Integrated Process of Arabinose Biopurification and Xylitol Fermentation Based on the Diverse Action of Candida boidinii

Hemicellulosic hydrolysates of agro-residues are promising raw materials for xylitol and arabinose production through biotechnological methods. Two-step acidic fractionation of corn fibre was developed to produce a glucose- and arabinose-rich hydrolysate and a xylose-rich hydrolysate. An integrated process of arabinose biopurification on the glucose- and arabinose-rich hydrolysate and xylitol fermentation on the xylose-rich hydrolysate using Candida boidinii NCAIM Y.01308 was introduced, in which cell mass produced in arabinose biopurification was used as inoculum in the xylitol fermentation. Aerobic biopurification resulted in an arabinose solution containing 9.2 g L–1 of arabinose with a purity of 90 %, based on total sugars. Xylitol fermentation under microaerobic conditions resulted in a xylitol yield of 53 % of theoretical and a xylitol concentration of 10.4 g L–1 in three days. Hence, an integrated biorefinery process of hemicellulosic hydrolysates was developed based on the diverse action of C. boidinii to purify arabinose and produce xylitol

Identification of autoantigens and their potential post-translational modification in EGPA and severe eosinophilic asthma.

BACKGROUND: The chronic airway inflammation in severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) suggests potential autoimmune aetiology with unidentified autoantibodies analogous to myeloperoxidase (MPO) in ANCA-positive EGPA (eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis). Previous research has shown that oxidative post-translational modification (oxPTM) of proteins is an important mechanism by which autoantibody responses may escape immune tolerance. Autoantibodies to oxPTM autoantigens in SEA have not previously been studied. METHODS: Patients with EGPA and SEA were recruited as well as healthy control participants. Autoantigen agnostic approach: Participant serum was incubated with slides of unstimulated and PMA-stimulated neutrophils and eosinophils, and autoantibodies to granulocytes were identified by immunofluorescence with anti-human IgG FITC antibody. Target autoantigen approach: Candidate proteins were identified from previous literature and FANTOM5 gene set analysis for eosinophil expressed proteins. Serum IgG autoantibodies to these proteins, in native and oxPTM form, were detected by indirect ELISA. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence studies showed that serum from patients with known ANCA stained for IgG against neutrophils as expected. In addition, serum from 9 of 17 tested SEA patients stained for IgG to PMA-stimulated neutrophils undergoing NETosis. Immunofluorescent staining of eosinophil slides was evident with serum from all participants (healthy and with eosinophilic disease) with diffuse cytoplasmic staining except for one SEA individual in whom subtle nuclear staining was evident. FANTOM5 gene set analysis identified TREM1 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1) and IL-1 receptor 2 (IL1R2) as eosinophil-specific targets to test for autoantibody responses in addition to MPO, eosinophil peroxidase (EPX), and Collagen-V identified from previous literature. Indirect ELISAs found high concentrations of serum autoantibodies to Collagen-V, MPO, and TREM1 in a higher proportion of SEA patients than healthy controls. High concentrations of serum autoantibodies to EPX were evident in serum from both healthy and SEA participants. The proportion of patients with positive autoantibody ELISAs was not increased when examining oxPTM compared to native proteins. DISCUSSION: Although none of the target proteins studied showed high sensitivity for SEA, the high proportion of patients positive for at least one serum autoantibody shows the potential of more research on autoantibody serology to improve diagnostic testing for severe asthma. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier, NCT04671446

\u27Struggling with Language\u27 : Indigenous movements for Linguistic Security and the Politics of Local Community

In this article, I explore the relationship between linguistic diversity and political power. Specifically, I outline some of the ways that linguistic diversity has served as a barrier to the centralization of power, thus constraining, for example, the political practice of empire-formation. A brief historical example of this dynamic is presented in the case of Spanish colonialism of the 16th-century. The article proceeds then to demonstrate how linguistic diversity remains tied to struggles against forms of domination. I argue that in contemporary indigenous movements for linguistic security, the languages themselves are not merely conceived of as the object of the political struggle, but also as the means to preserve a space for local action and deliberation – a ‘politics of local community’. I show that linguistic diversity and the devolution of political power to the local level are in a mutually reinforcing relationship. Finally, I consider the implications of this thesis for liberal theorizing on language rights, arguing that such theory cannot fully come to terms with this political-strategic dimension of language struggles

Distinct Effects of p19 RNA Silencing Suppressor on Small RNA Mediated Pathways in Plants

RNA silencing is one of the main defense mechanisms employed by plants to fight viruses. In change, viruses have evolved silencing suppressor proteins to neutralize antiviral silencing. Since the endogenous and antiviral functions of RNA silencing pathway rely on common components, it was suggested that viral suppressors interfere with endogenous silencing pathway contributing to viral symptom development. In this work, we aimed to understand the effects of the tombusviral p19 suppressor on endogenous and antiviral silencing during genuine virus infection. We showed that ectopically expressed p19 sequesters endogenous small RNAs (sRNAs) in the absence, but not in the presence of virus infection. Our presented data question the generalized model in which the sequestration of endogenous sRNAs by the viral suppressor contributes to the viral symptom development. We further showed that p19 preferentially binds the perfectly paired ds-viral small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) but does not select based on their sequence or the type of the 5’ nucleotide. Finally, co-immunoprecipitation of sRNAs with AGO1 or AGO2 from virus-infected plants revealed that p19 specifically impairs vsiRNA loading into AGO1 but not AGO2. Our findings, coupled with the fact that p19-expressing wild type Cymbidium ringspot virus (CymRSV) overcomes the Nicotiana benthamiana silencing based defense killing the host, suggest that AGO1 is the main effector of antiviral silencing in this host-virus combination

The Relationship between Mental and Somatic Practices and Wisdom

In this study we sought to explore how experience with specific mental and somatic practices is associated with wisdom, using self-report measures of experience and wisdom. We administered standard surveys to measure wisdom and experience among four groups of practitioners of mental and somatic practices, namely, meditators, practitioners of the Alexander Technique, practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method, and classical ballet dancers. We additionally administered surveys of trait anxiety and empathy to all participants to explore possible mediating relationships of experience and wisdom by characteristics thought to be components of wisdom. Wisdom was higher on average among meditation practitioners, and lowest among ballet dancers, and this difference held when controlling for differences in age between practices, supporting the view that meditation is linked to wisdom and that ballet is not. However, we found that increased experience with meditation and ballet were both positively associated with wisdom, and that lowered trait anxiety mediated this positive association among meditation practitioners, and, non-significantly, among ballet dancers. These results suggest that not all practices that are purported to affect mental processing are related to wisdom to the same degree and different kinds of experience appear to relate to wisdom in different ways, suggesting different mechanisms that might underlie the development of wisdom with experience

The Relationship between Mental and Somatic Practices and Wisdom

<div><p>In this study we sought to explore how experience with specific mental and somatic practices is associated with wisdom, using self-report measures of experience and wisdom. We administered standard surveys to measure wisdom and experience among four groups of practitioners of mental and somatic practices, namely, meditators, practitioners of the Alexander Technique, practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method, and classical ballet dancers. We additionally administered surveys of trait anxiety and empathy to all participants to explore possible mediating relationships of experience and wisdom by characteristics thought to be components of wisdom. Wisdom was higher on average among meditation practitioners, and lowest among ballet dancers, and this difference held when controlling for differences in age between practices, supporting the view that meditation is linked to wisdom and that ballet is not. However, we found that increased experience with meditation and ballet were both positively associated with wisdom, and that lowered trait anxiety mediated this positive association among meditation practitioners, and, non-significantly, among ballet dancers. These results suggest that not all practices that are purported to affect mental processing are related to wisdom to the same degree and different kinds of experience appear to relate to wisdom in different ways, suggesting different mechanisms that might underlie the development of wisdom with experience.</p></div

Correlations among wisdom, its subcomponents, and predictor variables.

<p>Correlations among wisdom, its subcomponents, and predictor variables.</p