Assessment of Climate Change Impact on Water Productivity and Yield of Wheat Cultivated Using Developed Seasonal Schedule Irrigation in the Nineveh Province

The agricultural lands that depend on supplementary irrigation methods for winter wheat cultivating in wide areas of the Nineveh province are most vulnerable to climate change concerns. Due to frequent rainfall shortages and the temperature increase recently noticed and predicted by the climate scenarios. Hence important to assess the climate effect on the crop response in terms of water consumption during the periods (2021-2040) and (2041-2060) by using high-resolution data extracted from 6 global climate data GCMs under SSP5-8.5 fossil fuel emission scenarios in changing and fixed CO2 concentration. And validate the Aqua-Crop model to estimate the yield and water productivity. And gives the RRSME of 7.1- 4.1 for the calibration and verification, respectively, d and R2 equal 1, indicating good model performance. From findings, the predicted response to the temperature increase and variability in rainfall between increase and decrease represents an increase in irrigation water productivity to 28% in 2060 related to the reference period in the developed schedule under changing CO2 scenario and a reduction by 13% in the near term related to the mid-term under the fixed CO2 concentration scenario. And the simulation of yield production increased by 30 % under the scenario of changing CO2 concentration. While a slight increase of 13 % under the fixed CO2 concentration scenario. These findings help realize the future uncertain resilience of agriculture in Iraq to create efficient adaptation measures to benefit from climate change opportunities.

Gut microbe-derived extracellular vesicles induce insulin resistance, thereby impairing glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle

Gut microbes might influence host metabolic homeostasis and contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is characterized by insulin resistance. Bacteria-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been suggested to be important in the pathogenesis of diseases once believed to be noninfectious. Here, we hypothesize that gut microbe-derived EVs are important in the pathogenesis of T2D. In vivo administration of stool EVs from high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice induced insulin resistance and glucose intolerance compared to regular diet (RD)-fed mice. Metagenomic profiling of stool EVs by 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing revealed an increased amount of EVs derived from Pseudomonas panacis (phylum Proteobacteria) in HFD mice compared to RD mice. Interestingly, P. panacis EVs blocked the insulin signaling pathway in both skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Moreover, isolated P. panacis EVs induced typical diabetic phenotypes, such as glucose intolerance after glucose administration or systemic insulin injection. Thus, gut microbe-derived EVs might be key players in the development of insulin resistance and impairment of glucose metabolism promoted by HFD.11148Ysciescopu

The use of carboxymethylcellulose gel to increase non-viral gene transfer in mouse airways

We have assessed whether viscoelastic gels known to inhibit mucociliary clearance can increase lipid-mediated gene transfer. Methylcellulose or carboxymethylcellulose (0.25 to 1.5%) were mixed with complexes of the cationic lipid GL67A and plasmids encoding luciferase and perfused onto the nasal epithelium of mice. Survival after perfusion with 1% CMC or1% MC was 90 and 100%, respectively. In contrast 1.5% CMC was uniformly lethal likely due to the viscous solution blocking the airways. Perfusion with 0.5% CMC containing lipid/DNA complexes reproducibly increased gene expression by approximately 3-fold (n= 16, p<0.05). Given this benefit, likely related to increased duration of contact, we also assessed the effect of prolonging contact time of the liposome/DNA complexes by delivering our standard 80 μg DNA dose over either approximately 22 or 60 min of perfusion. This independently increased gene transfer by 6-fold (n=8, p<0.05) and could be further enhanced by the addition of 0.5% CMC, leading to an overall 25-fold enhancement (n=8, p<0.001) in gene expression. As a result of these interventions CFTR transgene mRNA transgene levels were increased several logs above background. Interestingly, this did not lead to correction of the ion transport defects in the nasal epithelium of cystic fibrosis mice nor for immunohistochemical quantification of CFTR expression. To assess if 0.5% CMC also increased gene transfer in the mouse lung, we used whole body nebulisation chambers. CMC was nebulised for 1 hr immediately before, or simultaneously with GL67A/pCIKLux. The former did not increase gene transfer, whereas co-administration significantly increased gene transfer by 4-fold (p<0.0001, n=18). This study suggests that contact time of non-viral gene transfer agents is a key factor for gene delivery, and suggests two methods which may be translatable for use in man

Serotonin and corticosterone rhythms in mice exposed to cigarette smoke and in patients with COPD:implication for COPD-associated neuropathogenesis

The circadian timing system controls daily rhythms of physiology and behavior, and disruption of clock function can trigger stressful life events. Daily exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) can lead to alteration in diverse biological and physiological processes. Smoking is associated with mood disorders, including depression and anxiety. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have abnormal circadian rhythms, reflected by daily changes in respiratory symptoms and lung function. Corticosterone (CORT) is an adrenal steroid that plays a considerable role in stress and anti-inflammatory responses. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5HT) is a neurohormone, which plays a role in sleep/wake regulation and affective disorders. Secretion of stress hormones (CORT and 5HT) is under the control of the circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Since smoking is a contributing factor in the development of COPD, we hypothesize that CS can affect circadian rhythms of CORT and 5HT secretion leading to sleep and mood disorders in smokers and patients with COPD. We measured the daily rhythms of plasma CORT and 5HT in mice following acute (3 d), sub-chronic (10 d) or chronic (6 mo) CS exposure and in plasma from non-smokers, smokers and patients with COPD. Acute and chronic CS exposure affected both the timing (peak phase) and amplitude of the daily rhythm of plasma CORT and 5HT in mice. Acute CS appeared to have subtle time-dependent effects on CORT levels but more pronounced effects on 5HT. As compared with CORT, plasma 5HT was slightly elevated in smokers but was reduced in patients with COPD. Thus, the effects of CS on plasma 5HT were consistent between mice and patients with COPD. Together, these data reveal a significant impact of CS exposure on rhythms of stress hormone secretion and subsequent detrimental effects on cognitive function, depression-like behavior, mood/anxiety and sleep quality in smokers and patients with COPD

