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Genetic analysis of airborne plant material has historically focused (generally implicitly rather than as a stated goal) on pollen from anemophilous (wind-pollinated) species, such as in multiple studies examining the relationship of allergens to human health. Inspired by the recent influx of literature applying environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches to targeted-species and whole-ecosystem study, we conducted a proof-of-concept experiment to determine whether airborne samples reliably detect genetic material from non-anemophilous species that may not be releasing large plumes of pollen. We collected airborne eDNA using Big Spring Number Eight dust traps and quantified the amount of eDNA present for a flowering wind-pollinated genus (Bouteloua) and insect-pollinated honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) that was not flowering at the time of the study. We were able to detect airborne eDNA from both species. Since honey mesquite is insect-pollinated and was not flowering during the time of this study, our results confirm that airborne eDNA consists of and can detect species through more than just pollen. Additionally, we were able to detect temporal patterns reflecting Bouteloua reproductive ecology and suggest that airborne honey mesquite eDNA responded to weather conditions during our study. These findings suggest a need for more study of the ecology of airborne eDNA to uncover its potential for single-species and whole-community research and management in terrestrial ecosystems.

In Dual Transformation, innovation and growth consultant Scott Anthony and his coauthors, Clark Gilbert and Mark Johnson, propose a practical and sustainable approach to one of the greatest challenges facing leaders today: transforming your business in the face of imminent disruption. Dual Transformation illustrates the inevitable rise and fall of companies in the age of technological change. But, more importantly, it shows you how your company can come out of a market shift stronger and more profitable. Anthony, Gilbert, and Johnson build upon the lessons of Xerox, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and a case study from Gilbert's first-hand experience transforming his own media and publishing company, to describe the process of successfully weathering the digital age by adapting a current business model to the new marketplace. The book offers critical insight to responding to disruptive shock with three value propositions: (A) repositioning today's business to maximize resilience, (B) creating a new growth engine, and (C) taking advantage of assets to result in creative new markets. With great change comes great opportunity, and this book will get you there with tools to reshape your business model.-- Provided by publisher

Background Airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) research is an emerging field that focuses on the detection of species from their genetic remnants in the air. The majority of studies into airborne eDNA of plants has until now either focused on single species detection, specifically only pollen, or human health impacts, with no previous studies surveying an entire plant community through metabarcoding. We therefore conducted an airborne eDNA metabarcoding survey and compared the results to a traditional plant community survey. Results Over the course of a year, we conducted two traditional transect-based visual plant surveys alongside an airborne eDNA sampling campaign on a short-grass rangeland. We found that airborne eDNA detected more species than the traditional surveying method, although the types of species detected varied based on the method used. Airborne eDNA detected more grasses and forbs with less showy flowers, while the traditional method detected fewer grasses but also detected rarer forbs with large showy flowers. Additionally, we found the airborne eDNA metabarcoding survey required less sampling effort in terms of the time needed to conduct a survey and was able to detect more invasive species than the traditional method. Conclusions Overall, we have demonstrated that airborne eDNA can act as a sensitive and efficient plant community surveying method. Airborne eDNA surveillance has the potential to revolutionize the way plant communities are monitored in general, track changes in plant communities due to climate change and disturbances, and assist with the monitoring of invasive and endangered species.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most lethal intrinsic brain tumor. Even with the existing treatment regimen of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the median survival time is only 15–23 months. The invasive nature of this tumor makes its complete removal very difficult, leading to a high recurrence rate of over 90%. Drug delivery to glioblastoma is challenging because of the molecular and cellular heterogeneity of the tumor, its infiltrative nature, and the blood–brain barrier. Understanding the critical characteristics that restrict drug delivery to the tumor is necessary to develop platforms for the enhanced delivery of effective treatments. In this review, we address the impact of tumor invasion, the molecular and cellular heterogeneity of the tumor, and the blood–brain barrier on the delivery and distribution of drugs using potential therapeutic delivery options such as convection-enhanced delivery, controlled release systems, nanomaterial systems, peptide-based systems, and focused ultrasound.

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a neurological disorder that occurs in about 1% of individuals over age 60 and is characterized by enlarged cerebral ventricles, gait difficulty, incontinence, and cognitive decline. The cause and pathophysiology of iNPH are largely unknown. We performed whole exome sequencing of DNA obtained from 53 unrelated iNPH patients. Two recurrent heterozygous loss of function deletions in CWH43 were observed in 15% of iNPH patients and were significantly enriched 6.6‐fold and 2.7‐fold, respectively, when compared to the general population. Cwh43 modifies the lipid anchor of glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored proteins. Mice heterozygous for CWH43 deletion appeared grossly normal but displayed hydrocephalus, gait and balance abnormalities, decreased numbers of ependymal cilia, and decreased localization of glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored proteins to the apical surfaces of choroid plexus and ependymal cells. Our findings provide novel mechanistic insights into the origins of iNPH and demonstrate that it represents a distinct disease entity. Synopsis Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a neurological disorder of aging characterized by enlarged cerebral ventricles, gait and balance difficulty, incontinence and cognitive impairment. The cause of iNPH is not known. Whole exome sequencing identified heterozygous damaging deletions in CWH43 in 15% of iNPH patients, and these deletions were statistically enriched when compared to the general population. Mutant Cwh43 proteins fail to localize to the Golgi apparatus, which is where Cwh43 normally modifies the lipid anchor of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored proteins. Certain GPI‐anchored proteins (e.g. CD59) were no longer associated with lipid microdomains in human and mouse cells harboring iNPH‐associated CWH43 deletions. Mice heterozygous or homozygous for CWH43 deletions displayed enlarged ventricles, gait and balance abnormalities, decreased cilia numbers and decreased expression of GPI‐anchored proteins on the apical surfaces of choroid plexus and ependymal cells. Graphical Abstract Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a neurological disorder of aging characterized by enlarged cerebral ventricles, gait and balance difficulty, incontinence and cognitive impairment. The cause of iNPH is not known.

