Chapter 9: Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Section A: Aquatic Macroinvertebrates (Exclusive of Mosquitoes)

Final Report. Excerpt (Chapter 9, Section A) from The Des Plaines River Wetlands Demonstration Project, Volume II, Baseline Survey, edited by Donald L. Hey and Nancy S. PhilippiReport issued on: October 1985INHS Technical Report prepared for Wetlands Research, Inc

Using New Selection Tools

The goal of most beef production systems is to increase or at least maintain profitability. Producers can attempt to increase profitability in a variety of ways that might include reducing feed costs, changing their marketing program, or perhaps by changing the performance of their herd through genetic improvement. Focusing on this latter option, there are two primary genetic tools available: selection and mating where selection refers to the selection of breeding animals and mating includes which females are mated to which bulls, for example, crossbreeding systems. This paper focuses on the former, the selection of the appropriate animals for a production system with the goal to improve profitability. The best tool available for making selection decisions is expected progeny differences (EPD). Over the years the number of EPD available to guide producers in making selection decisions has grown from 5 to over 15 in most cases. Simply put, the amount of information that the breeder must sift through to try to make a good selection decision has become overwhelming. The producer must determine which EPD have the greatest influence on their income and their expenses, and by how much—a daunting task. Historically this task has depended on the “intuition” and experience of the breeder. For instance, they know that selection for heavier weaning weight will increase the weight of calves sold at weaning, but that blind selection for weaning weight will also increase calving difficulty and if replacements are kept, likely increase cow size and feed costs. Breeders have been performing a balancing act with little concrete information on how important each of those traits is to their profitability. Fortunately, there are several tools that have recently become available to ease the process of combining the costs and the revenues of beef production with EPD to make selection decisions that will produce progeny which are more profitable

Optical Control of Mammalian Endogenous Transcription and Epigenetic States

The dynamic nature of gene expression enables cellular programming, homeostasis, and environmental adaptation in living systems. Dissection of causal gene functions in cellular and organismal processes therefore necessitates approaches that enable spatially and temporally precise modulation of gene expression. Recently, a variety of microbial and plant-derived light-sensitive proteins have been engineered as optogenetic actuators, enabling high precision spatiotemporal control of many cellular functions1-11. However, versatile and robust technologies that enable optical modulation of transcription in the mammalian endogenous genome remain elusive. Here, we describe the development of Light-Inducible Transcriptional Effectors (LITEs), an optogenetic two-hybrid system integrating the customizable TALE DNA-binding domain12-14 with the light-sensitive cryptochrome 2 protein and its interacting partner CIB1 from Arabidopsis thaliana. LITEs do not require additional exogenous chemical co-factors, are easily customized to target many endogenous genomic loci, and can be activated within minutes with reversibility3,4,6,7,15. LITEs can be packaged into viral vectors and genetically targeted to probe specific cell populations. We have applied this system in primary mouse neurons, as well as in the brain of awake mice in vivo to mediate reversible modulation of mammalian endogenous gene expression as well as targeted epigenetic chromatin modifications. The LITE system establishes a novel mode of optogenetic control of endogenous cellular processes and enables direct testing of the causal roles of genetic and epigenetic regulation in normal biological processes and disease states

Optical control of mammalian endogenous transcription and epigenetic states

A theoretical underpinning of the standard model of fundamental particles and interactions is CPT invariance, which requires that the laws of physics be invariant under the combined discrete operations of charge conjugation, parity and time reversal. Antimatter, the existence of which was predicted by Dirac, can be used to test the CPT theorem—experimental investigations involving comparisons of particles with antiparticles are numerous. Cold atoms and anti-atoms, such as hydrogen and antihydrogen, could form the basis of a new precise test, as CPT invariance implies that they must have the same spectrum. Observations of antihydrogen in small quantities and at high energies have been reported at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and at Fermilab, but these experiments were not suited to precision comparison measurements. Here we demonstrate the production of antihydrogen atoms at very low energy by mixing trapped antiprotons and positrons in a cryogenic environment. The neutral anti-atoms have been detected directly when they escape the trap and annihilate, producing a characteristic signature in an imaging particle detector

Nanowired three-dimensional cardiac patches

Engineered cardiac patches for treating damaged heart tissues after a heart attack are normally produced by seeding heart cells within three-dimensional porous biomaterial scaffolds1, 2, 3. These biomaterials, which are usually made of either biological polymers such as alginate4 or synthetic polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA)5, help cells organize into functioning tissues, but poor conductivity of these materials limits the ability of the patch to contract strongly as a unit6. Here, we show that incorporating gold nanowires within alginate scaffolds can bridge the electrically resistant pore walls of alginate and improve electrical communication between adjacent cardiac cells. Tissues grown on these composite matrices were thicker and better aligned than those grown on pristine alginate and when electrically stimulated, the cells in these tissues contracted synchronously. Furthermore, higher levels of the proteins involved in muscle contraction and electrical coupling are detected in the composite matrices. It is expected that the integration of conducting nanowires within three-dimensional scaffolds may improve the therapeutic value of current cardiac patches.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH, grant GM073626)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH, grant DE13023)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH, grant DE016516)American Heart Association (Postdoctoral Fellowship)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (no. F32GM096546)

Preventing cardiac remodeling: The combination of cell-based therapy and cardiac support therapy preserves left ventricular function in rodent model of myocardial ischemia

