First Eugereonidae (Insecta: Palaeodictyoptera) from the Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous) of the Piesberg site near Osnabrück, Germany

Sandiella herbigi sp. nov. is the first record of the family Eugereonidae Handlirsch, 1906 (Insecta: Palaeodictyoptera) in the Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous: Westphalian D) sequence of the Piesberg quarry near Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is represented by a single fragment of a mesothoracic wing with the typical coarse reticulation in this family. The species is mainly characterized by the following features: (i) the shape of the mesothoracic wing is extremely narrow, (ii) the posterior subcostal vein is ending before the wing apex, (iii) all the main veins show a typical bend close to the posterior margin. The new wing is the second most ancient record of the Eugereonidae.

A new biomechanical classification system for split fractures of the humeral greater tuberosity: guidelines for surgical treatment

Background Split fractures of the humeral greater tuberosity (HGT) are common injuries. Although there are numerous surgical treatments for these fractures, no classification system combining clinical and biomechanical characteristics has been presented to guide the choice of fixation method. Methods We created a standardised fracture of the HGT in 24 formalin-fixed cadavers. Six were left as single-fragment fractures (Group A), six were further prepared to create single-fragment with medium size full-thickness rotator cuff tear (FT-RCT) fractures (Group B), six were cut to create multi-fragment fractures (Group C), and six were cut to create multi-fragment with FT-RCT fractures (Group D). Each specimen was fixed with a shortened proximal humeral internal locking system (PHILOS) plate. The fixed fractures were subjected to load and load-to-failure tests and the differences between groups analysed. Results The mean load-to-failure values were significantly different between groups (Group A, 446.83 ± 38.98 N; Group B, 384.17 ± 36.15 N; Group C, 317.17 ± 23.32 N and Group D, 266.83 ± 37.65 N, P < 0.05). The load-to-failure values for fractures with a greater tuberosity displacement of 10 mm were significantly different between each group (Group A, 194.00 ± 29.23 N; Group B, 157.00 ± 29.97 N; Group C, 109.00 ± 17.64 N and Group D, 79.67.83 ± 15.50 N; P < 0.05). These findings indicate that fractures with a displacement of 10 mm have different characteristics and should be considered separately from other HGT fractures when deciding surgical treatment. Conclusions Biomechanical classification of split fractures of the HGT is a reliable method of categorising these fractures in order to decide surgical treatment. Our findings and proposed system will be a useful to guide the choice of surgical technique for the treatment of fractures of the HGT.

Urothelial cancer organoids: a tool for bladder cancer research

Background Bladder cancer ranks among the top ten most common tumor types worldwide and represents a growing healthcare problem, accounting for a large part of total healthcare costs. Chemotherapy is effective in a subset of patients, while causing severe side effects. Tumor pathogenesis and drug resistance mechanisms are largely unknown. Precision medicine is failing in bladder cancer, as bladder tumors are genetically and molecularly very heterogeneous. Currently, therapeutic decision-making depends on assessing a single fragment of surgically acquired tumor tissue. Objective New preclinical model systems for bladder cancer are indispensable for developing therapeutic strategies tailored to individual patient and tumor characteristics. Organoids are small 3D tissue cultures that simulate small-size organs “in a dish” and tumoroids are a special type of cancer organoid (i.e., malignant tissue). Materials and methods Since 2016, we have collaborated with the renowned Hubrecht Institute to provide proof of concept of tissue-based bladder tumoroids mimicking parental tumors. We have developed a living biobank containing bladder organoids and tumoroids grown from over 50 patient samples, which reflect crucial aspects of bladder cancer pathogenesis. Results Histological and immunofluorescence analysis indicated that the heterogeneity and subclassification of tumoroids mimicked those of corresponding parental tumor samples. Thus, urothelial tumoroids mimic crucial aspects of bladder cancer pathogenesis. Conclusion Research with urothelial tumoroids will open up new avenues for bladder cancer pathogenesis and drug-resistance research as well as for precision medicine approaches.

Converging evidence for differential regulatory control of APOEε4 on African versus European haplotypes

INTRODUCTION. The difference in APOEϵ4 risk for Alzheimer disease (AD) between different populations is associated with APOEϵ4 local ancestry (LA). We examined LA SNPs with significant frequency differences between African and European/Japanese APOEϵ4 haplotypes for areas of differential regulation. METHODS. We performed two enhancer Massively Parallel Reporter Assay (MPRA) approaches, supplemented with single fragment reporter assays. We utilized Capture C analyses to support interactions with the APOE promoter. RESULTS. The TOMM40 intron 2 and 3 region showed increased enhancer activity in the European/Japanese versus African LA haplotypes in astrocytes and microglia. This region overlaps with APOE promoter interactions as assessed by Capture C analysis. Single variant analyses pinpoints rs2075650/rs157581, and rs59007384 as functionally different on these haplotypes. DISCUSSION. Both differential regulatory function and Capture C data support an intronic region in TOMM40 as contributing to the differential APOE expression between African and European/Japanese LA.

A New Biomechanical Classification System for Split Fractures of the Humeral Greater Tuberosity: Guidelines for Surgical Treatment

Background: Split fractures of the humeral greater tuberosity (HGT) are common injuries. Although there are numerous surgical treatments for these fractures, no classification system combining clinical and biomechanical characteristics has been presented to guide the choice of fixation method.Methods: We created a standardised fracture of the HGT in 24 formalin-fixed cadavers. Six were left as single-fragment fractures (Group A), six were further prepared to create single-fragment with medium size full-thickness rotator cuff tear (FT-RCTs) fractures (Group B), six were cut to create multi-fragment fractures (Group C), and six were cut to create multi-fragment with FT-RCT fractures (Group D). Each specimen was fixed with a shortened proximal humeral internal locking system (PHILOS) plate. The fixed fractures were subjected to load and load-to-failure tests and the differences between groups analysed.Results: The mean load-to-failure values were significantly different between groups (Group A, 446.83 ± 38.98 N; Group B, 384.17 ± 36.15 N; Group C, 317.17 ± 23.32 N and Group D, 266.83 ± 37.65 N, P < 0.05). The load-to-failure values for fractures with a greater tuberosity displacement of 10 mm were significantly different between each group (Group A, 194.00 ± 29.23 N; Group B, 157.00 ± 29.97 N; Group C, 109.00 ± 17.64 N and Group D, 79.67.83 ± 15.50 N; P < 0.05). These findings indicates that fractures with a displacement of 10 mm have different characteristics and should be considered separately from other HGT fractures when deciding surgical treatment.Conclusions: Biomechanical classification of split fractures of the HGT is a reliable method of categorising these fractures in order to decide surgical treatment. Our findings and proposed system will be a useful to guide the choice of surgical technique for the treatment of fractures of the HGT.

GRAPHIC-ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE PROBABILITY OF LOSS OF ELEMENTS OF THE ENGINE AND THE COMBAT COMPARTMENT OF LIGHTLY ARMORED VEHICLES OF THE GENERAL UNITS

The article considers a number of main factors that determine the probability of damage to the elements of the engine and combat compartment of lightly armored vehicles under the influence of fragmentation munitions. Also, the technique of calculation of probability of defeat of an element by one fragment is given. As a result, the idea of a graph- analytical method for determining the probability of hitting an element by one fragment is presented, which is that the set of possible flight of the fragment to the element is divided into subsets by the number of walls of the engine and combat compartment of lightly armored vehicles. Then the required value of the probability of damage to the element by one fragment is determined.One of the main striking factors is the rapid flow of fragments that hit lightly armored vehicles, thus reducing the combat readiness of the unit. At present, the question of calculating the probability of damage to the elements of lightly armored vehicles of general military units is insufficiently studied.During the calculations of the graph-analytical method for determining the probability of damage to the elements of the engine and combat compartment of lightly armored vehicles, attention was focused on determining the required value of the probability of damage to the element by one fragment, which has not been proposed so far.The idea of a graph-analytical method for determining the probability of damage to an element by a single fragment is as follows. The whole set of directions of possible flight of the fragment to the element is divided into subsets by the number of walls of the engine and combat compartment of lightly armored vehicles. Within each subset, all directions are divided into parts, within each of which the value hijs is constant.The values of Sijs and hijs are determined for each part. The value of Sijs determines the probability of impact of the fragment from these directions, and the value of hijs - the probability of breaking the protective barrier.Then the required value of the probability of damage to the element by one fragment is determined. Thus, the use of a graphical-analytical method to determine the probability of damage to the elements of lightly armored vehicles of all-military units will increase the possibility of evacuation and restoration of weapons and military equipment after destruction by shrapnel munitions.And reducing the time for evacuation, speeding up the process of restoring damaged equipment in combat and increasing the intensity of the recovery system from recovery to use will increase the likelihood of using recovered equipment and, consequently, increase combat readiness.

