Zap1 Control of Cell-Cell Signaling in \u3ci\u3eCandida albicans\u3c/i\u3e Biofilms

Biofilms of Candida albicans include both yeast cells and hyphae. Prior studies indicated that a zap1/ mutant, defective in zinc regulator Zap1, has increased accumulation of yeast cells in biofilms. This altered yeast-hypha balance may arise from internal regulatory alterations or from an effect on the production of diffusible quorum-sensing (QS) molecules. Here, we develop biosensor reporter strains that express yeastspecific YWP1-RFP or hypha-specific HWP1-RFP, along with a constitutive TDH3-GFP normalization standard. Seeding these biosensor strains into biofilms allows a biological activity assay of the surrounding biofilm milieu. A zap1/ biofilm induces the yeast-specific YWP1-RFP reporter in a wild-type biosensor strain, as determined by both quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) gene expression measurements and confocal microscopy. Remediation of the zap1/ zinc uptake defect through zinc transporter gene ZRT2 overexpression reverses induction of the yeast-specific YWP1-RFP reporter. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) measurements of known organic QS molecules show that the zap1/ mutant accumulates significantly less farnesol than wild-type or complemented strains and that ZRT2 overexpression does not affect farnesol accumulation. Farnesol is a well-characterized inhibitor of hypha formation; hence, a reduction in farnesol levels in zap1/ biofilms is unexpected. Our findings argue that a Zap1- and zinc-dependent signal affects the yeast-hypha balance and that it is operative in the low-farnesol environment of the zap1/ biofilm. In addition, our results indicate that Zap1 is a positive regulator of farnesol accumulation

Farmers Markets and the Local Food System: The Case of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

In order to examine and obtain a better understanding of the local food system within Adams County, Pennsylvania, this study explores the characteristics and perspectives of the customers and vendors at the farmers markets in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Survey findings from the Gettysburg Farmers Market and the three Adams County Farmers Markets include customer demographic information, perspectives and shopping behavior as well as vendor product information, farm size and location and preference for market management. Introductory background information on the Farm Bill and the influence of agricultural practices on the environment, human health and nutrition and the relationship between farmers markets and the local economy are offered in order to emphasize the value of a well-managed local food system. Conclusions provide evidence that lower income and lower education levels are not sufficiently represented at all the markets and food stamp programs are being underutilized. This study suggests employing additional marketing to target underrepresented demographic groups, public transportation to potentially inaccessible market locations and increased advertisement and encouragement of food stamp programs at all markets in order to expand the customer base and increase access to healthy, local foods for less advantaged citizens. The results from this study are intended to offer evidence that will promote and facilitate market management, strengthen customer/vendor relationships and encourage better ties between the local community and local food systems at the farmers markets within Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania

Additive effectiveness of mindfulness meditation to a school-based brief cognitive-behavioral alcohol intervention for adolescents

This randomized controlled trial is the 1st study to evaluate the additive efficacy of mindfulness meditation to brief school-based universal cognitive behavior therapy (CBT + MM) for adolescent alcohol consumption. Previous studies have lacked strong controls for nonspecific effects, and treatment mechanisms remain unclear. The present study compared a CBT + MM condition to an active control CBT intervention with progressive muscle relaxation (CBT + PMR) for nonspecific effects and an assessment-only control (AoC).Cluster sampling was used to recruit Australian adolescents ( = 404; 62% female) ages 13-17 years ( = 14.99, = .66) of mostly Australian-New Zealand or European descent. School classes were randomized to 3 intervention conditions (CBT + PMR = 8 classes, CBT + MM = 7 classes, AoC = 7 classes), and adolescents completed preintervention, postintervention, and 3- and 6-month follow-up assessments, including measures of alcohol consumption, mindfulness, impulsivity, and the alcohol-related cognitions of alcohol expectancies and drinking refusal self-efficacy.Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that both intervention conditions reduced the growth of alcohol consumption compared to the AoC ( = -.18, = .014), although CBT + MM was no more effective than was CBT + PMR ( = -.06, = .484). Negative alcohol expectancies increased for adolescents in the intervention conditions compared to the AoC ( = 1.09, = .012), as did positive alcohol expectancies ( = 1.30, = .008). There was no effect of interventions on mindfulness, drinking refusal self-efficacy, or impulsivity.There was no evidence of mindfulness-specific effects beyond existing effects of CBT within a brief universal school-based CBT intervention. Hypothesized mechanisms of change were largely unsupported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): merging galaxies and their properties

We derive the close pair fractions and volume merger rates for galaxies in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey with −23 < Mr < −17 (ΩM = 0.27, ΩΛ = 0.73, H0 = 100 km s−1 Mpc−1) at 0.01 < z < 0.22 (look-back time of <2 Gyr). The merger fraction is approximately 1.5 per cent Gyr−1 at all luminosities (assuming 50 per cent of pairs merge) and the volume merger rate is ≈3.5 × 10−4 Mpc−3 Gyr−1. We examine how the merger rate varies by luminosity and morphology. Dry mergers (between red/spheroidal galaxies) are found to be uncommon and to decrease with decreasing luminosity. Fainter mergers are wet, between blue/discy galaxies. Damp mergers (one of each type) follow the average of dry and wet mergers. In the brighter luminosity bin (−23 < Mr < −20), the merger rate evolution is flat, irrespective of colour or morphology, out to z ∼ 0.2. The makeup of the merging population does not appear to change over this redshift range. Galaxy growth by major mergers appears comparatively unimportant and dry mergers are unlikely to be significant in the buildup of the red sequence over the past 2 Gyr. We compare the colour, morphology, environmental density and degree of activity (BPT class, Baldwin, Phillips & Terlevich) of galaxies in pairs to those of more isolated objects in the same volume. Galaxies in close pairs tend to be both redder and slightly more spheroid dominated than the comparison sample. We suggest that this may be due to ‘harassment’ in multiple previous passes prior to the current close interaction. Galaxy pairs do not appear to prefer significantly denser environments. There is no evidence of an enhancement in the AGN fraction in pairs, compared to other galaxies in the same volume

