Worldwide diversity of endophytic fungi and insects associated with dormant tree twigs

International trade in plants and climate change are two of the main factors causing damaging tree pests (i.e. fungi and insects) to spread into new areas. To mitigate these risks, a large-scale assessment of tree-associated fungi and insects is needed. We present records of endophytic fungi and insects in twigs of 17 angiosperm and gymnosperm genera, from 51 locations in 32 countries worldwide. Endophytic fungi were characterized by high-throughput sequencing of 352 samples from 145 tree species in 28 countries. Insects were reared from 227 samples of 109 tree species in 18 countries and sorted into taxonomic orders and feeding guilds. Herbivorous insects were grouped into morphospecies and were identified using molecular and morphological approaches. This dataset reveals the diversity of tree-associated taxa, as it contains 12,721 fungal Amplicon Sequence Variants and 208 herbivorous insect morphospecies, sampled across broad geographic and climatic gradients and for many tree species. This dataset will facilitate applied and fundamental studies on the distribution of fungal endophytes and insects in trees

International Center-Level Variation in Utilization of Completion Lymph Node Dissection and Adjuvant Systemic Therapy for Sentinel Lymph Node Positive Melanoma at Major Referral Centers

First published: 19 December 2022Objective: The aim of this study was to determine overall trends and center-level variation in utilization of completion lymph node dissection (CLND) and adjuvant systemic therapy for sentinel lymph node (SLN)-positive melanoma. Summary Background Data: Based on recent clinical trials, management options for SLN-positive melanoma now include effective adjuvant systemic therapy and nodal observation instead of CLND. It is unknown how these findings have shaped practice or how these contemporaneous developments have influenced their respective utilization. Methods: We performed an international cohort study at 21 melanoma referral centers in Australia, Europe, and the United States that treated adults with SLN-positive melanoma and negative distant staging from July 2017 to June 2019. We used generalized linear and multinomial logistic regression models with random intercepts for each center to assess center-level variation in CLND and adjuvant systemic treatment, adjusting for patient and disease-specific characteristics. Results: Among 1109 patients, performance of CLND decreased from 28% to 8% and adjuvant systemic therapy use increased from 29 to 60%. For both CLND and adjuvant systemic treatment, the most influential factors were nodal tumor size, stage, and location of treating center. There was notable variation among treating centers in management of stage IIIA patients and use of CLND with adjuvant systemic therapy versus nodal observation alone for similar risk patients. Conclusions: There has been an overall decline in CLND and simultaneous adoption of adjuvant systemic therapy for patients with SLN-positive melanoma though wide variation in practice remains. Accounting for differences in patient mix, location of care contributed significantly to the observed variation.Kristy K. Broman ... Hidde M. Kroon ... et al

In-beam investigation and the structure of states in "1"1"3Sn

The results of in-beam investigations of "1"1"3Sn using the (p,n), (p,3n), (#alpha#,n) and (#alpha#,2n) reactions are summarized. Excited states have been identified until E_x=4715 MeV and J"#pi#=(27/2"-). For a large number of levels mean lifetimes #tau# have been determined with the DSA method. For the J"#pi#=25/2"+ state at E_x=4059 MeV, #tau#=1.0(4) ns has been measured with the #gamma#-RF method. The experimental results are compared with the predictions of shell-model calculations. Most of the positive-parity states may be considered as one- or three-quasiparticle neutron excitations of the 2d_5_/_2, 1g_7_/_2, 3s_1_/_2 and 2d_3_/_2 shells, the negative-parity states as the coupling of one 1h_1_1_/_2 neutron to the two- or four-quasiparticle neutron excitations in the even-mass "1"1"2Sn core. For the 25/2"+ isomer the three-quasiparticle neutron configuration #nu#(h"2_1_1_/_2g"-"1_7_/_2) has been proposed on the basis of a shell-model analysis using the mass formula formalism. The experimentally observed yrast states in _5_0"1"1"3Sn_6_3 are compared with the corresponding states in the valence-mirror nucleus _6_3"1"4"5Eu_8_2 giving remarkable similarities although the parameters for the shell-model calculations differ considerably. The analysis of nearest-neighbour spacing distributions of 5/2"+ states in "1"1"3Sn does not allow definite conclusions about regularity or chaos. (orig.)59 refs.Available from TIB Hannover: RR 1847(95) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman