Determinants of Trust for Public Lands: Fire and Fuels Management on the Bitterroot National Forest

Management of public lands occurs today with high levels of scrutiny and controversy. To succeed, managers seek the support, involvement, and endorsement of the public. This study examines trust as an indicator of managerial success and attempts to identify and measure the components that most influence it. A review of trust literature yielded 14 attributes that were hypothesized to contribute to trust, grouped into the three dimensions of Shared Norms and Values, Willingness to Endorse, and Perceived Efficacy. Operationalizing these attributes and dimensions, a telephone survey was administered to a sample of Montana, USA, residents living adjacent to the Bitterroot National Forest (n = 1,152). Each of the attributes was measured in the context of federal lands fire and fuel management. Structural equation modeling showed that all 14 attributes were found to be influential contributors to levels of trust. Results suggest that if managers are to maintain or increase levels of public trust, they need to consider each of trust’s attributes as they make social, ecological, and economic resource decisions

Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans innate immune response to Coxiella burnetii

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is well established as a system for characterization and discovery of molecular mechanisms mediating microbe-specific inducible innate immune responses to human pathogens. Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes a flu-like syndrome in humans (Q fever), as well as abortions in domesticated livestock, worldwide. Initially, when wild type C. elegans (N2 strain) was exposed to mCherry-expressing C. burnetii (CCB) a number of overt pathological manifestations resulted, including intestinal distension, deformed anal region and a decreased lifespan. However, nematodes fed autoclave-killed CCB did not exhibit these symptoms. Although vertebrates detect C. burnetii via TLRs, pathologies in tol-1(-) mutant nematodes were indistinguishable from N2, and indicate nematodes do not employ this orthologue for detection of C. burnetii. sek-1(-) MAP kinase mutant nematodes succumbed to infection faster, suggesting that this signaling pathway plays a role in immune activation, as previously shown for orthologues in vertebrates during a C. burnetii infection. C. elegans daf-2(-) mutants are hyper-immune and exhibited significantly reduced pathological consequences during challenge. Collectively, these results demonstrate the utility of C. elegans for studying the innate immune response against C. burnetii and could lead to discovery of novel methods for prevention and treatment of disease in humans and livestock

The Effect of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms from Genome Wide Association Studies in Multiple Sclerosis on Gene Expression

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex neurological disorder. Its aetiology involves both environmental and genetic factors. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with susceptibility to (MS). We investigated whether these genetic variations were associated with alteration in gene expression. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used a database of mRNA expression and genetic variation derived from immortalised peripheral lymphocytes to investigate polymorphisms associated with MS for correlation with gene expression. Several SNPs were found to be associated with changes in expression: in particular two with HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQA2, HLA-DQB1, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DRB4 and HLA-DRB5, one with ZFP57, one with CD58, two with IL7 and FAM164A, and one with FAM119B, TSFM and KUB3. We found minimal cross-over with a recent whole genome expression study in MS patients. DISCUSSION: We have shown that many susceptibility loci in MS are associated with changes in gene expression using an unbiased expression database. Several of these findings suggest novel gene candidates underlying the effects of MS-associated genetic variation

Rice (Oryza sativa) TIR1 and 5′adamantyl-IAA significantly improve the auxin-inducible degron system in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The auxin-inducible degron (AID) system is a powerful tool to induce targeted degradation of proteins in eukaryotic model organisms. The efficiency of the existing Schizosaccharomyces pombe AID system is limited due to the fusion of the F-box protein TIR1 protein to the SCF component, Skp1 (Skp1-TIR1). Here, we report an improved AID system for S. pombe that uses the TIR1 from Oryza sativa (OsTIR1) not fused to Skp1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that degradation efficiency can be improved by pairing an OsTIR1 auxin-binding site mutant, OsTIR1, with an auxin analogue, 5′adamantyl-IAA (AID2). We provide evidence for the enhanced functionality of the OsTIR1 AID and AID2 systems by application to the essential DNA replication factor Mcm4 and to a non-essential recombination protein, Rad52. Unlike AID, no detectable auxin-independent depletion of AID-tagged proteins was observed using AID

HOPS 361-C's Jet Decelerating and Precessing Through NGC 2071 IR

We present a two-epoch Hubble Space Telescope (HST) near-infrared (NIR) study of NGC 2071 IR highlighting HOPS 361-C, a protostar producing an arced 0.2 parsec-scale jet. Proper motions for the brightest knots decrease from 350 to 100 km/s with increasing distance from the source. The [Fe II] and Pa$\beta$ emission line intensity ratio gives a velocity jump through each knot of 40-50 km/s. We show a new [O I] 63 $\rm \mu$m spectrum taken with the German REciever for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies (GREAT) instrument aboard Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which give a low jet inclination. Proper motions and jump velocities then estimate total flow speed throughout the jet. We model knot positions and speeds with a precessing jet that decelerates within the host molecular cloud. The measurements are matched with a precession period of a few thousand years and half opening angle of 15$\rm\deg$. The [Fe II] 1.26 $\rm \mu$m to 1.64 $\rm \mu$m line intensity ratio gives the extinction to each knot ranging from 5-30 mag. Relative to $\sim$14 mag of extinction through the cloud from C$^{18}$O emission maps, the jet is well embedded at a fractional depth from 1/5 to 4/5, and can interact with the cloud. Our model suggests the jet is locally dissipated over 0.2 pc. This may be because knots sweep through a wide angle, giving the cloud time to fill in cavities opened by the jet. This contrasts with nearly unidirectional protostellar jets that puncture host clouds and can propagate significantly further than a quarter pc.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Ap

Quantification of DNA-associated proteins inside eukaryotic cells using single-molecule localization microscopy

Development of single-molecule localization microscopy techniques has allowed nanometre scale localization accuracy inside cells, permitting the resolution of ultra-fine cell structure and the elucidation of crucial molecular mechanisms. Application of these methodologies to understanding processes underlying DNA replication and repair has been limited to defined in vitro biochemical analysis and prokaryotic cells. In order to expand these techniques to eukaryotic systems, we have further developed a photo-activated localization microscopy-based method to directly visualize DNA-associated proteins in unfixed eukaryotic cells. We demonstrate that motion blurring of fluorescence due to protein diffusivity can be used to selectively image the DNA-bound population of proteins. We designed and tested a simple methodology and show that it can be used to detect changes in DNA binding of a replicative helicase subunit, Mcm4, and the replication sliding clamp, PCNA, between different stages of the cell cycle and between distinct genetic backgrounds

Trapped air metamaterial concept for ultrasonic sub-wavelength imaging in water

Funding for this work was provided through the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Grant Numbers EP/N034163/1, EP/N034201/1 and EP/N034813/1.Acoustic metamaterials constructed from conventional base materials can exhibit exotic phenomena not commonly found in nature, achieved by combining geometrical and resonance effects. However, the use of polymer-based metamaterials that could operate in water is difficult, due to the low acoustic impedance mismatch between water and polymers. Here we introduce the concept of “trapped air” metamaterial, fabricated via vat photopolymerization, which makes ultrasonic sub-wavelength imaging in water using polymeric metamaterials highly effective. This concept is demonstrated for a holey-structured acoustic metamaterial in water at 200–300 kHz, via both finite element modelling and experimental measurements, but it can be extended to other types of metamaterials. The new approach, which outperforms the usual designs of these structures, indicates a way forward for exploiting additive-manufacturing for realising polymer-based acoustic metamaterials in water at ultrasonic frequencies.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Optimisation of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe urg1 expression system

The ability to study protein function in vivo often relies on systems that regulate the presence and absence of the protein of interest. Two limitations for previously described transcriptional control systems that are used to regulate protein expression in fission yeast are: the time taken for inducing conditions to initiate transcription and the ability to achieve very low basal transcription in the "OFF-state". In previous work, we described a Cre recombination-mediated system that allows the rapid and efficient regulation of any gene of interest by the urg1 promoter, which has a dynamic range of approximately 75-fold and which is induced within 30-60 minutes of uracil addition. In this report we describe easy-to-use and versatile modules that can be exploited to significantly tune down P urg1 "OFF-levels" while maintaining an equivalent dynamic range. We also provide plasmids and tools for combining P urg1 transcriptional control with the auxin degron tag to help maintain a null-like phenotype. We demonstrate the utility of this system by improved regulation of HO-dependent site-specific DSB formation, by the regulation Rtf1-dependent replication fork arrest and by controlling Rhp18(Rad18)-dependent post replication repair

Reply to Comment on "Pervasive remagnetization of detrital zircon host rocks in the Jack Hills, Western Australia and implications for records of the early dynamo"

Determining the history of Earth's dynamo prior to the oldest known well-preserved rock record is one of the ultimate challenges in the field of paleomagnetism. Tarduno et al. (2015) argued that detrital zircons contain records of an active dynamo dating back to 4.2 billion years ago (Ga), 700 million years earlier than previously identified (Biggin et al., 2011 and Tarduno et al., 2010). However, this extraordinary claim requires evidence that the zircons have not been remagnetized during the intervening time since their formation. Weiss et al. (2015) argued that such evidence had yet to be provided, a conclusion that we find still firmly holds

Virtual-'light-sheet' single-molecule localisation microscopy enables quantitative optical sectioning for super-resolution imaging.

Single-molecule super-resolution microscopy allows imaging of fluorescently-tagged proteins in live cells with a precision well below that of the diffraction limit. Here, we demonstrate 3D sectioning with single-molecule super-resolution microscopy by making use of the fitting information that is usually discarded to reject fluorophores that emit from above or below a virtual-'light-sheet', a thin volume centred on the focal plane of the microscope. We describe an easy-to-use routine (implemented as an open-source ImageJ plug-in) to quickly analyse a calibration sample to define and use such a virtual light-sheet. In addition, the plug-in is easily usable on almost any existing 2D super-resolution instrumentation. This optical sectioning of super-resolution images is achieved by applying well-characterised width and amplitude thresholds to diffraction-limited spots that can be used to tune the thickness of the virtual light-sheet. This allows qualitative and quantitative imaging improvements: by rejecting out-of-focus fluorophores, the super-resolution image gains contrast and local features may be revealed; by retaining only fluorophores close to the focal plane, virtual-'light-sheet' single-molecule localisation microscopy improves the probability that all emitting fluorophores will be detected, fitted and quantitatively evaluated.We thank the Wellcome Trust for the PhD studentship of MP (093756/B/10/Z), and the Royal Society for the University Research Fellowship of SFL (UF120277). The work by SB and DL was also funded by the Wellcome Trust (082010/Z/07/Z). UE and MH acknowledge funding by the German Science Foundation (grants EXC 115 and SFB 902). SB is funded by a BBSRC grant (BB/K013726/1). AMC acknowledges ERC Award 268788-SMI-DDR. We also thank the European Commision for support through the 4DCellFate project (EC FP7 CP 277899).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from PLOS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.012543