Larger mammalian body size leads to lower retroviral activity

Retroviruses have been infecting mammals for at least 100 million years, leaving descendants in host genomes known as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). The abundance of ERVs is partly determined by their mode of replication, but it has also been suggested that host life history traits could enhance or suppress their activity. We show that larger bodied species have lower levels of ERV activity by reconstructing the rate of ERV integration across 38 mammalian species. Body size explains 37% of the variance in ERV integration rate over the last 10 million years, controlling for the effect of confounding due to other life history traits. Furthermore, 68% of the variance in the mean age of ERVs per genome can also be explained by body size. These results indicate that body size limits the number of recently replicating ERVs due to their detrimental effects on their host. To comprehend the possible mechanistic links between body size and ERV integration we built a mathematical model, which shows that ERV abundance is favored by lower body size and higher horizontal transmission rates. We argue that because retroviral integration is tumorigenic, the negative correlation between body size and ERV numbers results from the necessity to reduce the risk of cancer, under the assumption that this risk scales positively with body size. Our model also fits the empirical observation that the lifetime risk of cancer is relatively invariant among mammals regardless of their body size, known as Peto's paradox, and indicates that larger bodied mammals may have evolved mechanisms to limit ERV activity

Religious Thought and Reform in late tenth-century England: The Evidence of the Blickling and Vercelli Books

This thesis is a sustained historical analysis of religious thought in late tenth-century England focusing on two collections of vernacular religious literature: the Blickling Book (Princeton, Scheide Library, MS 71) and the Vercelli Book (Biblioteca Capitolare di Vercelli MS CXVII). The dominance of reformist views in the evidence makes the late tenth century a complicated time in Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical history. The dominance of these voices has led to a one-sided view of the period founded upon caricatures of those who were reformed along the strict lines associated with Winchester. This thesis has two aims. The first is to discern from the Blickling and Vercelli books a sense of the ideas and worldview of these ecclesiastics not reformed along Winchester lines. The second is to offer an analysis of late tenth-century ecclesiastical reform which interprets the evidence in light of the Blickling and Vercelli books, rather than the more usual approach of evaluating the books in light of the evidence produced by reformers. To achieve these goals this thesis first engages with ongoing debates over the origins and audiences of the books. After addressing these, it proceeds to consider the issues most often discussed by the Blickling and Vercelli authors: ideals of the priesthood; the main penitential practices of prayer, vigils, fasting, and almsgiving; and the authors’ underlying theology. The main benefit of viewing the period through the lens of Blickling and Vercelli is that it offers a more nuanced view of the relationship between reformers and the non-reformed. It emerges that the late tenth-century Anglo-Saxon Church was characterised by significant continuity in ideas, attitudes, and practices. The late tenth-century Church had a strong pastoral tradition that was common to all; it also had monastic traditions that similarly transcended boundaries set by reformist rhetoric. Yet this reforming rhetoric does not accurately reflect the realities of the late tenth-century Church

Immunoglobulin Structure Exhibits Control over CDR Motion

Motions of the IgG structure are evaluated using normal mode analysis of an elastic network model to detect hinges, the dominance of low frequency modes, and the most important internal motions. One question we seek to answer is whether or not IgG hinge motions facilitate antigen binding. We also evaluate the protein crystal and packing effects on the experimental temperature factors and disorder predictions. We find that the effects of the protein environment on the crystallographic temperature factors may be misleading for evaluating specific functional motions of IgG. The extent of motion of the antigen binding domains is computed to show their large spatial sampling. We conclude that the IgG structure is specifically designed to facilitate large excursions of the antigen binding domains. Normal modes are shown as capable of com- putationally evaluating the hinge motions and the spatial sampling by the structure. The antigen binding loops and the major hinge appear to behave similarly to the rest of the structure when we consider the dominance of the low frequency modes and the extent of internal motion. The full IgG structure has a lower spectral dimension than individual Fab domains, pointing to more efficient information transfer through the antibody than through each domain. This supports the claim that the IgG structure is specifically constructed to facilitate antigen binding by coupling motion of the antigen binding loops with the large scale hinge motions

