Simulation of adsorbate-induced faceting on curved surfaces

A simple solid-on-solid model, proposed earlier to describe overlayer-induced faceting of bcc(111) surface, is applied to faceting of spherical surfaces covered by adsorbate monolayer. Monte Carlo simulation results show that morphology of faceted surface depends on annealing temperature. At initial stage surface around the [111] pole consists of 3-sided pyramids and step-like facets, then step-like facets dominate and their number decreases with temperature, finally a single big pyramid is formed. It is shown that there is reversible phase transition at which faceted surface transforms to almost spherical one. It is found that temperature of this phase transition is an increasing function of surface curvature. Simulation results show that measurements of high temperature properties performed directly and after fast cooling to low temperature lead to different results.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure

Recontextualizing bodily ornaments from north-central Venezuela (AD 900-1500): the Alfredo Jahn collection at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin

Large collections of beads, pendants and other bodily ornaments have been recovered from pre-Colonial contexts on the shores of the Lake Valencia in north-central Venezuela. Most excavations took place in the early and mid-part of the 20th century, but the ornaments have not been thoroughly studied to date. These artefacts were produced by the bearers of the Valencioid culture (AD 900-1500) and are currently held in several public and private collections dispersed throughout the world. This paper aims to recontextualize shell, lithic, and clay ornaments from the Alfredo Jahn collection, housed in the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin. Production and use wear traces were investigated through microwear analysis and were combined with data concerning raw material acquisition strategies and depositional contexts. By combining these results with new, unpublished data provided by Jahn’s excavation report from 1901 and with up-to-date Valencioid archaeology, we were able to recontextualize an indigenous tradition that encompassed ways of producing, decorating, and dealing with bodily ornaments.Material Culture StudiesArchaeology of the America

A longitudinal study of the faecal microbiome and metabolome of periparturient mares

Periparturient mares are at increased risk of colic including large colon volvulus, which has a high mortality rate. Alterations in colonic microbiota related to either physiological or management changes, or both, that occur at this time have been suggested as potential causes for increased colic risk in this population of horses. Although the effect of management changes on the horse faecal microbiota has been investigated, limited work has been conducted to investigate changes in faecal microbiota structure and function in the periparturient period. The objectives of the current study were to investigate temporal stability of the faecal microbiota and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the faecal metabolome in periparturient mares

Controlled clinical trials in cancer pain. How controlled should they be? A qualitative systematic review

This qualitative systematic review of the clinical methodology used in randomised, controlled trials of oral opioids (morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone) for cancer pain underlines the difficulties of good pain research in palliative care. The current literature lacks placebo-controlled superiority trials. Recommendations for future research are discussed

Polarisation of equine pregnancy outcome associated with a maternal MHC class I allele: preliminary evidence

Identification of risk factors which are associated with severe clinical signs can assist in the management of disease outbreaks and indicate future research areas. Pregnancy loss during late gestation in the mare compromises welfare, reduces fecundity and has financial implications for horse owners. This retrospective study focussed on the identification of risk factors associated with pregnancy loss among 46 Thoroughbred mares on a single British stud farm, with some but not all losses involving equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection. In a sub-group of 30 mares, association between pregnancy loss and the presence of five common Thoroughbred horse haplotypes of the equine Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) was assessed. This involved development of sequence specific, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions and in several mares, measurement of cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity. Of the 46 mares, 10 suffered late gestation pregnancy loss or neonatal foal death, five of which were EHV-1 positive. Maternal factors including age, parity, number of EHV-1 specific vaccinations and the number of days between final vaccination and foaling or abortion were not significantly associated with pregnancy loss. In contrast, a statistically significant association between the presence of the MHC class I B2 allele and pregnancy loss was identified, regardless of the fetus / foal’s EHV-1 status (p=0.002). In conclusion, this study demonstrated a significantly positive association between pregnancy loss in Thoroughbred mares and a specific MHC class I allele in the mother. This association requires independent validation and further investigation of the mechanism by which the mare’s genetic background contributes to pregnancy outcome

New prediction categories in CASP15

Prediction categories in the Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) experiments change with the need to address specific problems in structure modeling. In CASP15, four new prediction categories were introduced: RNA structure, ligand-protein complexes, accuracy of oligomeric structures and their interfaces, and ensembles of alternative conformations. This paper lists technical specifications for these categories and describes their integration in the CASP data management system

Acute changes in the colonic microbiota are associated with large intestinal forms of surgical colic

Background Horses that undergo surgery for treatment of primary large colon disease have been reported to be at increased risk of developing recurrent colic episodes postoperatively. The reasons for this are currently unknown. The aim of the current study was to characterise the faecal microbiota of horses with colic signs associated with primary large colon lesions treated surgically and to compare the composition of their faecal microbiota to that of a control group of horses undergoing emergency orthopaedic treatment. Faecal samples were collected from horses in both groups on admission to hospital, during hospitalisation and following discharge from hospital for a total duration of 12 weeks. Additionally, colonic content samples were collected from surgical colic patients if pelvic flexure enterotomy was performed during laparotomy. A total of 12 samples were collected per horse. DNA was extracted from samples using a commercial kit. Amplicon mixtures were created by PCR amplification of the V1 – V2 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes and submitted for sequencing using the Ion Torrent PGM next-generation sequencing system. Multivariate data analysis was used to characterise the faecal microbiota and to investigate differences between groups. Results Reduced species richness was evident in the colonic samples of the colic group compared to concurrent sampling of the faeces. Alpha and beta diversity differed significantly between the faecal and colonic microbiota with 304 significantly differentially abundant OTUs identified. Only 46 OTUs varied significantly between the colic and control group. There were no significant differences in alpha and beta diversity of faecal microbiota between colic and control horses at admission. However, this lack of significant differences between groups should be interpreted with caution due to a small sample size. Conclusions The results of the current study suggest that faecal samples collected at hospital admission in colic cases may not accurately represent changes in upper gut microbiota in horses with colic due to large colon disease