Application of Remote Sensing Techniques for Appraising Changes in Wildlife Habitat

An attempt was made to investigate the potential of airborne, multispectral, line scanner data acquisition and computer-implemented automatic recognition techniques for providing useful information about waterfowl breeding habitat in North Dakota. The spectral characteristics of the components of a landscape containing waterfowl habitat can be detected with airborne scanners. By analyzing these spectral characteristics it is possible to identify and map the landscape components through analog and digital processing methods. At the present stage of development multispectral remote sensing techniques are not ready for operational application to surveys of migratory bird habitat and other such resources. Further developments are needed to: (1) increase accuracy; (2) decrease retrieval and processing time; and (3) reduce costs

Occurrence and diversity of bacterial communities in Tuber magnatum during truffle maturation

none9Tuber magnatum, an ascomycetous fungus and obligate ectomycorrhizal symbiont, forms hypogeous fruit bodies, commonly called Italian white truffles. The diversity of bacterial communities associated with T. magnatum truffles was investigated using culture-independent and -dependent 16S rRNA genebased approaches. Eighteen truffles were classified in three groups, representing different degrees of ascocarp maturation, based on the percentage of asci containing mature spores. The culturable bacterial fraction was 4.17 (+/- 1.61) x 10.000.000, 2.60 (+/- 1.22) x 10.000.000 and 1.86 (+/-1.32) x 1.000.000 cfu g-1 for immature, intermediate and mature ascocarps respectively. The total of bacteria count was two orders of magnitude higher than the cfu g-1 count. Sequencing results from the clone library showed a significant presence of alpha-Proteobacteria (634 of the 771 total clones screened, c. 82%) affiliated with Sinorhizobium, Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium spp. The bacterial culturable fraction was generally represented by gamma-Proteobacteria (210 of the 384 total strains isolated, c. 55%), which were mostly fluorescent pseudomonads. Fluorescent in situ hybridization confirmed that alpha-Proteobacteria (85.8%) were the predominant components of truffle bacterial communities with beta-Proteobacteria (1.5%), gamma-Proteobacteria (1.9%), Bacteroidetes (2.1%), Firmicutes (2.4%) and Actinobacteria (3%) only poorly represented. Molecular approaches made it possible to identify alpha-Proteobacteria as major constituents of a bacterial component associated with T. magnatum ascoma, independently from the degree of maturation.openE. BARBIERI; C. GUIDI; J. BERTAUX; P. FREY-KLETT; J. GARBAYE; P. CECCAROLI; R. SALTARELLI; A. ZAMBONELLI; V. STOCCHIBarbieri, Elena; C., Guidi; J., Bertaux; P., FREY KLETT; J., Garbaye; Ceccaroli, Paola; Saltarelli, Roberta; A., Zambonelli; Stocchi, Vilbert

Glycerol-3-phosphate Acyltransferase Isoform-4 (GPAT4) Limits Oxidation of Exogenous Fatty Acids in Brown Adipocytes

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-4 (GPAT4) null pups grew poorly during the suckling period and, as adults, were protected from high fat diet-induced obesity. To determine why Gpat4−/− mice failed to gain weight during these two periods of high fat feeding, we examined energy metabolism. Compared with controls, the metabolic rate of Gpat4−/− mice fed a 45% fat diet was 12% higher. Core body temperature was 1 ºC higher after high fat feeding. Food intake, fat absorption, and activity were similar in both genotypes. Impaired weight gain in Gpat4−/− mice did not result from increased heat loss, because both cold tolerance and response to a β3-adrenergic agonist were similar in both genotypes. Because GPAT4 comprises 65% of the total GPAT activity in brown adipose tissue (BAT), we characterized BAT function. A 45% fat diet increased the Gpat4−/− BAT expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR) target genes, Cpt1α, Pgc1α, and Ucp1, and BAT mitochondria oxidized oleate and pyruvate at higher rates than controls, suggesting that fatty acid signaling and flux through the TCA cycle were enhanced. To assess the role of GPAT4 directly, neonatal BAT preadipocytes were differentiated to adipocytes. Compared with controls, Gpat4−/− brown adipocytes incorporated 33% less fatty acid into triacylglycerol and 46% more into the pathway of β-oxidation. The increased oxidation rate was due solely to an increase in the oxidation of exogenous fatty acids. These data suggest that in the absence of cold exposure, GPAT4 limits excessive fatty acid oxidation and the detrimental induction of a hypermetabolic state

Antibiotic capture by bacterial lipocalins uncovers an extracellular mechanism of intrinsic antibiotic resistance

