SELECTIVE REGULATION OF CARDIOMYOCYTE SIGNALING BY RGL2

A key cardiovascular signaling molecule involved in both physiologic and pathologic regulation of cardiomyocytes is the small molecular weight G-protein, Ras. Differential effects of Ras are mediated by multiple effector molecules, including the RalGEFs which activate Ral. Studies performed in cardiomyocytes have indicated a role for Ral in cardiac hypertrophic signaling and the RalGEF family member, Rgl2, was shown to specifically interact with Ras in the heart. Therefore, I hypothesized that Rgl2 was an important Ras effector that would regulate cardiomyocyte signaling. To elucidate the potential importance of Rgl2 in regulating cardiomyocyte signaling, a gain-of-function approach was utilized in which NRVMs were infected with an adenovirus to increase Rgl2 expression. Using this approach, I found that Rgl2 increased Ral-GTP levels, Ras-GTP levels, and PI3-kinase-Akt signaling, but decreased ERK phosphorylation. Overall, my results suggest a model in which Rgl2 disrupts Ras-Raf and Ras-RasGAP interaction to decrease ERK phosphorylation and increase Ras-GTP, respectively. Furthermore, Rgl2-induced Ral activation promotes the enhanced PI3- kinase-Akt signaling. The physiologic consequence of Rgl2 signaling is difficult to predict, but the increase in PI3-kinase-Akt signaling would be expected to promote cardiomyocyte survival and enhance cardiac function, both of which are characteristic of physiologic hypertrophy

Adding weight to judgments: The role of stimulus focality on weight-related embodied cognition

Research employing metaphors to explore embodied cognition has shown bidirectional relationships between cognitions and sensory-motor stimuli, such as importance and weight (e.g., “weighty tome”). This research has typically used cognition-relevant metaphor primes (e.g., weighted backpacks when making steepness judgments, weighted clipboards when judging importance of written information) but has yet to consider the role of stimuli features like focality in these findings. The current study examined wearing a heavy versus light backpack on social judgments to explore the effect of this unrelated weight prime on established weight-relevant cognitions. Participants were 40 undergraduate psychology students who wore a heavy (~5 kg) or light ( < 1 kg) backpack while making cognitive, affective, and interpersonal judgments. No significant differences were found between the judgments as a function of backpack weight. This finding suggests that non-task-relevant metaphorical primes have no observable effect on embodied cognition. This provides the first published evidence that embodied cognition is context sensitive and discriminating, that is, not every stimuli activates every related cognition

RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY AND SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS FACULTY IN THE SOUTHERN REGION: A QUARTER OF A CENTURY LATER

Productivity and characteristics of southern agricultural economics faculty was compared to other regional faculty. With few exceptions, faculty members in the Southern region are as productive as their counterparts. We also found that the majority of respondents in all regions considered themselves in the top-quartile in all areas.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

DETERMINANTS OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC FACULTY SALARIES: A QUARTER OF A CENTURY LATER

Factors influencing the salaries of university agricultural economists were examined and compared to previous work. Results suggest the impact of publication output has remained relatively constant for the past 25 years, while other factors like grantsmanship have changed significantly. Additional analyses suggest significant impacts of appointment apportionment and Ph.D. programs.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

A randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of a multi-strain probiotic on self-reported indicators of depression, anxiety, mood, and associated biomarkers

Objective: To examine the efficacy of supplementing with a multi-strain probiotic (MSP) on changes associated with mood, anxiety, and neurotransmitter levels. Method: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled fashion, 70 healthy men and women (31.0  ±  9.5  years, 173.0  ±  10.4  cm, 73.9  ±  13.8  kg, 24.6  ±  3.5  kg/m2 ) supplemented with a single capsule of MSP (a total daily dose of 4 × 109 colony forming units [CFU] comprised of a 1 × 109   CFU dose from each of the following strains: Limosilactobacillus fermentum LF16, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LR06, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP01, and Bifidobacterium longum 04, Probiotical S.p.A., Novara, Italy) or a maltodextrin placebo (PLA). After 0, 2, 4, and 6  weeks of supplementation and 3  weeks after ceasing supplementation, study participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity (LEIDS-R) questionnaires and had plasma concentrations of cortisol, dopamine, serotonin, and C-reactive protein determined. Results: BDI, STAI, and total LEIDS-R scores were reduced from baseline (p  \u3c  0.05) with MSP supplementation after 4 and 6  weeks of supplementation and 3  weeks after supplementation while no changes (p  \u3e  0.05) were reported in PLA. When compared to PLA, MSP scores for state anxiety, trait anxiety, and LEIDS-R (hopeless, aggression, rumination, and total score) were significantly lower (p  \u3c  0.05) after supplementation. Plasma serotonin concentrations in MSP were increased from baseline after 6  weeks of supplementation and 3  weeks after ceasing supplementation. No changes (p  \u3e  0.05) in plasma dopamine, C-reactive protein, or cortisol concentrations were observed between groups. Conclusion: MSP supplementation resulted in widespread improvements in several questionnaires evaluating mood, anxiety, and depression in young, healthy men and women. MSP supplementation increased serotonin increased after 6  weeks of MSP supplementation with no change in dopamine, C-reactive protein, or cortiso

A Dose-Response Study to Examine Paraxanthine\u27s Impact on Energy Expenditure, Hunger, Appetite, and Lipolysis

This study investigated if paraxanthine (PX) impacts energy expenditure, lipolysis and perceptual responses. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover fashion, 21 adults (13 M, 8 F; 26.0 ± 6.4 years, 174.9 ± 11.5 cm, 81.0 ± 15.7 kg body mass, 26.3 ± 3.4 kg/m2) consumed a placebo (PLA), 100 mg (PX100), 200 mg (PX200), and 300 mg of PX (PX300, enfinity®, Ingenious Ingredients, L.P. Lewisville, TX, USA). Venous blood was collected 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min (min) after ingestion and analyzed for glycerol and free fatty acids. Resting hemodynamics, metabolic rate and perceptual indicators of hunger, appetite and anxiety were evaluated. Mixed factorial analysis of variance were used to evaluate changes time within and between groups. Heart rate decreased in PX100 compared to PLA 60 (p = .022) and 180 min (p = .001). Blood pressure did not change. Hunger ratings in PLA increased 30 (p = .05), 60 (p = .04), 90 (p = .02), and 180 min (p = .05) after ingestion when compared to PX200. PX200 increased energy expenditure (all p \u3c .05) when compared to PLA. Rates of fat oxidation tended to increase 90 (p = .056) and 120 min (p = .066) in PX200 compared to PLA. Free fatty acids increased in PX300 compared to PLA (p = .002). Glycerol did not change. Ingestion of PX200 augmented energy expenditure and hunger ratings when compared to PLA without impacting hemodynamics or lipolysis

Deletion of the eIFiso4G subunit of the Arabidopsis eIFiso4F translation initiation complex impairs health and viability

Arabidopsis thaliana knockout lines for the plant-specific eukaryotic translation initiation factors eIFiso4G1 (i4g1) and eIFiso4G2 (i4g2) genes have been obtained. To address the potential for functional redundancy of these genes, homozygous double mutant lines were generated by crossing individual knockout lines. Both single and double mutant plants were analyzed for changes in gross morphology, development, and responses to selected environmental stressors. Single gene knockouts appear to have minimal effect on morphology, germination rate, growth rate, flowering time, or fertility. However, double mutant i4g1/i4g2 knockout plants show reduced germination rates, slow growth rates, moderate chlorosis, impaired fertility and reduced long term seed viability. Double mutant plants also exhibit altered responses to dehydration, salinity, and heat stress. The i4g2 and i4g1/i4g2 double mutant has reduced amounts of chlorophyll a and b suggesting a role in the expression of chloroplast proteins. General protein synthesis did not appear to be affected as the levels of gross protein expression did not appear to change in the mutants. The lack of a phenotype for either of the single mutants suggests there is considerable functional overlap. However, the strong phenotypes observed for the double mutant indicates that the individual gene products may have specialized roles in the expression of proteins involved in plant growth and development

