Additional file 3: Supplemental Table 5: Summary of the biological and systematic effects, including the variance explained by each effect, with cells coloured by effect size. Supplemental Table 6: Detailed parameters and results of F-tests for biological and systematic effects, along with animal and residual variance estimates.
We present direct experimental evidence that water droplets can spontaneously penetrate non-wetting capillaries, driven by the action of Laplace pressure due to high droplet curvature. Using high-speed optical imaging, microcapillaries of radius 50 to 150 micron, and water microdroplets of average radius between 100 and 1900 micron, we demonstrate that there is a critical droplet radius below which water droplets can be taken up by hydrophobised glass and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) capillaries. The rate of capillary uptake is shown to depend strongly on droplet size, with smaller droplets being absorbed more quickly. Droplet size is also shown to influence meniscus motion in a pre-filled non-wetting capillary, and quantitative measurements of this effect result in a derived water-PTFE static contact angle between 96 degrees and 114 degrees. Our measurements confirm recent theoretical predictions and simulations for metal nanodroplets penetrating carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The results are relevant to a wide range of technological applications, such as microfluidic devices, ink-jet printing, and the penetration of fluids in porous materials.
We use molecular dynamics with an embedded atom potential to study the behavior of palladium nanoclusters near the melting point in the microcanonical ensemble. We see transitions from both fcc and decahedral ground-state structures to icosahedral structures prior to melting over a range of cluster sizes. In all cases this transition occurs during solid-liquid phase coexistence and the mechanism for the transition appears to be fluctuations in the molten fraction of the cluster and subsequent recrystallization into the icosahedral structure.
Abstract As the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads around the world new variants are appearing regularly. Although some countries have achieved very swift and successful vaccination campaigns, on a global scale the vast majority of the population is unvaccinated and new variants are proving more resistant to the current set of vaccines. We present a simple model of disease spread which includes the evolution of new variants and varying vaccine effectiveness to these new strains. We show that rapid vaccine updates to target new strains are more effective than slow updates and containing spread through non-pharmaceutical interventions is vital whilst these vaccines are delivered. Finally when measuring the key model inputs, e.g. the rate at which new mutations and variants of concern emerge, is difficult we show how an observable model output, the number of new variants which have been seen, is strongly correlated with the probability the virus is eliminated.
An experimental study of Bi, Sb, and Cu clusters incident at velocities ≳50m∕s on SiO2, Si3N4, polymethylmethacrylate, and photoresist surfaces shows that the clusters adhere much more strongly to SiO2 and Si3N4 than to the polymer materials. The differences in adhesion properties allow assembly of a range of nanowire-based electronic devices from cluster building blocks using lithographically patterned polymer layers. Clusters adhere to the substrate but not to the surface of the polymer template, eliminating parasitic conduction. Molecular dynamics simulations show that differing cluster-surface interactions affect adhesion most strongly when high incident velocities cause significant plastic deformation of the clusters.
Abstract Background Producing animal protein while reducing the animal’s impact on the environment, e.g., through improved feed efficiency and lowered methane emissions, has gained interest in recent years. Genetic selection is one possible path to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, but these traits are difficult and expensive to measure on many animals. The rumen microbiome may serve as a proxy for these traits due to its role in feed digestion. Restriction enzyme-reduced representation sequencing (RE-RRS) is a high-throughput and cost-effective approach to rumen metagenome profiling, but the systematic (e.g., sequencing) and biological factors influencing the resulting reference based (RB) and reference free (RF) profiles need to be explored before widespread industry adoption is possible. Results Metagenome profiles were generated by RE-RRS of 4,479 rumen samples collected from 1,708 sheep, and assigned to eight groups based on diet, age, time off feed, and country (New Zealand or Australia) at the time of sample collection. Systematic effects were found to have minimal influence on metagenome profiles. Diet was a major driver of differences between samples, followed by time off feed, then age of the sheep. The RF approach resulted in more reads being assigned per sample and afforded greater resolution when distinguishing between groups than the RB approach. Normalizing relative abundances within the sampling Cohort abolished structures related to age, diet, and time off feed, allowing a clear signal based on methane emissions to be elucidated. Genus-level abundances of rumen microbes showed low-to-moderate heritability and repeatability and were consistent between diets. Conclusions Variation in rumen metagenomic profiles was influenced by diet, age, time off feed and genetics. Not accounting for environmental factors may limit the ability to associate the profile with traits of interest. However, these differences can be accounted for by adjusting for Cohort effects, revealing robust biological signals. The abundances of some genera were consistently heritable and repeatable across different environments, suggesting that metagenomic profiles could be used to predict an individual’s future performance, or performance of its offspring, in a range of environments. These results highlight the potential of using rumen metagenomic profiles for selection purposes in a practical, agricultural setting.
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