Levels Of Enrichment Research Articles

Enriched biochar enhances height growth performance of Anthocephalus cadamba on severely degraded Spodosols in East Kalimantan

Tropical Spodosols are highly fragile and disturbed Spodosols remain unproductive at conventional management practices due to the inherent infertility of the soils. These soils developed from quartz rocks and are characterized by the presence of E albic and B spodic horizons. This study was conducted to determine the effect of enriched biochar application on height growth of jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba) stands planted on spodosols. Research plots were arranged to comply with a 2-factors completely randomized design (CRD) procedure – 3 levels of rate of biochar treatment (A1 = 0%v, A2 = 2%v and A3 = 5%v) and 2 levels of liquid organic fertilizer enrichment (B0 = without enrichment and B1 = with enrichment). There were 3 replicates for each treatment consisted of 28 Jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba) plants at 2.5 m x 3 m spacing, therefore a total of 504 plants were observed in this study. Results showed that the rate of biochar and nutrient enrichment gave a significant effect on the height growth of jabon plants (A. cadamba), the best height growth was obtained at the enriched biochar treatment rate of 5%v (A3B1).

Building a neuropsychiatric testing database for veterans with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease with unstructured electronic health records

AbstractBackgroundInformation on clinical decision making and disease severity assessments for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) typically only exists in medical notes. In this study, we present the methodology of constructing a database from unstructured electronic health records (EHR), which enables enriched population studies when combined with structured administrative databases.MethodA multidisciplinary team with expertise in neurology, epidemiology, biology, and health informatics designed and created the relational database. The database was established with three tables for patient demographics, neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric test results, and clinical judgment of AD severity. Patient cohorts were identified by searching keywords ("Alz*” or “Mild Cognitive Impairment”) from electronic clinical notes and excluding false positives using expert‐designed rules. The most frequently used six neuropsychiatric tests (MMSE, MoCA, SLUMS, Mini‐cog, BNT, BVRT) and their corresponding testing results were extracted in addition to clinicians’ judgment on disease severity. The test scores were extracted using a rule‐based natural language processing (NLP) system.ResultA patient cohort with MCI (N = 74,444) or probable AD (N = 141,816) was identified in the VA database for the fiscal year of 2019 (Table 1), with 18,173 patients having both MCI and AD diagnosis among their clinical notes of the year. A total of 1,529,897 neuropsychiatric testing scores were extracted from the patients’ clinical notes across all years, with 388,253 MMSE scores, 614,400 MoCA scores, 462,646 SLUMS scores, 18,868 Mini‐cog scores, 45,259 BNT scores, and 471 BVRT scores. A total of 57,879 (77.75%) MCI patients and 82,656 (58.28%) AD patients had at least one test score extracted. A total of 18,939 (13.35%) AD patients had at least one documented severity categorization made by a clinician.ConclusionWe established a database of neuropsychiatric testing scores for patients with MCI or AD based on electronic medical notes from the VA healthcare system, aided by NLP tools. Our approach demonstrated a scalable pipeline to integrate with structured EHR in support of enriched population level analysis in AD.

NIMG-42. RADIOIMMUNOMIC SIGNATURES IN PEDIATRIC LOW-GRADE GLIOMA FOR NON-INVASIVE IDENTIFICATION OF IMMUNOTHERAPEUTIC TARGETS

