711 research outputs found
Vapour pressure deficit modulates hydraulic function and structure of tropical rainforests under nonlimiting soil water supply
Atmospheric conditions are expected to become warmer and drier in the future, but little is known about how evaporative demand influences forest structure and function independently from soil moisture availability, and how fast-response variables (such as canopy water potential and stomatal conductance) may mediate longer-term changes in forest structure and function in response to climate change. We used two tropical rainforest sites with different temperatures and vapour pressure deficits (VPD), but nonlimiting soil water supply, to assess the impact of evaporative demand on ecophysiological function and forest structure. Common species between sites allowed us to test the extent to which species composition, relative abundance and intraspecific variability contributed to site-level differences. The highest VPD site had lower midday canopy water potentials, canopy conductance (gc), annual transpiration, forest stature, and biomass, while the transpiration rate was less sensitive to changes in VPD; it also had different height–diameter allometry (accounting for 51% of the difference in biomass between sites) and higher plot-level wood density. Our findings suggest that increases in VPD, even in the absence of soil water limitation, influence fast-response variables, such as canopy water potentials and gc, potentially leading to longer-term changes in forest stature resulting in reductions in biomass
Clearance of senescent decidual cells by uterine natural killer cells in cycling human endometrium
In cycling human endometrium, menstruation is followed by rapid estrogen-dependent growth. Upon ovulation, progesterone and rising cellular cAMP levels activate the transcription factor Forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) in endometrial stromal cells (EnSCs), leading to cell cycle exit and differentiation into decidual cells that control embryo implantation. Here we show that FOXO1 also causes acute senescence of a subpopulation of decidualizing EnSCs in an IL-8 dependent manner. Selective depletion or enrichment of this subpopulation revealed that decidual senescence drives the transient inflammatory response associated with endometrial receptivity. Further, senescent cells prevent differentiation of endometrial mesenchymal stem cells in decidualizing cultures. As the cycle progresses, IL-15 activated uterine natural killer (uNK) cells selectively target and clear senescent decidual cells through granule exocytosis. Our findings reveal that acute decidual senescence governs endometrial rejuvenation and remodeling at embryo implantation, and suggest a critical role for uNK cells in maintaining homeostasis in cycling endometrium
Novel EDGE encoding method enhances ability to identify genetic interactions
Assumptions are made about the genetic model of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) when choosing a traditional genetic encoding: additive, dominant, and recessive. Furthermore, SNPs across the genome are unlikely to demonstrate identical genetic models. However, running SNP-SNP interaction analyses with every combination of encodings raises the multiple testing burden. Here, we present a novel and flexible encoding for genetic interactions, the elastic data-driven genetic encoding (EDGE), in which SNPs are assigned a heterozygous value based on the genetic model they demonstrate in a dataset prior to interaction testing. We assessed the power of EDGE to detect genetic interactions using 29 combinations of simulated genetic models and found it outperformed the traditional encoding methods across 10%, 30%, and 50% minor allele frequencies (MAFs). Further, EDGE maintained a low false-positive rate, while additive and dominant encodings demonstrated inflation. We evaluated EDGE and the traditional encodings with genetic data from the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network for five phenotypes: age-related macular degeneration (AMD), age-related cataract, glaucoma, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and resistant hypertension. A multi-encoding genome-wide association study (GWAS) for each phenotype was performed using the traditional encodings, and the top results of the multi-encoding GWAS were considered for SNP-SNP interaction using the traditional encodings and EDGE. EDGE identified a novel SNP-SNP interaction for age-related cataract that no other method identified: rs7787286 (MAF: 0.041;intergenic region of chromosome 7)-rs4695885 (MAF: 0.34;intergenic region of chromosome 4) with a Bonferroni LRT p of 0.018. A SNP-SNP interaction was found in data from the UK Biobank within 25 kb of these SNPs using the recessive encoding: rs60374751 (MAF: 0.030) and rs6843594 (MAF: 0.34) (Bonferroni LRT p: 0.026). We recommend using EDGE to flexibly detect interactions between SNPs exhibiting diverse action. Author summary Although traditional genetic encodings are widely implemented in genetics research, including in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and epistasis, each method makes assumptions that may not reflect the underlying etiology. Here, we introduce a novel encoding method that estimates and assigns an individualized data-driven encoding for each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): the elastic data-driven genetic encoding (EDGE). With simulations, we demonstrate that this novel method is more accurate and robust than traditional encoding methods in estimating heterozygous genotype values, reducing the type I error, and detecting SNP-SNP interactions. We further applied the traditional encodings and EDGE to biomedical data from the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network for five phenotypes, and EDGE identified a novel interaction for age-related cataract not detected by traditional methods, which replicated in data from the UK Biobank. EDGE provides an alternative approach to understanding and modeling diverse SNP models and is recommended for studying complex genetics in common human phenotypes
Orientation Study on the Economic Potential of an Orgel Power Plant Equipped with a G-30 Fuel Element. EUR 4251.
Summary of insecticide residual bio-efficacy monitoring sites by year, insecticide, and surface type 2008â2015. (XLSX 13 kb
A Biofuel-Capable Wetland with Optimal Nitrate Uptake from Chesapeake Bay Waters Affected by Agricultural Runoff
Gemstone Team SWAMP (Superior Wetlands Against Malicious Pollutants)Harmful algal blooms caused by nitrates and phosphates negatively affect estuarine ecosystems, such as the Chesapeake Bay. These blooms release toxins and block sunlight needed for submerged aquatic vegetation, creating hypoxic areas of the Bay. Artificial wetlands have been utilized to reduce the amount of nitrate pollution. This project will test the Typha latifolia (cattail), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), and Schoenoplectus validus (soft-stem bulrush) for denitrification potential. In order to amplify the differences between the plants, we will use a carbon-based denitrification factor to be found through testing. We plan to use the ANOVA test in order to determine the significance of our findings. Based on our data, future environmental groups can better choose the species they will plant in artificial wetlands
Interactive Effects of Plant Species and Organic Carbon on Nitrate Removal in Chesapeake Bay Treatment Wetlands
Nitrate from agricultural runoff are a significant cause of algal blooms in estuarine ecosystems such as the Chesapeake Bay. These blooms block sunlight vital to submerged aquatic vegetation, leading to hypoxic areas. Natural and constructed wetlands have been shown to reduce the amount of nitrate flowing into adjacent bodies of water. We tested three wetland plant species native to Maryland, Typha latifolia (cattail), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), and Schoenoplectus validus (soft-stem bulrush), in wetland microcosms to determine the effect of species combination and organic amendment on nitrate removal. In the first phase of our study, we found that microcosms containing sawdust exhibited significantly greater nitrate removal than microcosms amended with glucose or hay at a low nitrate loading rate. In the second phase of our study, we confirmed that combining these plants removed nitrate, although no one combination was significantly better. Furthermore, the above-ground biomass of microcosms containing switchgrass had a significantly greater percentage of carbon than microcosms without switchgrass, which can be studied for potential biofuel use. Based on our data, future environmental groups can make a more informed decision when choosing biofuel-capable plant species for artificial wetlands native to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Transient Co-Expression of Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing Suppressors for Increased in Planta Expression of a Recombinant Anthrax Receptor Fusion Protein
Potential epidemics of infectious diseases and the constant threat of bioterrorism demand rapid, scalable, and cost-efficient manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. Molecular farming of tobacco plants provides an alternative for the recombinant production of therapeutics. We have developed a transient production platform that uses Agrobacterium infiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana plants to express a novel anthrax receptor decoy protein (immunoadhesin), CMG2-Fc. This chimeric fusion protein, designed to protect against the deadly anthrax toxins, is composed of the von Willebrand factor A (VWA) domain of human capillary morphogenesis 2 (CMG2), an effective anthrax toxin receptor, and the Fc region of human immunoglobulin G (IgG). We evaluated, in N. benthamiana intact plants and detached leaves, the expression of CMG2-Fc under the control of the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter, and the co-expression of CMG2-Fc with nine different viral suppressors of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS): p1, p10, p19, p21, p24, p25, p38, 2b, and HCPro. Overall, transient CMG2-Fc expression was higher on intact plants than detached leaves. Maximum expression was observed with p1 co-expression at 3.5 days post-infiltration (DPI), with a level of 0.56 g CMG2-Fc per kg of leaf fresh weight and 1.5% of the total soluble protein, a ten-fold increase in expression when compared to absence of suppression. Co-expression with the p25 PTGS suppressor also significantly increased the CMG2-Fc expression level after just 3.5 DPI
Long‐term issues and supportive care needs of adolescent and young adult childhood brain tumour survivors and their caregivers: A systematic review
Objective: Long‐term issues following diagnosis and treatment of a childhood brain tumour often become apparent as the survivor enters adolescence and young adulthood. Their caregivers may additionally face long‐term impacts on their emotional and psychological functioning. This review synthesised evidence on the issues and supportive care needs of adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of a brain tumour diagnosed in childhood and their caregivers.
