Distal Layers Research Articles

Nano-Plasticity of an Electrified Ionic Liquid/Electrode Interface: Uncovering Hard-Soft Structuring via Controlled Metal Fill Factor.

Ionic liquids (ILs) nanostructuring at electrified interfaces is of both fundamental and practical interest as these materials are increasingly gaining prominence in energy storage and conversion processes. However, much remains unresolved about IL potential-controlled (re)organization under highly polarized interfaces, mostly due to the difficulty of selectively probing both the distal and proximal surface layers of adsorbed ions. In this work, the structural dynamics of the innermost layer (<10 nm from the surface) were independently interrogated from that of the ionic layers in the sub-surface region (>100 nm from the surface), using an infrared (IR) spectroscopy approach. By tuning the metal fill factor of gold films deposited on conductive metal oxide-modified IR internal reflection elements, the charge-driven (re)structuring of the inner and distal layers of 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonate is unveiled. Within a relatively wide potential region (∼±1 V) bounding the potential of zero charges, the ionic liquid is shown to undergo a reversible (i.e., soft) reorganization whereby the innermost layer of anions (cations) is exchanged by a layer of cations (anions). Kinetically unhindered changes in the number density of constituent cations and anions largely follow electrostatic expectations in the subsurface region, whereas the innermost layer exhibits a pronounced hysteresis and very slow relaxation. Under larger negative potential bias, IL restructuring is characterized by a highly irreversible (i.e., hard) and intense interfacial densification of the BMPy+ cations, consistent with the formation of nanoscale segregated liquids. The outcomes of this work reveal a plastic IL nanostructuring under a strong electric field.

Comparative analysis of the cytoarchitecture of the excretory bladder of adult Digenea (Platyhelminthes) with consideration of the presence of mineralized excretory corpuscles in marine and freshwater adult worms

The ultrastructural differences are shown between the cytoarchitecture of the excretory bladder and excretory inclusions in four digenean species, two azygiids, the marine Otodistomum cestoides and the freshwater Azygia lucii, the marine derogenid Derogenes varicus and the freshwater allocreadiid Acrolichanus auriculatus. The unusual cytoarchitecture of the bladder epithelium of the azygiid digeneans, consisting along its entire length of two alternating, morphologically different zones, tegumental and cellular excretory epithelial zones, connected by septate junctions, has recorded for the first time for the Digenea and, in general, for the Neodermata. It, possible, suggests the participation of the tegumental distal cytoplasmic layer in the formation of their excretory bladder epithelium. Like most digeneans, the excretory bladder of A. auriculatus and D. varicus has a syncytial epithelial lining. Based on available literature and our own results, we can confirm the presence of the excretory corpuscles in adult marine digeneans and their absence from freshwater species, regardless of the digenean localization in their host. The present study shown that in marine digeneans, the excretory corpuscles are associated with specialized excretory cells or excretory syncytial epithelium. Ultrastructural data were obtained on the possible growth of the excretory bladder epithelium due to the migration of undifferentiated cells into the epithelial lining in studied marine species. We may assume that the bladder epithelium of marine adult digeneans specializes, in addition to the excretory function, in osmoregulatory function.

The P2Y1 receptor in the colonic myenteric plexus of rats and its correlation with opioid-induced constipation

This study was designed to explore the expression changes of P2Y1 receptors in the distal colonic myenteric layer of rats. An opioid induced constipation(OIC) rat model was generated by intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of loperamide. At 7 days post-treatment, the model rats were assessed by calculating the fecal water content and the gastrointestinal transit ratio. The immunofluorescence (IF)-based histochemical study was used to observe the distribution of P2Y1 receptors in the distal colonic myenteric plexus. Western blotting (WB) was performed to evaluate the expression changes of P2Y1 proteins in the myenteric layer, and the electrophysiological approaches were carried out to determine the regulatory roles of P2Y1 receptors on distal colonic motor function. IF showed that P2Y1 receptors are co-expressed MOR in the enteric nerve cells of the distal colonic myenteric plexus. Moreover, the WB revealed that the protein levels of P2Y1 were significantly decreased in the distal colonic myenteric layer of OIC rats. In vitro tension experiments exhibited that the P2Y1 receptor antagonist MRS2500 enhanced the spontaneous contraction amplitude, adding EM2 and β-FNA did not have any effect on MRS2500. Therefore, P2Y1 receptor expression could be associated with the occurrence of OIC in this rat model and the regulation of colonic motility by MOR may be related to the release of purine neurotransmitters such as ATP in the colonic nervous system.

