Glycolaldehyde formation via the dimerization of the formyl radical

Glycolaldehyde, the simplest monosaccharide sugar, has recently been detected in low- and high-mass star-forming cores. Following our previous investigation into glycolaldehyde formation, we now consider a further mechanism for the formation of glycolaldehyde that involves the dimerization of the formyl radical, HCO. Quantum mechanical investigation of the HCO dimerization process upon an ice surface is predicted to be barrierless and therefore fast. In an astrophysical context, we show that this mechanism can be very efficient in star-forming cores. It is limited by the availability of the formyl radical, but models suggest that only very small amounts of CO are required to be converted to HCO to meet the observational constraints

Anticoagulant rodenticides on our public and community lands: spatial distribution of exposure and poisoning of a rare forest carnivore.

Anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) poisoning has emerged as a significant concern for conservation and management of non-target wildlife. The purpose for these toxicants is to suppress pest populations in agricultural or urban settings. The potential of direct and indirect exposures and illicit use of ARs on public and community forest lands have recently raised concern for fishers (Martes pennanti), a candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act in the Pacific states. In an investigation of threats to fisher population persistence in the two isolated California populations, we investigate the magnitude of this previously undocumented threat to fishers, we tested 58 carcasses for the presence and quantification of ARs, conducted spatial analysis of exposed fishers in an effort to identify potential point sources of AR, and identified fishers that died directly due to AR poisoning. We found 46 of 58 (79%) fishers exposed to an AR with 96% of those individuals having been exposed to one or more second-generation AR compounds. No spatial clustering of AR exposure was detected and the spatial distribution of exposure suggests that AR contamination is widespread within the fisher's range in California, which encompasses mostly public forest and park lands Additionally, we diagnosed four fisher deaths, including a lactating female, that were directly attributed to AR toxicosis and documented the first neonatal or milk transfer of an AR to an altricial fisher kit. These ARs, which some are acutely toxic, pose both a direct mortality or fitness risk to fishers, and a significant indirect risk to these isolated populations. Future research should be directed towards investigating risks to prey populations fishers are dependent on, exposure in other rare forest carnivores, and potential AR point sources such as illegal marijuana cultivation in the range of fishers on California public lands

Patterns of Natural and Human-Caused Mortality Factors of a Rare Forest Carnivore, the Fisher (Pekania pennanti) in California.

Wildlife populations of conservation concern are limited in distribution, population size and persistence by various factors, including mortality. The fisher (Pekania pennanti), a North American mid-sized carnivore whose range in the western Pacific United States has retracted considerably in the past century, was proposed for threatened status protection in late 2014 under the United States Endangered Species Act by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in its West Coast Distinct Population Segment. We investigated mortality in 167 fishers from two genetically and geographically distinct sub-populations in California within this West Coast Distinct Population Segment using a combination of gross necropsy, histology, toxicology and molecular methods. Overall, predation (70%), natural disease (16%), toxicant poisoning (10%) and, less commonly, vehicular strike (2%) and other anthropogenic causes (2%) were causes of mortality observed. We documented both an increase in mortality to (57% increase) and exposure (6%) from pesticides in fishers in just the past three years, highlighting further that toxicants from marijuana cultivation still pose a threat. Additionally, exposure to multiple rodenticides significantly increased the likelihood of mortality from rodenticide poisoning. Poisoning was significantly more common in male than female fishers and was 7 times more likely than disease to kill males. Based on necropsy findings, suspected causes of mortality based on field evidence alone tended to underestimate the frequency of disease-related mortalities. This study is the first comprehensive investigation of mortality causes of fishers and provides essential information to assist in the conservation of this species

A project that designs and trials a pilot survey to map the distribution of chyridomycosis (caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus) in Australian frogs

[Extract] The aim of this tender was to design and trial a pilot survey to map the distribution of chytridiomycosis in Australian frogs. The project has 5 components: Scope Items 1 and 3 being desk top synthesis and evaluation activities, Scope Item 2 being a data gathering and proof of concept activity, Scope Item 4 being a field and laboratory based project testing the protocol developed in Scope Item 3, and Scope Item 5 assessing and evaluating the previous outputs and providing recommendations that need to be addressed to allow a national survey for chytridiomycosis to proceed in an effective manner. Diagnostic Tests: An analysis of published and unpublished literature identified that chytridiomycosis could be diagnosed by at least 11 tests, that can be collapsed into 5 categories; culture, microscopical examination of unstained epidermis, histology, capture ELISA and PCR. Although each diagnostic test has detection of the amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), as its final outcome and could on superficial assessment appear to be competing with each other, we discovered that this was true only in part. The tests have different functions and complement, rather than exclude, one another. For example, examination of fresh tissue is an essential test when culture of B.dendrobatidis from infected skin is being attempted in the laboratory. Histology is the diagnostic test of choice for retrospective surveys of archived specimens, and the sensitivity of diagnosis is increased by immunohistochemistry using polyclonal antibodies. For the proposed mapping survey, real-time PCR is the recommended diagnostic technique owing to its increased sensitivity and non-invasiveness

Exploring the mechanisms of photoperiod sensing in Brachypodium distachyon

In crops, the proper timing of flowering, which relies on the coordination of exogenous cues with an endogenous developmental program, is crucial to maximize yields. In Brachypodium distachyon, a model temperate grass, the perception of the increasing day lengths of the spring is key to promote the induction of flowering through a complex interplay between the photoperiodic pathway and circadian clock-controlled processes. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of the flowering time control in B. distachyon and describe a mutant allele of the EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) gene, which was identified through a forward genetic screening for early flowering phenotypes under short day photoperiods. The mutation of elf3 accelerates flowering under most tested photoperiods. This mutant remained sensitive to vernalization but not to changes in the ambient temperature. The early flowering phenotype is corroborated, at the molecular level, with an increase in the expression of genes promoting flowering, the deregulation of the circadian clock rhythms, and the suppression of the expression of the short-day marker FTL9. Finally, to explore the mechanisms through which the photoperiodic pathway regulates flowering, we tested the effect of night breaks and light quality on the induction of flowering in B. distachyon

1990: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

LUKE: A GOSPEL FOR THE WORLD Being the Abilene Christian University Annual Bible Lectures 1990 Published by ACU PRESS 1634 Campus Court Abilene, Texas 7960

Senataxin, defective in ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 2, is involved in the defense against oxidative DNA damage

Adefective response to DNA damage is observed in several human autosomal recessive ataxias with oculomotor apraxia, including ataxia-telangiectasia. We report that senataxin, defective in ataxia oculomotor apraxia (AOA) type 2, is a nuclear protein involved in the DNA damage response. AOA2 cells are sensitive to H2O2, camptothecin, and mitomycin C, but not to ionizing radiation, and sensitivity was rescued with full-length SETX cDNA. AOA2 cells exhibited constitutive oxidative DNA damage and enhanced chromosomal instability in response to H2O2. Rejoining of H2O2-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was significantly reduced in AOA2 cells compared to controls, and there was no evidence for a defect in DNA single-strand break repair. This defect in DSB repair was corrected by full-length SETX cDNA. These results provide evidence that an additional member of the autosomal recessive AOA is also characterized by a defective response to DNA damage, which may contribute to the neurodegeneration seen in this syndrome