Molecular Factors Affecting the Accumulation of Recombinant Proteins in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Chloroplast

In an effort to develop microalgae as a robust system for the production of valuable proteins, we analyzed some of the factors affecting recombinant protein expression in the chloroplast of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We monitored mRNA accumulation, protein synthesis, and protein turnover for three codon-optimized transgenes including GFP, bacterial luciferase, and a large single chain antibody. GFP and luciferase proteins were quite stable, while the antibody was less so. Measurements of protein synthesis, in contrast, clearly showed that translation of the three chimeric mRNAs was greatly reduced when compared to endogenous mRNAs under control of the same atpA promoter/UTR. Only in a few conditions this could be explained by limited mRNA availability since, in most cases, recombinant mRNAs accumulated quite well when compared to the atpA mRNA. In vitro toeprint and in vivo polysome analyses suggest that reduced ribosome association might contribute to limited translational efficiency. However, when recombinant polysome levels and protein synthesis are analyzed as a whole, it becomes clear that other steps, such as inefficient protein elongation, are likely to have a considerable impact. Taken together, our results point to translation as the main step limiting the expression of heterologous proteins in the C. reinhardtii chloroplast

Assessment of knowledge and attitudes toward determinants of infant mortality in Head Start teachers, teacher aides, caregivers, and family support workers

IMR (11.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births) almost twice the rate observed in (6.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births). Objectives. The purpose of this project was to assess Head Start teachers’, teacher aides’, caregivers’, and family support workers’ perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, values and beliefs on topics (nutrition, exercise, breastfeeding, safe sleep, smoking, stress, postpartum depression, and mental health) related to infant mortality prevention in a Mississippi Gulf Coast Head Start consortium. Methods. A 47-item questionnaire was developed that focused on areas associated with primary prevention of infant mortality. Results. Participants (n=82) ages were 25 to 44 years of age and African American (80.8%). Most were teachers (43%) and had Associate’s degrees (48.8%). Participant knowledge and comfort level with providing information to families varied widely across the content areas. Conclusion. Head Start workers provide direct support for families at risk for experiencing the loss of an infant within the first year of life. Evaluating perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, values and beliefs related to infant mortality prevention can inform the development of strategies, prevention programs, and continuing education opportunities for Head Start workers

Performance of AAOmega: the AAT multi-purpose fibre-fed spectrograph

AAOmega is the new spectrograph for the 2dF fibre-positioning system on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. It is a bench-mounted, double-beamed design, using volume phase holographic (VPH) gratings and articulating cameras. It is fed by 392 fibres from either of the two 2dF field plates, or by the 512 fibre SPIRAL integral field unit (IFU) at Cassegrain focus. Wavelength coverage is 370 to 950nm and spectral resolution 1,000-8,000 in multi-Object mode, or 1,500-10,000 in IFU mode. Multi-object mode was commissioned in January 2006 and the IFU system will be commissioned in June 2006. The spectrograph is located off the telescope in a thermally isolated room and the 2dF fibres have been replaced by new 38m broadband fibres. Despite the increased fibre length, we have achieved a large increase in throughput by use of VPH gratings, more efficient coatings and new detectors - amounting to a factor of at least 2 in the red. The number of spectral resolution elements and the maximum resolution are both more than doubled, and the stability is an order of magnitude better. The spectrograph comprises: an f/3.15 Schmidt collimator, incorporating a dichroic beam-splitter; interchangeable VPH gratings; and articulating red and blue f/1.3 Schmidt cameras. Pupil size is 190mm, determined by the competing demands of cost, obstruction losses, and maximum resolution. A full suite of VPH gratings has been provided to cover resolutions 1,000 to 7,500, and up to 10,000 at particular wavelengths.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures; presented at SPIE, Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 24 - 31 May 2006, Orlando, Florida US

Towards an improved seismic risk scenario for Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

A risk scenario for Bishkek, capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, is evaluated by considering a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurring over the Issyk-Ata fault.The intensity values predicted through the application of an attenuation relationship and a recently compiled vulnerability composition model are used as inputs for seismic risk assessment, carried out using the CREST (Cedim Risk Estimation Tool) code. Although the results of this study show a reduction by as much as a factor of two with respect to the results of earlier studies, the risk scenario evaluated in this paper confirms the large number of expected injuries and fatalities in Bishkek, as well as the severe level of building damage. Furthermore, the intensity map has also been evaluated by performing stochastic simulations. The spectral levels of the ground shaking are converted into intensity values by applying a previously derived conversion technique. The local site effects are empirically estimated considering the spectral ratios between the earthquakes recorded by a temporary network deployed in Bishkek and the recordings at two reference sites. Although the intensities computed via stochastic simulations are lower than those estimated with the attenuation relationship, the simulations showed that site effects, which can contribute to intensity increments as large as 2 units in the north part of the town, are playing an important role in altering the risk estimates for different parts of the town

Ambulatory care, insurance, and avoidable emergency department utilization in North Carolina

Objective: To examine whether and how avoidable emergency department (ED) utilization is associated with ambulatory or primary care (APC) utilization, insurance, and interaction effects. Design and sample: A cross-sectional analysis of electronic health records from 70,870 adults residing in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, who visited an ED within a large integrated healthcare system in 2017. Methods: APC utilization was measured as total visits, categorized as: 0, 1, and > 1. Insurance was defined as the method of payment for the ED visit as: Medicaid, Medicare, private, or uninsured. Avoidable ED utilization was quantified as a score (aED), calculated as the sum of New York University Algorithm probabilities multiplied by 100. Quantile regression models were used to predict the 25th, 50th, 75th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of avoidable ED scores with APC visits and insurance as predictors (Model 1) and with an interaction term (Model 2). Results: Having >1 APC visit was negatively associated with aED at the lower percentiles and positively associated at higher percentiles. A higher aED was associated with having Medicaid insurance and a lower aED was associated with having private insurance, compared to being uninsured. In stratified models, having >1 APC visit was negatively associated with aED at the 25th percentile for the uninsured and privately insured, but positively associated with aED at higher percentiles among the uninsured, Medicaid-insured, and privately insured. Conclusions: The association between APC utilization and avoidable ED utilization varied based on segments of the distribution of ED score and differed significantly by insurance type

Do riparian forest fragments provide ecosystem services or disservices in surrounding oil palm plantations?

Agricultural expansion across tropical regions is causing declines in biodiversity and altering ecological processes. However, in some tropical agricultural systems, conserving natural habitat can simultaneously protect threatened species and support important ecosystem services. Oil palm cultivation is expanding rapidly throughout the tropics but the extent to which non-crop habitat supports biodiversity and ecosystem services in these landscapes is poorly documented. We investigated whether riparian forest fragments (riparian reserves) provide a pest control service or increase pest activity (disservice) within oil palm dominated landscapes in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We assessed the activity of potential predators of pest herbivores using plasticine caterpillar mimics and quantified herbivory rates on oil palm fronds in areas with and without riparian reserves. We also manipulated the shape and colour of the mimics to assess the extent to which artificial pest mimics reflect a predatory response. The presence of riparian reserves increased the attack rate on mimics by arthropods, but not by birds. Our methodological study suggested attacks on artificial pest mimics provide a better indication of predatory activity for birds than for arthropod predators. Herbivory rates were also not significantly affected by the presence of a riparian reserve, but we found some evidence that herbivory rates may decrease as the size of riparian reserves increases. Overall, we conclude that riparian forest fragments of 30 – 50 m width on each side of the river are unlikely to provide a pest control service. Nevertheless, our results provide evidence that these riparian buffer strips do not increase the density of defoliating pests, which should reassure managers concerned about possible negative consequences of preserving riparian buffers

In vivo elongation of thin filaments results in heart failure

A novel cardiac-specific transgenic mouse model was generated to identify the physiological consequences of elongated thin filaments during post-natal development in the heart. Remarkably, increasing the expression levels in vivo of just one sarcomeric protein, Lmod2, results in similar to 10% longer thin filaments (up to 26% longer in some individual sarcomeres) that produce up to 50% less contractile force. Increasing the levels of Lmod2 in vivo (Lmod2-TG) also allows us to probe the contribution of Lmod2 in the progression of cardiac myopathy because Lmod2-TG mice present with a unique cardiomyopathy involving enlarged atrial and ventricular lumens, increased heart mass, disorganized myofibrils and eventually, heart failure. Turning off of Lmod2 transgene expression at postnatal day 3 successfully prevents thin filament elongation, as well as gross morphological and functional disease progression. We show here that Lmod2 has an essential role in regulating cardiac contractile force and function.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

ERGR: An ethanol-related gene resource

Over the last decade rapid progress has been made in the study of ethanol-related traits including alcohol abuse and dependence, and behavioral responses to ethanol in both humans and animal models. To collect, curate, integrate these results so as to make them easily accessible and interpretable for researchers, we developed ERGR, a comprehensive ethanol-related gene resource. We collected and curated more than 30 large-scale data sets including linkage, association and microarray gene expression from the literature and 21 mouse QTLs from public databases. At present, the ERGR deposits ethanol-related information of ∼7000 genes from five organisms: human (3311), mouse (2129), rat (679), fly (614) and worm (228). ERGR provides gene annotations and orthologs, detailed gene study information (e.g. fold changes of gene expression, P-values), and both the text and BLAST searches. Moreover, ERGR has data integration tools such as for data union and intersection, and candidate gene selection based on evidence in multiple datasets or organisms. The ERGR database is evolving with new data releases. More functions will also be added. ERGR has a user-friendly web interface with browse and search functions at multiple levels. It is freely available at http://bioinfo.vipbg.vcu.edu/ERGR/