Permian Western Gondwana food chain elucidated by coprolites from the Corumbataí Formation (Paraná Basin, Brazil)

Fossilized feces (coprolites) are remarkable tools for paleobiology and paleoecology assessment. Here they are used to reconstruct the Permian interactions between organisms that once composed a large interior sea at Western Gondwana. Coprolites from the Corumbataí Formation were retrieved from a distal tempestite layer and investigated about their morphology, texture, and food inclusions, applying hand sample description, petrographic analysis, EDS/SEM, and confocal microscopy. Seven morphotypes were recognized, which were probably derived from fishes, like xenacanthid sharks, basal Actinopterygii (Palaeonisciformes), petalodontids/dipnoan, and possible tetrapods, such as temnospondyls and diapsids. Four coprofabrics were also recognized and allowed the establishment of four different feeding/digestive strategies and, consequently, the definition of carnivorous-piscivorous predators as top predators, but also as occupants of intermediate trophic niches. Durophagic/deposit feeders were occupants of inferior trophic niches. This food web developed under stressful conditions, during a moment of aridization of the Paraná Basin, in association with ostracods and sponges’ proliferation, and during this moment palaeoniscoid fishes seem to have been the main exploited resource in the environment.

Enriching Psychology by Zooming Out to General Mindsets and Practices in Natural Habitats.

Psychology has been "zooming in" on individuals, dyads, and groups with a narrow lens to the exclusion of "zooming out," which involves placing the targeted phenomena within more distal layers of influential context. Here, we plea for a paradigm shift. Specifically, we showcase largely hidden scientific benefits of zooming out by discussing worldwide evidence on inhabitants' habitual adaptations to colder-than-temperate and hotter-than-temperate habitats. These exhibits reveal two different types of theories. Clement-climate perspectives emphasize that generic common properties of stresses from cold and hot temperatures elicit similar effects on personality traits and psychosocial functioning. Cold-versus-heat perspectives emphasize that specific unique properties of stresses from cold and hot habitats elicit different effects on phenomena, such as speech practices and intergroup discrimination. Both zooming-out perspectives are then integrated into a complementary framework that helps identify explanatory mechanisms and demonstrates the broader added value of embedding zooming-in approaches within zooming-out approaches. Indeed, zooming out enriches psychology.

Oesophageal wall thickness assessment at endoscopic ultrasound in children and adolescents with eosinophilic oesophagitis: a case-control study.

Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) is a chronic immune-mediated disease, and an endosonographic evaluation may help the diagnosis. The main objectives of this study were to measure the thickness of the oesophageal wall using a radial endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), mucosa/submucosa (MSM), muscularis propria (MP) and mucosa to muscularis propria (MMP); to compare these measurements between patients with and without EoE; to correlate them with the Endoscopic Reference Score (EREFS); and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of these measurements. Children and adolescents (aging from 4 to 17years) were evaluated in this prospective cross-sectional study. A radial EUS at 12MHz frequency was used, and EREFS was employed to grade macroscopic findings. Accuracy of the measurements for the diagnosis of EoE was assessed by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Twenty-six (19M/7 F) patients (median age 10.83years, range 5.65-17.46) were evaluated. EoE was diagnosed in 6 patients. The mean (and SD) oesophageal wall thicknesses in the distal oesophagus in millimetres in groups with and without EoE, respectively, were: MSM 1.07 (0.44) and 1.11 (0.33); MP 0.67 (0.25) and 0.60 (0.19); and MMP 1.73 (0.46) and 1.72 (0.32). Mid-oesophagus: MSM 1.16 (0.34) and 1.15 (0.34); MP 0.63 (0.16) and 0.60 (0.2); and MMP 1.79 (0.41) and 1.74 (0.34). In the ROC curve, the distal MP layer thickness presented better discriminative performance, with an area under the curve of 0.61 (95% CI 0.28-0.93) at 0.73mm cut-off (66.67% sensitivity, 80% specificity, likelihood ratios of 3.33 for positive and 0.42 for negative test). The evaluation of oesophageal thickness measurements by EUS is not useful for diagnosing EoE.

