Black rabbits on Lundy: Tudor treasures or post-war phonies?

Lundy is renowned for its feral black rabbits which, according to popular tradition, have inhabited the island since medieval times. Black rabbit fur was valued for much of the Middle Ages, explaining why warreners of Lundy might have favoured them, but genes responsible for feral rabbit melanism remain unexplored. Further potential complicating factors occur in the form of recent (twentieth century) small-scale domestic rabbit introductions to the Lundy feral population. To gain insight into genetic mechanisms underlying melanism on Lundy, rabbit samples were collected and subjected to molecular analysis. The Lundy rabbit population is shown to harbour non-functional copies of the agouti signalling protein (Asip) gene, a main determinant of coat colour in mammals. The observed genetic mutation is not unique to Lundy, having been reported to underlie dark coat colour phenotypes in various domestic rabbit breeds. The mutation is recessive and only phenotypically expressed in homozygous individuals. Although presence of this particular allele does not preclude recent genetic augmentation or replacement, simple population genetics show that allele persistence from a medieval introduction is not impossible

Creating Policy Space for Pastoralism in Kenya

This paper reflects on the work of the Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands between its formation in April 2008 and the elections of March 2013. The paper begins by summarising the historical, political and institutional contexts within which the Ministry was created, as well as the multiple narratives that have driven policy in Kenya’s drylands over time (section 1). It explains some of the policy choices the Ministry made in interpreting its mandate and shaping the policy agenda. The paper reflects on the response of different actors to the policy space opened up by the establishment of the Ministry, and looks at how it implemented its mandate and its day-to-day engagement with others. The authors discuss the institutional framework in more detail and the steps required to strengthen it further. The paper concludes with reflections and recommendations.DFI

Investigation of mechanosensation in C. elegans using light field calcium imaging

We describe a new experimental approach to investigate touch sensation in the model organism C. elegans using light field deconvolution microscopy. By combining fast volumetric image acquisition with controlled indentation of the organism using a high sensitivity force transducer, we are able to simultaneously measure activity in multiple touch receptor neurons expressing the calcium ion indicator GCaMP6s. By varying the applied mechanical stimulus we show how this method can be used to quantify touch sensitivity in C. elegans. We describe some of the challenges of performing light field calcium imaging in moving samples and demonstrate that they can be overcome by simple data processing

Effect of Leadership Behaviour, Organizational Climate, Intrinsic Motivation, and Engagement on Job Performance

This research aims to explain the effect of leadership behaviour, organizational climate, intrinsic motivation and  engagement on job performance (Study of permanently employed lecturers in private university of area III DKI Jakarta) in permanently employed lecturers in private university of region 3 DKI Jakarta. This research is explanatory research which explains the correlation among research variables. Research object was conducted in 3 private universities of region 3 of DKI Jakarta, having homogeneous factors comprising Economics Faculty, Management Study Program, Undergraduate Student number more than 2000 and A Accredited. Analysis Unit of this research is permanently employed lecturers, accounting for 150 persons.   Analysis tool used to test 7 hypotheses is Generalized Structured Component Analysis (GSCA). It was found that all hypotheses had substantial results: 5 (five) hyphothese had significant influenves and 2 (two) were insignificant. The empirically proven hypothesis was effect of organizational climate on working performanc, the effect of intrinsic motivation on working performance, the effect of leadership behaviour on engagement, the effect of organizational climate on engagement and the effect of engagement on working performance. Yet, there is one hypothesis not empirically proven which was the effect of leadership behaviour on working performance and the effect of intrinsic motivation on engagement. Keywords: Leadership Behavior, Organizational Climate, Intrinsic Motivation, Engagement, Performance

Penggunaan Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Jigsaw Dalam Pembelajaran IPS Untuk Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar

In general, this study aims to determine the success of the application of the Jigsaw cooperative learning techniques in improving student learning outcomes in social studies in class VI Elementary School 27 Kemondal. While special purpose was to determine the learning process through the use of cooperative learning techniques Jigsaw learning and improve student learning outcomes in social studies in class VI Elementary School 27 Kemondal. This research was conducted in the 27 State Primary School Kemondal school year 2013/2014 the number of 36 students consisting of 19 male students and 17 female students were conducted in two cycles, with each cycle of three meetings, the two face to face meetings and one evaluation sessions. Before the students held class action does not seem active in group discussions and student learning outcomes is low where as many as 15 students (41.7%) were done thoroughly

Early changes in rpS6 phosphorylation and BH3 profiling predict response to chemotherapy in AML cells

Blasts from different patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) vary in the agent(s) to which they are most responsive. With a myriad of novel agents to evaluate, there is a lack of predictive biomarkers to precisely assign targeted therapies to individual patients. Primary AML cells often survive poorly in vitro, thus confounding conventional cytotoxicity assays. The purpose of this work was to assess the potential of two same-day functional predictive assays in AML cell lines to predict long-term response to chemotherapy. (i) Ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) is a downstream substrate of PI3K/akt/mTOR/ kinase and MAPK kinase pathways and its dephosphorylation is also triggered by DNA double strand breaks. Phospho-rpS6 is reliably measurable by flow cytometry and thus has the potential to function as a biomarker of responsiveness to several therapeutic agents. (ii) A cell’s propensity for apoptosis can be interrogated via a functional assay termed “Dynamic BH3 Profiling” in which mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization in drug-treated cells can be driven by pro-apoptotic BH3 domain peptides such as PUMA-BH3. The extent to which a particular cell is primed for apoptosis by the drug can be determined by measuring the amount of cytochrome C released on addition of BH3 peptide. We demonstrate that phospho-rpS6 expression and PUMA-BH3 peptide-induced cytochrome C release after 4 hours both predict long term chemoresponsiveness to tyrosine kinase inhibitors and DNA double strand break inducers in AML cell lines. We also describe changes in expression levels of the prosurvival BCL-2 family member Mcl-1 and the pro-apoptotic protein BIM after short term drug culture

Digital refocusing and extended depth of field reconstruction in Fourier ptychographic microscopy

Fourier ptychography microscopy (FPM) is a recently developed microscopic imaging method that allows the recovery of a high-resolution complex image by combining a sequence of bright and darkfield images acquired under inclined illumination. The capacity of FPM for high resolution imaging at low magnification makes it particularly attractive for applications in digital pathology which require imaging of large specimens such as tissue sections and blood films. To date most applications of FPM have been limited to imaging thin samples, simplifying both image reconstruction and analysis. In this work we show that, for samples of intermediate thickness (defined here as less than the depth of field of a raw captured image), numerical propagation of the reconstructed complex field allows effective digital refocusing of FPM images. The results are validated by comparison against images obtained with an equivalent high numerical aperture objective lens. We find that post reconstruction refocusing (PRR) yields images comparable in quality to adding a defocus term to the pupil function within the reconstruction algorithm, while reducing computing time by several orders of magnitude. We apply PRR to visualize FPM images of Giemsa-stained peripheral blood films and present a novel image processing pipeline to construct an effective extended depth of field image which optimally displays the 3D sample structure in a 2D image. We also show how digital refocusing allows effective correction of the chromatic focus shifts inherent to the low magnification objective lenses used in FPM setups, improving the overall quality of color FPM images

A systematic review of the effects of Iranian pharmaceutical plant extracts on Giardia lamblia

This study aimed to provide a systematic review regarding anti-Giardia effect of different Iranian plant extracts used in vivo and in vitro on cysts and trophozoites. Many reports indicated that most of plant extracts used as anti-Giardia were obtained from Liliaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Myrtaceae. These extracts included different fractions such as aqueous, alcoholic and chloroform extracts as well as Soxhlet extraction of juice or essence. The findings of this review showed that hydroalcoholic extract of asafoetida, Chenopodium botrys, and chloroformic extract of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) have the maximum effect (100 efficacy) on in vitro application against Giardia. However, the highest in vivo effect of 100 therapeutic significance was recorded for the extract of Allium sativum at 80 mg/mL concentration. Given the plant species richness of Iran in terms of herbal medicines with fewer side effects, it can be a good alternative to chemical drugs used to treat giardiasis. © 2015 Asian Pacific Tropical Medicine Press

Uncovering the physiological mechanisms underlying the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) testicular cycle: Analyses of gelatinases and VEGF patterns and correlation with testes weight and testosterone

The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) represents a spontaneous model of testicular inactivation: During winter, bucks show a suspension of spermatogenesis that starts again in spring and peaks during the breeding season (July\u2013August). The underlying mechanisms to the regulation of the cyclic testicular changes are still not fully clear but seem to be imputable to the spermatogenic cell line since other testicular cell populations remain stable without apoptotic phenomena. The aim of the study was to investigate apoptosis, gelatinases (MMP2 and 9), their inhibiting factors (TIMP 1-2), and two isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF121 and 165) with its receptors (VEGFR1-2) in testes collected during pre-and post-rut periods, and to correlate them with testicular weight (TW) and testosterone (TEST). Testes from 18 adult sexually mature bucks were collected in Bologna Apennines (Italy). Samples were weighed and parenchyma collected. Radioimmunoassay, real-time PCR, and zymography were performed. The results showed a post-rut decrease in TW and TEST and an increase in proMMP2, also highlighting a correlation between the gelatinases and the testicular functionality. The VEGF pattern did not show modifications nor correlation with TW and TEST. Overall, gelatinases and their inhibitors, described herein for the first time in roe deer testes, seem to play an important role in the testicular cycle