Extensive cross-disciplinary analysis of biological and chemical control of Calanus finmarchicus reproduction during an aldehyde forming diatom bloom in mesocosms

Egg and faecal pellet production and egg hatching success of the calanoid copepod Calanus finmarchicus were monitored over a period of 14 days (14-28 April, 2008) while fed water from 4 differently treated mesocosms and ambient water. Two of the mesocosms used were inoculated with the polyunsaturated aldehyde (PUA)-producing diatom Skeletonema marinoi, while 2 received only nutrient additions with or without silica. The mesocosms developed blooms of S. marinoi, mixed diatoms or the haptophyte Phaeocystis pouchetii, respectively. Faecal pellet production of C. finmarchicus increased with increasing food availability. Egg production increased with time in all mesocosms to a maximum single female production of 232 eggs female(-1) day(-1) (average of 90 eggs female(-1) day(-1)) and followed the development of ciliates and P. pouchetii, but was not affected by the observed high (up to 15 nmol L(-1)) PUA production potential of the phytoplankton. The hatching success of the eggs produced on the mesocosm diets was high (78-96%) and was not affected by either aldehydes in the maternal diet or exposure to the dissolved aldehydes in the water

Studies of the Decay B+- -> D_CP K+-

We report studies of the decay B+- -> D_CP K+-, where D_CP denotes neutral D mesons that decay to CP eigenstates. The analysis is based on a 29.1/fb data sample of collected at the \Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e+ e- storage ring. Ratios of branching fractions of Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored processes involving D_CP are determined to be B(B- -> D_1 K-)/B(B- -> D_1 pi-)=0.125 +- 0.036 +- 0.010 and B(B- -> D_2 K-)/B(B- -> D_2 pi-)=0.119 +- 0.028 +- 0.006, where indices 1 and 2 represent the CP=+1 and CP=-1 eigenstates of the D0 - anti D0 system, respectively. We also extract the partial rate asymmetries for B+- -> D_CP K+-, finding A_1 = 0.29 +- 0.26 +- 0.05 and A_2 = -0.22 +- 0.24 +- 0.04.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Observation of a ppb mass threshoud enhancement in \psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p}) decay

The decay channel $\psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p})$ is studied using a sample of $1.06\times 10^8$ $\psi^\prime$ events collected by the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. A strong enhancement at threshold is observed in the $p\bar{p}$ invariant mass spectrum. The enhancement can be fit with an $S$-wave Breit-Wigner resonance function with a resulting peak mass of $M=1861^{+6}_{-13} {\rm (stat)}^{+7}_{-26} {\rm (syst)} {\rm MeV/}c^2$ and a narrow width that is $\Gamma<38 {\rm MeV/}c^2$ at the 90% confidence level. These results are consistent with published BESII results. These mass and width values do not match with those of any known meson resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics

Mechanism of eIF6 release from the nascent 60S ribosomal subunit.

SBDS protein (deficient in the inherited leukemia-predisposition disorder Shwachman-Diamond syndrome) and the GTPase EFL1 (an EF-G homolog) activate nascent 60S ribosomal subunits for translation by catalyzing eviction of the antiassociation factor eIF6 from nascent 60S ribosomal subunits. However, the mechanism is completely unknown. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of human SBDS and SBDS-EFL1 bound to Dictyostelium discoideum 60S ribosomal subunits with and without endogenous eIF6. SBDS assesses the integrity of the peptidyl (P) site, bridging uL16 (mutated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia) with uL11 at the P-stalk base and the sarcin-ricin loop. Upon EFL1 binding, SBDS is repositioned around helix 69, thus facilitating a conformational switch in EFL1 that displaces eIF6 by competing for an overlapping binding site on the 60S ribosomal subunit. Our data reveal the conserved mechanism of eIF6 release, which is corrupted in both inherited and sporadic leukemias.Supported by a Federation of European Biochemical Societies Long term Fellowship (to FW), Specialist Programme from Bloodwise [12048] (AJW), the Medical Research Council [MC_U105161083] (AJW) and [U105115237] (RRK), Wellcome Trust strategic award to the Cambridge Institute for Medal Research [100140], Tesni Parry Trust (AJW), Ted’s Gang (AJW) and the Cambridge NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.311

Transmembrane but not soluble helices fold inside the ribosome tunnel

Integral membrane proteins are assembled into the ER membrane via a continuous ribosome-translocon channel. The hydrophobicity and thickness of the core of the membrane bilayer leads to the expectation that transmembrane (TM) segments minimize the cost of harbouring polar polypeptide backbones by adopting a regular pattern of hydrogen bonds to form α-helices before integration. Co-translational folding of nascent chains into an α-helical conformation in the ribosomal tunnel has been demonstrated previously, but the features governing this folding are not well understood. In particular, little is known about what features influence the propensity to acquire α-helical structure in the ribosome. Using in vitro translation of truncated nascent chains trapped within the ribosome tunnel and molecular dynamics simulations, we show that folding in the ribosome is attained for TM helices but not for soluble helices, presumably facilitating SRP (signal recognition particle) recognition and/or a favourable conformation for membrane integration upon translocon entry