Adsorption of Wormlike Chains onto Partially Permeable Membranes.

Reversible adsorption of a single stiff wormlike macromolecule to flat membranes with various permeabilities is considered theoretically. It is shown that the adsorbed layer microstructure is significantly different from either a flexible chain or a stiff chain adsorption at a solid surface. Close to the critical point, the adsorbing wormlike chain forms a strongly anisotropic proximal layer near the membrane in addition to a nearly isotropic distal layer. The proximal layer is characterized by the algebraic monomer concentration profile, c(x)∝x-β, due to the self-similar distribution of aligned polymer loops. For a perfectly penetrable membrane, β=1 which is different from β=4/3 obtained for semiflexible chain adsorption at a solid surface. Moreover, we establish that the critical exponent for a partially permeable membrane depends on its properties (porosity w) and propose an asymptotically exact theory (based on the generalized Edwards equation) predicting this dependence, β=β(w). We also develop a scaling theory elucidating, in particular, an intricate competition of loops and tails in both proximal and distal sublayers.

Chromatin remodeler Chd7 regulates photoreceptor development and outer segment length

Mutations in the chromatin remodeling factor CHD7 are the predominant cause of CHARGE syndrome, a congenital disorder that frequently includes ocular coloboma. Although CHD7 is known to be required for proper ocular morphogenesis, its role in retinal development has not been thoroughly investigated. Given that individuals with CHARGE syndrome can experience visual impairment even in the absence of coloboma, a better understanding of CHD7 function in the retina is needed. In this study, we characterized the expression pattern of Chd7 in the developing zebrafish and mouse retina and documented ocular and retinal phenotypes in Chd7 loss-of-function mutants. Zebrafish Chd7 was expressed throughout the retinal neuroepithelium when retinal progenitor cells were actively proliferating, and later in subsets of newly post-mitotic retinal cells. At stages of retinal development when most retinal cell types had terminally differentiated, Chd7 expression remained strong in the ganglion cell layer and in some cells in the inner nuclear layer. Intriguingly, strong expression of Chd7 was also observed in the outer nuclear layer where it was co-expressed with markers of post-mitotic cone and rod photoreceptors. Expression of mouse CHD7 displayed a similar pattern, including expression in the ganglion cells, subsets of inner nuclear layer cells, and in the distal outer nuclear layer as late as P15. Two different mutant chd7 zebrafish lines were characterized for ocular and retinal defects. These mutants displayed microphthalmia, reduced numbers of cone photoreceptors, and truncated rod and cone photoreceptor outer segments. Reduced cone photoreceptor number and abnormal outer segments were also observed in heterozygous Chd7 mutant mice. Taken together, our results in zebrafish and mouse reveal a conserved, previously undescribed role for Chd7 in retinal development and photoreceptor outer segment morphogenesis. Moreover, our work suggests an avenue of future investigation into the pathogenesis of visual system defects in CHARGE syndrome.

Independent monitor unit verification for dynamic flattened beam plans on the Halcyon linac.

Independent monitor unit verification (MUV) methods for the dynamic beam-flattening (DBF) technique have not been established. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether MU values for the DBF technique can be calculated using in-air and in-water output ratios (Sc and Scp ). Sc and Scp were measured in the DBF mode, and the phantom scatter factor (Sp ) was calculated. The difference between calculated and planned MUs with square and rectangle fields and clinical plans for different treatment sites was also evaluated. Sc values for the 4×4 to 24×24cm2 fields of the distal multi-leaf collimator (MLC) layer at 2-cm intervals were 0.887, 0.815, 0.715, 0.716, 0.611, 0.612, 0.511, 0.373, 0.374, 0.375, and 0.374, respectively. No collimator exchange effect was observed. Sc also depends slightly on the field size of the distal MLC layer. If the distal-MLC-layered field size was less than 20% of the corresponding MLC sequence size in the proximal MLC layer, Sc was affected by >1%, which was compensated using a correction factor (CF). Sp increased as the field sizes of the MLC sequence and distal MLC leaves increased. MUs calculated using measured Sc , Sp , and CF for square and rectangle fields agreed with planned MUs within ±1.2%. A larger difference (-1.5%) between calculated and planned MUs was observed for clinical plans, whereas differences in MUs were within 2MU for most fields (56 out of 64 fields). MU calculation for the DBF technique can be performed with Sc , Sp , and CF for independent MUV.

