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Mosquitoes are globally distributed and adapted to a broad range of environmental conditions. As obligatory hosts of many infectious pathogens, mosquito abundance and distribution are primarily determined by the presence and quality of larval habitats. To understand the dynamics and productivity of larval habitats in changing island environments, we conducted a four-month mosquito survey across ten inhabited islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago. Using fine-resolution larval habitat mapping, we recorded 7890 mosquitoes representing 13 species and 7 genera. Of these, four species comprised 95% of the total collections— Aedes albopictus ( Stegomyia ) was the dominant species followed by Armigeres subalbatus , Culex quinquefasciatus and Malaya genurostris . We found larval species richness was positively associated with the island area and mosquito larval richness (Chao1 estimator) was higher in artificial habitats than in natural habitats. Furthermore, mosquito species composition did not deteriorate with distance between islands. Mosquito abundance by species was associated with microclimatic variables—pH and temperature. We detected co-existence of multiple species at a micro-habitat level with no evidence of interactions like competition or predation. Our study analyzed and identified the most productive larval habitats –discarded plastic container and plastic drums contributing to high larval indices predicting dengue epidemic across the Lakshadweep islands. Our data highlight the need to devise vector control strategies by removal of human-induced plastic pollution (household waste) which is a critical driver of disease risk.

In most sexually reproducing organisms crossing over between chromosome homologs during meiosis is essential to produce haploid gametes. Most crossovers that form in meiosis in budding yeast result from the biased resolution of double Holliday junction (dHJ) intermediates. This dHJ resolution step involves the actions of Rad2/XPG family nuclease Exo1 and the Mlh1-Mlh3 mismatch repair endonuclease. Here, we provide genetic evidence in baker’s yeast that Exo1 promotes meiotic crossing over by protecting DNA nicks from ligation. We found that structural elements in Exo1 that interact with DNA, such as those required for the bending of DNA during nick/flap recognition, are critical for its role in crossing over. Consistent with these observations, meiotic expression of the Rad2/XPG family member Rad27 partially rescued the crossover defect in exo1 null mutants, and meiotic overexpression of Cdc9 ligase reduced the crossover levels of exo1 DNA-binding mutants to levels that approached the exo1 null. In addition, our work identified a role for Exo1 in crossover interference. Together, these studies provide experimental evidence for Exo1-protected nicks being critical for the formation of meiotic crossovers and their distribution.

Metasurfaces with sub-wavelength features are useful in modulating the phase, amplitude or polarization of electromagnetic fields. While several applications are reported for light manipulation and control, the sharp phase changes would be useful in enhancing the beam shifts at reflection from a metasurface. In designed periodic patterns on metal film, at surface plasmon resonance, we demonstrate Goos-Hanchen shift of the order of 70 times the incident wavelength and the angular shifts of several hundred microradians. We have designed the patterns using rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) together with S-matrices and have used a complete vector theory to calculate the shifts as well as demonstrate a versatile experimental setup to directly measure the shifts. The giant shifts demonstrated could prove to be useful in enhancing the sensitivity of experiments ranging from atomic force microscopy to gravitational wave detection.

[...]it was a single centre study, so generalisability is limited to other settings. [...]we did not use end tidal oxygen and capnography measurement due to unavailability, which precluded us from monitoring the adequacy of pre‑oxygenation and quick confirmation of correct endotracheal tube placement. [...]in this underpowered study success with video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy was not statistically different, with a first attempt success rate of video laryngoscopy observed to be 13% higher (95% CI -2% to 28%) than direct laryngoscopy when intubating trauma patients using the DSI technique.

