Interaction Effect between Caissons by Installation of New Caisson on Existing Caisson Breakwater in Second Order Stokes Wave Condition

In order to increase the structural stability of existing caisson breakwater, the design and the construction is carried out by installation of new caissons on the back or the front of old caissons. In this study, we use the ANSYS AQWA program to analyze the wave forces acting on individual caisson according to effects of wave structure interaction when new caissons are additionally installed on existing caisson breakwater. Firstly, the wave force characteristics acting on the individual caisson were analyzed for each period (frequency) in the frequency domain. In time domain analysis, the dynamic wave force characteristics were strongly influenced by the distance between caissons on the frequency at which the unusual distribution of wave forces occurs.

Integrating Stochastic and Deterministic Process in the Biogeography of N2-Fixing Cyanobacterium Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium Thalassa

UCYN-A is one of the most widespread and important marine diazotrophs. Its unusual distribution in both cold/warm and coastal/oceanic waters challenges current understanding about what drives the biogeography of diazotrophs. This study assessed the community assembly processes of the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium UCYN-A, developing a framework of assembly processes underpinning the microbial biogeography and diversity. High-throughput sequencing and a qPCR approach targeting the nifH gene were used to investigate three tropical seas: the Bay of Bengal, the Western Pacific Ocean, and the South China Sea. Based on the neutral community model and two types of null models calculating the β-nearest taxon index and the normalized stochasticity ratio, we found that stochastic assembly processes could explain 66–92% of the community assembly; thus, they exert overwhelming influence on UCYN-A biogeography and diversity. Among the deterministic processes, temperature and coastal/oceanic position appeared to be the principal environmental factors driving UCYN-A diversity. In addition, a close linkage between assembly processes and UCYN-A abundance/diversity/drivers can provide clues for the unusual global distribution of UCYN-A.

Polyzosteria cockroaches in Tasmania (Blattodea: Blattidae: Polyzosteriinae) represent a new, endemic species, with allopatric alpine and coastal sub-populations

We describe the endemic Tasmanian cockroach, Polyzosteria yingina sp. nov. (Henry), 78 years after it was first documented. Evidence from morphology, biogeography and CO1 barcodes is used to distinguish this species from related mainland Australian taxa it has previously been confused with. Polyzosteria yingina sp. nov. has two strongly allopatric populations: a compact alpine population above 1000m and a dispersed east coastal one at sealevel. However, mitochondrial Control Region D-loop molecular analysis suggests a single species identity for these disparate populations. Detailed internal and external morphological descriptions and photographs of living and preserved type material are presented. We also speculate on some hypotheses which could account for the unusual distribution of this charismatic insect.

On the unusual distribution of modified Amur River water in the Aniva Bay (Sakhalin) in November 2001

In addition to the distribution of modified water of the Amur River runoff in the Aniva Bay, remote from its mouth, according to the data from 2012–2013 (Shevchenko G.V., Chastikov V.N. Distribution of the Amur waters in the eastern part of the Aniva Bay in late autumn. Meteorology and Hydrology, 2021, no. 1), the materials of the oceanological survey carried out in this basin in mid-November 2001 are presented. It is shown that desalinated water entered the bay in an unusually wide stream in the upper 30-meter layer and occupied a vast area, almost to the middle of the bay. At the same time, the differences in salinity with local waters were less than usual. The most probable reason for such specific features of oceanological conditions in 2001 was an increase (by about 30% in comparison with the usual values) of the wind of west-northwest rhumb of an offshore character. The obtained results show that the influence of this water can manifest itself not only near the eastern coast of the bay, as was demonstrated in the mentioned article, but also at a distance of more than 30 km from it. Accordingly, abrupt decreases in salinity can affect the marine biota not only of the coastal complex, but also inhabiting the central part of the bay.

Unusual presentations of cutaneous larva migrans in British military personnel

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) is one of numerous skin diseases that occur in British military personnel on deployments to the tropics and sub-tropics. It is typically managed by military primary healthcare services, but diagnostic uncertainty or unavailability of anti-helminthic medication may prompt referral to UK Role 4 healthcare services. Cases of CLM seen at the UK Role 4 Military Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine Service from 2005 to 2020 were identified and their case notes were reviewed to identify learning and discussion points. There were 12 cases identified, of which five came from Brunei and three were from Belize. Causes for referral were due to diagnostic uncertainty (58%) and the unavailability of anti-helminthic medication (42%). Several cases had CLM in an unusual distribution due to specific military activities performed in endemic areas. Telemedicine was very useful in making some of the diagnoses in theatre and avoiding the need for medical evacuation. Military personnel may have unusual presentations of CLM due their unique military activities. In areas that are endemic for CLM, clinicians should maintain high clinical suspicion for CLM, carry appropriate anti-helminthic medications and consider screening cases of CLM and their colleagues for other infections with similar aetiology (eg, human hookworm infection and strongyloidiasis).

Potentially Pathogenic Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate and Titanium Dioxide Crystals in the Alzheimer’s Disease Entorhinal Cortex

Knowing that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) nucleates in the entorhinal cortex (EC), samples of 12 EC specimens were probed for crystals by a protocol detecting fewer than 1/5000th of those present. Of the 61 crystals found, 31 were expected and 30 were novel. Twenty-one crystals of iron oxides and 10 atherosclerosis-associated calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals were expected and found. The 30 unexpected crystals were NLRP3-inflammasome activating calcium oxalate dihydrate (12) and titanium dioxide (18). Their unusual distribution raises the possibility that some were of AD origination sites.

Genomic insights from Monoglobus pectinilyticus: a pectin-degrading specialist bacterium in the human colon

© 2019, International Society for Microbial Ecology. Pectin is abundant in modern day diets, as it comprises the middle lamellae and one-third of the dry carbohydrate weight of fruit and vegetable cell walls. Currently there is no specialized model organism for studying pectin fermentation in the human colon, as our collective understanding is informed by versatile glycan-degrading bacteria rather than by specialist pectin degraders. Here we show that the genome of Monoglobus pectinilyticus possesses a highly specialized glycobiome for pectin degradation, unique amongst Firmicutes known to be in the human gut. Its genome encodes a simple set of metabolic pathways relevant to pectin sugar utilization, and its predicted glycobiome comprises an unusual distribution of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) with numerous extracellular methyl/acetyl esterases and pectate lyases. We predict the M. pectinilyticus degradative process is facilitated by cell-surface S-layer homology (SLH) domain-containing proteins, which proteomics analysis shows are differentially expressed in response to pectin. Some of these abundant cell surface proteins of M. pectinilyticus share unique modular organizations rarely observed in human gut bacteria, featuring pectin-specific CAZyme domains and the cell wall-anchoring SLH motifs. We observed M. pectinilyticus degrades various pectins, RG-I, and galactan to produce polysaccharide degradation products (PDPs) which are presumably shared with other inhabitants of the human gut microbiome (HGM). This strain occupies a new ecological niche for a primary degrader specialized in foraging a habitually consumed plant glycan, thereby enriching our understanding of the diverse community profile of the HGM.

Genomic insights from Monoglobus pectinilyticus: a pectin-degrading specialist bacterium in the human colon

© 2019, International Society for Microbial Ecology. Pectin is abundant in modern day diets, as it comprises the middle lamellae and one-third of the dry carbohydrate weight of fruit and vegetable cell walls. Currently there is no specialized model organism for studying pectin fermentation in the human colon, as our collective understanding is informed by versatile glycan-degrading bacteria rather than by specialist pectin degraders. Here we show that the genome of Monoglobus pectinilyticus possesses a highly specialized glycobiome for pectin degradation, unique amongst Firmicutes known to be in the human gut. Its genome encodes a simple set of metabolic pathways relevant to pectin sugar utilization, and its predicted glycobiome comprises an unusual distribution of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) with numerous extracellular methyl/acetyl esterases and pectate lyases. We predict the M. pectinilyticus degradative process is facilitated by cell-surface S-layer homology (SLH) domain-containing proteins, which proteomics analysis shows are differentially expressed in response to pectin. Some of these abundant cell surface proteins of M. pectinilyticus share unique modular organizations rarely observed in human gut bacteria, featuring pectin-specific CAZyme domains and the cell wall-anchoring SLH motifs. We observed M. pectinilyticus degrades various pectins, RG-I, and galactan to produce polysaccharide degradation products (PDPs) which are presumably shared with other inhabitants of the human gut microbiome (HGM). This strain occupies a new ecological niche for a primary degrader specialized in foraging a habitually consumed plant glycan, thereby enriching our understanding of the diverse community profile of the HGM.