Abstract INTRODUCTION Tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) plays a key role in response to anti-tumor therapies. Therefore, detailed characterization of TIME is crucial for patient stratification and enrollment onto emerging immunotherapies. As standard-of-care treatments are not feasible or confer devastating long-term morbidity for pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG), non-invasive quantification of the TIME using radiomic analysis, may guide treatment decisions. On the largest available transcriptomic and imaging data in pLGGs, provided through Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), this data-driven study aims to discover immunological profiles of pLGG that are meaningfully related to biomarkers of tumor immune response, and radioimmunomic signatures that are predictive of immunological profiles. METHODS Enrichment of immune and stromal cell types and pathways in 502 subjects were inferred using xCell algorithm applied to transcriptomic data and the tumors were then clustered via consensus clustering approach. Tumor inflammation signature (TIS), as a biomarker of response to anti-PD-1 blockade, was compared across the immunological clusters. Quantitative radiomic features were extracted from the segmented tumor regions on multiparametric MRI scans of 155/502 patients. Cross-validated support vector machines with forward feature selection were trained on radiomic features using one-versus-the-rest approach to predict the immunological groups. RESULTS Three immunological clusters, i.e., immune-cold, -altered, and -hot were found, with different levels of enrichment in immune and microenvironment scores, CD4 T-cells, and macrophages. Significantly higher TIS values were found in immune-hot and -altered compared to immune-cold tumors (p= 1.2e-8 and p= 7e-16, respectively). Radioimmunomic models yielded average AUC of 0.75 for one-versus-the-rest differentiation of the immunological clusters. CONCLUSIONS The proposed analysis revealed three distinct immunological groups in pLGGs, with immune-hot tumors more likely to respond favorably to immunotherapies. Furthermore, non-invasive radioimmunomic signatures were shown to potentially stratify the patients based on their TIME, which upon further development and validation, could inform treatments for pLGGs.

NCOG-30. ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT AND HEALTH OUTCOMES AFTER RADIATION

Abstract Individuals treated with brain radiation (RT) are at a disproportionately increased risk of accelerated aging and symptom burden. The aim of this abstract is to describe the health outcomes experienced by brain tumor (BT) survivors who received Photon (XRT) and Proton-Beam (PBRT) in relation to levels of environmental enrichment (EE). The study employed a cross-sectional cohort design among persons with glioma (WHO Grade 2 and 3) treated with RT approximately 5 years following diagnosis. EE consists of social network/engagement, physical activity, and employment status/financial stability measured by the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Vocational Index Scale, and two Socioeconomic Questions, respectively. EE level is classified into low, moderate, or high tertile. Montreal Cognitive Assessment measured cognitive function. Cortical atrophy is measured using temporal brain MRI images from the time of diagnosis, 3 years after, and at the time of enrollment. Images were processed using FreeSurfer. MD Anderson Symptom Inventory – BT module was used to measure functional status. Two-Way ANOVA described the health outcomes among individuals who received XRT and PBRT. Thirty-nine participants, 18 with astrocytoma and 19 with oligodendroglioma, completed the study protocol. Eighteen individuals received XRT (5 were categorized into Low EE, 10 to Moderate EE and 3 had High levels of EE) and 21 received PBRT (8 were categorized into Low EE, 7 had Moderate EE and 6 had High EE). Individuals who received XRT and had High levels of EE had higher scores in MoCA, lower cortical atrophy rate, and lower symptom burden than individuals who had Moderate and Low EE. BT survivors are at an increased risk of accelerated aging and progressive neurological decline. Providing an enriched environment may serve to reduce symptom burden, promote healthy brain aging, and improve cognitive and functional status in BT survivors receiving radiation.

Fuel performance evaluation of two high burnup PWR core designs during normal operation, control rod withdrawal, and control rod ejection scenarios

There is interest among utilities to extend the current, 18-month operating cycle to 24 months. Economically, this extension would require greater than 5 % enrichment and peak rod average discharge burnup levels above 62 GWd/MTU. A notable challenge of increasing enrichment is the resulting additional excess reactivity encountered during the early stages of fuel life. To accommodate, burnable absorbers beyond soluble boron are introduced into the fuel system. In high burnup fuels, the possibilities of cladding lift-off and fuel melting increase due, in part, to increased rod internal pressures and limited fuel thermal conductivity, respectively. This work collaboratively employs PARCS, RELAP5-3D, and BISON to compare the fuel performance of two high burnup fuel candidates with higher than 5 % enrichment. The fuel performance parameters were compared to current NRC guidance. The results demonstrate an annular fuel design with homogenously blended gadolinium as a burnable absorber operates with greater safety margins during normal operation, allowing for additional operational flexibility. During normal operation, the core design utilizing Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber pins contained fuel pins which reached plenum pressures above 15.5 MPa by the end of the first fuel cycle and fuel pins experienced cladding hoop strains above 1 %. In the Gd core design, only two observed pins experienced plenum pressures above 15.5 MPa and no pins exceeded 1 % cladding hoop strain. During the control rod withdrawal scenario, plenum pressures for pins in both designs marginally exceeded system pressure, however neither experienced excessive hoop strain. The Gd core design experienced a maximum fuel temperature of 2418 K, which is significantly higher than the Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber design at 2157 K, but still within regulatory guidance. We predicted that the fuel in both could return to service after the CRW event. We also predicted that cladding would not fail during the Control Rod Ejection in either core design. Generally, the Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber core design performed with greater safety margin with regards to temperature during normal operation and the transient events. However, the Gd core design performed with greater safety margin regarding plenum pressure and hoop strain limits during normal operation and both transient events.

