First documented record of a living solemyid bivalve in a pockmark of the Nile Deep-sea Fan (eastern Mediterranean Sea)

A living specimen of a solemyid bivalve was collected at bathyal depths near a pockmark in the Nile Deep-sea Fan (eastern Mediterranean) and is here presented. Both taxonomic and molecular results suggest a Solemya species but due to the small size of the animal and the lack of molecular data for other solemyid species the species cannot be determined. This is the first record of a living solemyid from deep-sea cold seeps in the Mediterranean Basin.FCT - SFRH/ BPD/64154/2009ANR DEEP-OASES - ANRO6BDV005CHEMECO ESF EURODEEPMPG-CNRS-GDRE - DIWOO

The Extent Of Introgression Outside The Contact Zone Between Notropis Cornutus And Notropis Chrysocephalus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137435/1/evo04362.pd

Human Security Workers Deployed in Austere Environments: a Brief Guide to Self-Care, Sustainment, and Productivity

Since the early 1990s, the human security movement has sought to expand the concept of security beyond the traditional military defense of national borders to focus on the intra-state security needs of populations at the individual level. Specific initiatives frequently address problems of population health, ethnic conflict, religious extremism, human rights, environmental or natural disasters, and other critical issues. For expatriate human security workers in the field, the environment may present meaningful challenges to their wellbeing and productivity. This can be especially so for those who have relatively more experience in academic, business, or administrative settings, and less in the field. The authors' goal is to illuminate practices that have demonstrated their efficacy in enhancing wellness, sustainment, and productivity for human security and other humanitarian and development workers deployed to austere environments. The content represents a synoptic consensus of best general practices and guidance from a range of resources comprising United Nations agencies and activities, national and international non-governmental organizations (NGO's), private volunteer organ­izations (PVO's), national military services, and international business concerns

Combining Paternally and Maternally Inherited Mitochondrial DNA for Analysis of Population Structure in Mussels

Sequence divergence for a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene was compared to identify the advantages in using mitochondrial genes that descend separately through the female and male lineages to examine population structure. The test compared divergence among four local species of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) and was extended to multiple populations of one species, Pyganodon grandis. For the same gene, the male-inherited sequences diverged at a faster rate, producing longer branch lengths in the phylogenies. Of particular use were sequences extracted from P. grandis populations from the southern region of the Lake Erie watershed (Ohio, USA); five male-inherited haplotypes were found. Only one change was observed in the female-inherited form in this region. Therefore, more rapid evolution has occurred in the male form of the gene, and this form provided stronger evidence of geographical isolation among populations. A combination of analyses on haplotypes derived through males and females creates complementary opportunities to identify evolutionary relationships caused by drift and migration in mussels

Stop, Collaborate, and Listen: A Faculty Learning Community Developed to Address Gaps in Pre-Service Education about Interdisciplinary Collaboration

There is a notable lack of opportunity for students in pre-service professional training programs and faculty in higher education to collaborate and work together, across disciplines within a common area of professional expertise. In this case, a faculty learning community (FLC) was formed to create a set of video-based simulations based on relevant topics for Committee on Special Education (CSE) meetings, used to inform the development of an Individualized Education Program. These materials were made available across departments and universities, establishing a common language and set of CSE practices. Additionally, a structured three-level text reading and discussion provided faculty with an opportunity for professional development, networking, and scholarship. The project was completed following Cox’s 16 Recommendations for a Faculty Learning Community as a guideline for the successful implementation of the project, the creation of course materials, and analysis of faculty learning outcomes. It is important to note that the FLC process applies to a wide range of disciplines as a means of engaging faculty in responsive and reflective teaching practices as well as professional development

