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\"Since antiquity, religious beliefs and practices have inspired many of the world's greatest works of art. These masterworks have, in turn, fueled the imaginations of fashion designers in the 20th and 21st centuries, yielding some of the most innovative creations in the history of fashion. 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination' explores fashion's complex and often controversial relationship with Catholicism by examining the role of spirituality and religion in contemporary culture. This two-volume publication connects significant religious art and artifacts to their sartorial expressions. Volume one features images of rarely seen objects from the Vatican - ecclesiastical garments and accessories. Volume two focuses on fashions by designers such as Cristobal Balenciaga, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Madame Grâes, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, Jeanne Lanvin, Claire McCardell, Thierry Mugler, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Gianni Versace. Essays by art historians and leading religious authorities provide perspective on how dress manifests, or subverts, Catholic values and ideology.\"--Publisher's website.

The evolutionary mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 viruses adapt to mammalian hosts and, potentially, undergo antigenic evolution depend on the ways genetic variation is generated and selected within and between individual hosts. Using domestic cats as a model, we show that SARS-CoV-2 consensus sequences remain largely unchanged over time within hosts, while dynamic sub-consensus diversity reveals processes of genetic drift and weak purifying selection. We further identify a notable variant at amino acid position 655 in Spike (H655Y), which was previously shown to confer escape from human monoclonal antibodies. This variant arises rapidly and persists at intermediate frequencies in index cats. It also becomes fixed following transmission in two of three pairs. These dynamics suggest this site may be under positive selection in this system and illustrate how a variant can quickly arise and become fixed in parallel across multiple transmission pairs. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in cats involved a narrow bottleneck, with new infections founded by fewer than ten viruses. In RNA virus evolution, stochastic processes like narrow transmission bottlenecks and genetic drift typically act to constrain the overall pace of adaptive evolution. Our data suggest that here, positive selection in index cats followed by a narrow transmission bottleneck may have instead accelerated the fixation of S H655Y, a potentially beneficial SARS-CoV-2 variant. Overall, our study suggests species- and context-specific adaptations are likely to continue to emerge. This underscores the importance of continued genomic surveillance for new SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as heightened scrutiny for signatures of SARS-CoV-2 positive selection in humans and mammalian model systems.

We report observations of Rayleigh waves that orbit around Mars up to three times following the S1222a marsquake. Averaging these signals, we find the largest amplitude signals at 30 and 85 s central period, propagating with distinctly different group velocities of 2.9 and 3.8 km/s, respectively. The group velocities constraining the average crustal thickness beneath the great circle path rule out the majority of previous crustal models of Mars that have a >200 kg/m3 density contrast across the equatorial dichotomy between northern lowlands and southern highlands. We find that the thickness of the Martian crust is 42–56 km on average, and thus thicker than the crusts of the Earth and Moon. Considered with the context of thermal evolution models, a thick Martian crust suggests that the crust must contain 50%–70% of the total heat production to explain present‐day local melt zones in the interior of Mars. Plain Language Summary The NASA InSight mission and its seismometer installed on the surface of Mars is retired after ∼4 years of operation. From the largest marsquake recording during the entire mission, we observe clear seismic signals from surface waves called Rayleigh waves that orbit around Mars up to three times. By measuring the wavespeeds with which these surface waves travel at different frequencies, we obtain the first seismic evidence that constrains the average crustal and uppermost mantle structures beneath the traveling path on a planetary scale. Using the new seismic observations together with gravity data, we confirm that the density of the crust in the northern lowlands and the southern highlands is similar, differing by no more than 200 kg/m3. Furthermore, we find that the global average crustal thickness on Mars is 42–56 km, much thicker than the Earth's and Moon's crusts. By exploring Mars' thermal history, a thick Martian crust requires about 50%–70% of the heat‐producing elements such as thorium, uranium, and potassium to be concentrated in the crust in order to explain local regions in the Martian mantle that can still undergo melting at present day. Key Points We present the first observation of Rayleigh waves that orbit around Mars up to three times Group velocity measurements and 3‐D simulations constrain the average crustal and uppermost mantle velocities along the great‐circle propagation path The global average crustal thickness is 42–56 km and requires a large enrichment of heat‐producing elements to explain local melt zones

Background Drinking water at U.S. Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, North Carolina was contaminated with trichloroethylene and other industrial solvents from 1953 to 1985. Methods A cohort mortality study was conducted of Marines/Navy personnel who, between 1975 and 1985, began service and were stationed at Camp Lejeune ( N  = 159,128) or MCB Camp Pendleton, California ( N  = 168,406), and civilian workers employed at Camp Lejeune ( N  = 7,332) or Camp Pendleton ( N  = 6,677) between October 1972 and December 1985. Camp Pendleton’s drinking water was not contaminated with industrial solvents. Mortality follow-up was between 1979 and 2018. Proportional hazards regression was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) comparing mortality rates between Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton cohorts. The ratio of upper and lower 95% confidence interval (CI) limits, or CIR, was used to evaluate the precision of aHRs. The study focused on underlying causes of death with aHRs ≥ 1.20 and CIRs ≤ 3. Results Deaths among Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton Marines/Navy personnel totaled 19,250 and 21,134, respectively. Deaths among Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton civilian workers totaled 3,055 and 3,280, respectively. Compared to Camp Pendleton Marines/Navy personnel, Camp Lejeune had aHRs ≥ 1.20 with CIRs ≤ 3 for cancers of the kidney (aHR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.54), esophagus (aHR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.54) and female breast (aHR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.73, 1.98). Causes of death with aHRs ≥ 1.20 and CIR > 3, included Parkinson disease, myelodysplastic syndrome and cancers of the testes, cervix and ovary. Compared to Camp Pendleton civilian workers, Camp Lejeune had aHRs ≥ 1.20 with CIRs ≤ 3 for chronic kidney disease (aHR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.13, 3.11) and Parkinson disease (aHR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.72, 2.04). Female breast cancer had an aHR of 1.19 (95% CI: 0.76, 1.88), and aHRs ≥ 1.20 with CIRs > 3 were observed for kidney and pharyngeal cancers, melanoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and chronic myeloid leukemia. Quantitative bias analyses indicated that confounding due to smoking and alcohol consumption would not appreciably impact the findings. Conclusion Marines/Navy personnel and civilian workers likely exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune had increased hazard ratios for several causes of death compared to Camp Pendleton.

There are two known mechanisms by which natural killer (NK) cells recognize and kill diseased targets: (i) direct killing and (ii) antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). We investigated an indirect NK cell activation strategy for the enhancement of human NK cell killing function. We did this by leveraging the fact that toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonism within pools of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) results in a robust interferon signaling cascade that leads to NK cell activation. After TLR9 agonist stimulation, NK cells were enriched and incorporated into assays to assess their ability to kill tumor cell line targets. Notably, differential impacts of TLR9 agonism were observed—direct killing was enhanced while ADCC was not increased. To ensure that the observed differential effects were not attributable to differences between human donors, we recapitulated the observation using our Natural Killer—Simultaneous ADCC and Direct Killing Assay (NK-SADKA) that controls for human-to-human differences. Next, we observed a treatment-induced decrease in NK cell surface CD16—known to be shed by NK cells post-activation. Given the essential role of CD16 in ADCC, such shedding could account for the observed differential impact of TLR9 agonism on NK cell-mediated killing capacity.

Abstract SummaryThe bone marrow proton density fat fraction (PDFF) assessed with MRI enables the differentiation between osteoporotic/osteopenic patients with and without vertebral fractures. Therefore, PDFF may be a potentially useful biomarker for bone fragility assessment.IntroductionTo evaluate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of vertebral bone marrow can differentiate between osteoporotic/osteopenic patients with and without vertebral fractures.MethodsOf the 52 study patients, 32 presented with vertebral fractures of the lumbar spine (66.4 ± 14.4 years, 62.5% women; acute low-energy osteoporotic/osteopenic vertebral fractures, N = 25; acute high-energy traumatic vertebral fractures, N = 7). These patients were frequency matched for age and sex to patients without vertebral fractures (N = 20, 69.3 ± 10.1 years, 70.0% women). Trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) values were derived from quantitative computed tomography. Chemical shift encoding-based water-fat MRI of the lumbar spine was performed, and PDFF maps were calculated. Associations between fracture status and PDFF were assessed using multivariable linear regression models.ResultsOver all patients, mean PDFF and trabecular BMD correlated significantly (r =  − 0.51, P < 0.001). In the osteoporotic/osteopenic group, those patients with osteoporotic/osteopenic fractures had a significantly higher PDFF than those without osteoporotic fractures after adjusting for age, sex, weight, height, and trabecular BMD (adjusted mean difference [95% confidence interval], 20.8% [10.4%, 30.7%]; P < 0.001), although trabecular BMD values showed no significant difference between the subgroups (P = 0.63). For the differentiation of patients with and without vertebral fractures in the osteoporotic/osteopenic subgroup using mean PDFF, an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.88 (P = 0.006) was assessed. When evaluating all patients with vertebral fractures, those with high-energy traumatic fractures had a significantly lower PDFF than those with low-energy osteoporotic/osteopenic vertebral fractures (P < 0.001).ConclusionMR-based PDFF enables the differentiation between osteoporotic/osteopenic patients with and without vertebral fractures, suggesting the use of PDFF as a potential biomarker for bone fragility.

A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on replacing arbovirus-susceptible Aedes aegypti populations with mosquitoes that have been colonized by the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and thus have a reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses. This reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses is mediated through a phenomenon referred to as pathogen blocking. Pathogen blocking has primarily been proposed as a tool to control dengue virus (DENV) transmission, however it works against a range of viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Despite years of research, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogen blocking still need to be better understood. Here, we used RNA-seq to characterize mosquito gene transcription dynamics in Ae . aegypti infected with the w Mel strain of Wolbachia that are being released by the World Mosquito Program in Medellín, Colombia. Comparative analyses using ZIKV-infected, uninfected tissues, and mosquitoes without Wolbachia revealed that the influence of w Mel on mosquito gene transcription is multifactorial. Importantly, because Wolbachia limits, but does not completely prevent, replication of ZIKV and other viruses in coinfected mosquitoes, there is a possibility that these viruses could evolve resistance to pathogen blocking. Therefore, to understand the influence of Wolbachia on within-host ZIKV evolution, we characterized the genetic diversity of molecularly barcoded ZIKV virus populations replicating in Wolbachia -infected mosquitoes and found that within-host ZIKV evolution was subject to weak purifying selection and, unexpectedly, loose anatomical bottlenecks in the presence and absence of Wolbachia . Together, these findings suggest that there is no clear transcriptional profile associated with Wolbachia -mediated ZIKV restriction, and that there is no evidence for ZIKV escape from this restriction in our system.

Motherhood induces a drastic, sometimes long-lasting, change in internal state and behavior in many female animals. How a change in reproductive state or the discrete event of mating modulates specific female behaviors is still incompletely understood. Using calcium imaging of the whole brain of Drosophila females, we find that mating does not induce a global change in brain activity. Instead, mating modulates the pheromone response of dopaminergic neurons innervating the fly’s learning and memory center, the mushroom body (MB). Using the mating-induced increased attraction to the odor of important nutrients, polyamines, we show that disruption of the female fly’s ability to smell, for instance the pheromone cVA, during mating leads to a reduction in polyamine preference for days later indicating that the odor environment at mating lastingly influences female perception and choice behavior. Moreover, dopaminergic neurons including innervation of the β’1 compartment are sufficient to induce the lasting behavioral increase in polyamine preference. We further show that MB output neurons (MBON) of the β’1 compartment are activated by pheromone odor and their activity during mating bidirectionally modulates preference behavior in mated and virgin females. Their activity is not required, however, for the expression of polyamine attraction. Instead, inhibition of another type of MBON innervating the β’2 compartment enables expression of high odor attraction. In addition, the response of a lateral horn (LH) neuron, AD1b2, which output is required for the expression of polyamine attraction, shows a modulated polyamine response after mating. Taken together, our data in the fly suggests that mating-related sensory experience regulates female odor perception and expression of choice behavior through a dopamine-gated learning circuit.

Animals rely heavily on their sense of olfaction to perform various vital interactions with an ever-in-flux environment. The turbulent and combinatorial nature of air-borne odorant cues demands the employment of various coding strategies, which allow the animal to attune to its internal needs and past or present experiences. Furthermore, these internal needs can be dependent on internal states such as hunger, reproductive state and sickness. Neuromodulation is a key component providing flexibility under such conditions. Understanding the contributions of neuromodulation, such as sensory neuron sensitization and choice bias requires manipulation of neuronal activity on a local and global scale. With genetic toolset, these manipulations are feasible and even allow a detailed look on the functional role of classical neuromodulators such as dopamine, octopamine and neuropeptides. The past years unraveled various mechanisms adapting chemosensory processing and perception to internal states such as hunger and reproductive state. However, future research should also investigate the mechanisms underlying other internal states including the modulatory influence of endogenous microbiota on behavior. Furthermore, sickness induced by pathogenic infection could lead to novel insights as to the neuromodulators of circuits that integrate such a negative postingestive signal within the circuits governing olfactory behavior and learning. The enriched emporium of tools provides will help to build a concrete picture of the influence of neuromodulation on olfaction and metabolism, adaptive behavior and our overall understanding of how a brain works.

The origin of the radiation observed in the region of the supernova remnant RX J1713.7−3946, one of the brightest TeV emitters, has been debated since its discovery. The existence of atomic and molecular clouds in this object supports the idea that part of the GeV gamma-ray emission in this region originates from proton–proton collisions. However, the observed column density of protons derived from observations of the gas cannot explain the whole emission. Yet there could be a fraction of protons contained in fainter structures that have not been detected so far. Here we search for faint objects in the line of sight of RX J1713.7−3946 using the principle of light extinction and the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission Data Release 2 astrometric and photometric data. We reveal and locate with precision a number of dust clouds and note that only one appears to be in the vicinity of RX J1713.7−3946. We estimate the embedded mass to be M dust  = (7.0 ± 0.6) × 10 3   M ⊙ , which might be big enough to contain the missing protons. Finally, using the fact that the supernova remnant is expected to be located in a dusty environment and that there appears to be only one such structure in the vicinity of RX J1713.7−3946, we set a very precise constraint on the supernova remnant distance, at 1.12 ± 0.01 kpc. A dust cloud in the line of sight towards supernova remnant RX J1713.7−3946—identified using Gaia data —contributes to the GeV gamma-ray emission of the region.