Recent second language (L2) writing research informed by task-based theories of second language acquisition has enthusiastically adopted task complexity frameworks to describe the specific cognitive demands of a given writing task and the effect of those cognitive demands on written L2 production. However, missing from many studies on the effects of task complexity on L2 written production is a discussion of genre as a potential source of task complexity. This paper examines the potential of genre as a resource-dispersing form of task complexity that is unique to writing. The article summarizes the predictions of task-based theories of second language acquisition particularly the predictions of the Cognition Hypothesis and its intersection with Kellogg’s widely-cited model of working memory in writing. It then argues that formal genre-specific knowledge constitutes a resource-dispersing form of task complexity that is distinct from general L2 proficiency and general writing proficiency.

Analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) from passively collected airborne dust has demonstrated broad success for sensitive and robust detection of plants. Recent experiments at small spatial scales have suggested that animals can also be detected using airborne eDNA. However, airborne eDNA analysis has never been used for a long‐term whole‐community assessment of a natural terrestrial community or with passive dust collectors. We conducted a metabarcoding survey targeting vertebrate eDNA from dust carried in the air on an approximately 130‐acre shortgrass prairie passively collected over the course of a year. Our survey detected a wide variety of animal forms including an amphibian species, several bird species, and both small and large mammals. We found that airborne eDNA signals changed with known patterns of animal activity, wind speed, and rainfall. Overall, we demonstrate that passively collected airborne dust carries eDNA from terrestrial animals and could be used to detect a wide variety of terrestrial vertebrate species in a natural environment with minimal effort. To develop this as a valuable monitoring tool, research needs to focus on the ecology of eDNA carried in the air, which includes the origin, state, transport, dispersal, and fate of eDNA in the environment. We conducted a metabarcoding survey targeting vertebrate eDNA from dust carried in the air on an approximately 130‐acre shortgrass prairie passively collected over the course of a year. Our survey detected a wide variety of animal forms including an amphibian species, several bird species, and both small and large mammals. We found that airborne eDNA signals changed with known patterns of animal activity, wind speed, and rainfall.

Using a multidimensional genomic data set on glioblastoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we identified hsa-miR-26a as a cooperating component of a frequently occurring amplicon that also contains CDK4 and CENTG1, two oncogenes that regulate the RB1 and PI3 kinase/AKT pathways, respectively. By integrating DNA copy number, mRNA, microRNA, and DNA methylation data, we identified functionally relevant targets of miR-26a in glioblastoma, including PTEN, RB1, and MAP3K2/MEKK2. We demonstrate that miR-26a alone can transform cells and it promotes glioblastoma cell growth in vitro and in the mouse brain by decreasing PTEN, RB1, and MAP3K2/MEKK2 protein expression, thereby increasing AKT activation, promoting proliferation, and decreasing c-JUN N-terminal kinase-dependent apoptosis. Overexpression of miR-26a in PTEN-competent and PTEN-deficient glioblastoma cells promoted tumor growth in vivo, and it further increased growth in cells overexpressing CDK4 or CENTG1. Importantly, glioblastoma patients harboring this amplification displayed markedly decreased survival. Thus, hsa-miR-26a, CDK4, and CENTG1 comprise a functionally integrated oncomir/oncogene DNA cluster that promotes aggressiveness in human cancers by cooperatively targeting the RB1, PI3K/AKT, and JNK pathways.

Arthropods can strongly impact ecosystems through pollination, herbivory, predation, and parasitism. As such, characterizing arthropod biodiversity is vital to understanding ecosystem health, functions, and services. Emerging environmental DNA (eDNA) methods targeting trace arthropod eDNA left behind on flowers have the potential to track arthropod biodiversity and interactions. The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which eDNA metabarcoding can identify plant‐arthropod and arthropod‐arthropod interactions and assess eDNA metabarcoding compared to conventional sampling. We deployed camera traps to document arthropod activity on specific flowers, sampled eDNA from those same flowers, then performed a metabarcoding analysis that targets a partial fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) to determine all arthropod eDNA present. We found that our eDNA metabarcoding analysis detected small arthropod pollinators, plant pests, and parasites, and shed light on potential predator–prey interactions while detecting 55 species compared to just 21 species from conventional camera trapping. The camera trapping survey, however, detected larger, more conspicuous nectarivores more successfully. We also explored the ecology of residual arthropod eDNA, finding that rainfall had a significant negative effect on the ability to detect residual arthropod eDNA. Preliminary evidence also indicates flower species may impact the amount of arthropod eDNA that can be detected. We found that eDNA metabarcoding can provide clues to potential predator–prey interactions on flowers and highlights the potential insights that can be gained from future eDNA metabarcoding studies. We show that eDNA metabarcoding is a valuable tool for not only detecting pollinator communities but for revealing potential interactions among plants, pollinators, pests, parasites, and predators. Future research should focus on how to improve the detection of large pollinators/nectivores and studying the ecology of residual arthropod eDNA to further explore this method's utility. We deployed camera traps to document arthropod activity on specific flowers, sampled eDNA from those same flowers, then performed a metabarcoding analysis that targets a partial fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) to determine all arthropod eDNA present. We found that our eDNA metabarcoding analysis detected small arthropod pollinators, plant pests, and parasites, and shed light on potential predator–prey interactions while detecting more species than conventional camera trapping. The camera trapping survey, however, detected larger, more conspicuous nectarivores more successfully.