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A history of airpower that sources airpower’s origin to the late eighteenth-century introduction of balloons rather than to the early twentieth-century introduction of airplanes provides an accurate and pertinent analogy for states’ development of space domain use and, in particular, the weaponization of space. Airpower experienced gradual growth throughout the nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century, the nexus of technological, geopolitical, and legal conditions facilitated the air domain’s rapid and intense weaponization. This history of airpower is analogous to what has occurred in space beginning in the early 1960s, leading to the current emerging era of rapid and intense space weaponization.

Over time, artworks often sustain paint layer separation and air gaps within their internal structure due to storage conditions and past restoration efforts. Because of this, paint layer consolidation interventions are an essential activity for art conservators. However, it is difficult to determine the exact location and the extent of layer separation on a piece of art in a non-invasive way, and even more difficult to evaluate the success of a consolidation intervention. In this work, a fifteenth-century wood panel painting was analyzed using terahertz time-domain imaging before and after it was consolidated. Using the terahertz data, it was possible to determine the areas on the artwork in need of consolidation and aid the intervention. The analysis of the after data allowed for the control and determination of the success of the consolidation effort in a non-destructive manner.

Neuropathic pain is a common complication of diabetes with high morbidity and poor treatment outcomes. Accumulating evidence suggests the immune system is involved in the development of diabetic neuropathy, whilst neuro-immune interactions involving the kynurenine (KYN) and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) pathways have been linked to neuropathic pain pre-clinically and in several chronic pain conditions. Here, using a multiplex assay, we quantified serum levels of 14 cytokines in 21 participants with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 13 of which were classified as having neuropathic pain. In addition, using high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, all major KYN and BH4 pathway metabolites were quantified in serum from the same cohort. Our results show increases in GM-CSF and IL-8, suggesting immune cell involvement. We demonstrated increases in two inflammatory biomarkers: neopterin and the KYN/TRP ratio, a marker of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity. Moreover, the KYN/TRP ratio positively correlated with pain intensity. Total kynurenine aminotransferase activity was also higher in the diabetic neuropathic pain group, indicating there may be increased production of the KYN metabolite, xanthurenic acid. Overall, this study supports the idea that inflammatory activation of the KYN and BH4 pathways occurs due to elevated inflammatory cytokines, which might be involved in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Further studies should be carried out to investigate the role of KYN and BH4 pathways, which could strengthen the case for therapeutically targeting them in neuropathic pain conditions.

Characterizing cellular diversity at different levels of biological organization and across data modalities is a prerequisite to understanding the function of cell types in the brain. Classification of neurons is also essential to manipulate cell types in controlled ways and to understand their variation and vulnerability in brain disorders. The BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) is an integrated network of data-generating centers, data archives, and data standards developers, with the goal of systematic multimodal brain cell type profiling and characterization. Emphasis of the BICCN is on the whole mouse brain with demonstration of prototype feasibility for human and nonhuman primate (NHP) brains. Here, we provide a guide to the cellular and spatial approaches employed by the BICCN, and to accessing and using these data and extensive resources, including the BRAIN Cell Data Center (BCDC), which serves to manage and integrate data across the ecosystem. We illustrate the power of the BICCN data ecosystem through vignettes highlighting several BICCN analysis and visualization tools. Finally, we present emerging standards that have been developed or adopted toward Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) neuroscience. The combined BICCN ecosystem provides a comprehensive resource for the exploration and analysis of cell types in the brain.

An identifying feature of Quercus agrifolia Née (Fagaceae) is the presence of hair tufts on lower leaf surfaces. In other plant species, hair tufts act as domatia for arthropods such as mites, which in turn feed on leaf fungi or small herbivores and possibly benefit plant health. However, this mutualistic relationship remains untested in Q. agrifolia. In this study two primary questions were addressed within a natural stand of Q. agrifolia in San Luis Obispo, CA: 1) Do hair tufts act as domatia for mites? and 2) Does the removal of hair tufts impact mite abundance, herbivory or fungal pathogens on leaves? In an observational study of 377 leaves from 20 trees, we found a significant association between the presence of hair tufts and the presence of mites. When we experimentally removed hair tufts, we found a significant reduction in mites, yet there was no impact on leaf herbivory or necrosis. We conclude leaf hair tufts on Q. agrifolia serve as domatia for mites, but we found no evidence that mites reduce herbivory or fungal pathogens. Thus, while mites likely benefit from housing provided by hair tufts on Q. agrifolia, it is unclear that the tree benefits from the mites, i.e., whether this is a mutually beneficial relationship.