Mlh1-Mlh3 is an endonuclease hypothesized to act in meiosis to resolve double Holliday junctions into crossovers. It also plays a minor role in eukaryotic DNA mismatch repair (MMR). To understand how Mlh1-Mlh3 functions in both meiosis and MMR, we analyzed in baker's yeast 60 new mlh3 alleles. Five alleles specifically disrupted MMR, whereas one (mlh3-32) specifically disrupted meiotic crossing over. Mlh1-mlh3 representatives for each class were purified and characterized. Both Mlh1-mlh3-32 (MMR+, crossover-) and Mlh1-mlh3-45 (MMR-, crossover+) displayed wild-type endonuclease activities in vitro. Msh2-Msh3, an MSH complex that acts with Mlh1-Mlh3 in MMR, stimulated the endonuclease activity of Mlh1-mlh3-32 but not Mlh1-mlh3-45, suggesting that Mlh1-mlh3-45 is defective in MSH interactions. Whole genome recombination maps were constructed for wild-type and MMR+ crossover-, MMR- crossover+, endonuclease defective and null mlh3 mutants in an S288c/YJM789 hybrid background. Compared to wild-type, all of the mlh3 mutants showed increases in the number of noncrossover events, consistent with recombination intermediates being resolved through alternative recombination pathways. Our observations provide a structure-function map for Mlh3 that reveals the importance of protein-protein interactions in regulating Mlh1-Mlh3's enzymatic activity. They also illustrate how defective meiotic components can alter the fate of meiotic recombination intermediates, providing new insights for how meiotic recombination pathways are regulated.

Classically, vicariant phenomena have been essentially identified on the basis of biogeographical and ecological data. Here, we report unequivocal evidences that demonstrate that a physical–chemical characterization of the epicuticular waxes of the surface of plant leaves represents a very powerful strategy to get rich insight into vicariant events. We found vicariant similarity between Cercis siliquastrum L. (family Fabaceae , subfamily Cercidoideae ) and Ceratonia siliqua L. (family Fabaceae , subfamily Caesalpinoideae ). Both taxa converge in the Mediterranean basin ( C. siliquastrum on the north and C. siliqua across the south), in similar habitats (sclerophyll communities of maquis ) and climatic profiles. These species are the current representation of their subfamilies in the Mediterranean basin, where they overlap. Because of this biogeographic and ecological similarity, the environmental pattern of both taxa was found to be very significant. The physical–chemical analysis performed on the epicuticular waxes of C. siliquastrum and C. siliqua leaves provided relevant data that confirm the functional proximity between them. A striking resemblance was found in the epicuticular waxes of the abaxial surfaces of C. siliquastrum and C. siliqua leaves in terms of the dominant chemical compounds (1-triacontanol (C30) and 1-octacosanol (C28), respectively), morphology (intricate network of randomly organized nanometer-thick and micrometer-long plates), wettability (superhydrophobic character, with water contact angle values of 167.5 ± 0.5° and 162 ± 3°, respectively), and optical properties (in both species the light reflectance/absorptance of the abaxial surface is significantly higher/lower than that of the adaxial surface, but the overall trend in reflectance is qualitatively similar). These results enable us to include for the first time C. siliqua in the vicariant process exhibited by C. canadensis L., C. griffithii L., and C. siliquastrum .

Graphene oxide/Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites were synthesised by a hydrothermal method. The structural properties of the above nanocomposite were elucidated by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The functional group in the graphene oxide/Co 3 O 4 nanocomposite was confirmed by FTIR spectral analysis. The morphological properties of the graphene oxide-Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites were studied by SEM analysis. The elemental compositions of these samples were estimated by EDAX studies. UV, TGA, and Raman were used to assess the crystal nature, morphology, and chemical states of the prepared graphene oxide/Co 3 O 4 nanocomposite, and the electrochemical performance was tested using CV of the prepared nanocomposite materials as supercapacitor electrodes. The electrochemical results showed that the graphene oxide/Co 3 O 4 nanocomposite is a good material for a supercapacitor electrode. AC conductivity’s dielectric properties of charge energy − 2.5318 × 10 –6

Arundo donax L . (Arundinoideae subfamily, Poaceae family) is a sub-tropical and temperate climate reed that grows in arid and semi-arid environmental conditions, from eastern China to the Mediterranean basin, suggesting potential adaptations at the epicuticular level. A thorough physical-chemical examination of the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of A. donax leaf was performed herein in an attempt to track such chemophenetic adaptations. This sort of approach is of the utmost importance for the current debate about the hypothetical invasiveness of this species in the Mediterranean basin versus its natural colonization along the Plio-Pleistocene period. We concluded that the leaf surfaces contain, apart from stomata, prickles, and long, thin trichomes, and silicon-rich tetralobate phytolits. Chemically, the dominating elements in the leaf ashes are oxygen and potassium; minor amounts of calcium, silicon, magnesium, phosphorous, sulphur, and chlorine were also detected. In both surfaces the epicuticular waxes (whose density is higher in the adaxial surface than in the abaxial surface) form randomly orientated platelets, with irregular shape and variable size, and aggregated rodlets with variable diameter around the stomata. In the case of green mature leaves, the dominating organic compounds of the epicuticular waxes of both surfaces are triterpenoids. Both surfaces feature identical hydrophobic behaviour, and exhibit the same total transmittance, total reflectance, and absorption of incident light. The above findings suggest easy growth of the plant, remarkable epidermic robustness of the leaf, and control of water loss. These chemophenetic characteristics and human influence support a neolithization process of this species along the Mediterranean basin.

The section previously stated: “This research was funded by National Funds from Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and FEDER through POCI-COMPETE 2020-Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization in Axis I-Strengthening research, technological development and innovation (UID/QUI/00616/2013 and UID/QUI/00616/2019 to CQ-VR, UIDB/04033/2020 to CITAB, UIDB/00195/2020 to FibEnTech and UID/QUI/50006/2020 to LAQV/Requimte) and by the project PORPLANTSURF - Superhydrophobic films inspired by the surface of plant leaves and petals from Northern Portugal (POCI-01−0145-FEDER-029785), financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through COMPETE 2020-Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and FCT. SN acknowledges FCT for Assistant Research contract (2020-00805.CEEIND) in scope of Scientific Employment Stimulus. The corrected statement appears below: “This research was funded by National Funds from Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and FEDER through POCI-COMPETE 2020-Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization in Axis I-Strengthening research, technological development and innovation (UIDB/00616/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00616/2020) and UIDP/00616/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/00616/2020) to CQ-VR, UIDB/04033/2020 to CITAB, UIDB/00195/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00195/2020) to FibEnTech and UID/QUI/50006/2020 to LAQV/Requimte) and by the project PORPLANTSURF - Superhydrophobic films inspired by the surface of plant leaves and petals from Northern Portugal (POCI-01−0145-FEDER-029785), financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through COMPETE 2020-Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and FCT. SN acknowledges FCT for the Assistant Research contract (2020-00805.CEEIND, https://doi.org/10.54499/2020.00805.CEECIND/CP1625/CT0001) in the scope of the Scientific Employment Stimulus. The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way.

Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) receive anticoagulation to decrease the risk of thrombosis. Various circumstances require discontinuing anticoagulation in LVAD patients, but the risks entailed are not well defined. In a retrospective review of LVAD implantation procedures, we examined the effect of time off anticoagulation on thrombosis and mortality rates after implantation. An international normalized ratio ≤ 1.5 was used to screen for patients taken off anticoagulation. Patients were divided into three groups by the cumulative number of days off anticoagulation: no discontinuation, short-term discontinuation (< 30 days), and long-term discontinuation (≥ 30 days). Rates of ischemic stroke, pump thrombosis, and mortality were compared among groups. Of 245 patients who underwent LVAD implantation during the study, 70 (28.6%) were off anticoagulation during follow-up: 37 (15.1%) had short-term discontinuation (median, 11 days), and 33 (13.5%) had long-term discontinuation (median, 124 days). Patients with long-term discontinuation had a higher rate of ischemic stroke (adjusted hazard ratio 8.5, p  = 0.001) and death (adjusted hazard ratio 3.9, p  = 0.001). The three groups did not differ in pump thrombosis rate. We conclude that after LVAD implantation, discontinuing anticoagulation for ≥ 30 days is independently associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke and death.