Comparative analysis of alternative splicing events in skeletal muscle of different sheep

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between genes with alternative splicing (AS) events and breed-specific differences in muscle development in two breeds of sheep. RNA-seq was utilized to identify genes with AS between Small-tailed Han sheep and Dorset sheep. The gene lists of differentially spliced genes were identified, and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted on these genes. In this study, 299 genes with 356 AS indicated significant differences between two diffrerent breeds. There are differences in 31 genes with 35 AS. Cassette, alt5′ and alt3’ exhibited the highest levels of enrichment across various significant levels. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between Wnt, TGF-beta, Notch and MAPK signaling pathways and the development of muscle in sheep. These findings indicate that genes with AS are linked to variations in muscle development in sheep. These results offer significant scientific and practical implications for improving the quality of sheep meat.

Genome-wide profiling of transcription factor activity in primary liver cancer using single-cell ATAC sequencing

Primary liver cancer (PLC) consists of two main histological subtypes; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). The role of transcription factors (TFs) in malignant hepatobiliary lineage commitment between HCC and iCCA remains underexplored. Here, we present genome-wide profiling of transcription regulatory elements of 16 PLC patients using single-cell assay for transposase accessible chromatin sequencing. Single-cell open chromatin profiles reflect the compositional diversity of liver cancer, identifying both malignant and microenvironment component cells. TF motif enrichment levels of 31 TFs strongly discriminate HCC from iCCA tumors. These TFs are members of the nuclear/retinoid receptor, POU, or ETS motif families. POU factors are associated with prognostic features in iCCA. Overall, nuclear receptors, ETS and POU TF motif families delineate transcription regulation between HCC and iCCA tumors, which may be relevant to development and selection of PLC subtype-specific therapeutics.

Effects of hydrogen enrichment on the heat generation and emission of natural gas turbulent premixed flame

The demand for clean energy and the decarbonisation targets set globally require researching and developing new solutions. An efficient computational approach was implemented to examine the effect of hydrogen enrichment on flame characteristics, flame temperature, heat generation, NOx and carbon emissions under varying stoichiometry of combustion. Results showed that hydrogen enrichment significantly reduces CO2 emissions but also has undesirable effects which include reducing the heat generation capability of flame and increasing NOx emissions. The level of impact on each of these characteristics was found to be different. Under a boiler-like condition and stoichiometry (Ф = 0.8), a 10 % decrease in CO2 emissions was observed when enriching the fuel with 20 % hydrogen. Concurrently, the heat flux generated from the flame is reduced by 6 % and NOx emission is increased by 2 %. The effect of hydrogen enrichment on these aspects becomes more prominent at a higher enrichment level. The study also finds that making combustion leaner is an effective strategy to combat the effect of hydrogen enrichment with respect to CO2 and NOx emission generation. Despite the leaner combustion producing less emissions for any given hydrogen enrichment level, it significantly decreases the heat transfer capacity of the flame. Alongside these flame characteristics, the significant role of hydrogen enrichment on increasing water vapour (H2O) production was examined.

Gastroesophageal reflux and PPI exposure alter gut microbiota in very young infants.

Infants with symptomatic Gastroesophageal reflux are treated with pharmacological therapy that includes proton pump inhibitors (PPI) with clinical improvement. The alterations to gut microbiome profiles in comparison to infants without reflux is not known. To determine the effect of PPI therapy on gut bacterial richness, diversity, and proportions of specific taxa in infants when compared to infants not exposed to acid suppressive therapy. This cohort study was conducted at the Stony Brook Hospital in Stony Brook, NY between February 2016, and June 2019. Infants meeting inclusion criteria were enrolled in a consecutive fashion. A total of 76 Infants were recruited and 60 were enrolled in the study, Twenty nine infants met clinical criteria for reflux and were treated with PPI therapy: median [IQR] gestation: 38.0 weeks [34.7-39.6 weeks]; median [IQR] birthweight: 2.95 Kg [2.2-3.4]; 14 [46.7%] male) and 29 infant were healthy controls median [IQR] gestation: 39.1 weeks [38-40 weeks]; median [IQR] birthweight: 3.3 Kg [2.2-3.4]; 17 [58.6%] male); 58 stool samples from 58 infants were analyzed. There were differences in Shannon diversity between the reflux and control groups. The reflux group that was exposed to PPI therapy had increased relative abundance of a diverse set of genera belonging to the phylum Firmicutes. On the other hand, the control group microbiota was dominated by Bifidobacterium, and a comparatively lower level of enrichment and abundance of microbial taxa was observed in this group of infants. We observed significant differences in both α- and β-diversity of the microbiome, when the two groups of infants were compared. The microbiome in the reflux group had more bacterial taxa and the duration of PPIs exposure was clearly associated with the diversity and abundance of gut microbes. These findings suggest that PPI exposure among infants results in early enrichment of the intestinal microbiome.

Development and experimental validation of a machine learning-based disulfidptosis-related ferroptosis score for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Disulfidoptosis and ferroptosis are two distinct programmed cell death pathways that have garnered considerable attention due to their potential as therapeutic targets. However, despite their significance of these pathways, the role of disulfidoptosis-related ferroptosis genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In this study, we employed a comprehensive approach that utilized various sophisticated techniques such as Pearson analysis, differential analysis, uniCox regression, lasso, ranger, and multivariable Cox regression to develop the disulfidoptosis-related ferroptosis (DRF) score. We then classified patients with HCC into high- and low-score groups to examine the association between the DRF score and various outcomes, including prognosis, functional enrichment, immune infiltration, immunotherapy, TACE sensitivity, drug sensitivity, and single-cell level function. Finally, we conducted in vitro experiments to validate the function of KIF20A. Our analysis revealed that KIF20A, G6PD, SLC7A11, and SLC2A1 were integral to constructing the DRF score. Our findings showed that patients with low DRF scores had significantly better prognoses and were more responsive to immunotherapy, TACE, and chemotherapy than those with high DRF scores. Based on our results obtained from bulk RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, and in vitro experiments, we identified the cell cycle pathway as the primary distinguished factor between high-score and low-score groups. This study sheds light on the contribution of disulfidoptosis-related ferroptosis genes to the development and progression of HCC. The information gleaned from this study can be leveraged to improve our understanding of their potential as therapeutic targets for HCC treatment.

Levels of nutrient enrichment determine the emergence of zooplankton from resting egg banks

Levels of nutrient enrichment determine the emergence of zooplankton from resting egg banks

Adipose-enriched peri-tumoral stroma, in contrast to myofibroblast-enriched stroma, prognosticates poorer survival in breast cancers

Despite our understanding of the genetic basis of intra-tumoral heterogeneity, the role of stromal heterogeneity arising from an altered tumor microenvironment in affecting tumorigenesis is poorly understood. In particular, extensive study on the peri-tumoral stroma in the morphologically normal tissues surrounding the tumor is lacking. Here, we examine the heterogeneity in tumors and peri-tumoral stroma from 8 ER+/PR+/HER2− invasive breast carcinomas, through multi-region transcriptomic profiling by microarray. We describe the regional heterogeneity observed at the intrinsic molecular subtype, pathway enrichment, and cell type composition levels within each tumor and its peri-tumoral region, up to 7 cm from the tumor margins. Moreover, we identify a pro-inflammatory adipose-enriched peri-tumoral subtype which was significantly associated with poorer overall survival in breast cancer patients, in contrast to an adaptive immune cell- and myofibroblast-enriched subtype. These data together suggest that peri-tumoral heterogeneity may be an important determinant of the evolution and treatment of breast cancers.

