A Functional Response in Resource Selection Links Multiscale Responses of a Large Carnivore to Human Mortality Risk.

Theory suggests that animals make hierarchical, multiscale resource selection decisions to address the hierarchy of factors limiting their fitness. Ecologists have developed tools to link population-level resource selection across scales; yet, theoretical expectations about the relationship between coarse- and fine-scale selection decisions at the individual level remain elusive despite their importance to fitness. With GPS-telemetry data collected across California, USA, we evaluated resource selection of mountain lions (Puma concolor; n = 244) relative to spatial variation in human-caused mortality risk.

Broad-spectrum resistance to fungal foliar diseases in wheat: recent efforts and achievements.

Wheat ( spp.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Several diseases affect wheat production and can cause 20-80% yield loss annually.

IMPROVED PORTABLE INSTRUMENT TRACKING SYSTEM FOR SURGICAL TRAINING.

Surgeons in training have a limited opportunity to practice their skills in a realistic surgical environment. Surgical training models are expensive and are often single-use exercises involving consumable supplies. The goal of the work presented in this paper is to increase surgeon training time by developing a surgical training simulator that is portable, inexpensive, and offers a realistic surgical environment.

Triticum mosaic virus: An overview of biology, functional genomics, gene expression vector, and management strategies.

Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV; Poacevirus tritici) is the founding member of the genus Poacevirus within the family Potyviridae. TriMV is one of the components of the wheat streak mosaic disease (WSMD) complex, an economically significant wheat disease in the Great Plains region of the USA. TriMV contains a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome of 10,266 nts with an unusually long 5'-nontranslated region of 739 nts.

Porcine peritoneal macrophages are susceptible to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection.

Previous studies have suggested that porcine peritoneal macrophages (PPMs) are resistant to PRRSV infection, whereas porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) are highly susceptible. This contrast is intriguing, as both cell types belong to the same monocyte/macrophage family. The current study aimed to investigate the host factors contributing to the differing susceptibility of PPMs and PAMs to PRRSV infection.

Gridded drought response assessment of winter wheat in Oklahoma using big data and AquaCrop-OS.

Winter wheat is the most dominant crop in Oklahoma and critically important to the economy of agricultural industry in this state and the region. However, weather anomalies such as droughts, which are frequent in Oklahoma, pose serious threats to winter wheat yield. This study was conducted to assess the effects of droughts on the simulated yield of dryland winter wheat (Y) in Oklahoma employing a gridded approach with the AquaCrop Open Source (AquaCrop-OS).

Aquatic occurrence, fate and potential ecotoxicity of insecticide and fungicide residues originating from a biofuels production facility using pesticide-treated seeds.

Little is known about the potential impact of point source contamination from seed treatment pesticide residues and degradation products in waste products in treated seed. The presence of these pesticides and their degradation products in the environment has been associated with toxic effects on non-target organisms including bees, aquatic organisms and humans. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of twenty-two pesticide residues and their degradation products in two streams receiving runoff from land-applied wet cake, applied and spilled wastewater originating at a biofuels production facility using pesticide-treated seed as a feedstock.

Enoki-Inspired Microfibers and Extracellular Matrix Enhance Biaxially Interlocking Interfaces.

Taking inspiration from diverse interlocking and adhesion structures found in nature, a biaxially interlocking interface is developed in this work. This interface is formed by interconnecting two electrostatically flocked substrates and its mechanical strength is enhanced through the incorporation of enoki mushroom-shaped microfibers and deposited extracellular matrix (ECM). Tips of flocked straight fibers can be transformed into mushroom shapes through thermal treatment.

The feasibility of utilizing the open dynamic interaction network (ODIN) app to assess rEMA data across 30 days among those recovering from alcohol use disorders.

Preliminary data from a prospective micro-longitudinal study (30 days) that examined the co-evolution of return to use risk among people diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) in residential substance treatment is presented. Data assessed the feasibility of using the open dynamic interaction network (ODIN) responsive ecological momentary assessment (rEMA). rEMA collected daily estimates on affect, urges, sober-support engagement, and use.

Chiral effects at the metal center in Fe(III) spin crossover coordination salts.

Evidence of chirality was observed at the Fe metal center in Fe(III) spin crossover coordination salts [Fe(qsal)Ni(dmit)] and [Fe(qsal)(TCNQ)] from X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Fe 2pcore threshold. Based on the circularly polarized X-ray absorption data, the X-ray natural circular dichroism seen [Fe(qsal)Ni(dmit)] and [Fe(qsal)(TCNQ)] is far stronger than seen for [Fe(qsal)Cl] suggesting this natural circular dichroism signature is a ligand effect rather than a result of just a loss of octahedral symmetry on the Fe core. The larger the chiral effects in the Fe 2p core to bound X-ray absorption, the greater the perturbation of the Fe 2pto 2pspin-orbit splitting seen in the X-ray absorption spectra.

Analysis of natural structures and chemical mapping data reveals local stability compensation in RNA.

RNA molecules adopt complex structures that perform essential biological functions across all forms of life, making them promising candidates for therapeutic applications. However, our ability to design new RNA structures remains limited by an incomplete understanding of their folding principles. While global metrics such as the minimum free energy are widely used, they are at odds with naturally occurring structures and incompatible with established design rules.

