bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beef tenderness variation due to animal production factors and the effects of electrical stimulation, carcass suspension method, chill rate and ageing duration
Authors: Fisher A.V. , Cook G. , Fursey G.A.J. , Nute G.R.
Published: January 2018

Purchasing specifications for beef carcasses have been aimed at reducing carcass variability and elevating the visual and keeping qualities of retail cuts. But more recently, the Meat and Livestock Commission's blueprint for improved consistent quality beef has incorporated a number of post-mortem treatments aimed at improving tenderness. Do these treatments which include electrical stimulation, pelvic bone suspension, slow chilling and prolonged ageing, exert an influence on quality which masks the intrinsic variation due to the primary production factors of feed, age, sex and possibly breed, or are the production and post-mortem effects additive? To what extent are the post-mortem treatments themselves additive?
Synergistic Mixtures of Sethoxydim and Fluazifop on Annual Grass Weeds
Authors: Harker K. Neil , O'Sullivan P. Ashley
Published: January 2018

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted at the Lacombe Research Station to evaluate mixtures of sethoxydim and fluazifop on green foxtail, wild oat, wheat, and barley in canola. In both environments the two herbicides interacted on the grass species in a synergistic manner. Many of the observed responses to mixtures of sethoxydim and fluazifop were 100% greater than those expected assuming an additive interaction between the herbicides. Mixtures with at least 80 g ha-1of sethoxydim and 80 g ha-1of fluazifop controlled more than 90% of green foxtail, wild oat, wheat, and barley under field conditions. These experiments indicate that the sethoxydim/fluazifop mixture is both complementary and synergistic. The mixture may allow reduced herbicide application rates and therefore reduced herbicide costs and less potential for negative environmental impact.
Effects of Safener CGA-154281 on Metolachlor/Atrazine Injury to Corn (Zea mays)
Authors: Foy Chester L. , Witt Harold L.
Published: January 2018

Three seed lots each of two varieties of field corn were compared in greenhouse and field studies. Cold test germination percentages of the seed lots were as follows: 79, 85, and 93% for ‘DK656’; 77, 84, and 91% for ‘T1100’. Tank mixes of metolachlor or metolachlor with safener CGA-154281 plus atrazine or formulated metolachlor/atrazine with and without the safener were applied preemergence. Crop stand of either variety or among seed lots within a variety was not affected by herbicide treatments. In the greenhouse, fewer corn plants were injured and growth of plants was greater with herbicides with safener than herbicides without safener. Plant heights and weights at harvest from the most vigorous seed lot of DK656 were higher than those of the other two seed lots. Herbicide treatments with the safener did not cause significant injury to corn in the field. Yields of both varieties increased with herbicide treatments in one conventional planting. No significant differences in injury or yields occurred among seed lots within varieties.
Dietary Evidence for Competing in the New World Order
Authors: Barrick Reese
Published: January 2018

Many changes were taking place in the terrestrial landscape near the end of the Mesozoic. Angiosperms are first unequivocally recorded in Cretaceous strata; a rapid diversification and increase in abundance occurred during the Campanian-Maastrichtian. This shift from ferns-gymnosperm to angiosperm dominance was of major importance to terrestrial herbivores. Increasing complexity in the dental batteries of hadrosaurs and ceratopsians also occurred simultaneously. Stable carbon isotopes from teeth have provided detailed information on ecosystem and dietary shifts during the Miocene-Pliocene, with the advent and spread of C4 grasses. However, during the Late Cretaceous all plants probably used only the C3 pathway and carbon isotopes are less useful in distinguishing browsing and grazing habits. However, a large range of carbon isotope values is produced by C3 plants, and indicates that environmental parameters (aridity/humidity) are more important than those produced by taxonomic effects.
Knowledge and informative needs of patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, explored with focus group methods
Authors: Paccaloni Monica , Pozzan Tecla , Rimondini Michela , Zimmermann Christa
Published: January 2018

Aims– Psychiatric patients often are not informed about their diagnosis and their involvement in the decision making process is rare. Aim of the study was to explore the informative needs of patients with schizophrenia and the knowledge about their illness.Method– Three focus groups were conducted with 25 long-stay patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, attending the Mental Health Centre of the South-Verona Community-based Mental Health Service. The group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed.Results– The authors identified 18 different thematic categories which were used by two raters to classify all patient contributions. The interrater reliability was satisfactory. The qualitative analysis evidenced that patients have little knowledge about their illness. Patients had confuse and vague ideas on schizophrenia but their knowledge on drug names, dosages and side effects appeared precise and detailed. Several patients have looked for information in encyclopedias and medical dictionaries.Conclusion– The findings suggest a need of patients affected by schizophrenia for an information exchange with their psychiatrists that takes into account their informative needs, corrects wrong beliefs and actively involves them in therapeutic decisions.
Differences in nutrient and energy contents of commonly consumed dishes prepared in restaurants v. at home in Hunan Province, China
Authors: Jia Xiaofang , Liu Jiawu , Chen Bo , Jin Donghui , Fu Zhongxi , Liu Huilin , Du Shufa , Popkin Barry M , Mendez Michelle A
Published: January 2018

Objective

Eating away from home is associated with poor diet quality, in part due to less healthy food choices and larger portions. However, few studies account for the potential additional contribution of differences in food composition between restaurant- and home-prepared dishes. The present study aimed to investigate differences in nutrients of dishes prepared in restaurants v. at home.

Design

Eight commonly consumed dishes were collected in twenty of each of the following types of locations: small and large restaurants, and urban and rural households. In addition, two fast-food items were collected from ten KFC, McDonald’s and food stalls. Five samples per dish were randomly pooled from every location. Nutrients were analysed and energy was calculated in composite samples. Differences in nutrients of dishes by preparation location were determined.

Setting

Hunan Province, China.

Subjects

Na, K, protein, total fat, fatty acids, carbohydrate and energy in dishes.

Results

On average, both the absolute and relative fat contents, SFA and Na:K ratio were higher in dishes prepared in restaurants than households (P < 0·05). Protein was 15 % higher in animal food-based dishes prepared in households than restaurants (P<0·05). Quantile regression models found that, at the 90th quantile, restaurant preparation was consistently negatively associated with protein and positively associated with the percentage of energy from fat in all dishes. Moreover, restaurant preparation also positively influenced the SFA content in dishes, except at the highest quantiles.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that compared with home preparation, dishes prepared in restaurants in China may differ in concentrations of total fat, SFA, protein and Na:K ratio, which may further contribute, beyond food choices, to less healthy nutrient intakes linked to eating away from home.
Evaluation of thermoplastic Klarity mask use during intensity-modulated radiation therapy for head and neck carcinoma
Authors: Radaideh Khaldoon
Published: January 2018

Aim

To evaluate the Klarity® Mask with respect to skin doses and toxicity secondary to head and neck cancer radiation treatment.

Materials and methods

This prospective study included five nasopharyngeal cancer patients who underwent intensity-modulated radiation therapy and monitored for skin toxicity. An anatomical Perspex head and neck phantom was designed and used. All patients’ treatment plans were separately transferred to the phantom. Dosimetric measurements were performed using chip-shaped thermoluminescent dosimeters (LiF:Mg,Ti TLDs) which were distributed at certain target points on the phantom. Phantom was irradiated twicely with and without a Klarity® Mask. Three fractions for each patient plan were obtained and compared with treatment planning system (TPS) doses as guided by computed tomography.

Results

The Klarity mask used for patient immobilisation increased the surface dose by 10·83% more than that without the mask. The average variations between skin dose measurements with and without the Klarity mask for all patients’ plans ranged from 10·26 to 11·83%. TPS overestimated the surface dose by 19·13% when compared with thermoluminescent dosimeters that measured the direct skin dose.

Conclusions

Klarity immobilisation mask increases skin doses, as a consequence, surface dose measurements should be monitored and must be taken into account.
The effects of competition on premiums: using United Healthcare’s 2015 entry into Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces as an instrumental variable
Authors: Agirdas Cagdas , Krebs Robert J. , Yano Masato
Published: January 2018

One goal of the Affordable Care Act is to increase insurance coverage by improving competition and lowering premiums. To facilitate this goal, the federal government enacted online marketplaces in the 395 rating areas spanning 34 states that chose not to establish their own state-run marketplaces. Few multivariate regression studies analyzing the effects of competition on premiums suffer from endogeneity, due to simultaneity and omitted variable biases. However, United Healthcare’s decision to enter these marketplaces in 2015 provides the researcher with an opportunity to address this endogeneity problem. Exploiting the variation caused by United Healthcare’s entry decision as an instrument for competition, we study the impact of competition on premiums during the first 2 years of these marketplaces. Combining panel data from five different sources and controlling for 12 variables, we find that one more insurer in a rating area leads to a 6.97% reduction in the second-lowest-priced silver plan premium, which is larger than the estimated effects in existing literature. Furthermore, we run a threshold analysis and find that competition’s effects on premiums become statistically insignificant if there are four or more insurers in a rating area. These findings are robust to alternative measures of premiums, inclusion of a non-linear term in the regression models and a county-level analysis.
Evolution of biological complexity: a case study of ammonoid sutures
Authors: Boyajian George E. , Lutz Tim
Published: January 2018

The evolution of ammonoid sutures has long been cited as an example of the evolution of increased biological complexity. The complexity of sutures has increased, on average, but the exact nature of this increase, and any benefit associated with this increase has yet to be documented. We measure the fractal dimension of >600 ammonoid species and document the change in complexity of sutures between and among seven orders: Ammonitida, Anarcestida, Ceratitida, Clymeniida, Goniatitida, Phylloceratitida, and Prolecanitida. The average complexity of sutures and range of complexity of sutures increased from the Devonian to the Triassic. With the rise of the Ammonitida, average complexity of sutures remained constant or dropped slightly through the Mesozoic. However, the simplest sutures continue to originate over that same interval. The evolution of increased complexity is the result of increased number of complex forms, not selective loss of simple ones. (See figure 1)

We then compare the stratigraphic ranges (longevity) of a genus with the fractal dimension of a member of the genus. Increased sutural complexity does not significantly increase or decrease the susceptibility of a genus to extinction. In other words, there is no differential survival among simple and complex forms. We also show that in ancestor-descendant pairs, descendants do not demonstrate a propensity to become either more complex or more simple than their ancestors. These observations suggest that it may be difficult to demonstrate that the evolution of biological complexity is the result of natural selection. Increased complexity may be the result of experimentation with other anatomical features or the result of an evolutionary random walk.
Speciation and diversity of Caribbean Neogene to Holocene cheilostome bryozoans
Authors: Cheetham Alan H. , Jackson Jeremy B. C.
Published: January 2018

Caribbean cheilostomes are a highly diverse component of the tropical American marine benthos with an excellent fossil record. Many workers have tended to lump taxa into morphologically variable, geographically widespread species originating in the Miocene, but recent morphometric and genetic analyses have revealed large suites of cryptic species, barely distinguishable morphologically, within several important genera. Most species in such suites have narrow geographic and stratigraphic ranges. In Stylopoma, for example, canonical discriminant and cluster analyses based on skeletal morphology yielded 19 late Neogene to Holocene species, most of which had been previously classified as S. spongites. Seven species were available for genetic analysis, of which six have been confirmed to differ by protein electrophoresis, either by fixed allele differences or significant genetic distances in sympatry. A combination of cladistic and stratophenetic analysis suggests that the most widely distributed and long-lasting species, which originated early in the Miocene, was ancestor to most or all of the other tropical American Stylopoma species. Despite extensive sampling, five species are narrowly distributed, with all known fossil and viving specimens separated by less than 1000 km, and all but three of the 18 descendant species have been restricted throughout their history to relatively limited parts of the tropical western Atlantic. These patterns are consistent with allopatric speciation of peripheral isolates, only a few of which have achieved wide distributions. Cladogenesis was highly episodic, reaching a peak in Late Miocene time, well before final closure of the Panamanian portal, but after formation of the sill that disrupted oceanic circulation patterns throughout the region.
Intracrystalline biomolecules in Recent and fossil brachiopod shells - the biochemistry of shell coloration
Authors: Clegg Heather , Curry Gordon B.
Published: January 2018

The study of fossil biomolecules requires not only well preserved fossil samples, but abundant Recent material so that reference points can be established. Ideally it would also be possible to study the in situ decay of organic molecules in samples of different geological ages, and hence determine how degradation proceeds with time. The shells of brachiopods fulfill both these criteria, containing up to 1% organic components entombed within their shells, which are composed of highly stable, low magnesium calcite, that survives well in the fossil record for hundreds of millions of years.

This particular study has concentrated on Plio-Pleistocene brachiopods from New Zealand. These fossils are the ancestors of living species, and hence it is possible to investigate intracrystalline biomolecules in modern day shells, as well as the degradation products of such biomolecules in fossil shells of the same species.

Three of the species investigated have bright red shells in life, and during the study it became clear that this coloration was caused by a carotenoprotein which was embedded within, rather than around, the calcite fibres of the brachiopod shell. Carotenoproteins are composite molecules composed of a protein and a prosthetic carotenoid group. The protein has been characterised by hplc (high performance liquid chromatography) and SDS PAGE (sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), and the amino acids at the N-termini have been sequenced, demonstrating that this is a small protein which has a molecular weight of 6.5 kDa and is identical in all 3 species.

At least two different types of carotenoids were detected after initial purification, and these were characterised using direct probe mass spectra, and hplc/mass spectra. Using these techniques the two carotenoids have been tentatively identified as canthaxanthin and the mono acetylenic analogue of asthaxanthin.

In addition to the carotenoproteins, the calcite crystals of recent brachiopod shells contain lipids (carboxylic acids) and carbohydrates, which were characterised by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses (GC/MS).

Fossil brachiopod shells could be distinguished from recent shells due to their lack of unsaturated acids and smaller amounts of carboxylic acids present. However there was no trend of decreasing quantities of fatty acid with increasing age.

The presence of organic molecules such as carotenoproteins, lipids and carbohydrates within calcite crystals poses two questions. Firstly, are these compounds merely wastes metabolic products and are deposited within the shell during growth or, secondly, do they play an important role in the process of biomineralisation? At present these questions remain largely unanswered, because at present only the function of the carotenoprotein has been determined from the spectrum of biomolecules present within the shell (and the carotenoprotein may have other functions apart from coloration).
Fossil clues to paleoecology of deep-sea hydrothermal vent fauna: summary of recent findings
Authors: Lutz Richard A. , Haymon Rachel M.
Published: January 2018

An abundant and unusual fauna is associated with deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the crest of the global mid-ocean ridge system. Precipitation of metal sulfides, silica, iron-oxyhydroxides and other minerals at these vents encrusts and replaces the remains of dead organisms to form fossils that may be preserved in the geologic record. For example, molds and casts of tubiculous polychaete and vestimentiferan worms are abundantly preserved in Recent hot spring deposits on the mid-ocean ridge crest, and similar worm molds also have been found in Tethys ophiolite sulfide mineral deposits of mid-Cretaceous age. The aragonitic and calcareous shells and tests of other vent species are also good candidates for fossilization by encrustation and replacement of their carbonate constituents with hydrothermal minerals.

Recent and ongoing studies of the ecology and mineralization of vent organisms at active hot spring sites on the mid-ocean ridge in the eastern Pacific provide knowledge needed for gleaning paleoecological information from fossiliferous marine hydrothermal deposits in the geologic record. At modern vents, intact larval shells (prodissoconchs or protoconchs) are present on the surfaces of many juvenile molluscs. Preservation of these larval shells by hydrothermal mineralization may provide a powerful paleoecological tool for interpretation of the life history strategies of many sessile invertebrates associated with ancient submarine hydrothermal vents. Bacterial mats that grow on the outer surfaces of sulfide mineral structures have been preserved by silica deposition in inactive deposits on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis at 9°27'N. Studies of the ecology and growth history of this bacterial species at active vents are in progress.

Preservation of ridge crest vent fauna within volcanic rock units can occur when lava erupts on the ridge crest near hydrothermal vent communities. Along the axis of the EPR at 9°50.6'N, vent mussels and vestimentiferan worms were found partially buried by lava flows and volcanic collapse rubble. Animals trapped beneath eruption-associated rubble may be coated or replaced by hydrothermal minerals precipitating from fluids circulating in the cooling rocks. In addition, worm-tube molds were created at the EPR 9°50.6'N site where lava quenched around living vestimentiferans (analogous to the formation of tree-molds in Hawaiian lava flows). These lava molds contained pyritized remnants of the chitinous tubes of the vestimentiferans.
Upper Cretaceous amber arthropods and their implications on changes in insect community structure
Authors: Pike E. M.
Published: January 2018

Assessment of changes in terrestrial ecosystems since Cretaceous time, until recently, has had to rely on paleobotany (including paleopalynology) and vertebrate paleontology to provide data for analysis. Insects contribute a major portion of the terrestrial diversity in any ecosystem, but their fossil record and state of preservation had discouraged paleoecological study beyond the Pleistocene. With the discovery of prolific Upper Cretaceous amber deposits in Russia and Canada, and the investigation of Tertiary amber deposits from the Baltic, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the USA, the prospect of clarifying changes in insect diversity and ecology over time becomes real. Methods are reported which allow the description of species richness and relative abundance of arthropod taxa from an Upper Cretaceous (Campanian: 75 MYA) amber deposit in Alberta, Canada. Diversity and abundance are described at the Order level for hexapods, and for the Acarina and Araneae. Taxa present, in order of abundance, are Homoptera (66 specimens/kg of amber), Diptera (28/kg), Acarina (21/kg), Hymenoptera (13/kg), Araneae (12/kg), Psocoptera (4/kg), Coleoptera (2/kg), Blattodea (1/kg), Thysanoptera (1/kg), Trichoptera (0.6/kg). Other orders present are Lepidoptera, Collembola, Dermaptera, Mantodea, and Ephemeroptera. In total, of 35 identified families, 8 are extinct. There are about 20 genera identified, of which only 1 is extant. All identified species are extinct. Estimated species richness is about 100 species of arthropods. In comparison, virtually all Families reported from Baltic amber (Oligocene) are still extant, as are the majority of genera. Morphology and feeding structures are well within the variation seen in modern insects. This suggests that throughout the Tertiary, Entomologists would feel quite at home with the insect fauna, and during the Upper Cretaceous, they would have little difficulty identifying insects at least to the family level. It is hypothesized that the taxonomic structure of modern insect communities was well established before the end of the Cretaceous, and that the structure and interrelationships of insect guilds were also very similar to those of today.
Preliminary study of the shape of eurypterid prosomas using Fourier analysis
Authors: Tollerton V.P.
Published: January 2018

Shape identification of eurypterid prosomas currently uses the ratio of prosoma length to prosoma width and the lateral angle. Because many species of eurypterids have the same prosoma shape as determined by these criteria, the method is limited in its taxonomic applications. Thompson transformation grids are of little value due to the lack of sufficient topographic reference points, even though some limited success has been achieved in its application to allometry.

Fourier analysis is a more rigorous mathematical descriptor of two-dimensional shape than is simple ratios. Being independent of topographic reference points and ratios, Fourier analysis is well suited, theoretically, to the identification of prosoma shape and potential taxonomic identifications. Problems arise, though, in that Fourier analysis is sensitive to distorted specimens.

My study departs from previous methods of Fourier analysis in that the choice of the reference point from which to measure the radii is not the center of gravity, but instead is the midpoint between the eyes. My reasons for this unorthodox reference point are threefold: 1) this point is determinable on all specimens; 2) the position of the eyes is taxonomically significant (Kjellesvig-Waering, 1961) and 3) allows for the simultaneous identification of prosoma shape and the differentiation of taxa with similar outlines but different eye positions.

As defined by current methods, the taxa used in this study (Eurypterus remipes, E. lacustris, E. pittsfordensis, and E. dekayi) all have similar prosoma shapes. When specimens of the same stage of development were compared statistically, Fourier analysis was successful in the differentiation between E. remipes, E. pittsfordensis and E. dekayi, and between E. lacustris, E. pittsfordensis and E. dekayi, but not between E. remipes and E. lacustris.

The prosoma shapes as studied by Fourier analysis for both E. remipes and E. lacustris are also similar for all size classes examined. All size classes are dominated by the 4th harmonic. The contribution to the outline from other harmonics changes during ontogeny. The 3rd and 7th harmonics are the important components of the prosoma outline for the small size classes (classes 1-3 = maximum prosoma length of 17mm), while the 2nd and 7th harmonics are the important components for the larger size classes (classes 4-7). Further study involving other eurypterid taxa is in progress.
Epibiosis, symbiosis and gastropod taphonomy in the deep sea
Authors: Walker Sally E. , Voight Janet R.
Published: January 2018

A synthesis of current research suggests several trends in deep sea taphonomy. First, epibiosis (the condition of having bionts on exoskeletons that is not obligate) appears to decrease with increasing depth. Epibionts, such as serpulid polychaetes and barnacles that take advantage of ephemeral hard substrates offered by crab exoskeletons, sea urchin spines or gastropod shells, appear to be more diverse and common at depths of less than 500 m. At abyssal depths, microbial communities on living shells are common and may contribute to the breakdown of molluscan periostracum. These communities may also have patchy distributions.

Second, shell-inhabiting symbionts, such as sea anemones uniquely associated with shells of pagurid crustaceans, are most common from 300 to 700 m. These unusual sea anemones cover hermit crab-inhabited gastropod shells with a chitinous material (Dunn et al. 1980) that may affect shell longevity. While gastropod shells without a periostracum may degrade quickly in calcium-poor waters, the chitinous covering secreted by the anemone may increase the postmortem longevity of the shell.

Third, deep sea gastropods usually have eroded apical whorls but buttress this weakness with internal calcium plugs (J. McLean, pers. comm., 1992). In addition, not all deep sea gastropods, like buccinids, have thick periostracal layers. How differing periostracal thicknesses affect taphonomy is undetermined.

Finally, deep sea gastropod fossils occur throughout the Cenozoic from many geographic localities: Eocene (Oregon, United States), Upper Oligocene (France), Miocene (New Zealand, Japan), Miocene/Pliocene (Australia), and Pleistocene (Italy). Sedimentary deposits containing these gastropods vary from thin interbedded sediments within oceanic basalt (e.g., Eocene, Oregon), volcanic breccia with bathyal sediments (e.g. Miocene, Japan), turbiditic sequences (Neogene, Japan) and bathyal clays (Pleistocene, Italy). Fossil quality varies from poorly preserved internal molds with altered shell material, to excellently preserved specimens with calcareous layers intact. We will discuss how this record bears on the geographic and preservational differences among the various deep sea gastropod fauna.
Pteropods counter mechanical damage and dissolution through extensive shell repair
Authors: Peck Victoria L. , Oakes Rosie L. , Harper Elizabeth M. , Manno Clara , Tarling Geraint A.
Published: January 2018

The dissolution of the delicate shells of sea butterflies, or pteropods, has epitomised discussions regarding ecosystem vulnerability to ocean acidification over the last decade. However, a recent demonstration that the organic coating of the shell, the periostracum, is effective in inhibiting dissolution suggests that pteropod shells may not be as susceptible to ocean acidification as previously thought. Here we use micro-CT technology to show how, despite losing the entire thickness of the original shell in localised areas, specimens of polar species Limacina helicina maintain shell integrity by thickening the inner shell wall. One specimen collected within Fram Strait with a history of mechanical and dissolution damage generated four times the thickness of the original shell in repair material. The ability of pteropods to repair and maintain their shells, despite progressive loss, demonstrates a further resilience of these organisms to ocean acidification but at a likely metabolic cost.
Phosphorylation induced cochaperone unfolding promotes kinase recruitment and client class-specific Hsp90 phosphorylation
Authors: Bachman Ashleigh B. , Keramisanou Dimitra , Xu Wanping , Beebe Kristin , Moses Michael A. , Vasantha Kumar M. V. , Gray Geoffrey , Noor Radwan Ebna , van der Vaart Arjan , Neckers Len , Gelis Ioannis
Published: January 2018

During the Hsp90-mediated chaperoning of protein kinases, the core components of the machinery, Hsp90 and the cochaperone Cdc37, recycle between different phosphorylation states that regulate progression of the chaperone cycle. We show that Cdc37 phosphorylation at Y298 results in partial unfolding of the C-terminal domain and the population of folding intermediates. Unfolding facilitates Hsp90 phosphorylation at Y197 by unmasking a phosphopeptide sequence, which serves as a docking site to recruit non-receptor tyrosine kinases to the chaperone complex via their SH2 domains. In turn, Hsp90 phosphorylation at Y197 specifically regulates its interaction with Cdc37 and thus affects the chaperoning of only protein kinase clients. In summary, we find that by providing client class specificity, Hsp90 cochaperones such as Cdc37 do not merely assist in client recruitment but also shape the post-translational modification landscape of Hsp90 in a client class-specific manner.
Genetic analyses favour an ancient and natural origin of elephants on Borneo
Authors: Sharma Reeta , Goossens Benoit , Heller Rasmus , Rasteiro Rita , Othman Nurzhafarina , Bruford Michael W. , Chikhi Lounès
Published: January 2018

The origin of the elephant on the island of Borneo remains elusive. Research has suggested two alternative hypotheses: the Bornean elephant stems either from a recent introduction in the 17th century or from an ancient colonization several hundreds of thousands years ago. Lack of elephant fossils has been interpreted as evidence for a very recent introduction, whereas mtDNA divergence from other Asian elephants has been argued to favor an ancient colonization. We investigated the demographic history of Bornean elephants using full-likelihood and approximate Bayesian computation analyses. Our results are at odds with both the recent and ancient colonization hypotheses, and favour a third intermediate scenario. We find that genetic data favour a scenario in which Bornean elephants experienced a bottleneck during the last glacial period, possibly as a consequence of the colonization of Borneo, and from which it has slowly recovered since. Altogether the data support a natural colonization of Bornean elephants at a time when large terrestrial mammals could colonise from the Sunda shelf when sea levels were much lower. Our results are important not only in understanding the unique history of the colonization of Borneo by elephants, but also for their long-term conservation.
Multiple losses of photosynthesis and convergent reductive genome evolution in the colourless green algae Prototheca
Authors: Suzuki Shigekatsu , Endoh Rikiya , Manabe Ri-ichiroh , Ohkuma Moriya , Hirakawa Yoshihisa
Published: January 2018

Autotrophic eukaryotes have evolved by the endosymbiotic uptake of photosynthetic organisms. Interestingly, many algae and plants have secondarily lost the photosynthetic activity despite its great advantages. Prototheca and Helicosporidium are non-photosynthetic green algae possessing colourless plastids. The plastid genomes of Prototheca wickerhamii and Helicosporidium sp. are highly reduced owing to the elimination of genes related to photosynthesis. To gain further insight into the reductive genome evolution during the shift from a photosynthetic to a heterotrophic lifestyle, we sequenced the plastid and nuclear genomes of two Prototheca species, P. cutis JCM 15793 and P. stagnora JCM 9641, and performed comparative genome analyses among trebouxiophytes. Our phylogenetic analyses using plastid- and nucleus-encoded proteins strongly suggest that independent losses of photosynthesis have occurred at least three times in the clade of Prototheca and Helicosporidium. Conserved gene content among these non-photosynthetic lineages suggests that the plastid and nuclear genomes have convergently eliminated a similar set of photosynthesis-related genes. Other than the photosynthetic genes, significant gene loss and gain were not observed in Prototheca compared to its closest photosynthetic relative Auxenochlorella. Although it remains unclear why loss of photosynthesis occurred in Prototheca, the mixotrophic capability of trebouxiophytes likely made it possible to eliminate photosynthesis.
Testosterone boosts physical activity in male mice via dopaminergic pathways
Authors: Jardí Ferran , Laurent Michaël R. , Kim Nari , Khalil Rougin , De Bundel Dimitri , Van Eeckhaut Ann , Van Helleputte Lawrence , Deboel Ludo , Dubois Vanessa , Schollaert Dieter , Decallonne Brigitte , Carmeliet Geert , Van den Bosch Ludo , D’Hooge Rudi , Claessens Frank , Vanderschueren Dirk
Published: January 2018

Low testosterone (T) in men, especially its free fraction, has been associated with loss of energy. In accordance, orchidectomy (ORX) in rodents results in decreased physical activity. Still, the mechanisms through which T stimulates activity remain mostly obscure. Here, we studied voluntary wheel running behavior in three different mouse models of androgen deficiency: ORX, androgen receptor (AR) knock-out (ARKO) and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)-transgenic mice, a novel mouse model of “low free T”. Our results clearly show a fast and dramatic action of T stimulating wheel running, which is not explained by its action on muscle, as evidenced by neuromuscular studies and in a muscle-specific conditional ARKO mouse model. The action of T occurs via its free fraction, as shown by the results in SHBG-transgenic mice, and it implies both androgenic and estrogenic pathways. Both gene expression and functional studies indicate that T modulates the in vivo sensitivity to dopamine (DA) agonists. Furthermore, the restoration of wheel running by T is inhibited by treatment with DA antagonists. These findings reveal that the free fraction of T, both via AR and indirectly through aromatization into estrogens, stimulates physical activity behavior in male mice by acting on central DA pathways.
Symmetric Decomposition of Asymmetric Games
Authors: Tuyls Karl , Pérolat Julien , Lanctot Marc , Ostrovski Georg , Savani Rahul , Leibo Joel Z , Ord Toby , Graepel Thore , Legg Shane
Published: January 2018

We introduce new theoretical insights into two-population asymmetric games allowing for an elegant symmetric decomposition into two single population symmetric games. Specifically, we show how an asymmetric bimatrix game (A,B) can be decomposed into its symmetric counterparts by envisioning and investigating the payoff tables (A and B) that constitute the asymmetric game, as two independent, single population, symmetric games. We reveal several surprising formal relationships between an asymmetric two-population game and its symmetric single population counterparts, which facilitate a convenient analysis of the original asymmetric game due to the dimensionality reduction of the decomposition. The main finding reveals that if (x,y) is a Nash equilibrium of an asymmetric game (A,B), this implies that y is a Nash equilibrium of the symmetric counterpart game determined by payoff table A, and x is a Nash equilibrium of the symmetric counterpart game determined by payoff table B. Also the reverse holds and combinations of Nash equilibria of the counterpart games form Nash equilibria of the asymmetric game. We illustrate how these formal relationships aid in identifying and analysing the Nash structure of asymmetric games, by examining the evolutionary dynamics of the simpler counterpart games in several canonical examples.
Blockade of TRPV1 Inhibits Methamphetamine-induced Rewarding Effects
Authors: Tian Yu-Hua , Ma Shi-Xun , Lee Kwang-Wook , Wee Sunmee , Koob George F. , Lee Seok-Yong , Jang Choon-Gon
Published: January 2018

