Mosaic System Research Articles

An extremal problem for a mosaic system of points in the case of an additional set of points on a circle

An extremal problem for a mosaic system of points in the case of an additional set of points on a circle

BEAM: A combinatorial recombinase toolbox for binary gene expression and mosaic genetic analysis

We describe a binary expression aleatory mosaic (BEAM) system, which relies on DNA delivery by transfection or viral transduction along with nested recombinase activity to generate two genetically distinct, non-overlapping populations of cells for comparative analysis. Control cells labeled with red fluorescent protein (RFP) can be directly compared with experimental cells manipulated by genetic gain or loss of function and labeled with GFP. Importantly, BEAM incorporates recombinase-dependent signal amplification and delayed reporter expression to enable sharper delineation of control and experimental cells and to improve reliability relative to existing methods. We applied BEAM to a variety of known phenotypes to illustrate its advantages for identifying temporally or spatially aberrant phenotypes, for revealing changes in cell proliferation or death, and for controlling for procedural variability. In addition, we used BEAM to test the cortical protomap hypothesis at the individual radial unit level, revealing that area identity is cell autonomously specified in adjacent radial units.

Red2Flpe-SCON: a versatile, multicolor strategy for generating mosaic conditional knockout mice

Image-based lineage tracing enables tissue turnover kinetics and lineage potentials of different adult cell populations to be investigated. Previously, we reported a genetic mouse model system, Red2Onco, which ectopically expressed mutated oncogenes together with red fluorescent proteins (RFP). This system enabled the expansion kinetics and neighboring effects of oncogenic clones to be dissected. We now report Red2Flpe-SCON: a mosaic knockout system that uses multicolor reporters to label both mutant and wild-type cells. We develop the Red2Flpe mouse line for red clone-specific Flpe expression, as well as the FRT-based SCON (Short Conditional IntrON) method to facilitate tunable conditional mosaic knockouts in mice. We use the Red2Flpe-SCON method to study Sox2 mutant clonal analysis in the esophageal epithelium of adult mice which reveal that the stem cell gene, Sox2, is less essential for adult stem cell maintenance itself, but rather for stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

Pastures as natural climate solutions: A socioecological study of tree carbon and beef production trade-offs

Sustainable management strategies that facilitate the incorporation of trees into cattle pastures are widely recognized as emerging natural climate solutions. However, their potential to dually improve ecological functioning and human livelihoods has yet to be evaluated across regions on local scales, utilizing both ecological and sociological data. Further, the relationship between landowner participation in conservation management programs (CMPS) and their management priorities (i.e. production vs sustainability) also remains unclear. Therefore, the aims of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of past global-scale remote estimations of aboveground biomass and derived tree carbon density (MgC ha−1) within pasturelands at the local scale in both temperate and tropical regions. We also sought to analyze how participation in CMPs related to the perceptions of stakeholders toward the ecological health of their system. We compared findings between farms in temperate (n = 26) and tropical (n = 16) ecosystems. We found that discrepancies exist between previous remote studies and current field estimations of tree carbon in the farms, and these differences were not regionally uniform. In contrast, stakeholders enrolled in CMPs had a higher value of trees in both regions. CMPs participants also had lower annual stocking rates than those that practiced conventional management but no differences in woody species diversity (H’) or tree carbon (MgC ha−1). We demonstrate the urgent need for local-scale studies to accurately estimate tree carbon in mosaic pasture systems and the importance of conservation management in shifting the priorities of landowners, which could eventually lead to more sustainable systems.

Quantum knot mosaics and bounds of the growth constant

The discovery of the Jones polynomial made an important connection between quantum physics and knot theory. Kauffman and Lomonaco introduced the knot mosaic system to define the quantum knot system for the purpose of representing an actual physical quantum system. This paper is inspired by an open question about the knot mosaic enumeration suggested by them. A knot [Formula: see text]-mosaic is an [Formula: see text] array of 11 mosaic tiles representing a knot diagram by adjoining properly. The total number [Formula: see text] of knot [Formula: see text]-mosaics, which indicates the dimension of the Hilbert space of the quantum knot system, is known to grow in a quadratic exponential rate. Recently, Oh et al. developed the state matrix recursion method producing the exact enumeration of knot mosaics, which uses a recursion formula of state matrices. Furthermore, they showed the existence of the knot mosaic constant [Formula: see text] and found its upper and lower bounds in a series of papers. The latest upper bound was obtained through two new concepts: quasimosaics and cling mosaics. As a sequel to this research program, we adjust the state matrix recursion method to handle cling mosaics inside a quasimosaic, which is called the progressive state matrix recursion method. This method provides recursive matrix-relations producing a sharper bound of the knot mosaic constant: [Formula: see text]

Mosaics for immersed surface-links

The concept of a knot mosaic was introduced by Lomonaco and Kauffman as a means to construct a quantum knot system. The mosaic number of a given knot K is defined as the minimum integer n that allows the representation of K on an n×n mosaic board. Building upon this, the first author and Nelson extended the knot mosaic system to encompass surface-links through the utilization of marked graph diagrams and established both lower and upper bounds for the mosaic number of the surface-links presented in Yoshikawa's table. In this paper, we establish a mosaic system for immersed surface-links by using singular marked graph diagrams. We also provide the definition and discussion on the mosaic number for immersed surface-links.

Oxygen-supplemented and topography-guided epithelium-on corneal crosslinking with pulsed irradiation for progressive keratoconus.

To investigate the effects of customized topography-guided epithelium-on crosslinking (epi-on CXL) with oxygen supplementation on procedural efficacy and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) in patients with progressive keratoconus (KC) at 1 year. Private eye clinic, Brisbane, Australia. Retrospective, single-center, nonrandomized case series. Topography-guided epi-on CXL using the Mosaic system was performed on patients with progressive KC. Oxygen goggles; transepithelial riboflavin; and pulsed, high UV-A irradiance (1 second on, 1 second off; 30 mW/cm2) were applied to enhance oxygen kinetics and bioavailabilities of riboflavin and UV-A. Guided by baseline topography, a higher UV-A dose (15 J/cm2) was applied to the area of steepest anterior curvature with decreasing fluence (as low as 7.2 J/cm2) toward the outer 9 mm. Postoperative CDVA and maximum keratometry (Kmax) were evaluated. 102 eyes (80 patients) were followed for 11.5 ± 4.8 months. At the latest follow-up, mean CDVA (logMAR), mean K, and Kmax (diopters [D]) improved from 0.18 ± 0.28, 46.2 ± 3.8, and 53.0 ± 5.67 at baseline to 0.07 ± 0.18, 45.8 ± 3.7, and 51.9 ± 5.56, respectively (P < .001). 3 eyes (3%) lost more than 1 CDVA line, and another 3 eyes (3%) had increased Kmax greater than 2 D. 43 eyes were followed for at least 12 months (n = 43): mean CDVA, mean K, and Kmax improved from 0.19 ± 0.33 logMAR, 46.5 ± 3.5 D, and 53.6 ± 5.67 D to 0.07 ± 0.17 logMAR, 46.0 ± 3.5 D, and 52.33 ± 5.49 D, respectively (P ≤ .002). No complications were observed. Tailoring oxygen-supplemented epi-on CXL with differential UV-A energy distributions, guided by baseline topography, in patients with KC seems to be safe and effective. At 1 year, study reports sustained improved CDVA and corneal stabilization.

MiRNAs are involved in regulating the formation of recovery tissues in virus infected Nicotiana tabacum.

MiRNAs play an important role in regulating plant growth and immune response. Mosaic diseases are recognized as the most important plant diseases in the world, and mosaic symptoms are recovery tissues formed by plants against virus infection. However, the mechanism of the formation of mosaic symptoms remains elusive. In this study, two typical mosaic systems consisting of Nicotiana tabacum-cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and N. tabacum-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were used to investigate the relevance of miRNAs to the appearance of mosaic symptoms. The results of miRNA-seq showed that there were significant differences in miRNA abundance between dark green tissues and chlorotic tissues in mosaic leaves caused by the infection of CMV or TMV. Compared with healthy tissues, miRNA expression was significantly increased in chlorotic tissues, but slightly increased in dark green tissues. Three miRNAs, namely miR1919, miR390a, and miR6157, were identified to be strongly up-regulated in chlorotic tissues of both mosaic systems. Results of overexpressing or silencing of the three miRNAs proved that they were related to chlorophyll synthesis, auxin response, and small GTPase-mediated immunity pathway, which were corresponding to the phenotype, physiological parameters and susceptibility of the chlorotic tissues in mosaic leaves. Besides, the newly identified novel-miRNA48, novel-miRNA96 and novel-miRNA103 may also be involved in this formation of mosaic symptoms. Taken together, our results demonstrated that miR1919, miR390a and miR6157 are involved in the formation of mosaic symptoms and plant antiviral responses, providing new insight into the role of miRNAs in the formation of recovery tissue and plant immunity.

Purification Effect of Water Eutrophication Using the Mosaic System of Submerged-Emerged Plants and Growth Response.

Aquatic plants play a crucial role in the sustainable management of eutrophic water bodies, serving as a valuable tool for water purification. However, the effectiveness of using aquatic plants for improving water quality is influenced by landscape considerations. In practical applications, challenges arise concerning low purification efficiency and compromised aesthetic appeal when utilizing plants for water purification. To address these issues, this study aimed to examine the impact of aquatic plants on the purification of simulated landscape water bodies, specifically focusing on the effectiveness of the mosaic system of submerged-emerged plants in remediating eutrophic water bodies. Our findings indicated that individual aquatic plants exhibited limited efficacy in pollutant (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, and chemical oxygen demand) removal. However, when combined in appropriate proportions, submerged plants could enhance species growth and improve the purification efficiency of polluted water bodies. Notably, the mosaic system of submerged-emerged plants neither significantly promoted nor inhibited the growth of each other, but it effectively removed pollutants from the simulated water bodies and inhibited turbidity increase. The comprehensive evaluation ranked the purification capacity as Canna indica-submerged plants combination (C + S) > Thalia dealbata-submerged plants combination (T + S) > Iris pseudacorus-submerged plants combination (I + S) > Lythrum salicaria-submerged plants combination (L + S). Both C + S and T + S configurations effectively mitigated the rise of water turbidity and offered appealing landscape benefits, making them viable options for practical applications in urban landscape water bodies. Our study highlights that a submerged-emerged mosaic combination is a means of water purification that combines landscape aesthetics and purification efficiency.

Enhancing Caregiver Empowerment Through the Story Mosaic System: Human-Centered Design Approach for Visualizing Older Adult Life Stories.

Various older adult care settings have embraced the use of the life story approach to enhance the development of comprehensive care plans. However, organizing life stories and extracting useful information is labor-intensive, primarily due to the repetitive, fragmented, and redundant nature of life stories gathered from everyday communication scenarios. Existing life story systems, while available, do not adequately fulfill the requirements of users, especially in the application of care services. The objective of this study is to design, develop, and evaluate a digital system that provides caregivers with the necessary tools to view and manage the life stories of older adults, enabling expedited access to pertinent information effectively and visually. This study used a multidisciplinary, user-centered design approach across 4 phases: initial design requirements, prototyping, prototype refinement workshops, and usability testing. During the initial phase, we conducted field research in the Hefei Tianyu Senior Living Service Nursing Home, China, to discover how caregivers currently store and use life stories and their needs, challenges, and obstacles in organizing and retrieving information. Subsequently, we designed a low-fidelity prototype according to the users' requirements. A prototyping workshop involving 6 participants was held to collaboratively design and discuss the prototype's function and interaction. User feedback from the workshops was used to optimize the prototype, leading to the development of the system. We then designed 2 rounds of usability testing with 7 caregivers to evaluate the system's usability and effectiveness. We identified 3 categories of functionalities that are necessary to include in the design of our initial low-fidelity prototype of life story visualizations: life story input, life story organization, and timeline generation. Subsequently, through the workshops, we identified 3 categories for functional optimization: feedback on user interface and usability, optimization suggestions for existing features, and the request for additional functionalities. Next, we designed a medium-fidelity prototype based on human-centered design. The Story Mosaic system underwent usability testing in the Hefei Tianyu Senior Living Service Nursing Home. Overall, 7 users recorded and organized 1123 life stories of 16 older adults. The usability testing results indicated that the system was accessible and easy to use for caregivers. Based on the feedback from the usability testing, we finalized the high-fidelity prototype. We designed, developed, and evaluated the Story Mosaic system to support the visual management of older adults' life stories. This system empowers caregivers through digital technology and innovative design, pioneering personal narrative integration in caregiving. This system can expand to include informal caregivers and family members for continued adaptability and empathy.

Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 potentials for high-resolution mapping of the shifting agricultural landscape mosaic systems of southern Cameroon

Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 potentials for high-resolution mapping of the shifting agricultural landscape mosaic systems of southern Cameroon

Quantifying ant diversity and community in a subalpine forest mosaic: a comparison of two methods

Sampling efficiency, composition and detection biases associated with pitfall-trap and sample plot (standardised hand-collecting) methods were compared at seven high montane sites at Lasha Mountain, Yunnan, China. Rarefaction-interpolation curves showed total species diversity and sample coverage from each method were undifferentiated. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance showed highly overlapping communities. However, of all species collected, just 53% of all species found were shared between the two methods; 30% were exclusive to sample plot samples and 17% were exclusive to pitfall traps. Modelled comparisons of species richness (alpha) and proportion of species from the population (beta diversity) showed differences between methods. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance blocked by site showed community composition differed between methods, defined largely by the presence of a few dominant species.Implications for insect conservation: Our findings suggest that results from the two methods cannot be directly compared and are imperfect substitutes to one another. For long-term monitoring of biodiversity in complex forest mosaic systems, we suggest integrating a suite of complementary methods to achieve more complete representation of ant composition and diversity.

Anatomical network modules of the human central nervous-craniofacial skeleton system.

Anatomical network analysis (AnNA) is a systems biological framework based on network theory that enables anatomical structural analysis by incorporating modularity to model structural complexity. The human brain and facial structures exhibit close structural and functional relationships, suggestive of a co-evolved anatomical network. The present study aimed to analyze the human head as a modular entity that comprises the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and craniofacial skeleton. An AnNA model was built using 39 anatomical nodes from the brain, spinal cord, and craniofacial skeleton. The linkages were identified using peripheral nerve supply and direct contact between structures. The Spinglass algorithm in the igraph software was applied to construct a network and identify the modules of the central nervous system-craniofacial skeleton anatomical network. Two modules were identified. These comprised an anterior module, which included the forebrain, anterior cranial base, and upper-middle face, and a posterior module, which included the midbrain, hindbrain, mandible, and posterior cranium. These findings may reflect the genetic and signaling networks that drive the mosaic central nervous system and craniofacial development and offer important systems biology perspectives for developmental disorders of craniofacial structures.

Extreme problem for a mosaic system of points on the open sets and nonoverlapping domains

In the geometric theory of functions of a complex variable, the well-known direction is relatedIn the geometric theory of functions of a complex variable, the well-known direction is related to the estimates of the products of the inner radii of pairwise nonoverlapping domains. This direction is called extreme problems in classes of pairwise nonoverlapping domains. One of the problems of this type is considered in the present work

CUSTOMIZED CORNEAL CROSSLINKING WITH EXCIMER LASER ASSISTED EPITHELIUM REMOVAL FOR PROGRESSIVE KERATOCONUS - ONE YEAR RESULTS.

To evaluate the one year visual and tomographic results of customized cross-linking using excimer laser assisted epithelium removal and topography-guided irradiation in the treatment of progressive keratoconus. Coimbra Ophthalmology Unit. Private practice. Coimbra, Portugal. Prospective non-randomized clinical trial. Eyes with documented progressive keratoconus were enrolled. Following de-epithelization with PTK, customized UV irradiation was performed, designed as 3 concentric circular areas centered on the thinnest point (Mosaic System, Avedro, USA). Energy exposure was 5.4J/cm2 in the outer circle and then increased centripetally to 7.2 J/cm2 and 10 J/cm2 . Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), refractive outcomes, and Scheimpflug tomographies (Allegro Oculyzer (WaveLight, Germany) were assessed at baseline, and 6 and 12 months postoperatively. This prospective study enrolled 37 eyes of 32 patients. Mean diameter for treated areas was 6.17 ± 0.80, 4.45 ± 0.47, and 2.58 ± 0.14 mm for the outer, medium, and inner circle, respectively. At the 1 year follow-up, mean CDVA improved significantly from 0.38 ± 0.19 to 0.20 ± 0.16 logMAR (p<0.01), with 34 of the 37 eyes (91.89%) retaining or improving CDVA. Mean pre-operative minimum pachimetry decreased from 449.26 ± 41.62 μm to 443.26 ± 41.06 μm (p=0.02). The maximal curvature (Kmax) decreased significantly from 58.50 ± 7.84 D to 57.05 ± 7.27 D (p<0.01). After 1 year, 34 eyes (91.89%) showed no signs of progression. One year after surgery, patients showed a significant improvement in visual acuity while achieving stabilization of disease progression.

High throughput screening system for engineered cardiac tissues.

