Quantitative image mean squared displacement (iMSD) analysis of the dynamics of profilin 1 at the membrane of live cells.

Image mean square displacement analysis (iMSD) is a method allowing the mapping of diffusion dynamics of molecules in living cells. However, it can also be used to obtain quantitative information on the diffusion processes of fluorescently labelled molecules and how their diffusion dynamics change when the cell environment is modified. In this paper, we describe the use of iMSD to obtain quantitative data of the diffusion dynamics of a small cytoskeletal protein, profilin 1 (pfn1), at the membrane of live cells and how its diffusion is perturbed when the cells are treated with Cytochalasin D and/or the interactions of pfn1 are modified when its actin and polyphosphoinositide binding sites are mutated (pfn1-R88A). Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy images, we obtained data on isotropic and confined diffusion coefficients, the proportion of cell areas where isotropic diffusion is the major diffusion mode compared to the confined diffusion mode, the size of the confinement zones and the size of the domains of dynamic partitioning of pfn1. Using these quantitative data, we could demonstrate a decreased isotropic diffusion coefficient for the cells treated with Cytochalasin D and for the pfn1-R88A mutant. We could also see changes in the modes of diffusion between the different conditions and changes in the size of the zones of pfn1 confinements for the pfn1 treated with Cytochalasin D. All of this information was acquired in only a few minutes of imaging per cell and without the need to record thousands of single molecule trajectories

Initial results of finger imaging using Photoacoustic Computed Tomography

We present a photoacoustic computed tomography investigation on a healthy human finger, to image blood vessels with a focus on vascularity across the interphalangeal joints. The cross-sectional images were acquired using an imager specifically developed for this purpose. The images show rich detail of the digital blood vessels with diameters between 100 $\mu$m and 1.5 mm in various orientations and at various depths. Different vascular layers in the skin including the subpapillary plexus could also be visualized. Acoustic reflections on the finger bone of photoacoustic signals from skin were visible in sequential slice images along the finger except at the location of the joint gaps. Not unexpectedly, the healthy synovial membrane at the joint gaps was not detected due to its small size and normal vascularization. Future research will concentrate on studying digits afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis to detect the inflamed synovium with its heightened vascularization, whose characteristics are potential markers for disease activity.Comment: 2 figure

Accelerated HIV testing for PMTCT in maternity and labour wards is vital to capture mothers at a critical point in the programme at district level

TORONTO AIDS Conference 200

Expansion of small-scale changes in macrobenthic community inside an offshore wind farm?

The presence of offshore wind farms in the marine environment has some impacts on the macrobenthic community living in the natural sandy sediments. Changes in hydrodynamics, presence of epifaunal coverage along the turbine and fisheries exclusion are expected to be the main causes influencing the macrobenthos. In this study it was investigated whether changes in sediment characteristics and the macrobenthic community occurred inside a wind farm in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Both stations in the close vicinity of the turbines (50 m distance, close samples) and further away (350-500 m distance, far samples) were sampled with a Van Veen grab in autumn 2015

Teelt van blauwmaanzaad

De teelt van blauwmaanzaad voor de goed doorlatende, kalkrijke klei- en zavelgronden met een goed humusgehalte

Tidal migration of nematodes on an estuarine tidal flat (the Molenplaat, Schelde Estuary, SW Netherlands)

The vertical distribution patterns of the nematode community and of the 10 most dominant nematode species on an intertidal flat in the Schelde Estuary (the Molenplaat, The Netherlands) are described at specific time intervals over a tidal cycle. The observed distribution profiles indicate that vertical migrations occur and are species-specific. The predatory Enoploides longispiculosus and the deposit-feeding Daptonema normandicum migrated upwards at incoming tide and downwards when the flat became exposed, while another deposit feeder,Daptonema setosum, did the opposite. Several abiotic and biotic factors may contribute to the observed patterns. Hydrodynamics, pore water drainage and episodic steep increases in temperature upon low tide exposure as well as vertical movements of prey organisms may have been of particular relevance at the time and site of sampling. However, the impact of each of these factors needs further investigation. The present study corroborates the dynamic nature of vertical distribution profiles of nematodes in intertidal sediments, highlighting the importance of sampling time with respect to the tide, as well as a species approach

Meta-Analysis of Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Very Preterm and/or Very Low Birth Weight Children

OBJECTIVE: Sequelae of academic underachievement, behavioral problems, and poor executive function (EF) have been extensively reported for very preterm (≤33 weeks' gestation) and/or very low birth weight (VLBW) (≤1500 g) children. Great variability in the published results, however, hinders the field in studying underlying dysfunctionsanddeveloping intervention strategies. We conductedaquantitative meta-analysis of studies publishedbetween1998and 2008 on academic achievement, behavioral functioning, and EF with the aim of providing aggregated measures of effect size for these outcome domains. METHODS: Suitable for inclusion were 14 studies on academic achievement, 9 studies on behavioral problems, and 12 studies on EF, which compared a total of 4125 very preterm and/or VLBW children with 3197 term-born controls. Combined effect sizes for the 3 outcome domains were calculated in terms of Cohen's d. Q-test statistics were performed to test homogeneity among the obtained effect sizes. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the impact of mean birth weight and mean gestational age, as well as the influence of mean age at assessment on the effect sizes for academic achievement, behavioral problems, and EF. RESULTS: Combined effect sizes show that very preterm and/or VLBW children score 0.60 SD lower on mathematics tests, 0.48 SD on reading tests, and 0.76 SD on spelling tests than term-born peers. Of all behavioral problems stacked, attention problems were most pronounced in very preterm and/or VLBW children, with teacher and parent ratings being 0.43 to 0.59 SD higher than for controls, respectively. Combined effect sizes for parent and teacher ratings of internalizing behavior problems were small ( 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Very preterm and/or VLBW children have moderate-toseveredeficits inacademicachievement,attentionproblems, andinternalizing behavioral problems and poor EF, which are adverse outcomes that were strongly correlated to their immaturity at birth. During transition to young adulthood these children continue to lag behind term-born peers