Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). Worst case sun elevations for LACIE countries

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Hyphenated LC-ICP-MS/ESI-MS identification of halogenated metabolites in South African marine ascidian extracts

Extracts of 13 species of marine ascidian collected in Algoa Bay were analyzed by LC-ICP-MS/ESI-MS. This technique allows parallel analysis of the molecular species and the presence of certain elements. The LC-ICP-MS/ESI-MS technique was used to target iodinated metabolites in this study. Three ascidian species afforded the known 3,5–diiodo-4-methoxyphenethylamine (12), which was confirmedby the isolation of this metabolite fromAplidium monile.MS also suggested the presence of theknown 3,5–dibromo-4-methoxyphenethylamine (10) and the new 3-bromo-5–iodo-4-methoxyphenethylamine (11) in the A. monile extract. The presence of the known 3,5-dibromotetramethyltyrosine (21) and the new 3-iodotetramethyltyrosine (23) in extracts of an unidentified Didemnum species was similarly proposed from MS evidence. This is the first report of the occurrence of iodinated metabolites in South African marine invertebrates.IS

Rational Herding in Microloan Markets

Microloan markets allow individual borrowers to raise funding from multiple individual lenders. We use a unique panel data set that tracks the funding dynamics of borrower listings on Prosper.com, the largest microloan market in the United States. We find evidence of rational herding among lenders. Well-funded borrower listings tend to attract more funding after we control for unobserved listing heterogeneity and payoff externalities. Moreover, instead of passively mimicking their peers (irrational herding), lenders engage in active observational learning (rational herding); they infer the creditworthiness of borrowers by observing peer lending decisions and use publicly observable borrower characteristics to moderate their inferences. Counterintuitively, obvious defects (e.g., poor credit grades) amplify a listing's herding momentum, as lenders infer superior creditworthiness to justify the herd. Similarly, favorable borrower characteristics (e.g., friend endorsements) weaken the herding effect, as lenders attribute herding to these observable merits. Follow-up analysis shows that rational herding beats irrational herding in predicting loan performance

Characterization of Intracellular and Extracellular Saxitoxin Levels in Both Field and Cultured Alexandrium spp. Samples from Sequim Bay, Washington

Traditionally, harmful algal bloom studies have primarily focused on quantifying toxin levels contained within the phytoplankton cells of interest. In the case of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSTs), intracellular toxin levels and the effects of dietary consumption of toxic cells by planktivores have been well documented. However, little information is available regarding the levels of extracellular PSTs that may leak or be released into seawater from toxic cells during blooms. In order to fully evaluate the risks of harmful algal bloom toxins in the marine food web, it is necessary to understand all potential routes of exposure. In the present study, extracellular and intracellular PST levels were measured in field seawater samples (collected weekly from June to October 2004–2007) and in Alexandrium spp. culture samples isolated from Sequim Bay, Washington. Measurable levels of intra- and extra-cellular toxins were detected in both field and culture samples via receptor binding assay (RBA) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Characterization of the PST toxin profile in the Sequim Bay isolates by pre-column oxidation and HPLC-fluorescence detection revealed that gonyautoxin 1 and 4 made up 65 ± 9.7 % of the total PSTs present. Collectively, these data confirm that extracellular PSTs are present during blooms of Alexandrium spp. in the Sequim Bay region

