ALBERT

All Library Books, journals and Electronic Records Telegrafenberg

X
feed icon rss

Your email was sent successfully. Check your inbox.

An error occurred while sending the email. Please try again.

Proceed reservation?

Export
Filter
  • Articles  (154,863)
  • Public Library of Science  (117,622)
  • Public Library of Science (PLoS)
  • 2015-2019  (154,863)
  • 1945-1949
Collection
Source
Keywords
Publisher
Years
Year
Journal
Topic
  • 1
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Annual Acoustic Presence of Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) Offshore Eastern Sicily, Central Mediterranean Sea (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2017-04-04
    Description: In recent years, an increasing number of surveys have definitively confirmed the seasonal presence of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in highly productive regions of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite this, very little is yet known about the routes that the species seasonally follows within the Mediterranean basin and, particularly, in the Ionian area. The present study assesses for the first time fin whale acoustic presence offshore Eastern Sicily (Ionian Sea), throughout the processing of about 10 months of continuous acoustic monitoring. The recording of fin whale vocalizations was made possible by the cabled deep-sea multidisciplinary observatory, “NEMO-SN1”, deployed 25 km off the Catania harbor at a depth of about 2,100 meters. NEMO-SN1 is an operational node of the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory (EMSO) Research Infrastructure. The observatory was equipped with a low-frequency hydrophone (bandwidth: 0.05 Hz–1 kHz, sampling rate: 2 kHz) which continuously acquired data from July 2012 to May 2013. About 7,200 hours of acoustic data were analyzed by means of spectrogram display. Calls with the typical structure and patterns associated to the Mediterranean fin whale population were identified and monitored in the area for the first time. Furthermore, a background noise analysis within the fin whale communication frequency band (17.9–22.5 Hz) was conducted to investigate possible detection-masking effects. The study confirms the hypothesis that fin whales are present in the Ionian Sea throughout all seasons, with peaks in call detection rate during spring and summer months. The analysis also demonstrates that calls were more frequently detected in low background noise conditions. Further analysis will be performed to understand whether observed levels of noise limit the acoustic detection of the fin whales vocalizations, or whether the animals vocalize less in the presence of high background noise.
    Description: Published
    Description: e0141838
    Description: 3A. Ambiente Marino
    Description: JCR Journal
    Description: open
    Keywords: Whales ; Bioacoustics ; Background noise (acoustics) ; Acoustic signals ; Sperm whales ; Vocalization ; Acoustics ; Data acquisition ; 03. Hydrosphere::03.01. General::03.01.08. Instruments and techniques ; 03. Hydrosphere::03.02. Hydrology::03.02.04. Measurements and monitoring ; 03. Hydrosphere::03.02. Hydrology::03.02.07. Instruments and techniques ; 03. Hydrosphere::03.04. Chemical and biological::03.04.99. General or miscellaneous
    Repository Name: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
    Type: article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 2
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Temperature-induced viral resistance in Emiliania huxleyi (Prymnesiophyceae) (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2014. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 9 (2014): e112134, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0112134.
    Description: Annual Emiliania huxleyi blooms (along with other coccolithophorid species) play important roles in the global carbon and sulfur cycles. E. huxleyi blooms are routinely terminated by large, host-specific dsDNA viruses, (Emiliania huxleyi Viruses; EhVs), making these host-virus interactions a driving force behind their potential impact on global biogeochemical cycles. Given projected increases in sea surface temperature due to climate change, it is imperative to understand the effects of temperature on E. huxleyi’s susceptibility to viral infection and its production of climatically active dimethylated sulfur species (DSS). Here we demonstrate that a 3°C increase in temperature induces EhV-resistant phenotypes in three E. huxleyi strains and that successful virus infection impacts DSS pool sizes. We also examined cellular polar lipids, given their documented roles in regulating host-virus interactions in this system, and propose that alterations to membrane-bound surface receptors are responsible for the observed temperature-induced resistance. Our findings have potential implications for global biogeochemical cycles in a warming climate and for deciphering the particular mechanism(s) by which some E. huxleyi strains exhibit viral resistance.
    Description: This study was supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (OCE-1061883 to KDB, BVM, and OCE-1061876 to GRD) and in part by grants from The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (to BVM and KDB).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Format: image/tiff
    Format: application/vnd.ms-excel
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 3
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Protist community grazing on prokaryotic prey in deep ocean water masses (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0124505, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124505.
    Description: Oceanic protist grazing at mesopelagic and bathypelagic depths, and their subsequent effects on trophic links between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, are not well constrained. Recent studies show evidence of higher than expected grazing activity by protists down to mesopelagic depths. This study provides the first exploration of protist grazing in the bathypelagic North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). Grazing was measured throughout the water column at three stations in the South Atlantic using fluorescently-labeled prey analogues. Grazing in the deep Antarctic Intermediate water (AAIW) and NADW at all three stations removed 3.79% ± 1.72% to 31.14% ± 8.24% of the standing prokaryote stock. These results imply that protist grazing may be a significant source of labile organic carbon at certain meso- and bathypelagic depths.
    Description: Funding for the cruise was provided by the National Science Foundation (OCE-1154320) to EBK. Funding for the laboratory work was provided by contributions from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Director of Research, Ocean Life Institute, and Deep Ocean Exploration Institute to VE.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 4
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Exploration of the canyon-incised continental margin of the northeastern United States reveals dynamic habitats and diverse communities (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: This is an open access article, free of all copyright. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0139904, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139904.
    Description: The continental margin off the northeastern United States (NEUS) contains numerous, topographically complex features that increase habitat heterogeneity across the region. However, the majority of these rugged features have never been surveyed, particularly using direct observations. During summer 2013, 31 Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives were conducted from 494 to 3271 m depth across a variety of seafloor features to document communities and to infer geological processes that produced such features. The ROV surveyed six broad-scale habitat features, consisting of shelf-breaching canyons, slope-sourced canyons, inter-canyon areas, open-slope/landslide-scar areas, hydrocarbon seeps, and Mytilus Seamount. Four previously unknown chemosynthetic communities dominated by Bathymodiolus mussels were documented. Seafloor methane hydrate was observed at two seep sites. Multivariate analyses indicated that depth and broad-scale habitat significantly influenced megafaunal coral (58 taxa), demersal fish (69 taxa), and decapod crustacean (34 taxa) assemblages. Species richness of fishes and crustaceans significantly declined with depth, while there was no relationship between coral richness and depth. Turnover in assemblage structure occurred on the middle to lower slope at the approximate boundaries of water masses found previously in the region. Coral species richness was also an important variable explaining variation in fish and crustacean assemblages. Coral diversity may serve as an indicator of habitat suitability and variation in available niche diversity for these taxonomic groups. Our surveys added 24 putative coral species and three fishes to the known regional fauna, including the black coral Telopathes magna, the octocoral Metallogorgia melanotrichos and the fishes Gaidropsarus argentatus, Guttigadus latifrons, and Lepidion guentheri. Marine litter was observed on 81% of the dives, with at least 12 coral colonies entangled in debris. While initial exploration revealed the NEUS region to be both geologically dynamic and biologically diverse, further research into the abiotic conditions and the biotic interactions that influence species abundance and distribution is needed.
    Description: Funding for the ship and ROV time was provided by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research with support from NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, Northeast Initiative.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 5
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    The amyloid precursor protein of Alzheimer’s disease clusters at the organelle/microtubule interface on organelles that bind microtubules in an ATP dependent manner (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0147808, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147808.
    Description: The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a causal agent in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and is a transmembrane protein that associates with membrane-limited organelles. APP has been shown to co-purify through immunoprecipitation with a kinesin light chain suggesting that APP may act as a trailer hitch linking kinesin to its intercellular cargo, however this hypothesis has been challenged. Previously, we identified an mRNA transcript that encodes a squid homolog of human APP770. The human and squid isoforms share 60% sequence identity and 76% sequence similarity within the cytoplasmic domain and share 15 of the final 19 amino acids at the C-terminus establishing this highly conserved domain as a functionally import segment of the APP molecule. Here, we study the distribution of squid APP in extruded axoplasm as well as in a well-characterized reconstituted organelle/microtubule preparation from the squid giant axon in which organelles bind microtubules and move towards the microtubule plus-ends. We find that APP associates with microtubules by confocal microscopy and co-purifies with KI-washed axoplasmic organelles by sucrose density gradient fractionation. By electron microscopy, APP clusters at a single focal point on the surfaces of organelles and localizes to the organelle/microtubule interface. In addition, the association of APP-organelles with microtubules is an ATP dependent process suggesting that the APP-organelles contain a microtubule-based motor protein. Although a direct kinesin/APP association remains controversial, the distribution of APP at the organelle/microtubule interface strongly suggests that APP-organelles have an orientation and that APP like the Alzheimer’s protein tau has a microtubule-based function.
