Metabolism of methylated osmolytes by aerobic Mono Lake, a moderately hypersaline, alkaline

Abstract Three strains of aerobic bacteria were isolated from water and sediment samples of Mono Lake, a moderately hypersaline (90 ppt), alkaline (pH 9.7) lake in California. The organisms, Gram-negative rods, grew fastest at about pH 9.7 with no growth or much slower growth at pH 7.0. All three isolates grew on glycine betaine (GB) and respirometric experiments indicated that catabolism was by sequential demethylation with dimethyl glycine and sarcosine as intermediates. Two of the isolates also grew on dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), one with cleavage of the DMSP to yield dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and acrylate, and the other by demethylation with 3-methiolpropionate (MMPA) as an intermediate and the production of methanethiol from MMPA. The methylated osmolytes supported growth at salinities similar to those in Mono Lake, but, at higher salinities. catabolism was suppressed and GB and DMSP functioned as osmolytes. GB and DMSP probably originate from cyanobacteria and/or phytoplankton in Mono Lake and this report is the first indication of both the DMS and demethylation/methanethiol-producing pathways for DMSP degradation in a nonmarine environment

Microborings reveal alternating agitation, resting and sleeping stages of modern marine ooids

ABSTRACTOoids are abundant carbonate grains throughout much of Earth's history, but their formation is not well understood. Here, an in‐depth study of microbial bioerosion features of Holocene ooids from the Schooner Cays ooid shoals (Great Bahama Bank, Eleuthera, Bahamas) and the Shalil al Ud ooid shoals in the Gulf (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) is presented. No obvious differences were found in ooid size distribution, cortex layer thickness, the composition of nuclei or euendolithic community when comparing ooids from both locations. Microendolithic borings are present in most studied ooid surfaces, but the intensity of (micro‐)bioerosion varies significantly. Applying an epoxy vacuum cast‐embedding technique allowed the identification of ichnotaxa and their inferred producers (various genera of diatoms, cyanobacteria, coccolithophores and unspecified bacteria). Euendolithic taxa have specific low‐light tolerances and light optima. This implies that information about the relative bathymetry (seafloor versus burial within an ooid shoal) and ecology for ooid cortex formation can be obtained via the presence or absence of their respective ichnotaxa. The history of a statistically significant number of ooid cortices can be translated into dune dynamics and the temporal variations thereof by allocating the inferred index producer to a defined burial or light penetration zone. In this context, ooid formation can be divided into four stages: (i) an agitation stage in the water column, characterized by the colonization of grains by photoautotrophs; (ii) a resting stage, characterized by temporary burial of the ooid, leading to immobilization and a shift towards heterotrophs; (iii) a sleeping stage, characterized by prolonged burial and colonialization by organotrophs; and (iv) a reactivation stage, characterized by a resurfacing of the ooid and a subsequent shift towards photoautotrophs. The sleeping stage is presumably a stage of ooid degradation where bioerosion, mainly by heterotrophic fungi and bacteria is particularly active.</jats:p

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected

Immunoproteasome LMP2 60HH Variant Alters MBP Epitope Generation and Reduces the Risk to Develop Multiple Sclerosis in Italian Female Population

Background: Albeit several studies pointed out the pivotal role that CD4+T cells have in Multiple Sclerosis, the CD8+ T cells involvement in the pathology is still in its early phases of investigation. Proteasome degradation is the key step in the production of MHC class I-restricted epitopes and therefore its activity could be an important element in the activation and regulation of autoreactive CD8+ T cells in Multiple Sclerosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: Immunoproteasomes and PA28-ab regulator are present in MS affected brain area and accumulated in plaques. They are expressed in cell types supposed to be involved in MS development such as neurons, endothelial cells, oligodendrocytes, macrophages/macroglia and lymphocytes. Furthermore, in a genetic study on 1262 Italian MS cases and 845 controls we observed that HLA-A*02+ female subjects carrying the immunoproteasome LMP2 codon 60HH variant have a reduced risk to develop MS. Accordingly, immunoproteasomes carrying the LMP2 60H allele produce in vitro a lower amount of the HLA-A*0201 restricted immunodominant epitope MBP111\u2013119. Conclusion/Significance: The immunoproteasome LMP2 60HH variant reduces the risk to develop MS amongst Italian HLAA* 02+ females. We propose that such an effect is mediated by the altered proteasome-dependent production of a specific MBP epitope presented on the MHC class I. Our observations thereby support the hypothesis of an involvement of immunoproteasome in the MS pathogenesis

Erratum to: Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Action Plan B3: Area 5).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13601-016-0116-9.]

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Erratum to: Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Action Plan B3: Area 5).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13601-016-0116-9.]

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion