First Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Record in Mississippi

A sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) stranded on the south shore of Horn Island, Mississippi, represents the first record of this species in the state. The specimen, a neonate female, was euthanized at the stranding site. Tissue samples, blood samples, and stomach contents were analyzed following gross necropsy

First Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Record in Mississippi

A sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) stranded on the south shore of Horn Island, Mississippi, represents the first record of this species in the state. The specimen, a neonate female, was euthanized at the stranding site. Tissue samples, blood samples, and stomach contents were analyzed following gross necropsy

Proteomics reveals that a high-fat diet induces rapid changes in hypothalamic proteins related to neuronal damage and inflammation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A neogene history of mantle convective support beneath Borneo

Most, but not all, geodynamic models predict 1–2 km of mantle convective draw-down of the Earth's surface in a region centered on Borneo within southeast Asia. Nevertheless, there is geomorphic, geologic and geophysical evidence which suggests that convective uplift might have played some role in sculpting Bornean physiography. For example, a long wavelength free-air gravity anomaly of +60 mGal centered on Borneo coincides with the distribution of Neogene basaltic magmatism and with the locus of sub-plate slow shear wave velocity anomalies. Global positioning system measurements, an estimate of elastic thickness, and crustal isostatic considerations suggest that regional shortening does not entirely account for kilometer-scale regional elevation. Here, we explore the possible evolution of the Bornean landscape by extracting and modeling an inventory of 90 longitudinal river profiles. Misfit between observed and calculated river profiles is minimized by smoothly varying uplift rate as a function of space and time. Erosional parameters are chosen by assuming that regional uplift post-dates Eocene deposition of marine carbonate rocks. The robustness of this calibration is tested against independent geologic observations such as thermochronometric measurements, offshore sedimentary flux calculations, and the history of volcanism. A calculated cumulative uplift history suggests that kilometer-scale Bornean topography grew rapidly during Neogene times. This suggestion is corroborated by an offshore Miocene transition from carbonate to clastic deposition. Co-location of regional uplift and slow shear wave velocity anomalies immediately beneath the lithospheric plate implies that regional uplift could have been at least partly generated and maintained by temperature anomalies within an asthenospheric channel

Low grade glioma: An Update for Radiologists

With the recent publication of a new World Health Organization (WHO) brain tumour classification that reflects increased understanding of glioma tumour genetics there is a need for radiologists to understand the changes and their implications for patient management. There has also been an increasing trend for adopting earlier, more aggressive surgical approaches to low grade glioma treatment. We will summarise these changes, give some context to the increased role of tumour genetics and discuss the associated implications for radiologists of their adoption. We will discuss the earlier and more radical surgical resection of low grade gliomas and what it means for imaging patients

Cognitive impairment in coeliac disease with respect to disease duration and gluten-free diet adherence : a pilot study

Cognitive deficit has been reported in coeliac disease (CD), but previous reports often study heterogenous samples of patients at multiple stages of the disease, or lack control data. Healthy controls (N = 21), newly diagnosed CD patients (NCD; N = 19) and established CD patients (ECD; N = 35) were recruited from a specialist UK centre. Participants underwent a cognitive test battery that established seven overall domain scores. The SF-36 was administered as a quality of life (QoL) measure. Controlling for age, data were compared in between-group ANCOVAs with Tukey’s post-hoc test. Any significant outcome was compared in the ECD group only, between patients who were gluten-free diet adherent vs. non-adherent (defined via Biagi score and serology results). NCD and ECD groups underperformed relative to controls, by comparable degrees, in visual (overall model: p < 0.001) and verbal (p = 0.046) memory. The ECD group only underperformed in visuoconstructive abilities (p = 0.050). Regarding QoL, the NCD group reported lower vitality (p = 0.030), while the ECD group reported more bodily pain (p = 0.009). Comparisons based on dietary adherence were non-significant. These findings confirm cognitive deficit in CD. Dysfunction appears established at the point of diagnosis, after which it (predominantly) stabilises. While a beneficial effect of dietary treatment is therefore implied, future research is needed to establish to what extent any further decline is due to gluten exposure

Frequency dependence of surface acoustic wave swimming.

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from The Royal Society.Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) are elastic waves that can be excited directly on the surface of piezoelectric crystals using a transducer, leading to their exploitation for numerous technological applications, including for example microfluidics. Recently, the concept of SAW streaming, which underpins SAW microfluidics, was extended to make the first experimental demonstration of 'SAW swimming', where instead of moving water droplets on the surface of a device, SAWs are used as a propulsion mechanism. Using theoretical analysis and experiments, we show that the SAW swimming force can be controlled directly by changing the SAW frequency, due to attenuation and changing force distributions within each SAW streaming jet. Additionally, an optimum frequency exists which generates a maximum SAW swimming force. The SAW frequency can therefore be used to control the efficiency and forward force of these SAW swimming devices. The SAW swimming propulsion mechanism also mimics that used by many microorganisms, where propulsion is produced by a cyclic distortion of the body shape. This improved understanding of SAW swimming provides a test-bed for exploring the science of microorganism swimming, and could bring new insight to the evolutionary significance for the length and beating frequency of swimming microbial flagella.Leverhulme Trust Research Projec

Quantifying Asthenospheric and Lithospheric Controls on Mafic Magmatism Across North Africa

African basin‐and‐swell morphology is often attributed to the planform of sub‐plate mantle convection. Across North Africa, the coincidence of Neogene and Quaternary (i.e. <23 Ma) magmatism, topographic swells, long wavelength gravity anomalies, and slow shear wave velocity anomalies within the asthenosphere provides observational constraints for this hypothesis. Admittance analysis of topographic and gravity fields corroborates the existence of sub‐plate support. To investigate quantitative relationships between intraplate magmatism, shear wave velocity, and asthenospheric temperature, we collected and analyzed a suite of 224 lava samples from Tibesti, Jabal Eghei, Haruj, Sawda/Hasawinah and Gharyan volcanic centers of Libya and Chad. Forward and inverse modeling of major, trace, and Rare Earth elements were used for thermobarometric studies and to determine melt fraction as a function of depth. At each center, mafic magmatism is modeled by assuming adiabatic decompression of dry peridotite with asthenospheric potential temperatures of 1300–1360°C. Surprisingly, the highest temperatures are associated with the low‐lying Haruj volcanic center rather than with the more prominent Tibesti swell. Our results are consistent with earthquake tomographic models which show that the slowest shear wave anomalies within the upper mantle occur directly beneath the Haruj center. This inference is corroborated by converting observed velocities into potential temperatures, which are in good agreement with those determined by geochemical inverse modeling. Our results suggest that North African volcanic swells are primarily generated by thermal anomalies located beneath thinned lithosphere.Shell Research National Aeronautics and space administration National environmental research council ForschungsGermeinsChaf

Imaging muscle as a potential biomarker of denervation in motor neuron disease

Objective To assess clinical, electrophysiological and whole-body muscle MRI measurements of progression in patients with motor neuron disease (MND), as tools for future clinical trials, and to probe pathophysiological mechanisms in vivo. Methods A prospective longitudinal observational clinico-electrophysiological and radiological cohort study was performed. Twenty-nine MND patients and 22 age and gender-matched healthy controls were assessed with clinical measures, electrophysiological motor unit number index (MUNIX) and T2-weighted whole-body muscle MRI, at first clinic presentation and four months later. Between-group differences and associations were assessed using age and gender-adjusted multivariable regression models. Within-subject longitudinal changes were assessed using paired t-tests. Patterns of disease spread were modelled using mixed-effects multivariable regression, assessing associations between muscle relative T2 signal and anatomical adjacency to site of clinical onset. Results MND patients had 30% higher relative T2 muscle signal than controls at baseline (all-regions mean, 95%CI 15%, 45%, p<0.001). Higher T2 signal was associated with greater overall disability (coefficient -0.009, 95%CI -0.017, -0.001, p=0.023), and with clinical weakness and lower MUNIX in multiple individual muscles. Relative T2 signal in bilateral tibialis anterior increased over four months in MND patients (right: 10.2%, 95%CI 2.0%, 18.4%, p=0.017; left: 14.1%, 95%CI 3.4%, 24.9%, p=0.013). Anatomically contiguous disease spread on MRI was not apparent in this model. Conclusions Whole-body muscle MRI offers a new approach to objective assessment of denervation over short timescales in MND, and enables investigation of patterns of disease spread in vivo. Muscles inaccessible to conventional clinical and electrophysiological assessment may be investigated using this methodology