The price of defence: Maternal effects in an aposematic ladybird

Offspring phenotype can be adaptively altered via maternal non-genetic inheritance. Such ‘maternal effects’ enable females to adjust their per offspring investment in response to variation in the offspring environment, and thus maximise their reproductive success. Consequently they play a pivotal role in population dynamics and the response of species to environmental change. Despite this, little is known about how maternal effects mediate reproductive investment in response to multiple or novel environmental changes, such as those driven by anthropogenic activity. I use the 2-spot ladybird intraguild predation system, where resources and predation risk are highly variable, to explore the role of maternal effects in the response of a native species to an invasive predator, as well as answering outstanding questions about how maternal effects function under complex and antagonistic sets of variables. The results indicate that it is unlikely that maternally mediated changes in egg phenotype will improve the survival of 2-spot ladybird offspring in the face of predation from larvae of the invasive harlequin ladybird. They do, however, demonstrate the importance of studying maternal effects in the context of the multiple environmental factors, which more accurately represent the complex environments in which organisms live and evolve, corroborating recent theoretical predictions. Finally I provide evidence of the multifaceted nature of parental effects in aposematic species and reveal the role that they may play in shaping the variation in defence and warning coloration observed in adult populations.NER

The association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic risk in children is mediated by abdominal adiposity: the HAPPY study

Background: It is unclear whether cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is independently linked to cardiometabolic risk in children. This study investigated a) the association between CRF level and presence of cardiometabolic risk disorders using health-related cut points, and b) whether these associations were mediated by abdominal adiposity in children. Methods: This was a cross-sectional design study. Anthropometry, biochemical parameters and CRF were assessed in 147 schoolchildren (75 girls) aged 10-14 years. CRF was determined using a maximal cycle ergometer test. Children were classified as ‘fit’ or ‘unfit’ according to published thresholds. Logistic regression was used to investigate the odds of having individual and clustered cardiometabolic risk factors according to CRF level and whether abdominal adiposity mediated these associations. Results: Children classified as unfit had increased odds of presenting individual and clustered cardiometabolic risk factors (p 0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that the association between CRF and cardiometabolic risk is mediated by abdominal adiposity in 10-14 year-old children and that abdominal adiposity may be a more important determinant of adverse cardiometabolic health in this age group

Early life starvation has stronger intra-generational than transgenerational effects on key life-history traits and consumption measures in a sawfly

Paul SC, Putra R, Müller C. Early life starvation has stronger intra-generational than transgenerational effects on key life-history traits and consumption measures in a sawfly. PloS One. 2019;14(12): e0226519.Resource availability during development shapes not only adult phenotype but also the phenotype of subsequent offspring. When resources are absent and periods of starvation occur in early life, such developmental stress often influences key life-history traits in a way that benefits individuals and their offspring when facing further bouts of starvation. Here we investigated the impacts of different starvation regimes during larval development on life-history traits and measures of consumption in the turnip sawfly, Athalia rosae (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae). We then assessed whether offspring of starved and non-starved parents differed in their own life-history if reared in conditions that either matched that of their parents or were a mismatch. Early life starvation effects were more pronounced within than across generations in A. rosae, with negative impacts on adult body mass and increases in developmental time, but no effects on adult longevity in either generation. We found some evidence of higher growth rates in larvae having experienced starvation, although this did not ameliorate the overall negative effect of larval starvation on adult size. However, further work is necessary to disentangle the effects of larval size and instar from those of starvation treatment. Finally, we found weak evidence for transgenerational effects on larval growth, with intra-generational larval starvation experience being more decisive for life-history traits. Our study demonstrates that intra-generational effects of starvation are stronger than transgenerational effects on life-history traits and consumption measures in A. rosae

Characterization of protein hydrolysates from blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) and their application in beverage fortification

peer-reviewedEnzymatic hydrolysis of fish proteins has been employed as a principle method for converting under-utilised fish into valuable products for the pharmaceutical and health food industries. In this study, six commercial enzymes were tested for their ability to make fish protein hydrolysate powders from whole blue whiting. The chemical and functional properties of these powders were compared. The powders all had high solubility (>80%) across a wide pH range in water and their solubility improved further within a vitamin-tea beverage matrix (>85%). Varying degrees of anti-oxidant activities were recorded for the powders using three model systems (DPPH, ferrous chelating and reducing power). This study demonstrates that commercial enzymes are useful for the extraction and alteration of fish protein from a low value source to produce highly digestible, low molecular weight peptide powders that could be used as a fortifying health ingredient, especially in beverages

Affinity maturation of the RLIP76 Ral binding domain to inform the design of stapled peptides targeting the Ral GTPases.

Ral GTPases have been implicated as critical drivers of cell growth and metastasis in numerous Ras-driven cancers. We have previously reported stapled peptides, based on the Ral effector RLIP76, that can disrupt Ral signaling. Stapled peptides are short peptides that are locked into their bioactive form using a synthetic brace. Here, using an affinity maturation of the RLIP76 Ral-binding domain, we identified several sequence substitutions that together improve binding to Ral proteins by more than 20-fold. Hits from the selection were rigorously analyzed to determine the contributions of individual residues and two 1.5 Å cocrystal structures of the tightest-binding mutants in complex with RalB revealed key interactions. Insights gained from this maturation were used to design second-generation stapled peptides based on RLIP76 that exhibited vastly improved selectivity for Ral GTPases when compared with the first-generation lead peptide. The binding of second-generation peptides to Ral proteins was quantified and the binding site of the lead peptide on RalB was determined by NMR. Stapled peptides successfully competed with multiple Ral-effector interactions in cellular lysates. Our findings demonstrate how manipulation of a native binding partner can assist in the rational design of stapled peptide inhibitors targeting a protein-protein interaction

Exploring weight loss services in primary care and staff views on using a web-based programme

Although primary care staff felt they should deliver weight loss services, low levels of faith in the efficacy of current treatments resulted in provision of under-resourced and 'ad hoc' services. Integration of a web-based weight loss programme that promotes service evaluation and provides a cost-effective option for supporting patients may encourage practices to invest more in weight management service

Quantification of phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1, 18:1/18:1, and 16:0/16:0 in venous blood and venous and capillary dried blood spots from patients in alcohol withdrawal and control volunteers

Phosphatidylethanol species (PEths) are promising biomarkers of alcohol consumption. Here, we report on the set-up, validation, and application of a novel UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the quantification of PEth 16:0/18:1, PEth 18:1/18:1, and PEth 16:0/16:0 in whole blood (30 mu L) and in venous (V, 30 mu L) or capillary (C, 3 punches (3 mm)) dried blood spots (DBS). The methods were linear from 10 (LLOQ) to 2000 ng/mL for PEth 16:0/18:1, from 10 (LLOQ) to 1940 ng/mL for PEth 18:1/18:1, and from 19 (LLOQ) to 3872 ng/mL for PEth 16:0/16:0. Extraction efficiencies were higher than 55 % (RSD < 18 %) and matrix effects compensated for by IS were between 77 and 125 % (RSD < 10 %). Accuracy, repeatability, and intermediate precision fulfilled acceptance criteria (bias and RSD below 13 %). Validity of the procedure for determination of PEth 16:0/18:1 in blood was demonstrated by the successful participation in a proficiency test. The quantification of PEths in C-DBS was not significantly influenced by the hematocrit, punch localization, or spot volume. The stability of PEths in V-DBS stored at room temperature was demonstrated up to 6 months. The method was applied to authentic samples (whole blood, V-DBS, and C-DBS) from 50 inpatients in alcohol withdrawal and 50 control volunteers. Applying a cut-off value to detect inpatients at 221 ng/mL for PEth 16:0/18:1 provided no false positive results and a good sensitivity (86 %). Comparison of quantitative results (Bland-Altman plot, Passing-Bablok regression, and Wilcoxon signed rank test) revealed that V-DBS and C-DBS were valid alternatives to venous blood for the detection of alcohol consumption

QAA Subject Benchmark Statement - Land, Construction, Real Estate and Surveying

This document is a Subject Benchmark Statement for Land, Construction, Real Estate and Surveying that defines what can be expected of graduates in the subjects, in terms of what they might know, do and understand at the end of their studies

Identifying factors associated with sedentary time after stroke. Secondary analysis of pooled data from nine primary studies.

<p><b>Background</b>: High levels of sedentary time increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, including recurrent stroke.</p> <p><b>Objective</b>: This study aimed to identify factors associated with high sedentary time in community-dwelling people with stroke.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: For this data pooling study, authors of published and ongoing trials that collected sedentary time data, using the activPAL monitor, in community-dwelling people with stroke were invited to contribute their raw data. The data was reprocessed, algorithms were created to identify sleep-wake time and determine the percentage of waking hours spent sedentary. We explored demographic and stroke-related factors associated with total sedentary time and time in uninterrupted sedentary bouts using unique, both univariable and multivariable, regression analyses.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: The 274 included participants were from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and spent, on average, 69% (SD 12.4) of their waking hours sedentary. Of the demographic and stroke-related factors, slower walking speeds were significantly and independently associated with a higher percentage of waking hours spent sedentary (p = 0.001) and uninterrupted sedentary bouts of <i>>30</i> and <i>>60 min</i> (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). Regression models explained 11–19% of the variance in total sedentary time and time in prolonged sedentary bouts.</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b>: We found that variability in sedentary time of people with stroke was largely unaccounted for by demographic and stroke-related variables. Behavioral and environmental factors are likely to play an important role in sedentary behavior after stroke. Further work is required to develop and test effective interventions to address sedentary behavior after stroke.</p

Validation of a Lysis Buffer Containing 4 M Guanidinium Thiocyanate (GITC)/ Triton X-100 for Extraction of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for COVID-19 Testing: Comparison of Formulated Lysis Buffers Containing 4 to 6 M GITC, Roche External Lysis Buffer and Qiagen RTL Lysis Buffer

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased need for diagnostic testing using reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-PCR). An exponential increase in demand has resulted in a shortage of numerous reagents in particular those associated with the lysis buffer required to extract the viral RNA. Herein, we describe a rapid collective effort by hospital laboratory scientists, academic researchers and the biopharma industry to generate a validated lysis buffer. We have formulated a 4M Guanidinium thiocyanate (GITC)/ Triton X-100 Lysis buffer which provides comparable results with the recommended reagents. This buffer will ease the burden on hospital labs in their heroic efforts diagnose a large population of patients