Transcriptional profiling of Arabidopsis heat shock proteins and transcription factors reveals extensive overlap between heat and non-heat stress response pathways

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The heat shock response of <it>Arabidopsis thaliana </it>is dependent upon a complex regulatory network involving twenty-one known transcription factors and four heat shock protein families. It is known that heat shock proteins (Hsps) and transcription factors (Hsfs) are involved in cellular response to various forms of stress besides heat. However, the role of Hsps and Hsfs under cold and non-thermal stress conditions is not well understood, and it is unclear which types of stress interact least and most strongly with Hsp and Hsf response pathways. To address this issue, we have analyzed transcriptional response profiles of <it>Arabidopsis </it>Hsfs and Hsps to a range of abiotic and biotic stress treatments (heat, cold, osmotic stress, salt, drought, genotoxic stress, ultraviolet light, oxidative stress, wounding, and pathogen infection) in both above and below-ground plant tissues.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All stress treatments interact with Hsf and Hsp response pathways to varying extents, suggesting considerable cross-talk between heat and non-heat stress regulatory networks. In general, Hsf and Hsp expression was strongly induced by heat, cold, salt, and osmotic stress, while other types of stress exhibited family or tissue-specific response patterns. With respect to the Hsp20 protein family, for instance, large expression responses occurred under all types of stress, with striking similarity among expression response profiles. Several genes belonging to the Hsp20, Hsp70 and Hsp100 families were specifically upregulated twelve hours after wounding in root tissue, and exhibited a parallel expression response pattern during recovery from heat stress. Among all Hsf and Hsp families, large expression responses occurred under ultraviolet-B light stress in aerial tissue (shoots) but not subterranean tissue (roots).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings show that Hsf and Hsp family member genes represent an interaction point between multiple stress response pathways, and therefore warrant functional analysis under conditions apart from heat shock treatment. In addition, our analysis revealed several family and tissue-specific heat shock gene expression patterns that have not been previously described. These results have implications regarding the molecular basis of cross-tolerance in plant species, and raise new questions to be pursued in future experimental studies of the <it>Arabidopsis </it>heat shock response network.</p

Tobacco smoking and all-cause mortality in a large Australian cohort study: findings from a mature epidemic with current low smoking prevalence

This study finds that up to two-thirds of deaths in current smokers&nbsp; in Australia can be attributed to smoking. Abstract Background The smoking epidemic in Australia is characterised by historic levels of prolonged smoking, heavy smoking, very high levels of long-term cessation, and low current smoking prevalence, with 13% of adults reporting that they smoked daily in 2013. Large-scale quantitative evidence on the relationship of tobacco smoking to mortality in Australia is not available despite the potential to provide independent international evidence about the contemporary risks of smoking. Methods This is a prospective study of 204,953 individuals aged ≥45&nbsp;years sampled from the general population of New South Wales, Australia, who joined the 45 and Up Study from 2006–2009, with linked questionnaire, hospitalisation, and mortality data to mid-2012 and with no history of cancer (other than melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer), heart disease, stroke, or thrombosis. Hazard ratios (described here as relative risks, RRs) for all-cause mortality among current and past smokers compared to never-smokers were estimated, adjusting for age, education, income, region of residence, alcohol, and body mass index. Results Overall, 5,593 deaths accrued during follow-up (874,120 person-years; mean: 4.26&nbsp;years); 7.7% of participants were current smokers and 34.1% past smokers at baseline. Compared to never-smokers, the adjusted RR (95% CI) of mortality was 2.96 (2.69–3.25) in current smokers and was similar in men (2.82 (2.49–3.19)) and women (3.08 (2.63–3.60)) and according to birth cohort. Mortality RRs increased with increasing smoking intensity, with around two- and four-fold increases in mortality in current smokers of ≤14 (mean 10/day) and ≥25 cigarettes/day, respectively, compared to never-smokers. Among past smokers, mortality diminished gradually with increasing time since cessation and did not differ significantly from never-smokers in those quitting prior to age 45. Current smokers are estimated to die an average of 10&nbsp;years earlier than non-smokers. Conclusions In Australia, up to two-thirds of deaths in current smokers can be attributed to smoking. Cessation reduces mortality compared with continuing to smoke, with cessation earlier in life resulting in greater reductions

Colorectal cancer screening and subsequent incidence of colorectal cancer: Results from the 45 and Up Study

Objective: To investigate the association of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening history and subsequent incidence of CRC in New South Wales, Australia. Design, setting and participants: A total of 196 464 people from NSW recruited to the 45 and Up Study,

Digitalisierung als mittel der Bestandserhaltung? Abschlusbericht einer Arbeitsgruppe der Deutschen Forschungs-Gemeinschaft

Ovo je izvješće prikaz rezultata istraživanja radne skupine Njemačke udruge za naučna istraživanja o prednostima i nedostacima tehnologija mikrofilmiranja i digitalizacije u zaštiti arhivskoga gradiva te njihovoj međusobnoj kompatibilnosti. Njemačka je udruga za naučna istraživanja, inače nadležna za pitanja zaštite arhivskoga gradiva, reagirala na činjenicu da su informacijske tehnologije sve prisutnije na području na kojem tradicionalno mikrofilm ima prioritetno značenje. Radna je skupina oformljena u studenom 1995. g. pod predsjedanjem dr. Hartmuta Webera (Landesarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart), danas predsjednika Njemačkog saveznog arhiva (Bundesarchiv), a u njezinom su radu sudjelovali arhivisti, knjižničari i informatičari. Izvješće, izrađeno u ljeto 1996. g., sadrži tehničke i organizacijske smjernice za projekte mikrofilmiranja i digitalizacije arhivskoga gradiva, posebno u odnosu na ekonomičnost radnoga postupka, jer u pitanju su javne financije, a s napomenom o njihovoj privremenosti s obzirom na brzi razvoj informacijskih tehnologija. Vrednovanje testova mikrofilmiranja i digitalizacije provedenih na standardiziranim materijalima i u raznim kombinacijama (izrada digitalnih snimaka već mikrofilmiranog gradiva, izrada mikrofilma iz digitalnih snimaka, digitalno skeniranje gradiva), pokazalo je da je prednost mikrofilma u njegovoj kvaliteti i cijeni, jer na ekonomičnost digitalizacije utječu troškovi migracija sa zastarjelih na novije tehnologije te nezadovoljavajući rezultati u kvaliteti izrađenih digitalnih snimaka. Velika je prednost digitalizacije u brzini pretraživanja i pristupu gradivu na fizičkoj udaljenosti korisnika.Dcr fur die Fragen von Bcstandscrhaltungsprogrammen zustandigc UnterausschuB dcr Deutschen Forschungsgemenischaft hat hinsichtlich der groBen Fortschritte in der Entwicklung der Netz und Datentechnik im Bereich dcr bildlichen Ubcrtragung der Dokumentc in den letzten zehn Jahren, die Formicrung einer Arbeitsgruppe im November 1995 angeregt, die sich im direkten Vergleich vor allem mit Vorteilen und Nachteilen, sowie mit Qualitätsanforderungen, Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Verfilmungs und Digitalisierungstechnologie in der Funktion des Schutzes von Archivalienbeständen auseinandersetzen sollte. Eine besondere Herausforderung stellte die Ermittlung der Möglichkeiten im Bereich der Digitalisierung von Mikrofilm aufnahmen dar. Um das bedrohte Archivgut vor endogenem Papicrzcrfall und anderen Schadensursachen zu schützen, hat die Verfilmung von Archivbeständen schon seit Jahrzehnten Priorität in Bcstandscrhaltungsprogrammen, jetzt wollte man Formen und Grenzen neuer Technologien erforschen. An diesem Forschungsprojekt unter Vorsitz von Dr. Hartmut Weber (Lande-sarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart), heute der Präsident des Bundesarchivs (Koblenz), haben zusammengearbeitet: Prof. Dr. Hans Bohrmann (Institut für Zeitungsforschung, Dortmund), Werner Clausnitzcr (MS-Mikrofilm Optical Disc GmbH, Wuppertal), Dr. Marianne Dörr (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, München), Dipl. Kf,. Martin Fock-Althaus (SRZ Satz-Rechen. Zentrum, Berlin), Dipl. Ing. Hartmut Haux (Zcutsche! GmbH, Tübingen), Leo Otte (Classen-Papcrtronics KG-Convcrtronics, Essen), Dr. Hartmut Strop (Dr. Strop Consulting, Ahrensburg). Die standardisierten Testmaterialen wurden verfilmt und digitalisiert, wobei man in seiner Arbeit den technischen Stand der Digitalisicrung vom Mikrofilm und die wcchselsciteigc Kompabilität von Mikrofilmen und digitalen bildlichen Über¬tragungen (Konversionsformen) berücksichtigte. Die Testergebnisse sprachen deutlich aus den Gründen der Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit für den Mikrofilm als Aufnahme- und Speichermedium. Die Arbeitsgruppe formulierte die Mindestanforderungen an die Qualität der Verfilmung und Digitalisierung (Material, Bildqualität, schwarz-weiße Filme und bitonale Digitalisicrung, Digitalisierung vom FarbMikrofilm, Hard und Softwareausstattung, Datensicherheit), und obwohl die digitale Form eine rasche und ortsunabhängige Verfügbarkeit bietet, die Ergebnisse der Digitalisierung in Hinsicht auf die Bildqualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit (Migration digitaler Konversionsformen damit sie lesbar bleiben), lassen zu wünschen übrig. Nach wie vor empfiehlt sich die Verfilmung gefähredeter Bestände auf der Basis der vorhandenen Mikrofilme. Die Forschungsarbeit wurde im Sommer 1996 abgeschlossen und der Abschlußbericht mit dem Titel "Digitalisierung gefährdeten Bibliothcks-und Archivguts" unter Zustimmung aller Mitglieder der Arbeitsgruppe erarbeitet. Die Autoren haben darauf hingewiesen, daß die schnelle Weiterentwicklung der Technik in diesem Bereich keine langfristig gültige Erkenntnisse zuläßt

