Physiology of purple sulfur bacteria forming macroscopic aggregates in Great Sippewissett Salt Marsh, Massachusetts

Abstract Purple bacterial aggregates found in tidal pools of Great Sippewissett Salt Marsh (Falmouth, Cape Cod, MA) were investigated in order to elucidate the ecological significance of cell aggregation. Purple sulfur bacteria were the dominant microorganisms in the aggregates which also contained diatoms and a high number of small rod-shaped bacteria. Urea in concentrations of ≥ 1 M caused disintegration of the aggregates while proteolytic enzymes, surfactants or chaotropic agents did not exhibit this effect. This suggests that polysaccharides in the embedding slime matrix stabilize the aggregate structure. In addition cell surface hydrophobicity is involved in aggregate formation. The concentration of dissolved oxygen decreased rapidly below the surface of aggregates while sulfide was not detected. The apparent respiration rate in the aggregates was high when the purple sulfur bacteria contained intracellular sulfur globules. In the presence of DCMU, respiration remained light-inhibited. Light inhibition disappeared in the presence of KCN. These results demonstrated that respiration in the aggregates is due mainly to purple sulfur bacteria. The concentration of bacteriochlorophyll (Bchl) a in the aggregates (0.205 mg Bchl a cm−3) was much higher than in the pool sediments but comparable to concentrations in microbial mats of adjacent sand flats. Purple aggregates may therefore originate in the microbial mats rather than in the pools themselves. Rapid sedimentation and high respiration rates of Chromatiaceae in the aggregates would prevent the inhibition of Bchl synthesis if aggregates were lifted off the sediment and up into the oxic pool water by tidal currents

Inflammatory bowel disease at a young age – implications for achieving upper secondary education

BACKGROUND: The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among children and adolescence is increasing worldwide. Having a chronic condition at a young age may affect educational achievement and later employment and self-support. The study aims to examine the impact of being diagnosed with IBD before 18 years of age on achieving an upper secondary education before 25 years of age. METHODS: Using the Danish National Patient Register (1980-2018) all patients (born 1970-1994) diagnosed with IBD at a young age (<18 years) were identified. The IBD-patients were matched on age and sex with 10 references without IBD at the index date (date of diagnosis of IBD). The outcome was achieving an upper secondary education using data from Danish Education Registers. The association between IBD diagnosis and achieving an upper secondary education was analyzed using Cox regression with robust variance estimation adjusting for parents’ highest educational level. Furthermore, stratified analyses were performed on parental socioeconomic status (education and income). RESULTS: We identified 3,178 patients with IBD: Crohn’s disease (CD) n = 1,344, Ulcerative colitis (UC) n = 1,834. Reference n = 28,220. The median age at diagnosis was 15.3 years (IQR: [13.0;16.9]). At the age of 25 74.0% (CI: 71.6-76.4) for CD, 75.8% (CI: 73.8-77.8) for UC, and 69.7% (CI: 69.2-70.3) for references had achieved an upper secondary education. The adjusted Hazard ratio (HR) of achieving an upper secondary education was 1.05 (CI: 1.00 -1.11) for CD and 1.09 (CI: 1.04 -1.15) for UC. When stratifying the IBD-patient with the lowest socioeconomic status performed better than their peers. CONCLUSIONS: Being diagnosed with IBD before 18 years of age did not reduce the chance of achieving an upper secondary education. Patients with low socioeconomic status performed better than their peers, however the study gives no explanation of this. KEY MESSAGES: • Children diagnosed with IBD before 18 years of age had at least the same chance of achieving an upper secondary education compared to references. • IBD patients with low social economic status performed better than their peers

Ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) and related chemicals

The amended and adjusted Montreal Protocol continues to be successful at reducing emissions and atmospheric abundances of most controlled ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Projec

Bone mineral content after renal transplantation

Forearm bone mineral content (BMC), as evaluated by photonabsorption densitometry, was measured in 28 cadaver kidney donor recipients who entered the study 8 weeks postoperatively and were followed up for 18 months. BMC decreased signifiantly (p<0.05) but marginally in placebo-treated patients (n=14) (initial BMC 1.09±0.25 g/cm; final BMC 1.05±0.24). Fourteen patients were prophylactically given 1,25(OH)2vitamin D3 in a dose which avoided hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria (sim0.25 µg/day); under 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 prophylaxis a significant decrease of forearm BMC was observed no longer (initial BMC 0.94±0.21 g/cm; final BMC 0.95±0.21), but the difference between placebo and 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 narrowly missed statistical significance (p=0.066). It is concluded that the decrease of forearm BMC is negligible in transplant recipients with low steroid regimens. The data suggest a trend for prophylaxis with 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 to slightly ameliorate forearm (cortical) BMC loss

Impact of calcium on salivary α-amylase activity, starch paste apparent viscosity and thickness perception

Thickness perception of starch-thickened products during eating has been linked to starch viscosity and salivary amylase activity. Calcium is an essential cofactor for α-amylase and there is anecdotal evidence that adding extra calcium affects amylase activity in processes like mashing of beer. The aims of this paper were to (1) investigate the role of salivary calcium on α-amylase activity and (2) to measure the effect of calcium concentration on apparent viscosity and thickness perception when interacting with salivary α-amylase in starch-based samples. α-Amylase activity in saliva samples from 28 people was assessed using a typical starch pasting cycle (up to 95 °C). The activity of the enzyme (as measured by the change in starch apparent viscosity) was maintained by the presence of calcium, probably by protecting the enzyme from heat denaturation. Enhancement of α-amylase activity by calcium at 37 °C was also observed although to a smaller extent. Sensory analysis showed a general trend of decreased thickness perception in the presence of calcium, but the result was only significant for one pair of samples, suggesting a limited impact of calcium enhanced enzyme activity on perceived thickness

