Cosmological Evolution of Heavy Element and Molecular Hydrogen Abundances

Spectroscopic observations of distant quasars have resulted in the detection of molecular hydrogen in intervening damped Lyman-alpha absorption clouds (DLAs). We use observations compiled from different experimental groups to show that the molecular hydrogen abundance exhibits a dramatic increase over a cosmological time period corresponding to 13% to 24% of the age of the universe. We also tentatively show that the heavy element abundances in the same gas clouds exhibit a faster and more well-defined cosmological evolution compared to the general DLA population over the same time baseline. We argue that this latter point is unsurprising, because the general DLA population arises in a wide variety of galaxy types and environments, and thus a spans broad range of ISM gas-phases and abundances at the same cosmic time. DLAs exhibiting H2 absorption may therefore circumvent this problem, efficiently identifying a narrower class of objects, and provide a more sensitive probe of cosmological chemical evolution.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by MNRAS Letters. v2: Added table summarizing H2-bearing DLA properties, added figure showing [Fe/H] vs. redshift, added more discussio

Biogenic Macroporosity and lts Lattice Boltzmann Method Permeability in the Karst Biscayne Aquifer

We focus on two major problems in the study of paleokarst of the Biscayne aquifer in southeastem Florida: ( 1 ), current conceptual models of karst aquifers do not adequately characterize much of the eogenetic rnacropore system within the carbonate rocks of the Biscayne aquifer, and (2) standard laboratory core-analysis rnethods cannol be used lo accurately measure the permeability of highly macroporous carbonate core samples

Quantum Symmetries and Strong Haagerup Inequalities

In this paper, we consider families of operators $\{x_r\}_{r \in \Lambda}$ in a tracial C$^\ast$-probability space $(\mathcal A, \phi)$, whose joint $\ast$-distribution is invariant under free complexification and the action of the hyperoctahedral quantum groups $\{H_n^+\}_{n \in \N}$. We prove a strong form of Haagerup's inequality for the non-self-adjoint operator algebra $\mathcal B$ generated by $\{x_r\}_{r \in \Lambda}$, which generalizes the strong Haagerup inequalities for $\ast$-free R-diagonal families obtained by Kemp-Speicher \cite{KeSp}. As an application of our result, we show that $\mathcal B$ always has the metric approximation property (MAP). We also apply our techniques to study the reduced C$^\ast$-algebra of the free unitary quantum group $U_n^+$. We show that the non-self-adjoint subalgebra $\mathcal B_n$ generated by the matrix elements of the fundamental corepresentation of $U_n^+$ has the MAP. Additionally, we prove a strong Haagerup inequality for $\mathcal B_n$, which improves on the estimates given by Vergnioux's property RD \cite{Ve}

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals

Implementation of sustainable farming practices by cocoa farmers in Ecuador and Uganda: the influence of value chain factors

A key strategy of chocolate manufacturers is the promotion of sustainable farming practices amongst their supplying cocoa producers. A growing body of micro-economic literature has analysed factors influencing the adoption of such practices, yet broadly disregarded value chain factors. Information on how factors within single value chains increase the adoption of sustainable farming practices can help direct chocolate companies’ investments and increase return of investments in sustainability. The objective of this study was to understand: (a) how important value chain factors are, relative to farmer and farm factors, for cocoa farmers’ implementation of sustainable farming practices and (b) through which mechanisms value chain factors influence sustainable farming practices implementation. By integrating the practice adoption with sustainable supply chain management literature, we contribute to closing an important research gap. We collected data from 394 cocoa farmers in Ecuador and Uganda and analysed the determinants of implementation sustainable farming practices, testing quantitatively whether value chain factors with variation within single value chains are significantly associated with practice implementation. These factors included information factors (farmers’ access to training; advisory service through the value chain) and structural factors (value chain organisation and persistence; farmers’ dependency on this value chain). We selected 11 sustainable farming practices or indicators across three sustainability dimensions, i.e., environmental, social, and economic. We found that value chain factors are comparable to farmer and farm factors in explaining the implementation of sustainable farming practices across dimensions. Both capacity building and stable relationships were significantly related with the implementation of certain sustainable farming practices. Yet these results were weaker than expected, indicating that their potential was not fully exploited within our case study value chains. Through their value chain sustainability initiatives, chocolate companies should disseminate knowledge, address inhibitors to sustainable farming practices implementation beyond knowledge, and align sustainability goals with all value chain actors

Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases from Arabidopsis Show Substrate Specificity Differences in an Analysis of 103 Substrates

The identification of substrates represents a critical challenge for understanding any protein kinase-based signal transduction pathway. In Arabidopsis, there are more than 1000 different protein kinases, 34 of which belong to a family of Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CPKs). While CPKs are implicated in regulating diverse aspects of plant biology, from ion transport to transcription, relatively little is known about isoform-specific differences in substrate specificity, or the number of phosphorylation targets. Here, in vitro kinase assays were used to compare phosphorylation targets of four CPKs from Arabidopsis (CPK1, 10, 16, and 34). Significant differences in substrate specificity for each kinase were revealed by assays using 103 different substrates. For example CPK16 phosphorylated Serine 109 in a peptide from the stress-regulated protein, Di19-2 with KM ∼70 μM, but this site was not phosphorylated significantly by CPKs 1, 10, or 34. In contrast, CPKs 1, 10, and 34 phosphorylated 93 other peptide substrates not recognized by CPK16. Examples of substrate specificity differences among all four CPKs were verified by kinetic analyses. To test the correlation between in vivo phosphorylation events and in vitro kinase activities, assays were performed with 274 synthetic peptides that contained phosphorylation sites previously mapped in proteins isolated from plants (in vivo-mapped sites). Of these, 74 (27%) were found to be phosphorylated by at least one of the four CPKs tested. This 27% success rate validates a robust strategy for linking the activities of specific kinases, such as CPKs, to the thousands of in planta phosphorylation sites that are being uncovered by emerging technologies

Influence of the Human Lipidome on Epicardial Fat Volume in Mexican American Individuals

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide and is the leading cause of death in the US. Lipid dysregulation is a well-known precursor to metabolic diseases, including CVD. There is a growing body of literature that suggests MRI-derived epicardial fat volume, or epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume, is linked to the development of coronary artery disease. Interestingly, epicardial fat is also actively involved in lipid and energy homeostasis, with epicardial adipose tissue having a greater capacity for release and uptake of free fatty acids. However, there is a scarcity of knowledge on the influence of plasma lipids on EAT volume. Aim: The focus of this study is on the identification of novel lipidomic species associated with CMRI-derived measures of epicardial fat in Mexican American individuals. Methods: We performed lipidomic profiling on 200 Mexican American individuals. High-throughput mass spectrometry enabled rapid capture of precise lipidomic profiles, providing measures of 799 unique species from circulating plasma samples. Because of our extended pedigree design, we utilized a standard quantitative genetic linear mixed model analysis to determine whether lipids were correlated with EAT by formally testing for association between each lipid species and the CMRI epicardial fat phenotype. Results: After correction for multiple testing using the FDR approach, we identified 135 lipid species showing significant association with epicardial fat. Of those, 131 lipid species were positively correlated with EAT, where increased circulating lipid levels were correlated with increased epicardial fat. Interestingly, the top 10 lipid species associated with an increased epicardial fat volume were from the deoxyceramide (Cer(m)) and triacylglycerol (TG) families. Deoxyceramides are atypical and neurotoxic sphingolipids. Triacylglycerols are an abundant lipid class and comprise the bulk of storage fat in tissues. Pathologically elevated TG and Cer(m) levels are related to CVD risk and, in our study, to EAT volume. Conclusion: Our results indicate that specific lipid abnormalities such as enriched saturated triacylglycerols and the presence of toxic ceramides Cer(m) in plasma of our individuals could precede CVD with increased EAT volume

The acute effects of cannabidiol on the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy volunteers

Background: Cannabidiol has potential therapeutic benefits for people with psychiatric disorders characterised by reward function impairment. There is existing evidence that cannabidiol may influence some aspects of reward processing. However, it is unknown whether cannabidiol acutely affects brain function underpinning reward anticipation and feedback. Hypotheses: We predicted that cannabidiol would augment brain activity associated with reward anticipation and feedback. Methods: We administered a single 600 mg oral dose of cannabidiol and matched placebo to 23 healthy participants in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated-measures design. We employed the monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to assay the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback. We conducted whole brain analyses and region-of-interest analyses in pre-specified reward-related brain regions. Results: The monetary incentive delay task elicited expected brain activity during reward anticipation and feedback, including in the insula, caudate, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex. However, across the whole brain, we did not find any evidence that cannabidiol altered reward-related brain activity. Moreover, our Bayesian analyses showed that activity in our regions-of-interest was similar following cannabidiol and placebo. Additionally, our behavioural measures of motivation for reward did not show a significant difference between cannabidiol and placebo. Discussion: Cannabidiol did not acutely affect the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy participants. Future research should explore the effects of cannabidiol on different components of reward processing, employ different doses and administration regimens, and test its reward-related effects in people with psychiatric disorders

Exome sequences of multiplex, multigenerational families reveal schizophrenia risk loci with potential implications for neurocognitive performance

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness, involving disruptions in thought and behavior, with a worldwide prevalence of about one percent. Although highly heritable, much of the genetic liability of schizophrenia is yet to be explained. We searched for susceptibility loci in multiplex, multigenerational families affected by schizophrenia, targeting protein-altering variation with in silico predicted functional effects. Exome sequencing was performed on 136 samples from eight European-American families, including 23 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. In total, 11,878 non-synonymous variants from 6,396 genes were tested for their association with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Pathway enrichment analyses were conducted on gene-based test results, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, and epistatic effects. Using a significance threshold of FDR\u3c0.1, association was detected for rs10941112 (P=2.1×10−5; q-value=0.073) in AMACR, a gene involved in fatty acid metabolism and previously implicated in schizophrenia, with significant cis effects on gene expression (P=5.5×10−4), including brain tissue data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project (minimum P=6.0×10−5). A second SNP, rs10378 located in TMEM176A, also shows risk effects in the exome data (P=2.8×10−5; q-value=0.073). Protein-protein interactions among our top gene-based association results (P\u3c0.05; n=359 genes) reveal significant enrichment of genes involved in NCAM-mediated neurite outgrowth (P=3.0×10−5), while exome-wide SNP-SNP interaction effects for rs10941112 and rs10378 indicate a potential role for kinase-mediated signaling involved in memory and learning. In conclusion, these association results implicate AMACR and TMEM176A in schizophrenia risk, whose effects may be modulated by genes involved in synaptic plasticity and neurocognitive performance

Identifying the Lipidomic Effects of a Rare Loss-of-Function Deletion in ANGPTL3

Background: The identification and understanding of therapeutic targets for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is of fundamental importance given its global health and economic burden. Inhibition of ANGPTL3 (angiopoietin-like 3) has demonstrated a cardioprotective effect, showing promise for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease treatment, and is currently the focus of ongoing clinical trials. Here, we assessed the genetic basis of variation in ANGPTL3 levels in the San Antonio Family Heart Study. Methods: We assayed ANGPTL3 protein levels in ≈1000 Mexican Americans from extended pedigrees. By drawing upon existing plasma lipidome profiles and genomic data we conducted analyses to understand the genetic basis to variation in ANGPTL3 protein levels, and accordingly the correlation with the plasma lipidome. Results: In a variance components framework, we identified that variation in ANGPTL3 was significantly heritable (h2=0.33, P=1.31×10-16). To explore the genetic basis of this heritability, we conducted a genome-wide linkage scan and identified significant linkage (logarithm of odds =6.18) to a locus on chromosome 1 at 90 centimorgans, corresponding to the ANGPTL3 gene location. In the genomes of 23 individuals from a single pedigree, we identified a loss-of-function variant, rs398122988 (N121Kfs*2), in ANGPTL3, that was significantly associated with lower ANGPTL3 levels (β=-1.69 SD units, P=3.367×10-13), and accounted for the linkage signal at this locus. Given the known role of ANGPTL3 as an inhibitor of endothelial and lipoprotein lipase, we explored the association of ANGPTL3 protein levels and rs398122988 with the plasma lipidome and related phenotypes, identifying novel associations with phosphatidylinositols. Conclusions: Variation in ANGPTL3 protein levels is heritable and under significant genetic control. Both ANGPTL3 levels and loss-of-function variants in ANGPTL3 have significant associations with the plasma lipidome. These findings further our understanding of ANGPTL3 as a therapeutic target for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease