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Under climate warming, migratory birds should align reproduction dates with advancing plant and arthropod phenology. To arrive on the breeding grounds earlier, migrants may speed up spring migration by curtailing the time spent en route , possibly at the cost of decreased survival rates. Based on a decades-long series of observations along an entire flyway, we show that when refuelling time is limited, variation in food abundance in the spring staging area affects fitness. Bar-tailed godwits migrating from West Africa to the Siberian Arctic reduce refuelling time at their European staging site and thus maintain a close match between breeding and tundra phenology. Annual survival probability decreases with shorter refuelling times, but correlates positively with refuelling rate, which in turn is correlated with food abundance in the staging area. This chain of effects implies that conditions in the temperate zone determine the ability of godwits to cope with climate-related changes in the Arctic. Advancing phenological timing is a risk for migratory birds, particularly in the Arctic where change is most rapid. Here, the authors show that bar-tailed godwits can adjust for phenological shifts by fuelling faster at staging areas to arrive at breeding sites in time.

Background Regulatory approval for a biosimilar product is provided on the basis of its comparability to an originator product. A thorough physicochemical and functional comparability exercise is a key element in demonstrating biosimilarity. Here we report the characterization of a proposed biosimilar rituximab (GP2013) and originator rituximab. Objective To compare GP2013 with originator rituximab using an extensive array of routine analytical and extended characterization methods. Methods Primary and higher order protein structures were analyzed using a variety of methods that included high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS), peptide mapping with UV and MS detection, circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, hydrogen deuterium exchange (HDX) MS, 1D 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Charge and amino acid modifications were assessed using cation exchange chromatography (CEX) and peptide mapping using reversed-phase (RP) HPLC. Boronate affinity chromatography was used to determine the relative amount of glycation. Glycans were identified and quantified after 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB) labeling and separation using normal phase HPLC with fluorescence and MS detection, respectively. Glycan site occupancy was determined using reducing capillary electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulfate (CE-SDS). Size heterogeneity was determined using reducing and non-reducing CE-SDS, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4). Biological characterization included a series of bioassays (in vitro target binding, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity [ADCC], complement-dependent cytotoxicity [CDC] and apoptosis) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) Fc receptor binding assays. Results Intact mass analysis of GP2013 and the heavy and light chains using RP HPLC–ESI–MS revealed the expected molecular mass of rituximab. The amino acid sequence was shown to be identical between GP2013 and the originator rituximab. Further sequence confirmation using RP-HPLC-UV/MS peptide mapping showed non-distinguishable chromatograms for Lys-C digested GP2013 and originator rituximab. The higher order structure of GP2013 was shown to be indistinguishable from originator rituximab using a large panel of redundant and orthogonal methods. GP2013 and originator rituximab were comparable with regard to charge variants, specific amino acid modifications and the glycan pattern. GP2013 was also shown to have similar purity, aggregate and particle levels when compared with the originator. Functionally, and by using a comprehensive set of bioassays and binding assays covering a broad range of rituximab’s functional activities, GP2013 could not be distinguished from originator rituximab. Conclusion GP2013 was shown to be physicochemically highly similar to originator rituximab at the level of primary and higher order structure, post-translational modifications and size variants. An extensive functional characterization package indicated that GP2013 has the same biological properties as originator rituximab.

Water operator partnerships (WOPs) have gained significant traction since their initiation in 2006. Although a large variety of WOPs is operational around the world, each having a different approach and organizational structure, there is limited knowledge about the factors that determine the effectiveness and success of WOPs. This article shares the Tanzanian approach to WOPs, which can be considered as a triangular WOP with multiple local water and sanitation authorities, and a single lead partner. The WOP is based on two building blocks: strong local teams from within the utilities and south–south knowledge exchange. It is shown that this is advantageous in terms of effective knowledge exchange and a WOP that is well embedded within the partnering utilities. Continued attention is needed to ensure the sustainability of the activities that are being implemented; ownership should remain with the partnering utilities, and not primarily with the local teams.

This book presents the most common site-specific pediatric orthopedic disorders seen in clinical practice. Detailed discussions of defects of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand, bone and joint infections, congenital deficiencies, chest wall, hip disorders, knee, lower leg, ankle, foot, toes, leg length discrepancy, abnormal gait, neck, back and pelvis are included in this comprehensive resource. Operative treatments are discussed throughout the book however the key focus is on managing the patient and the use of the conservative approach. As such, the main benefit is as a diagnostic tool to assess all children with orthopedic diseases including congenital malformations.?Designed to lead the reader from the initial physical examination through to making the most likely diagnosis, there is advice on what additional studies are meaningful, when there is an indication for referral and what advice can be provided for the patient. The value of the book is increased by hundreds of color images, thus making it easily accessible for the children's orthopedic surgeon, pediatricians, pediatric physiotherapists, podiatrists, pediatricians, rehabilitation specialists and primary care physicians with an interest in the subject.

Spinach ( Spinacia oleracea L.) is a highly nutritious leafy vegetable and an economically important food crop. The wild species S. turkestanica Iljin and S. tetrandra Steven ex M. Bieb. are inter-fertile with cultivated spinach and constitute important sources of novel characters to improve spinach varieties, such as for their resistance to pests and diseases. Despite their relevance in plant breeding, S. turkestanica and S. tetrandra are poorly represented in genetic resources collections. Among the reasons for these collection gaps are the difficulties in propagating these species ex situ. Here we report on the results of collecting expeditions for S. turkestanica in Central Asia and for S. tetrandra in the Trans-Caucasus, which were organized by the Dutch gene bank in collaboration with several breeding companies. Furthermore, we also present efficient protocols for the ex situ regeneration of these species. These protocols were used to successfully regenerate 66 S. turkestanica and 36 S. tetrandra samples from the collecting expeditions. These new accessions fill up important collection gaps in ex situ conserved genetic resources of spinach and can be used for exploitation in crop improvement.

Based on incredibly increasing applications in modern optoelectronic devices, the demand for securing a superior conductive transparent electrode (TCE) candidate becomes significant and urgent. However, boosting both transmittance and conductance simultaneously is an intrinsic limitation. In this work, we present silver nanoscale plasmonic wires (Ag NPWs) to function as TCEs in the visible light region by lowering their corresponding plasma frequencies. By carefully designing geometric dimensions of the Ag NPWs, we also optimize the performance for red, green, and blue colors, respectively. The demonstrated figure of merits for RGB colors appeared respectively 443.29, 459.46, and 133.78 in simulation and 302.75, 344.11, and 348.02 in experiments. Evidently, our Ag NPWs offer much greater FoMs beyond conventional TCEs that are most frequently comprised of indium tin oxide and show further advantages of flexibility and less Moire effect for the applications of flexible and high-resolution optoelectronic devices.

In mass spectrometry imaging, spatial resolution is pushed to its limits with the use of ion microscope mass spectrometric imaging systems. An ion microscope magnifies and then projects the original spatial distribution of ions from a sample surface onto a position-sensitive detector, while retaining time-of-flight mass separation capabilities. Here, a new type of position-sensitive detector based on a chevron microchannel plate stack in combination with a 512 × 512 complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor based pixel detector is coupled to an ion microscope. Spatial resolving power better than 6 μm is demonstrated by secondary ion mass spectrometry and 8–10 μm spatial resolving power is achieved with laser desorption ionization. A detailed evaluation of key performance criteria such as spatial resolution, acquisition speed, and data handling is presented. A new, high resolution mass spectrometry imaging detector approach based on a Medipix pixilated detector in combination with an MCP is presented.

Objectives To assess the surgical accuracy of 3D virtually planned orthognathic surgery among patients with and without cleft. Materials and methods This retrospective cohort study included cleft and non-cleft patients with class III malocclusion who underwent bimaxillary surgery. CBCT scans were acquired before and immediately after surgery. 3D virtual surgical planning (VSP) was performed using CBCT and digitalized dentition data. All orthognathic surgeries were performed by the same surgeons using interocclusal splints. The primary outcome variable was surgical accuracy, defined as the difference between the planned and surgically achieved maxillary movements, quantified in six degrees of freedom. Analysis of covariance was used to test for intergroup differences in surgical accuracy after correcting for differences in the magnitude of planned surgical maxillary movements. Results Twenty-eight cleft and 33 non-cleft patients were enrolled, with mean ages of 18.5 and 25.4 years, respectively ( P =0.01). No significant gender difference was present between the groups ( P =0.10). After adjustment for small differences in surgical movements, no significant differences in surgical accuracy were observed between cleft and non-cleft patients. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that high surgical accuracy in maxillary movements can be achieved in both cleft and non-cleft patients using VSP and interocclusal splints. Clinical relevance Orthognathic cases with cleft can be performed with 3D VSP to obtain a satisfactory surgical accuracy.

A 31-year-old man with a history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and alcohol septal ablation one week before was presented after an out of hospital cardiac arrest in the setting of an anterior wall ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Immediate coronary angiography showed an unidentified foreign object within the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), later identified as the cover of a balloon that had been unintentionally inserted and abandoned within the LAD during the alcohol septum ablation one week earlier. Intracoronary imaging confirmed the presence of endothelial damage and thrombus formation within the LAD explaining acute myocardial infarction. The patient was treated by surgical retrieval of the balloon cover, extended septal myectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) of the LAD. This case is both an example of unintentional neglect of unexpected objects, and the importance of multimodality imaging and multidisciplinary teamwork to get to a correct diagnosis and treatment.