Uncovering History-WW2 Style

Video called: Harry Schlichting to Evelyn Birkby - June 10th, 194

Are All Plastids Created Equal? Diversity, Function, and Evolution of Plastid-targeted Genes and Chloroplast Transit Peptides in Plants

Plastids are morphologically and biochemically diverse organelles which not only perform photosynthesis but are also responsible for a wide range of metabolic, storage, regulatory, and aesthetic functions. The majority of plastid proteins are encoded by the nucleus and imported post-translationally, which allows for much greater spatiotemporal control of plastid function. Most of what is known about plastids has been studied in a relatively small group of model organisms, yet the myriad functions of plastids and significant microscopy evidence suggest that plastid function may be relatively unique in each plant species. Research in this dissertation aims to expand the field of plastid biology to non-model systems by (1) Reviewing the current state of literature to explore how the plastid proteome is shaped and how this process is regulated. How nuclear-encoded plastid-targeted proteins are imported has been enigmatic since the discovery of the main import channel, but recent evidence has helped to resolve the molecular mechanism and regulatory aspects of this process; (2) Establishing bioinformatics methods to characterize the plastid proteome quickly and efficiently in a range of plant species. A novel application of existing subcellular prediction techniques revealed that only 628-828 proteins are shared between the plastids of all assessed Angiosperms, but between 6- to 25-fold more proteins were specific to single species or taxonomic groups; (3) Analyzing mutational patterns leading to the evolution of novel chloroplast transit peptides. Insertions and deletions, particularly those that caused a shift of the transcriptional or translational start site, were responsible for the majority of novel transit peptides, implicating either exon shuffling as the dominant means of subcellular relocalization to the plastid; and, (4) Characterization of the N-terminal soluble domain of the conserved protein ALB3 when expressed from the chloroplast genome. Perturbations to chlorophyll fluorescence and ion homeostasis suggest that constitutive activation of the ALB3/SecY heterodimeric channel by substrate proteins induces permeability of the thylakoid membrane to leakage of protons and disruption of ion gradients. An overabundance of ALB3 in certain tissues may cause ion dysregulation, particularly for calcium, magnesium, and potassium

Combination of Donepezil and Memantine to Mitigate Electroconvulsive Therapy Induced Cognitive Effects

Electroconvulsive therapy is a procedure whereby patients have electricity delivered to their brain to induce a generalized seizure. Electroconvulsive therapy is highly efficacious in treating conditions such as major depressive disorder, but it can induce temporary cognitive deficits and memory loss. Studies suggest that medications used to slow Alzheimer’s disease may diminish these adverse effects, but we aim to determine whether donepezil and memantine combination therapy can prophylactically protect cognitive functioning and memory in patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy. Using a randomized control design, we assess patients with major depressive disorder before and after electroconvulsive therapy using a battery of cognition and memory tests, including the Columbia University Autobiographical Memory Interview – Short Form. Changes in these scores will be compared within and between patients taking combination therapy and placebo. This work will help improve our understanding of the effects of electroconvulsive therapy, and potentially help alleviate its adverse cognitive effects

IL-10-Mediated Refueling of Exhausted T Cell Mitochondria Boosts Anti-Tumour Immunity.

Immunotherapy has underscored a revolution in cancer treatment. Yet, many patients fail to respond due to T cell exhaustion. Here, an intervention that restores mitochondrial function reversed the exhausted T cell phenotype to promote cytotoxicity and durable anti-tumour responses in vivo

How Massless Neutrinos Affect the Cosmic Microwave Background Damping Tail

We explore the physical origin and robustness of constraints on the energy density in relativistic species prior to and during recombination, often expressed as constraints on an effective number of neutrino species, Neff. Constraints from current data combination of Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and South Pole Telescope (SPT) are almost entirely due to the impact of the neutrinos on the expansion rate, and how those changes to the expansion rate alter the ratio of the photon diffusion scale to the sound horizon scale at recombination. We demonstrate that very little of the constraining power comes from the early Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect, and also provide a first determination of the amplitude of the early ISW effect. Varying the fraction of baryonic mass in Helium, Yp, also changes the ratio of damping to sound-horizon scales. We discuss the physical effects that prevent the resulting near-degeneracy between Neff and Yp from being a complete one. Examining light element abundance measurements, we see no significant evidence for evolution of Neff and the baryon-to-photon ratio from the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis to decoupling. Finally, we consider measurements of the distance-redshift relation at low to intermediate redshifts and their implications for the value of Neff.Comment: 11 pages. Replaced version extends our discussion of origin of constraints and updates for current data, submitted to PR