Modulation of COUP-TF Expression in a Cnidarian by Ectopic Wnt Signalling and Allorecognition

COUP transcription factors are required for the regulation of gene expression underlying development, differentiation, and homeostasis. They have an evolutionarily conserved function, being a known marker for neurogenesis from cnidarians to vertebrates. A homologue of this gene was shown previously to be a neuronal and nematocyte differentiation marker in Hydra. However, COUP-TFs had not previously been studied in a colonial cnidarian.We cloned a COUP-TF homologue from the colonial marine cnidarian Hydractinia echinata. Expression of the gene was analysed during normal development, allorecognition events and ectopic Wnt activation, using in situ hybridisation and quantitative PCR. During normal Hydractinia development, the gene was first expressed in post-gastrula stages. It was undetectable in larvae, and its mRNA was present again in putative differentiating neurons and nematocytes in post-metamorphic stages. Global activation of canonical Wnt signalling in adult animals resulted in the upregulation of COUP-TF. We also monitored a strong COUP-TF upregulation in stolons undergoing allogeneic interactions. COUP-TF mRNA was most concentrated in the tissues that contacted allogeneic, non-self tissues, and decreased in a gradient away from the contact area. Interestingly, the gene was transiently upregulated during initial contact of self stolons, but dissipated rapidly following self recognition, while in non-self contacts high expression levels were maintained.We conclude that COUP-TF is likely involved in neuronal/nematocyte differentiation in a variety of contexts. This has now been shown to include allorecognition, where COUP-TF is thought to have been co-opted to mediate allorejection by recruiting stinging cells that are the effectors of cytotoxic rejection of allogeneic tissue. Our findings that Wnt activation upregulates COUP-TF expression suggests that Wnts' role in neuronal differentiation could be mediated through COUP-TF

Targeting Vascular NADPH Oxidase 1 Blocks Tumor Angiogenesis through a PPARα Mediated Mechanism

Reactive oxygen species, ROS, are regulators of endothelial cell migration, proliferation and survival, events critically involved in angiogenesis. Different isoforms of ROS-generating NOX enzymes are expressed in the vasculature and provide distinct signaling cues through differential localization and activation. We show that mice deficient in NOX1, but not NOX2 or NOX4, have impaired angiogenesis. NOX1 expression and activity is increased in primary mouse and human endothelial cells upon angiogenic stimulation. NOX1 silencing decreases endothelial cell migration and tube-like structure formation, through the inhibition of PPARα, a regulator of NF-κB. Administration of a novel NOX-specific inhibitor reduced angiogenesis and tumor growth in vivo in a PPARα dependent manner. In conclusion, vascular NOX1 is a critical mediator of angiogenesis and an attractive target for anti-angiogenic therapies

Dielectric Behavior and Impedance Spectroscopy of Bismuth Iron Phosphate Glasses

The electrical and dielectrical properties of Bi2O3-Fe2O3-P2O5 glasses were measured by impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 0.01 Hz to 4 MHz and over the temperature range from 303 to 473 K. It was shown that the dc conductivity strongly depends on the Fe2O3 content and Fe(II)/Fetot ratio. With increasing Fe(II) ion content from 17% to 34% in the bismuth-free 39.4Fe2O3-59.6P2O5 and 9.8Bi2O3-31.7Fe2O3-58.5P2O5 glasses, the dc conductivity increases. On the other hand, the decrease in dc conductivity for the glasses with 18.9 mol% Bi2O3 is attributed to the decrease in Fe2O3 content from 31.7 to 23.5 mol%, which indicates that the conductivity for these glasses depends on Fe2O3 content. The conductivity for these glasses is independent of the Bi2O3 content and arises mainly from polaron hopping between Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions suggesting an electronic conduction. The evolution of the complex permittivity as a function of frequency and temperature was investigated. At low frequency the dispersion was investigated in terms of dielectric loss. The thermal activated relaxation mechanism dominates the observed relaxation behavior. The relationship between relaxation parameters and electrical conductivity indicates the electronic conductivity controlled by polaron hopping between iron ions. The Raman spectra show that the addition of up to 18.9 mol% of Bi2O3 does not produce any changes in the glass structure which consists predominantly of pyrophosphate units

Development of the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II

Recognizing the value of open-source research databases in advancing the art and science of HVAC, in 2014 the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II project was launched under the leadership of University of California at Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment and The University of Sydney's Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Laboratory. The exercise began with a systematic collection and harmonization of raw data from the last two decades of thermal comfort field studies around the world. The ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II (Comfort Database), now an online, open-source database, includes approximately 81,846 complete sets of objective indoor climatic observations with accompanying "right-here-right-now" subjective evaluations by the building occupants who were exposed to them. The database is intended to support diverse inquiries about thermal comfort in field settings. A simple web-based interface to the database enables filtering on multiple criteria, including building typology, occupancy type, subjects' demographic variables, subjective thermal comfort states, indoor thermal environmental criteria, calculated comfort indices, environmental control criteria and outdoor meteorological information. Furthermore, a web-based interactive thermal comfort visualization tool has been developed that allows end-users to quickly and interactively explore the data

Volatile organic compounds in 169 energy-efficient dwellings in Switzerland.

Exposure to elevated levels of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in households has been linked to deleterious health effects. This study presents the first large-scale investigation of VOC levels in 169 energy-efficient dwellings in Switzerland. Through a combination of physical measurements and questionnaire surveys, we investigated the influence of diverse building characteristics on indoor VOCs. Among 74 detected compounds, carbonyls, alkanes, and alkenes were the most abundant. Median concentration levels of formaldehyde (14 μg/m <sup>3</sup> ), TVOC (212 μg/m <sup>3</sup> ), benzene (<0.1 μg/m <sup>3</sup> ), and toluene (22 μg/m <sup>3</sup> ) were below the upper exposure limits. Nonetheless, 90% and 50% of dwellings exceeded the chronic exposure limits for formaldehyde (9 μg/m <sup>3</sup> ) and TVOC (200 μg/m <sup>3</sup> ), respectively. There was a strong positive correlation among VOCs that likely originated from common sources. Dwellings built between 1950s and 1990s, and especially, those with attached garages had higher TVOC concentrations. Interior thermal retrofit of dwellings and absence of mechanical ventilation system were associated with elevated levels of formaldehyde, aromatics, and alkanes. Overall, energy-renovated homes had higher levels of certain VOCs compared with newly built homes. The results suggest that energy efficiency measures in dwellings should be accompanied by actions to mitigate VOC exposures as to avoid adverse health outcomes

The orphan COUP-TF nuclear receptors are markers for neurogenesis from cnidarians to vertebrates

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Iron Redox Equilibrium, Structure and Properties of Zinc Iron Phosphate Glasses

Iron redox equilibrium, structure and properties were investigated for the 10ZnO-30Fe2O3-60P2O5 (mol%) glasses melted at different temperatures. The structure and valence states of the iron ions in these glasses were investigated using Mössbauer spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis. Mössbauer spectroscopy indicated that the concentration of Fe2+ ions increased in the 10ZnO-30Fe2O3-60P2O5 (mol%) glass with increasing melting temperature. The Fe2+/(Fe2+ + Fe3+) ratio increased from 0.18 to 0.38 as the melting temperature increased from 1100 to 1300 °C. The measured isomer shifts showed that both Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions are in octahedral coordination. It was shown that the dc conductivity strongly depended on Fe2+/(Fe2+ + Fe3+) ratio in glasses. The dc conductivity increases with the increasing Fe2+ ion content in these glasses. The conductivity arises from the polaron hopping between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions which suggests that the conduction is electronic in nature in zinc iron phosphate glasses