Defensive Glands in the Adult and Larval Stages of the Darkling Beetle, Luprops tristis

Invasion by large populations of the litter-dwelling darkling beetle Luprops tristis Fabricius (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) following the short spell of summer rains during April, and their extended state of dormancy is a regular event in rubber plantation habitats in south-western India. Strong smelling secretions of the beetle cause blisters on skin of human beings. Such secretions appear defensive because they appear to facilitate their avoidance by other predatory organisms. Defensive glands in the larvae and adults of L. tristis are described, as well as the mode of eversion of the glands. The glands in larvae consist of two pairs of noneversible glands in a conical depression on the 2nd and 3rd sternites, whereas in adults only one pair occurs between 7th and 8th sternal segments. These glands may be a major reason for avoidance of larvae and adults by their natural enemies and their very high numbers in the litter of rubber plantations

Assessment of density functional approximations for the hemibonded structure of water dimer radical cation

Due to the severe self-interaction errors associated with some density functional approximations, conventional density functionals often fail to dissociate the hemibonded structure of water dimer radical cation (H2O)2+ into the correct fragments: H2O and H2O+. Consequently, the binding energy of the hemibonded structure (H2O)2+ is not well-defined. For a comprehensive comparison of different functionals for this system, we propose three criteria: (i) The binding energies, (ii) the relative energies between the conformers of the water dimer radical cation, and (iii) the dissociation curves predicted by different functionals. The long-range corrected (LC) double-hybrid functional, omegaB97X-2(LP) [J.-D. Chai and M. Head-Gordon, J. Chem. Phys., 2009, 131, 174105.], is shown to perform reasonably well based on these three criteria. Reasons that LC hybrid functionals generally work better than conventional density functionals for hemibonded systems are also explained in this work.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 4 table

Seeking for reliable double-hybrid density functionals without fitting parameters: The PBE0-2 functional

Without the use of any empirical fitting to experimental or high-level ab initio data, we present a double-hybrid density functional approximation for the exchange-correlation energy, combining the exact Hartree-Fock exchange and second-order Moller-Plesset (MP2) correlation with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional. This functional, denoted as PBE0-2, is shown to be accurate for a wide range of applications, when compared with other functionals and the ab initio MP2 method. The qualitative failures of conventional density functional approximations, such as self-interaction error and noncovalent interaction error, are significantly reduced by PBE0-2.Comment: accepted for publication in Chem. Phys. Lett., 5 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, supplementary material not include

Not fitting in and getting out : psychological type and congregational satisfaction among Anglican churchgoers in England

Listening to the motivations reported by individuals for ceasing church attendance and becoming church leavers, Francis and Richter identified high on the list the sense of "not fitting in". Drawing on psychological type theory, several recent studies have documented the way in which some psychological types are over-represented in church congregations and other psychological types are under-represented. Bringing these two observations together, the present study tested the hypothesis that church congregations have created type-alike communities within which individuals displaying the opposite type preferences are more likely to feel marginalised and to display lower levels of satisfaction with the congregations they attend. Data were provided by 1867 churchgoers who completed a measure of psychological type, together with measures of frequency of attendance and congregational satisfaction. These data confirmed that congregations were weighted towards preferences for introversion, sensing, feeling and judging, and that individuals displaying the opposite preferences (especially intuition, thinking and perceiving) recorded lower levels of congregational satisfaction. The implications of these findings are discussed for promoting congregational retention by enhancing awareness of psychological type preferences among those who attend

Resolved stellar mass maps of galaxies. I: method and implications for global mass estimates

(Abridged) We introduce a novel technique to construct spatially resolved maps of stellar mass surface density in galaxies based on optical and near IR imaging. We use optical/NIR colour(s) to infer effective stellar mass-to-light ratios (M/L) at each pixel, which are then multiplied by the surface brightness to obtain the local stellar surface mass density. We build look-up tables to express M/L as a function of colour(s) by marginalizing over a Monte Carlo library of 50,000 stellar population synthesis (SPS) models by Charlot & Bruzual (2007), which include a revised prescription for the TP-AGB stellar evolutionary phase, with a wide range of dust exinctions. In order to extract reliable flux and colour information at any position in the galaxy, we perform a median adaptive smoothing of the images that preserves the highest possible spatial resolution. As the most practical and robust, and hence fiducial method, we express the M/L in the H band as a function of (g-i) and (i-H). Stellar mass maps computed in this way have a typical accuracy of 30 per cent or less at any given pixel, determined from the scatter in the models. We compare maps obtained with our fiducial method with those derived using other combinations of bandpasses and the old BC03 TP-AGB prescription. Finally, we compare total stellar mass estimates obtained by integrating resolved mass maps with those obtained with unresolved photometry. In galaxies with evident dust lanes, unresolved estimates may miss up to 40 per cent of the total stellar mass because dusty regions are strongly under-represented in the luminous fluxes.Comment: Accepted for publication on MNRAS on Aug 10th 2009. 21 pages, 14 figures (see http://www.mpia.de/homes/zibetti/mass_maps_I.pdf for full resolution). One appendix added and minor changes done wrt to original submissio

A CGRP receptor antagonist peptide formulated for nasal administration to treat migraine

Objectives: To investigate the formulation of the peptide‐based antagonist (34Pro,35Phe)CGRP27–37, of the human calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) receptor as a potential nasally delivered migraine treatment. Methods: Peptide sequences were prepared using automated methods and purified by preparative HPLC. Their structure and stability were determined by LC‐MS. Antagonist potency was assessed by measuring CGRP‐stimulated cAMP accumulation in SK‐N‐MC, cells and in CHO cells overexpressing the human CGRP receptor. In vivo activity was tested in plasma protein extravasation (PPE) studies using Evans blue dye accumulation. Peptide‐containing chitosan microparticles were prepared by spray drying. Key findings: (34Pro,35Phe)CGRP27–37 exhibited a 10‐fold increased affinity compared to αCGRP27–37. Administration of (34Pro,35Phe)CGRP27–37 to mice led to a significant decrease in CGRP‐induced PPE confirming antagonistic properties in vivo . There was no degradation of (34Pro,35Phe)CGRP27–37 and no loss of antagonist potency during formulation and release from chitosan microparticles. Conclusions: (34Pro,35Phe)CGRP27–37 is a potent CGRP receptor antagonist both in vitro and in vivo, and it can be formulated as a dry powder with no loss of activity indicating its potential as a nasally formulated anti‐migraine medicine

The maize (Zea mays L.) roothairless3 gene encodes a putative GPI-anchored, monocot-specific, COBRA-like protein that significantly affects grain yield

The rth3 (roothairless 3) mutant is specifically affected in root hair elongation. We report here the cloning of the rth3 gene via a PCR-based strategy (amplification of insertion mutagenized sites) and demonstrate that it encodes a COBRA-like protein that displays all the structural features of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. Genes of the COBRA family are involved in various types of cell expansion and cell wall biosynthesis. The rth3 gene belongs to a monocot-specific clade of the COBRA gene family comprising two maize and two rice genes. While the rice (Oryza sativa) gene OsBC1L1 appears to be orthologous to rth3 based on sequence similarity (86% identity at the protein level) and maize/rice synteny, the maize (Zea mays L.) rth3-like gene does not appear to be a functional homolog of rth3based on their distinct expression profiles. Massively parallel signature sequencing analysis detected rth3 expression in all analyzed tissues, but at relatively low levels, with the most abundant expression in primary roots where the root hair phenotype is manifested.In situ hybridization experiments confine rth3 expression to root hair-forming epidermal cells and lateral root primordia. Remarkably, in replicated field trials involving near-isogenic lines, the rth3 mutant conferred significant losses in grain yield

Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS): rationale, design, and methods

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To present the design, methods, and rationale of the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS), a recently completed federally-funded, multi-site, randomized placebo-controlled trial that examined the relative efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), sertraline (SRT), and their combination (COMB) against pill placebo (PBO) for the treatment of separation anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social phobia (SoP) in children and adolescents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Following a brief review of the acute outcomes of the CAMS trial, as well as the psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment literature for pediatric anxiety disorders, the design and methods of the CAMS trial are described.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CAMS was a six-year, six-site, randomized controlled trial. Four hundred eighty-eight (N = 488) children and adolescents (ages 7-17 years) with DSM-IV-TR diagnoses of SAD, GAD, or SoP were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: CBT, SRT, COMB, or PBO. Assessments of anxiety symptoms, safety, and functional outcomes, as well as putative mediators and moderators of treatment response were completed in a multi-measure, multi-informant fashion. Manual-based therapies, trained clinicians and independent evaluators were used to ensure treatment and assessment fidelity. A multi-layered administrative structure with representation from all sites facilitated cross-site coordination of the entire trial, study protocols and quality assurance.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CAMS offers a model for clinical trials methods applicable to psychosocial and psychopharmacological comparative treatment trials by using state-of-the-art methods and rigorous cross-site quality controls. CAMS also provided a large-scale examination of the relative and combined efficacy and safety of the best evidenced-based psychosocial (CBT) and pharmacologic (SSRI) treatments to date for the most commonly occurring pediatric anxiety disorders. Primary and secondary results of CAMS will hold important implications for informing practice-relevant decisions regarding the initial treatment of youth with anxiety disorders.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00052078.</p

Experimental evidence that livestock grazing intensity affects cyclic vole population regulation processes

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The development and optimisation of an HPLC-based in vitro serum stability assay for a calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist peptide

Evaluation of the stability of peptide drug candidates in biological fluids, such as blood serum, is of high importance during the lead optimisation phase. Here, we describe the optimisation and validation of a method for the evaluation of the stability of a lead calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonist peptide (P006) in blood serum. After initially determining appropriate peptide and human serum concentrations and selection of the quenching reagent, the HPLC method optimisation used two experimental designs, Plackett–Burman design and Taguchi design. The analytical method was validated as complying with the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use guidelines. The optimised method allowed the successful resolution of the parent peptide from its metabolites using RP-HPLC and identification of the major metabolites of P006 by mass spectrometry. This paradigm may be widely adopted as a robust early-stage platform for screening peptide stability to rule out candidates with low in vitro stability, which would likely translate into poor in vivo pharmacokinetics