Appetitive information seeking behaviour reveals robust daily rhythmicity for Internet-based food-related keyword searches

Funding We received no funding for this study. Acknowledgement We thank the feedback from participants of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Easter 2017 conference, where the work was presented. Electronic supplementary material is available online at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4174325. The data are freely available online in Google Trends (www.google.co.uk/trends/).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

3D seismic evidence of internal structure within Tampen Slide deposits on the North Sea Fan : are chaotic deposits that chaotic?

The seismic character of slide deposits is typically described as structureless or chaotic. However, 3D seismic data from the northern flank of the North Sea Fan reveal recognizable internal, penetrative structures within the Tampen Slide deposits. The study of its seismic attributes allowed an integrated characterization of the slide deposits and has shown distinctive acoustic fabrics, both at the top and base of the slide deposit, which are interpreted to be the expression of internal deformation structures. Based on their geometry, four main seismic fabric types have been defined: anastomosing, curvilinear, rectilinear and wispy. The spatial distribution of the fabric was mainly controlled by a topographic high present on the sea-bed at the time of the gravitational collapse, which influenced the transport of material. Areas of distinct fabrics are thought to reflect different flow behaviour during the latest stages of the mass movement and could be considered kinematic indicators. The results give new insights into the transport and deformation processes of submarine mass movements and highlight the potential of detailed analysis of 3D seismic data

Microfacies analysis and metre-scale cyclicity in the Givetian back-reef sediments of south-east

Garland, J., Tucker, M.E., and Scrutton, C. T. 1996. Microfacies analysis and metre-scale cyclicity in the Givetian back-reef sediments of south-east Devon. Proceedings of the Ussher Society, 9, 031-036 The Givetian (Middle Devonian) of south-east Devon consists of reef and back-reef facies (Tor Bay Reef-Complex) developed on a shelf-edge rise. Three sections in the Newton Abbot area have recently been studied with emphasis on detailed logging, sampling and thin section analysis of the back-reef sediments. Eight microfacies have been identified ranging from shallow subtidal to exposed supratidal deposits, forming four groups. 1. Semi-restricted subtidal -stromatoporoid floatstones, low-energy accumulations, least restricted facies -Stachyodes rudstones, high-energy back-reef talus 2. Restricted subtidal -Amphipora floatstones, low-energy accumulations -gastropod packstones, back-reef sedimentation with temporary agitation -fossil-poor peloidal and fenestral wackestones, calm water deposition 3. Restricted intertidal -peloidal grainstones with micritised grains, deposition in channels ripping up subtidal facies. Restricted supratidal -microbial laminites -immature palaeosols A small-scale cyclicity can be identified by the arrangement of microfacies vertically. Typical cycles show a stromatoporoid-rich base, followed by an Amphipora floatstone, capped by a fenestral fossil-poor micrite. Locally emergence is indicated by juvenile soil development or laminite deposition. Cycles are on average 2 to 3 m thick. Fischer plots have been produced to show the pattern of cycle development through time, and comparisons between sections is attempted. The mechanism causing cyclicity is as yet still unclear, with an intricate balance between autocyclic and allocyclic factors being probable

Combined pulsed electron double resonance EPR and molecular dynamics investigations of calmodulin suggest effects of crowding agents on protein structures

A.M.S. received Early Stage Research Funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP-7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN through the “MAGnetic Innovation in Catalysis” (MAGIC) Initial Training Network (grant agreement no. 606831). Part of this work was also supported by BBSRC grant: BB/M007065/1. J.L. thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship, the Carnegie Trust (RIG007510), and the Wellcome Trust for a Multi-User Equipment grant (099149/Z/12/Z).Calmodulin (CaM) is a highly dynamic Ca2+-binding protein that exhibits large conformational changes upon binding Ca2+ and target proteins. Although it is accepted that CaM exists in an equilibrium of conformational states in the absence of target protein, the physiological relevance of an elongated helical linker region in the Ca2+-replete form has been highly debated. In this study, we use PELDOR (pulsed electron–electron double resonance) EPR measurements of a doubly spin-labeled CaM variant to assess the conformational states of CaM in the apo-, Ca2+-bound, and Ca2+ plus target peptide-bound states. Our findings are consistent with a three-state conformational model of CaM, showing a semi-open apo-state, a highly extended Ca2+-replete state, and a compact target protein-bound state. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the presence of glycerol, and potentially other molecular crowding agents, has a profound effect on the relative stability of the different conformational states. Differing experimental conditions may explain the discrepancies in the literature regarding the observed conformational state(s) of CaM, and our PELDOR measurements show good evidence for an extended conformation of Ca2+-replete CaM similar to the one observed in early X-ray crystal structures.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Cosmology, Oscillating Physics and Oscilllating Biology

According to recent reports there is an excess correlation and an apparent regularity in the galaxy one-dimensional polar distribution with a characteristic scale of 128 $h^{-1}$ Mpc. This aparent spatial periodicity can be naturally explained by a time oscillation of the gravitational constant $G$. On the other hand, periodic growth features of bivalve and coral fossiles appear to show a periodic component in the time dependence of the number of days per year. In this letter we show that a time oscillating gravitational constant with similar period and amplitude can explain such a feature.Comment: 9 pages. latex using revtex. This revised version is supposed to be free of e-mail nois

The potential of painting: unlocking Disenfranchised Grief for people living with dementia

As part of the “Creative Well” programme at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHN) North Wales, artist/researchers Megan Wyatt and Susan Liggett qualitatively investigated how painting can access a means of communication for people living with Dementia. In a workshop setting within a gallery environment at Ruthin Crafts Centre, participants living with dementia were facilitated on a one to one basis the opportunity to paint alongside the artist/researchers. The participants were from a wellestablished art group called “Lost in Art” that is managed by Denbighshire Arts Service. During the workshops, a number of experiences were articulated. These included experiences of illness, crisis and loss. They were captured through observations, interviews, visual art and video to contribute to new understandings and models of engagement through art for people living with dementia and their carers. Focusing on theory and practice in arts based research and the social sciences, this paper investigates the potential of painting to unlock experiences such as disenfranchised grief for people living with dementia. The conclusions do not measure how and if participants felt disenfranchised grief but rather provide an alternative to augment the body of knowledge surrounding how people living with dementia can communicate feelings of disenfranchised grief through painting. Objective: In this presentation I aim to outline the main findings from the above paper that is to be published in an academic journal later in the year on Illness Crisis and Loss published by Sage

Protein Condensate Atlas from predictive models of heteromolecular condensate composition

Biomolecular condensates help cells organise their content in space and time. Cells harbour a variety of condensate types with diverse composition and many are likely yet to be discovered. Here, we develop a methodology to predict the composition of biomolecular condensates. We first analyse available proteomics data of cellular condensates and find that the biophysical features that determine protein localisation into condensates differ from known drivers of homotypic phase separation processes, with charge mediated protein-RNA and hydrophobicity mediated protein-protein interactions playing a key role in the former process. We then develop a machine learning model that links protein sequence to its propensity to localise into heteromolecular condensates. We apply the model across the proteome and find many of the top-ranked targets outside the original training data to localise into condensates as confirmed by orthogonal immunohistochemical staining imaging. Finally, we segment the condensation-prone proteome into condensate types based on an overlap with biomolecular interaction profiles to generate a Protein Condensate Atlas. Several condensate clusters within the Atlas closely match the composition of experimentally characterised condensates or regions within them, suggesting that the Atlas can be valuable for identifying additional components within known condensate systems and discovering previously uncharacterised condensates