Influences of the polymorphisms of the Sod2 gene (rs4880) on the motility and vigor of X- and Y-bearing sperm at different pH values

Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) is an antioxidant enzyme that appears phylogenetically conserved. However, functional Sod2 polymorphisms have been studied, and the specific polymorphisms are related to activity alterations of the SOD2 enzyme. An example of a polymorphism of SOD2 is Val16Ala (rs4880), which has been identified in exon 2 of the human Sod2 gene. This polymorphism is recognized as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and alters the conformation of SOD2. Additionally, recent studies have shown that the Ala16 Val polymorphism in Sod2 can be related to different pathological diseases. In these terms, the objective of the present study was to evaluate whether the polymorphism of SOD2 in Val16Ala (rs4880) influences the motility and vigor of X- and Y-bearing sperm at different pH values promoting sperm selection. We found that polymorphism rs4880 at normal pH conditions can result in alterations in the activity of superoxide dismutase in the sperm through different assay analyses. Moreover, compelling modulation evidence indicates that this effect could also mediate seminal plasma redox alterations and consequently can play an important role in sperm physiology, fertilization, and postfertilization

Qualidade em Museus: o Sentimento dos Visitantes do Ecomuseu de Itaipu

Os museus assumiram novos papéis no contexto da experiência turística, enquanto as mídias sociais permitiram o compartilhamento de informações por meio da internet. Diante disso, este estudo buscou analisar os comentários dos visitantes do Ecomuseu de Itaipu inseridos na plataforma TripAdvisor. A partir do modelo de qualidade percebida em museus, os dados foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo e análise de sentimento. Os principais resultados mostram que os aspectos relacionados às dimensões de evidência física e qualidade da informação são os mais mencionados. Além disso, o sentimento dos usuários é majoritariamente positivo em todas as dimensões. Para a área, o estudo contribuiu ao reunir os elementos da análise de sentimento à análise de conteúdo de forma a graduar as informações de maneira mais precisa e imparcial. Gerencialmente, reforça-se a necessidade de atenção da empresa aos aspectos tangíveis do ecomuseu, bem como se oferece um insight para a incorporação de elementos que causem impacto positivo no sentimento dos visitantes.

Tifton 85 grass performance following chemical and organic fertilizers

The Tifton 85 grass offers high yield and nutritional value. It is demanding in soil fertility and highly responsive to fertilization. However, the response to fertilization can be affected by the source, dose, and installment of fertilizers, as well as environmental conditions. Evaluations of the joint application of chemical and organic fertilizers are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of chemical and organic fertilization on agronomic characteristics, mineral use efficiencies, and bromatological composition of Tifton 85 grass, and determine fertilization strategies to optimize the yield and nutritional value of Tifton 85 grass. The findings were influenced by grass cuttings. The highest values for height and accumulated dry matter productivity were obtained with the highest fertilizer doses. The leaf/stem ratio was not affected by fertilization. The highest mineral use efficiencies were obtained with 200 and 400 kg of N/ha/year of NPK 20-00-20 formulation and up to 10 t/ha/year of poultry litter (PL), and these values decreased when applying high PL doses. The crude protein content increased, while the contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber decreased. The protein fractions and in vitro dry matter digestibility were not affected by fertilization. The potassium content increased with high fertilizer doses. Applying 350 to 400 kg of N/ha/year of NPK 20-00-20 formulation and 25 to 30 t/ha/year of PL promoted the highest accumulated dry matter productivity. Applying 200 to 400 kg of N/ha/year of NPK 20-00-20 formulation and 10/ha/year of PL is recommended for optimizing mineral use efficiencies. As for bromatological composition, increasing the doses of both fertilizers was beneficial in reducing fiber contents, but only organic fertilization increased crude protein content

Bacterial composition and putative functions associated with sponges, sediment and seawater from the Tioman coral reef system, Peninsular Malaysia

Microbial communities associated with sponges play important roles in sponge health, defence and nutrient dynamics in coral reef systems. Here, we used a 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing approach in order to test for differences in bacterial composition and predictive functional differences among two LMA (low microbial abundance) (Stylissa carteri and Stylissa massa), one well-known HMA (high microbial abundance) (Xestospongia testudinaria), one putative HMA (Aaptos lobata) sponge species, sediment and seawater in a coral reef ecosystem surrounding Tioman Island. Our results showed that biotope (sponge species, sediment and seawater) was a significant predictor of composition and abundance of bacterial communities. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in S. carteri, seawater, sediment and A. lobata, whilst bacterial communities of S. massa and X. testudinaria were dominated by Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi, respectively. The predicted metagenome revealed differentially enriched pathways in HMA and LMA sponges. Differentially enriched subcategories in HMA sponges included ‘Signaling Molecules and Interaction’, ‘Carbohydrate Metabolism’ and ‘Excretory System’. Subcategories enriched in LMA sponges included ‘Replication and Repair’, ‘Energy Metabolism’, ‘Metabolism of Cofactors and Vitamins’ and ‘Environmental Adaptation’. Overall, the predicted functional analysis suggests that, although HMA and LMA associated bacterial communities shared core functional features, they use different strategies to defend against pathogens, obtain energy or cope with stress

Search for supersymmetry in events with b-quark jets and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for physics beyond the standard model based on events with large missing transverse energy, at least three jets, and at least one, two, or three b-quark jets. The study is performed using a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2011. The integrated luminosity of the sample is 4.98 inverse femtobarns. The observed number of events is found to be consistent with the standard model expectation, which is evaluated using control samples in the data. The results are used to constrain cross sections for the production of supersymmetric particles decaying to b-quark-enriched final states in the context of simplified model spectra.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review

An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. Using a pantropical tree inventory database from closed canopy forests, consisting of 657,630 trees belonging to 11,371 species, we use a fitted value of Fisher’s alpha and an approximate pantropical stem total to estimate the minimum number of tropical forest tree species to fall between ∼40,000 and ∼53,000, i.e. at the high end of previous estimates. Contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region was found to be as species-rich as the Neotropics, with both regions having a minimum of ∼19,000–25,000 tree species. Continental Africa is relatively depauperate with a minimum of ∼4,500–6,000 tree species. Very few species are shared among the African, American, and the Indo-Pacific regions. We provide a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees that may help refine species richness estimates of tree-dependent taxa

Adenovirus-5-Vectored P. falciparum Vaccine Expressing CSP and AMA1. Part B: Safety, Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of the CSP Component

Background: A protective malaria vaccine will likely need to elicit both cell-mediated and antibody responses. As adenovirus vaccine vectors induce both these responses in humans, a Phase 1/2a clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of an adenovirus serotype 5-vectored malaria vaccine against sporozoite challenge.\ud \ud Methodology/Principal Findings: NMRC-MV-Ad-PfC is an adenovirus vector encoding the Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 circumsporozoite protein (CSP). It is one component of a two-component vaccine NMRC-M3V-Ad-PfCA consisting of one adenovector encoding CSP and one encoding apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) that was evaluated for safety and immunogenicity in an earlier study (see companion paper, Sedegah et al). Fourteen Ad5 seropositive or negative adults received two doses of NMRC-MV-Ad-PfC sixteen weeks apart, at 1x1010 particle units per dose. The vaccine was safe and well tolerated. All volunteers developed positive ELISpot responses by 28 days after the first immunization (geometric mean 272 spot forming cells/million[sfc/m]) that declined during the following 16 weeks and increased after the second dose to levels that in most cases were less than the initial peak (geometric mean 119 sfc/m). CD8+ predominated over CD4+ responses, as in the first clinical trial. Antibody responses were poor and like ELISpot responses increased after the second immunization but did not exceed the initial peak. Pre-existing neutralizing antibodies (NAb) to Ad5 did not affect the immunogenicity of the first dose, but the fold increase in NAb induced by the first dose was significantly associated with poorer antibody responses after the second dose, while ELISpot responses remained unaffected. When challenged by the bite of P. falciparum-infected mosquitoes, two of 11 volunteers showed a delay in the time to patency compared to infectivity controls, but no volunteers were sterilely protected.\ud \ud Significance: The NMRC-MV-Ad-PfC vaccine expressing CSP was safe and well tolerated given as two doses, but did not provide sterile protection