Methamphetamine (MAP) is the most widely used psychostimulant in the world, but the exact mechanisms underlying MAP addiction are not yet fully understood. Recent studies have identified the distribution of TRPV1 in several brain regions that are related to drug addiction, including nucleus accumbens (NAc) and dorsal striatum (DSt). In the present study, we performed conditioned place preference (CPP) and self-administration tests to examine the effects of capsazepine (CPZ) and SB366791 (SB) on MAP reward. We found that both CPZ and SB significantly inhibited MAP-induced CPP and self-administration; in contrast, TRPV1 knock-out (KO) mice did not develop MAP-induced CPP. Real-time RT-PCR, Western blot and quantitative autoradiographic tests showed up-regulation of TRPV1 mRNA and protein expression in the NAc and/or DSt regions of mice exhibiting MAP-induced CPP. In addition, an in vivo microdialysis experiment showed that CPZ dramatically reduced dopamine (DA) levels in the NAc region of MAP-treated mice. Furthermore, attenuated dopamine transporter (DAT) binding levels in the NAc and DSt regions of MAP-induced CPP mice were reversed by CPZ. Together, these data suggest that TRPV1 plays an important role in MAP reward via the modulation of DA release and DAT density, thereby providing a novel therapeutic target for MAP addiction.
Stimulation of Epicardial Sympathetic Nerves at Different Sites Induces Cardiac Electrical Instability to Various Degrees
Authors: Wang Liang , Sun Lin , Wang Kun , Jin Yingying , Liu Qing , Xia Zhongnan , Liu Xudong , Zhang Jiakun , Li Jingjie
Published: January 2018

The cardiac sympathetic nerves distribute across cardiac tissues with uneven density. Yet, to what extent this anatomical heterogeneity affects electrical activity of the left ventricle is largely unknown. Dogs were randomized into non-stimulation control (NC), posterior basal-stimulation (PB), anterior superior-stimulation (AS), apical part-stimulation (AP) group. The epicardial sympathetic nerves at different sites along their distribution were with electrical stimulation (ES) for 4 hours except in the NC group. The myocardial effective refractory period (ERP), ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) and density of sympathetic nerves were recorded. Compared with ES at other places, the stimulation at PB site significantly shortened ERP (left ventricular anterior and posterior walls; PB group, 118 ± 4 ms, 106 ± 2 ms; Versus NC group, 155 ± 3.5 ms, 160 ± 3 ms; p < 0.01) and VFT (PB group, 11.5 ± 1.5 V; Versus NC group, 20.5 ± 0.9 V; p < 0.01), and induced remarkable regeneration of the cardiac sympathetic nerves, hence influencing electrical activity of the left ventricle to the most extent. Our study demonstrates that the degree of induced ventricular electrical instability is correlated tightly with the density of sympathetic nerves around ES site, and PB site is a potential target for modulating ventricular electrical activity to the maximal extent.
Collagen-Binding Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) alone or with a Gelatin- furfurylamine Hydrogel Enhances Functional Recovery in Mice after Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Yamane Kentaro , Mazaki Tetsuro , Shiozaki Yasuyuki , Yoshida Aki , Shinohara Kensuke , Nakamura Mariko , Yoshida Yasuhiro , Zhou Di , Kitajima Takashi , Tanaka Masato , Ito Yoshihiro , Ozaki Toshifumi , Matsukawa Akihiro
Published: January 2018

The treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) is currently a significant challenge. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a multipotent neurotrophic and neuroregenerative factor that can be beneficial for the treatment of SCI. However, immobilized HGF targeted to extracellular matrix may be more effective than diffusible, unmodified HGF. In this study, we evaluated the neurorestorative effects of an engineered HGF with a collagen biding domain (CBD-HGF). CBD-HGF remained in the spinal cord for 7 days after a single administration, while unmodified HGF was barely seen at 1 day. When a gelatin-furfurylamine (FA) hydrogel was applied on damaged spinal cord as a scaffold, CBD-HGF was retained in gelatin-FA hydrogel for 7 days, whereas HGF had faded by 1 day. A single administration of CBD-HGF enhanced recovery from spinal cord compression injury compared with HGF, as determined by motor recovery, and electrophysiological and immunohistochemical analyses. CBD-HGF alone failed to improve recovery from a complete transection injury, however CBD-HGF combined with gelatin-FA hydrogel promoted endogenous repair and recovery more effectively than HGF with hydrogel. These results suggest that engineered CBD-HGF has superior therapeutic effects than naïve HGF. CBD-HGF combined with hydrogel scaffold may be promising for the treatment of serious SCI.
Ocular and Clinical Characteristics Associated with the Extent of Posterior Lamina Cribrosa Curve in Normal Tension Glaucoma
Authors: Lee Seung Hyen , Kim Tae-Woo , Lee Eun Ji , Girard Michaël J. A. , Mari Jean Martial , Ritch Robert
Published: January 2018

Although normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) is pathogenetically heterogenous, there have been few attempts to subclassify NTG patients according to the mechanism and anatomy of optic nerve damage. This cross-sectional study was performed to investigate differences in the clinical and ocular characteristics between NTG patient groups stratified according to the degree of posterior lamina cribrosa (LC) curve which was assessed by calculating LC curvature index (LCCI). A total of 101 eyes of 101 treatment naïve NTG patients were included. The optic nerve head was imaged using enhanced-depth-imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in three horizontal B-scan images in each eye. The patients were divided into two groups based on the magnitude of LCCI using a cutoff of known upper 95 percentile value in healthy subjects: a steeply curved LC group (Group 1, 75 eyes, 74.3%) and a relatively flat LC group (Group 2, 26 eyes, 25.7%). NTG eyes with relatively flat LC had lower intraocular pressure, and were associated with greater parapapillary structural alternation and systemic risk factors. These data suggest that assessment of LC morphology may help clinicians seek additional risk factors and make inferences about the mechanism of optic nerve damage in individual patients.
Sensing Native Protein Solution Structures Using a Solid-state Nanopore: Unraveling the States of VEGF
Authors: Varongchayakul Nitinun , Huttner Diana , Grinstaff Mark W. , Meller Amit
Published: January 2018

Monitoring individual proteins in solution while simultaneously obtaining tertiary and quaternary structural information is challenging. In this study, translocation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein through a solid-state nanopore (ssNP) produces distinct ion-current blockade amplitude levels and durations likely corresponding to monomer, dimer, and higher oligomeric states. Upon changing from a non-reducing to a reducing condition, ion-current blockage events from the monomeric state dominate, consistent with the expected reduction of the two inter-chain VEGF disulfide bonds. Cleavage by plasmin and application of either a positive or a negative NP bias results in nanopore signals corresponding either to the VEGF receptor recognition domain or to the heparin binding domain, accordingly. Interestingly, multi-level analysis of VEGF events reveals how individual domains affect their translocation pattern. Our study shows that careful characterization of ssNP results elucidates real-time structural information about the protein, thereby complementing classical techniques for structural analysis of proteins in solution with the added advantage of quantitative single-molecule resolution of native proteins.
Silver Nanoparticles in the Water Environment in Malaysia: Inspection, characterization, removal, modeling, and future perspective
Authors: Syafiuddin Achmad , Salmiati Salmiati , Hadibarata Tony , Kueh Ahmad Beng Hong , Salim Mohd Razman , Zaini Muhammad Abbas Ahmad
Published: January 2018

The current status of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the water environment in Malaysia was examined and reported. For inspection, two rivers and two sewage treatment plants (STPs) were selected. Two activated carbons derived from oil palm (ACfOPS) and coconut (ACfCS) shells were proposed as the adsorbent to remove AgNPs. It was found that the concentrations of AgNPs in the rivers and STPs are in the ranges of 0.13 to 10.16 mg L−1 and 0.13 to 20.02 mg L−1, respectively, with the highest concentration measured in July. ACfOPS and ACfCS removed up to 99.6 and 99.9% of AgNPs, respectively, from the water. The interaction mechanism between AgNPs and the activated carbon surface employed in this work was mainly the electrostatic force interaction via binding Ag+ with O− presented in the activated carbon to form AgO. Fifteen kinetic models were compared statistically to describe the removal of AgNPs. It was found that the experimental adsorption data can be best described using the mixed 1,2-order model. Therefore, this model has the potential to be a candidate for a general model to describe AgNPs adsorption using numerous materials, its validation of which has been confirmed with other material data from previous works.
Interference experiment with asymmetric double slit by using 1.2-MV field emission transmission electron microscope
Authors: Harada Ken , Akashi Tetsuya , Niitsu Kodai , Shimada Keiko , Ono Yoshimasa A. , Shindo Daisuke , Shinada Hiroyuki , Mori Shigeo
Published: January 2018

Advanced electron microscopy technologies have made it possible to perform precise double-slit interference experiments. We used a 1.2-MV field emission electron microscope providing coherent electron waves and a direct detection camera system enabling single-electron detections at a sub-second exposure time. We developed a method to perform the interference experiment by using an asymmetric double-slit fabricated by a focused ion beam instrument and by operating the microscope under a “pre-Fraunhofer” condition, different from the Fraunhofer condition of conventional double-slit experiments. Here, pre-Fraunhofer condition means that each single-slit observation was performed under the Fraunhofer condition, while the double-slit observations were performed under the Fresnel condition. The interference experiments with each single slit and with the asymmetric double slit were carried out under two different electron dose conditions: high-dose for calculation of electron probability distribution and low-dose for each single electron distribution. Finally, we exemplified the distribution of single electrons by color-coding according to the above three types of experiments as a composite image.