimuli and task feedback, self-regulatory control, and task-performance measures in expert and novice baseball players. The participants had their event-related brain potentials recorded while they completed a computerized task assessing whether thrown pitches were balls or strikes and received feedback on the accuracy of their responses following each pitch. The results indicated that college players exhibited significantly larger medial frontal negativities to pitch stimuli, as well as smaller reward positivities and larger frontocentral positivities in response to negative feedback, compared with novices.

The molecular and cellular basis of copper dysregulation and its relationship with human pathologies.

Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient required for the activity of redox-active enzymes involved in critical metabolic reactions, signaling pathways, and biological functions. Transporters and chaperones control Cu ion levels and bioavailability to ensure proper subcellular and systemic Cu distribution. Intensive research has focused on understanding how mammalian cells maintain Cu homeostasis, and how molecular signals coordinate Cu acquisition and storage within organs.

Draft Genome Sequences of the Three Strains AB1, ST3, and ZL223.

To increase the genomic data available for antibiotic discovery, three independently isolated antibiotic-producing strains were sequenced. No more than 84% average nucleotide identity was shared with publicly available genomes, and a low similarity of predicted biosynthetic gene clusters to known clusters was found.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Myophage Elbi.

Here, we report the genome sequence of bacteriophage Elbi, which infects the cyanobacterium sp. strain PCC 7120, a model organism for prokaryotic multicellular development. The 68,626 bp encode 108 proteins, of which 31 can be assigned a function.

Parent-Administered Oral Stimulation in Preterm Infants: A Randomized, Controlled, Open-Label Pilot Study.

Objective: The study aimed to assess whether there was any difference in the transition time to full oral feedings between parent-administered and professional-administered premature infant oral motor intervention (PIOMI). The study also evaluated parental satisfaction with performing the intervention through an open-ended questionnaire.

Study Design: A single-center, randomized, controlled, open-label pilot study was carried on between March 2017 and May 2019.

Barley Viridis-k links an evolutionarily conserved C-type ferredoxin to chlorophyll biosynthesis.

Ferredoxins are single-electron carrier proteins involved in various cellular reactions. In chloroplasts, the most abundant ferredoxin accepts electrons from photosystem I and shuttles electrons via ferredoxin NADP+ oxidoreductase to generate NADPH or directly to ferredoxin dependent enzymes. In addition, plants contain other isoforms of ferredoxins.

Estimating causal and time-varying effects of maternal smoking on youth smoking.

Introduction: Maternal smoking is a well-known risk factor for youth smoking, yet whether this relationship is causal remains unresolved. This study utilizes propensity score methods for causal inference to robustly account for shared risk factors between maternal and offspring smoking.

Methods: An 8-year longitudinal cohort of 900 adolescents in the Chicago area were followed starting from approximately age 15.

Extracellular ATP-Induced Alterations in Extracellular H Fluxes From Cultured Cortical and Hippocampal Astrocytes.

Small alterations in the level of extracellular H can profoundly alter neuronal activity throughout the nervous system. In this study, self-referencing H-selective microelectrodes were used to examine extracellular H fluxes from individual astrocytes. Activation of astrocytes cultured from mouse hippocampus and rat cortex with extracellular ATP produced a pronounced increase in extracellular H flux.

Health literacy and knowledge of female reproduction in undergraduate students.

College students make many important decisions related to sexual health, but little is known about their reproductive health knowledge. The purpose of the study was to examine health literacy and knowledge of female reproduction, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in college students. Undergraduate students ( = 323) completed a survey in November 2017.

The American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) Practical Guidelines to Study Design and Scientific Manuscript Preparation in Neuromodulation.

Background: Healthcare clinical and even policy decisions are progressively made based on research-based evidence. The process by which the appropriate trials are developed and well-written manuscripts by means of evidence-based medicine recommendations has resulted in unprecedented necessity in evidence-based medicine in neuromodulation.

Methods: The essential considerations in the planning of neuromodulation research are discussed in the light of available scientific literature as well as the authors' scientific expertise regarding research study design and scientific manuscript preparation.

Modulation of microglial activation states by spinal cord stimulation in an animal model of neuropathic pain: Comparing high rate, low rate, and differential target multiplexed programming.

While numerous studies and patient experiences have demonstrated the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation as a treatment for chronic neuropathic pain, the exact mechanism underlying this therapy is still uncertain. Recent studies highlighting the importance of microglial cells in chronic pain and characterizing microglial activation transcriptomes have created a focus on microglia in pain research. Our group has investigated the modulation of gene expression in neurons and glial cells after spinal cord stimulation (SCS), specifically focusing on transcriptomic changes induced by varying SCS stimulation parameters.

Cultivation and characterization of snowbound microorganisms from the South Pole.

Little is known about microbial ecosystems of interior Antarctica, if indeed such ecosystems exist. Although considerable research has assessed microorganisms indigenous to coastal regions of Antarctica, particularly their lakes, ponds, and soils, to our knowledge only one characterized bacterium, a strain of Pseudomonas, has been isolated from South Pole ice or snow. Metagenomic community analyses described in this work and elsewhere reveal that a diversity of bacteria exists in inland polar snows, yet attempts to culture and characterize these microbes from this extreme environment have been few to date.

COVID-19 may affect male fertility but is not sexually transmitted: a systematic review.

Objective: To determine if SARS-CoV-2, which has led to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 global pandemic, is sexually transmitted. Since the putative receptor for the virus is identified in reproductive organs, it is also important to examine if COVID-19 may affect human fertility.

Evidence Review: A systematic review of English publications was conducted up to December 11, 2020 in PubMed, NIH iCite COVID-19 portfolio, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases, searching for SARS-CoV-2 in the testes; seminal, prostatic, and vaginal fluids; and cervical smears.