Ariadne: Barcoded Linked-Read Deconvolution Using de Bruijn Graphs

Background: De novo assemblies are critical for capturing the genetic composition of complex samples. Linked-read sequencing techniques such as 10x Genomics' Linked-Reads, UST's TELL-Seq, Loop Genomics' LoopSeq, and BGI's Long Fragment Read combines 30 barcoding with standard short-read sequencing to expand the range of linkage resolution from hundreds to tens of thousands of base-pairs. The application of linked-read sequencing to genome assembly has demonstrated that barcoding-based technologies balance the ffs between long-range linkage, per-base coverage, and costs. Linkedreads come with their own challenges, chief among them the association of multiple long fragments with the same 30 barcode. The lack of a unique correspondence between a long fragment and a barcode, in conjunction with low sequencing depth, confounds the assignment of linkage between short-reads. Results: We introduce Ariadne, a novel linked-read deconvolution algorithm based on assembly graphs, that can be used to extract single-species read-sets from a large linked-read dataset. Ariadne deconvolution of linked-read clouds increases the proportion of read clouds containing only reads from a single fragment by up to 37.5-fold. Using these enhanced read clouds in de novo assembly significantly improves assembly contiguity and the size of the largest aligned blocks in comparison to the non-deconvolved read clouds. Integrating barcode deconvolution tools, such as Ariadne, into the postprocessing pipeline for linked-read technologies increases the quality of de novo assembly for complex populations, such as microbiomes. Ariadne is intuitive, computationally efficient, and scalable to other large-scale linked-read problems, such as human genome phasing.

Exegesis of the Book of Isaiah 61:1–11: Redaction Criticism and Inquiry into the Identity of the Prophet Known as Trito-Isaiah

The exegesis of Isa 61 demonstrated that the chapter is a separate composition, which comprises a framing device in vv. 1–3.10.11, and a middle section in vv. 4–9. This section did not have to originate as a single fragment. From the literary-critical standpoint, the suspect element is v. 3aa, which currently serves to connect Isa 61 with the adjacent chapters 60, and 62. However, it is best to interpret the pericope as a single whole, with the speaker being the prophetic “I,” stylised after the servant-prophet from the Deutero-Isaiah’s Songs of the Servant of the Lord. Behind this “I,” there are probably the tradents of Deutero-Isaiah’s traditions, updating his promises and adding new ones. In that case, the prophet Trito-Isaiah, who was to be reminiscent of the earlier prophets, speaking before the people, never existed. That, however, does not alter the fact that the tradents did consider themselves to be the servant of the Lord, and regarded their mission to be a prophetic one.

The Quest for the “Charity Dish”: Interpretation in the Hebrew Arthurian Translation Melekh Artus (1279, Northern Italy)

This article analyzes Melekh Artus (King Arthur), a unique Hebrew translation of sections from the old French prose Merlin and mort Artu in the Lancelot-Grail cycle. Written in a single fragment from 1279 in northern Italy, this translation proves close Jewish engagement with old French texts. Through satirical biblical references and subtle critique of his material, the author reframes the Arthurian narrative to promote universal morals. Rather than Judaize the Arthurian canon and its Christian characters, he validates them as viable models for his Jewish audience.