ObjectiveCellular and mechanical treatment to prevent heart failure each holds therapeutic promise but together have not been reported yet. The goal of the present study was to determine whether combining a cardiac support device with cell-based therapy could prevent adverse left ventricular remodeling, more than either therapy alone.MethodsThe present study was completed in 2 parts. In the first part, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from rodent femurs and seeded on a collagen-based scaffold. In the second part, myocardial infarction was induced in 60 rats. The 24 survivors were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: control, stem cell therapy, cardiac support device, and a combination of stem cell therapy and cardiac support device. Left ventricular function was measured with biweekly echocardiography, followed by end-of-life histopathologic analysis at 6 weeks.ResultsAfter myocardial infarction and treatment intervention, the ejection fraction remained preserved (74.9-80.2%) in the combination group at an early point (2 weeks) compared with the control group (66.2-82.8%). By 6 weeks, the combination therapy group had a significantly greater fractional area of change compared with the control group (69.2% ± 6.7% and 49.5% ± 6.1% respectively, P = .03). Also, at 6 weeks, the left ventricular wall thickness was greater in the combination group than in the stem cell therapy alone group (1.79 ± 0.11 and 1.33 ± 0.13, respectively, P = .02).ConclusionsCombining a cardiac support device with stem cell therapy preserves left ventricular function after myocardial infarction, more than either therapy alone. Furthermore, stem cell delivery using a cardiac support device is a novel delivery approach for cell-based therapies

Thermoregulation by captive and free-ranging Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) in South Africa

Many bats, including some small-bodied tropical and sub-tropical Pteropodidae, use torpor to offset energetic constraints. We tested the hypothesis that medium sized (110-160 g) cave-roosting Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) at the southern extent of their range are able to employ torpor. We measured daytime body temperatures (Tb) of nine wild individuals using implanted temperature-sensitive radio-transmitters. The bats roosted in a cave on Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa (a typically cool and wet area). Daily mean cave temperature (Tc) ranged between 7 and 12 °C (mean 9.3 °C). All wild individuals exhibited a circadian cycle in Tb, with an average of 37.7 °C upon return from foraging, decreasing to 35.5 °C by mid-day. Before emergence for feeding, Tb increased to about 37 °C. No individual allowed Tb to drop below 34 °C indicating (assuming a threshold temperature of 30 °C) that individuals in this population do not use torpor. Bats were active throughout the day within the roost and metabolic heat production may have contributed to the maintenance of rest phase Tb. Ten individuals implanted with temperature sensitive passive integrated transponder tags were held in captivity at temperatures of 25-30 °C and subjected to food deprivation for 2-3 days. The lowest Tb recorded for any captive individual was 33.4 °C despite losing an average of 10% of their initial body mass. Despite exposure to cool Ta in the cave, and often cold, wet and windy conditions whilst foraging, or substantial food restriction in captive bats, R. aegyptiacus did not resort to using torpor.Grants to DSJ from the University of Cape Town and the South African Research Chair Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, administered by the NRF (GUN 64798), NSERC Discovery grants to RMRM and RMB, and an NRF grant to AEM, WM and JP (GUN98339).http://jmammal.oxfordjournals.org2018-02-28hb2017Mammal Research InstituteMedical VirologyZoology and Entomolog

Optical Control of Mammalian Endogenous Transcription and Epigenetic States

The dynamic nature of gene expression enables cellular programming, homeostasis, and environmental adaptation in living systems. Dissection of causal gene functions in cellular and organismal processes therefore necessitates approaches that enable spatially and temporally precise modulation of gene expression. Recently, a variety of microbial and plant-derived light-sensitive proteins have been engineered as optogenetic actuators, enabling high precision spatiotemporal control of many cellular functions1-11. However, versatile and robust technologies that enable optical modulation of transcription in the mammalian endogenous genome remain elusive. Here, we describe the development of Light-Inducible Transcriptional Effectors (LITEs), an optogenetic two-hybrid system integrating the customizable TALE DNA-binding domain12-14 with the light-sensitive cryptochrome 2 protein and its interacting partner CIB1 from Arabidopsis thaliana. LITEs do not require additional exogenous chemical co-factors, are easily customized to target many endogenous genomic loci, and can be activated within minutes with reversibility3,4,6,7,15. LITEs can be packaged into viral vectors and genetically targeted to probe specific cell populations. We have applied this system in primary mouse neurons, as well as in the brain of awake mice in vivo to mediate reversible modulation of mammalian endogenous gene expression as well as targeted epigenetic chromatin modifications. The LITE system establishes a novel mode of optogenetic control of endogenous cellular processes and enables direct testing of the causal roles of genetic and epigenetic regulation in normal biological processes and disease states

Estimating Genetic Ancestry Proportions from Faces

Ethnicity can be a means by which people identify themselves and others. This type of identification mediates many kinds of social interactions and may reflect adaptations to a long history of group living in humans. Recent admixture in the US between groups from different continents, and the historically strong emphasis on phenotypic differences between members of these groups, presents an opportunity to examine the degree of concordance between estimates of group membership based on genetic markers and on visually-based estimates of facial features. We first measured the degree of Native American, European, African and East Asian genetic admixture in a sample of 14 self-identified Hispanic individuals, chosen to cover a broad range of Native American and European genetic admixture proportions. We showed frontal and side-view photographs of the 14 individuals to 241 subjects living in New Mexico, and asked them to estimate the degree of NA admixture for each individual. We assess the overall concordance for each observer based on an aggregated measure of the difference between the observer and the genetic estimates. We find that observers reach a significantly higher degree of concordance than expected by chance, and that the degree of concordance as well as the direction of the discrepancy in estimates differs based on the ethnicity of the observer, but not on the observers' age or sex. This study highlights the potentially high degree of discordance between physical appearance and genetic measures of ethnicity, as well as how perceptions of ethnic affiliation are context-specific. We compare our findings to those of previous studies and discuss their implications