RPE Tissue-specific Factor H Deletion Induces AMD-like Features

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a central vision-threatening disease, and its development is significantly associated with the Y402H variant in the complement factor H (Cfh) gene. Cfh is a soluble glycoprotein, and a negative regulator of complement activation. It is secreted by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), liver and immune cells among others, but to date it is unclear whether the origin of the Cfh is of importance in regulating the alternative complement pathway and eye homeostasis. Here, Cfhflx/flx mice were crossed with Best1-cre mice, with the Best1 promoter providing RPE-specific expression of the Cre recombinase, inducing an RPE-specific deletion of loxP flanked Cfh. Cfh(RPE)-/- mice on a mixed C57BL/6 and 129 background exhibited 95% Cre-positive RPE cells in immunostained cryosections. qPCR revealed a concomitant decrease of 95% in Cfh mRNA. Compared to Cfh total knockout mice, Cfh(RPE)-/- animals preserved an intact complement system, with normal levels of circulating Cfh, C3 and Cfb, as well as sub-RPE deposition of the C3-breakdown product iC3b, as also seen in AMD patients. C5b-9 deposition was elevated in cryosections of 6 month old Cfh(RPE)-/- mice, and western blotting analysis of RPE and choroid protein revealed higher Cfh levels compared to controls. F4/80 and CD206 immunostaining revealed sub-RPE accumulation of activated macrophages in 6 month old Cfh(RPE)-/- animals compared to controls. Increased autofluorescence was visualised in 12 month old Cfh(RPE)-/- mice using a micron III, and yellow, drusen-like deposits were evident in fundus imaging relative to wild type and Cre controls. RPE-selective Cfh loss thus manifests in AMD-like changes and may provide insight into the source of secreted Cfh as target for therapeutics

LRG1: an emerging player in disease pathogenesis

The secreted glycoprotein leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) was first described as a key player in pathogenic ocular neovascularization almost a decade ago. Since then, an increasing number of publications have reported the involvement of LRG1 in multiple human conditions including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, and inflammatory disorders. The purpose of this review is to provide, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of the LRG1 literature considering its role in health and disease. Although LRG1 is constitutively expressed by hepatocytes and neutrophils, Lrg1-/- mice show no overt phenotypic abnormality suggesting that LRG1 is essentially redundant in development and homeostasis. However, emerging data are challenging this view by suggesting a novel role for LRG1 in innate immunity and preservation of tissue integrity. While our understanding of beneficial LRG1 functions in physiology remains limited, a consistent body of evidence shows that, in response to various inflammatory stimuli, LRG1 expression is induced and directly contributes to disease pathogenesis. Its potential role as a biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of multiple conditions is widely discussed while dissecting the mechanisms underlying LRG1 pathogenic functions. Emphasis is given to the role that LRG1 plays as a vasculopathic factor where it disrupts the cellular interactions normally required for the formation and maintenance of mature vessels, thereby indirectly contributing to the establishment of a highly hypoxic and immunosuppressive microenvironment. In addition, LRG1 has also been reported to affect other cell types (including epithelial, immune, mesenchymal and cancer cells) mostly by modulating the TGFβ signalling pathway in a context-dependent manner. Crucially, animal studies have shown that LRG1 inhibition, through gene deletion or a function-blocking antibody, is sufficient to attenuate disease progression. In view of this, and taking into consideration its role as an upstream modifier of TGFβ signalling, LRG1 is suggested as a potentially important therapeutic target. While further investigations are needed to fill gaps in our current understanding of LRG1 function, the studies reviewed here confirm LRG1 as a pleiotropic and pathogenic signalling molecule providing a strong rationale for its use in the clinic as a biomarker and therapeutic target

Evolution of sex-dependent mtDNA transmission in freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida)

Doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) describes a mode of mtDNA transmission widespread in gonochoric freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Palaeoheterodonta: Unionida). In this system, both female- and male-transmitted mtDNAs, named F and M respectively, coexist in the same species. In unionids, DUI is strictly correlated to gonochorism and to the presence of the atypical open reading frames (ORFans) F-orf and M-orf, respectively inside F and M mtDNAs, which are hypothesized to participate in sex determination. However, DUI is not found in all three Unionida superfamilies (confirmed in Hyrioidea and Unionoidea but not in Etherioidea), raising the question of its origin in these bivalves. To reconstruct the co-evolution of DUI and of ORFans, we sequenced the mtDNAs of four unionids (two gonochoric with DUI, one gonochoric and one hermaphroditic without DUI) and of the related gonochoric species Neotrigonia margaritacea (Palaeoheterodonta: Trigoniida). Our analyses suggest that rearranged mtDNAs appeared early during unionid radiation, and that a duplicated and diverged atp8 gene evolved into the M-orf associated with the paternal transmission route in Hyrioidea and Unionoidea, but not in Etherioidea. We propose that novel mtDNA-encoded genes can deeply influence bivalve sex determining systems and the evolution of the mitogenomes in which they occur