Elective affinities of the Protestant ethic : Weber and the chemistry of capitalism

Peer reviewedPostprin

Risk factors for erectile dysfunction in a cohort of 108 477 Australian men

Objectives: To quantify relationships between erectile dysfunction (ED), ageing and health and lifestyle factors for men aged 45 years and older. Design: Cross-sectional, population-based study seeking data on health, sociodemographic and lifestyle facto

Retrospektive Digitalisierung von Bibliotheksbeständen für eine Verteilte Digitale Forschungsbibliothek : Bericht der Arbeitsgruppe Technik zur Vorbereitung des Programms "Retrospektive Digitalisierung von Bibliotheksbeständen" im Förderbereich "Verteilte Digitale Forschungsbibliothek"

Bericht der Arbeitsgruppe Technik zur Vorbereitung des Programms "Retrospektive Digitalisierung von Bibliotheksbeständen" im Förderbereich "Verteilte Digitale Forschungsbibliothek" Arbeitssitzungen am 14. Mai 1996 (Frankfurt a. M.), 29.-30. Juli 1996 (München), 12.-13. Dezember 1996 (Göttingen) Mitglieder der Arbeitsgruppe: Prof. Dr. Rudolf Bayer, Technische Universität München, Fakultät für Informatik Dr. Jürgen Bunzel, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bonn Dr. Marianne Dörr, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München Dr. Reinhard Ecker, Beilstein-Institut bzw. ABC Datenservice GmbH, Frankfurt/Main Dipl.-Math. Heinz-Werner Hoffmann, Hochschulbibliothekszentrum NRW, Köln (als Gast für die AG der Verbundsysteme) Dr. Norbert Lossau, Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen (DFG-Projekt ‘Verteilte Digitale Forschungsbibliothek’) Prof. Dr. Elmar Mittler, Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen Dipl.-Inf. Christian Mönch, FB Informatik der J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Dr. Wilhelm R. Schmidt, Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt Dr. Hartmut Weber, Landesarchivdirektion, Stuttgar