Introduction: Three dimensional engineered cardiac tissues (3D ECTs) have become indispensable as in vitro models to assess drug cardiotoxicity, a leading cause of failure in pharmaceutical development. A current bottleneck is the relatively low throughput of assays that measure spontaneous contractile forces exerted by millimeter-scale ECTs typically recorded through precise optical measurement of deflection of the polymer scaffolds that support them. The required resolution and speed limit the field of view to at most a few ECTs at a time using conventional imaging. Methods: To balance the inherent tradeoff among imaging resolution, field of view and speed, an innovative mosaic imaging system was designed, built, and validated to sense contractile force of 3D ECTs seeded on a 96-well plate. Results: The system performance was validated through real-time, parallel contractile force monitoring for up to 3 weeks. Pilot drug testing was conducted using isoproterenol. Discussion: The described tool increases contractile force sensing throughput to 96 samples per measurement; significantly reduces cost, time and labor needed for preclinical cardiotoxicity assay using 3D ECT. More broadly, our mosaicking approach is a general way to scale up image-based screening in multi-well formats.

Dynamic mosaic planning for a robotic bin-packing system based on picked part and target box monitoring

This paper describes the dynamic mosaic planning method developed in the context of the PICKPLACE European project. The dynamic planner has allowed the development of a robotic system capable of packing a wide variety of objects without having to adjust to each reference. The mosaic planning system consists of three modules: First, the picked item monitoring module monitors the grabbed item to find out how the robot has picked it. At the same time, the destination container is monitored online to obtain the actual status of the packaging. To this end, we present a novel heuristic algorithm that, based on the point cloud of the scene, estimates the empty volume inside the container as empty maximal spaces (EMS). Finally, we present the development of the dynamic IK-PAL mosaic planner that allows us to dynamically estimate the optimal packing pose considering both the status of the picked part and the estimated EMSs. The developed method has been successfully integrated in a real robotic picking and packing system and validated with 7 tests of increasing complexity. In these tests, we demonstrate the flexibility of the presented system in handling a wide range of objects in a real dynamic packaging environment. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a complete online picking and packing system is deployed in a real robotic scenario allowing to create mosaics with arbitrary objects and to consider the dynamics of a real robotic packing system.

A novel country-level integrated image mosaic system using optical remote sensing imagery

A novel country-level integrated image mosaic system using optical remote sensing imagery

Joint Investigation with Ground Penetrating Radar and Infrared Thermography as a Diagnostic Support for the Restoration of Two Wall Mosaics in the Church of St. Mary of the Admiral in Palermo, Italy

The church of S. Mary of the Admiral in Palermo, known as “La Martorana” and very famous for its Byzantine mosaics, has been a World Heritage site since 2015. The mosaic system of the church includes several groups of figures and scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. From the western part of the ancient church only two mosaics survive, detached from their original position, and are now located in two internal chapels. On the occasion of several restoration works, these two mosaic panels were investigated with non-invasive techniques, in order to provide diagnostic support to the restoration and consolidation interventions. The investigations were aimed at detecting any air pockets that could cause the detachment of the tesserae or of possible differences between cement mortars under the tesserae. For this purpose, the integrated use of two non-invasive techniques namely infrared thermography (IRT) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) was considered. The joint analysis of IRT and GPR data allowed the interpretative uncertainties inherent in each technique to be reduced. Furthermore, for both techniques differentiated analyses were performed for layers at different depths under the mosaic surface. The results of these analyses were found to be more reliable regarding GPR data, compared to infrared thermography, the latter being more influenced by the reflectivity of the tesserae. However, the results partially confirmed the restorers’ diagnosis, also allowing the identification of further critical areas that could be affected by deterioration or compositional differences in the layers supporting the mosaics

Woody vegetation within semi-abandoned olive groves: species-area relationships and minimum area values

The species-area relationship is among the most important patterns in ecology, and is an important tool in conservation. However, research into the species-area and minimum area dynamics of Mediterranean vegetation remains scarce, and this is particularly concerning since the heterogeneity of Mediterranean mosaic systems is being threatened by widespread land abandonment. This study investigates the woody vegetation at three semi-abandoned olive groves in the Sierra Morena de Córdoba, Southern Spain. We determined the mathematical nature of the species-area curves, and obtained minimum area values as a threshold patch size to target in terms of efficiently maximising species richness conservation. Power models proposed by Arrhenius could represent the species-area relationship of all three sites, yet Gleason’s exponential model performed better at one of the groves. Surrounding habitat quality and vegetation history impacted the nature of the species-area relationship, and this was reflected in significant differences among the minimum area values. This study provides one the first descriptions of woody plant communities at partially and intermittently managed groves in the Mediterranean region, and gives insight into the potential impacts of partial abandonment on landscape conservation. Enlarging patches up to the minimum area threshold could promote plant diversity whilst maintaining an open landscape, although researchers should give special care into adequately modelling the species-area relationship, in order to obtain appropriate minimum area values.&#x0D;