A survey investigating the diversity and distribution of entomopathogenic nematodes in the UK and the first confirmed UK record of Steinernema carpocapsae

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) of the families Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae are lethal insect parasites that have been commercialised as biological control agents. EPN have been isolated from across the world but it has been more than 20 years since the last survey of the UK, and species like Steinernema carpocapsae have never been found here and positively identified through molecular biology. We collected 518 soil samples from a diverse range of habitats across the UK and baited them with Galleria mellonella to isolate EPN. Dead G. mellonella were placed in White traps and emergent EPN underwent DNA barcoding analyses. From the 518 samples, 3.5% were positive for EPN. No Heterorhabditis species were found, but seven isolates of S. glaseri, one isolate of S. feltiae, eight isolates of S. affine and two isolates of S. carpocapsae were found. This was the first confirmed record of S. carpocapsae in the UK

Lattice-switch Monte Carlo

We present a Monte Carlo method for the direct evaluation of the difference between the free energies of two crystal structures. The method is built on a lattice-switch transformation that maps a configuration of one structure onto a candidate configuration of the other by `switching' one set of lattice vectors for the other, while keeping the displacements with respect to the lattice sites constant. The sampling of the displacement configurations is biased, multicanonically, to favor paths leading to `gateway' arrangements for which the Monte Carlo switch to the candidate configuration will be accepted. The configurations of both structures can then be efficiently sampled in a single process, and the difference between their free energies evaluated from their measured probabilities. We explore and exploit the method in the context of extensive studies of systems of hard spheres. We show that the efficiency of the method is controlled by the extent to which the switch conserves correlated microstructure. We also show how, microscopically, the procedure works: the system finds gateway arrangements which fulfill the sampling bias intelligently. We establish, with high precision, the differences between the free energies of the two close packed structures (fcc and hcp) in both the constant density and the constant pressure ensembles.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figures, RevTeX. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Intra-molecular coupling as a mechanism for a liquid-liquid phase transition

We study a model for water with a tunable intra-molecular interaction $J_\sigma$, using mean field theory and off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations. For all $J_\sigma\geq 0$, the model displays a temperature of maximum density.For a finite intra-molecular interaction $J_\sigma > 0$,our calculations support the presence of a liquid-liquid phase transition with a possible liquid-liquid critical point for water, likely pre-empted by inevitable freezing. For J=0 the liquid-liquid critical point disappears at T=0.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Corona ions from powerlines and the implications for human health

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN051894 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Selecting Core Outcomes for Randomised Effectiveness trials In Type 2 diabetes (SCORE- IT): A patient and healthcare professional consensus on a core outcome set for type 2 diabetes

Objectives Heterogeneity in outcomes measured across trials of glucose-lowering interventions for people with type 2 diabetes impacts on the ability to compare findings and may mean that the results have little importance to healthcare professionals and the patients that they care for. The SCORE-IT study (Selecting Core Outcomes for Randomised Effectiveness trials In Type 2 diabetes) has addressed this issue by establishing consensus on the most important outcomes for non-surgical interventions for hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes.Research design and methods A comprehensive list of outcomes was developed from registered clinical trials, online patient resources, qualitative literature and long-term studies in the field. This list was then scored in a two-round online Delphi survey completed by healthcare professionals, people with type 2 diabetes, researchers in the field and healthcare policymakers. The results of this online Delphi were discussed and ratified at a face-to-face consensus meeting.Results 173 people completed both rounds of the online survey (116 people with type 2 diabetes, 37 healthcare professionals, 14 researchers and 6 policymakers), 20 of these attended the consensus meeting (13 people with type 2 diabetes and 7 healthcare professionals). Consensus was reached on 18 core outcomes across five domains, which include outcomes related to diabetes care, quality of life and long-term diabetes-related complications.Conclusions Implementation of the core outcome set in future trials will ensure that outcomes of importance to all stakeholders are measured and reported, enhancing the relevance of trial findings and facilitating the comparison of results across trials