15 p.-6 fig.The potential for microbes to overcome antibiotics of different classes before they reach bacterial cells is largely unexplored. Here we show that a soluble bacterial lipocalin produced by Burkholderia cenocepacia upon exposure to sublethal antibiotic concentrations increases resistance to diverse antibiotics in vitro and in vivo. These phenotypes were recapitulated by heterologous expression in B. cenocepacia of lipocalin genes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Purified lipocalin bound different classes of bactericidal antibiotics and contributed to bacterial survival in vivo. Experimental and X-ray crystal structure-guided computational studies revealed that lipocalins counteract antibiotic action by capturing antibiotics in the extracellular space. We also demonstrated that fat-soluble vitamins prevent antibiotic capture by binding bacterial lipocalin with higher affinity than antibiotics. Therefore, bacterial lipocalins contribute to antimicrobial resistance by capturing diverse antibiotics in the extracellular space at the site of infection, which can be counteracted by known vitamins.This work was funded by grants from Cystic Fibrosis Canada, the European Commission,a Marie Curie Career Integration grant (projects 618095, NONANTIRES), and the Infection and Immunity Translational Research Group, Northern Ireland HSC to M.A.V.;the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO CTQ2011-22724 and CTQ2014-57141-R), European Commission Marie Curie grants GLYCOPHARM FP7-PITNGA-2012-317297 and TOLLerant H2020-MSC-ETN-642157 to S.M.S.; and Canadian Institutes of Health research grant MOP-49597 and a grant from Cystic Fibrosis Canada to M.E.P.M.Peer reviewe

Beings in their own right? Exploring Children and young people's sibling and twin relationships in the Minority World

This paper examines the contributions that the sociological study of sibship and twinship in the Minority World can make to childhood studies. It argues that, in providing one forum within which to explore children and young people's social relationships, we can add to our understanding of children and young people's interdependence and develop a more nuanced understanding of agency. As emergent subjects, children, young people and adults are in a process of ‘becoming’. However, this does not mean that they can ‘become’ anything they choose to. The notion of negotiated interdependence (Punch 2002) is useful in helping us to grasp the contingent nature of children and young people's agency

Scaleup tests and supporting research for the development of duct injection technology

DOE's Duct Injection Test Facility at Ohio Power Company's Muskingum River Plant was modified to enable performance of a comprehensive test program concerning duct injection of sorbents for SO[sub 2] control. Injection of slaked lime slurries and injection of dry calcium hydroxide powder with humidification were carried out under a variety of process conditions. Slaked lime slurry injection as found to be superior in both operational reliability and S0[sub 2] removal capability compared with dry hydrated lime injection with humidification. Calcium utilization of 50% was achieved with 50% S0[sub 2] removal at the ESP outlet with recycle of unreacted sorbent collected in the precipitatorhoppers. Electrostatic precipitator collection performance was found to be highly variable with sorbent injection, especially with close approach to saturation temperatures and high inlet mass loadings. Small-scale tests with a fabric filter in parallel with the precipitator indicated 5 to 10% more S0[sub 2] removal could be obtained across the fabric filter than the ESP for all test conditions. Over 95% S0[sub 2] removal was achieved with the fabric filter using a two stage cooling process in which the filter was cooled below the operating temperature ofthe duct spray dryer

Structural Ceramic Composites for Nuclear Applications

A research program has been established to investigate fiber reinforced ceramic composites to be used as control rod components within a Very High Temperature Reactor. Two candidate systems have been identified, carbon fiber reinforced carbon (Cf/C) and silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide (SiCf/SiC) composites. Initial irradiation stability studies to determine the maximum dose for each composite type have been initiated within the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Test samples exposed to 10 dpa irradiation dose have been completed with future samples to dose levels of 20 and 30 dpa scheduled for completion in following years. Mechanical and environmental testing is being conducted concurrently at the Idaho National Laboratory and at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. High temperature test equipment, testing methodologies, and test samples for high temperature (up to 1600º C) tensile strength and long duration creep studies have been established. Specific attention was paid to the architectural fiber preform design as well as the materials used in construction of the composites. Actual testing of both tubular and flat, "dog-bone" shaped tensile composite specimens will begin next year. Since there is no precedence for using ceramic composites within a nuclear reactor, ASTM standard test procedures will be established from these mechanical and environmental tests. Close collaborations between the U.S. national laboratories and international collaborators (i.e. France and Japan) are being forged to establish both national and international test standards to be used to qualify ceramic composites for nuclear reactor applications

Smoking is Associated with Hypermethylation of the APC 1A Promoter in Colorectal Cancer: the ColoCare Study

Smoking tobacco is a known risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer, and for mortality associated with the disease. While smoking has been reported to be associated with changes in DNA methylation in blood and in lung tumour tissues, there has been scant investigation of how epigenetic factors may be implicated in the increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. To identify epigenetic changes associated with smoking behaviours, we performed epigenome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in colorectal tumours from 36 never smokers, 47 former smokers and 13 active smokers, and adjacent mucosa from 49 never smokers, 64 former smokers and 18 active smokers. Our analyses identified 15 CpG sites within the APC 1A promoter that were significantly hypermethylated and 14 CpG loci within the NFATC1 gene body that were significantly hypomethylated (pLIS<1x10-5) in tumours of active smokers. The APC 1A promoter was hypermethylated in 7 of 36 tumours from never smokers (19%), 12 of 47 tumours from former smokers (26%), and 8 of 13 tumours from active smokers (62%). Promoter hypermethylation was positively associated with duration of smoking (Spearman rank correlation, =0.26, p=0.03) and was confined to tumours, with hypermethylation never observed in adjacent mucosa. Further analysis of adjacent mucosa revealed significant hypomethylation of four loci associated with the TNXB gene in tissue from active smokers. Our findings provide exploratory evidence for hypermethylation of the key tumour suppressor gene APC being implicated in smoking-associated colorectal carcinogenesis. Further work is required to establish the validity of our observations in independent cohorts