MUHAMAD KARNO KUSUMO DARMOKO PELOPOR KARAWITAN SRAGENAN

ABSTRAK Skripsi berjudul “Muhamad Karno Kusumo Darmoko Pelopor Karawitan Sragenan” ini merupakan hasil penelitian yang berawal dari sebuah gagasan untuk mengungkap sisi kreativitas tokoh seniman yang memelopori tercetusnya karawitan Sragenan Muhamad Karno Kusumo Darmoko melalui proses kesenimanan, proses berkesenian dan karyakaryanya. Alur pengungkapan permasalahan penelitian dibingkai dalam tiga pertanyaan yaitu, (1) Apa yang melatar belakangi Karno menghidupkan dan melestarikan karawitan di Sragen?, (2) Bagaimana upaya atau proses kreatif Karno dalam melakukan pelestarian Karawitan di Sragen?, (3) Apa dampak yang ditimbulkan dari munculnya karawitan Sragenan?. Penelitian dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode observasi dan bentuk penelitian lapangan. Peneliti melakukan pendekatan intensif terhadap obyek utama penelitian yaitu Muhamad Karno Kusumo Darmoko. Hasilnya adalah didapatkannya informasi primer dari pelaku utama melalui interview, pengamatan langsung, dan analisis terhadap karya-karyanya melalui rekonstruksi bangunan pikir pelaku utama dalam berkarya. Landasan teoretik, peneliti menggunakan konsep pemikiran dari Utami Munandar untuk mengungkap kreativitas Karno dalam karawitan Sragenan. Utami Munandar menyatakan bahwa ada empat faktor pendorong kreativitas yang dikenal dengan 4p yaitu pribadi, proses, produk dan pendorong. Hasil penelitian ini menyebutkan bahwa munculnya karawitan Sragenan merupakan sebuah proses yang berangkat dari sebuah keadaan di mana segala bentuk kesenian karawitan di Kabupaten Sragen mulai tergeser keberadaannya oleh musik Dangdut (Orkes Melayu). Karno adalah salah satu seniman di Sragen yang merasa cemas dengan keadaan tersebut dan memikirkan cara agar karawitan tetap ada di Sragen. Dengan semangat mempertahankan keberadaan seni karawitan di Sragen serta memiliki latar belakang pendidikan seni, Karno melakukan beberapa proses percobaan garap musikal karawitan yang berujung pada sebuah penemuan konsep musikal karawitan Sragenan. Karno mengklasifikasikan bahwa ada dua pola garap dalam Sragenan, yaitu garap gecul dan garap dangdut. Eksistensi karawitan gaya Sragenan juga berdampak terhadap karawitan di Sragen, masyarakat Sragen serta Muhamad Karno Kusumo Darmoko sebagai pelopor Sragenan. Kata kunci: M. Karno KD., karawitan, kreativitas, Sragena

Vitamin D Deficiency in Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is the most common inherited genetic respiratory disorder in the Western World. Hypovitaminosis D is almost universal in CF patients, likely due to a combination of inadequate absorption, impaired metabolism, and lack of sun exposure. Inadequate levels are associated with the high prevalence of bone disease or osteoporosis in CF patients, which is associated with increased morbidity including fractures, kyphosis, and worsening pulmonary status. Treatment goals include regular monitoring 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels with aggressive treatment for those with levels <75 nmol/L (<30 ng/mL). More research is needed to determine optimal supplementation goals and strategies

The effects of social media on online consumer behavior

Does social media have an effect on online consumer behavior? Because social media is now used to market many companies, brands, and products, this study provides data that will conclude if social media has a major effect on online consumer behavior. The purpose of this study is to interview consumers to see what their opinions are on social media and its effect on their online shopping experience. The study will give us a better understanding of how online consumers view and use social media.(Author abstract)Dobek, M., Toland, B., Gendron, R., Kitsios, A., and Stitt, R. (2014). The effects of social media on online consumer behavior. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.ed

The Importance of Slow Motions for Protein Functional Loops

Loops in proteins connect secondary structures such as alpha-helix and beta-sheet, are often on the surface, and may play a critical role in some functions of a protein. The mobility of loops is central for the motional freedom and flexibility requirements of active-site loops and may play a critical role for some functions. The structures and behaviors of loops have not been much studied in the context of the whole structure and its overall motions, and especially how these might be coupled. Here we investigate loop motions by using coarse-grained structures (Cα atoms only) to solve for the motions of the system by applying Lagrange equations with elastic network models to learn about which loops move in an independent fashion and which move in coordination with domain motions, faster and slower, respectively. The normal modes of the system are calculated using eigen-decomposition of the stiffness matrix. The contribution of individual modes and groups of modes are investigated for their effects on all residues in each loop by using Fourier analyses. Our results indicate overall that the motions of functional sets of loops behave in similar ways as the whole structure. But, overall only a relatively few loops move in coordination with the dominant slow modes of motion, and that these are often closely related to function