Nature of b-1,3-Glucan-Exposing Features on Candida albicans Cell Wall and Their Modulation

Funding Information: This work was supported by a programme grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M026663/1; MR/M026663/2) and by the Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MR/N006364/1; MR/N006364/2). NARG acknowledges Wellcome support for a Senior Investigator (101873/Z/13/Z), Collaborative (200208/A/15/Z; 215599/Z/19/Z) and Strategic Awards (097377/Z11/Z). MGN was supported by an ERC Advanced Grant (833247) and a Spinoza Grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The organizational construction of hegemonic masculinity: the case of the US Navy

This article examines the construction of hegemonic masculinity within the US Navy. Based on life history interviews with 27 male officers, this study explores alternative discourses and identities of officers from three different communities in the Navy: aviation, surface warfare, and the supply corps. Definitions of masculinity are relationally constructed through associations of difference: aviators tend to draw upon themes of autonomy and risk taking; surface warfare officers draw upon themes of perseverance and endurance; and supply officers draw upon themes of technical rationality. Further,these masculinities depend upon various contrasting definitions of femininity. Finally,this article explores a series of contradictions that threaten the secure construction of masculinity within this military culture

Experimental confirmation of efficient island divertor operation and successful neoclassical transport optimization in Wendelstein 7-X

We present recent highlights from the most recent operation phases of Wendelstein 7-X, the most advanced stellarator in the world. Stable detachment with good particle exhaust, low impurity content, and energy confinement times exceeding 100 ms, have been maintained for tens of seconds. Pellet fueling allows for plasma phases with reduced ion-temperature-gradient turbulence, and during such phases, the overall confinement is so good (energy confinement times often exceeding 200 ms) that the attained density and temperature profiles would not have been possible in less optimized devices, since they would have had neoclassical transport losses exceeding the heating applied in W7-X. This provides proof that the reduction of neoclassical transport through magnetic field optimization is successful. W7-X plasmas generally show good impurity screening and high plasma purity, but there is evidence of longer impurity confinement times during turbulence-suppressed phases.EC/H2020/633053/EU/Implementation of activities described in the Roadmap to Fusion during Horizon 2020 through a Joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion consortium/ EUROfusio

Linear and non-linear response to parameter variations in a mesoscale model

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0870.2010.00505.xParameter uncertainty in atmospheric model forcing and closure schemes has motivated both parameter estimation with data assimilation and use of pre-specified distributions to simulate model uncertainty in short-range ensemble prediction. This work assesses the potential for parameter estimation and ensemble prediction by analysing 2 months of mesoscale ensemble predictions in which each member uses distinct, and fixed, settings for four model parameters. A space-filling parameter selection design leads to a unique parameter set for each ensemble member. An experiment to test linear scaling between parameter distribution width and ensemble spread shows the lack of a general linear response to parameters. Individual member near-surface spatial means, spatial variances and skill show that perturbed models are typically indistinguishable. Parameter–state rank correlation fields are not statistically significant, although the presence of other sources of noise may mask true correlations. Results suggest that ensemble prediction using perturbed parameters may be a simple complement to more complex model-error simulation methods, but that parameter estimation may prove difficult or costly for real mesoscale numerical weather prediction applications.This work was funded by the U.S.Air Force Weather Agency

The U.S. Air Force Weather Agency’s mesoscale ensemble: scientific description and performance results

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0870.2010.00497.xThis work evaluates several techniques to account for mesoscale initial-condition (IC) and model uncertainty in a short-range ensemble prediction system based on the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. A scientific description and verification of several candidate methods for implementation in the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency mesoscale ensemble is presented. Model perturbation methods tested include multiple parametrization suites, landsurface property perturbations, perturbations to parameters within physics schemes and stochastic ‘backscatter’ streamfunction perturbations. IC perturbations considered include perturbed observations in 10 independent WRF-3DVar cycles and the ensemble-transform Kalman filter (ETKF). A hybrid of ETKF (for IC perturbations) and WRF-3DVar (to update the ensemble mean) is also tested. Results show that all of the model and IC perturbation methods examined are more skilful than direct dynamical downscaling of the global ensemble. IC perturbations are most helpful during the first 12 h of the forecasts. Physical parametrization diversity appears critical for boundary-layer forecasts. In an effort to reduce system complexity by reducing the number of suites of physical parametrizations, a smaller set of parametrization suites was combined with perturbed parameters and stochastic backscatter, resulting in the most skilful and statistically consistent ensemble predictions.This work was funded by the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency

Enhanced maze performance and reduced oxidative stress by combined extracts of zingiber officinale and ginkgo biloba in the aged rat

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com Copyright Elsevier [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]Here we assessed the effects of i.g. administration of Zingicomb (ZC), a mixture of zingiber officinale and ginkgo biloba extracts, on learning and memory, and on indicators of oxidative stress in aged rats. Effects of ZC (1 and 10 mg/kg) were investigated in 22–24 months old Wistar rats using the Morris water maze, in which they show deficient performance as compared to 3 months old rats in the undrugged state (days 1 and 2). Treatment was administered on days 3 and 4 of training, then over 7 days with training discontinued, and again on days 5 and 6 when training was resumed. Thereafter chronic treatment was maintained over 5 months. 1 mg/kg ZC improved escape learning in the water maze. The two capital indicators of oxidative stress in brain homogenates, the amount of oxidized proteins (assessed as carbonyl group containing proteins) and lipid peroxidation, were significantly reduced in ZC treated animals. Thus, ZC, which had previously been shown to improve inhibitory avoidance learning and to have anxiolytic properties in adult animals, might also facilitate spatial learning in aged animals, and reduces indices of oxidative stress in brain tissue after chronic treatment.Peer reviewe