Evidence of widespread degradation of gene control regions in hominid genomes

Although sequences containing regulatory elements located close to protein-coding genes are often only weakly conserved during evolution, comparisons of rodent genomes have implied that these sequences are subject to some selective constraints. Evolutionary conservation is particularly apparent upstream of coding sequences and in first introns, regions that are enriched for regulatory elements. By comparing the human and chimpanzee genomes, we show here that there is almost no evidence for conservation in these regions in hominids. Furthermore, we show that gene expression is diverging more rapidly in hominids than in murids per unit of neutral sequence divergence. By combining data on polymorphism levels in human noncoding DNA and the corresponding human¿chimpanzee divergence, we show that the proportion of adaptive substitutions in these regions in hominids is very low. It therefore seems likely that the lack of conservation and increased rate of gene expression divergence are caused by a reduction in the effectiveness of natural selection against deleterious mutations because of the low effective population sizes of hominids. This has resulted in the accumulation of a large number of deleterious mutations in sequences containing gene control elements and hence a widespread degradation of the genome during the evolution of humans and chimpanzees

Dietary Uncoupling of Gut Microbiota and Energy Harvesting from Obesity and Glucose Tolerance in Mice

The authors gratefully acknowledge Doctoral Training Partnership funding from the BBSRC (M.J.D.) and funding from the Scottish Government (P.J.M., A.W.R., and A.W.W.). We also thank the Centre for Genome-Enabled Biology and Medicine for help with next-generation sequencing and Karen Garden and the Rowett’s Analytical Services for SCFA analysis. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Supplemental Information includes four figures and two tables and can be found with this article online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2017.10.056.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Object categorisation, object naming, and viewpoint-independence in visual remembering: Evidence from young children's drawings of a novel object

A simple object-drawing task confirms a three-way association between object categorisation, viewpoint independence, and longer-term visual remembering. Young children (5- to 7-year-olds) drew a familiar object or a novel object, immediately after it had been hidden from view or on the following day. Both objects were shown from a full range of viewpoints or from just two viewpoints, from neither of which would either object normally be drawn after unrestricted viewing. When drawing from short-term memory after restricted viewing, both objects were most likely to be depicted from a seen viewpoint. When drawing from longer-term memory after restricted viewing, the novel object continued to be drawn from a seen viewpoint, but the mug was now most likely to be drawn from a preferred viewpoint from which it had not been seen. Naming the novel object with a novel count noun ("Look at this. This is a dax"), to signal that it belonged to an object category, resulted in it being drawn in the same way as the familiar object. The results concur with other evidence indicating that short-term and longer-term visual remembering are differentially associated with viewpoint-dependent representations of individual objects and viewpoint independent representations of object categories, respectively

Differences in treatment for substance use disorders by insurance status: Self-help only versus outpatient medical treatment

Background: The role of insurance on substance use disorders (SUD) treatment utilization generally is poorly understood and still less is known on how insurance status relates to the use of evidence-based treatment (i.e., medicalization approach) compared to other treatments, like single self-help groups, where the research on effectiveness is less supportive. This study examines associations between health insurance and any SUD treatment utilization as well as use of single self- help versus medicalization approach. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. Data were from the 2015-2017, public use National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Adjusted logistic regressions were used to examine the associations controlling for socio-demographics, recent major depressive episode, and survey year. All analyses used survey weights to be representative of the US population and account for the NSDUH’s complex survey design. Results: After adjustment for covariates, those with publicly insured remained more likely to use any SUD treatment in the past year (odd ratio [OR] 1.82; 95% CI: 1.36-2.43), compared to those without insurance. Further, compared with uninsured, those with public insurance reported lower odds of using only self-help treatment (OR 0.42; 95% CI: 0.23-0.74) versus medicalization approach utilization. Conclusions: Publicly insured persons with SUD are more likely to use SUD treatment in the past year than the uninsured. Uninsured people with SUD are more likely to use single self-help as a substitute for medicalization approach.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1098/thumbnail.jp

Generating value in program alliances: the value of dialogue in large-scale infrastructure projects

Collaboration forms the backbone of program alliances, with the ‘pain-gain share’ regime acting as an incentive to engender behaviours that foster teamwork and trusting relationships to flourish. While dialogue within and between parties in a program alliance has been identified as key to establishing collaboration and trust, there is limited understanding of how it is engendered and maintained to ensure the delivery of superior project outcomes. In filling this void, our paper aims to address the following research question: How does the value of dialogue influence effective collaboration in program alliances? A sense-making lens is adopted to garner an understanding of the value of effective dialogue in two program alliance infrastructure projects. The value and power of dialogue are examined by addressing a recurring problem that negatively impacted the performance of the alliances and their projects: rework. We show that effective dialogue mitigated rework as participants had a shared purpose. Enacting dialogue helped shape the program alliances’ culture and foster an environment where people felt safe to ‘speak up’. This paper’s contributions are 2-fold as we: (1) unearth new value-laden principles to support dialogue in program alliances; and (2) provide empirical evidence for practitioners to help them understand the value of dialogue in delivering a program of infrastructure projects using an alliance delivery strategy

Emerging viral diseases of fish and shrimp

The rise of aquaculture has been one of the most profound changes in global food production of the past 100 years. Driven by population growth, rising demand for seafood and a levelling of production from capture fisheries, the practice of farming aquatic animals has expanded rapidly to become a major global industry. Aquaculture is now integral to the economies of many countries. It has provided employment and been a major driver of socio-economic development in poor rural and coastal communities, particularly in Asia, and has relieved pressure on the sustainability of the natural harvest from our rivers, lakes and oceans. However, the rapid growth of aquaculture has also been the source of anthropogenic change on a massive scale. Aquatic animals have been displaced from their natural environment, cultured in high density, exposed to environmental stress, provided artificial or unnatural feeds, and a prolific global trade has developed in both live aquatic animals and their products. At the same time, over-exploitation of fisheries and anthropogenic stress on aquatic ecosystems has placed pressure on wild fish populations. Not surprisingly, the consequence has been the emergence and spread of an increasing array of new diseases. This review examines the rise and characteristics of aquaculture, the major viral pathogens of fish and shrimp and their impacts, and the particular characteristics of disease emergence in an aquatic, rather than terrestrial, context. It also considers the potential for future disease emergence in aquatic animals as aquaculture continues to expand and faces the challenges presented by climate change

Lethal Parasites in Oysters from Coastal Georgia with Discussion of Disease and Management Implications

Extensive mortalities of oysters, Crassostrea virginica, occurred from 1985 through 1987 in coastal waters of Georgia. Fluid thioglycolate cultures of oysters collected from 16 of 17 locations revealed infections by the apicomplexan parasite Perkinsus marinus. An ascetosporan parasite, Haplosporidium nelsoni, was also observed in histopathological examination of oysters from 4 of the locations. While the range of H. nelsoni currently is recognized as the east coast of the United States from Maine to Florida, this is the first report of the parasite in Georgia waters. This paper documents the occurrence of these two lethal parasites in oysters from coastal waters of Georgia, along with potential disease and management implications. Results of an earlier independent and previously unpublished survey are also discussed which document the presence of P. marinus in Georgia as early as 1966

Pretransitional Optical Activity In Chiral Smectic Liquid Crystals

Pretransitional optical activity measurements in smectic liquid crystals of both law and high chirality are reported. In the low chirality sample, p-(n-(decyloxybenzylidene)-p-amino-(2-methylbutyl)cin-namate (DOBAMBC), the results indicate that the optical activity in both the isotropic phase just above the smectic A phase and in the smectic A phase just above the smectic C* phase can be explained in terms of a Landau-deGennes free energy with no coupling between the chiral modes. In the high chirality sample, 1-methylheptyl 4′-[(4″-tetradecyloxyphenyl)propioloyloxy]biphenyl-4-carboxylate (14P|M7), the data in the isotropic phase above the recently discovered smectic A* phase cannot be explained in this way, even when coupling between the chiral modes is considered. Whether this is due to some feature of the smectic A* phase or is simply the result of strong coupling between the orientational and positional order parameters is a question which remains unanswered

A KINEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE BACKWARD 2.5 SOMERSAULTS WITH 1.5 TWISTS DIVE (5253B) FROM THE 3M SPRINGBOARD

The aim of this case study was to determine the practical application of 3D inertial measurement units and compare angular velocity profiles, key position angles and event timings for the backward 2½ somersaults with 1½ twists (5253B). One male diver performed 11 trials of the 5253B while 3D inertial measurement units (IMU) and high speed video were used to measure kinematic variables. Peak angular velocity about the somersault and twist axes were 900±11deg/s and -1435±28.deg/s, with highly consistent patterns displayed for total flight time

VARIABILITY AND THE CONTROL OF ROTATION DURING SPRINGBOARD DIVING

This study explored the variability in angular velocity profiles across multiple somersault dives. Four international level divers performed 4-6 repeated dives of either 3½ somersaults with pike, or 4½ with tuck, from a 3 m springboard. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) was attached to the lower back to record angular velocity during all trials. Each diver produced highly consistent patterns of dive time duration and angular velocity, with standard deviations less than 1% of the mean. No consistent pattern of correlation between velocity and duration of the held tuck/pike position was apparent, and no other evidence of mid-dive feedback control was evident from the present methodology. This may be the result of performing dives with a high degree of difficulty, providing little time for movement adjustments during 'kick out' to affect water-entry