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In this study, a fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements are employed for sea oil slick observation. The co-polarised signature is read in terms of sea surface scattering mechanism with and without surface slicks and it is shown to be sensitive to the presence of sea oil slicks. A model, which relates the pedestal of the polarisation signature to the presence of surface slicks, is developed and successfully tested on L-band ALOS-PALSAR, C-band RADARSAT-2 and C-band SIR-C/XSAR full-polarimetric SAR data. Experiment results show that polarisation signature, and its pedestal height, can be successfully exploited for both observing sea oil slicks and distinguishing them from weak-damping properties look-alikes.

Deposition of nanostructured and low-wear zirconia (ZrO 2 ) thin films on the metallic component of a total joint implant is envisaged to reduce wear of the soft ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) counterpart. In this work, morphological surface features, wear resistance and in vitro-biocompatibility of zirconia thin films deposited by the novel Pulsed Plasma Deposition (PPD) method have been investigated. Film thickness, roughness and wettability were found to be strongly dependent on deposition gas pressure. Interestingly, wear rate of UHMWPE disks coupled to zirconia-coated titanium spheres was only poorly correlated to the contact angle values, while film roughness and thickness seemed not to affect it. Furthermore, wear of UHMWPE, when coupled with zirconia coated-titanium spheres, significantly decreased with respect to uncoated spheres under dry or NaCl-lubricated conditions; besides, when using bovine serum, similar results were obtained for coated and uncoated spheres. Finally, suitable mesenchymal stem and osteoblast cells adhesion, proliferation and viability were observed, suggesting good biocompatibility of the nanostructured zirconia films. Taken together, the results shown in this work indicate that zirconia thin films deposited by the PPD method deserve further investigations as low-wear materials for biomedical applications such as total joint replacement.

Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) is known for his brilliant blue colours, and his frequent use of the costly natural ultramarine. This paper reveals new findings about ultramarine in the headscarf of Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665, Mauritshuis). The painting was examined using a range of micro- and macroscale techniques as part of the Girl in the Spotlight research project (2018). Analysis of micro-samples mounted as cross-sections using SEM–EDX and FTIR-ATR showed that Vermeer used high-quality ultramarine in the blue headscarf, based on the relative abundance of bright blue particles of lazurite. Analysis with synchrotron sulphur K-edge XANES suggested that the ultramarine pigment was prepared—at least in part—from a heat-treated lapis lazuli rock. The entire painting was imaged using MS-IRR, MA-XRF, RIS, and digital microscopy to reveal the distribution of materials of the headscarf, and to give more insight into Vermeer’s painting process. The shadow part of the headscarf has a remarkably patchy appearance, due to paint degradation that is probably related to the large amounts of chalk Vermeer mixed in the ultramarine paint in this area. The question was raised as to whether extra chalk was added deliberately to the paint to adjust the handling properties or opacity, or whether the chalk was the substrate of a—now faded—yellow lake. Schematic paint reconstructions were made to investigate the effect of the addition of chalk or yellow lake on the paint properties. The analyses and reconstructions led to the hypothesis that the blue headscarf originally contained a wider range of different blue colour shades: an opaque light blue for the left (lit) zone, a slightly brighter opaque blue for the middle zone, and a deep dark blue-green glaze with alternating blue-green glazing brushstrokes for the shadow zone—now largely compromised by paint degradation.

Ultrathin manganite films are widely used as active electrodes in organic spintronic devices. In this study, a scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) investigation with atomic resolution revealed previously unknown surface features consisting of small non-stoichiometric islands. Based upon this evidence, a new mechanism for the growth of these complex materials is proposed. It is suggested that the non-stoichiometric islands result from nucleation centres that are below the critical threshold size required for stoichiometric crystalline growth. These islands represent a kinetic intermediate of single-layer growth regardless of the film thickness and should be considered and possibly controlled in manganite thin-film applications.

Analysis of transplantation of single haematopoietic stem cells in mice defines stable lineage-restricted fates in long-term self-renewing multipotent stem cells, including a class of multipotent stem cells that exclusively replenishes the megakaryocyte/platelet lineage. The many fates of stem cells in the blood line Many blood disorders can be treated with haematopoietic (blood-generating) stem cell (HSC) transplants, but such treatment does not always lead to efficient replenishment of all blood lineages. Through single-cell transplantation of HSCs in mice, Sten Eirik Jacobsen and colleagues define lineage-restricted fates of long-term self-renewing cells. They identify a class of HSC that effectively replenishes the megakaryocyte and platelet lineages over other lineages, and other HSCs that are more able to participate in megakaryocyte, erythroid and myeloid lineages despite being able to sustain lymphoid potential. Genetic lineage tracing also shows that platelet-biased HSCs are able to support unperturbed adult haematopoiesis. Rare multipotent haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in adult bone marrow with extensive self-renewal potential can efficiently replenish all myeloid and lymphoid blood cells 1 , securing long-term multilineage reconstitution after physiological and clinical challenges such as chemotherapy and haematopoietic transplantations 2 , 3 , 4 . HSC transplantation remains the only curative treatment for many haematological malignancies, but inefficient blood-lineage replenishment remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality 5 , 6 . Single-cell transplantation has uncovered considerable heterogeneity among reconstituting HSCs 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , a finding that is supported by studies of unperturbed haematopoiesis 2 , 3 , 4 , 12 and may reflect different propensities for lineage-fate decisions by distinct myeloid-, lymphoid- and platelet-biased HSCs 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 13 . Other studies suggested that such lineage bias might reflect generation of unipotent or oligopotent self-renewing progenitors within the phenotypic HSC compartment, and implicated uncoupling of the defining HSC properties of self-renewal and multipotency 11 , 14 . Here we use highly sensitive tracking of progenitors and mature cells of the megakaryocyte/platelet, erythroid, myeloid and B and T cell lineages, produced from singly transplanted HSCs, to reveal a highly organized, predictable and stable framework for lineage-restricted fates of long-term self-renewing HSCs. Most notably, a distinct class of HSCs adopts a fate towards effective and stable replenishment of a megakaryocyte/platelet-lineage tree but not of other blood cell lineages, despite sustained multipotency. No HSCs contribute exclusively to any other single blood-cell lineage. Single multipotent HSCs can also fully restrict towards simultaneous replenishment of megakaryocyte, erythroid and myeloid lineages without executing their sustained lymphoid lineage potential. Genetic lineage-tracing analysis also provides evidence for an important role of platelet-biased HSCs in unperturbed adult haematopoiesis. These findings uncover a limited repertoire of distinct HSC subsets, defined by a predictable and hierarchical propensity to adopt a fate towards replenishment of a restricted set of blood lineages, before loss of self-renewal and multipotency.

Aged haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) generate more myeloid cells and fewer lymphoid cells compared with young HSCs, contributing to decreased adaptive immunity in aged individuals. However, it is not known how intrinsic changes to HSCs and shifts in the balance between biased HSC subsets each contribute to the altered lineage output. Here, by analysing HSC transcriptomes and HSC function at the single-cell level, we identify increased molecular platelet priming and functional platelet bias as the predominant age-dependent change to HSCs, including a significant increase in a previously unrecognized class of HSCs that exclusively produce platelets. Depletion of HSC platelet programming through loss of the FOG-1 transcription factor is accompanied by increased lymphoid output. Therefore, increased platelet bias may contribute to the age-associated decrease in lymphopoiesis. With age, haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) produce more myeloid than lymphoid cells, affecting adaptive immunity. By combining HSC single cell transcriptomics with functional studies, Grover et al . find that platelet production is also increased in old murine HSCs and show that the FOG-1 transcription factor contributes to the age-dependent platelet bias.

Background Batter’s shoulder has been defined as posterior subluxation of the lead shoulder during the baseball swing. However, it is unclear whether or how frequently patients may return to play after treatment of this uncommon condition. Questions/purposes We therefore determined the rate of return to play after operative treatment for Batter’s shoulder and whether ROM was restored. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 14 baseball players diagnosed with Batter’s shoulder. Four played professionally, six were in college, and four were in varsity high school. The average age was 20.3 years (range, 16–33 years). All had physical examinations and MRI findings consistent with posterior labral tears involving the lead shoulder. Treatment involved arthroscopic posterior labral repair (n = 10), débridement (n = 2), or rehabilitation (n = 2). The minimum followup was 18 months (average, 2.8 years; range, 18–64 months). Results Eleven of 12 surgically treated patients returned to their previous level of batting at an average of 5.9 months after surgery. The one patient who was unable to return to play also had an osteochondral lesion of the glenoid identified at surgery. Players typically returned to hitting off a tee at 3 months and to facing live pitching at 6 months postoperatively. All patients regained full internal and external ROM as compared with preoperative data. Conclusions Batter’s shoulder is an uncommon form of posterior instability in hitters affecting their lead shoulder. Most athletes are able to return to play at the same level after arthroscopic treatment of posterior capsulolabral lesions. Level of Evidence Level IV, case series. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

[...]bioinformatic programmes predicted that this variant has a possibly damaging effect on protein structure/function or may create buried site or cavity, with a PSIC value of 1.575 ( http://genetics.bwh.harvard.edu/pph , Polyphen; SIFT, Sorting Intolerant From Tolerant software-p=0.01; intolerant threshold of 0.05). Analysis of clinical data demonstrated that patients had typical ALS, with limb or bulbar onset, and showed considerable variation in age of onset and rapidity of disease course. [...]taking into account all the published reports of ALS cases with TARDBP mutations, there does not appear to be any correlation between the age of onset, site of onset and disease duration of the patients with specific TARDBP mutations.

Using single-cell transcriptome profiling of pre-granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells, Nerlov and colleagues identify an early hematopoietic lineage bifurcation that segregates mast cells, eosinophils, megakaryocytes and erythroid cells from monocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes. According to current models of hematopoiesis, lymphoid-primed multi-potent progenitors (LMPPs) (Lin − Sca-1 + c-Kit + CD34 + Flt3 hi ) and common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) (Lin − Sca-1 + c-Kit + CD34 + CD41 hi ) establish an early branch point for separate lineage-commitment pathways from hematopoietic stem cells, with the notable exception that both pathways are proposed to generate all myeloid innate immune cell types through the same myeloid-restricted pre–granulocyte-macrophage progenitor (pre-GM) (Lin − Sca-1 − c-Kit + CD41 − FcγRII/III − CD150 − CD105 − ). By single-cell transcriptome profiling of pre-GMs, we identified distinct myeloid differentiation pathways: a pathway expressing the gene encoding the transcription factor GATA-1 generated mast cells, eosinophils, megakaryocytes and erythroid cells, and a pathway lacking expression of that gene generated monocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes. These results identify an early hematopoietic-lineage bifurcation that separates the myeloid lineages before their segregation from other hematopoietic-lineage potential.