Electron-Impact Ionization of Laser-Aligned Atoms -- Contributions from Both Natural and Unnatural-Parity States

Synopsis. The progress of experimental and theoretical measurements for (e,2e) ionization cross sections from laser-aligned atoms is presented here. It is found that both natural and unnatural parity contributions must be included in the models to emulate the experimental data

Natural & unnatural-parity contributions in electron-impact ionization of laser-aligned atoms

Differential cross section measurements from laser-aligned Mg atoms are compared to theoretical calculations using both time dependent and time-independent formalisms. It is found that both natural and unnatural parity contributions to the calculated cross sections are required to emulate the data when the state is aligned out of the scattering plane

Intrinsic tumor resistance to CAR T cells is a dynamic transcriptional state that is exploitable with low-dose radiation

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy represents a major advancement for hematologic malignancies, with some patients achieving long-term remission. However, the majority of treated patients still die of their disease. A consistent predictor of response is tumor quantity, wherein a higher disease burden before CAR T-cell therapy portends a worse prognosis. Focal radiation to bulky sites of the disease can decrease tumor quantity before CAR T-cell therapy, but whether this strategy improves survival is unknown. We find that substantially reducing systemic tumor quantity using high-dose radiation to areas of bulky disease, which is commonly done clinically, is less impactful on overall survival in mice achieved by CAR T cells than targeting all sites of disease with low-dose total tumor irradiation (TTI) before CAR T-cell therapy. This finding highlights another predictor of response, tumor quality, the intrinsic resistance of an individual patient\u27s tumor cells to CAR T-cell killing. Little is known about whether or how an individual tumor\u27s intrinsic resistance may change under different circumstances. We find a transcriptional death receptor score that reflects a tumor\u27s intrinsic sensitivity to CAR T cells can be temporarily increased by low-dose TTI, and the timing of this transcriptional change correlates with improved in vivo leukemia control by an otherwise limited number of CAR T cells. This suggests an actionable method for potentially improving outcomes in patients predicted to respond poorly to this promising therapy and highlights that intrinsic tumor attributes may be equally or more important predictors of CAR T-cell response as tumor burden

Human and environmental controls over aboveground carbon storage in Madagascar

Background: Accurate, high-resolution mapping of aboveground carbon density (ACD, Mg C ha-1) could provide insight into human and environmental controls over ecosystem state and functioning, and could support conservation and climate policy development. However, mapping ACD has proven challenging, particularly in spatially complex regions harboring a mosaic of land use activities, or in remote montane areas that are difficult to access and poorly understood ecologically. Using a combination of field measurements, airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and satellite data, we present the first large-scale, high-resolution estimates of aboveground carbon stocks in Madagascar. Results: We found that elevation and the fraction of photosynthetic vegetation (PV) cover, analyzed throughout forests of widely varying structure and condition, account for 27-67 % of the spatial variation in ACD. This finding facilitated spatial extrapolation of LiDAR-based carbon estimates to a total of 2,372,680 ha using satellite data. Remote, humid sub-montane forests harbored the highest carbon densities, while ACD was suppressed in dry spiny forests and in montane humid ecosystems, as well as in most lowland areas with heightened human activity. Independent of human activity, aboveground carbon stocks were subject to strong physiographic controls expressed through variation in tropical forest canopy structure measured using airborne LiDAR. Conclusions: High-resolution mapping of carbon stocks is possible in remote regions, with or without human activity, and thus carbon monitoring can be brought to highly endangered Malagasy forests as a climate-change mitigation and biological conservation strategy

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Brain Transcriptional Profiles of Male Alternative Reproductive Tactics and Females in Bluegill Sunfish

We thank Scott Colborne for his help in collecting bluegill, Dave Bridges for providing the R script to convert Ensemble IDs to stickleback homologs, and David Winter and Jeramia Ory for providing Python script used in the bioinformatics analyses. We thank Doug Haywick for producing Fig 1. We also thank Shawn Garner, Tim Hain, Lauren Kordonowy, and Lindsay Havens, and three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript.Bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) are one of the classic systems for studying male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) in teleost fishes. In this species, there are two distinct life histories: parental and cuckolder, encompassing three reproductive tactics, parental, satellite, and sneaker. The parental life history is fixed, whereas individuals who enter the cuckolder life history transition from sneaker to satellite tactic as they grow. For this study, we used RNAseq to characterize the brain transcriptome of the three male tactics and females during spawning to identify gene ontology (GO) categories and potential candidate genes associated with each tactic. We found that sneaker males had higher levels of gene expression differentiation compared to the other two male tactics. Sneaker males also had higher expression in ionotropic glutamate receptor genes, specifically AMPA receptors, compared to other males, which may be important for increased spatial working memory while attempting to cuckold parental males at their nests. Larger differences in gene expression also occurred among male tactics than between males and females. We found significant expression differences in several candidate genes that were previously identified in other species with ARTs and suggest a previously undescribed role for cAMP-responsive element modulator (crem) in influencing parental male behaviors during spawning.Yeshttp://www.plosone.org/static/editorial#pee

Device Drivers for Space-Qualified Flash Devices

The purpose of this thesis is to provide device drivers that serve as an interface to several flash devices commonly used in spacecraft instruments and embedded systems. In particular, this library focuses on read, write, and erase functions for three NAND devices that are not CFI-compliant (i.e. do not already have device drivers), namely 1) Maxwell 29F0408 2) Maxwell 69F1608 3) Samsung KM29U128. This paper describes how and why these devices were chosen, how the interface was designed, and walks the reader through the design trades conducted in order to reach the current implementation. The paper will conclude with a discussion of how single-errors with flash are addressed by the library, as well as open issues. Introduction: “What is a generic flash interface? Why is it useful?” The interface is a set of device drivers that read, write, and erase a flash memory device. The purpose of the library is to give future programmers the ability to use flash devices in their software without needing to understand all of the internal architecture and quirks of the device. In particular, many flash devices used in space applications are 8-bi

Optimum Levels of Dry Distillers Grains with Solubles for Finishing Beef Steers

A feedlot study was conducted to evaluate increasing levels of dry distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in corn-based diets on steer performance. Treatments consisted of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% (DM basis) DDGS dietary inclusion. Quadratic trends were observed for final BW and ADG with increasing levels of DDGS and 20% inclusion being the most improved. DMI was not changed with DDGS treatment level, while F:G was numerically optimum for 20% inclusion, although all DDGS levels had improved F:G compared to the 0% treatment. No differences in carcass characteristics were observed. Energy value of DDGS at 10 to 40% dietary inclusion remained above 100% in a quadratic trend, with the most improved values at 10 and 20% inclusion. Results showed DDGS can be fed in finishing diets to improve ADG and F:G with optimum level at 20% dietary inclusion