Expression of a carotenoid‐modifying gene and evolution of red coloration in weaverbirds (Ploceidae)

Red carotenoid colours in birds are widely assumed to be sexually selected quality indicators, but this rests on a very incomplete understanding of genetic mechanisms and honesty-mediating costs. Recent progress was made by the implication of teh gene CYP2J19 as an avian carotenoid ketolase, catalysing the synthesis of red C4-ketocarotenoids from yellow dietary precursors, and potentially a major mechanism behind red coloration in birds. Here we investigate the role of CYP2J19 in the spectacular colour diversification of African weaverbirds (Ploceidae), represented by five genera and 16 species: eight red, seven yellow, and one without carotenoid coloration. All species had a single copy of CYP2J19, unlike the duplication found in the zebra finch, with high expression in the retina, confirming its function in coloring red oil droplets. Expression was weak or undetected in skin and follicles of pigment-depositing feather buds, as well as in beaks and tarsi, including those of the red-billed quelea. In contrast, the hepatic (liver) expression of CYP2J19 was consistenly higher (>14 fold) in seven species with C4-ketocarotenoid coloration than in species without (including one red species), an association strongly supported by a phylogenetic comparative analysis. The results suggest a critical role of the candidate ketolase, CYP2J19, in the evolution of red C4-ketocarotenoid colour variation in ploceids. Since ancestral state reconstruction suggests that ketocarotenoid coloration has evolved twice in this group (once in Euplectes and once in the Quelea/Foudia clade), we argue that while CYP2J19 has retained its ancestral role in the retina, it has likely been co-opted for red coloration independently in the two lineages, via increased hepatic expression

Herschel measurements of the D/H and 16O/18O ratios in water in the Oort-cloud comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd)

The D/H ratio in cometary water is believed to be an important indicator of the conditions under which icy planetesimals formed and can provide clues to the contribution of comets to the delivery of water and other volatiles to Earth. Available measurements suggest that there is isotopic diversity in the comet population. The Herschel Space Observatory revealed an ocean-like ratio in the Jupiter-family comet 103P/Hartley 2, whereas most values measured in Oort-cloud comets are twice as high as the ocean D/H ratio. We present here a new measurement of the D/H ratio in the water of an Oort-cloud comet. HDO, H_2O, and H_2^18O lines were observed with high signal-to-noise ratio in comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) using the Herschel HIFI instrument. Spectral maps of two water lines were obtained to constrain the water excitation. The D/H ratio derived from the measured H_2^16O and HDO production rates is 2.06+/-0.22 X 10**-4. This result shows that the D/H in the water of Oort-cloud comets is not as high as previously thought, at least for a fraction of the population, hence the paradigm of a single, archetypal D/H ratio for all Oort-cloud comets is no longer tenable. Nevertheless, the value measured in C/2009 P1 (Garradd) is significantly higher than the Earth's ocean value of 1.558 X 10**-4. The measured H_2^16O/H_2^18O ratio of 523+/-32 is, however, consistent with the terrestrial value.Comment: 6 pages with 4 figures and 1 table. Accepted for publication as a Letter in Astronomy & Astrophysic

The Main Belt Comets and ice in the Solar System

We review the evidence for buried ice in the asteroid belt; specifically the questions around the so-called Main Belt Comets (MBCs). We summarise the evidence for water throughout the Solar System, and describe the various methods for detecting it, including remote sensing from ultraviolet to radio wavelengths. We review progress in the first decade of study of MBCs, including observations, modelling of ice survival, and discussion on their origins. We then look at which methods will likely be most effective for further progress, including the key challenge of direct detection of (escaping) water in these bodies

Two phase, inward-then-outward migration of Jupiter and Saturn in the gaseous Solar Nebula

It has recently been shown that the terrestrial planets and asteroid belt can be reproduced if the giant planets underwent an inward-then-outward migration (the "Grand Tack"; Walsh et al 2011). Inward migration occurs when Jupiter opens a gap and type II migrates inward. The planets "tack" and migrate outward when Saturn reaches the gap-opening mass and is caught in the 3:2 resonance with Jupiter. The aim is to test the viability of the Grand Tack model and to study the dynamical evolution of Jupiter and Saturn during their growth from 10 Earth masses cores. We have performed numerical simulations using a grid-based hydrodynamical code. Most of our simulations assume an isothermal equation of state for the disk but a subset use a fully-radiative version of the code. For an isothermal disk the two phase migration of Jupiter and Saturn is very robust and independent of the mass-growth history of these planets provided the disk is cool enough. For a radiative disk the we find some outcomes with two phase migrations and others with more complicated behavior. We construct a simple, 1-D model of an evolving viscous disk to calculate the evolution of the disk's radiative properties: the disk transitions from radiative to isothermal from its outermost regions inward in time. We show that a two-phase migration is a natural outcome at late times even under the limiting assumption that isothermal conditions are required. Thus, our simulations provide strong support for the Grand Tack scenario.Comment: 16 pages, 21 figures, accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Individual Participant Data Network Meta-Analysis of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy or Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Junction Carcinoma

PURPOSE: The optimal neoadjuvant treatment for resectable carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus (TE) or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) remains a matter of debate. We performed an individual participant data (IPD) network meta-analysis (NMA) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to study the effect of chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, with a focus on tumor location and histology subgroups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All, published or unpublished, RCTs closed to accrual before December 31, 2015 and having compared at least two of the following strategies were eligible: upfront surgery (S), chemotherapy followed by surgery (CS), and chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery (CRS). All analyses were conducted on IPD obtained from investigators. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). The IPD-NMA was analyzed by a one-step mixed-effect Cox model adjusted for age, sex, tumor location, and histology. The NMA was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42018107158). RESULTS: IPD were obtained for 26 of 35 RCTs (4,985 of 5,807 patients) corresponding to 12 comparisons for CS-S, 12 for CRS-S, and four for CRS-CS. CS and CRS led to increased OS when compared with S with hazard ratio (HR) = 0.86 (0.75 to 0.99), P = .03 and HR = 0.77 (0.68 to 0.87), P &lt; .001 respectively. The NMA comparison of CRS versus CS for OS gave a HR of 0.90 (0.74 to 1.09), P = .27 (consistency P = .26, heterogeneity P = .0038). For CS versus S, a larger effect on OS was observed for GEJ versus TE tumors (P = .036). For the CRS versus S and CRS versus CS, a larger effect on OS was observed for women (P = .003, .012, respectively). CONCLUSION:Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy were consistently better than S alone across histology, but with some variation in the magnitude of treatment effect by sex for CRS and tumor location for CS. A strong OS difference between CS and CRS was not identified.</p

LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products

(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg$^2$ field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000 square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5$\sigma$ point-source depth in a single visit in $r$ will be $\sim 24.5$ (AB). The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg$^2$ with $\delta<+34.5^\circ$, and will be imaged multiple times in six bands, $ugrizy$, covering the wavelength range 320--1050 nm. About 90\% of the observing time will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode which will uniformly observe a 18,000 deg$^2$ region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the anticipated 10 years of operations, and yield a coadded map to $r\sim27.5$. The remaining 10\% of the observing time will be allocated to projects such as a Very Deep and Fast time domain survey. The goal is to make LSST data products, including a relational database of about 32 trillion observations of 40 billion objects, available to the public and scientists around the world.Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures available from https://www.lsst.org/overvie

Five interpersonal factors are predictive of the response to treatment of major depression with antidepressants in primary care

Factors relating to the interpersonal relationship between the patient and their physician and social environment are important components, which contribute to their response to treatment for major depressive disorder. This study aimed to assess the influence of optimism, perfectionism, therapeutic alliance, empathy, social support, and adherence to medication regimen in the response to antidepressant treatments in the context of normal primary care clinical practice. Method: We conducted a prospective study in which 24 primary care physicians administered sertraline or escitalopram to 89 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The response to treatment and remission of the episode was assessed at 4 and 12 weeks by Cox regression. The effect of adherence to the medication regimen was assessed by multiple regression statistical techniques. Results: Adherence to medication (HR = 0.262, 95% CI = 0.125-0.553, p < 0.001) and patient perfectionism (HR = 0.259, 95% CI = 0.017-0.624, p < 0.01) negatively predicted the initial response to treatment, whereas patient optimism (HR = 1.221, 95% CI = 1.080-1.380, p < 0.05) positively predicted it. Patient optimism (HR = 1.247, 95% CI = 1.1-1.4, p < 0.05), empathy perceived by the patient (HR = 1.01, 95% CI = 1001-1002, p < 0.05), and therapeutic alliance (HR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1001-1.04, p < 0.05) positively predicted episode remission, while patient perfectionism (HR = 0.219, 95% CI = 0.093-0.515, p < 0.001) and low adherence to the treatment regimen (HR = 0.293, 95% CI = 0.145-0.595, p < 0.001) negatively predicted it. Finally, social support (p < 0.01) and therapeutic alliance (p < 0.05) predicted adherence to the medication regimen. Conclusions: In addition to taking the antidepressant drug, other factors including the personal interactions between the patient with their primary care physician and with their social environment significantly influenced the patients' initial response and the final rate of episode remission