Resilience to periodic disturbances and the long-term genetic stability in Acropora coral.

Climate change is restructuring natural ecosystems. The direct impacts of these events on biodiversity and community structure are widely documented, but the impacts on the genetic variation of populations remains largely unknown. We monitored populations of Acropora coral on a remote coral reef system in northwest Australia for two decades and through multiple cycles of impact and recovery. We combined these demographic data with a temporal genetic dataset of a common broadcast spawning corymbose Acropora to explore the spatial and temporal patterns of connectivity underlying recovery. Our data show that broad-scale dispersal and post-recruitment survival drive recovery from recurrent disturbances, including mass bleaching and mortality. Consequently, genetic diversity and associated patterns of connectivity are maintained through time in the broader metapopulation. The results highlight an inherent resilience in these globally threatened species of coral and showcase their ability to cope with multiple disturbances, given enough time to recover is permitted.

Topological defect coarsening in quenched smectic-C films analyzed using artificial neural networks.

Mechanically quenching a thin film of smectic-C liquid crystal results in the formation of a dense array of thousands of topological defects in the director field. The subsequent rapid coarsening of the film texture by the mutual annihilation of defects of opposite sign has been captured using high-speed, polarized light video microscopy. The temporal evolution of the texture has been characterized using an object-detection convolutional neural network to determine the defect locations, and a binary classification network customized to evaluate the brush orientation dynamics around the defects in order to determine their topological signs. At early times following the quench, inherent limits on the spatial resolution result in undercounting of the defects and deviations from expected behavior. At intermediate to late times, the observed annihilation dynamics scale in agreement with theoretical predictions and simulations of the 2D XY model.

End-to-end machine learning for experimental physics: using simulated data to train a neural network for object detection in video microscopy.

We demonstrate a method for training a convolutional neural network with simulated images for usage on real-world experimental data. Modern machine learning methods require large, robust training data sets to generate accurate predictions. Generating these large training sets requires a significant up-front time investment that is often impractical for small-scale applications. Here we demonstrate a 'full-stack' computational solution, where the training data set is generated on-the-fly using a noise injection process to produce simulated data characteristic of the experimental system. We demonstrate the power of this full-stack approach by applying it to the study of topological defect annihilation in systems of liquid crystal freely-suspended films. This specific experimental system requires accurate observations of both the spatial distribution of the defects and the total number of defects, making it an ideal system for testing the robustness of the trained network. The fully trained network was found to be comparable in accuracy to human hand-annotation, with four-orders of magnitude improvement in time efficiency.

Chiral Incommensurate Helical Phase in a Smectic of Achiral Bent-Core Mesogens.

An achiral, bent-core mesogen forms several tilted smectic liquid crystal phases, including a nonpolar, achiral de Vries smectic A which transitions to a chiral, ferroelectric state in applied electric fields above a threshold. At lower temperature, a chiral, ferrielectric phase with a periodic, supermolecular modulation of the tilt azimuth, indicated by a Bragg peak in carbon-edge resonant soft x-ray scattering, is observed. The absence of a corresponding resonant umklapp peak identifies the superlayer structure as a twist-bend-like helix that is only weakly modulated by the smectic layering.

Concealing a shiny facial skin appearance by an Aerogel-based formula. In vitro and in vivo studies.

OBJECTIVE: To explore, in vitro and in vivo, the potential interest of an Aerogel-based formula, in concealing a naturally shiny facial skin. METHODS: In vitro, various formulae and ingredients were applied as a thin film onto contrast plates and studied through measuring the shine induced following pump spraying of a mixture of oleic acid and mineral water as a sebum/sweat mix model. In such a test, an Aerogel ingredient led to very positive results. In vivo, two different formulae with various concentrations of Aerogel were randomly tested on half side of the face vs. bare side of Chinese women, under some provocative environmental conditions, known to enhance facial shine. These conditions comprised a normal activity under a hot and highly humid summer time followed - or not - by a hamam session. Both studies included comparative evaluations using a half-face procedure (treated/untreated or vehicle). In the first case, evaluations were quantitatively carried out, whereas the second one was based on a quantitative self-evaluations from standardized full-face photographs RESULTS: In vitro, the tested Aerogel, incorporated at 1% or 2% concentration in a common O/W cosmetic emulsion, shows an immediate light scattering effect, thereby masking shine. Such effect appears of much higher amplitude than that of two other tested particulate ingredients (Talc and Perlite). A noticeable remanence of anti-shine effect was confirmed in vivo in extreme conditions. The latter was self-perceived by all participants in the second study. This result is likely related to the super hydrophobic behaviour of the Aerogel. CONCLUSION: As cosmetic ingredient, this new Aerogel appears as a highly promising ingredient for concealing the facial skin shine, a source of complaint from many consumers living in hot and humid regions.

