Upper Thermal Tolerances of Early Life Stages of Freshwater Mussels

Freshwater mussels (order Unioniformes) fulfill an essential role in benthic aquatic communities, but also are among the most sensitive and rapidly declining faunal groups in North America. Rising water temperatures, caused by global climate change, industrial discharges, drought, or land development, could further challenge imperiled unionid communities. The aim of our study was to determine the upper thermal tolerances of the larval (glochidia) and juvenile life stages of freshwater mussels. Glochidia of 8 species of mussels were tested: Lampsilis siliquoidea, Potamilus alatus, Ligumia recta, Ellipsaria lineolata, Lasmigona complanata, Megalonaias nervosa, Alasmidonta varicosa, and Villosa delumbis. Seven of these species also were tested as juveniles. Survival trends were monitored while mussels held at 3 acclimation temperatures (17, 22, and 27°C) were exposed to a range of common and extreme water temperatures (20–42°C) in standard acute laboratory tests. The average median lethal temperature (LT50) among species in 24-h tests with glochidia was 31.6°C and ranged from 21.4 to 42.7°C. The mean LT50 in 96-h juvenile tests was 34.7°C and ranged from 32.5 to 38.8°C. Based on comparisons of LT50s, thermal tolerances differed among species for glochidia, but not for juveniles. Acclimation temperature did not affect thermal tolerance for either life stage. Our results indicate that freshwater mussels already might be living close to their upper thermal tolerances in some systems and, thus, might be at risk from rising environmental temperatures

Produtividade de milho inoculado com Azospirillum brasilense em diferentes doses de nitrogênio, em latossolo vermelho - safra 2012/13.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade do milho cultivado em Latossolo Vermelho na safra 2012/13, na presença ou ausência de inoculação de sementes com A. brasilense, em diferentes doses de N em cobertura. A inoculação de sementes de milho com Azospirillum brasilense não proporcionou incrementos significativos na produtividade de grãos de milho cultivados na safra 2012/13, em Latossolo Vermelho de Campos Novos e de Papanduva. Em Papanduva, as doses de N aplicadas em cobertura aumentaram a produtividade de grãos de milho

Produtividade de milho inoculado com Azospirillum brasilense em diferentes doses de nitrogênio, em latossolo vermelho - safra 2011/12.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade do milho cultivado em Latossolo Vermelho na safra 2011/12, na presença ou ausência de inoculação de sementes com Azospirillum brasilense, em diferentes doses de N em cobertura. A inoculação de sementes de milho com Azospirillum brasilense e a aplicação de doses de nitrogênio em cobertura não proporcionaram incrementos significativos na produtividade de grãos de milho cultivados na safra 2011/12, em Latossolo Vermelho de Campos Novos e Canoinhas

Desempenho de milho inoculado com Azospirillum brasiliense associado a doses de nitrogênio em cobertura.

RESUMO: Uma das alternativas de redução no consumo de fertilizantes nitrogenados na cultura do milho é a inoculação de sementes com bactérias diazotróficas que possuem a capacidade de fixar N atmosférico no solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar algumas características agronômicas e o rendimento de grãos de milho cultivado em Latossolo Vermelho com diferentes doses de N em cobertura, na presença e ausência de inoculação de sementes com Azospirillum brasilense. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em Papanduva e em Campos Novos, SC, nos anos agrícolas 2011/12 e 2012/13, utilizando-se delineamento fatorial 2 x 6, com os tratamentos alocados em blocos casualizados, com três repetições, avaliando-se a variedade de milho de polinização aberta SCS155 Catarina. Os fatores testados foram a inoculação com A. brasilense (presença e ausência) e doses de N em cobertura (0, 25, 50, 75, 100 e 125kg ha-1). A inoculação de sementes de milho com A. brasilense não aumenta o rendimento de grãos e não altera a massa de mil grãos, estatura de plantas, altura da inserção da espiga principal e diâmetro do colmo. A aplicação de N em cobertura no milho influencia de modo positivo o rendimento de grãos. ABSTRACT: One of the alternatives to reduce the consumption of nitrogen fertilizers in corn production is seed inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria that have the ability of fixing atmospheric N in the root zone. The aim of this study was to evaluate some agronomic characteristics and grain yield of maize grown in an Oxisol with the presence and absence of seed´s inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense associated with different nitrogen doses (0, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125kg/ha). The experiments were carried out in the municipalities of Papanduva and Campos Novos, in Santa Catarina State (Southern Brazil), during the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. The experiments were ploted in a 2x6 factorial with the treatments assigned in a randomized blocks with three replications, using the corn cultivar ?SCS155 Catarina? as indicator. The inoculation of seeds with Azospirillum brasilense does not increase the corn yield and does not alter the weight of the grains, plant height, ear height and main stem diameter. Nitrogen application in corn influences positively the grain yield

Produtividade de genótipos de milho na presença ou ausência de inoculação com Azospirillum brasilense e adubação nitrogenada de cobertura - Safra 2012/13.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade de genótipos de milho com bases genéticas distintas, na presença ou ausência de inoculação de sementes com A. brasilense e de adubação nitrogenadas de cobertura. A inoculação de sementes de milho com Azospirillum brasilense não proporcionou incrementos significativos na produtividade de grãos de milho, em diferentes genótipos, com e sem adubação nitrogenada de cobertura. A adubação com 100 kg ha-1 de N, aplicados em cobertura, proporcionou aumento de produtividade de grãos de milho em relação à ausência de adubação nitrogenada de cobertura. Nos dois locais avaliados, houve variação entre genótipos para produtividade de grãos, todavia sem interação com adubação nitrogenada de cobertura e inoculação com Azospirillum brasilense