Mixing divalent ionic liquids : effects of charge and side-chains

Funding Information: EB acknowledges UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for funding of doctoral studies, MCG and LP thank the Institute of Chemistry at Clermont-Ferrand for the use of the densimeter and the viscometer. MCG and AvdB acknowledge the financial support of the project IDEXLYON of the University of Lyon (ANR-16-IDEX-0005). TW acknowledges an ERC Advanced Investigator Grant for funding. Publisher Copyright: © the Owner Societies 2021.We have prepared novel divalent ionic liquids (ILs) based on the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion where two charged imidazolium groups in the cations are either directly bound to each other or linked by a single atom. We assessed the influence of the side-chain functionality and divalency on their physical properties and on the thermodynamics of mixing. The results indicate that shortening the spacer of a divalent IL reduces its thermal stability and increases its viscosity. Mixtures of divalent and monovalent ILs show small but significant deviations from ideality upon mixing. These deviations appear to depend primarily on the (mis)match of the nature and length of the cation side-chain. The non-ideality imposed by mixing ILs with different side-chains appears to be enhanced by the increase in formal charge of the cations in the mixture.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Systematic review and meta-analysis of residential radon and lung cancer in never-smokers

Background: Globally, radon is the leading risk factor for lung cancer in never-smokers (LCINS). In this study, we systematically reviewed and meta-analysed the evidence of the risk of LCINS associated with residential radon exposure. Methods: Medline and Embase databases were searched using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify relevant studies published from 1 January 1990 to 5 March 2020 focused on never-smokers. We identified four pooled collaborative studies (incorporating data from 24 case–control studies), one case–control study and one cohort study for systematic review. Meta-analysis was performed on the results of the four pooled studies due to different measures of effect and outcome reported in the cohort study and insufficient information reported for the case–control study. In a post hoc analysis, the corresponding risk for ever-smokers was also examined. Results: Risk estimates of lung cancer from residential radon exposure were pooled in the meta-analysis for 2341 never-smoker cases, 8967 never-smoker controls, 9937 ever-smoker cases and 12 463 ever-smoker controls. Adjusted excess relative risks (aERRs) per 100 Bq·m−3 of radon level were 0.15 (95% CI 0.06–0.25) for never-smokers and 0.09 (95% CI 0.03–0.16) for ever-smokers, and the difference between them was statistically insignificant (p=0.32). The aERR per 100 Bq·m−3was higher for men (0.46; 95% CI 0.15–0.76) than for women (0.09; 95% CI −0.02–0.20) among never-smokers (p=0.027). Conclusion: This study provided quantified risk estimates for lung cancer from residential radon exposure among both never-smokers and ever-smokers. Among never-smokers in radon-prone areas, men were at higher risk of lung cancer than womenS

Identifying incident colorectal and lung cancer cases in health service utilisation databases in Australia: a validation study

Data from centralised, population-based statutory cancer registries are generally considered the 'gold standard' for confirming incident cases of cancer. When these are not available, or more current information is needed, hospital or other routinely collected population-level data may be feasible alternative sources. We aimed to determine the validity of various methods using routinely collected administrative health data for ascertaining incident cases of colorectal or lung cancer in participants from the 45 and Up Study in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. METHODS: For 266,844 participants in the 45 and Up Study (recruited 2006-2009) ascertainment of incident colorectal or lung cancers was assessed using diagnosis and treatment records in linked administrative health datasets (hospital, emergency department, Medicare and pharmaceutical claims, death records). This was compared with ascertainment via the NSW Cancer Registry (NSWCR, the 'gold standard') for a period for which both data sources were available for participants. RESULTS: A total of 2253 colorectal and 1019 lung cancers were recorded for study participants in the NSWCR over the period 2006-2010. A diagnosis of primary cancer recorded in the statewide Admitted Patient Data Collection identified the majority of NSWCR colorectal and lung cancers, with sensitivities and positive predictive values (PPV) of 95% and 91% for colorectal cancer and 81% and 85% for lung cancer, respectively. Using additional information on lung cancer deaths from death records increased sensitivity to 84% (PPV 83%) for lung cancer, but did not improve ascertainment of colorectal cancers. Hospital procedure codes for colorectal cancer surgery identified cases with sensitivity 81% and PPV 54%. No other individual indicator had sensitivity >50% or PPV >65% for either cancer type and no combination of indicators increased both the sensitivity and PPV above that achieved using the hospital cancer diagnosis data. All specificities were close to 100%; 95% confidence intervals for sensitivity and PPV were generally +/-2%. CONCLUSIONS: In NSW, identifying new cases of colorectal and lung cancer from administrative health datasets, such as hospital records, is a feasible alternative when cancer registry data are not available. However, the strengths and limitations of the different data sources should be borne in mind