Tephrochronology of a distal tonstein layer within the Maritsa East lignite basin, Bulgaria: Potential sources of the Miocene large explosive eruption

Tephrochronology of a distal tonstein layer within the Maritsa East lignite basin, Bulgaria: Potential sources of the Miocene large explosive eruption

Transcriptomically-Guided Pharmacological Experiments in Neocortical and Hippocampal NPY-Positive GABAergic Interneurons.

Cortical GABAergic interneurons have been shown to fulfil important roles by inhibiting excitatory principal neurons. Recent transcriptomic studies have confirmed seminal discoveries that used anatomic and electrophysiological methods highlighting the existence of multiple different classes of GABAergic interneurons. Although some of these studies have emphasized that inter-regional differences may exist for a given class, the extent of such differences remains unknown. To address this problem, we used single-cell Patch-RNAseq to characterize neuropeptide Y (NPY)-positive GABAergic interneurons in superficial layers of the primary auditory cortex (AC) and in distal layers of area CA3 in mice. We found that more than 300 genes are differentially expressed in NPY-positive neurons between these two brain regions. For example, the AMPA receptor (AMPAR) auxiliary subunit Shisa9/CKAMP44 and the 5HT2a receptor (5HT2aR) are significantly higher expressed in auditory NPY-positive neurons. These findings guided us to perform pharmacological experiments that revealed a role for 5HT2aRs in auditory NPY-positive neurons. Specifically, although the application of 5HT led to a depolarization of both auditory and CA3 NPY-positive neurons, the 5HT2aR antagonist ketanserin only reversed membrane potential changes in auditory NPY-positive neurons. Our study demonstrates the potential of single-cell transcriptomic studies in guiding directed pharmacological experiments.

Differences between proximal and distal endometrial monolayer thickness in women aged over 50 years undergoing saline infusion sonohysterography.

Saline infusion sonohysterography (SIS) is a procedure performed to evaluate the endometrium in women with postmenopausal bleeding. To investigate differences in endometrial monolayer measurements in women aged >50 years undergoing SIS. Retrospective study of women aged >50 undergoing SIS. Endometrial echo (EE) was measured according to the International Endometrial Tumor Analysis (IETA) guidelines. Monolayer thickness was compared between anterior and posterior uterine walls and between the monolayer that was proximal or distal to the ultrasound probe. Presence and location of focal thickening and polyps on each of the monolayers were assessed. SIS was performed in 608 patients. Of them, 485 (79.8%) had anteverted, 85 (14%) retroverted, and 38 (6.2%) a midposition uterus. The mean posterior monolayer was thicker than the anterior monolayer (2.14 mm vs. 1.88 mm; P = 0.002). The distal monolayer was thicker than the proximal layer in both anteverted and retroverted uteri (2.18 mm vs. 1.84 mm; P < 0.0001). In 16% of women, the difference between distal and proximal monolayers was ≥1 mm. Focal thickening was seen 3.3 times more frequently in the distal endometrium. Among women with a double layer EE >4 mm, 18.8% had a proximal layer of <2 mm while only 4.6% had a distal EE <2 mm. Distal endometrium measures thicker than the proximal endometrium in most SIS cases and in one out of six women, the difference is >1 mm. The distal layer is three times more likely to contain focal thickening. Sonologists should be conscious of possible enhancement artifact when measuring the EE during SIS.

Investigation of Halcyon multi-leaf collimator model in Eclipse treatment planning system: A focus on the VMAT dose calculation with the Acuros XB algorithm.

