A Multiscale Investigation of Habitat Use and Within-river Distribution of Sympatric Sand Darter Species

The western sand darter Ammocrypta clara, and eastern sand darter Ammocrypta pellucida are sand-dwelling fishes of conservation concern. Past research has emphasized the importance of studying individual populations of conservation concern, while recent research has revealed the importance of incorporating landscape scale processes that structure habitat mosaics and local populations. We examined habitat use and distributions of western and eastern sand darters in the lower Elk River of West Virginia. At the sandbar habitat use scale, western sand darters were detected in sandbars with greater area, higher proportions of coarse grain sand and faster bottom current velocity, while the eastern sand darter used a wider range of sandbar habitats. The landscape scale analysis revealed that contributing drainage area was an important predictor for both species, while sinuosity, which presumably represents valley type also contributed to the western sand darter’s habitat suitability. Sandbar quality (area, grain size, and velocity) and fluvial geomorphic variables (drainage area and valley type) are likely key driving factors structuring sand darter distributions in the Elk River. This multiscale study of within-river species distribution and habitat use is unique, given that only a few sympatric populations are known of western and eastern sand darters

Cj0596 is a periplasmic peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase involved in Campylobacter jejuni motility, invasion, and colonization

Abstract Background Campylobacter jejuni is a gastrointestinal pathogen of humans, but part of the normal flora of poultry, and therefore grows well at the respective body temperatures of 37°C and 42°C. Proteomic studies on temperature regulation in C. jejuni strain 81–176 revealed the upregulation at 37°C of Cj0596, a predicted periplasmic chaperone that is similar to proteins involved in outer membrane protein folding and virulence in other bacteria. Results The cj0596 gene was highly conserved in 24 strains and species of Campylobacter, implying the importance of this gene. To study the role that Cj0596 plays in C. jejuni pathogenesis, a mutant derivative of strain 81–176 was constructed in which the cj0596 gene was precisely deleted. A revertant of this mutant was isolated by restoring the gene to its original chromosomal location using streptomycin counterselection. The cj0596 mutant strain demonstrated a slightly decreased growth rate and lower final growth yield, yet was more motile and more invasive of human intestinal epithelial cells than wild-type. In either single or mixed infections, the mutant was less able to colonize mice than 81–176. The cj0596 mutant also expressed altered levels of several proteins. Conclusion Mutation of cj0596 has an effect on phenotypes related to C. jejuni pathogenesis, probably due to its role in the proper folding of critical outer membrane proteins.</p

Lymphocyte and Monocyte Hsp72 Responses to Exercise in Athletes with Prior Exertional Heat Illness

ABSTRACT Introduction. Exertional heatstroke is a serious disorder that can be fatal especially if treatment is delayed. Heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72) is strongly induced by heat, and can be protective against a subsequent stress that may be the same or of a different form. In animal models it has been shown that upregulation of Hsp72 is protective against heatstroke. There is a natural variability in the amount and/or inducibility of Hsp72 in cells and tissues between individuals, and it is possible that impaired expression levels could make some athletes more prone to heat illness. The purpose of this study was to examine Hsp72 expression in lymphocytes and monocytes of young (\u3c40 years) athletes who had previously experienced, but recovered from serious heatstroke during exercise in the heat. Methods. Fourteen athletes ran on a treadmill for 60 min at 72% maximal oxygen uptake (o2max) in warm conditions (30°C, 40% relative humidity). One group consisted of athletes who had a previous history of exertional heat illness (EHI), while the control group (CON) had no previous history of EHI. Both groups were of similar age (29.7 ± 1.2 and 29.1 ± 2 years, CON vs EHI) and fitness (o2max 65.7 ± 2 and 64.5 ± 3 ml.kg-1.min-1, CON vs EHI). Rectal temperature was measured using a thermistor inserted to a depth of 10 cm past the anal sphincter. Hsp72 levels were measured in both monocytes and lymphocytes by flow cytometry before and immediately after the 60-min run, then after 60 min of recovery at an ambient temperature of 24°C. Results. Rectal temperature increased during the exercise period but there was no difference between groups, demonstrating that the EHI group had recovered from their heat illness and were not heat intolerant. Lymphocyte Hsp72 was lower in the EHI group after 60 min of exercise (p\u3c0.05), while monocyte Hsp72 was not different between groups. Conclusion. Our study found a lower lymphocyte Hsp72 concentration during exercise in athletes who had previously collapsed with serious EHI. Further research is needed to determine whether lower lymphocyte Hsp72 is a factor that may predispose athletes to develop EHI

Formation of a σ-alkane complex and a molecular rearrangement in the solid-State : [Rh(Cyp2PCH2CH2PCyp2)(η2:η2-C7H12)][BArF 4]

Addition of H2 to the precursor [Rh(Cyp2PCH2CH2PCyp2)(η2:η2- C7H8)][BArF 4] gives the σ-alkane complex [Rh(Cyp2PCH2CH2PCyp2)(η2:η2- C7H12)][BArF 4] by a single-crystal to single-crystal reaction, as characterized by Xray crystallography, SSNMR spectroscopy, and periodic DFT. An unexpected rearrangement of the {Rh(L2)}+ fragment is revealed

Phomopsis bougainvilleicola prepatellar bursitis in a renal transplant recipient

Prepatellar bursitis is typically a monomicrobial bacterial infection. A fungal cause is rarely identified. We describe a 61-year-old man who had received a renal transplant 21 months prior to presentation whose synovial fluid and surgical specimens grew Phomopsis bougainvilleicola, a pycnidial coelomycete

Travelling for Umrah:destination attributes, destination image, and post-travel intentions

This paper examines the links between cosmopolitanism, self-identity, and a desire for social interaction perceived destination image and behavioural intentions. A model tested using a sample of 538 Iranian visitors to Mecca for the purpose of Umrah. The result from the structural model suggests that destination attributes influence perceived destination image. Further, such tourists are likely to revisit or recommend Islamic destinations if their experience matches their perceived image of the destination. This implies that, while the religious characteristics of the destination remain important, destination managers cannot disregard the tangential, non-religious attributes of a destination which are crucial in order to satisfy more conventional tourist desires. As such, this study suggests that those managing religious travel destinations should endeavour to foster a welcoming image, where experience, interaction and tolerance are at the forefront of the destination’s offering

Delivering services by building and running virtual organisations

Non peer reviewedPostprin

Magnetorotational collapse of massive stellar cores to neutron stars: Simulations in full general relativity

We study magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects arising in the collapse of magnetized, rotating, massive stellar cores to proto-neutron stars (PNSs). We perform axisymmetric numerical simulations in full general relativity with a hybrid equation of state. The formation and early evolution of a PNS are followed with a grid of 2500 x 2500 zones, which provides better resolution than in previous (Newtonian) studies. We confirm that significant differential rotation results even when the rotation of the progenitor is initially uniform. Consequently, the magnetic field is amplified both by magnetic winding and the magnetorotational instability (MRI). Even if the magnetic energy E_EM is much smaller than the rotational kinetic energy T_rot at the time of PNS formation, the ratio E_EM/T_rot increases to 0.1-0.2 by the magnetic winding. Following PNS formation, MHD outflows lead to losses of rest mass, energy, and angular momentum from the system. The earliest outflow is produced primarily by the increasing magnetic stress caused by magnetic winding. The MRI amplifies the poloidal field and increases the magnetic stress, causing further angular momentum transport and helping to drive the outflow. After the magnetic field saturates, a nearly stationary, collimated magnetic field forms near the rotation axis and a Blandford-Payne type outflow develops along the field lines. These outflows remove angular momentum from the PNS at a rate given by \dot{J} \sim \eta E_EM C_B, where \eta is a constant of order 0.1 and C_B is a typical ratio of poloidal to toroidal field strength. As a result, the rotation period quickly increases for a strongly magnetized PNS until the degree of differential rotation decreases. Our simulations suggest that rapidly rotating, magnetized PNSs may not give rise to rapidly rotating neutron stars.Comment: 28 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Examples of the Impact of Collaboration in Creative and Technological Practices

Over recent years, the creative industries have continued to flourish, especially in the UK, where its economic growth and impact has bucked trends of national decline. One of the most identifiable characteristics of the creative industries is the range and diversity of people who work in the field. As such, it includes employees from many disciplines working in collaboration to achieve organizational goals. It is this creative collaboration, with a rich level of technological support in the background, which is the focus of discussion. This article describes an analysis of collaborative practices, followed by the formation of a model that attempts to capture and explain the relationship between the key features. This model is then applied as a lens to a small case study of 63 technology–related employees' perceptions of their employer in three successful companies who were in the top 5 of the 2017 Fortune 500 list, with the intention of determining how well their experiences map to the model. It was found that the six characteristics of the model were evident in each of the three organizations studied, but that one feature, organizational support, seemed to be more prevalent than the others. Consideration, via a second case study, is then given to creative multidisciplinary work, specifically in the field of crowd–accelerated development and the factors that surround it, leading us to devise a set of recommendations as to how future successful creative collaborations might be assessed and valued, along with a discussion of questions that have been identified for additional research and exploration. This is an extended version of a paper published at the Cyberworlds 2015 international conference