Experimental Control and Characterization of Autophagy in Drosophila

Insects such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which fundamentally reorganize their body plan during metamorphosis, make extensive use of autophagy for their normal development and physiology. In the fruit fly, the hepatic/adipose organ known as the fat body accumulates nutrient stores during the larval feeding stage. Upon entering metamorphosis, as well as in response to starvation, these nutrients are mobilized through a massive induction of autophagy, providing support to other tissues and organs during periods of nutrient deprivation. High levels of autophagy are also observed in larval tissues destined for elimination, such as the salivary glands and larval gut. Drosophila is emerging as an important system for studying the functions and regulation of autophagy in an in vivo setting. In this chapter we describe reagents and methods for monitoring autophagy in Drosophila, focusing on the larval fat body. We also describe methods for experimentally activating and inhibiting autophagy in this system and discuss the potential for genetic analysis in Drosophila to identify novel genes involved in autophagy

The role of dugong and turtle grazing in Torres Strait seagrass declines: Exclusion experiments show the role of green turtle and dugong grazing in structuring Torres Strait seagrass meadows

• Seagrass declines in western Torres Strait that occurred in 2019 and 2020 have been recognised as a concern by the local community. Grazing by dugongs and green turtles was identified as a possible cause of these declines. • Exclusion cages were used at two of the affected seagrass meadows (Orman Reefs and Mabuyag Island) to understand how herbivory by green turtles and dugongs (megaherbivores) was impacting seagrass meadows. • Where grazing pressure was removed (inside exclusion cages) the seagrass canopy height and biomass were significantly higher than the open to grazing control plots at both locations by the end of the seven-month experiment. • Grazing pressure is very high at both sites and herbivory is likely to be contributing to the seagrass declines in these meadows. This seems to be driven principally by green turtle grazing. • Based on the declines recorded in the long-term monitoring program at these meadows and the results from this study, it seems likely that megaherbivore grazing may have been a key driver of the declines at the Orman Reefs site, and grazing pressure is continuing to lead to reduced seagrass abundance at both sites. • Studying megaherbivore movements and the changing spatial status of seagrass across the broader region would increase understanding of the dynamics of these plant-animal interactions in the region. This would also help to establish whether grazing is the sole cause of declines at these sites, or part of natural cycles linked to other drivers such as wind, sediment movements or other impacts to seagrasses • This study confirms megaherbivore grazing is a key element in shaping seagrass dynamics in Torres Strait and points to the value of further assessments of megaherbivore and seagrass dynamics in northern Australia

Planck \u27s Dusty GEMS: VII. Atomic carbon and molecular gas in dusty starburst galaxies at z = 2 to 4

The bright 3 P 1 - 3 P 0 ([CI] 1-0) and 3 P 2 - 3 P 1 ([CI] 2-1) lines of atomic carbon are becoming more and more widely employed as tracers of the cold neutral gas in high-redshift galaxies. Here we present observations of these lines in the 11 galaxies of the set of Planck\u27s Dusty GEMS, the brightest gravitationally lensed galaxies on the extragalactic submillimeter sky probed by the Planck satellite. We have [CI] 1-0 and [CI] 2-1 measurements for seven and eight of these galaxies, respectively, including four galaxies where both lines have been measured. We use our observations to constrain the gas excitation mechanism, excitation temperatures, optical depths, atomic carbon and molecular gas masses, and carbon abundances. Ratios of L CI /L FIR are similar to those found in the local universe, and suggest that the total cooling budget through atomic carbon has not significantly changed in the last 12 Gyr. Both lines are optically thin and trace 1 - 6 7 10 7 M of atomic carbon. Carbon abundances, X CI , are between 2.5 and 4 7 10 -5 , for an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) CO-to-H 2 conversion factor of α CO = 0.8 M / [K km s -1 pc 2 ]. Ratios of molecular gas masses derived from [CI] 1-0 and CO agree within the measurement uncertainties for five galaxies, and agree to better than a factor of two for another two with [CI] 1-0 measurements, after carefully taking CO excitation into account. This does not support the idea that intense, high-redshift starburst galaxies host large quantities of "CO-dark" gas. These results support the common assumptions underlying most molecular gas mass estimates made for massive, dusty, high-redshift starburst galaxies, although the good agreement between the masses obtained with both tracers cannot be taken as independent confirmation of either α CO or X CI

Singular solutions of fully nonlinear elliptic equations and applications

We study the properties of solutions of fully nonlinear, positively homogeneous elliptic equations near boundary points of Lipschitz domains at which the solution may be singular. We show that these equations have two positive solutions in each cone of $\mathbb{R}^n$, and the solutions are unique in an appropriate sense. We introduce a new method for analyzing the behavior of solutions near certain Lipschitz boundary points, which permits us to classify isolated boundary singularities of solutions which are bounded from either above or below. We also obtain a sharp Phragm\'en-Lindel\"of result as well as a principle of positive singularities in certain Lipschitz domains.Comment: 41 pages, 2 figure

The Impact of New EUV Diagnostics on CME-Related Kinematics

We present the application of novel diagnostics to the spectroscopic observation of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on disk by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on the Hinode spacecraft. We apply a recently developed line profile asymmetry analysis to the spectroscopic observation of NOAA AR 10930 on 14-15 December 2006 to three raster observations before and during the eruption of a 1000km/s CME. We see the impact that the observer's line-of-sight and magnetic field geometry have on the diagnostics used. Further, and more importantly, we identify the on-disk signature of a high-speed outflow behind the CME in the dimming region arising as a result of the eruption. Supported by recent coronal observations of the STEREO spacecraft, we speculate about the momentum flux resulting from this outflow as a secondary momentum source to the CME. The results presented highlight the importance of spectroscopic measurements in relation to CME kinematics, and the need for full-disk synoptic spectroscopic observations of the coronal and chromospheric plasmas to capture the signature of such explosive energy release as a way of providing better constraints of CME propagation times to L1, or any other point of interest in the heliosphere.Comment: Accepted to appear in Solar Physics Topical Issue titled "Remote Sensing of the Inner Heliosphere". Manuscript has 14 pages, 5 color figures. Movies supporting the figures can be found in http://download.hao.ucar.edu/pub/mscott/papers/Weathe

Specific and Nonspecific Membrane-binding Determinants Cooperate in Targeting Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein beta-Isoform to the Mammalian Trans-Golgi Network

Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) regulate the interface between lipid metabolism and specific steps in membrane trafficking through the secretory pathway in eukaryotes. Herein, we describe the cis-acting information that controls PITPβ localization in mammalian cells. We demonstrate PITPβ localizes predominantly to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and that this localization is independent of the phospholipid-bound state of PITPβ. Domain mapping analyses show the targeting information within PITPβ consists of three short C-terminal specificity elements and a nonspecific membrane-binding element defined by a small motif consisting of adjacent tryptophan residues (the W202W203 motif). Combination of the specificity elements with the W202W203 motif is necessary and sufficient to generate an efficient TGN-targeting module. Finally, we demonstrate that PITPβ association with the TGN is tolerant to a range of missense mutations at residue serine 262, we describe the TGN localization of a novel PITPβ isoform with a naturally occurring S262Q polymorphism, and we find no other genetic or pharmacological evidence to support the concept that PITPβ localization to the TGN is obligately regulated by conventional protein kinase C (PKC) or the Golgi-localized PKC isoforms δ or ε. These latter findings are at odds with a previous report that conventional PKC-mediated phosphorylation of residue Ser262 is required for PITPβ targeting to Golgi membranes

Scaffold Translation: Barriers Between Concept and Clinic

Translation of scaffold-based bone tissue engineering (BTE) therapies to clinical use remains, bluntly, a failure. This dearth of translated tissue engineering therapies (including scaffolds) remains despite 25 years of research, research funding totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, over 12,000 papers on BTE and over 2000 papers on BTE scaffolds alone in the past 10 years (PubMed search). Enabling scaffold translation requires first an understanding of the challenges, and second, addressing the complete range of these challenges. There are the obvious technical challenges of designing, manufacturing, and functionalizing scaffolds to fill the Form, Fixation, Function, and Formation needs of bone defect repair. However, these technical solutions should be targeted to specific clinical indications (e.g., mandibular defects, spine fusion, long bone defects, etc.). Further, technical solutions should also address business challenges, including the need to obtain regulatory approval, meet specific market needs, and obtain private investment to develop products, again for specific clinical indications. Finally, these business and technical challenges present a much different model than the typical research paradigm, presenting the field with philosophical challenges in terms of publishing and funding priorities that should be addressed as well. In this article, we review in detail the technical, business, and philosophical barriers of translating scaffolds from Concept to Clinic. We argue that envisioning and engineering scaffolds as modular systems with a sliding scale of complexity offers the best path to addressing these translational challenges.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90495/1/ten-2Eteb-2E2011-2E0251.pd

A multilevel neo-institutional analysis of infection prevention and control in English hospitals: coerced safety culture change?

Despite committed policy, regulative and professional efforts on healthcare safety, little is known about how such macro-interventions permeate organisations and shape culture over time. Informed by neo-institutional theory, we examined how inter-organisational influences shaped safety practices and inter-subjective meanings following efforts for coerced culture change. We traced macro-influences from 2000 to 2015 in infection prevention and control (IPC). Safety perceptions and meanings were inductively analysed from 130 in-depth qualitative interviews with senior- and middle-level managers from 30 English hospitals. A total of 869 institutional interventions were identified; 69% had a regulative component. In this context of forced implementation of safety practices, staff experienced inherent tensions concerning the scope of safety, their ability to be open and prioritisation of external mandates over local need. These tensions stemmed from conflicts among three co-existing institutional logics prevalent in the NHS. In response to requests for change, staff flexibly drew from a repertoire of cognitive, material and symbolic resources within and outside their organisations. They crafted 'strategies of action', guided by a situated assessment of first-hand practice experiences complementing collective evaluations of interventions such as 'pragmatic', 'sensible' and also 'legitimate'. Macro-institutional forces exerted influence either directly on individuals or indirectly by enriching the organisational cultural repertoire

Neutrino Masses with "Zero Sum" Condition: mν1+mν2+mν3=0m_{\nu_1} + m_{\nu_2} + m_{\nu_3} = 0

It is well known that the neutrino mass matrix contains more parameters than experimentalists can hope to measure in the foreseeable future even if we impose CP invariance. Thus, various authors have proposed ansatzes to restrict the form of the neutrino mass matrix further. Here we propose that $m_{\nu_1} + m_{\nu_2} + m_{\nu_3} = 0$; this ``zero sum'' condition can occur in certain class of models, such as models whose neutrino mass matrix can be expressed as commutator of two matrices. With this condition, the absolute neutrino mass can be obtained in terms of the mass-squared differences. When combined with the accumulated experimental data this condition predicts two types of mass hierarchies, with one of them characterized by $m_{\nu_3} \approx -2m_{\nu_1} \approx -2 m_{\nu_2} \approx 0.063$ eV, and the other by $m_{\nu_1} \approx -m_{\nu_2} \approx 0.054$ eV and $m_{\nu_3} \approx 0.0064$ eV. The mass ranges predicted is just below the cosmological upper bound of 0.23 eV from recent WMAP data and can be probed in the near future. We also point out some implications for direct laboratory measurement of neutrino masses, and the neutrino mass matrix.Comment: Latex 12 pages. No figures. New references adde

A Generic Framework for Criterion-Referenced Assessment of Undergraduate Essays

This paper presents a brief review of the relative merits of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment of undergraduate students' written work. Acknowledging that there are both positive and negative aspects of criterion referencing, a generic framework for such assessment of undergraduate essays is presented. It comprises criteria and standards (organised by `dimensions of achievement', i.e. content, process, affect and skills), proficiency standards for English language and communication competence, and cartographic and graphic skills. Problems of implementation include the size and complexity of the framework and the need to interpret and clarify the criteria and standards for students