Knock-Down of the IFR1 Protein Perturbs the Homeostasis of Reactive Electrophile Species and Boosts Photosynthetic Hydrogen Production in <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i>

Venkanna D, Südfeld C, Baier T, et al. Knock-Down of the IFR1 Protein Perturbs the Homeostasis of Reactive Electrophile Species and Boosts Photosynthetic Hydrogen Production in &lt;i&gt;Chlamydomonas reinhardtii&lt;/i&gt;. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2017;8: 1347.The protein superfamily of short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDR), including members of the atypical type (aSDR), covers a huge range of catalyzed reactions and in vivo substrates. This superfamily also comprises isoflavone reductase-like (IRL) proteins, which are aSDRs highly homologous to isoflavone reductases from leguminous plants. The molecular function of IRLs in non-leguminous plants and green microalgae has not been identified as yet, but several lines of evidence point at their implication in reactive oxygen species homeostasis. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii IRL protein IFR1 was identified in a previous study, analyzing the transcriptomic changes occurring during the acclimation to sulfur deprivation and anaerobiosis, a condition that triggers photobiological hydrogen production in this microalgae. Accumulation of the cytosolic IFR1 protein is induced by sulfur limitation as well as by the exposure of C. reinhardtii cells to reactive electrophile species (RES) such as reactive carbonyls. The latter has not been described for IRL proteins before. Over-accumulation of IFR1 in the singlet oxygen response 1 (sor1) mutant together with the presence of an electrophile response element, known to be required for SOR1-dependent gene activation as a response to RES, in the promoter of IFR1, indicate that IFR1 expression is controlled by the SOR1-dependent pathway. An implication of IFR1 into RES homeostasis, is further implied by a knock-down of IFR1, which results in a diminished tolerance toward RES. Intriguingly, IFR1 knock-down has a positive effect on photosystem II (PSII) stability under sulfur-deprived conditions used to trigger photobiological hydrogen production, by reducing PSII-dependent oxygen evolution, in C. reinhardtii. Reduced PSII photoinhibition in IFR1 knock-down strains prolongs the hydrogen production phase resulting in an almost doubled final hydrogen yield compared to the parental strain. Finally, IFR1 knock-down could be successfully used to further increase hydrogen yields of the high hydrogen-producing mutant stm6, demonstrating that IFR1 is a promising target for genetic engineering approaches aiming at an increased hydrogen production capacity of C. reinhardtii cells

Escala de folgas: satisfação de técnicos e auxiliares de enfermagem

Aim: to know the satisfaction of nursing technicians and assistants in relation to a fixed time-off schedule. Methods: qualitative research project, carried out in an inpatient unit of a university hospital, in Southern Brazil, between October and November 2013. Data collection occurred through interviews with 11 nursing technicians and assistants, who were individually interviewed. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis as proposed by Bardin. Results: one category emerged from the analysis of the interviews: "Satisfaction with the fixed time-off schedule”, and subcategories "Benefits for the personal lives of professionals" and "Benefits in the workplace for professionals” Final considerations: the fixed schedule promoted personal and professional satisfaction, as well as integration among the nursing staff, which may positively impact the work environment and the quality of careObjetivo: conocer la satisfacción de los técnicos y auxiliares de enfermería en relación con una escala de día libre. Métodos: estudio cualitativo realizado en una unidad de hospitalización de un hospital universitario en el sur de Brasil, entre octubre y noviembre de 2013.La recolección de datos ocurrió a través de entrevistas con 11 profesionales de enfermería. Los datos fueron analizados por el análisis de contenido de Bardin. Resultados: el en análisis se observó la categoría "satisfacción en el trabajo con escala de día libre" y subcategorías "Beneficios para la vida personal de profesional" y "Beneficios en el lugar de trabajo para los profesionales." Comentarios finales: la escala fija de días libres promovió la satisfacción personal y profesional y la integración entre los enfermeros, hechos que pueden mejorar el ambiente de trabajo y la calidad de la atención.Objetivo: conhecer a satisfação dos técnicos e auxiliares de enfermagem em relação a um modelo de escala fixa de folgas. Método: estudo qualitativo realizado em uma unidade de internação de um hospital universitário do sul do Brasil, entre outubro e novembro de 2013. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de entrevistas a 11 profissionais da equipe de enfermagem. Os dados foram analisados por técnica de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: da análise emergiu a categoria “Satisfação em trabalhar com escala de folgas fixa” e as subcategorias “Benefícios para a vida pessoal dos profissionais” e “Benefícios no ambiente de trabalho para os profissionais”. Considerações finais: o modelo de escala de folga fixa promoveu satisfação pessoal e profissional, e integração entre as equipes de enfermagem, fatos que podem melhorar o ambiente de trabalho e a qualidade da assistência prestada

Happiness around the world: A combined etic-emic approach across 63 countries.

What does it mean to be happy? The vast majority of cross-cultural studies on happiness have employed a Western-origin, or "WEIRD" measure of happiness that conceptualizes it as a self-centered (or "independent"), high-arousal emotion. However, research from Eastern cultures, particularly Japan, conceptualizes happiness as including an interpersonal aspect emphasizing harmony and connectedness to others. Following a combined emic-etic approach (Cheung, van de Vijver & Leong, 2011), we assessed the cross-cultural applicability of a measure of independent happiness developed in the US (Subjective Happiness Scale; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999) and a measure of interdependent happiness developed in Japan (Interdependent Happiness Scale; Hitokoto & Uchida, 2015), with data from 63 countries representing 7 sociocultural regions. Results indicate that the schema of independent happiness was more coherent in more WEIRD countries. In contrast, the coherence of interdependent happiness was unrelated to a country's "WEIRD-ness." Reliabilities of both happiness measures were lowest in African and Middle Eastern countries, suggesting these two conceptualizations of happiness may not be globally comprehensive. Overall, while the two measures had many similar correlates and properties, the self-focused concept of independent happiness is "WEIRD-er" than interdependent happiness, suggesting cross-cultural researchers should attend to both conceptualizations

Large scale multifactorial likelihood quantitative analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants: An ENIGMA resource to support clinical variant classification

The multifactorial likelihood analysis method has demonstrated utility for quantitative assessment of variant pathogenicity for multiple cancer syndrome genes. Independent data types currently incorporated in the model for assessing BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants include clinically calibrated prior probability of pathogenicity based on variant location and bioinformatic prediction of variant effect, co-segregation, family cancer history profile, co-occurrence with a pathogenic variant in the same gene, breast tumor pathology, and case-control information. Research and clinical data for multifactorial likelihood analysis were collated for 1,395 BRCA1/2 predominantly intronic and missense variants, enabling classification based on posterior probability of pathogenicity for 734 variants: 447 variants were classified as (likely) benign, and 94 as (likely) pathogenic; and 248 classifications were new or considerably altered relative to ClinVar submissions. Classifications were compared with information not yet included in the likelihood model, and evidence strengths aligned to those recommended for ACMG/AMP classification codes. Altered mRNA splicing or function relative to known nonpathogenic variant controls were moderately to strongly predictive of variant pathogenicity. Variant absence in population datasets provided supporting evidence for variant pathogenicity. These findings have direct relevance for BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant evaluation, and justify the need for gene-specific calibration of evidence types used for variant classification

Les droits disciplinaires des fonctions publiques : « unification », « harmonisation » ou « distanciation ». A propos de la loi du 26 avril 2016 relative à la déontologie et aux droits et obligations des fonctionnaires

The production of tt‾ , W+bb‾ and W+cc‾ is studied in the forward region of proton–proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98±0.02 fb−1 . The W bosons are reconstructed in the decays W→ℓν , where ℓ denotes muon or electron, while the b and c quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions.The production of $t\overline{t}$, $W+b\overline{b}$ and $W+c\overline{c}$ is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98 $\pm$ 0.02 \mbox{fb}^{-1}. The $W$ bosons are reconstructed in the decays $W\rightarrow\ell\nu$, where $\ell$ denotes muon or electron, while the $b$ and $c$ quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions