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An in vivo trial was conducted to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of insect meals for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Rainbow trout (approximately 370 g ± 23 g, mean ± SD initial weight) were stocked 25 per tank into 400-liter tanks. Fish were fed a reference diet, or 1 of 5 test diets created by blending the reference diet in a 70:30 ratio (dry-weight basis) with menhaden fish meal (MFM), 2 house cricket (Acheta domesticus) meals (cricket A and cricket B), Galleria mellonella meal, and yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) meal. Diets were assigned to 3 replicate tanks of fish and fed twice daily for 14 days prior to fecal collection. Ingredients, diets, and fecal matter were analyzed in duplicate for proximate, mineral, and amino acid composition. House cricket meals were 67.3% and 69.0% protein (CP) and 16.6% and 17.1% lipid (CL), for house cricket A and B, respectively. Yellow mealworm meal contained 56.5% CP and 27.7% CL, and G. mellonella larvae meal contained 32.5% CP and 54.2% CL. Protein ADCs were 78.9 for G. mellonella larvae meal, 78.0 for yellow mealworm meal, and 76.5 for house cricket A and not different from the MFM protein ADC of 76.6, while house cricket B protein ADC was 65.8 and was significantly lower than the MFM protein ADC (F = 7.39; df = 4,14; P = 0.0049).Together, these nutritional values suggest house crickets, and yellow mealworms show promise as alternative protein sources in salmonid feeds, with the potential of G. mellonella as an alternative lipid source.

We conducted an investigation to explore how neurotypical (NT) listeners perceive the emotional tone of voice in sentences spoken by individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and NT speakers. The investigation included both male and female speakers from both groups. In Study 1, NT listeners were asked to identify the emotional prosody (anger, fear, happiness, surprise or neutral) conveyed by the speakers. Results revealed that emotional expressions produced by male ASD speakers were generally less accurately recognized compared to male NT speakers. In contrast, emotions expressed by female ASD speakers were more accurately categorized compared to female NT speakers, except when expressing fear. This suggests that female ASD speakers may not express emotional prosody in the same way as their male counterparts. In Study 2, a subset of produced materials was rated for valence, voice modulation, and voice control to supplement Study 1 results: Female ASD speakers sounded less negative when expressing fear compared to female NT speakers. Male ASD speakers were perceived as less positive than NT speakers when expressing happiness. Voice modulation also differed between groups, showing a tendency for ASD speakers to follow different display rules for both positive emotions (happiness and surprise) tested. Finally, male ASD speakers were rated to use voice cues less appropriately compared to NT male speakers, an effect less pronounced for female ASD speakers. Together, the results imply that difficulties in social interactions among individuals with high-functioning ASD could be due to non-prototypical voice use of male ASD speakers and emphasize that female individuals do not show the same effects.

The ability of high‐value plant protein concentrates to replace fish meal and other expensive animal proteins in diets for rainbow trout depends on their available nutrient composition, cost and consistency. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of two novel corn protein products (ANDVantage™ 40Y and ANDVantage™ 50Y, The Andersons, Inc.) on the growth performance of juvenile rainbow trout. Two parallel replacement series were applied with test products included at 0%, 7.5%, 15%, 22.5%, and 30% diet dry weight replacing dietary fish meal and poultry meal on a digestible protein (DP) basis. All diets were formulated to 42% DP and 18% crude lipid, supplemented with Lys, Met, and Thr to targets of 3.8%, 1.3%, and 2.1%, respectively, and manufactured by cooking extrusion. Diets were randomly assigned to triplicate tanks of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Troutlodge Inc., Sumner, WA) with a mean initial weight of 38 ± 0.7 g (mean ± SD). Fish were cultured in poly tanks (320 L) at n = 20 fish per tank in a recirculating system with a flow rate of 4–6 L min−1, temperature at 15°C, and a 13:11 light:dark cycle, and fed twice daily to apparent satiation 6 days per week for 12 weeks. Including ANDVantage products at levels above 22.5% decreased growth (gram gain per fish, p < 0.0001). A significant interaction was observed for feed conversion ratio (FCR; p < 0.0001) wherein fish fed ANDVantage™ 40Y had significantly higher FCR than fish fed ANDVantage™ 50Y when fed levels above 22.5%. Optimized inclusion levels, determined by regression analysis for combined data or for each ingredient when interactive effects occurred, indicate that maximum inclusion levels for ANDVantage™ 40Y and ANDVantage™ 50Y in rainbow trout diets range from 13.5% to 21.5% depending on the performance variable assessed.

Grain sizes of Martian sand dunes are critical sedimentological data on sand provenance and transport pathways. Thermal inertia values are used to characterize the grain sizes of dune sand. Most early characterizations involved single dune fields. Recent work based on global data sets has provided more wide‐spread dune sand locations, though these data sets include the non‐sandy interdune areas. To provide a more accurate grain size characterization, we leverage a global thermal inertia data set, a global dune database and a global imaging mosaic to develop a freeware‐based methodology for deriving grain sizes. This methodology involves delineation of sand‐only areas within dune fields and collection of thermal inertia values from those areas. We consider a unimodal histogram of values with a mode <∼350 thermal inertia units (J m−2 K−1 s−1/2) to imply an effective exclusion of non‐sand surfaces. Application of this methodology to dune fields for which thermal inertia values have been previous derived shows our results fall within the envelope of those values. We apply our methodology to tropical dune fields on Mars for which Dust Cover Index data imply dust‐free surfaces. Conversion of these thermal inertia values to sand grain sizes yields a range of sand classifications of fine sand to granules. Comparison of sand size classifications with geographic location shows grain size ranges that are distinctive by location, consistent with local sourcing. This work points toward geographically diverse sand formation mechanisms yielding diverse grain sizes, while providing a freeware‐based and thus widely accessible method for expanding the derivation of these critical data. Plain Language Summary Knowing the sizes of sand grains on Mars provides information on the history of that sand, such as where it came from and how far it has traveled to where it is now. Sand grains of different sizes respond to heat differently, with larger sand grains heating up and cooling down more slowly than smaller grains or dust. This response to heating—termed “thermal inertia”—has been used for decades to estimate the grain sizes of dune sand on Mars. However, previous methods have been focused on only a few dune fields at a time. To increase the amount of grain size data we can collect from sand dunes on Mars, we have developed a freeware‐based approach using global data sets and software that are accessible to anyone. Applying our approach to all the dunes for which grains sizes based on thermal inertia were previously derived, we show that our values are similar to those from the previous work. Applying our approach to 75 dune fields on Mars, we see different dune fields have different grain sizes, which suggests different sand formation mechanisms in these different locations. Thus, our freeware‐based approach provides an accessible opportunity to learn about sand characteristics and sand histories across Mars. Key Points We develop and test a fully freeware‐based method for estimating grain sizes of Martian dune sand and apply it to tropical dune fields Our grain size values fit within the envelope of grain size values from decades of previous work, indicating the validity of our method Our results also reveal geographic variability in grain sizes, indicating geospatial variability in sand‐forming mechanisms on Mars

Nearly 70% of adults in the US are currently overweight or obese. Despite such high prevalence, the impact of obesity on antitumor immunity and immunotherapy outcomes remains incompletely understood, particularly in patients with breast cancer. Here, we addressed these gaps in knowledge using two murine models of breast cancer combined with diet-induced obesity. We report that obesity increases CXCL1 concentrations in the mammary tumor microenvironment, driving CXCR2-mediated chemotaxis and accumulation of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs) expressing Fas ligand (FasL). Obesity simultaneously promotes hyperactivation of CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), as evidenced by increased expression of CD44, PD-1, Ki-67, IFNγ, and the death receptor Fas. Accordingly, G-MDSCs induce Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis of CD8 T cells and . These changes promote immunotherapy resistance in obese mice. Disruption of CXCR2-mediated G-MDSC chemotaxis in obese mice is sufficient to limit intratumoral G-MDSC accumulation and improve immunotherapy outcomes. The translational relevance of our findings is demonstrated by transcriptomic analyses of human breast tumor tissues, which reveal positive associations between expression and body mass index, poor survival, and a MDSC gene signature. Further, this MDSC gene signature is positively associated with expression. Thus, we have identified a pathway wherein obesity leads to increased intratumoral CXCL1 concentrations, which promotes CXCR2-mediated accumulation of FasL G-MDSCs, resulting in heightened CD8 TIL apoptosis and immunotherapy resistance. Disruption of this pathway may improve immunotherapy outcomes in patients with breast cancer and obesity.