How a working day-induced-tiredness may alter some facial signs in differently-aged Caucasian women.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the alterations of some facial clinical signs after a working day in French Caucasian women. METHODS: Standardized photographs of full faces of 111 women of two different age classes were taken before and after a working day. Photos were submitted in blind (morning or evening) to a panel of 10 experts for scoring the severity of eight different facial signs using specific scales as established by previously published referential skin atlases. A panel of 60 naïve women gave their assessment of the overall look (more or less tired, aged, dull) from paired (morning/evening) photos given in blind. Subjects under study were asked to fill a questionnaire about their perceived state of tiredness before and after a normal working day. RESULTS: All subjects felt a little more tired at evening although, surprisingly a little less in the older group (55-65 year) than their younger counterparts (25-35 year). Both groups were judged slightly less 'young' and 'more tired' at evening by the assessment panel, whereas the dull aspect remained unaltered. Four facial signs, among the 8 scored, showed subtle but significant changes, according to age class. Among older women, eye bags improved at evening as compared to morning, whereas glabellar wrinkles were found slightly accentuated. In younger subjects, nasolabial fold and crow's feet wrinkles were found of an aggravated severity score. CONCLUSION: A normal working day induces, in the studied women, slight but detectable changes in some facial signs that vary (location, intensity) according to age.

Pseudocowpox virus: the etiological agent of contagious ecthyma (Auzdyk) in camels (Camelus dromedarius) in the Arabian peninsula.

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of DNA extracted from pustules, saliva, and blood of camels presenting with contagious ecthyma, in Bahrain and also from a sample (SACamel) of infected tissue from a camel that had presented with contagious ecthyma in 1998 in Saudi Arabia (1). Sequence homologies and phylogenetic analysis showed that this extracted DNA was more closely related to Pseudocowpox virus (PCPV) than Orf virus (ORFV), which infects sheep, goats, and other animal species. The phylogeny also demonstrated that PCPV in Arabian camels was phylogenetically distinct from, and circulates independently of, ruminant-associated PCPV from Europe.

Internal and external determinants of eating initiation in humans.

The influence of two internal variables (gender and nutritional state as measured by subjective hunger) and one external variable (either visual pre-exposure to a food stimulus or variation of the visual quality of the stimulus) on appetite for pizza in general or for a specific pizza, was studied in an experiment with 129 male and 225 female adult subjects, which were distributed in almost equal ratios over four sessions per day. They rated their hunger, their appetite for pizza (before and after visual presentation of the product) and their desire to eat a slice of any of four pizza varieties varying on visual characteristics. It was shown that appetite for the item pizza increased with hunger and with pre-exposure to the food, but that these two factors did not interact. Appetite for a specific pizza was influenced by its visual quality and by hunger, both factors acting independently. Compared to hunger, gender, the second internal factor, exerted a lesser influence. Furthermore, the reported appetite for a certain food item proved to be a good predictor of actual eating behaviour.

The difficult orchidopexy: the value of the abdominal pre-peritoneal approach.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the outcome of using the abdominal pre-peritoneal (APP) approach to orchidopexy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During an 8-year period, the experience of one surgeon in the management of 553 boys (median age 4.5 years, range 1-13) with undescended testes (596 testes) was assessed. The analysis emphasized those patients who had an orchidopexy performed using the APP approach detailing; the original position of the testis at exploration, whether successful placement within the scrotum was possible, and whether atrophy or ascent of the gonad occurred subsequently. RESULTS: In 98 boys (110 testes) the testes were impalpable or high within the inguinal canal and they were explored using the APP approach. Of the 34 testes (31%) which were found abdominally, 12 were high intra-abdominal and the remaining 22 just deep to the internal inguinal ring. These included seven bilateral and 20 unilateral intra-abdominal testes. The remaining 76 undescended testes included five with bilateral high testes, 29 high unilateral testes, 13 repeat orchidopexies, 17 'vanishing testis syndrome' and seven atrophic testes. The remaining 486 undescended testes were treated using a standard orchidopexy and were therefore excluded from analysis. CONCLUSION: The value and advantages of this operative approach and its place in the management strategy of the difficult orchidopexy are discussed.

The use of a long split rectal tube to aid in pull-through procedures for imperforate anus.

Problems with loss of correct orientation of the pull-through rectal pouch during posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP) for high imperforate anus can occur during laparotomy after perineal closure is complete. A simple modification of the de Vries-Peña technique is described that facilitates preservation of orientation and precise anatomical neomuscle construction. A slotted rubber tube preserves correct anatomical orientation of the neorectal pouch and allows accurate construction of the muscle complex around the tube.

Evaluation of conservative therapy for exomphalos.

Two management patterns were identified in 36 patients with exomphalos--primary surgical closure and initial topical therapy with delayed surgical closure. Primary surgical closure of minor exomphalos was well tolerated in 15 patients, but was associated with a high local and systemic morbidity rate in 14 patients with major defects. In contrast, initial topical therapy with silver sulphadiazine and delayed closure in seven matched patients with a major defect were well tolerated and did not prolong duration of hospitalization. Enteral feeding was more readily established and subsequent fascial closure facilitated in the conservatively treated group. It was suggested that this method should be more often considered in the management of all instances of major exomphalos.