Why do People Stay? Insider Advantages and Immobility

The low mobility of people in Europe is considered a problem for adjustment to asymmetric shocks and regional convergence in the European Monetary Union. We suggest a complement to the traditional migration theories, the insider advantages approach to explain why most Europeans prefer to stay. Staying immobile they have accumulated work- and leisure-oriented insider advantages that are location-specific and would be lost in the case of emigration. Therefore, the longer people have stayed - and the more insider advantages they have accumulated -, the less likely they are to move. Using a new micro dataset covering all people resident in Sweden in 1994 and their mobility experience since 1985, we find a strong positive duration dependence of the probability to stay. Traditional micro-economic characteristics prove helpful in explaining immobility, while regional macro-economic differences have surprisingly little impact on individual mobility decisions. A large proportion of the moves between Swedish labour markets seem to be related to specific life-course events rather than to pure labour market issues. Wieso ist die Mobilität der Arbeitskräfte innerhalb der Europäischen Union - aller Freizügigkeit zum Trotz - so gering? Traditionelle Theorieansätze vermögen die schwach ausgeprägte Wanderungsintensität der EU-Angehörigen nur begrenzt zu er - klären. Denn eigentlich sollten die teilweise beträchtlichen Einkommens - und Beschäftigungsunterschiede zu weit mehr Migration innerhalb der EU führen. In diesem Diskussionspapier entwickeln wir eine Idee, die sehr wohl zu erklären vermag, weshalb für die meisten Menschen "stehen" die bessere Alternative als "gehen" ist. Der Insider-Ansatz macht deutlich, weshalb für die individuelle Entscheidung eine grenz- und kulturraumüberschreitende Wanderung die Ausnahme und nicht die Regel ist. Die empirische Überprüfung mit Hilfe eines neuen originären Mikro-Datensets, das die gesamte schwedische Wohnbevölkerung enthält, bestätigt die These, dass die Verweil- dauer einen direkten positiven Einfluss auf die Verharrenswahrscheinlichkeit ausübt. Wer lange an einem Ort lebt, wird immer wahrscheinlicher an diesem Ort bleiben!Labor and Human Capital, F22, J60, R23,

Effects of SMPX on skeletal muscle in adult mice

Mechanical factors are important in the regulation of muscle phenotype. Adaptation of structural and mechanical proteins to withstand increased load and cope with increased work is needed in a muscle exposed to mechanical stimuli such as stretch. Small muscle protein X-chromosome (SMPX) is a protein upregulated in stretched skeletal muscle, and could therefore work as a structural protein, a signalling factor in a mechanotransduction pathway, or a combination of both. In my project I have studied the in vivo and ex vivo localization of SMPX in skeletal muscle, as well as effects of overexpressing SMPX in the fast-twitch muscle extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and the slow twitch muscle soleus in adult mice. Overexpression of SMPX for 14 days gave no significant changes in fibre type distribution or cross sectional area in EDL. In soleus the results were variable, but there was a shift towards a faster fibre type and a less pronounced increase in cross sectional area. Our expriments do not support the idea that SMPX works as a major regulatory protein or a signalling molecule related to force transduction in the I-band. If it serves as a regulatory protein, our results show that this could be true for soleus, but not for EDL

Contributions of feather microstructure to eider down insulation properties

Insulation is an essential component of nest structure that helps provide incubation requirements for birds. Many species of waterfowl breed in high latitudes where rapid heat loss can necessitate a high energetic input from parents and use down feathers to line their nests. Common eider Somateria mollissima nest down has exceptional insulating properties but the microstructural mechanisms behind the feather properties have not been thoroughly examined. Here, we hypothesized that insulating properties of nest down are correlated to down feather (plumule) microstructure. We tested the thermal efficiency (fill power) and cohesion of plumules from nests of two Icelandic colonies of wild common eiders and compared them to properties of plumules of wild greylag goose Anser anser. We then used electron microscopy to examine the morphological basis of feather insulating properties. We found that greylag goose down has higher fill power (i.e. traps more air) but much lower cohesion (i.e. less prone to stick together) compared to common eider down. These differences were related to interspecific variation in feather microstructure. Down cohesion increased with the number of barbule microstructures (prongs) that create strong points of contact among feathers. Eider down feathers also had longer barbules than greylag goose down feathers, likely increasing their air-trapping capacity. Feather properties of these two species might reflect the demands of their contrasting evolutionary history. In greylag goose, a temperate, terrestrial species, plumule microstructure may optimize heat trapping. In common eiders, a diving duck that nests in arctic and subarctic waters, plumule structure may have evolved to maximize cohesion over thermal insulation, which would both reduce buoyancy during their foraging dives and enable nest down to withstand strong arctic winds

Contributions of feather microstructure to eider down insulation properties

Insulation is an essential component of nest structure that helps provide incubation requirements for birds. Many species of waterfowl breed in high latitudes where rapid heat loss can necessitate a high energetic input from parents and use down feathers to line their nests. Common eider Somateria mollissima nest down has exceptional insulating properties but the microstructural mechanisms behind the feather properties have not been thoroughly examined. Here, we hypothesized that insulating properties of nest down are correlated to down feather (plumule) microstructure. We tested the thermal efficiency (fill power) and cohesion of plumules from nests of two Icelandic colonies of wild common eiders and compared them to properties of plumules of wild greylag goose Anser anser. We then used electron microscopy to examine the morphological basis of feather insulating properties. We found that greylag goose down has higher fill power (i.e. traps more air) but much lower cohesion (i.e. less prone to stick together) compared to common eider down. These differences were related to interspecific variation in feather microstructure. Down cohesion increased with the number of barbule microstructures (prongs) that create strong points of contact among feathers. Eider down feathers also had longer barbules than greylag goose down feathers, likely increasing their air-trapping capacity. Feather properties of these two species might reflect the demands of their contrasting evolutionary history. In greylag goose, a temperate, terrestrial species, plumule microstructure may optimize heat trapping. In common eiders, a diving duck that nests in arctic and subarctic waters, plumule structure may have evolved to maximize cohesion over thermal insulation, which would both reduce buoyancy during their foraging dives and enable nest down to withstand strong arctic winds

HUBUNGAN TINGKAT PENGETAHUAN, SIKAP, DAN MOTIVASI DENGAN PERILAKU CUCI TANGAN PAKAI SABUN (CTPS) PADA SISWA SEKOLAH DASAR NEGERI TRIDADI, SLEMAN, DIY

Latar Belakang: Cuci tangan pakai sabun merupakan salah satu tindakan sanitasi dengan membersihkan tangan dan jari-jemari menggunakan air dan sabun untuk menjadi bersih serta dapat mencegah terjadinya penyakit. Cuci tangan pakai sabun merupakan indikator dari program Perilaku Hidup Bersih dan Sehat (PHBS) di sekolah. Kebiasaan cuci tangan penting untuk diajarkan sejak dini karena anak-anak merupakan calon agen perubahan untuk lingkungan sekitarnya. Salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi terbentuknya perilaku cuci tangan adalah pengetahuan, sikap, motivasi. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan antara tingkat pengetahuan, sikap, dan motivasi dengan perilaku cuci tangan pakai sabun (CTPS) pada siswa SDN Tridadi, Sleman, DIY. Metode: Jenis penelitian kuantitatif menggunakan metode analitik observasional dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas 4 dan 5 SDN Tridadi sebanyak 46 responden menggunakan teknik total sampling. Instrumen penelitian menggunakan kuesioner. Analisi data menggunakan analisis univariat dan bivariat yaitu uji chi square. Hasil: Hasil penelitian menunjukkan 65,2% siswa memiliki pengetahuan tinggi 60,9% siswa memiliki sikap tinggi. 56,5% siswa memiliki motivasi tinggi. Serta 54,3% siswa memiliki perilaku cuci tangan pakai sabun baik. Hasil uji statistik dengan analisis Chi Square menunjukkan ada hubungan antara tingkat pengetahuan (P= 0,047), sikap (P= 0,001), dan motivasi (P= 0,044) dengan perilaku CTPS pada siswa SDN Tridadi, Sleman, DIY. Kesimpulan: Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, didapatkan bahwa ada hubungan antara tingkat pengetahuan, sikap, dan motivasi dengan perilaku cuci tangan pakai sabun pada siswa SDN Tridadi, Sleman, DIY

Increased Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines and Endothelin-1 in Alveolar Macrophages from Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: Pathophysiological interactions between heart and lungs in heart failure (HF) are well recognized. We investigated whether expression of different factors known to be increased in the myocardium and/or the circulation in HF is also increased in alveolar macrophages in HF. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Lung function, hemodynamic parameters, gene expression in alveolar macrophages, and plasma levels in the pulmonary and femoral arteries of HF patients (n = 20) were compared to control subjects (n = 16). Our principal findings were: (1) Lung function was significantly lower in HF patients compared to controls (P<0.05). (2) mRNA levels of ET-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were increased in alveolar macrophages from HF patients. (3) Plasma levels of ET-1, TNFα, IL-6 and MCP-1 were significantly increased in HF patients, whereas our data indicate a net pulmonary release of MCP-1 into the circulation in HF. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Several important cytokines and ET-1 are induced in alveolar macrophages in human HF. Further studies should clarify whether increased synthesis of these factors affects pulmonary remodeling and, directly or indirectly, adversely affects the failing myocardium

Extended analysis of a genome-wide association study in primary sclerosing cholangitis detects multiple novel risk loci.

A limited number of genetic risk factors have been reported in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). To discover further genetic susceptibility factors for PSC, we followed up on a second tier of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a genome-wide association study (GWAS). We analyzed 45 SNPs in 1221 PSC cases and 3508 controls. The association results from the replication analysis and the original GWAS (715 PSC cases and 2962 controls) were combined in a meta-analysis comprising 1936 PSC cases and 6470 controls. We performed an analysis of bile microbial community composition in 39 PSC patients by 16S rRNA sequencing. Seventeen SNPs representing 12 distinct genetic loci achieved nominal significance (p(replication) <0.05) in the replication. The most robust novel association was detected at chromosome 1p36 (rs3748816; p(combined)=2.1 × 10(-8)) where the MMEL1 and TNFRSF14 genes represent potential disease genes. Eight additional novel loci showed suggestive evidence of association (p(repl) <0.05). FUT2 at chromosome 19q13 (rs602662; p(comb)=1.9 × 10(-6), rs281377; p(comb)=2.1 × 10(-6) and rs601338; p(comb)=2.7 × 10(-6)) is notable due to its implication in altered susceptibility to infectious agents. We found that FUT2 secretor status and genotype defined by rs601338 significantly influence biliary microbial community composition in PSC patients. We identify multiple new PSC risk loci by extended analysis of a PSC GWAS. FUT2 genotype needs to be taken into account when assessing the influence of microbiota on biliary pathology in PSC.Norwegian PSC Research Center German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the National Genome Research Network (NGFN) Integrated Research and Treatment Center - Transplantation 01EO0802 PopGen biobank NIH DK 8496

Structure of the NheA Component of the Nhe Toxin from Bacillus cereus: Implications for Function

The structure of NheA, a component of the Bacillus cereus Nhe tripartite toxin, has been solved at 2.05 Å resolution using selenomethionine multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD). The structure shows it to have a fold that is similar to the Bacillus cereus Hbl-B and E. coli ClyA toxins, and it is therefore a member of the ClyA superfamily of α-helical pore forming toxins (α-PFTs), although its head domain is significantly enlarged compared with those of ClyA or Hbl-B. The hydrophobic β-hairpin structure that is a characteristic of these toxins is replaced by an amphipathic β-hairpin connected to the main structure via a β-latch that is reminiscent of a similar structure in the β-PFT Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin. Taken together these results suggest that, although it is a member of an archetypal α-PFT family of toxins, NheA may be capable of forming a β rather than an α pore

Genetic association analysis identifies variants associated with disease progression in primary sclerosing cholangitis

Objective Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a genetically complex, inflammatory bile duct disease of largely unknown aetiology often leading to liver transplantation or death. Little is known about the genetic contribution to the severity and progression of PSC. The aim of this study is to identify genetic variants associated with PSC disease progression and development of complications. Design We collected standardised PSC subphenotypes in a large cohort of 3402 patients with PSC. After quality control, we combined 130 422 single nucleotide polymorphisms of all patients-obtained using the Illumina immunochip-with their disease subphenotypes. Using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models, we identified genetic variants associated with binary and time-to-event PSC subphenotypes. Results We identified genetic variant rs853974 to be associated with liver transplant-free survival (p=6.07x10(-9)). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a 50.9% (95% CI 41.5% to 59.5%) transplant-free survival for homozygous AA allele carriers of rs853974 compared with 72.8% (95% CI 69.6% to 75.7%) for GG carriers at 10 years after PSC diagnosis. For the candidate gene in the region, RSPO3, we demonstrated expression in key liver-resident effector cells, such as human and murine cholangiocytes and human hepatic stellate cells. Conclusion We present a large international PSC cohort, and report genetic loci associated with PSC disease progression. For liver transplant-free survival, we identified a genome-wide significant signal and demonstrated expression of the candidate gene RSPO3 in key liver-resident effector cells. This warrants further assessments of the role of this potential key PSC modifier gene.Peer reviewe