Evidence for polarised boron in Co-B and Fe-B alloys

By exploiting the tunability of synchrotron radiation in measurements of spin-resolved photoemission it has proved possible to obtain information on the polarisation of the valence electrons of Co-B and Fe-B amorphous magnetic alloys, Both the spin-integrated and spin-resolved energy distribution curves show a marked dependence on photon energy indicating that the p states of boron hybridise with the d states of the transition metals giving rise to mixed states in the binding energy range 1 to 5 eV, The observed polarisation and spin-resolved densities of states imply that in the above restricted energy range there is a net negative polarisation of the boron states

Generation of Busulfan Chimeric Mice for the Analysis of T Cell Population Dynamics

This protocol was developed to generate chimeric mice in which T lymphocytes could be stratified by age on the basis of congenic marker expression. The conditioning drug busulfan is used to ablate host haematopoietic stem cells while leaving the peripheral immune system intact. Busulfan treatment is followed by bone marrow transplantation (BMT), with T-cell depleted donor bone marrow bearing a different congenic marker (CD45.2) to that of the host mouse (CD45.1). New cell production post-BMT can thus be tracked by measuring the fraction of CD45.2^{+} cells over time within a population of interest (Hogan et al., 2015; Gossel et al., 2017)

'Lactobacillus fermentum' 3872 as a potential tool for combatting 'Campylobacter jejuni' infections

Due to the global spread of multidrug resistant pathogenic bacteria, alternative approaches in combating infectious diseases are required. One such approach is the use of probiotics. Lactobacillus fermentum 3872 is a promising probiotic bacterium producing a range of antimicrobial compounds, such as hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid. In addition, previous studies involving genome sequencing and analysis of L. fermentum 3872 allowed the identification of a gene encoding a cell surface protein referred to as collagen binding protein (CBP) (not found in other strains of the species, according to the GenBank database), consisting of a C-terminal cell wall anchor domain (LPXT), multiple repeats of ‘B domains' that form stalks presenting an “A domain” required for adhesion. In this study, we found that the CBP of L. fermentum 3872 binds to collagen I present on the surface of the epithelial cells lining the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, we found that this host receptor is also used for attachment by the major gastrointestinal pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni. Furthermore, we identified an adhesin involved in such interaction and demonstrated that both L. fermentum 3872 and its CBP can inhibit binding of this pathogen to collagen I. Combined with the observation that C. jejuni growth is affected in the acidic environment produced by L. fermentum 3872, the finding provides a good basis for further investigation of this strain as a potential tool for fighting Campylobacter infections

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR QUESTIONNAIRE, TEACHER VERSION (CBQ-T)

Information is provided about the development of a teacher version of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire Short Form (CBQ Short Form; Putnam & Rothbart, 2006). The CBQ Short Form, designed for caregivers, was modified by changing the item wording for the preschool classroom and is termed the CBQ, Teacher Version (CBQ-T). Both measures were administered to the caregivers and teachers of preschoolers ages 3 to 6 years. The CBQ-T was found to be as reliable as the CBQ Short Form with two scales falling short of adequate internal consistency. Few correlations were found between parents and teachers in accord with literature documenting low to moderate agreement between the two raters. Several temperament scales were correlated with age for parents and teachers, none were correlated with gender as rated by parents, and several were correlated with gender as rated by teachers. Further validation of the CBQ-T with varying populations would be beneficial

UK guidelines for the management of soft tissue sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare tumours arising in mesenchymal tissues, and can occur almost anywhere in the body. Their rarity, and the heterogeneity of subtype and location means that developing evidence-based guidelines is complicated by the limitations of the data available. However, this makes it more important that STS are managed by teams, expert in such cases, to ensure consistent and optimal treatment, as well as recruitment to clinical trials, and the ongoing accumulation of further data and knowledge. The development of appropriate guidance, by an experienced panel referring to the evidence available, is therefore a useful foundation on which to build progress in the field. These guidelines are an update of the previous version published in 2010 (Grimer et al. in Sarcoma 2010:506182, 2010). The original guidelines were drawn up following a consensus meeting of UK sarcoma specialists convened under the auspices of the British Sarcoma Group (BSG) and were intended to provide a framework for the multidisciplinary care of patients with soft tissue sarcomas. This current version has been updated and amended with reference to other European and US guidance. There are specific recommendations for the management of selected subtypes of disease including retroperitoneal and uterine sarcomas, as well as aggressive fibromatosis (desmoid tumours) and other borderline tumours commonly managed by sarcoma services. An important aim in sarcoma management is early diagnosis and prompt referral. In the UK, any patient with a suspected soft tissue sarcoma should be referred to one of the specialist regional soft tissues sarcoma services, to be managed by a specialist sarcoma multidisciplinary team. Once the diagnosis has been confirmed using appropriate imaging, plus a biopsy, the main modality of management is usually surgical excision performed by a specialist surgeon. In tumours at higher risk of recurrence or metastasis pre- or post-operative radiotherapy should be considered. Systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) may be utilized in some cases where the histological subtype is considered more sensitive to systemic treatment. Regular follow-up is recommended to assess local control, development of metastatic disease, and any late-effects of treatment. For local recurrence, and more rarely in selected cases of metastatic disease, surgical resection would be considered. Treatment for metastases may include radiotherapy, or systemic therapy guided by the sarcoma subtype. In some cases, symptom control and palliative care support alone will be appropriate

Bacillus isolates from the spermosphere of peas and dwarf French beans with antifungal activity against botrytis cinerea and pythium species

A range of isolation procedures including washing, sonication and incubation in nutrient broth were used separately and in combination to obtain potential bacterial antagonists to Botrytis cinerea and Pythium mamillatum from the testae and cotyledons of peas and dwarf French beans. Heat treatment was also used to bias this selection towards spore-forming bacteria. Ninety-two bacterial isolates were obtained, 72 of which were provisionally characterized as species of Bacillus. Four of these Bacillus isolates (B3, C1, D4 and J7) displayed distinct antagonism in vitro against Botrytis cinerea and P. mamillatum when screened using dual culture analysis. Further characterization of these antagonists using API 50CHB biochemical profiling identified isolate D4 as Bacillus polymyxa and isolates B3, C1 and J7 as strains of B. subtilis. rn vitro screening techniques, using cell-free and heat-killed extracts of liquid cultures against Botrytis cinerea, demonstrated the production of antifungal compounds by these four Bacillus antagonists. With each isolate the antifungal activity was found not to be either exclusively spore-bound nor released entirely into the medium but present in both fractions. The antifungal compounds produced by these isolates were shown to be heat-stable. Their identification, production and release require further study for exploitation as biocontrol systems

Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission studies of the electronic structure of Si(110)"16x2" surfaces

The electronic structure of Si(110)"16 x 2" double-domain, single-domain and 1 x 1 surfaces have been investigated using spin- and angle-resolved photoemission at sample temperatures of 77 K and 300 K. Angle-resolved photoemission was conducted using horizontally- and vertically-polarised 60 eV and 80 eV photons. Band-dispersion maps revealed four surface states ($S_1$ to $S_4$) which were assigned to silicon dangling bonds on the basis of measured binding energies and photoemission intensity changes between horizontal and vertical light polarisations. Three surface states ($S_1$, $S_2$ and $S_4$), observed in the Si(110)"16 x 2" reconstruction, were assigned to Si adatoms and Si atoms present at the edges of the corrugated terrace structure. Only one of the four surface states, $S_3$, was observed in both the Si(110)"16 x 2" and 1 x 1 band maps and consequently attributed to the pervasive Si zigzag chains that are components of both the Si(110)"16 x 2" and 1 x 1 surfaces. A state in the bulk-band region was attributed to an in-plane bond. All data were consistent with the adatom-buckling model of the Si(110)"16 x 2" surface. Whilst room temperature measurements of $P_y$ and $P_z$ were statistically compatible with zero, $P_x$ measurements of the enantiomorphic A-type and B-type Si(110)"16 x 2" surfaces gave small average polarisations of around 1.5\% that were opposite in sign. Further measurements at 77 K on A-type Si(110)"16 x 2" surface gave a smaller value of +0.3\%. An upper limit of $\sim1\%$ may thus be taken for the longitudinal polarisation.Comment: Main paper: 12 pages and 11 figures. Supplemental information: 5 pages and 2 figure

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with tuberculosis disease in British children

Background53Basic science, epidemiological and interventional research supports a link between vitamin D and 54tuberculosis immunity, infection and disease. We evaluated the association between vitamin D 55levels and tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease in UK children recruited to the NIHR IGRA Kids 56Study (NIKS).57Methods58Children presenting between 2011-2014 were eligible if they had history of exposure to an adult 59case with sputum smear/culture-positive TB, or were referred and diagnosed with TB disease. 60Children were assessed at baseline and 6-8 weeks for immunological evidence of TB infection (IGRA 61and/or tuberculin skin test) and evidence of TB disease. Some centres routinely measured total 25-62hydroxy vitamin D levels.63Results64166 children were included. Median 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were higher in uninfected children 65(45.5 nmol/l) compared to those with infection (36.2 nmol/l) and disease (20.0 nmol/l). The 66difference between TB infection and disease was statistically significant (p<0.001). By logistic 67regression, lower vitamin D levels were associated with TB disease among participants with 68infection/disease, with no evidence of confounding by age, sex, BCG status, ethnicity, non-contact 69referral, season or centre.70Conclusion71Children with TB disease had lower vitamin D levels than children with infection. Implications for 72prevention and treatment remain to be established

Species interactions regulate the collapse of biodiversity and ecosystem function in tropical forest fragments

Competitive interactions among species with similar ecological niches are known to regulate the assembly of biological communities. However, it is not clear whether such forms of competition can predict the collapse of communities and associated shifts in ecosystem function in the face of environmental change. Here, we use phylogenetic and functional trait data to test whether communities of two ecologically important guilds of tropical birds (frugivores and insectivores) are structured by species interactions in a fragmented Amazonian forest landscape. In both guilds, we found that forest patch size, quality, and degree of isolation influence the phylogenetic and functional trait structure of communities, with small, degraded, or isolated forest patches having an increased signature of competition (i.e., phylogenetic and functional trait overdispersion in relation to null models). These results suggest that local extinctions in the context of fragmentation are nonrandom, with a consistent bias toward more densely occupied regions of niche space. We conclude that the loss of biodiversity in fragmented landscapes is mediated by niche-based competitive interactions among species, with potentially far-reaching implications for key ecosystem processes, including seed dispersal and plant damage by phytophagous insects

Phylogeography of eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, suggests a mesic refugium in eastern Australia

Phylogeographic studies around the world have identified refugia where fauna were able to persist during unsuitable climatic periods, particularly during times of glaciation. In Australia the effects of Pleistocene climate oscillations on rainforest taxa have been well studied but less is known about the effects on mesic-habitat fauna, such as the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus). The eastern grey kangaroo is a large mammal that is common and widespread throughout eastern Australia, preferring dry mesic habitat, rather than rainforest. As pollen evidence suggests that the central-eastern part of Australia (southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales) experienced cycles of expansion in mesic habitat with contraction in rainforests, and vice versa during glacial and interglacial periods, respectively, we hypothesise that the distribution of the eastern grey kangaroo was affected by these climate oscillations and may have contracted to mesic habitat refugia. From 375 mitochondrial DNA control region sequences from across the distribution of eastern grey kangaroos we obtained 108 unique haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis identified two clades in Queensland, one of which is newly identified and restricted to a small coastal region in southern Queensland north of Brisbane, known as the Sunshine Coast. The relatively limited geographic range of this genetically isolated clade suggests the possibility of a mesic habitat refugium forming during rainforest expansion during wetter climate cycles. Other potential, although less likely, reasons for the genetic isolation of the highly distinct clade include geographic barriers, separate northward expansions, and strong local adaptation.Brett A. Coghlan, Anne W. Goldizen, Vicki A. Thomson, Jennifer M. Seddo