Mll5 Is Required for Normal Spermatogenesis

Mll5 is currently a member of the Mll family of SET domain histone methyltransferase proteins but studies have also showed that it could be part of the SET3 branch of proteins. Recently, constitutive knock out animal studies have shown that Mll5 is required for proper haematopoietic stem cell differentiation, and loss of Mll5 results in synthetic lethality for genome de-methylation. Mll5 deficient male mice are infertile and here we analyse the consequences of Mll5 deficiency for spermatogenesis.Mll5 deficient male mice, but not female mice, are infertile. Here we show using RNA in-situ hybridization that Mll5 is expressed in the germ cells of the testes of wild type mice. Consistent with the expression of Mll5, we demonstrate by electron microscopy, video microscopy and in vitro fertilisation techniques that Mll5 deficient mice have defects in terminal maturation and packaging of sperm. The defects seen include detachment of the acrosomal cap and impaired excess cytoplasm removal. Functional tests of sperm motility show a lack of progressive motility of spermatozoa from Mll5 deficient animals. None of these defects could be rescued by in vitro fertilization. Using microarray analysis we show that transcripts implicated in spermatogenesis are dysregulated.Our data demonstrate a clear role of Mll5 in mammalian spermatogenesis at the level of terminal differentiation providing further support for its classification in the SET3 branch of proteins. Moreover, this study identifies Tlk2, Utx, Gpr64, Sult4a1, Rap2ip, Vstm2 and HoxA10 as possible Mll5 targets that together may account for the observed spermatozoa maturation defects

Host phenotype characteristics and MC1R in relation to early-onset basal cell carcinoma.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) incidence is increasing, particularly among adults under the age of 40 years. Pigment-related characteristics are associated with BCC in older populations, but epidemiologic studies among younger individuals and analyses of phenotype-genotype interactions are limited. We examined self-reported phenotypes and melanocortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R) variants in relation to early-onset BCC. BCC cases (n=377) and controls with benign skin conditions (n=390) under the age of 40 years were identified through Yale's Dermatopathology database. Factors most strongly associated with early-onset BCC were skin reaction to first summer sun for 1 hour (severe sunburn vs. tan odds ratio (OR)=12.27, 95% confidence interval (CI)=4.08-36.94) and skin color (very fair vs. olive OR=11.06, 95% CI=5.90-20.74). Individuals with two or more MC1R non-synonymous variants were 3.59 times (95% CI=2.37-5.43) more likely to have BCC than those without non-synonymous variants. All host characteristics and MC1R were more strongly associated with multiple BCC case status (37% of cases) than a single BCC case status. MC1R, number of moles, skin reaction to first summer sun for 1 hour, and hair and skin color were independently associated with BCC. BCC risk conferred by MC1R tended to be stronger among those with darker pigment phenotypes, traditionally considered to be at low risk of skin cancer

Heterogeneity in diagnostic characters across ecoregions: A case study with Botrynema (Hydrozoa: Trachylina: Halicreatidae)

IntroductionBotrynema, a genus of medusozoans in the trachyline family Halicreatidae, currently contains two species: B. brucei and B. ellinorae, distinguished by the presence or absence, respectively, of an apical knob as a diagnostic character. However, no study has corroborated if these taxonomic diagnoses have a biological and evolutionary basis. Therefore, in this study we attempted to address the question “do the two nominal species in the genus Botrynema represent independent phylogenetic lineages, or two phenotypic variants of a single species?MethodsIn this study we took advantage of legacy collections from different research expeditions across the globe from 2000 to 2021 to study the phylogenetics and taxonomy of the genus Botrynema.ResultsB. brucei and B. ellinorae present partially overlapping vertical distributions in the Arctic and as a whole in the Arctic the genus seems to be limited to the Atlantic water masses. The phylogenetic reconstruction based on the concatenated alignment corroborates the validity of the family Halicreatidae and of genus Botrynema as monophyletic groups. However no clear differentiation was found between the two presently accepted species, B. ellinorae and B. brucei.DiscussionBased on the evidence we gathered, we conclude that while the genus Botrynema does contain at least two species lineages, these lineages are not concordant with current species definitions. The species B. ellinorae is reassigned as a subspecies of B. brucei and diagnostic characters are provided