The purpose of this study was to explore the contribution of each factor of the phosphorus metabolism network following phosphorus diet intervention via Granger causality analysis. In this study, a total of six healthy male volunteers were enrolled. All participants sequentially received regular, low-, and high-phosphorus diets. Consumption of each diet lasted for five days, with a 5-day washout period between different diets. Blood and urinary samples were collected on the fifth day of consumption...

As part of the fourth statistical assessment of modeling of proteins and ligands (sampl.eyesopen.com) prediction challenge, the strength of association of nine guests (1–9) binding to octa-acid host was determined by a combination of 1H NMR and isothermal titration calorimetry. Association constants in sodium tetraborate buffered (pH 9.2) aqueous solution ranged from 5.39 × 102 M−1 in the case of benzoate 1, up to 3.82 × 105 M−1 for trans-4-methylcyclohexanoate 7. Overall, the free energy...

The synthesis of a water-soluble, deep-cavity cavitand is reported. A blend of molecular curvature and amphiphilicity, this molecule has a hydrophobic concave surface and a hydrophilic convex surface. As a result, in aqueous solution and in the presence of a guest molecule, the host self-assembles to form a capsular assembly with an interior cavity large enough to entrap steroidal guests.

(2019). The thermodynamics of guest complexation to octa-acid and tetra-endo-methyl octa-acid: reference data for the sixth statistical assessment of modeling of proteins and ligands (SAMPL6) Supramolecular Chemistry: Vol. 31, SI: ISMSC 2018, pp. 184-189.

(2016). ITC and NMR analysis of the encapsulation of fatty acids within a water-soluble cavitand and its dimeric capsule. Supramolecular Chemistry: Vol. 28, Professor Jonathan L. Sessler 60th Birthday Celebration Special Issue, pp. 84-90.

Both abiotic environmental conditions and variation in social environment are known to impact the acquisition of sexual signals. However, the influences of abiotic environmental and social factors are rarely compared to each other. Here we test the relative importance of these factors in determining whether and when male red-backed fairywrens (Malurus melanocephalus) moult into a known sexual signal, ornamented breeding plumage. One-year-old male red-backed fairywrens vary in whether or not they acquire ornamentation, whereas males...

Traits often contribute to multiple functions, complicating our understanding of the selective pressures that influence trait evolution. In the Chihuahuan Desert, predation is thought to be the primary driver of cryptic light coloration in three White Sands lizard species relative to the darker coloration of populations on adjacent dark soils. However, coloration also influences radiation absorption and thus animal body temperatures. We combined comparative physiological experiments and biophysical models to test for thermal consequences of...

Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to probe how salts influence the thermodynamics of binding of guests to cavitand 1. Studies involved six Hofmeister salts covering the range of salting-in to strongly salting-out. The latter were found to reduce affinity. The cause of this was competitive binding of the weakly solvated anion to the hydrophobic pocket of the host. At the other extreme of the Hofmeister series, salts increased guest affinity. Two factors for this were...

Using a combination of isothermal titration calorimetry and quantum and molecular dynamics calculations, we demonstrate that relatively soft anions have an affinity for hydrophobic concavity. The results are consistent with the anions remaining partially hydrated upon binding, and suggest a novel strategy for anion recognition.

Warming can impact consumer-resource interactions through multiple mechanisms. For example, warming can both alter the rate at which predators consume prey and the rate prey develop through vulnerable life stages. Thus, the overall effect of warming on consumer-resource interactions will depend upon the strength and asymmetry of warming effects on predator and prey performance. Here, we quantified the temperature dependence of both 1) density-dependent predation rates for two dragonfly nymph predators on a shared mosquito...

Parallel changes in genotype and phenotype in response to similar selection pressures in different populations provide compelling evidence of adaptation. House mice (Mus musculus domesticus) have recently colonized North America and are found in a wide range of environments. Here we measure phenotypic and genotypic differentiation among house mice from five populations sampled across 21° of latitude in western North America, and we compare our results to a parallel latitudinal cline in eastern North America....

Although both interspecific competition and coexistence mechanisms are central to ecological and evolutionary theory, past empirical studies have generally focused on simple (two-species) communities over short time periods. Experimental tests of these species interactions are challenging in complex study systems. Moreover, a number of studies of ‘imperfect generalists’, consistent with Liem’s Paradox, raise questions about the ability of evolved species differences to effectively partition niche space when resources vary considerably across the annual cycle. Here...

