First record of the Pink-footed Shearwater Puffinus creatopus on argentine coasts

While reviewing the seabird collection stored at Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, we found a specimen of the Pink-footed Shearwater Puffinus ereatopus that had been collected on May 1981 at Punta Conos, golfo San José, Chubut province, by G. Harris. Plumage and measurements agree with those of the species, allowing a straight and c1ear identification. This is the first record of the species for Argentina, and also for the Atlantic Ocean

Overcoming behavioral obstacles to escaping poverty

This is the author accepted manuscriptInternational development policy is ripe for an overhaul. Behavioral science can help policymakers to spur changes in behaviors that are difficult to explain from a conventional economic perspective and impede economic development. We focus here on two well-documented, often-coinciding psychological phenomena that have particularly wide-ranging implications for development policy: present bias (favoring immediate rewards over long-term considerations) and limited attention. We present a number of general policy recommendations that are informed by insight into these phenomena and offer concrete examples of how the recommendations can be implemented to help low-income individuals improve their lives and reach their long-term goals

Diffusion Brazing of Ti-6Al-4V and Stainless Steel 316L Using AgCuZn Filler Metal

In the present study, vacuum brazing was applied to join Ti-6Al-4V and stainless steel using AgCuZn filler metal. The bonds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Mechanical strengths of the joints were evaluated by the shear test and microhardness. It has been shown that shear strength decreased with increasing the brazing temperature and time. The wettability of the filler alloy was increased by enhancing the wetting test temperature. By increasing the brazing temperature various intermetallic compounds were formed in the bond area. These intermetallic compounds were mainly a combination of CuTi and Fe-Cu-Ti. The shear test results verified the influence of the bonding temperature on the strength of the joints based on the formation of different intermetallics in the bond zone. The fracture analysis also revealed different fracture footpath and morphology for different brazing temperatures

World radiocommunication conference 12 : implications for the spectrum eco-system

Spectrum allocation is once more a key issue facing the global telecommunications industry. Largely overlooked in current debates, however, is the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). Decisions taken by WRC shape the future roadmap of the telecommunications industry, not least because it has the ability to shape the global spectrum allocation framework. In the debates of WRC-12 it is possible to identify three main issues: enhancement of the international spectrum regulatory framework, regulatory measures required to introduce Cognitive Radio Systems (CRS) technologies; and, additional spectrum allocation to mobile service. WRC-12 eventually decided not to change the current international radio regulations with regard to the first two issues and agreed to the third issue. The main implications of WRC-12 on the spectrum ecosystem are that most of actors are not in support of the concept of spectrum flexibility associated with trading and that the concept of spectrum open access is not under consideration. This is explained by the observation that spectrum trading and spectrum commons weaken state control over spectrum and challenge the main principles and norms of the international spectrum management regime. In addition, the mobile allocation issue has shown the lack of conformity with the main rules of the regime: regional spectrum allocation in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) three regions, and the resistance to the slow decision making procedures. In conclusion, while the rules and decision-making procedures of the international spectrum management regime were challenged in the WRC-12, the main principles and norms are still accepted by the majority of countries

The Prodomain of the Bordetella Two-Partner Secretion Pathway Protein FhaB Remains Intracellular yet Affects the Conformation of the Mature C-terminal Domain

Two-Partner Secretion (TPS) systems use β-barrel proteins of the Omp85-TpsB superfamily to transport large exoproteins across the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. The Bordetella FHA/FhaC proteins are prototypical of TPS systems in which the exoprotein contains a large C-terminal prodomain that is removed during translocation. Although it is known that the FhaB prodomain is required for FHA function in vivo, its role in FHA maturation has remained mysterious. We show here that the FhaB prodomain is required for the extracellularly-located mature C-terminal domain (MCD) of FHA to achieve its proper conformation. We show that the C-terminus of the prodomain is retained intracellularly and that sequences within the N-terminus of the prodomain are required for this intracellular localization. We also identify sequences at the C-terminus of the MCD that are required for release of mature FHA from the cell surface. Our data support a model in which the intracellularly-located prodomain affects the final conformation of the extracellularly-located MCD, which, we hypothesize, triggers cleavage and degradation of the prodomain

Structural and functional characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa CupB chaperones

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important human pathogen, is estimated to be responsible for,10% of nosocomial infections worldwide. The pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa starts from its colonization in the damaged tissue or medical devices (e. g. catheters, prothesis and implanted heart valve etc.) facilitated by several extracellular adhesive factors including fimbrial pili. Several clusters containing fimbrial genes have been previously identified on the P. aeruginosa chromosome and named cup [1]. The assembly of the CupB pili is thought to be coordinated by two chaperones, CupB2 and CupB4. However, due to the lack of structural and biochemical data, their chaperone activities remain speculative. In this study, we report the 2.5 A crystal structure of P. aeruginosa CupB2. Based on the structure, we further tested the binding specificity of CupB2 and CupB4 towards CupB1 (the presumed major pilus subunit) and CupB6 (the putative adhesin) using limited trypsin digestion and strep-tactin pull-down assay. The structural and biochemical data suggest that CupB2 and CupB4 might play different, but not redundant, roles in CupB secretion. CupB2 is likely to be the chaperone of CupB1, and CupB4 could be the chaperone of CupB4:CupB5:CupB6, in which the interaction of CupB4 and CupB6 might be mediated via CupB5

Emotional intelligence buffers the effect of physiological arousal on dishonesty

We studied the emotional processes that allow people to balance two competing desires: benefitting from dishonesty and keeping a positive self-image. We recorded physiological arousal (skin conductance and heart rate) during a computer card game in which participants could cheat and fail to report a certain card when presented on the screen to avoid losing their money. We found that higher skin conductance corresponded to lower cheating rates. Importantly, emotional intelligence regulated this effect; participants with high emotional intelligence were less affected by their physiological reactions than those with low emotional intelligence. As a result, they were more likely to profit from dishonesty. However, no interaction emerged between heart rate and emotional intelligence. We suggest that the ability to manage and control emotions can allow people to overcome the tension between doing right or wrong and license them to bend the rules

Loss of miR-204 expression is a key event in melanoma

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a malignancy with increasing occurrence. Its microRNA repertoire has been defined in a number studies, leading to candidates for biological and clinical relevance: miR-200a/b/c, miR-203, miR-205, miR-204, miR-211, miR-23b and miR-26a/b. Our work was aimed to validate the role of these candidate miRNAs in melanoma, using additional patients cohorts and in vitro cultures. miR-26a, miR-204 and miR-211 were more expressed in normal melanocytes, while miR-23b, miR-200b/c, miR-203 and miR-205 in epidermis and keratinocytes. None of the keratinocyte-related miRNAs was associated with any known mutation or with clinical covariates in melanoma. On the other hand, the loss of miR-204 was enriched in melanomas with NRAS sole mutation (Fisher exact test, P = 0.001, Log Odds = 1.67), and less frequent than expected in those harbouring CDKN2A mutations (Fisher exact test, P = 0.001, Log Odds − 1.09). Additionally, miR-204 was associated with better prognosis in two independent melanoma cohorts and its exogenous expression led to growth impairment in melanoma cell lines. Thus, miR-204 represents a relevant mechanism in melanoma, with potential prognostic value and its loss seems to act in the CDKN2A pathway, in cooperation with NRAS

Pharmacological levels of withaferin A (Withania somnifera) trigger clinically relevant anticancer effects specific to triple negative breast cancer cells

Withaferin A (WA) isolated from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) has recently become an attractive phytochemical under investigation in various preclinical studies for treatment of different cancer types. In the present study, a comparative pathway-based transcriptome analysis was applied in epithelial-like MCF-7 and triple negative mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells exposed to different concentrations of WA which can be detected systemically in in vivo experiments. Whereas WA treatment demonstrated attenuation of multiple cancer hallmarks, the withanolide analogue Withanone (WN) did not exert any of the described effects at comparable concentrations. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that WA targets specific cancer processes related to cell death, cell cycle and proliferation, which could be functionally validated by flow cytometry and real-time cell proliferation assays. WA also strongly decreased MDA-MB-231 invasion as determined by single-cell collagen invasion assay. This was further supported by decreased gene expression of extracellular matrix-degrading proteases (uPA, PLAT, ADAM8), cell adhesion molecules (integrins, laminins), pro-inflammatory mediators of the metastasis-promoting tumor microenvironment (TNFSF12, IL6, ANGPTL2, CSF1R) and concomitant increased expression of the validated breast cancer metastasis suppressor gene (BRMS1). In line with the transcriptional changes, nanomolar concentrations of WA significantly decreased protein levels and corresponding activity of uPA in MDA-MB-231 cell supernatant, further supporting its anti-metastatic properties. Finally, hierarchical clustering analysis of 84 chromatin writer-reader-eraser enzymes revealed that WA treatment of invasive mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 cells reprogrammed their transcription levels more similarly towards the pattern observed in non-invasive MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, taking into account that sub-cytotoxic concentrations of WA target multiple metastatic effectors in therapy-resistant triple negative breast cancer, WA-based therapeutic strategies targeting the uPA pathway hold promise for further (pre)clinical development to defeat aggressive metastatic breast cancer