Changing indications and socio-demographic determinants of (adeno)tonsillectomy among children in England--are they linked? A retrospective analysis of hospital data.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether increased awareness and diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and national guidance on tonsillectomy for recurrent tonsillitis have influenced the socio-demographic profile of children who underwent tonsillectomy over the last decade. METHOD: Retrospective time-trends study of Hospital Episodes Statistics data. We examined the age, sex and deprivation level, alongside OSAS diagnoses, among children aged <16 years who underwent (adeno)tonsillectomy in England between 2001/2 and 2011/12. RESULTS: Among children aged <16 years, there were 29,697 and 27,732 (adeno)tonsillectomies performed in 2001/2 and 2011/12, respectively. The median age at (adeno)tonsillectomy decreased from 7 (IQR: 5-11) to 5 (IQR: 4-9) years over the decade. (Adeno)tonsillectomy rates among children aged 4-15 years decreased by 14% from 350 (95%CI: 346-354) in 2001/2 to 300 (95%CI: 296-303) per 100,000 children in 2011/12. However, (adeno)tonsillectomy rates among children aged <4 years increased by 58% from 135 (95%CI: 131-140) to 213 (95%CI 208-219) per 100,000 children in 2001/2 and 2011/2, respectively. OSAS diagnoses among children aged <4 years who underwent surgery increased from 18% to 39% between these study years and the proportion of children aged <4 years with OSAS from the most deprived areas increased from 5% to 12%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: (Adeno)tonsillectomy rates declined among children aged 4-15 years, which reflects national guidelines recommending the restriction of the operation to children with more severe recurrent throat infections. However, (adeno)tonsillectomy rates among pre-school children substantially increased over the past decade and one in five children undergoing the operation was aged <4 years in 2011/12.The increase in surgery rates in younger children is likely to have been driven by increased awareness and detection of OSAS, particularly among children from the most deprived areas

Challenges of Profile Likelihood Evaluation in Multi-Dimensional SUSY Scans

Statistical inference of the fundamental parameters of supersymmetric theories is a challenging and active endeavor. Several sophisticated algorithms have been employed to this end. While Markov-Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and nested sampling techniques are geared towards Bayesian inference, they have also been used to estimate frequentist confidence intervals based on the profile likelihood ratio. We investigate the performance and appropriate configuration of MultiNest, a nested sampling based algorithm, when used for profile likelihood-based analyses both on toy models and on the parameter space of the Constrained MSSM. We find that while the standard configuration is appropriate for an accurate reconstruction of the Bayesian posterior, the profile likelihood is poorly approximated. We identify a more appropriate MultiNest configuration for profile likelihood analyses, which gives an excellent exploration of the profile likelihood (albeit at a larger computational cost), including the identification of the global maximum likelihood value. We conclude that with the appropriate configuration MultiNest is a suitable tool for profile likelihood studies, indicating previous claims to the contrary are not well founded.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; minor changes following referee report. Matches version accepted by JHE

Integrative Genomics Viewer

Author Manuscript 2012 May 07.To the Editor: Rapid improvements in sequencing and array-based platforms are resulting in a flood of diverse genome-wide data, including data from exome and whole-genome sequencing, epigenetic surveys, expression profiling of coding and noncoding RNAs, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and copy number profiling, and functional assays. Analysis of these large, diverse data sets holds the promise of a more comprehensive understanding of the genome and its relation to human disease. Experienced and knowledgeable human review is an essential component of this process, complementing computational approaches. This calls for efficient and intuitive visualization tools able to scale to very large data sets and to flexibly integrate multiple data types, including clinical data. However, the sheer volume and scope of data pose a significant challenge to the development of such tools.National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) (R01GM074024)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (R21CA135827)National Human Genome Research Institute (U.S.) (U54HG003067

Potential Geographic Distribution of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Invasion (Halyomorpha halys)

BACKGROUND: The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), native to Asia, is becoming an invasive species with a rapidly expanding range in North America and Europe. In the US, it is a household pest and also caused unprecedented damage to agriculture crops. Exploring its climatic limits and estimating its potential geographic distribution can provide critical information for management strategies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPALS: We used direct climate comparisons to explore the climatic niche occupied by native and invasive populations of BMSB. Ecological niche modelings based on the native range were used to anticipate the potential distribution of BMSB worldwide. Conversely, niche models based on the introduced range were used to locate the original invasive propagates in Asia. Areas with high invasion potential were identified by two niche modeling algorithms (i.e., Maxent and GARP). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Reduced dimensionality of environmental space improves native model transferability in the invade area. Projecting models from invasive population back to native distributional areas offers valuable information on the potential source regions of the invasive populations. Our models anticipated successfully the current disjunct distribution of BMSB in the US. The original propagates are hypothesized to have come from northern Japan or western Korea. High climate suitable areas at risk of invasion include latitudes between 30°-50° including northern Europe, northeastern North America, southern Australia and the North Island of New Zealand. Angola in Africa and Uruguay in South America also showed high climate suitability