This study identifies and validates hexokinase type 4 (HK4), an isozyme of hexokinase in the liver and pancreas, as an important target of C2-β-D-glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone (βdGT), a xanthone glucoside suggested to have antidiabetic property. In the study, we applied the computational pipeline of molecular docking followed by the molecular dynamics simulations to shortlist potential βdGT protein targets. The analysis of protein dynamics and the binding free energy (ΔG) led us to the identification of HK4 as...

Before environmental DNA (eDNA) can establish itself as a robust tool for biodiversity monitoring, comparison with existing approaches is necessary, yet is lacking for terrestrial mammals. Moreover, much is unknown regarding the nature, spread and persistence of DNA shed by animals into terrestrial environments, or the optimal experimental design for understanding these potential biases. To address some of these challenges, we compared the detection of terrestrial mammals using eDNA analysis of soil samples against confirmed...

Larger body size has long been assumed to correlate with greater risk of extinction, helping to shape body size distributions across the tree of life, but lack of comprehensive size data for fossil taxa have left this hypothesis untested for most higher taxa across the vast majority of evolutionary time. Here we assess the relationship between body size and extinction using a dataset comprising the body sizes, stratigraphic ranges, and occurrence patterns of 9,408 genera...

In this interview, Tanya Luhrmann discusses her position within the field of anthropology as well as her methodological commitments. She also addresses her view about the mechanisms governing the shift from experiential unreality (imagination-like mental representations) to experiential reality (perception-like mental representations) as well as the role of personal proclivity (in particular the trait of absorption) within religious practice and experience. Finally, the interview tackles the question of cognitive penetrability: can folk models of the...

We present a curated dataset from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission in a format suitable for machine learning research. Beginning from level 1 scientific products we have processed various instrumental corrections, downsampled to manageable spatial and temporal resolutions, and synchronized observations spatially and temporally. We anticipate this curated dataset will facilitate machine learning research in heliophysics and the physical sciences generally, increasing the scientific return of the SDO mission. This work is a...

We present a curated dataset from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission in a format suitable for machine learning research. Beginning from level 1 scientific products we have processed various instrumental corrections, downsampled to manageable spatial and temporal resolutions, and synchronized observations spatially and temporally. We anticipate this curated dataset will facilitate machine learning research in heliophysics and the physical sciences generally, increasing the scientific return of the SDO mission. This work is a...

We present a curated dataset from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission in a format suitable for machine learning research. Beginning from level 1 scientific products we have processed various instrumental corrections, downsampled to manageable spatial and temporal resolutions, and synchronized observations spatially and temporally. We anticipate this curated dataset will facilitate machine learning research in heliophysics and the physical sciences generally, increasing the scientific return of the SDO mission. This work is a...

Gut microbes are believed to play a critical role in most animal life, yet fitness effects and cost benefit-tradeoffs incurred by the host are poorly understood. Unlike most hosts studied to date, butterflies largely acquire their nutrients from larval feeding, leaving relatively little opportunity for nutritive contributions by the adult’s microbiota. This provides an opportunity to measure whether hosting gut microbiota comes at a net nutritional price. Since host and bacteria may compete for sugars,...

Tunas possess a range of physiological and mechanical adaptations geared towards high performance swimming that are of considerable interest to physiologists, ecologists and engineers. Advances in biologging have provided significant improvements in understanding tuna migrations and vertical movement patterns, yet our understanding of the locomotion and swimming mechanics of these fish under natural conditions is limited. We equipped Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) with motion sensitive tags and video cameras to quantify the gaits and...

A series of multifunctional compounds (MFCs) 1a–1e based on 1,8-naphthalimide and [12]aneN3 building blocks were designed and synthesized. They were used as not only fluorescent probes for recognition of Cu2+ ions but also as non-viral gene vectors for DNA and RNA delivery. Furthermore, their complexes with Cu2+ (1-Cu) could also selectively stain lysosome in HeLa cells. In order to achieve high performance multifunctional materials, structure-performance relationship of MFCs 1a–1e was studied. It was found that...

We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, have retracted the following article: Gang Wang, Ping Wang, Xiaojun Yan & Jing Liu (2019) Neferine hinders choriocarcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion through repression of long noncoding RNA-CHRF, Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 47:1, 4089–4096, DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2019.1671429 Since publication, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data in the article. When approached for an explanation, the authors have been...

This is code used to process and apply calibrations to photothermal threshold quantum yields taken, with our specific spectrometer. The calibrations included will not work for any other optics path or components, but this serves as a guide to calibrate one built in any other lab. This code is written in Matlab2018b.

Biodiversity hotspots are important for understanding how areas of high species richness form, but disentangling the processes that produce them is difficult. We combine geographic ranges, phylogenetic relationships, and trait data for 606 conifer species in order to explore the mechanisms underlying richness hotspot formation. We identify eight richness hotspots that overlap known centers of plant endemism and diversity. We find that conifer richness hotspots occur in mountainous areas within broader regions of long-term climate...