Distribution and Contamination Level of Cuprum (Cu) and Plumbum (Pb) in Bulk Sediments of the Bangka Island

The distribution and enrichment of heavy metals in sediments will affect the life of the organisms that lives in it. The purpose of this study is to explain the enrichment and contamination levels of heavy metals Cu and Pb in bulk sediments in the northern and southern parts of Bangka Island. This research was conducted in August - September 2019, using a purposive sampling method. Heavy metal analysis using the Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) instrument. The results showed that the concentration of the heavy metal Pb in the sediment bulk of northern Bangka Island (Kelabat Bay) was higher than that of South Bangka Island. The concentration of heavy metal Cu at 8 (eight) sites is still below the quality standard (18.7 mg.kg-1) even if the heavy metal Pb at stations 3, 4, and 5 in the waters of the northern half of Bangka Island (Kelabat Bay) is reported to have exceeded the quality standard limit (30.2 mg.kg-1). The highest level of enrichment of heavy metal Pb occurs at station 4 with a value of EF_62.88, and is categorized as very high enrichment and a contamination factor (CF) value of 2.24 (medium category). This condition is due to station 4 being located in Kelabat Bay (semi-enclosed area) with unstable water conditions due to the influence of many activities. The results of this study can be used as input for local governments for the management of water areas on Bangka Island.

A comparative study of three modes of s-process nucleosynthesis in extremely metal-poor AGB stars

Abstract Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in the Galactic halo have a wide range of neutron-capture element abundance patterns. To identify their origin, we investigate three modes of s-process nucleosynthesis that have been proposed to operate in extremely metal-poor asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars: convective 13C burning, which occurs when hydrogen is engulfed by helium-flash convection in low-mass AGB stars; convective 22Ne burning, which occurs in helium-flash convection of intermediate-mass AGB stars; and radiative 13C burning, which occurs in the 13C pocket that is formed during inter-pulse periods. We show that the production of s-process elements per iron seed (s-process efficiency) does not depend on metallicity below [Fe$/$H] = −2, because 16O in the helium zone dominates the neutron poison. The convective 13C mode can produce a variety of s-process efficiencies for Sr, Ba, and Pb, including the maxima observed among CEMP stars. The 22Ne mode only produces the lowest end of s-process efficiencies among CEMP models. We show that the combination of these two modes can explain the full range of observed enrichment of s-process elements in CEMP stars. In contrast, the 13C pocket mode can hardly explain the high level of enrichment observed in some CEMP stars, even if considering star-to-star variations of the mass of the 13C pocket. These results provide a basis for discussing the binary mass transfer origin of CEMP stars and their subgroups.

Profiling of tyrosinase levels, antioxidant and DNA protective properties in different edible and medicinal mushroom species from India

AbstractBackgroundTyrosinase is a polyphenol oxidase, one of the globally attracted enzymes for its multi‐mechanistic approaches in various fields such as pharma, food, environment, medicine, and agriculture. Tyrosinase from natural nutritive edible mushrooms gained more attention for their rich levels and inexpensive nature. Our previous work has revealed that mushroom tyrosinase has strong similarities in structure and function with that of skin tyrosinase, which has significance as a skin tumor marker. Besides, mushrooms are a richer source of antioxidants. However, it is imperative to analyze all the available varieties of mushrooms for bioactive potentials like tyrosinase and antioxidant levels. Thus, the main goal of the study was to identify the variety of mushrooms that can be selected for continuous multiplication and propagation as a viable source for tyrosinase, which can be employed to screen tyrosinase inhibitors as skin tumor inhibitors.ResultsOf the 18 varieties screened for tyrosinase levels, Boletus edulis, Termitomyces hemii, and Termitomyces mummiformis had high levels of tyrosinase and exhibited potent hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide scavenging activity as well as DNA protection. The potent DNA and antioxidant abilities appear to be due to the enriched levels of hydroxybenzoates.ConclusionThe current study could provide an economic source of tyrosinase (mushrooms) that can be used to monitor tyrosinase inhibitors, a potent component that enables their use against skin cancer.