Understanding employee resourcing in construction organizations

In recent years the literature on employee resourcing has consistently advocated the importance of adopting a holistic, strategic approach to employee deployment decision making rather than adopting a reactive needs-based approach. This is particularly problematic in construction where the multi-project environment leads to constantly changing resource requirements and to changing demands over a project's life cycle. This can lead to inappropriate decisions, which fail to meet the longer-term needs of both construction organizations and their employees. A structured and comprehensive understanding of the current project team deployment practices within large construction organizations was developed. Project deployment practices were examined within seven case study contracting firms. The emergent themes that shaped the decision-making processes were grouped into five broad clusters comprising human resource planning, performance/career management, team deployment, employee involvement and training and development. The research confirms that a reactive and ad hoc approach to the function prevails within the firms investigated. This suggests a weak relationship between the deployment process and human resource planning, team deployment, performance management, employee involvement and training and development activities. It is suggested that strategic HR-business partnering could engender more transparent and productive relationships in this crucial area

Culture change in elite sport performance teams: Examining and advancing effectiveness in the new era

Reflecting the importance of optimizing culture for elite teams, Fletcher and Arnold (2011) recently suggested the need for expertise in culture change. Acknowledging the dearth of literature on the specific process, however, the potential effectiveness of practitioners in this area is unknown. The present paper examines the activity's precise demands and the validity of understanding in sport psychology and organizational research to support its delivery. Recognizing that sport psychologists are being increasingly utilized by elite team management, initial evidence-based guidelines are presented. Finally, to stimulate the development of ecologically valid, practically meaningful knowledge, the paper identifies a number of future research directions

Change management: The case of the elite sport performance team

The effective and efficient implementation of change is often required for both successful performance and management survival across a host of contemporary domains. However, although of major theoretical and practical significance, research to date has overlooked the application of change management (hereafter CM) knowledge to the elite sport performance team environment. Considering that the success of ‘off-field’ sports businesses are largely dependent on the performances of their ‘on-field’ team, this article explores the application of current CM theorizing to this specific setting and the challenges facing its utility. Accordingly, we identify the need and importance of developing theory specific to this area, with practical application in both sport and business, through examination of current knowledge and identification of the domain's unique, dynamic and contested properties. Markers of successful change are then suggested to guide initial enquiry before the article concludes with proposed lines of research which may act to provide a valid and comprehensive theoretical account of CM to optimize the research and practice of those working in the field

The pseudogap state in superconductors: Extended Hartree approach to time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau Theory

It is well known that conventional pairing fluctuation theory at the Hartree level leads to a normal state pseudogap in the fermionic spectrum. Our goal is to extend this Hartree approximated scheme to arrive at a generalized mean field theory of pseudogapped superconductors for all temperatures $T$. While an equivalent approach to the pseudogap has been derived elsewhere using a more formal Green's function decoupling scheme, in this paper we re-interpret this mean field theory and BCS theory as well, and demonstrate how they naturally relate to ideal Bose gas condensation. Here we recast the Hartree approximated Ginzburg-Landau self consistent equations in a T-matrix form. This recasting makes it possible to consider arbitrarily strong attractive coupling, where bosonic degrees of freedom appear at $T^*$ considerably above $T_c$. The implications for transport both above and below $T_c$ are discussed. Below $T_c$ we find two types of contributions. Those associated with fermionic excitations have the usual BCS functional form. That they depend on the magnitude of the excitation gap, nevertheless, leads to rather atypical transport properties in the strong coupling limit, where this gap (as distinct from the order parameter) is virtually $T$-independent. In addition, there are bosonic terms arising from non-condensed pairs whose transport properties are shown here to be reasonably well described by an effective time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, REVTeX4, submitted to PRB; clarification of the diagrammatic technique added, one figure update

An exploration of concepts of community through a case study of UK university web production

The paper explores the inter-relation and differences between the concepts of occupational community, community of practice, online community and social network. It uses as a case study illustration the domain of UK university web site production and specifically a listserv for those involved in it. Different latent occupational communities are explored, and the potential for the listserv to help realize these as an active sense of community is considered. The listserv is not (for most participants) a tight knit community of practice, indeed it fails many criteria for an online community. It is perhaps best conceived as a loose knit network of practice, valued for information, implicit support and for the maintenance of weak ties. Through the analysis the case for using strict definitions of the theoretical concepts is made

Single-cell transcriptomics of suprachiasmatic nuclei reveal a Prokineticin-driven circadian network.

Circadian rhythms in mammals are governed by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), in which 20,000 clock cells are connected together into a powerful time-keeping network. In the absence of network-level cellular interactions, the SCN fails as a clock. The topology and specific roles of its distinct cell populations (nodes) that direct network functions are, however, not understood. To characterise its component cells and network structure, we conducted single-cell sequencing of SCN organotypic slices and identified eleven distinct neuronal sub-populations across circadian day and night. We defined neuropeptidergic signalling axes between these nodes, and built neuropeptide-specific network topologies. This revealed their temporal plasticity, being up-regulated in circadian day. Through intersectional genetics and real-time imaging, we interrogated the contribution of the Prok2-ProkR2 neuropeptidergic axis to network-wide time-keeping. We showed that Prok2-ProkR2 signalling acts as a key regulator of SCN period and rhythmicity and contributes to defining the network-level properties that underpin robust circadian co-ordination. These results highlight the diverse and distinct contributions of neuropeptide-modulated communication of temporal information across the SCN