Analysis of the relationship between grapevine cultivars, sports and clones via DNA fingerprinting

DNA fingerprinting utilizing RAPD polymorphisms was employed to investigate the relationship among 16 grapevine cultivars and sports thought to have arisen from these cultivars. From 53 primers, a total of 464 bands were generated, of which 29 % were common to all genotypes tested. Cluster analysis classified all tested cultivars into two main groups (Vitis vinifera L. and V. x Labruscana Bailey) as expected. No polymorphism was detected among known clones of Chardonnay (Ch. clone 7, Ch. clone 78 and Ch. Geneva clone) or Pinot noir (P. n. clone 29, P. n. Geneva clone and P. n. Pernand). Pinot Meunier, Pinot gris, and Gamay Beaujolais displayed patterns indistinguishable from Pinot noir. Auxerrois and Melon showed unique patterns and may be classified as distinct cultivars. Chardonnay clone 7 shared 84 % of its bands with Pinot noir. There was more than 97 % RAPD amplicon homology between Niagara and two supposed sports, and between Concord and a red-fruited sport. Taking into account the error rate in scoring RAPD bands, the evidence is against the hypothesis that the three sports are distinct cultivars. While RAPD banding patterns could not distinguish between known clones, they were useful for distinguishing between phenotypically similar cultivars and for assessing the origins of cultivars thought to have originated as sports

Myosin-independent stiffness sensing by fibroblasts is regulated by the viscoelasticity of flowing actin

The stiffness of the extracellular matrix induces differential tension within integrin-based adhesions, triggering differential mechanoresponses. However, it has been unclear if the stiffness-dependent differential tension is induced solely by myosin activity. Here, we report that in the absence of myosin contractility, 3T3 fibroblasts still transmit stiffness-dependent differential levels of traction. This myosin-independent differential traction is regulated by polymerizing actin assisted by actin nucleators Arp2/3 and formin where formin has a stronger contribution than Arp2/3 to both traction and actin flow. Intriguingly, despite only slight changes in F-actin flow speed observed in cells with the combined inhibition of Arp2/3 and myosin compared to cells with sole myosin inhibition, they show a 4-times reduction in traction than cells with myosin-only inhibition. Our analyses indicate that traditional models based on rigid F-actin are inadequate for capturing such dramatic force reduction with similar actin flow. Instead, incorporating the F-actin network’s viscoelastic properties is crucial. Our new model including the F-actin viscoelasticity reveals that Arp2/3 and formin enhance stiffness sensitivity by mechanically reinforcing the F-actin network, thereby facilitating more effective transmission of flow-induced forces. This model is validated by cell stiffness measurement with atomic force microscopy and experimental observation of model-predicted stiffness-dependent actin flow fluctuation

Effects of daily porcine somatotropin administration on tile performance and carcass characteristics of finishing swine

One hundred forty-four pigs (72 barrows and 72 gilts) were utilized in six treatments with six pens each to evaluate four levels of daily porcine somatotropin (pST) injections (0, 1, 3, or 5 mg/d) in combination with diets containing 13 or 16% crude protein (CP). One randomly selected pig from each pen was slaughtered when it reached a weight between 230 and 240 lb. Daily feed intake (ADFI), tenth rib backfat, and estimated percentage of lean pork were reduced in pigs fed the 13% CP diet and injected with 3 mg/d pST compared to pigs fed the same diet and injected daily with a placebo. Feed intake was reduced in pigs fed the 16% CP diet and injected daily with 3 and 5 mg/d pST. Improvement in feed conversion (F/G), tenth rib backfat, and estimated percentage lean pork occurred when pigs fed the 16% CP diet were injected with 1 mg/d, with greater improvements occurring at the 3 and 5 mg/d levels of pST. The improvement in F/G and the greater magnitude of response observed in pigs fed 16% CP diets compared to the response of pigs fed the 13% CP diet indicate that both the performance and carcass characteristics of pigs injected with pST are dependent on the dietary CP content.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 16, 198

Sampling frequency affects estimates of annual nitrous oxide fluxes

Quantifying nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes, a potent greenhouse gas, from soils is necessary to improve our knowledge of terrestrial N2O losses. Developing universal sampling frequencies for calculating annual N2O fluxes is difficult, as fluxes are renowned for their high temporal variability. We demonstrate daily sampling was largely required to achieve annual N2O fluxes within 10% of the "best" estimate for 28 annual datasets collected from three continents - Australia, Europe and Asia. Decreasing the regularity of measurements either under- or overestimated annual N2O fluxes, with a maximum overestimation of 935%. Measurement frequency was lowered using a sampling strategy based on environmental factors known to affect temporal variability, but still required sampling more than once a week. Consequently, uncertainty in current global terrestrial N2O budgets associated with the upscaling of field-based datasets can be decreased significantly using adequate sampling frequencies

Women gaze behaviour in assessing female bodies: the effects of clothing, body size, own body composition and body satisfaction

Often with minimally clothed figures depicting extreme body sizes, previous studies have shown women tend to gaze at evolutionary determinants of attractiveness when viewing female bodies, possibly for self-evaluation purposes, and their gaze distribution is modulated by own body dissatisfaction level. To explore to what extent women’s body-viewing gaze behaviour is affected by clothing type, dress size, subjective measurements of regional body satisfaction and objective measurements of own body composition (e.g., chest size, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio), in this self-paced body attractiveness and body size judgement experiment, we compared healthy, young women’s gaze distributions when viewing female bodies in tight and loose clothing of different dress sizes. In contrast to tight clothing, loose clothing biased gaze away from the waist-hip to the leg region, and subsequently led to enhanced body attractiveness ratings and body size underestimation for larger female bodies, indicating the important role of clothing in mediating women’s body perception. When viewing preferred female bodies, women’s higher satisfaction of a specific body region was associated with an increased gaze towards neighbouring body areas, implying satisfaction might reduce the need for comparison of confident body parts; furthermore undesirable body composition measurements were correlated with a gaze avoidance process if the construct was less changeable (i.e. chest size) but a gaze comparison process if the region was more changeable (i.e. body mass index, dress size). Clearly, own body satisfaction and body composition measurements had an evident impact on women’s body-viewing gaze allocation, possibly through different cognitive processes

A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19

Scientific evidence regularly guides policy decisions1, with behavioural science increasingly part of this process2. In April 2020, an influential paper3 proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to efforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams finding evidence supporting 16 (89%) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy effectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed effects and there were no effects for highlighting individual benefits or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct differences in effects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientific evidence in policy formulation and prioritization

Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Exhibit Heterogeneous CD52 Expression Levels and Show Differential Sensitivity to Alemtuzumab Mediated Cytolysis

Alemtuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets cell surface CD52 and is effective in depleting lymphocytes by cytolytic effects in vivo. Although the cytolytic effects of alemtuzumab are dependent on the density of CD52 antigen on cells, there is scant information regarding the expression levels of CD52 on different cell types. In this study, CD52 expression was assessed on phenotypically distinct subsets of lymphoid and myeloid cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from normal donors. Results demonstrate that subsets of PBMCs express differing levels of CD52. Quantitative analysis showed that memory B cells and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) display the highest number while natural killer (NK) cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and basophils have the lowest number of CD52 molecules per cell amongst lymphoid and myeloid cell populations respectively. Results of complement dependent cytolysis (CDC) studies indicated that alemtuzumab mediated profound cytolytic effects on B and T cells with minimal effect on NK cells, basophils and pDCs, correlating with the density of CD52 on these cells. Interestingly, despite high CD52 levels, mDCs and monocytes were less susceptible to alemtuzumab-mediated CDC indicating that antigen density alone does not define susceptibility. Additional studies indicated that higher expression levels of complement inhibitory proteins (CIPs) on these cells partially contributes to their resistance to alemtuzumab mediated CDC. These results indicate that alemtuzumab is most effective in depleting cells of the adaptive immune system while leaving innate immune cells relatively intact

A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19

Scientific evidence regularly guides policy decisions 1, with behavioural science increasingly part of this process 2. In April 2020, an influential paper 3 proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to efforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams finding evidence supporting 16 (89%) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy effectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed effects and there were no effects for highlighting individual benefits or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct differences in effects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientific evidence in policy formulation and prioritization