Do seasonally fluctuating aquatic subsidies influence the distribution pattern of birds between riparian and upland forests?

Seasonal fluctuation of allochthonous subsidies influences food web structure and dynamics in recipient communities. This study investigated whether aquatic subsidies influence the dynamics of insectivorous birds in entire catchment. We estimated the prey biomass and bird density in riparian and upland habitats in three catchments in temperate deciduous forests in Hokkaido, Japan. Aquatic prey was found only in riparian forests and the biomass peaked in early spring, while terrestrial prey was equally distributed between habitats and increased in biomass in late spring. Bird density was higher in riparian than in upland forests before bud break, when the biomass of aquatic insects peaked, but was similar in both forests during the rest of the seasons. These results suggest that aquatic prey subsidies are used not only by birds inhabiting riparian forests, but also by birds associated with upland forests. Aquatic prey subsidies may be particularly important in the spring as a critical food resource for survival and the breeding activities of birds, thereby, influencing the population dynamics of bird communities.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146935/1/ere0274.pd

Conformation and absolute configuration of (1S,2S)-2-(phenyl­selan­yl)cyclo­hexyl (R)-2-meth­oxy-2-(1-naphth­yl)propionate

The relative and absolute configurations of the title compound, C26H28O3Se, were assigned from the known configuration of (R)-(−)-2-meth­oxy-2-(1-naphth­yl)propionic acid used as starting material, and by examination of the Bijvoet (Friedel) pairs, using the anomalous dispersion data collected with Mo Kα radiation at low temperature. The geometry around the carbonyl group exists in the syn conformation, as reflected in torsion angles involving this group, and the stability of the structure is affected by weak bifurcated intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Development of an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator for X-ray microcalorimeter operations

金沢大学理工研究域数物科学系An X-ray microcalorimeter is a non-dispersive spectrometer that measures the energy of an incident X-ray photon as a temperature rise. Operated at < 0.1 K, it achieves very high resolving power. We are developing X-ray microcalorimeters for future γ-ray burst observations, and are now setting up a compact adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) for X-ray microcalorimeter operations. We fabricated a paramagnetic salt pill, and integrated it with a superconducting magnet and a heat-switch in a dedicated He cryostat. By applying a magnetic field of 2.6 T at the bath temperature of 1.8 K, it achieved 0.1 K. The attainable temperature and the hold time were, however, limited due to unexpected heat load. We also successfully measured a resistance-temperature characteristics of a superconducting transition edge. © 2010 American Institute of Physics

2型糖尿病入院患者の食後血糖値に影響を及ぼす栄養素等の要因

本研究は2型糖尿病患者の食後血糖値に影響する栄養素について明らかにすることを目的とした。対象は入院中の2型糖尿病患者で、食前および食後の血糖測定を実施した22名であった。分析は食後血糖値を従属変数に、エネルギー、たんぱく質、脂質、炭水化物、食物繊維、年齢、BMI、HbA1c、食前血糖値を独立変数とした重回帰分析を用いた。結果は全体としては食後血糖に影響する有意な要因は認められなかった。一方、朝食においてHbA1cと食物繊維に有意な値が認められた。すなわち、2型糖尿病入院患者において、食後血糖値を抑制する栄養素として最も影響を及ぼすのは食物繊維であると考えられる

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

Resposta das algas perifíticas às alterações de temperatura e ao enriquecimento artificial de nutrientes em curto período de tempo - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v31i3.1627

This study set out to evaluate, via a mesocosm experiment, the influence of the temperature and concentration of nutrients (N and P) in the abundance of periphytic algae (except Bacillariophyceae) of the upper Paraná river floodplain. The experiment was designed using 5 treatments: a control (C), added nutrients (P+, N+, NP+) at 25°C, and without added nutrients at 15°C. Glass slides were used for periphytic algae colonization, and the samples were taken on the 15th and 31st days following colonization. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed a clear separation among treatment groups due to temperature and added nutrients. A decrease in temperature affected the abundance of periphytic algae classes, especially in the reduction of the relative density of Cyanophyceae and increase in Zygnemaphyceae. The artificial addition of nutrients – especially P – altered the structure of the periphytic algae communities. The relative densities of the classes, in general, increased with the addition of nutrients. Phosphorus may be considered a driver of periphytic algae, as can be seen by the rapid response after artificial enrichment.O estudo visou avaliar, em um experimento de mesocosmos, a influência da temperatura e de concentrações de nutrientes na abundância das algas perifíticas (exceto Bacillariophyceae) na planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná. O delineamento experimental constituiu-se de cinco tratamentos: controle (C) e adição de nutrientes (P+, N+ e NP+) a 25°C, e frio (F) com diminuição da temperatura a 15°C e sem adição de nutrientes. Lâminas de vidro foram utilizadas para colonização das algas perifíticas, e as amostragens foram feitas entre o 15° e o 31° dia de sucessão. Pela Análise de Correspondência Canônica, pode-se observar uma clara separação entre os tratamentos devido à temperatura e adição de nutrientes. A diminuição de temperatura afetou a abundância das classes de algas perifíticas, principalmente pela redução da densidade relativa de Cyanophyceae e aumento de Zygnemaphyceae. O enriquecimento artificial de nutrientes, principalmente P, alterou a estrutura da comunidade de algas perifíticas, em termos de densidade das classes algais. As densidades relativas das classes, em geral, aumentaram com a adição de nutrientes. O fósforo pode ser considerado direcionador na densidade das algas perifíticas, como pode ser observado pela rápida resposta após os enriquecimentos artificiais