Cellular, molecular and functional characterisation of YAC transgenic mouse models of Friedreich Ataxia

Copyright © 2014 Anjomani Virmouni et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Background - Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder, caused by a GAA repeat expansion mutation within intron 1 of the FXN gene. We have previously established and performed preliminary characterisation of several human FXN yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) transgenic FRDA mouse models containing GAA repeat expansions, Y47R (9 GAA repeats), YG8R (90 and 190 GAA repeats) and YG22R (190 GAA repeats). Methodology/Principal Findings - We now report extended cellular, molecular and functional characterisation of these FXN YAC transgenic mouse models. FXN transgene copy number analysis of the FRDA mice demonstrated that the YG22R and Y47R lines each have a single copy of the FXN transgene while the YG8R line has two copies. Single integration sites of all transgenes were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis of metaphase and interphase chromosomes. We identified significant functional deficits, together with a degree of glucose intolerance and insulin hypersensitivity, in YG8R and YG22R FRDA mice compared to Y47R and wild-type control mice. We also confirmed increased somatic GAA repeat instability in the cerebellum and brain of YG22R and YG8R mice, together with significantly reduced levels of FXN mRNA and protein in the brain and liver of YG8R and YG22R compared to Y47R. Conclusions/Significance - Together these studies provide a detailed characterisation of our GAA repeat expansion-based YAC transgenic FRDA mouse models that will help investigations of FRDA disease mechanisms and therapy.European Union, Ataxia UK and FARA

Produtividade de genótipos de milho na presença ou ausência de inoculação com Azospirillum brasilense e adubação nitrogenada de cobertura - safra 2011/12.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade de genótipos de milho com bases genéticas distintas, na presença ou ausência de inoculação de sementes com A. brasilense e de adubação nitrogenadas de cobertura. A inoculação de sementes de milho com Azospirillum brasilense não proporcionou incrementos significativos na produtividade de grãos, em diferentes genótipos, com e sem adubação nitrogenada de cobertura. Nos dois locais avaliados, houve variação entre genótipos para produtividade de grãos, todavia sem interação com adubação nitrogenada de cobertura. Em Campos Novos, houve interação entre genótipos e inoculação para a variável produtividade de grãos, indicando que a interação entre A. brasilense e o milho depende das características genéticas da cultura

Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) Gene Is a Risk Factor of Large-Vessel Atherosclerosis Stroke

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Genetic variation in proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gene has been recently identified as an important determinant of plasma LDL-cholesterol and severity of coronary heart disease. We studied whether the PCSK9 gene is linked to the risk of ischemic stroke (IS) and with the development of intracranial atherosclerosis. METHODS/RESULTS: The pivotal E670G polymorphism, tagging an important haplotype of the PCSK9 gene, was genotyped in two independent studies. The Belgium Stroke Study included 237 middle aged (45-60) Belgian patients, with small-vessel occlusion (SVO) and large-vessel atherosclerosis stroke (LVA), and 326 gender and ethnicity matched controls (>60 yrs) without a history of stroke. In multivariate analysis the minor allele (G) carriers appeared as a significant predictor of LVA (OR = 3.52, 95% CI 1.25-9.85; p = 0.017). In a Finnish crossectional population based consecutive autopsy series of 604 males and females (mean age 62.5 years), G-allele carriers tended to have more severe allele copy number-dependent (p = 0.095) atherosclerosis in the circle of Willis and in its branches. CONCLUSION: Our findings in this unique combination of clinical and autopsy data, provide evidence that PCSK9 gene associates with the risk of LVA stroke subtype, and suggest that the risk is mediated by the severity of intracranial atherosclerosis.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Urinary, bowel and sexual symptoms in a cohort of patients with Friedreich's ataxia

BACKGROUND: Pelvic symptoms are distressing symptoms experienced by patients with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA). The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), bowel and sexual symptoms in FRDA. METHODS: Questionnaire scores measuring LUTS, bowel and sexual symptoms were analysed with descriptive statistics as a cohort and as subgroups (Early/Late-onset and Early/Late-stage FRDA) They were also correlated with validated measures of disease severity including those of ataxia severity, non-ataxic symptoms and activities of daily living. RESULTS: 80% (n = 46/56) of patients reported LUTS, 64% (n = 38/59) reported bowel symptoms and 83% (n = 30/36) reported sexual symptoms. Urinary and bowel or sexual symptoms were significantly likely to co-exist among patients. Late-onset FRDA patients were also more likely to report LUTS than early-onset ones. Patients with a longer disease duration reported higher LUTS scores and poorer quality of life scores related to urinary symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of FRDA have symptoms suggestive of LUTS, bowel and sexual dysfunction. This is more marked with greater disease duration and later disease onset. These symptoms need to be addressed by clinicians as they can have a detrimental effect on patients

ASSERT4SOA: Toward Security Certification of Service-Oriented Applications

ASSERT4SOA project proposes machine readable certificates to be used to allow Web service requesters to automatically assess the security properties of Web services (and their providers) as certified by a trusted third party. This vision promises to open up an entire new market for certification services