The outcome of secondary contact between divergent lineages or species may be influenced by both the reproductive traits of parental species and the fitness of offspring; however, their relative contributions have rarely been evaluated, particularly in longer lived vertebrate species. We performed pure and reciprocal laboratory crosses between Ctenophorus decresii (tawny dragon) and C. modestus (swift dragon) to examine how parental reproductive traits and ecologically-relevant offspring fitness traits may explain contact zone dynamics in the...

The purpose of this study was to explore the contribution of each factor of the phosphorus metabolism network following phosphorus diet intervention via Granger causality analysis. In this study, a total of six healthy male volunteers were enrolled. All participants sequentially received regular, low-, and high-phosphorus diets. Consumption of each diet lasted for five days, with a 5-day washout period between different diets. Blood and urinary samples were collected on the fifth day of consumption...

In participation of the fifth statistical assessment of modeling of proteins and ligands (SAMPL5), the strength of association of six guests (3–8) to two hosts (1 and 2) were measured by 1H NMR and ITC. Each host possessed a unique and well-defined binding pocket, whilst the wide array of amphiphilic guests possessed binding moieties that included: a terminal alkyne, nitro-arene, alkyl halide and cyano-arene groups. Solubilizing head groups for the guests included both positively charged...

This paper studies distributed estimation and inference for a general statistical problem with a convex loss that could be non-differentiable. For the purpose of efficient computation, we restrict ourselves to stochastic first-order optimization, which enjoys low per-iteration complexity. To motivate the proposed method, we first investigate the theoretical properties of a straightforward Divide-and-Conquer Stochastic Gradient Descent (DC-SGD) approach. Our theory shows that there is a restriction on the number of machines and this restriction becomes...

This article studies distributed estimation and inference for a general statistical problem with a convex loss that could be nondifferentiable. For the purpose of efficient computation, we restrict ourselves to stochastic first-order optimization, which enjoys low per-iteration complexity. To motivate the proposed method, we first investigate the theoretical properties of a straightforward divide-and-conquer stochastic gradient descent approach. Our theory shows that there is a restriction on the number of machines and this restriction becomes more...

Genetic diversity shapes the evolutionary potential of plant populations. For outcrossing plants, genetic diversity is influenced by effective population size and by dispersal, first of paternal gametes through pollen, and then of paternal and maternal gametes through seeds. Forest loss often reduces genetic diversity, but the degree to which it differentially impacts the paternal and maternal contributions to genetic diversity and the spatial scale at which these impacts are most pronounced are poorly understood. To...

Through frugivory and seed dispersal, vertebrates influence plant demography and forest regeneration. Variation in local habitat surrounding fruiting plants can influence frugivore foraging decisions, thereby creating intraspecific variation in seed dispersal services. However, we have little knowledge of drivers of local variation in frugivory. Here, we investigate factors that may influence frugivore diversity and fruit removal at the level of individual plants. We focus on a common understory palm within a continuous Chocó forest with...

This article studies distributed estimation and inference for a general statistical problem with a convex loss that could be nondifferentiable. For the purpose of efficient computation, we restrict ourselves to stochastic first-order optimization, which enjoys low per-iteration complexity. To motivate the proposed method, we first investigate the theoretical properties of a straightforward divide-and-conquer stochastic gradient descent approach. Our theory shows that there is a restriction on the number of machines and this restriction becomes more...

This study sought to investigate incidence and risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized COVID-19. In this retrospective study, we enrolled 823 COVID-19 patients with at least two evaluations of renal function during hospitalization from four hospitals in Wuhan, China between February 2020 and April 2020. Clinical and laboratory parameters at the time of admission and follow-up data were recorded. Systemic renal tubular dysfunction was evaluated via 24-h urine collections in a subgroup...

This study sought to investigate incidence and risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized COVID-19. In this retrospective study, we enrolled 823 COVID-19 patients with at least two evaluations of renal function during hospitalization from four hospitals in Wuhan, China between February 2020 and April 2020. Clinical and laboratory parameters at the time of admission and follow-up data were recorded. Systemic renal tubular dysfunction was evaluated via 24-h urine collections in a subgroup...

For over 120 years it has been appreciated that certain salts (kosmotropes) cause the precipitation of proteins, while others (chaotropes) increase their solubility. The cause of this “Hofmeister effect” is still unclear, especially with the original concept that kosmotropic anions “make” water structure and chaotropes “break” it being countered by recent studies suggesting otherwise. Here, we present the first direct evidence that chaotropic anions have an affinity for hydrophobic concavity and that it is competition...