PurposeThe dual‐layer multi‐leaf collimator (MLC) in Halcyon involves further complexities in the dose calculation process, because the leaf‐tip transmission varies according to the leaf trailing pattern. For the volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment, the prescribed dose for the target volume can be sensitive to the leaf‐tip transmission change. This report evaluates the dosimetric consequence due to the uncertainty of the dual‐layer MLC model in Eclipse through the dose verifications for clinical VMAT. Additionally, the Halcyon leaf‐tip model is empirically adjusted for the VMAT dose calculation with the Acuros XB.Materials and methodsFor this evaluation, an in‐house program that analyzes the leaf position in each layer was developed. Thirty‐two clinical VMAT plans were edited into three leaf sequences: dual layer (original), proximal single layer, or distal single layer. All leaf sequences were verified using Delta4 according to the dose difference (DD) and the global gamma index (GI). To improve the VMAT dose calculation accuracy, the dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) was adjusted to minimize the DD in single‐layer leaf sequences.ResultsThe mean of DD were −1.35%, −1.20%, and −1.34% in the dual‐layer, proximal single‐layer, and distal single‐layer leaf sequences, respectively. The changes in the mean of DD between leaf sequences were within 0.2%. However, the calculated doses differed from the measured doses by approximately 1% in all leaf sequences. The tuned DLG was increased by 0.8 mm from the original DLG in Eclipse. When the tuned DLG was used in the dose calculation, the mean of DD neared 0% and GI with a criterion of 2%/2 mm yielded a pass rate of more than 98%.ConclusionNo significant change was confirmed in the dose calculation accuracy between the leaf sequences. Therefore, it is suggested that the dosimetric consequence due to the leaf trailing was negligibly small in clinical VMAT plans. The DLG tuning for Halcyon can be useful for reducing the dose calculation uncertainties in Eclipse VMAT and required in the commissioning for Acuros XB.

Tephrostratigraphy of proximal pyroclastic sequences at Mount Melbourne (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica): Insights into the volcanic activity since the last glacial period

We report on the characterization of a thick sequence of pyroclastic deposits exposed on the summit area and flanks of Mount Melbourne volcano, in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica related to eruptions during the Late Glacial period. We provide a complete characterization of tephra deposits including mineralogy, single shard major- and trace-element glass compositions, and an 40Ar-39Ar age of feldspar crystals extracted from the deposit. The pyroclastic deposits are trachybasaltic to trachytic in composition and are interpreted to have resulted from four Strombolian/Vulcanian to sub-Plinian/Plinian eruptions. The younger and more intense sub-Plinian/Plinian eruption (our eruption 2) yielded an 40Ar-39Ar age of 13.5 ± 4.3 ka (±2σ). The study of Mount Melbourne proximal deposits provides significant new data for the reconstruction of the volcano eruptive history and a better assessment of the volcanic risk connected to a possible future eruption.We also explore geochemical correlations between Mount Melbourne proximal deposits and distal tephra layers recognized in ice cores and blue ice fields of East Antarctica. A good geochemical match exists between the composition of products from the trachytic sub-Plinian/Plinian eruption 2 and some tephra layers from Talos Dome and shards in Siple Dome which is also compatible in age (c. 9.3 ka) with our 40Ar-39Ar age determination. Our new insights into the volcanic history of Mount Melbourne and the new high-quality electron microprobe and trace element composition data on its proximal products will help improve future correlations and synchronization of tephra archives in the region.

Petrography and Mineral Chemistry of Monte Epomeo Green Tuff, Ischia Island, South Italy: Constraints for Identification of the Y-7 Tephrostratigraphic Marker in Distal Sequences of the Central Mediterranean

The 56 ka Monte Epomeo Green Tuff (MEGT) resulted from the largest volume explosive eruption from Ischia island (south Italy). Its tephra is one of the main stratigraphic markers of the central Mediterranean area. Despite its importance, a detailed characterisation of the petrography and mineral chemistry of MEGT is lacking. To fill this gap, we present detailed petrographic description and electron microprobe mineral chemistry data on samples collected on-land from the MEGT. Juvenile clasts include pumice, scoria, and obsidian fragments with porphyritic/glomeroporphyritic, vitrophyric, and fragmental textures. The porphyritic index is 13–40 vol.%, and phenocryst phases include alkali-feldspar, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, ferrian phlogopite, and titano-magnetite, in order of decreasing abundance; accessory phases include sphene, hydroxy-fluor-apatite, and rare edenite. Plagioclase varies from predominant andesine to subordinate oligoclase, whereas alkali-feldspar is more variable from sanidine to anorthoclase; quasi-pure sanidine commonly occurs as either rim or recrystallisation overgrowth of large phenocrysts due to hydrothermal alteration. Secondary minerals include veins and patches of carbonate minerals, Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides, clay minerals, and zeolites. Clinopyroxene is ferroan diopside (En45–29Fs7–27) and never reaches Na-rich compositions. This feature allows the discrimination of MEGT from aegirine-bearing, distal tephra layers erroneously attributed to MEGT, with implications for the areal distribution of Ischia explosive deposits.

