Housekeeping genes for quantitative expression studies in the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

Background During the last years the quantification of immune response under immunological challenges, e.g. parasitation, has been a major focus of research. In this context, the expression of immune response genes in teleost fish has been surveyed for scientific and commercial purposes. Despite the fact that it was shown in teleostei and other taxa that the gene for beta-actin is not the most stably expressed housekeeping gene (HKG), depending on the tissue and experimental treatment, the gene has been us Results To establish a reliable method for the measurement of immune gene expression in Gasterosteus aculeatus, sequences from the now available genome database and an EST library of the same species were used to select oligonucleotide primers for HKG, in order to perform quantitative reverse-transcription (RT) PCR. The expression stability of ten candidate reference genes was evaluated in three different tissues, and in five parasite treatment groups, using the three algorithms BestKeeper, geNorm and N Conclusion As they were the most stably expressed genes in all tissues examined, we suggest using the genes for the L13a ribosomal binding protein and ubiquitin as alternative or additional reference genes in expression analysis in Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Interactions between teaching assistants and students boost engagement in physics labs

Through in-class observations of teaching assistants (TAs) and students in the lab sections of a large introductory physics course, we study which TA behaviors can be used to predict student engagement and, in turn, how this engagement relates to learning. For the TAs, we record data to determine how they adhere to and deliver the lesson plan and how they interact with students during the lab. For the students, we use observations to record the level of student engagement and pre- and post-tests of lab skills to measure learning. We find that the frequency of TA-student interactions, especially those initiated by the TAs, is a positive and significant predictor of student engagement. Interestingly, the length of interactions is not significantly correlated with student engagement. In addition, we find that student engagement was a better predictor of post-test performance than pre-test scores. These results shed light on the manner in which students learn how to conduct inquiry and suggest that, by proactively engaging students, TAs may have a positive effect on student engagement, and therefore learning, in the lab.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures. v2: Revised for clarity and concision. Version accepted to Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Researc

RRS Discovery Cruise 365, 11 May-02 Jun 2011. The Extended Ellett Line 2011

The Extended Ellett Line is a full-depth hydrographic section between Iceland, 60°N 20°W, Rockall and Scotland. The original Ellett Line across the Rockall Trough was first occupied in 1975 when measurements were attempted four times a year. In 1996 the line was extended to Iceland and since then has been occupied approximately annually. The data form a 35 year time series of the oceanic conditions west of the British Isles.The section monitors the characteristics of the warm water inflow into the Nordic Seas and thence to the Arctic, and observes part of the returning cold water outflow with easurements of the Iceland-Scotland Overflow and the overflow of the Wyville-Thomson Ridge into the Rockall Trough.The 2011 occupation, RRS Discovery cruise 365, was curtailed by both technical problems and bad weather. 45 of the 48 CTD stations were worked between the Iceland and Scotland shelf edges. Line G, part of the SAMS observation network of the Scottish continental shelf was partially completed, with 4 stations at the western end not worked. Samples were taken for CFC and SF6 analysis, DIC and alkalinity, inorganic nutrients, aluminium, POC, bacterial abundance and biomass, and for phytoplankton community structure. Plans to repeat stations, to collect validation data for the SAMS glider and to investigate eddies in the Rockall Trough had to be abandoned

Expression of PD-L1 in tumor and immune system cells affects the survival of patients with urinary bladder cancer

Background: The prediction of tumor malignancy is still one of the most demanding diagnostic tasksin urinary bladder cancer because of its clinicopathological heterogeneity. The aim of this study was toevaluate the expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells (TCs) and immune effector cells (IECs) as well as thepattern of distribution of PD-L1+ IECs within the tumor (dispersed or aggregated) and their associationwith survival of patients with pT1-pT4 urinary bladder cancer.Materials and methods: 110 patients with stage pT1-pT4 urothelial bladder carcinoma who underwentradical cystectomy/cystoprostatectomy between 2011 and 2014 were included in the study. Paraffin blocksmost representative of the tumor were selected for H&E staining as well as immunostaining with the useof rabbit anti-PD-L1 (Ventana clone SP142, Roche). In each sample, the area of the tumor containing PDL1+IECs, as well as, the pattern of distribution (dispersed or aggregated) of PD-L1+ immune effectorcells within the tumor were analyzed. In addition, the expression of PD-L1 in TCs was also assessed.Results: Patients had a shorter survival time in pT2-pT4 cases without TCs expressing PD-L1 (p = 0.007)and/or when PD-L1+ IECs displayed a predominantly dispersed pattern of distribution (p = 0.013).Conclusions: The expression of PD-L1 on TCs and IECs is a prognostic factor which allows for stratificationof patient survival in UBC. The predominance of dispersed or aggregated pattern of distribution ofPD-L1+ IECs in the tumor may be considered as a new prognostic factor in pT1-T4 UBC and indicate thefunctional status of the immune system

The Creation of a Ubiquitous Business Community for an Agribusiness Cluster

Ubiquitous Business Communities (UBC) are information processing systems that offer people the possibility to connect to networks, any time independently from location and computing platforms, which are sensitive to the users´ contexts. UBC allow participants to exchange information and enhance business transactions. These systems may act as market organizers and may affect millions of producers and clients in developing countries. Our research-in-progress paper presents the creation of a UBC to enhance business transactions in an agribusiness cluster. We highlight some characteristics of the UBC under development, considering the main factors that influence the competitiveness of the cluster. We also describe aspects of the development process of the UBC and of the structuration process of the community (organization of a member and product catalog and of product quality standards). Finally we present expectations to be verified in the implementation process of the UBC