Bonding in the ground state of C 2 is still a matter of controversy, as reasonable arguments may be made for a dicarbon bond order of 2 , 3 , or 4 . Here we report on photoelectron spectra of the C 2 − anion, measured at a range of wavelengths using a high-resolution photoelectron imaging spectrometer, which reveal both the ground X 1 Σ g + and first-excited a 3 Π u electronic states. These measurements yield electron angular anisotropies that identify the character of two orbitals: the diffuse detachment orbital of the anion and the highest occupied molecular orbital of the neutral. This work indicates that electron detachment occurs from predominantly s -like ( 3 σ g ) and p -like ( 1 π u ) orbitals, respectively, which is inconsistent with the predictions required for the high bond-order models of strongly s p -mixed orbitals. This result suggests that the dominant contribution to the dicarbon bonding involves a double-bonded configuration, with 2 π bonds and no accompanying σ bond. In spite of its apparent simplicity, the dicarbon molecule has a bonding structure which is matter of debate. Here the authors measure high-resolution spectra of the C 2 anion by photoelectron imaging, revealing a bonding configuration dominated by a double π bond, with no accompanying σ bond.

Vinylidene-acetylene isomerization is the prototypical example of a 1,2-hydrogen shift, one of the most important classes of isomerization reactions in organic chemistry. This reaction was investigated with quantum state specificity by high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy of the vinylidene anions H₂CC⁻ and D₂CC⁻ and quantum dynamics calculations. Peaks in the photoelectron spectra are considerably narrower than in previous work and reveal subtleties in the isomerization dynamics of neutral vinylidene, as well as vibronic coupling with an excited state of vinylidene. Comparison with theory permits assignment of most spectral features to eigenstates dominated by vinylidene character. However, excitation of the ν6 in-plane rocking mode in H₂CC results in appreciable tunneling-facilitated mixing with highly vibrationally excited states of acetylene, leading to broadening and/or spectral fine structure that is largely suppressed for analogous vibrational levels of D₂CC.

Sotos syndrome (SS) represents an important human model system for the study of epigenetic regulation; it is an overgrowth/intellectual disability syndrome caused by mutations in a histone methyltransferase, NSD1 . As layered epigenetic modifications are often interdependent, we propose that pathogenic NSD1 mutations have a genome-wide impact on the most stable epigenetic mark, DNA methylation (DNAm). By interrogating DNAm in SS patients, we identify a genome-wide, highly significant NSD1 +/− -specific signature that differentiates pathogenic NSD1 mutations from controls, benign NSD1 variants and the clinically overlapping Weaver syndrome. Validation studies of independent cohorts of SS and controls assigned 100% of these samples correctly. This highly specific and sensitive NSD1 +/− signature encompasses genes that function in cellular morphogenesis and neuronal differentiation, reflecting cardinal features of the SS phenotype. The identification of SS-specific genome-wide DNAm alterations will facilitate both the elucidation of the molecular pathophysiology of SS and the development of improved diagnostic testing. Sotos syndrome is an growth syndrome characterized by advanced growth in childhood, characteristic facial appearance and intellectual disability. Here the authors identify a genome-wide DNA methylation signature that accurately diagnoses Sotos Syndrome and distinguishes it from similar conditions.

In the last 30 years research has shown that the resolution and reproducibility of data acquired using the atomic force microscope (AFM) can be improved through the development of new imaging modes or by modifying the AFM tip. One method that has been explored since the 1990s is to attach carbon nanotubes (CNT) to AFM tips. CNTs possess a small diameter, high aspect ratio, high strength and demonstrate a high degree of wear resistance. While early indications suggested the widespread use of these types of probes would be routine this has not been the case. A number of methods for CNT attachment have been proposed and explored including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), dielectrophoresis and manual attachment inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). One of the earliest techniques developed is known as the pick-up method and involves adhering CNTs to AFM tips by simply scanning the AFM tip, in tapping mode, across a CNT-covered surface until a CNT attaches to the AFM tip. In this work we will further investigate how, for example, high force tapping mode imaging can improve the stability and success rate of the pick-up method. We will also discuss methods to determine CNT attachment to AFM probes including changes in AFM image resolution, amplitude versus distance curves and SEM imaging. We demonstrate that the pick-up method can be applied to a range of AFM probes, including contact mode probes with relatively soft spring constants (0.28 N/m). Finally, we demonstrate that the pick-up method can be used to attach CNTs to two AFM tips simultaneously. This is significant as it demonstrates the techniques potential for attaching CNTs to multiple AFM tips which could have applications in AFM-based data storage, devices such as the Snomipede, or making CNT-AFM tips more commercially viable.