Effective oral delivery of Exenatide-Zn2+ complex through distal ileum-targeted double layers nanocarriers modified with deoxycholic acid and glycocholic acid in diabetes therapy

The oral administration route is popular with T2DM patients because they need convenience in lifelong medication. At present, oral Exenatide is not available on the market and therefore the relevant studies are valuable. Herein, we constructed a novel dual cholic acid-functionalized nanoparticle for oral delivery of Exenatide, which was based on the functionalized materials of deoxycholic acid-low molecular weight protamine and glycocholic acid-poly (ethylene glycol)-b-polysialic acid. The hydrophobic deoxycholic acid strengthened the nanoparticles and the hydrophilic glycolic acid targeted to specific transporter. We first condensed Exenatide-Zn2+ complex with deoxycholic acid-low molecular weight protamine to prepare nanocomplexes with ζ-potentials of +8 mV and sizes of 95 nm. Then, we used glycocholic acid-poly (ethylene glycol)-b-polysialic acid copolymers masking the positive charge of nanocomplexes to prepare nanoparticles with negative charges of −22 mV and homogeneous sizes of 140 nm. As a result, this dual cholic acid-functionalized nanoparticle demonstrated enhanced uptake and transport of Exenatide, and a special targeting to apical sodium-dependent cholic acid transporter in vitro. Moreover, in vivo studies showed that the nanoparticle effectively accumulated in distal ileum, raised the plasma concentration of Exenatide, prolonged hypoglycemic effect, reduced blood lipid levels, and lightened organ lesions.

Dosimetric leaf gap and leaf trailing effect in a double-stacked multileaf collimator.

To investigate (i) the dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) and the effect of the "trailing distance" between leaves from different multileaf collimator (MLC) layers in Halcyon systems and (ii) the ability of the currently available treatment planning systems (TPSs) to approximate this effect. DICOM plans with transmission beams and sweeping gap tests were created in Python for measuring the DLG for each MLC layer independently and for both layers combined. In clinical Halcyon plans both MLC layers are interchangeably used and leaves from different layers are offset, thus forming a trailing pattern. To characterize the impact of such configuration, new tests called "trailing sweeping gaps" were designed and created where the leaves from one layer follow the leaves from the other layer at a fixed "trailing distance" between the tips. Measurements were carried out on five Halcyons SX2 from different institutions and calculations from both the Eclipse and RayStation TPSs were compared with measurements. The dose accumulated during a sweeping gap delivery progressively increased with the trailing distance . We call this "the trailing effect." It is most pronounced for between 0 and 5mm, although some changes were obtained up to 20mm. The dose variation was independent of the gap size. The measured DLG values also increased with up to 20mm, again with the steepest variation between 0 and 5mm. Measured DLG values were negative at =0 (the leaves from both layers at the same position) but changed sign for ≥1mm, in line with the positive DLG sign usually observed with single-layer rounded-end MLCs. The Eclipse TPS does not explicitly model the leaf tip and, as a consequence, could not predict the dose reduction due to the trailing effect. This resulted in dose discrepancies up to +10% and -8% for the 5mm sweeping gap and up to ±5% for the 10mm one depending on the distance . RayStation implements a simple model of the leaf tip that was able to approximate the trailing effect and improved the agreement with measured doses. In particular, with a prototype version of RayStation that assigned a higher transmission at the leaf tip the agreement with measured doses was within ±3% even for the 5mm gap. The five Halcyon systems behaved very similarly but differences in the DLG around 0.2mm were found across different treatment units and between MLC layers from the same system. The DLG for the proximal layer was consistently higher than for the distal layer, with differences ranging between 0.10mm and 0.24mm. The trailing distance between the leaves from different layers substantially affected the doses delivered by sweeping gaps and the measured DLG values. Stacked MLCs introduce a new level of complexity in TPSs, which ideally need to implement an explicit model of the leaf tip in order to reproduce the trailing effect. Dynamic tests called "trailing sweeping gaps" were designed that are useful for characterizing and commissioning dual-layer MLC systems.

Etching of the seed cuticle by cold plasma shortens imbibitional leakage in Linum usitatissimum L.