Exotic invasive plants threaten ecosystem integrity, and their success depends on a combination of abiotic factors, disturbances, and interactions with existing communities. In dryland ecosystems, soil biocrusts (communities of lichens, bryophytes and microorganisms) can limit favorable microsites needed for invasive species establishment, but the relative importance of biocrusts for landscape-scale invasion patterns remains poorly understood. We examine effects of livestock grazing in habitats at high risk for invasion to test the hypothesis that disturbance indirectly...

Purpose: Decreasing the risk of catheter related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) remains a key focus for improving outcomes and reducing cost of care for hemodialysis (HD) patients. Recent studies demonstrate CRBSI rates can be improved by managing bacterial colonization at the catheter exit site. Herein we present the results of a study documenting the clinical performance of the NexSite® HD catheter, a new tunneled central venous catheter which incorporates Exit Site Management (ESM) technology. Methods: We...

1. Protected areas are central to biodiversity conservation. For marine fish, marine protected areas (MPAs) often harbour more individuals, especially of species targeted by fisheries. But precise pathways of biodiversity change remain unclear. For example, how local-scale responses combine to affect regional biodiversity, important for managing spatial networks of MPAs, is not well known. Protection potentially influences three components of fish assemblages that determine how species accumulate with sampling effort and spatial scale: the total...

Parental provisioning of offspring with physiological products (nursing) occurs in many animals, yet little is known about the neuroendocrine basis of nursing in non-mammalian species. Within amphibians, maternal provisioning has evolved multiple times, with mothers of some species feeding unfertilized eggs to their developing offspring until tadpoles complete metamorphosis. We conducted field studies in Ecuador and Madagascar to ask whether convergence at the behavioral level provides similar benefits to offspring and relies on shared neural...

Data on 1) Observed weevil-infested acorns in the field; 2) Germination rates and times, and seedling emergence of control and embryo-damaged acorns; 3) Seedling performance and physiology of seedlings

AIM: Ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECMF) are partners in a globally distributed tree symbiosis implicated in most major ecosystem functions. However, resilience of ECMF to future climates is uncertain. We forecast these changes over the extent of North American Pinaceae forests. LOCATION: 68 sites from North American Pinaceae forests ranging from Florida to Ontario in the east and southern California to Alaska in the west. TAXON: Ectomycorrhizal fungi (Asco- and Basidiomycetes). METHODS: We characterized ECMF communities at...

Absence of apex predators simplifies food chains, leading to degradation of ecosystems and diminution of the services they provide (Estes et al. 2011). However, large predators do not coexist well with humans, which has resulted in a worldwide decline of carnivores and thus, their roles in ecosystem function (Ripple et al. 2014). With diminution of habitat, carnivores are more likely to move into urban landscapes causing conflict with humans and their domesticated animals. In a...

• Interactions between plants and their root-associated fungi (RAF) may influence the relative abundance of tree species and determine forest community diversity. Such plant-soil feedbacks in turn depend on the degree to which spatial distance and phylogenetic relatedness of host trees structure pathogen and mutualist communities, but research detailing these aspects of RAF communities is lacking. Here, we characterize plant-RAF associations across a diverse plant community, focusing on the degree to which RAF communities are...

Because interactions between plants and microbial organisms can influence species diversity and rates of nutrient cycling, how plants shape microbial communities is fundamental to understanding the structure of ecosystems. Despite this, the spatial and temporal scales over which plants influence microbial communities is poorly understood, particularly whether past abiotic or biotic legacies strongly constrain microbial community development. We examined biogeochemical cycling and microbial community structure in a coastal landscape where historical patterns of vegetation transition...

We present a curated dataset from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission in a format suitable for machine learning research. Beginning from level 1 scientific products we have processed various instrumental corrections, downsampled to manageable spatial and temporal resolutions, and synchronized observations spatially and temporally. We anticipate this curated dataset will facilitate machine learning research in heliophysics and the physical sciences generally, increasing the scientific return of the SDO mission. This work is a...

This study measured the degree of behavioral responses in blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) to controlled noise exposure off the southern California coast. High-resolution movement and passive acoustic data were obtained from non-invasive archival tags (n=42) while surface positions were obtained with visual focal follows. Controlled exposure experiments (CEEs) were used to obtain direct behavioral measurements before, during, and after simulated and operational military mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS), pseudorandom noise (PRN), and controls (no noise exposure)....

A series of multifunctional compounds (MFCs) 1a–1e based on 1,8-naphthalimide and [12]aneN3 building blocks were designed and synthesized. They were used as not only fluorescent probes for recognition of Cu2+ ions but also as non-viral gene vectors for DNA and RNA delivery. Furthermore, their complexes with Cu2+ (1-Cu) could also selectively stain lysosome in HeLa cells. In order to achieve high performance multifunctional materials, structure-performance relationship of MFCs 1a–1e was studied. It was found that...