Transcriptome analysis reveals differential splicing events in IPF lung tissue

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a complex disease in which a multitude of proteins and networks are disrupted. Interrogation of the transcriptome through RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) enables the determination of genes whose differential expression is most significant in IPF, as well as the detection of alternative splicing events which are not easily observed with traditional microarray experiments. We sequenced messenger RNA from 8 IPF lung samples and 7 healthy controls on an Illumina HiSeq 2000, and found evidence for substantial differential gene expression and differential splicing. 873 genes were differentially expressed in IPF (FDR<5%), and 440 unique genes had significant differential splicing events in at least one exonic region (FDR<5%). We used qPCR to validate the differential exon usage in the second and third most significant exonic regions, in the genes COL6A3 (RNA-Seq adjusted pval = 7.18e-10) and POSTN (RNA-Seq adjusted pval = 2.06e-09), which encode the extracellular matrix proteins collagen alpha-3(VI) and periostin. The increased gene-level expression of periostin has been associated with IPF and its clinical progression, but its differential splicing has not been studied in the context of this disease. Our results suggest that alternative splicing of these and other genes may be involved in the pathogenesis of IPF. We have developed an interactive web application which allows users to explore the results of our RNA-Seq experiment, as well as those of two previously published microarray experiments, and we hope that this will serve as a resource for future investigations of gene regulation in IPF. © 2014 Nance et al

Agreement Between Clinician-Rated Versus Patient-Reported Outcomes in Huntington Disease

BACKGROUND: Clinician-rated measures of functioning are often used as primary endpoints in clinical trials and other behavioral research in Huntington disease. As study costs for clinician-rated assessments are not always feasible, there is a question of whether patient self-report of commonly used clinician-rated measures may serve as acceptable alternatives in low risk behavioral trials. AIM: The purpose of this paper was to determine the level of agreement between self-report and clinician-ratings of commonly used functional assessment measures in Huntington disease. DESIGN: 486 participants with premanifest or manifest Huntington disease were examined. Total Functional Capacity, Functional Assessment, and Independence Scale assessments from the Unified Huntington Disease Rating scale were completed by clinicians; a self-report version was also completed by individuals with Huntington disease. Cronbach\u27s α was used to examine internal consistency, one-way analysis of variance was used to examine group differences, and paired t tests, kappa agreement coefficients, and intra-class correlations were calculated to determine agreement between raters. RESULTS: Internal consistency for self-reported ratings of functional capacity and ability were good. There were significant differences between those with premanifest, early-, and late-stage disease; those with later-stage disease reported less ability and independence than the other clinical groups. Although self-report ratings were not a perfect match with associated clinician-rated measures, differences were small. Cutoffs for achieving specified levels of agreement are provided. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the acceptable margin of error in a study, self-reported administration of these functional assessments may be appropriate when clinician-related assessments are not feasible

Atmospheric Acetaldehyde: Importance of Air-Sea Exchange and a Missing Source in the Remote Troposphere.

We report airborne measurements of acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) during the first and second deployments of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom). The budget of CH3CHO is examined using the Community Atmospheric Model with chemistry (CAM-chem), with a newly-developed online air-sea exchange module. The upper limit of the global ocean net emission of CH3CHO is estimated to be 34 Tg a-1 (42 Tg a-1 if considering bubble-mediated transfer), and the ocean impacts on tropospheric CH3CHO are mostly confined to the marine boundary layer. Our analysis suggests that there is an unaccounted CH3CHO source in the remote troposphere and that organic aerosols can only provide a fraction of this missing source. We propose that peroxyacetic acid (PAA) is an ideal indicator of the rapid CH3CHO production in the remote troposphere. The higher-than-expected CH3CHO measurements represent a missing sink of hydroxyl radicals (and halogen radical) in current chemistry-climate models

Halogenated oxindole and indoles from the South African marine ascidian Distaplia skoogi:

The known 3,6-dibromoindole (1), 6-bromo-3-chloroindole (2) and 6-bromo-2-oxindole (3) were isolated from the marine ascidian (sea squirt) Distapia skoogi collected from Algoa Bay, South Africa. Standard spectroscopic techniques were used to elucidate the structures of 1-3. All three compounds were found to be moderately cytotoxic to metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

Poorly Controlled HIV Infection: An Independent Risk Factor for Liver Fibrosis

Liver disease is a major cause of mortality among HIV-infected persons. There is limited information about the extent to which HIV disease severity impacts liver disease progression