Pre-sowing treatment of seeds with cold plasma, a reactive mixture of charged particles, is an emerging, environmentally friendly method, shown to improve water absorption, germination and seedling growth in many crop species. We studied how plasma affects different structural layers in flax seed coats, and focused on the effects on some of the earliest germination events, directly related to imbibition: solute leakage and mucilage extrusion. We characterized the ultrastructure of flax seed coats using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and observed mucilage extrusion in situ, using environmental SEM. Time-courses of water uptake and solute leakage during germination were recorded, respectively, by weighing the seeds and semi-quantitative metabolite profiling of the exudates using GC–MS, LC–MS and LC–UV. Plasma treatment perforated the cuticle of flax seeds but did not visibly etch the underlying mucilage secretory cell (MSC) walls. Plasma treated seeds took up more water than untreated seeds during imbibition. Mucilage expansion of untreated seeds detached the distal MSC walls from the radial walls and extrusion occurred, relatively slowly, via sparse cracks in the distal cell wall layer. In plasma treated seeds, mucilage extrusion occurred fast, via rupture of distal cell walls of almost every single MSC, and the junctions between distal and radial MSC walls remained intact. Initially, imbibitional solute leakage was higher in plasma treated seeds but the leakage had quasi stopped after one hour of imbibition. In untreated seeds, the leakage continued amply more than two hours after the start of imbibition. Fragments of the lignan macromolecule, stored in parenchymatous cells under the MCS, were released more abundantly in the spermosphere of plasma treated than untreated flax seeds. It is concluded that plasma treatment etches the cuticle of flax seeds and weakens the underlying MSC cell walls, and that such treatment leads to significantly faster recovery of membranes during imbibition, reducing leakage time in germinating seeds.

Shocked quartz in distal ejecta from the Ries impact event (Germany) found at\u2009~\u2009180\xa0km distance, near Bernhardzell, eastern Switzerland

Impact ejecta formation and emplacement is of great importance when it comes to understanding the process of impact cratering and consequences of impact events in general. Here we present a multidisciplinary investigation of a distal impact ejecta layer, the Blockhorizont, that occurs near Bernhardzell in eastern Switzerland. We provide unambiguous evidence that this layer is impact-related by confirming the presence of shocked quartz grains exhibiting multiple sets of planar deformation features. Average shock pressures recorded by the quartz grains are ~ 19 GPa for the investigated sample. U–Pb dating of zircon grains from bentonites in close stratigraphic context allows us to constrain the depositional age of the Blockhorizont to ~ 14.8 Ma. This age, in combination with geochemical and paleontological analysis of ejecta particles, is consistent with deposition of this material as distal impact ejecta from the Ries impact structure, located ~ 180 km away, in Germany. Our observations are important for constraining models of impact ejecta emplacement as ballistically and non-ballistically transported fragments, derived from vastly different depths in the pre-impact target, occur together within the ejecta layer. These observations make the Ries ejecta one of the most completely preserved ejecta deposit on Earth for an impact structure of that size.

HPV and Other Microbiota; Who's Good and Who's Bad: Effects of the Microbial Environment on the Development of Cervical Cancer-A Non-Systematic Review.

Cervical cancer is responsible for around 5% of all human cancers worldwide. It develops almost exclusively from an unsolved, persistent infection of the squamocolumnar transformation zone between the endo- and ecto-cervix with various high-risk (HR) human papillomaviruses (HPVs). The decisive turning point on the way to persistent HPV infection and malignant transformation is an immune system weakened by pathobionts and oxidative stress and an injury to the cervical mucosa, often caused by sexual activities. Through these injury and healing processes, HPV viruses, hijacking activated keratinocytes, move into the basal layers of the cervical epithelium and then continue their development towards the distal prickle cell layer (Stratum spinosum). The microbial microenvironment of the cervical tissue determines the tissue homeostasis and the integrity of the protective mucous layer through the maintenance of a healthy immune and metabolic signalling. Pathological microorganisms and the resulting dysbiosis disturb this signalling. Thus, pathological inflammatory reactions occur, which manifest the HPV infection. About 90% of all women contract an HPV infection in the course of their lives. In about 10% of cases, the virus persists and cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) develops. Approximately 1% of women with a high-risk HPV infection incur a cervical carcinoma after 10 to 20 years. In this non-systematic review article, we summarise how the sexually and microbial mediated pathogenesis of the cervix proceeds through aberrant immune and metabolism signalling via CIN to cervical carcinoma. We show how both the virus and the cancer benefit from the same changes in the immune and metabolic environment.