The Glycosyltransferase Repertoire of the Spikemoss Selaginella moellendorffii and a Comparative Study of Its Cell Wall

Spike mosses are among the most basal vascular plants, and one species, Selaginella moellendorffii, was recently selected for full genome sequencing by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are involved in many aspects of a plant life, including cell wall biosynthesis, protein glycosylation, primary and secondary metabolism. Here, we present a comparative study of the S. moellendorffii genome across 92 GT families and an additional family (DUF266) likely to include GTs. The study encompasses the moss Physcomitrella patens, a non-vascular land plant, while rice and Arabidopsis represent commelinid and non-commelinid seed plants. Analysis of the subset of GT-families particularly relevant to cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis was complemented by a detailed analysis of S. moellendorffii cell walls. The S. moellendorffii cell wall contains many of the same components as seed plant cell walls, but appears to differ somewhat in its detailed architecture. The S. moellendorffii genome encodes fewer GTs (287 GTs including DUF266s) than the reference genomes. In a few families, notably GT51 and GT78, S. moellendorffii GTs have no higher plant orthologs, but in most families S. moellendorffii GTs have clear orthologies with Arabidopsis and rice. A gene naming convention of GTs is proposed which takes orthologies and GT-family membership into account. The evolutionary significance of apparently modern and ancient traits in S. moellendorffii is discussed, as is its use as a reference organism for functional annotation of GTs

Watching, wanting and wellbeing: exploring the links - a study of 9 to 13 year-olds

There is growing public concern that heavy media exposure is making our children morematerialistic and that this, in turn, has a negative impact on their psychological wellbeing. Partly because the terms involved are hard to define, hard to measure and hardto associate, there is a lack of empirical data to give substance to these concerns. This study – the first attempt to examine the empirical links between watching, wanting and wellbeing in UK children – has been conducted in the hopes that by providing some working definitions, reliable measurement tools and robust evidence it will help academics, policy-makers and everyone who works with children to gain an increased understanding of the issues

An international study of consumption and contribution to social media by medical students

Understanding how students and educators use social media, and their perceptions of its benefits, may lead to opportunities for successful integration of social media to benefit all those involved in medical education. We aimed to explore and describe how medical students use social media in countries across the world, including the extent to which they consume and contribute. 741 students from 8 institutions in 5 countries answered a 16-item questionnaire. The majority of students were using some form of social media, with the most popular application being Facebook. Social communication and entertainment were the most cited reasons for using social media. Students reported valuing social media for educational reasons and, in particular, information and resource sharing between peers. Institution-student interactions were not common amongst medical students and whilst some students reported wanting more of this, others reported that they did not. The paucity of student-institution interactions on social media did not vary across institutions. Although some students could see benefits to increasing use of social media by medical schools, others had concerns about this. Of particular concern were confidentiality and professionalism online and the perception that the medical schools might not do it well. Medical schools should have a clear rationale for engaging further in social media, mindful of what students want and of the need for the engagement to be conducted professionally