Review of the initial validation and characterization of a chicken 3K SNP array.

In 2004 the chicken genome sequence and more than 2.8 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were reported. This information greatly enhanced the ability of poultry scientists to understand chicken biology, especially with respect to identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and genes that control simple and complex traits. To validate and address the quality of the reported SNPs, assays for 3072 SNPS were developed and used to genotype 2576 DNAs isolated from commercial and experimental birds. Over 90% of the SNPs were valid based on the criterion used for segregating, and over 88% had a minor allele frequency of 2% or greater. As the East Lansing (EL) and Wageningen University (WAU) reference panels were genotyped, 1933 SNPs were added to the chicken genetic map, which was used in the second chicken genome sequence assembly. It was also discovered that linkage disequilibrium varied considerably between commercial layers and broilers; with the latter having haplotype blocks averaging 10 to 50 kb in size. Finally, it was estimated that commercial lines have lost 70% or more of their genetic diversity, with the majority of allele loss attributable to the limited number of chicken breeds used

Illuminating the Effect of the Local Environment on the Performance of Organic Sunscreens : Insights From Laser Spectroscopy of Isolated Molecules and Complexes

Sunscreens are essential for protecting the skin from UV radiation, but significant questions remain about the fundamental molecular-level processes by which they operate. In this mini review, we provide an overview of recent advanced laser spectroscopic studies that have probed how the local, chemical environment of an organic sunscreen affects its performance. We highlight experiments where UV laser spectroscopy has been performed on isolated gas-phase sunscreen molecules and complexes. These experiments reveal how pH, alkali metal cation binding, and solvation perturb the geometric and hence electronic structures of sunscreen molecules, and hence their non-radiative decay pathways. A better understanding of how these interactions impact on the performance of individual sunscreens will inform the rational design of future sunscreens and their optimum formulations

Treatment of benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome in a severe traumatic brain injury patient

Prolonged exposure to benzodiazepines (BDZ) may contribute towards physical dependence, which is manifested by iatrogenic Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome (BWS), a condition often underdiagnosed. Current evidence recommends precluding BDZ infusion as sedation in the intensive care unit to avoid possible withdrawal and delirium issues. Administration of dexmedetomidine should be considered to facilitate weaning in patients with BWS. © 2021 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved

Sodium cationization can disrupt the intramolecular hydrogen bond that mediates the sunscreen activity of oxybenzone

A key decay pathway by which organic sunscreen molecules dissipate harmful UV energy involves excited-state hydrogen atom transfer between proximal enol and keto functional groups. Structural modifications of this molecular architecture have the potential to block ultrafast decay processes, and hence promote direct excited-state molecular dissociation, profoundly affecting the efficiency of an organic sunscreen. Herein, we investigate the binding of alkali metal cations to a prototype organic sunscreen molecule, oxybenzone, using IR characterization. Mass-selective IR action spectroscopy was conducted at the free electron laser for infrared experiments, FELIX (600-1800 cm-1), on complexes of Na+, K+ and Rb+ bound to oxybenzone. The IR spectra reveal that K+ and Rb+ adopt binding positions away from the key OH intermolecular hydrogen bond, while the smaller Na+ cation binds directly between the keto and enol oxygens, thus breaking the intramolecular hydrogen bond. UV laser photodissociation spectroscopy was also performed on the series of complexes, with the Na+ complex displaying a distinctive electronic spectrum compared to those of K+ and Rb+, in line with the IR spectroscopy results. TD-DFT calculations reveal that the origin of the changes in the electronic spectra can be linked to rupture of the intramolecular bond in the sodium cationized complex. The implications of our results for the performance of sunscreens in mixtures and environments with high concentrations of metal cations are discussed

Photochemical Degradation of the UV Filter Octyl Methoxy Cinnamate Probed via Laser-Interfaced Mass Spectrometry

Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) is a common UVA and UVB filter molecule that is widely used in commercial sunscreens. Here, we used gas-phase laser photodissociation spectroscopy to characterise the intrinsic photostability and photodegradation products of OMC by studying the system in its protonated form, i.e., [OMC·H]+. The major photofragments observed were m/z 179, 161, and 133, corresponding to fragmentation on either side of the ether oxygen of the ester group (m/z 179 and 161) or the C–C bond adjacent to the ester carbonyl group. Additional measurements were obtained using higher-energy collisional dissociation mass spectrometry (HCD-MS) to identify fragments that resulted from the breakdown of the vibrationally hot electronic ground state. We found that the m/z 179 and 161 ions were the main fragments produced by this route. Notably, the m/z 133 ion was not observed through HCD-MS, revealing that this product ion is only produced through a photochemical route. Our results demonstrate that UV photoexcitation of OMC is able to access a dissociative excited-state surface that uniquely leads to the rupture of the C–C bond adjacent to the key ester carbonyl group

Laser Interfaced Mass Spectrometry of the Sunscreen Molecule Octocrylene Demonstrates that Protonation Does Not Impact Photostability

Octocrylene (OCR) is a widely used organic sunscreen molecules, and is a dominant component of many sunscreen formulations. Here, we perform the first measurements on the protonated form of OCR, i. e. [OCR+H]+, to probe whether protonation affects the molecule's photostability. The novel photochemical technique of UV laser-interfaced mass spectrometry is employed from 400–216 nm, revealing that the electronic absorption spectrum of OCR across the S1 and S2 states red shift by 40 nm upon protonation. Our measurements reveal that [OCR+H]+ predominantly undergoes photofragmentation into the m/z 250 and 232 ionic products, associated with loss of its bulky alkyl side chain, and subsequent loss of water, respectively. We compare the photochemical fragmentation results with higher-energy collisional dissociation results to investigate the nature of the photodynamics that occur following UV absorption. The excited state decay pathways over the S1 and S2 excited states of [OCR+H]+ are associated with statistical fragmentation in line with dominant ultrafast decay. This behaviour mirrors that of neutral OCR, demonstrating that protonation does not affect the ultrafast decay pathways of this sunscreen molecule. We discuss our results in the context of the known breakdown of OCR into benzophenone, identifying a potential photoactivated pathway to benzophenone formation in solution

Effects of Pore Walls and Randomness on Phase Transitions in Porous Media

We study spin models within the mean field approximation to elucidate the topology of the phase diagrams of systems modeling the liquid-vapor transition and the separation of He$^3$--He$^4$ mixtures in periodic porous media. These topologies are found to be identical to those of the corresponding random field and random anisotropy spin systems with a bimodal distribution of the randomness. Our results suggest that the presence of walls (periodic or otherwise) are a key factor determining the nature of the phase diagram in porous media.Comment: REVTeX, 11 eps figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Shared origins of a key enzyme during the evolution of C-4 and CAM metabolism

CAM and C4 photosynthesis are two key plant adaptations that have evolved independently multiple times, and are especially prevalent in particular groups of plants, including the Caryophyllales. We investigate the origin of photosynthetic PEPC, a key enzyme of both the CAM and C4 pathways. We combine phylogenetic analyses of genes encoding PEPC with analyses of RNA sequence data of Portulaca, the only plants known to perform both CAM and C4 photosynthesis. Three distinct gene lineages encoding PEPC exist in eudicots (namely ppc-1E1, ppc-1E2 and ppc-2), one of which (ppc-1E1) was recurrently recruited for use in both CAM and C4 photosynthesis within the Caryophyllales. This gene is present in multiple copies in the cacti and relatives, including Portulaca. The PEPC involved in the CAM and C4 cycles of Portulaca are encoded by closely related yet distinct genes. The CAM-specific gene is similar to genes from related CAM taxa, suggesting that CAM has evolved before C4 in these species. The similar origin of PEPC and other genes involved in the CAM and C4 cycles highlights the shared early steps of evolutionary trajectories towards CAM and C4, which probably diverged irreversibly only during the optimization of CAM and C4 phenotypes

Influence of Anodic Conditions on Self-ordered Growth of Highly Aligned Titanium Oxide Nanopores

Self-aligned nanoporous TiO2templates synthesized via dc current electrochemical anodization have been carefully analyzed. The influence of environmental temperature during the anodization, ranging from 2 °C to ambient, on the structure and morphology of the nanoporous oxide formation has been investigated, as well as that of the HF electrolyte chemical composition, its concentration and their mixtures with other acids employed for the anodization. Arrays of self-assembled titania nanopores with inner pores diameter ranging between 50 and 100 nm, wall thickness around 20–60 nm and 300 nm in length, are grown in amorphous phase, vertical to the Ti substrate, parallel aligned to each other and uniformly disordering distributed over all the sample surface. Additional remarks about the photoluminiscence properties of the titania nanoporous templates and the magnetic behavior of the Ni filled nanoporous semiconductor Ti oxide template are also included

Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities

A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the $B$-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b}, and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K. Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D. Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A. Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair