The Effects of Ambient Temperature and Lighting Intensity on Wheel-running Behavior in a Diurnal Rodent, the Nile Grass Rat (Arvicanthis niloticus)

Environmental conditions, such as the light-dark cycle and temperature, affect the display of circadian rhythmicity and locomotor activity patterns in mammals. Here, we tested the hypothesis that manipulating these environmental conditions would affect wheel-running activity patterns in a diurnal rodent, the Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus). Grass rats are diurnal in the field, however, a subset switch from a day-active pattern to a night-active pattern of activity after the introduction of a running wheel. The mechanism of this chronotype switch remains largely unknown. In the present study, grass rats were presented with running wheels in 12:12 light-dark conditions. First, subjects were exposed to 25 °C during the day and 21 °C at night, which resulted in 100% of grass rats expressing diurnal behavior. Subjects were then exposed to manipulations of elevated ambient temperature, which resulted in a significant reduction in wheel-running activity. Reducing ambient temperature below 21 °C, however, did not disrupt the expression of diurnality or overall activity. Next, lighting intensity was reduced, which resulted in a switch from a diurnal to a nocturnal chronotype in a subset of animals and reduced overall wheel-running activity. Upon return to baseline lighting intensity, patterns of diurnal activity were restored. Altogether, increases in ambient temperature and decreases in lighting intensity significantly reduced overall wheel-running activity. Importantly, dim light resulted in a temporal niche switch in a subset of grass rats, suggesting a critical role for lighting intensity on the expression of wheel-running activity patterns

CD40-CD40 ligand interactions in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis

We investigated the role of CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) interactions in multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Activated helper T cells expressing CD40L (gp39) surface protein were found in MS patient brain sections, but not in brain tissue sections of normal controls or patients with other neurological diseases. CD40L-positive cells were co-localized with CD40-bearing cells in active lesions (perivascular infiltrates). Most of these CD40 bearing cells proved to be of the monocytic lineage (macrophages or microglial cells), and relatively few were B cells. To functionally evaluate CD40-CD40L interactions, EAE was elicited in mice by means of proteolipid-peptide immunization. Treatment with anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody completely prevented the development of disease. Furthermore, administration of anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody, even after disease onset, shortly before maximum disability score was reached led to dramatic disease reduction. The presence of helper T cells expressing CD40L in brain tissue of MS patients and EAE animals, together with the functional evidence provided by successful experimental prevention and therapy in an animal model, indicates that blockade of CD40-CD40L-mediated cellular interactions may be a method for interference in active MS

Toward the Elucidation of Cytoplasmic Diversity in North American Grape Breeding Programs

Plants have an intriguing tripartite genetic system: Nuclear genome 9 Mitochondria 9 Plastids and their interactions may impact germplasm breeding. In grapevine, the study of cytoplasmic genomes has been limited, and their role with respect to grapevine germplasm diversity has yet to be elucidated. In the present study, the results of an analysis of the cytoplasmic diversity among 6073 individuals (comprising cultivars, interspecific hybrids and segregating progenies) are presented. Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) was used to elucidate plastid and mitochondrial DNA sequences, and results were analyzed using multivariate techniques. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects were annotated in reference to plastid and mitochondrial genome sequences. The cytoplasmic diversity identified was structured according to synthetic domestication groups (wine and raisin/table gr.ape types) and interspecific-hybridization-driven groups with introgression from North American Vitis species, identifying five cytoplasmic groups and four major clusters. Fifty-two SNP markers were used to describe the diversity of the germplasm. Ten organelle genes showed distinct SNP annotations and effect predictions, of which six were chloroplast-derived and three were mitochondrial genes, in addition to one mitochondrial SNP affecting a nonannotated open reading frame. The results suggest that the application of GBS will aid in the study of cytoplasmic genomes in grapevine, which will enable further studies on the role of cytoplasmic genomes in grapevine germplasm, and then allow the exploitation of these sources of diversity in breeding

ベルト・モリゾと日本美術(1) : 扇・団扇のジャポニスムから1890年ビングの「日本版画展」まで

textabstractA human genomic fragment comprising the cellular retinoic acid binding protein (CRABP) gene was isolated. By using a panel of somatic cell hybrids, this gene could be assigned to human chromosome 15. Subsequently, a possible involvement of the CRABP gene in translocation (15;17) (q22;q11) positive acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was investigated. Although transposition of the CRABP gene could be demonstrated, we did not observe any gross CRABP rearrangement in a series of primary APL patients, nor in the acute myeloblastic leukemia cell line HL-60. Thus, the observed lack of CRABP expression in these leukemic cells may not be caused by disruption of its gene. CRABP maps to the region 15q22-qter

Channel choice complications:Exploring the multiplex nature of citizens' channel choices

Part 2: E-Government Services and Open GovernmentInternational audienceIn spite of massive investment and increased adoption of digital services, citizens continue to use traditional channels to interact with public organizations. The channel choice (CC) field of research tries to understand citizens’ interactions with public authorities to make the interaction more efficient and increase citizen satisfaction. However, most studies have been conducted either as surveys of hypothetical services or in experimental settings, leading to a lack of empirical data from actual use contexts. Therefore, we present the results of a sequential mixed methods study which combines observations of citizen-caseworker interaction in a call center, contextual interviews with callers, and a survey classifying topics from 10,000 telephone calls. We contribute to the CC field and practice with rich empirical data from studies of actual channel choices. Specifically, the study explores the multiplex nature of real-life CC and demonstrate how telephone calls can be part of a process, which occurs across both traditional and digital channels. Moreover, we identify problems, which cause telephone calls related to digital services, and classify these in two groups: information related problems and action related problems