Reimagining AAC designs for children during dynamic social situations by leveraging smart device design.

Social interaction plays a pivotal role in human development, influencing cognitive, emotional, and communicative growth across all stages of life. Integrating augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices into social interactions, especially during dynamic activities such as play, introduces cognitive complexity. This forum explores leveraging smart device design and technology to help integrate AAC into dynamic social interactions, focusing specifically on play.

Protracted maternal malnutrition induces aberrant changes in maternal uterine artery hemodynamics and the metabolic profiles of the dam and neonate.

Malnutritional stress during gestation is a well-established driver of metabolic disfunction in offspring. Extended exposure to malnutrition requires metabolic plasticity as the animal shifts toward a catabolic state. In this paper we demonstrate the influence of malnutrition throughout gestation on uterine artery hemodynamics and the metabolism of the dam and neonate.

Less activity means improved welfare? How pair housing influences pinyon jay () behaviour.

The activity level and specific behaviours exhibited by captive animals are crucial indicators of welfare. Stereotypies, or repetitive behaviours that have no apparent function or goal, are performed by animals experiencing poor conditions in their environment and indicate welfare concerns. Changes in the housing environment in particular may have critical influences on behaviour and welfare.

Carbohydrate-mediated interactions between chloroviruses and the immune system.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms which drive and modulate host-pathogen interactions are essential when designing effective therapeutic and diagnostic approaches aimed at controlling infectious diseases. Certain large and giant viruses have recently been discovered as components of the human virome, yet little is known about their interactions with the host immune system. We have dissected the role of viral N-linked glycans during the interaction between the glycoproteins from six chloroviruses (belonging to three chlorovirus classes: NC64A, SAG, and Osy viruses) and the representative carbohydrate-binding receptors of the innate immune system.

Chilling- and dark-regulated photoprotection in Miscanthus, an economically important C grass.

Tolerance of chilling dictates the geographical distribution, establishment, and productivity of C crops. Chilling reduces enzyme rate, limiting the sink for the absorbed light energy leading to the need for quick energy dissipation via non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Here, we characterize NPQ upon chilling in three Miscanthus accessions representing diverse chilling tolerance in C grasses.

Prolonged Immunomodulator Delivery Boosts Monocyte Exosome Secretion and Elevates Cathelicidin/LL-37 Content.

Human cathelicidin LL-37 offers significant benefits to the immune system and in treating various diseases, but its therapeutic potential is hindered by low activity and instability in physiological environments. Here, we introduce a strategy to boost LL-37 levels in exosomes derived from THP-1 monocytes by incubating cells with electrospun nanofibers containing immunomodulators (e.g.

Gut microbiota profiling in injection drug users with and without HIV-1 infection in Puerto Rico.

Introduction: The full extent of interactions between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, injection drug use, and the human microbiome is unclear. In this study, we examined the microbiomes of HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals, both drug-injecting and non-injecting, to identify bacterial community changes in response to HIV and drug use. We utilized a well-established cohort of people who inject drugs in Puerto Rico, a region with historically high levels of injection drug use and an HIV incidence rate disproportionately associated with drug use.

Independent and Interactive Impacts of Prenatal Exposure to Legal Substances and Childhood Trauma on Emotion Processing in Pre-Adolescents: Preliminary Findings From the ABCD Study.

Objective: This paper investigated the effects of prenatal drug exposure (PDE), childhood trauma (CT), and their interactions on the neurobiological markers for emotion processing.

Method: Here, in a non-clinical sample of pre-adolescents (9-10 years of age) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 6,146), we investigate the impact of PDE to commonly used substances (ie, alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana), CT, and their interaction on emotion processing. From the Emotional N-back functional magnetic resonance imaging task data, we selected 26 regions of interests, previously implicated in emotion processing, and conducted separate linear mixed models (108 total) and accounted for available environmental risk factors.

DeepMiRBP: a hybrid model for predicting microRNA-protein interactions based on transfer learning and cosine similarity.

Background: Interactions between microRNAs and RNA-binding proteins are crucial for microRNA-mediated gene regulation and sorting. Despite their significance, the molecular mechanisms governing these interactions remain underexplored, apart from sequence motifs identified on microRNAs. To date, only a limited number of microRNA-binding proteins have been confirmed, typically through labor-intensive experimental procedures.

Genome-wide identification and diversity of FAD2, FAD3 and FAE1 genes in terms of biotechnological importance in Camelina species.

Background: False flax, or gold-of-pleasure (Camelina sativa) is an oilseed that has received renewed research interest as a promising vegetable oil feedstock for liquid biofuel production and other non-food uses. This species has also emerged as a model for oilseed biotechnology research that aims to enhance seed oil content and fatty acid quality. To date, a number of genetic engineering and gene editing studies on C.

Effects of total microbiota-containing backslop from 450-day-fermented kimchi on microbe and metabolite dynamics.

This study examines the impact of the complex microbiota from long-term fermented kimchi, used as a backslop, on fermentation dynamics. The fermentation was conducted with autoclaved (group A) and non-autoclaved (NA) starter cultures. Bacterial and fungal communities were analyzed with 16S rRNA gene V4 and ITS2 region, respectively, and metabolites were profiled using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.