Methods: Electronic databases were searched up until September 2017. All studies reporting on issues or needs of childhood brain tumour survivors (aged 14‐39) and their caregivers were included. Narrative synthesis methods were used to summarise, integrate, and interpret findings.
Results: Fifty‐six articles (49 studies) met the inclusion criteria. Social issues (ie, isolation and impaired daily functioning) were most commonly reported by survivors, followed by cognitive (ie, impaired memory and attention) and physical issues (ie, endocrine dysfunctions and fatigue). Survivors experienced poorer social functioning and sexual functioning and were less likely to be employed or have children, when compared with other AYA cancer survivors. Caregivers experienced reduced support as the survivor moved into young adulthood. Caregivers reported uncertainty, increased responsibilities, and problems maintaining their own self–well‐being and family relationships. Few studies reported on supportive care needs. Survivors expressed a need for better educational support and age‐specific psychosocial services.
Conclusions: Surviving a childhood brain tumour can be particularly challenging for AYA survivors and their caregivers. Robust structured research is needed to identify specific support needs of both survivors and their caregivers and how these can be optimally addressed
Voice Therapy For Transgender People
Transrodne osobe su osobe koje osjećaju nesklad između roda s kojim se poistovjećuju i spola u kojem su se rodili. Transrodnost je širok pojam i obuhvaća čitav spektar rodno nenormativnih identiteta. Dva glavna obrasca tranzicije prema drugom spolu, odnosno rodu su: Male-to-Female (MtF) i Female-to-Male (FtM). Transrodne osobe navode da ih njihov glas često “izdaje”, odnosno otkriva njihov biološki rod te predstavlja posljednju prepreku u potpuno uživljavanje u novu rodnu ulogu. Bez obzira na to, često nisu svjesni da se zbog glasa mogu obratiti logopedu. Cilj ovog preglednog rada je dati uvid u poremećaje glasa kod transrodnih osoba, odnosno opisati logopedsku procjenu te terapijske postupke, a sve u svrhu boljeg razumijevanja potreba ovih osoba.Transgender individuals are people who feel an incongruity between their self-identified gender and their birth gender.
Transgenderism is a broad term and includes a spectrum of gender-nonconforming identities. The two main patterns of gender transition are Male-to-Female (MtF) and Female-to-Male (FtM).Transgender people often think their voice “betrays” them, i.e. it reveals their biological gender and represents the last obstacle to the individual’s full enjoyment of his/her new gender role. Regardless of this, many transgender individuals are not aware of the fact that they can go to speech and language pathologists (SLP) for therapy. The aim of this review article is to provide insight into the voice disorders of transgender people, i.e. to describe the assessment process and therapy protocols in hope of gaining a better understanding of the needs of this population
Moving towards a population health approach to the primary prevention of common mental disorders
There is a need for the development of effective universal preventive approaches to the common mental disorders, depression and anxiety, at a population level. Poor diet, physical inactivity and smoking have long been recognized as key contributors to the high prevalence noncommunicable diseases. However, there are now an increasing number of studies suggesting that the same modifiable lifestyle behaviors are also risk factors for common mental disorders. In this paper we point to the emerging data regarding lifestyle risk factors for common mental disorders, with a particular focus on and critique of the newest evidence regarding diet quality. On the basis of this most recent evidence, we consequently argue for the inclusion of depression and anxiety in the ranks of the high prevalence noncommunicable diseases influenced by habitual lifestyle practices. We believe that it is both feasible and timely to begin to develop effective, sustainable, population-level prevention initiatives for the common mental illnesses that build on the established and developing approaches to the noncommunicable somatic diseases.<br /
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