Reviews

Lisa Tyler. Writing and Healing: Toward an Informed Practice. (Charles M. Anderson and Marian M. MacCurdy, eds., 2000). Fran Claggett. Revisioning Writers\u27 Talk: Gender and Culture in Acts of Composing. (Mary Ann Cain, 1995). Bruce Novak. Tomorrow\u27s Children: A Blueprint for Partnership Education in the 21st Century. (Riane Eisler, 2000). Neal Lerner. Stories from the Center: Connecting Narrative and Theory in the Writing Center. (Lynn Craigue Briggs and Meg Woolbright, eds., 2000)

Group 2i Isochrysidales produce characteristic alkenones reflecting sea ice distribution

Alkenones are biomarkers produced solely by algae in the order Isochrysidales that have been used to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SST) since the 1980s. However, alkenone based SST reconstructions in the northern high latitude oceans show significant bias towards warmer temperatures in core-tops, diverge from other SST proxies in down core records, and are often accompanied by anomalously high relative abundance of the C37 tetra-unsaturated methyl alkenone (%C37:4). Elevated %C37:4 is widely interpreted as an indicator of low sea surface salinity from polar water masses, but its biological source has thus far remained elusive. Here we identify a lineage of Isochrysidales that is responsible for elevated C37:4 methyl alkenone in the northern high latitude oceans through next-generation sequencing and lab-culture experiments. This Isochrysidales lineage co-occurs widely with sea ice in marine environments and is distinct from other known marine alkenone-producers, namely Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. More importantly, the %C37:4 in seawater filtered particulate organic matter and surface sediments is significantly correlated with annual mean sea ice concentrations. In sediment cores from the Svalbard region, the %C37:4 concentration aligns with the Greenland temperature record and other qualitative regional sea ice records spanning the past 14 kyrs, reflecting sea ice concentrations quantitatively. Our findings imply that %C37:4 is a powerful proxy for reconstructing sea ice conditions in the high latitude oceans on thousand- and, potentially, on million-year timescales.publishedVersio

Low Stress Ion Conductance Microscopy of Sub-Cellular Stiffness.

Directly examining subcellular mechanics whilst avoiding excessive strain of a live cell requires the precise control of light stress on very small areas, which is fundamentally difficult. Here we use a glass nanopipet out of contact with the plasma membrane to both exert the stress on the cell and also accurately monitor cellular compression. This allows the mapping of cell stiffness at a lateral resolution finer than 100 nm. We calculate the stress a nanopipet exerts on a cell as the sum of the intrinsic pressure between the tip face and the plasma membrane plus its direct pressure on any glycocalyx, both evaluated from the gap size in terms of the ion current decrease. A survey of cell types confirms that an intracellular pressure of approximately 120 Pa begins to detach the plasma membrane from the cytoskeleton and reveals that the first 0.66 ± 0.09 μm of compression of a neuron cell body is much softer than previous methods have been able to detect.Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Grant ID: BB/L006227/1), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant ID: EP/H01098X/1), Medical Research Council (Grant IDs: G0701057, MR/K501372/1), Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship, Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Chemistry Trust Fun

The Twisted Magnetic Field of the Protobinary L483

We present H-band (1.65 μm) and SOFIA HAWC+ 154 μm polarization observations of the low-mass core L483. Our H-band observations reveal a magnetic field that is overwhelmingly in the E–W direction, which is approximately parallel to the bipolar outflow that is observed in scattered IR light and in single-dish 12CO observations. From our 154 μm data, we infer a ∼45° twist in the magnetic field within the inner 5″ (1000 au) of L483. We compare these new observations with published single-dish 350 μm polarimetry and find that the 10,000 au scale H-band data match the smaller-scale 350 μm data, indicating that the collapse of L483 is magnetically regulated on these larger scales. We also present high-resolution 1.3 mm Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array data of L483 that reveals it is a close binary star with a separation of 34 au. The plane of the binary of L483 is observed to be approximately parallel to the twisted field in the inner 1000 au. Comparing this result to the ∼1000 au protostellar envelope, we find that the envelope is roughly perpendicular to the 1000 au HAWC+ field. Using the data presented, we speculate that L483 initially formed as a wide binary and the companion star migrated to its current position, causing an extreme shift in angular momentum thereby producing the twisted magnetic field morphology observed. More observations are needed to further test this scenario

Meta-analysis of erosive hand osteoarthritis identifies four common variants that associate with relatively large effect

[Abstract] Objectives: Erosive hand osteoarthritis (EHOA) is a severe subset of hand osteoarthritis (OA). It is unclear if EHOA is genetically different from other forms of OA. Sequence variants at ten loci have been associated with hand OA but none with EHOA. Methods: We performed meta-analysis of EHOA in 1484 cases and 550 680 controls, from 5 populations. To identify causal genes, we performed eQTL and plasma pQTL analyses, and developed one zebrafish mutant. We analysed associations of variants with other traits and estimated shared genetics between EHOA and other traits. Results: Four common sequence variants associated with EHOA, all with relatively high effect. Rs17013495 (SPP1/MEPE, OR=1.40, p=8.4×10-14) and rs11243284 (6p24.3, OR=1.35, p=4.2×10-11) have not been associated with OA, whereas rs11631127 (ALDH1A2, OR=1.46, p=7.1×10-18), and rs1800801 (MGP, OR=1.37, p=3.6×10-13) have previously been associated with hand OA. The association of rs1800801 (MGP) was consistent with a recessive mode of inheritance in contrast to its additive association with hand OA (OR homozygotes vs non-carriers=2.01, 95% CI 1.71 to 2.37). All four variants associated nominally with finger OA, although with substantially lower effect. We found shared genetic components between EHOA and other OA measures, grip strength, urate levels and gout, but not rheumatoid arthritis. We identified ALDH1A2, MGP and BMP6 as causal genes for EHOA, with loss-of-function Bmp6 zebrafish mutants displaying EHOA-like phenotypes. Conclusions: We report on significant genetic associations with EHOA. The results support the view of EHOA as a form of severe hand OA and partly separate it from OA in larger joints

Diversity of 16S-23S rDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) Reveals Phylogenetic Relationships in Burkholderia pseudomallei and Its Near-Neighbors

Length polymorphisms within the 16S-23S ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) have been described as stable genetic markers for studying bacterial phylogenetics. In this study, we used these genetic markers to investigate phylogenetic relationships in Burkholderia pseudomallei and its near-relative species. B. pseudomallei is known as one of the most genetically recombined bacterial species. In silico analysis of multiple B. pseudomallei genomes revealed approximately four homologous rRNA operons and ITS length polymorphisms therein. We characterized ITS distribution using PCR and analyzed via a high-throughput capillary electrophoresis in 1,191 B. pseudomallei strains. Three major ITS types were identified, two of which were commonly found in most B. pseudomallei strains from the endemic areas, whereas the third one was significantly correlated with worldwide sporadic strains. Interestingly, mixtures of the two common ITS types were observed within the same strains, and at a greater incidence in Thailand than Australia suggesting that genetic recombination causes the ITS variation within species, with greater recombination frequency in Thailand. In addition, the B. mallei ITS type was common to B. pseudomallei, providing further support that B. mallei is a clone of B. pseudomallei. Other B. pseudomallei near-neighbors possessed unique and monomorphic ITS types. Our data shed light on evolutionary patterns of B. pseudomallei and its near relative species

Biological flora of Central Europe: Cyperus esculentus L

This paper presents information on all aspects of the biology of Cyperus esculentus L. (yellow nutsedge) and deals with its taxonomy, morphology, genetic diversity, distribution, habitat requirements, ecology and life cycle, with special emphasis on uses and cultivation, history of introduction, impact and management in Europe. C. esculentus is a tuber geophyte and most likely originates from the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. It is a variable plant and four wild-type varieties are presently recognized, in addition to a cultivated form. C. esculentus reproduces primarily by its underground tubers, although abundant seeds are produced. In temperate climates, tubers usually sprout in late spring and the plant withers at the beginning of the winter. C. esculentus is only cultivated in the València region in Spain. Invasion foci emerged across Europe at the beginning of the 1980s and at present, C. esculentus is most abundant on arable land and in ruderal habitats, followed by riverine vegetation. In heavily infested regions of Europe, C. esculentus causes substantial yield losses in field crops and although different management strategies are available, C. esculentus remains difficult to control.Follak, S.; Belz, R.; Bohren, C.; Castro, OD.; Guacchio, ED.; Pascual-Seva, N.; Schwarz, M.... (2016). Biological flora of Central Europe: Cyperus esculentus L. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 23:33-51. doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2016.09.003S33512

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

MUSiC : a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.Peer reviewe