Assessing the Sensitivity of Different Life Stages for Sexual Disruption in Roach (Rutilus rutilus) Exposed to Effluents from Wastewater Treatment Works

Surveys of U.K. rivers have shown a high incidence of sexual disruption in populations of wild roach (Rutilus rutilus) living downstream from wastewater treatment works (WwTW), and the degree of intersex (gonads containing both male and female structural characteristics) has been correlated with the concentration of effluent in those rivers. In this study, we investigated feminized responses to two estrogenic WwTWs in roach exposed for periods during life stages of germ cell division (early life and the postspawning period). Roach were exposed as embryos from fertilization up to 300 days posthatch (dph; to include the period of gonadal sex differentiation) or as postspawning adult males, and including fish that had received previous estrogen exposure, for either 60 or 120 days when the annual event of germ cell proliferation occurs. Both effluents induced vitellogenin synthesis in both life stages studied, and the magnitude of the vitellogenic responses paralleled the effluent content of steroid estrogens. Feminization of the reproductive ducts occurred in male fish in a concentration-dependent manner when the exposure occurred during early life, but we found no effects on the reproductive ducts in adult males. Depuration studies (maintenance of fish in clean water after exposure to WwTW effluent) confirmed that the feminization of the reproductive duct was permanent. We found no evidence of ovotestis development in fish that had no previous estrogen exposure for any of the treatments. In wild adult roach that had previously received exposure to estrogen and were intersex, the degree of intersex increased during the study period, but this was not related to the immediate effluent exposure, suggesting a previously determined programming of ovotestis formation

A Flexible and Qualitatively Stable Model for Cell Cycle Dynamics Including DNA Damage Effects

This paper includes a conceptual framework for cell cycle modeling into which the experimenter can map observed data and evaluate mechanisms of cell cycle control. The basic model exhibits qualitative stability, meaning that regardless of magnitudes of system parameters its instances are guaranteed to be stable in the sense that all feasible trajectories converge to a certain trajectory. Qualitative stability can also be described by the signs of real parts of eigenvalues of the system matrix. On the biological side, the resulting model can be tuned to approximate experimental data pertaining to human fibroblast cell lines treated with ionizing radiation, with or without disabled DNA damage checkpoints. Together these properties validate a fundamental, first order systems view of cell dynamics. Classification Codes: 15A6

Cellular Models of Aggregation-Dependent Template-Directed Proteolysis to Characterize Tau Aggregation Inhibitors for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Copyright © 2015, The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Acknowledgements-We thank Drs Timo Rager and Rolf Hilfiker (Solvias, Switzerland) for polymorph analyses.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cruzabilidad entre Arachis gregoryi (Fabaceae) y especies silvestres de Arachis con distintos genomas

Cross-compatibility studies in Arachis L. have brought to light possible new sources of genes for introgression in cultivated peanuts. A total of 32 different crosses were made, using accession V14957 of A. gregoryi C.E. Simpson, Krapov. & Valls as the female parent and Arachis species containing seven distinct genomes as male parents. The 3167 pollinations resulted in 153 confirmed inter and intraspecific hybrids. Viability estimates of paternal pollen by staining (PVS) varied from 46.75 to 99.17%, while the pollen count of the hybrids varied from 0.3 to 43.6%, this highest PVS resulting from an intraspecific combination, which suggests appreciable variability in accessions of A. gregoryi. Viability estimates of paternal pollen by germination (PVG) resulted in consistently lower values for all materials, ranging from 41.91% to 88.00%. Arachis gregoryi is important to expand the available diversity of species associated with the peanut B genome; it has a potential to be incorporated as a parent in crosses that aim to expand the genetic base of peanuts and may be useful for concentrating important genes in pre-breeding lines associated with the B genome.Estudios de compatibilidad cruzada en Arachis L. han sacado a la luz posibles nuevas fuentes de genes para introgresión en el maní cultivado. Se hicieron un total de 32 cruzamientos distintos, utilizando A. gregoryi C.E. Simpson, Krapov. & Valls accesión V14957 como progenitor femenino y especies de Arachis que contienen siete genomas distintos como progenitores masculinos. Las 3167 polinizaciones resultaron en 153 híbridos inter e intraespecíficos confirmados. Estimaciones de viabilidad del polen paternal por tinción (PVS) variaron de 46.75 a 99.17%, mientras que el recuento de polen de los híbridos varió de 0.30 a 43.60 %, ese PVS más alto resultando de una combinación intraespecífica, lo que sugiere variabilidad apreciable entre accesiones de A. gregoryi. Las estimaciones de viabilidad del polen paterno por germinación (PVG) resultaron en valores consistentemente más bajos para todos los materiales, que van desde 41.91% a los 88.00%. Arachis gregoryi es importante para expandir la diversidad disponible de especies asociadas con el genoma B del maní; tiene el potencial de incorporarse como progenitor en cruzamientos que apuntan a la expansión de la base genética del maní y puede ser útil para concentrar genes importantes en líneas de premejoramento asociadas al genoma B

Planet Hunters VII. Discovery of a New Low-Mass, Low-Density Planet (PH3 c) Orbiting Kepler-289 with Mass Measurements of Two Additional Planets (PH3 b and d)

We report the discovery of one newly confirmed planet ($P=66.06$ days, $R_{\rm{P}}=2.68\pm0.17R_\oplus$) and mass determinations of two previously validated Kepler planets, Kepler-289 b ($P=34.55$ days, $R_{\rm{P}}=2.15\pm0.10R_\oplus$) and Kepler-289-c ($P=125.85$ days, $R_{\rm{P}}=11.59\pm0.10R_\oplus$), through their transit timing variations (TTVs). We also exclude the possibility that these three planets reside in a $1:2:4$ Laplace resonance. The outer planet has very deep ($\sim1.3$), high signal-to-noise transits, which puts extremely tight constraints on its host star's stellar properties via Kepler's Third Law. The star PH3 is a young ($\sim1$ Gyr as determined by isochrones and gyrochronology), Sun-like star with $M_*=1.08\pm0.02M_\odot$, $R_*=1.00\pm0.02R_\odot$, and $T_{\rm{eff}}=5990\pm38$ K. The middle planet's large TTV amplitude ($\sim5$ hours) resulted either in non-detections or inaccurate detections in previous searches. A strong chopping signal, a shorter period sinusoid in the TTVs, allows us to break the mass-eccentricity degeneracy and uniquely determine the masses of the inner, middle, and outer planets to be $M=7.3\pm6.8M_\oplus$, $4.0\pm0.9M_\oplus$, and $M=132\pm17M_\oplus$, which we designate PH3 b, c, and d, respectively. Furthermore, the middle planet, PH3 c, has a relatively low density, $\rho=1.2\pm0.3$ g/cm$^3$ for a planet of its mass, requiring a substantial H/He atmosphere of $2.1^{+0.8}_{-0.3}$ by mass, and joins a growing population of low-mass, low-density planets.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables, accepted into Ap

Las razas de maní de Perú

En este estudio sobre maní se diferencian para Perú 47 razas de maní cultivado de las cuales 13 pertenecen a Arachis hypogaeassp. hypogaeavar. hypogaea, 2 a A. hypogaea ssp. hypogaea var. hirsuta, 15 a A. hypogaeassp. fastigiatavar. fastigiata, 15 a A. hypogaeassp. fastigiata var. peruvianay 2 a A. hypogaeassp. fastigiatavar. aecuatoriana. Perú constituye un centro de variación independiente pues sus razas son exclusivas de su territorio, salvo muy pocas excepciones

Clotting Changes, Including Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, during Rapid Renal-Homograft Rejection

One of two patients in whom early homograft rejection developed after renal transplantation had many antidonor antibodies before operation. By the measurement of gradients across intracorporeal and extracorporeal homografts in this patient, the new kidneys were shown to sequester host immunoglobulins, platelets, white cells and clotting factors. Moreover, the renal venous blood then contained fibrinolytic activity. This presensitized recipient, as well as a second patient who did not have detectable preformed humoral antibodies, gave evidence from clinical observation and from the various clotting tests of disseminated intravascular coagulation with fibrinolysis and a severe bleeding diathesis. Immunofluorescent and histologic studies revealed a laying down of fibrin in the homograft vessels that continued in some cases to cortical necrosis of the transplanted kidneys or, alternatively, receded at the time fibrinolysis occurred. The variety of rejection seen in these patients has been characterized as an immunologically induced coagulopathy. © 1970, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved

Alzheimer's disease-like paired helical filament assembly from truncated tau protein is independent of disulphide cross-linking

Abstract Alzheimer's disease is characterised by the self-assembly of tau and amyloid β proteins into oligomers and fibrils. Tau protein assembles into paired helical filaments (PHFs) that constitute the neurofibrillary tangles observed in neuronal cell bodies in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. The mechanism of initiation of tau assembly into {PHFs} is not well understood. Here we report that a truncated 95-amino acid tau fragment (corresponding to residues 297-391 of full-length tau) assembles into PHF-like fibrils in vitro without the need for other additives to initiate or template the process. Using electron microscopy, circular dichroism and X-ray fibre diffraction, we have characterised the structure of the fibrils formed from truncated tau for the first time. To explore the contribution of disulphide formation to fibril formation, we have compared the assembly of tau(297-391) under reduced and non-reducing conditions and for truncated tau carrying a {C322A} substitution. We show that disulphide bond formation inhibits assembly and that the {C322A} variant rapidly forms long and highly ordered PHFs

las razas de mani de bolivia

Bolivia se destaca como probable lugar de origen del man&iacute; cultivado y un centro de variaci&oacute;n&nbsp;&uacute;nico en el mundo, lo que se&ntilde;ala a Bolivia como una importante fuente de materiales para el&nbsp;mejoramiento de este cultivo de importancia mundial. En este estudio para man&iacute; se diferencian&nbsp;para Bolivia 62 razas de man&iacute; cultivado de las cuales, 42 pertenecen a Arachis hypogaea L&nbsp;subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea, 17 a A. hypogaea susbp. fastigiata Waldron var. fastigiata, 1&nbsp;a A. hypogaea susbp. fastigiata var. vulgaris y 2 a A. hypogaea subsp. fastigiata var. peruviana&nbsp;Krapov. &amp; W. C. Gregory. Bolivia constituye un centro de variaci&oacute;n independiente pues sus&nbsp;razas son exclusivas de su territorio, salvo muy pocas excepciones. Bolivia como unidad, se&nbsp;caracteriza por las razas "Crema", "Colorado San Sim&oacute;n", "Bayo americano", "Overo" y&nbsp;"Overo carenado", que se cultivan en todo el pa&iacute;s. Se pueden delimitar algunas regiones de&nbsp;mayor diversidad: la regi&oacute;n de los Yungas de La Paz, donde se coleccionaron 11 razas de las&nbsp;cuales 3 son exclusivas y la regi&oacute;n monta&ntilde;osa de Santa Cruz y Cochabamba, con 18 razas de&nbsp;las cuales 6 son exclusivas. Estas dos regiones pertenecen a la cuenca del Amazonas. Unatercera regi&oacute;n se encuentra en el Departamento de Tarija, perteneciente a la cuenca del Plata,&nbsp;donde se coleccionaron 14 razas, de las cuales 2 son exclusivas. Todas estas razas pertenecen&nbsp;a la var. hypogaea. La subsp. fastigiata, presenta un centro de variaci&oacute;n muy notable en la&nbsp;cuenca del r&iacute;o Beni, donde en un &aacute;rea muy peque&ntilde;a se coleccionaron 10 razas, de las cuales&nbsp;9 son exclusivas. Se destaca Bolivia como un centro de variaci&oacute;n &uacute;nico en el mundo y la gran&nbsp;variabilidad del man&iacute; se&ntilde;ala a Bolivia como una importante fuente de posibilidades para el&nbsp;mejoramiento de este cultivo</div