The Human Phenotype Ontology project:linking molecular biology and disease through phenotype data

The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) project, available at http://www.human-phenotype-ontology.org, provides a structured, comprehensive and well-defined set of 10,088 classes (terms) describing human phenotypic abnormalities and 13,326 subclass relations between the HPO classes. In addition we have developed logical definitions for 46% of all HPO classes using terms from ontologies for anatomy, cell types, function, embryology, pathology and other domains. This allows interoperability with several resources, especially those containing phenotype information on model organisms such as mouse and zebrafish. Here we describe the updated HPO database, which provides annotations of 7,278 human hereditary syndromes listed in OMIM, Orphanet and DECIPHER to classes of the HPO. Various meta-attributes such as frequency, references and negations are associated with each annotation. Several large-scale projects worldwide utilize the HPO for describing phenotype information in their datasets. We have therefore generated equivalence mappings to other phenotype vocabularies such as LDDB, Orphanet, MedDRA, UMLS and phenoDB, allowing integration of existing datasets and interoperability with multiple biomedical resources. We have created various ways to access the HPO database content using flat files, a MySQL database, and Web-based tools. All data and documentation on the HPO project can be found online

Multiple Recurrent De Novo CNVs, Including Duplications of the 7q11.23 Williams Syndrome Region, Are Strongly Associated with Autism

SummaryWe have undertaken a genome-wide analysis of rare copy-number variation (CNV) in 1124 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) families, each comprised of a single proband, unaffected parents, and, in most kindreds, an unaffected sibling. We find significant association of ASD with de novo duplications of 7q11.23, where the reciprocal deletion causes Williams-Beuren syndrome, characterized by a highly social personality. We identify rare recurrent de novo CNVs at five additional regions, including 16p13.2 (encompassing genes USP7 and C16orf72) and Cadherin 13, and implement a rigorous approach to evaluating the statistical significance of these observations. Overall, large de novo CNVs, particularly those encompassing multiple genes, confer substantial risks (OR = 5.6; CI = 2.6–12.0, p = 2.4 × 10-7). We estimate there are 130–234 ASD-related CNV regions in the human genome and present compelling evidence, based on cumulative data, for association of rare de novo events at 7q11.23, 15q11.2-13.1, 16p11.2, and Neurexin 1

Radiographic severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis in African Americans: Results from a multicenter observational study

To describe radiographic changes in African-Americans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the CLEAR (Consortium for the Longitudinal Evaluation of African-Americans with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis) Registry, a multicenter observational study

Relational quality and media use in interpersonal relationships

Author final draft doi:10.1177/1461444807080339This study examined the relationship between relational quality and media use in interpersonal relationships. In addition, the impacts of other potentially important variables such as sex and relationship type of participants and their partners were explored. College student participants focused on interaction experiences with an acquaintance, friend, romantic partner, or family member. Questions addressed the sex of relational partners, how much of participants’ total communication with relational partners is conducted in each of three media (i.e., face-to-face, phone, and internet), and the quality of relationships. Results indicated that participant sex and partner sex did not affect reported media use, whereas relationship type had significant effects on the extent to which face-to-face and telephone communication were used. Specifically, among the college students studied, face-to-face communication was used least with family members and the telephone was used most with family members. Relationships with acquaintances had the lowest relational quality and romantic relationships, while closer, were less satisfying than either family or friendship relationships. Same-sex relationships were perceived as more satisfying than cross-sex relationships. Finally, media use did not predict relational closeness or satisfaction. Results are discussed in light of previous research on mediated interpersonal communication and conceptualizations of the role of communication technology in one’s social life are highlighted

Integrated Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment and Supply Chain Environmental Profile Evaluations of Lead-based (Lead Zirconate Titanate) versus Lead-free (Potassium Sodium Niobate) Piezoelectric Ceramics

The increasing awareness of the environmental and health threats of lead as well as environmental legislation, both in the EU and around the world targeted at decreasing the use of hazardous substances in electrical appliances and products has reinvigorated the race to develop lead-free alternatives to lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which presently dominates the market for piezoelectric materials. Emphasis has been placed on one of the most likely piezoelectric materials, potassium sodium niobate (KNN), as a lead-free replacement for PZT. KNN has been speculated to have better environmental credentials and is considered as a “greener” replacement to PZT. However, a comparative environmental impact assessment of the life cycle phases of KNN versus PZT piezoelectric materials has not been carried out. Such a life cycle assessment is crucial before any valid claims of “greenness” or environmental viability of one material over the other can be made and is the focus of this paper. Against this backdrop, a methodologically robust life cycle supply chain assessment based on integrated hybrid life cycle framework is undertaken within the context of the two piezoelectric materials. Results show that the presence of niobium in KNN constitutes far greater impact across all the 16 categories considered in comparison with PZT. The increased environmental impact of KNN occurs in the early stages of the LCA due to raw material extraction and processing. As a result, the environmental damage has already occurred before its use in piezoelectric applications during which it doesn’t constitute any threat. As such, the use of the term “environmentally friendly” for the description of KNN should be avoided. Cost-benefit analysis of substituting PZT with KNN also indicates that the initial cost of conversion to KNN is greater, especially for energy usage during production. This environmental assessment has allowed us to define and address environmental health and safety as well as sustainability issues that are essential for future development of these materials. Overall, this work demonstrates insightful findings that can be garnered through the application of life cycle assessment and supply chain management to a strategic engineering question which allows industries and policy makers to make informed decisions regarding the environmental consequences of substitute materials, designs, fabrication processes and usage