Towards deciphering the source of rare earth elements in kerogen: Seawater or diagenetic porewater origin?

The composition of rare earth elements (REEs) in kerogen has long been hypothesized to preserve signatures of shallow seawater, assuming that kerogen primarily originates from biomass inhabiting the shallow photic zone. In this study, we examine the composition of REEs in kerogen samples obtained from the Ediacaran Dongkanshang and Fengtan sections in South China. Through a meticulous screening process, we provide evidence that kerogen samples exhibiting patterns of heavy rare earth element (HREE) enrichment are free from acid-insoluble mineral contamination and preserve unaltered REE signatures. This study reveals that kerogens display low total rare earth element (ΣREE) concentrations. As kerogen samples exhibit higher levels of HREE enrichment, the Ce/Ce*, Eu/Eu*, and Y/Ho ratios show an upward trend. Moreover, all the kerogen samples exhibit chondritic Y/Ho ratios (with an average of 32). These findings imply that REEs in kerogens are of diagenetic origin and influenced by the ambient redox conditions. Our results suggest that the distribution patterns of REEs in kerogens derive from porewater within methanogenic zones, as opposed to the oxic seawater photic zone. Consequently, the formation of kerogen could potentially occur within a similar domain as the methanogenic zones, where kerogens can assimilate REEs from pore fluids and incorporate them into their macromolecular structures.

Geospatial patterns and geochemical compositional characteristics of molybdenum in different mediums of an urban environment

Urban areas are characterized by the presence of certain potentially toxic elements including molybdenum (Mo). Therefore, compositional data analysis combined with geospatial mapping was applied in this study to reveal the spatial distribution characteristics of Mo in courtyard surface dust (dust), soils, and river sediments (sediments), to identify potential sources of Mo, and to reveal Mo geochemical associations in different urban environmental mediums. The mean contents of Mo decreased in the following order: dust (11.9 mg/kg) – soil (5.84 mg/kg) – sediment (4.87 mg/kg). The highest maximum Mo content among the studied mediums (61.8 mg/kg) was detected in dust. It was the only investigated medium where a very high level of Mo enrichment was observed (4.4% of samples). Moreover, a significant level of enrichment predominated in dust (47% of samples) whereas in soil, moderate enrichment prevails (68.5%). A significant correlation of Mo contents was observed with Zn contents in all the studied mediums, and with Ca contents in soil and sediments. A significant negative correlation was observed only between Mo contents in dust and sampling site altitudes suggesting that high-rise buildings might play the role of geochemical barriers. Principal component analysis, k-means and hierarchical clustering showed that in the geogenic elements soil group Mo showed an affinity to be bound by Fe/Mn oxide/hydroxides whereas the Mo coprecipitation, complexation and absorption by carbonates predominated in the Mo-related soil group (geochemical compositional association of Mo, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ca) under anthropogenic influence. For dust, the geochemical compositional association was the same, but in the geogenic-related group, Cu was the most closely associated element instead of Zn. The spatial location of the Mo-related group of samples identified by k-means clustering indicates that Mo concentrate processing plant may be a potential source of Mo introduction into the urban environment.

Transposon accumulation at xenobiotic gene family loci in aphids.

The evolution of resistance is a major challenge for the sustainable control of pests and pathogens. Thus, a deeper understanding of the evolutionary and genomic mechanisms underpinning resistance evolution is required to safeguard health and food production. Several studies have implicated transposable elements (TEs) in xenobiotic-resistance evolution in insects. However, analyses are generally restricted to one insect species and/or one or a few xenobiotic gene families (XGFs). We examine evidence for TE accumulation at XGFs by performing a comparative genomic analysis across 20 aphid genomes, considering major subsets of XGFs involved in metabolic resistance to insecticides: cytochrome P450s, glutathione S-transferases, esterases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, and ABC transporters. We find that TEs are significantly enriched at XGFs compared with other genes. XGFs show similar levels of TE enrichment to those of housekeeping genes. But unlike housekeeping genes, XGFs are not constitutively expressed in germline cells, supporting the selective enrichment of TEs at XGFs rather than enrichment owing to chromatin availability. Hotspots of extreme TE enrichment occur around certain XGFs. We find, in aphids of agricultural importance, particular enrichment of TEs around cytochrome P450 genes with known functions in the detoxification of synthetic insecticides. Our results provide evidence supporting a general role for TEs as a source of genomic variation at host XGFs and highlight the existence of considerable variability in TE content across XGFs and host species. These findings show the need for detailed functional verification analyses to clarify the significance of individual TE insertions and elucidate underlying mechanisms at TE-XGF hotspots.

The Effect of Hydrogen on Nonlinear Flame Saturation

Abstract We investigate the effect of increasing levels of hydrogen enrichment on the nonlinear response and saturation of premixed bluff-body stabilized methane/hydrogen flames submitted to acoustic forcing. The thermal power is kept approximately constant to preserve the nozzle velocity while increasing the flame speed through hydrogen enrichment. The flame describing function (FDF) is measured for a fixed frequency and three hydrogen–methane blends ranging from 10% to 50% by power, corresponding to 25% to 75% by volume. We show that when the flame is forced at the same frequency at similar power and bulk velocities, increasing levels of hydrogen enrichment increase the saturation amplitude of the flame. To provide insight into the flame dynamics responsible for the change in the global nonlinear response and saturation amplitude, the flames were investigated using high-speed imaging in combination with OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) at a range of forcing amplitudes. At lower hydrogen concentrations, the flame is stabilized along the inner shear layer and saturation in the heat release rate (HRR) occurs at lower forcing amplitudes due to large-scale flame–vortex interactions causing flame annihilation as observed in several previous studies. At increased levels of hydrogen enrichment, distinctly different flame dynamics are observed. In these cases, the flame accelerates and propagates across to the outer shear layer, which acts to suppress large-scale flame annihilation during roll-up of both the inner and outer shear layers. This results in a coherent increase in flame surface area with forcing amplitudes significantly increasing the saturation amplitude of the flame. These results show that high levels of hydrogen increase the amplitude response to acoustic forcing leading to higher saturation amplitudes. This suggests that substituting natural gas with hydrogen in gas turbines increases the risk of much higher limit-cycle amplitudes if self-excited instabilities occur.

Reformulating Couscous with Sprouted Buckwheat: Physico-Chemical Properties and Sensory Characteristics Assessed by E-Senses.

In the frame of reformulating food products for valorizing underutilized crops and enhancing both the nutritional and sensory characteristics of traditional foods, this study explored the potential impact of sprouting on some features of couscous prepared from buckwheat. Specifically, the impact of two sprouting times (48 h and 72 h) and two enrichment levels (25% and 50%) on physical properties (bulk density, hydration properties), cooking behavior (e.g., texture), chemical features (e.g., total phenolic content, rutin and quercetin), antioxidant activity (DPPH assay), and sensory traits (by means of electronic nose, tongue, and eye) was considered. Results showed that the replacement of 50% of pre-gelatinized buckwheat flour with 72 h-sprouted buckwheat flour resulted in a couscous with a higher content of phenolic compounds (including rutin and quercetin) and antioxidant activity; the related values further increased upon cooking. Moreover, except for the hardness and gumminess that were worsened (i.e., their values increased), cohesiveness and resilience improved in the presence of sprouted buckwheat (i.e., their values increased). Finally, the overall sensory traits improved with the addition of 50% sprouted buckwheat, since both bitterness and astringency decreased in the reformulated couscous.