Las razas de maní en Bolivia

Bolivia is reagarded as the probable place of origin of the domesticated peanut, and an important world center of unique peanut diversity. As the first published study of its kind or peanut, this paper identifies and describes the infraspecific diversity of the crop in its country of origin and center of diverstity. 62 distinct landraces of Bolivian peanut were identified and systematically described. 42 landraces belong to&nbsp;Arachis&nbsp;hypogaea&nbsp;L. ssp.&nbsp;hypogaea&nbsp;var.&nbsp;hypogaea; 17 to&nbsp;A. hypogaea&nbsp;ssp.&nbsp;fastigiata&nbsp;var.&nbsp;fastigiata; one to&nbsp;A. hypogaea&nbsp;ssp.&nbsp;fastigiata&nbsp;var.vulgaris; and two to&nbsp;A. hypogaea&nbsp;ssp.&nbsp;fastigiata&nbsp;var.&nbsp;peruviana. With very few exceptions, the landraces encountered in Bolivia are almost entirely endemic to that country. The most typical peanuts from Bolivia pertain to the landraces &ldquo;Crema&rdquo;, &ldquo;Colorado San Sim&oacute;n&rdquo;, &ldquo;Bayo americano&rdquo;, &ldquo;Overo&rdquo;, and &ldquo;Overo carenado&rdquo;, which are widely cultivated throughout the country. A few regions of unusually high peanut diversity can be identified. In the Yungas region of La Paz, 11 landraces were collected, of which three are endemic. In the mountainous regions of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, 18 landraces were collected, of which six are endemic. The Department of Tarija yielded 14 landraces , of which two are endemic. All of the aforementioned landraces pertain to the botanical&nbsp; variety&nbsp;hypogaea. In contrast, the subspecies&nbsp;fastigiata&nbsp;has a remarkable center or diversity&nbsp; in the watershed of the Rio Beni, where 10 landraces were collected in a fairly small area, nine of which&nbsp; are endemic to that region. This monograph is intended to enhance the knowledge and appreciation of peanut diversity, and facilitate the conservation and use of peanut landraces by scientistis, plant breeders, and farmersBolivia se destaca como probable lugar de origen del man&iacute; cultivado y un centro de variaci&oacute;n&nbsp;&uacute;nico en el mundo, lo que se&ntilde;ala a Bolivia como una importante fuente de materiales para el&nbsp;mejoramiento de este cultivo de importancia mundial. En este estudio para man&iacute; se diferencian&nbsp;para Bolivia 62 razas de man&iacute; cultivado de las cuales, 42 pertenecen a Arachis hypogaea L&nbsp;subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea, 17 a A. hypogaea susbp. fastigiata Waldron var. fastigiata, 1&nbsp;a A. hypogaea susbp. fastigiata var. vulgaris y 2 a A. hypogaea subsp. fastigiata var. peruviana&nbsp;Krapov. &amp; W. C. Gregory. Bolivia constituye un centro de variaci&oacute;n independiente pues sus&nbsp;razas son exclusivas de su territorio, salvo muy pocas excepciones. Bolivia como unidad, se&nbsp;caracteriza por las razas "Crema", "Colorado San Sim&oacute;n", "Bayo americano", "Overo" y&nbsp;"Overo carenado", que se cultivan en todo el pa&iacute;s. Se pueden delimitar algunas regiones de&nbsp;mayor diversidad: la regi&oacute;n de los Yungas de La Paz, donde se coleccionaron 11 razas de las&nbsp;cuales 3 son exclusivas y la regi&oacute;n monta&ntilde;osa de Santa Cruz y Cochabamba, con 18 razas de&nbsp;las cuales 6 son exclusivas. Estas dos regiones pertenecen a la cuenca del Amazonas. Unatercera regi&oacute;n se encuentra en el Departamento de Tarija, perteneciente a la cuenca del Plata,&nbsp;donde se coleccionaron 14 razas, de las cuales 2 son exclusivas. Todas estas razas pertenecen&nbsp;a la var. hypogaea. La subsp. fastigiata, presenta un centro de variaci&oacute;n muy notable en la&nbsp;cuenca del r&iacute;o Beni, donde en un &aacute;rea muy peque&ntilde;a se coleccionaron 10 razas, de las cuales&nbsp;9 son exclusivas. Se destaca Bolivia como un centro de variaci&oacute;n &uacute;nico en el mundo y la gran&nbsp;variabilidad del man&iacute; se&ntilde;ala a Bolivia como una importante fuente de posibilidades para el&nbsp;mejoramiento de este cultiv