Acid–base physiology over tidal periods in the mussel Mytilus edulis: size and temperature are more influential than seawater pH

This is the final version. Available on open access from the Royal Society via the DOI in this recordData accessibility: Additional data available in the Dryad Digital Respoitory: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k11r5b9 [44].Ocean acidification (OA) studies to date have typically used stable open-ocean pH and CO2 values to predict the physiological responses of intertidal species to future climate scenarios, with few studies accounting for natural fluctuations of abiotic conditions or the alternating periods of emersion and immersion routinely experienced during tidal cycles. Here, we determine seawater carbonate chemistry and the corresponding in situ haemolymph acid–base responses over real time for two populations of mussel (Mytilus edulis) during tidal cycles, demonstrating that intertidal mussels experience daily acidosis during emersion. Using these field data to parameterize experimental work we demonstrate that air temperature and mussel size strongly influence this acidosis, with larger mussels at higher temperatures experiencing greater acidosis. There was a small interactive effect of prior immersion in OA conditions (pHNBS 7.7/pCO2 930 µatm) such that the haemolymph pH measured at the start of emersion was lower in large mussels exposed to OA. Critically, the acidosis induced in mussels during emersion in situ was greater (ΔpH approximately 0.8 units) than that induced by experimental OA (ΔpH approximately 0.1 units). Understanding how environmental fluctuations influence physiology under current scenarios is critical to our ability to predict the responses of key marine biota to future environmental changes.University of Exeter—Plymouth Marine Laboratory scholarship fundNatural Environment Research Council (NERC

On the convergence of quadrature formulas connected with multipoint Padé-type approximants

29 pages, no figures.-- MSC2000 codes: 41A55, 41A21.MR#: MR1408352 (97e:41066)Zbl#: Zbl 0856.41027^aLet $I(F)= \int^1_{- 1} F(x)\omega(x) dx$, where $\omega$ is a complex valued integrable function. We consider quadrature formulas for $I(F)$ which are exact with respect to rational functions with prescribed poles contained in \overline{\bbfC}\backslash [- 1, 1]. Their rate of convergence is studied.The research by the first three authors (P.G.-V., M.J.P., R.O.) was partially supported by the HCM project ROLLS, under Contract CHRX-CT93-0416. Research by the fourth author (G.L.L.) was carried out while on a visit at Universidad de La Laguna. This visit was made possible by a travel grant from CDE-IMU.Publicad

Organisational participation and women - an attitude problem?

Employee participation is a dynamic and contested area of organisational behaviour, attracting continuing academic, practitioner and policy interest and debate. This chapter focuses on organisational participation and women

Transcriptional regulation of the IGF signaling pathway by amino acids and insulin-like growth factors during myogenesis in Atlantic salmon

The insulin-like growth factor signalling pathway is an important regulator of skeletal muscle growth. We examined the mRNA expression of components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling pathway as well as Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) during maturation of myotubes in primary cell cultures isolated from fast myotomal muscle of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The transcriptional regulation of IGFs and IGFBP expression by amino acids and insulin-like growth factors was also investigated. Proliferation of cells was 15% d(-1) at days 2 and 3 of the culture, increasing to 66% d(-1) at day 6. Three clusters of elevated gene expression were observed during the maturation of the culture associated with mono-nucleic cells (IGFBP5.1 and 5.2, IGFBP-6, IGFBP-rP1, IGFBP-2.2 and IGF-II), the initial proliferation phase (IGF-I, IGFBP-4, FGF2 and IGF-IRb) and terminal differentiation and myotube production (IGF2R, IGF-IRa). In cells starved of amino acids and serum for 72 h, IGF-I mRNA decreased 10-fold which was reversed by amino acid replacement. Addition of IGF-I and amino acids to starved cells resulted in an 18-fold increase in IGF-I mRNA indicating synergistic effects and the activation of additional pathway(s) leading to IGF-I production via a positive feedback mechanism. IGF-II, IGFBP-5.1 and IGFBP-5.2 expression was unchanged in starved cells, but increased with amino acid replacement. Synergistic increases in expression of IGFBP5.2 and IGFBP-4, but not IGFBP5.1 were observed with addition of IGF-I, IGF-II or insulin and amino acids to the medium. IGF-I and IGF-II directly stimulated IGFBP-6 expression, but not when amino acids were present. These findings indicate that amino acids alone are sufficient to stimulate myogenesis in myoblasts and that IGF-I production is controlled by both endocrine and paracrine pathways. A model depicting the transcriptional regulation of the IGF pathway in Atlantic salmon muscle following feeding is proposed.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for Ebola virus infection derived from vaccinated humans

We describe therapeutic monoclonal antibodies isolated from human volunteers vaccinated with recombinant adenovirus expressing Ebola virus glycoprotein (EBOV GP) and boosted with modified vaccinia virus Ankara. Among 82 antibodies isolated from peripheral blood B cells, almost half neutralized GP pseudotyped influenza virus. The antibody response was diverse in gene usage and epitope recognition. Although close to germline in sequence, neutralizing antibodies with binding affinities in the nano- to pico-molar range, similar to “affinity matured” antibodies from convalescent donors, were found. They recognized the mucin-like domain, glycan cap, receptor binding region, and the base of the glycoprotein. A cross-reactive cocktail of four antibodies, targeting the latter three non-overlapping epitopes, given on day 3 of EBOV infection, completely protected guinea pigs. This study highlights the value of experimental vaccine trials as a rich source of therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies

A highly polymorphic insertion in the Y-chromosome amelogenin gene can be used for evolutionary biology, population genetics and sexing in Cetacea and Artiodactyla

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The early radiation of the <it>Cetartiodactyla </it>is complex, and unambiguous molecular characters are needed to clarify the positions of hippotamuses, camels and pigs relative to the remaining taxa (<it>Cetacea </it>and <it>Ruminantia</it>). There is also a need for informative genealogic markers for Y-chromosome population genetics as well as a sexing method applicable to all species from this group. We therefore studied the sequence variation of a partial sequence of the evolutionary conserved amelogenin gene to assess its potential use in each of these fields.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>We report a large interstitial insertion in the Y amelogenin locus in most of the <it>Cetartiodactyla </it>lineages (cetaceans and ruminants). This sex-linked size polymorphism is the result of a 460–465 bp inserted element in intron 4 of the amelogenin gene of Ruminants and Cetaceans. Therefore, this polymorphism can easily be used in a sexing assay for these species.</p> <p>When taking into account this shared character in addition to nucleotide sequence, gene genealogy follows sex-chromosome divergence in <it>Cetartiodactyla </it>whereas it is more congruent with zoological history when ignoring these characters. This could be related to a loss of homology between chromosomal copies given the old age of the insertion.</p> <p>The 1 kbp <it>Amel-Y </it>amplified fragment is also characterized by high nucleotide diversity (64 polymorphic sites spanning over 1 kbp in seven haplotypes) which is greater than for other Y-chromosome sequence markers studied so far but less than the mitochondrial control region.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The gender-dependent polymorphism we have identified is relevant not only for phylogenic inference within the <it>Cetartiodactyla </it>but also for Y-chromosome based population genetics and gender determination in cetaceans and ruminants. One single protocol can therefore be used for studies in population and evolutionary genetics, reproductive biotechnologies, and forensic science.</p

Does owning a pet protect older people against loneliness?

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Pet ownership is thought to make a positive contribution to health, health behaviours and the general well-being of older people. More specifically pet ownership is often proposed as a solution to the problem of loneliness in later life and specific 'pet based' interventions have been developed to combat loneliness. However the evidence to support this relationship is slim and it is assumed that pet ownership is a protection against loneliness rather than a response to loneliness. The aim of this paper is to examine the association between pet ownership and loneliness by exploring if pet ownership is a response to, or protection against, loneliness using Waves 0-5 from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)

International education and the employability of UK students

A common theme within the literature on higher education is the congested nature of the graduate labour market. Researchers have highlighted the lengths to which many students now go, in response to this congestion, to ‘distinguish themselves’ from other graduates: paying increased attention to university status; engaging in a range of extra-curricular activities; and pursuing postgraduate qualifications. Studies that have focused on the strategies of Asian students, specifically, have pointed to the important place of studying abroad as a further strategy in this pursuit of distinction. Given that there is now some evidence that the number of UK students enrolling on a degree programme overseas is increasing, this article explores the extent to which an overseas education can be seen as part of a broader strategy on the part of British students to seek distinction within the labour market and whether such an education does indeed offer tangible employment benefits

Combination Therapy Is Superior to Sequential Monotherapy for the Initial Treatment of Hypertension:A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Guidelines for hypertension vary in their preference for initial combination therapy or initial monotherapy, stratified by patient profile; therefore, we compared the efficacy and tolerability of these approaches. Methods and Results: We performed a 1‐year, double‐blind, randomized controlled trial in 605 untreated patients aged 18 to 79 years with systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥150 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥95 mm Hg. In phase 1 (weeks 0–16), patients were randomly assigned to initial monotherapy (losartan 50–100 mg or hydrochlorothiazide 12.5–25 mg crossing over at 8 weeks), or initial combination (losartan 50–100 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5–25 mg). In phase 2 (weeks 17–32), all patients received losartan 100 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 to 25 mg. In phase 3 (weeks 33–52), amlodipine with or without doxazosin could be added to achieve target BP. Hierarchical primary outcomes were the difference from baseline in home systolic BP, averaged over phases 1 and 2 and, if significant, at 32 weeks. Secondary outcomes included adverse events, and difference in home systolic BP responses between tertiles of plasma renin. Home systolic BP after initial monotherapy fell 4.9 mm Hg (range: 3.7–6.0 mm Hg) less over 32 weeks (P&lt;0.001) than after initial combination but caught up at 32 weeks (difference 1.2 mm Hg [range: −0.4 to 2.8 mm Hg], P=0.13). In phase 1, home systolic BP response to each monotherapy differed substantially between renin tertiles, whereas response to combination therapy was uniform and at least 5 mm Hg more than to monotherapy. There were no differences in withdrawals due to adverse events. Conclusions: Initial combination therapy can be recommended for patients with BP &gt;150/95 mm Hg. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00994617