What does not kill them makes them stronger: larval environment and infectious dose alter mosquito potential to transmit filarial worms

For organisms with complex life cycles, larval environments can modify adult phenotypes. For mosquitoes and other vectors, when physiological impacts of stressors acting on larvae carry over into the adult stage they may interact with infectious dose of a vector-borne pathogen, producing a range of phenotypes for vector potential. Investigation of impacts of a common source of stress, larval crowding and intraspecific competition, on adult vector interactions with pathogens may increase our understanding of the dynamics of pathogen transmission by mosquito vectors. Using Aedes aegypti and the nematode parasite Brugia pahangi, we demonstrate dose dependency of fitness effects of B. pahangi infection on the mosquito, as well as interactions between competitive stress among larvae and infectious dose for resulting adults that affect the physiological and functional ability of mosquitoes to act as vectors. Contrary to results from studies on mosquito–arbovirus interactions, our results suggest that adults from crowded larvae may limit infection better than do adults from uncrowded controls, and that mosquitoes from high-quality larval environments are more physiologically and functionally capable vectors of B. pahangi. Our results provide another example of how the larval environment can have profound effects on vector potential of resulting adults

Size--sensitive melting characteristics of gallium clusters: Comparison of Experiment and Theory for Ga17+_{17}{}^{+} and Ga20+_{20}{}^{+}

Experiments and simulations have been performed to examine the finite-temperature behavior of Ga$_{17}{}^{+}$ and Ga$_{20}{}^{+}$ clusters. Specific heats and average collision cross sections have been measured as a function of temperature, and the results compared to simulations performed using first principles Density--Functional Molecular--Dynamics. The experimental results show that while Ga$_{17}{}^{+}$ apparently undergoes a solid--liquid transition without a significant peak in the specific--heat, Ga$_{20}{}^{+}$ melts with a relatively sharp peak. Our analysis of the computational results indicate a strong correlation between the ground--state geometry and the finite--temperature behavior of the cluster. If the ground--state geometry is symmetric and "ordered" the cluster is found to have a distinct peak in the specific--heat. However, if the ground--state geometry is amorphous or "disordered" the cluster melts without a peak in the specific--heat.Comment: 6 figure

Src Binds Cortactin Through An Sh2 Domain Cystine-Mediated Linkage

Tyrosine-kinase-based signal transduction mediated by modular protein domains is critical for cellular function. The Src homology (SH)2 domain is an important conductor of intracellular signaling that binds to phosphorylated tyrosines on acceptor proteins, producing molecular complexes responsible for signal relay. Cortactin is a cytoskeletal protein and tyrosine kinase substrate that regulates actin-based motility through interactions with SH2-domain-containing proteins. The Src kinase SH2 domain mediates cortactin binding and tyrosine phosphorylation, but how Src interacts with cortactin is unknown. Here we demonstrate that Src binds cortactin through cystine bonding between Src C185 in the SH2 domain within the phosphotyrosine binding pocket and cortactin C112/246 in the cortactin repeats domain, independent of tyrosine phosphorylation. Interaction studies show that the presence of reducing agents ablates Src-cortactin binding, eliminates cortactin phosphorylation by Src, and prevents Src SH2 domain binding to cortactin. Tandem MS/MS sequencing demonstrates cystine bond formation between Src C185 and cortactin C112/246. Mutational studies indicate that an intact cystine binding interface is required for Src-mediated cortactin phosphorylation, cell migration, and pre-invadopodia formation. Our results identify a novel phosphotyrosine-independent binding mode between the Src SH2 domain and cortactin. Besides Src, one quarter of all SH2 domains contain cysteines at or near the analogous Src C185 position. This provides a potential alternative mechanism to tyrosine phosphorylation for cysteine-containing SH2 domains to bind cognate ligands that may be widespread in propagating signals regulating diverse cellular functions

Home Insulation for a Sustainable Future

Home Insulation for a Sustainable Future James Bigelow, Kalil Davis, David Breaux Home Innovation Research Labs reported that 71% of all insulation used by United States’ residential contractors is fiberglass based. This makes sense since fiberglass insulation is affordable, readily available, and easy to install. However, fiberglass has a negative impact on indoor air quality during construction; according to multiple reputable sources such as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.), this can lead to skin, eye, and airway irritation. Additionally, the manufacturing process for fiberglass insulation produces greenhouse gasses that are harmful to the environment. Herein, a case study will be conducted on a residential building that is under construction in Volusia County, Florida. When the constraints are defined, the use of alternative materials will be explored. This exploration will be referenced to three major factors, economics, effectiveness, and environmental effect. Along with the three factors listed, the project will be guided by the three overlapping circles model of sustainability. Initially, a research phase will be conducted to report alternate options for the replacement of fiberglass insulation. Then decision matrices will be used to determine the best alternative to fiberglass insulation. Each decision matrix will provide different criteria for the alternative insulations; economy, environment, and effectiveness. The alternative insulation will be evaluated based on sales data, impacts on human health and safety, and residential energy consumption. Sales will be analyzed using business data analytics, including profit, production costs, and units sold. Human health and safety will be measured through air quality tests and assessing any acute or chronic health effects or necessary personal protective equipment. Energy consumption will be determined by monthly gas and electricity usage for heating and cooling the building. These assessments are meant to represent the three primary dimensions of sustainability; Society, Economy, and Environment. To ensure the efficient use of resources and to meet stakeholder needs, a stakeholder analysis will be conducted. This involves identifying all parties impacted by the project and evaluating their level of influence and interest in the project. To conclude, the aim of this study is to identify and evaluate sustainable options of insulating residential homes. Currently the results are unclear and more research is required to determine a solution

Immanent Justice Reasoning by Spatial Proximity

Immanent justice reasoning involves causally attributing someone’s bad outcome to their prior immoral actions. Building on the idea that causality is mentally linked with spatial proximity, we investigated whether such reasoning might lead participants to spatially bind together immoral actions and bad outcomes. Across 4 experiments (N = 553 Mechanical Turk workers), participants positioned sentences describing other people’s bad (vs. good) outcomes closer in space to previous immoral behaviours. This effect was observed both when the position of the initial action remained in a fixed location and when it “chased” the outcome across the screen. Importantly, we also found that this spatial positioning of immoral actions and bad outcomes is mediated by perceived deservingness of the outcome and is not merely due to perceived similarity of events. These findings suggest that perceived deservingness biases the spatial proximity of representations of others’ random bad outcomes and their prior immoral actions

Cycling of oxyanion-forming trace elements in groundwaters from a freshwater deltaic marsh

Pore waters and surface waters were collected from a freshwater system in southeastern Louisiana to investigate the geochemical cycling of oxyanion-forming trace elements (i.e., Mo, W, As, V). A small bayou (Bayou Fortier) receives input from a connecting lake (Lac des Allemands) and groundwater input at the head approximately 5 km directly south of the Mississippi River. Marsh groundwaters exchange with bayou surface water but are otherwise relatively isolated from outside hydrologic forcings, such as tides, storms, and effects from local navigation canals. Rather, redox processes in the marsh groundwaters appear to drive changes in trace element concentrations. Elevated dissolved S(-II) concentrations in marsh groundwaters suggest greater reducing conditions in the late fall and winter as compared to the spring and late summer. The data suggest that reducing conditions in marsh groundwaters initiate the dissolution of Fe(III)/Mn(IV) oxide/hydroxide minerals, which releases adsorbed and/or co-precipitated trace elements into solution. Once in solution, the fate of these elements is determined by complexation with aqueous species and precipitation with iron sulfide minerals. The trace elements remain soluble in the presence of Fe(III)- and SO4 2-- reducing conditions, suggesting that either kinetic limitations or complexation with aqueous ligands obfuscates the correlation between V and Mo sequestration in sediments with reducing or euxinic conditions

Arsenic, vanadium, iron, and manganese biogeochemistry in a deltaic wetland, southern Louisiana, USA

Geochemical cycling of the redox-sensitive trace elements arsenic (As) and vanadium (V) was examined in shallow pore waters from a marsh in an interdistributary embayment of the lower Mississippi River Delta. In particular, we explore how redox changes with depth and distance from the Mississippi River affect As and V cycling in the marsh pore waters. Previous geophysical surveys and radon mass balance calculations suggested that Myrtle Grove Canal and the bordering marsh receive fresh groundwater, derived in large part from seepage of the Mississippi River, which subsequently mixes with brackish waters of Barataria Bay. Additionally, the redox geochemistry of pore waters in the wetlands is affected by Fe and S cycling in the shallow subsurface (0–20 cm). Sediments with high organic matter content undergo SO42 − reduction, a process ubiquitous in the shallow subsurface but largely absent at greater depths (~ 3 m). Instead, at depth, in the absence of organic-rich sediments, Fe concentrations are elevated, suggesting that reduction of Fe(III) oxides/oxyhydroxides buffers redox conditions. Arsenic and V cycling in the shallow subsurface are decoupled from their behavior at depth, where both V and As appear to be removed from solution by either diffusion or adsorption onto, or co-precipitation with, authigenic minerals within the deeper aquifer sediments. Pore water As concentrations are greatest in the shallow subsurface (e.g., up to 315 nmol kg− 1 in the top ~ 20 cm of the sediment) but decrease with depth, reaching values < 30 nmol kg− 1 at depths between 3 and 4 m. Vanadium concentrations appear to be tightly coupled to Fe cycling in the shallow subsurface, but at depth, V may be adsorbed to clay or sedimentary organic matter (SOM). Diffusive fluxes are calculated to examine the export of trace elements from the shallow marsh pore waters to the overlying canal water that floods the marsh. The computed fluxes suggest that the shallow sediment serves as a source of Fe, Mn, and As to the surface waters, whereas the sediments act as a sink for V. Iron and Mn fluxes are substantial, ranging from 50 to 30,000 and 770 to 4300 nmol cm− 2 yr− 1, respectively, whereas As fluxes are much less, ranging from 2.1 to 17 nmol cm− 2 yr− 1. Vanadium fluxes range from 3.0 nmol cm− 2 yr− 1 directed into the sediment to 1.7 nmol cm− 2 yr− 1 directed out of the sediment

Evaluating how agent methodologies support the specification of the normative environment through the development process

[EN] Due to the increase in collaborative work and the decentralization of processes in many domains, there is an expanding demand for large-scale, flexible and adaptive software systems to support the interactions of people and institutions distributed in heterogeneous environments. Commonly, these software applications should follow specific regulations meaning the actors using them are bound by rights, duties and restrictions. Since this normative environment determines the final design of the software system, it should be considered as an important issue during the design of the system. Some agent-oriented software engineering methodologies deal with the development of normative systems (systems that have a normative environment) by integrating the analysis of the normative environment of a system in the development process. This paper analyses to what extent these methodologies support the analysis and formalisation of the normative environment and highlights some open issues of the topic.This work is partially supported by the PROMETEOII/2013/019, TIN2012-36586-C03-01, FP7-29493, TIN2011-27652-C03-00, CSD2007-00022 projects, and the CASES project within the 7th European Community Framework Program under the grant agreement No 294931.Garcia Marques, ME.; Miles, S.; Luck, M.; Giret Boggino, AS. (2014). Evaluating how agent methodologies support the specification of the normative environment through the development process. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10458-014-9275-zS120Cossentino, M., Hilaire, V., Molesini, A., & Seidita, V. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook on agent-oriented design processes (Vol. VIII, 569 p. 508 illus.). Berlin: Springer.Akbari, O. (2010). A survey of agent-oriented software engineering paradigm: Towards its industrial acceptance. 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Hingham, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers.Botti, V., Garrido, A., Giret, A., & Noriega, P. (2011). The role of MAS as a decision support tool in a water-rights market. In Post-proceedings workshops AAMAS2011 (Vol. 7068, pp. 35–49). Berlin: Springer.Breaux, T. (2009). Exercising due diligence in legal requirements acquisition: A tool-supported, frame-based approach. In Proceedings of the IEEE international requirements engineering conference (pp. 225–230).Breaux, T. D., & Baumer, D. L. (2011). Legally reasonable security requirements: A 10-year ftc retrospective. Computers and Security, 30(4), 178–193.Breaux, T. D., Vail, M. W., & Anton, A. I. (2006). Towards regulatory compliance: Extracting rights and obligations to align requirements with regulations. In Proceedings of the 14th IEEE international requirements engineering conference, RE ’06 (pp. 46–55). Washington, DC: IEEE Computer Society.Bresciani, P., Perini, A., Giorgini, P., Giunchiglia, F., & Mylopoulos, J. (2004). Tropos: An agent-oriented software development methodology. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, 8(3), 203–236.Cardoso, H. L., & Oliveira, E. (2008). A contract model for electronic institutions. In COIN’07: Proceedings of the 2007 international conference on Coordination, organizations, institutions, and norms in agent systems III (pp. 27–40).Castor, A., Pinto, R. C., Silva, C. T. L. L., & Castro, J. (2004). Towards requirement traceability in tropos. In WER (pp. 189–200).Chopra, A., Dalpiaz, F., Giorgini, P., & Mylopoulos, J. (2009). Modeling and reasoning about service-oriented applications via goals and commitments. ICST conference on digital business.Cliffe, O., Vos, M., & Padget, J. (2006). Specifying and analysing agent-based social institutions using answer set programming. In O. Boissier, J. Padget, V. Dignum, G. Lindemann, E. Matson, S. Ossowski, J. Sichman, & J. Vázquez-Salceda (Eds.), Coordination, organizations, institutions, and norms in multi-agent systems. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Vol. 3913, pp. 99–113). Springer. Berlin.Criado, N., Argente, E., Garrido, A., Gimeno, J. A., Igual, F., Botti, V., Noriega, P., & Giret, A. (2011). Norm enforceability in Electronic Institutions? In Coordination, organizations, institutions, and norms in agent systems VI (Vol. 6541, pp. 250–267). Springer.Dellarocas, C., & Klein, M. (2001). Contractual agent societies. In R. Conte & C. Dellarocas (Eds.), Social order in multiagent systems (Vol. 2, pp. 113–133)., Multiagent Systems, Artificial Societies, and Simulated Organizations New York: Springer.DeLoach, S. A. (2008). Developing a multiagent conference management system using the o-mase process framework. In Proceedings of the international conference on agent-oriented software engineering VIII (pp. 168–181).DeLoach, S. A., & Garcia-Ojeda, J. C. (2010). O-mase; a customisable approach to designing and building complex, adaptive multi-agent systems. International Journal of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering, 4(3), 244–280.DeLoach, S. A., Padgham, L., Perini, A., Susi, A., & Thangarajah, J. (2009). Using three aose toolkits to develop a sample design. International Journal Agent-Oriented Software Engineering, 3, 416–476.Dignum, F., Dignum, V., Thangarajah, J., Padgham, L., & Winikoff, M. (2007). Open agent systems? Eighth international workshop on agent oriented software engineering (AOSE) in AAMAS07.Dignum, V. (2003). A model for organizational interaction:based on agents, founded in logic. PhD thesis, Utrecht University.Dignum, V., Meyer, J., Dignum, F., & Weigand, H. (2003). Formal specification of interaction in agent societies. Formal approaches to agent-based systems (Vol. 2699).Dignum, V., Vazquez-Salceda, J., & Dignum, F. (2005). Omni: Introducing social structure, norms and ontologies into agent organizations. In R. Bordini, M. Dastani, J. Dix, & A. Seghrouchni (Eds.)Programming multi-agent systems. 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Regulated open multi-agent systems based on contracts. In Information Systems Development (pp. 243–255).Garcia, E., Tyson, G., Miles, S., Luck, M., Taweel, A., Staa, T. V., & Delaney, B. (2012). An analysis of agent-oriented engineering of e-health systems. In 13th international eorkshop on sgent-oriented software engineering (AOSE-AAMAS).Garcia, E., Tyson, G., Miles, S., Luck, M., Taweel, A., Staa, T. V., and Delaney, B. (2013). Analysing the Suitability of Multiagent Methodologies for e-Health Systems. In Agent-Oriented Software Engineering XIII, volume 7852, pages 134–150. Springer-Verlag.Garrido, A., Giret, A., Botti, V., & Noriega, P. (2013). mWater, a case study for modeling virtual markets. In New perspectives on agreement technologies (Vol. Law, Gover, pp. 563–579). Springer.Gteau, B., Boissier, O., & Khadraoui, D. (2006). Multi-agent-based support for electronic contracting in virtual enterprises. IFAC Symposium on Information Control Problems in Manufacturing (INCOM), 150(3), 73–91.Hollander, C. D., & Wu, A. S. (2011). The current state of normative agent-based systems. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 14(2), 6.Hsieh, F.-S. (2005). Automated negotiation based on contract net and petri net. In E-commerce and web technologies. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Vol. 3590, pp. 148–157).Kollingbaum, M., Jureta, I. J., Vasconcelos, W., & Sycara, K. (2008). Automated requirements-driven definition of norms for the regulation of behavior in multi-agent systems. In Proceedings of the AISB 2008 workshop on behaviour regulation in multi-agent systems, Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K., April 2008.Li, T., Balke, T., Vos, M., Satoh, K., & Padget, J. (2013). Detecting conflicts in legal systems. In Y. Motomura, A. Butler, & D. Bekki (Eds.), New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence (Vol. 7856, pp. 174–189)., Lecture Notes in Computer Science Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.Lomuscio, A., Qu, H., & Solanki, M. (2010) Towards verifying contract regulated service composition. Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (pp. 1–29).Lopez, F., Luck, M., & d’Inverno, M. (2006). A normative framework for agent-based systems. Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, 12, 227–250.Lpez, F. y, Luck, M., & dInverno, M. (2006). A normative framework for agent-based systems. Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, 12(2–3), 227–250.Mader, P., & Egyed, A. (2012). Assessing the effect of requirements traceability for software maintenance. In 28th IEEE International Conference on Software Maintenance (ICSM) (pp. 171–180), Sept 2012.Mao, X., & Yu, E. (2005). Organizational and social concepts in agent oriented software engineering. In AOSE IV. 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Platelet Munc13-4 regulates hemostasis, thrombosis and airway inflammation

Platelet degranulation is crucial for hemostasis and may participate in inflammation. Exocytosis in platelets is mediated by SNARE proteins and should be controlled by Munc13 proteins. We found that platelets express Munc13-2 and -4. We assessed platelet granule exocytosis in Munc13-2 and -4 global and conditional knockout (KO) mice, and observed that deletion of Munc13-4 ablates dense granule release and indirectly impairs alpha granule exocytosis. We found no exocytic role for Munc13-2 in platelets, not even in the absence of Munc13-4. In vitro, Munc13-4-deficient platelets exhibited defective aggregation at low doses of collagen. In a flow chamber assay, we observed that Munc13-4 acted as a rate-limiting factor in the formation of thrombi. In vivo, we observed a dose-dependency between Munc13-4 expression in platelets and both venous bleeding time and time to arterial thrombosis. Finally, in a model of allergic airway inflammation, we found that platelet-specific Munc13-4 KO mice had a reduction in airway hyper-responsiveness and eosinophilic inflammation. Taken together, our results indicate that Munc13-4-dependent platelet dense granule release plays essential roles in hemostasis, thrombosis and allergic inflammation