    Description: Research reported in this publication was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103430.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 6
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Influence of environmental variables on Gambierdiscus spp. (Dinophyceae) growth and distribution (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0153197, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153197.
    Description: Benthic dinoflagellates in the genus Gambierdiscus produce the ciguatoxin precursors responsible for the occurrence of ciguatera toxicity. The prevalence of ciguatera toxins in fish has been linked to the presence and distribution of toxin-producing species in coral reef ecosystems, which is largely determined by the presence of suitable benthic habitat and environmental conditions favorable for growth. Here using single factor experiments, we examined the effects of salinity, irradiance, and temperature on growth of 17 strains of Gambierdiscus representing eight species/phylotypes (G. belizeanus, G. caribaeus, G. carolinianus, G. carpenteri, G. pacificus, G. silvae, Gambierdiscus sp. type 4–5), most of which were established from either Marakei Island, Republic of Kiribati, or St. Thomas, United States Virgin Island (USVI). Comparable to prior studies, growth rates fell within the range of 0–0.48 divisions day-1. In the salinity and temperature studies, Gambierdiscus responded in a near Gaussian, non-linear manner typical for such studies, with optimal and suboptimal growth occurring in the range of salinities of 25 and 45 and 21.0 and 32.5°C. In the irradiance experiment, no mortality was observed; however, growth rates at 55μmol photons · m-2 · s-1 were lower than those at 110–400μmol photons · m-2 · s-1. At the extremes of the environmental conditions tested, growth rates were highly variable, evidenced by large coefficients of variability. However, significant differences in intraspecific growth rates were typically found only at optimal or near-optimal growth conditions. Polynomial regression analyses showed that maximum growth occurred at salinity and temperature levels of 30.1–38.5 and 23.8–29.2°C, respectively. Gambierdiscus growth patterns varied among species, and within individual species: G. belizeanus, G. caribaeus, G. carpenteri, and G. pacificus generally exhibited a wider range of tolerance to environmental conditions, which may explain their broad geographic distribution. In contrast, G. silvae and Gambierdiscus sp. types 4–5 all displayed a comparatively narrow range of tolerance to temperature, salinity, and irradiance.
    Description: This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41506137); Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (2015GXNSFCA139003), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U01 EH000421); USFDA (F223201000060C); NOAA NOS through the CiguaHAB program (Cooperative Agreement NA11NOS4780060, NA11NOS4780028); the Lana Vento Trust and VI-EPSCoR Program (NSF award # 346483 & 081441); and a System Fund from Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education (2014BGERLXT01). Support was also provided by the Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health through National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant OCE-1314642, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Grant 1-P01-ES021923-014, as well as the China Scholarship Council.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 7
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Comparative analysis of secretome profiles of manganese(II)-oxidizing Ascomycete fungi (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose.
    Description: Fungal secretomes contain a wide range of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, including cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases, and lignin-degrading accessory enzymes, that synergistically drive litter decomposition in the environment. While secretome studies of model organisms such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Aspergillus species have greatly expanded our knowledge of these enzymes, few have extended secretome characterization to environmental isolates or conducted side-by-side comparisons of diverse species. Thus, the mechanisms of carbon degradation by many ubiquitous soil fungi remain poorly understood. Here we use a combination of LC-MS/MS, genomic, and bioinformatic analyses to characterize and compare the protein composition of the secretomes of four recently isolated, cosmopolitan, Mn(II)-oxidizing Ascomycetes (Alternaria alternata SRC1lrK2f, Stagonospora sp. SRC1lsM3a, Pyrenochaeta sp. DS3sAY3a, and Paraconiothyrium sporulosum AP3s5-JAC2a). We demonstrate that the organisms produce a rich yet functionally similar suite of extracellular enzymes, with species-specific differences in secretome composition arising from unique amino acid sequences rather than overall protein function. Furthermore, we identify not only a wide range of carbohydrate-active enzymes that can directly oxidize recalcitrant carbon, but also an impressive suite of redox-active accessory enzymes that suggests a role for Fenton-based hydroxyl radical formation in indirect, non-specific lignocellulose attack. Our findings highlight the diverse oxidative capacity of these environmental isolates and enhance our understanding of the role of filamentous Ascomycetes in carbon turnover in the environment.
    Description: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (www.nsf.gov), grant numbers EAR-1249489 and CBET-1336496, both awarded to CMH. Personal support for CAZ was also provided by Harvard University (www.harvard.edu) and by a Ford Foundation (www.fordfoundation.org) Predoctoral Fellowship administered by the National Academies.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 8
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Potential impacts of offshore wind farms on North Sea stratification (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0160830, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160830 .
    Description: Advances in offshore wind farm (OWF) technology have recently led to their construction in coastal waters that are deep enough to be seasonally stratified. As tidal currents move past the OWF foundation structures they generate a turbulent wake that will contribute to a mixing of the stratified water column. In this study we show that the mixing generated in this way may have a significant impact on the large-scale stratification of the German Bight region of the North Sea. This region is chosen as the focus of this study since the planning of OWFs is particularly widespread. Using a combination of idealised modelling and in situ measurements, we provide order-of-magnitude estimates of two important time scales that are key to understanding the impacts of OWFs: (i) a mixing time scale, describing how long a complete mixing of the stratification takes, and (ii) an advective time scale, quantifying for how long a water parcel is expected to undergo enhanced wind farm mixing. The results are especially sensitive to both the drag coefficient and type of foundation structure, as well as the evolution of the pycnocline under enhanced mixing conditions—both of which are not well known. With these limitations in mind, the results show that OWFs could impact the large-scale stratification, but only when they occupy extensive shelf regions. They are expected to have very little impact on large-scale stratification at the current capacity in the North Sea, but the impact could be significant in future large-scale development scenarios.
    Description: Funding was provided by the Helmholtz Foundation through the Polar Regions and Coasts in the Changing Earth System II (PACES II) program.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 9
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Predicting interactions between common dolphins and the pole-and-line tuna fishery in the Azores (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 11 (2016): e0164107, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0164107.
    Description: Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) are responsible for the large majority of interactions with the pole-and-line tuna fishery in the Azores but the underlying drivers remain poorly understood. In this study we investigate the influence of various environmental and fisheries-related factors in promoting the interaction of common dolphins with this fishery and estimate the resultant catch losses. We analysed 15 years of fishery and cetacean interaction data (1998–2012) collected by observers placed aboard tuna fishing vessels. Dolphins interacted in less than 3% of the fishing events observed during the study period. The probability of dolphin interaction varied significantly between years with no evident trend over time. Generalized additive modeling results suggest that fishing duration, sea surface temperature and prey abundance in the region were the most important factors explaining common dolphin interaction. Dolphin interaction had no impact on the catches of albacore, skipjack and yellowfin tuna but resulted in significantly lower catches of bigeye tuna, with a predicted median annual loss of 13.5% in the number of fish captured. However, impact on bigeye catches varied considerably both by year and fishing area. Our work shows that rates of common dolphin interaction with the pole-and-line tuna fishery in the Azores are low and showed no signs of increase over the study period. Although overall economic impact was low, the interaction may lead to significant losses in some years. These findings emphasize the need for continued monitoring and for further research into the consequences and economic viability of potential mitigation measures.
    Description: This work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and DRCT/SRCTE, though FEDER, the Competitiveness Factors Operational (COMPETE), QREN European Social Fund, the Portuguese Ministry for Science and Education, under research projects TRACE (PTDC/MAR/74071/2006), FCT Exploratory Project (IF/00943/2013/CP1199/CT0001), and MAPCET (M2.1.2/F/012/2011). We acknowledge the support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), through the strategic project UID/MAR/04292/2013 granted to MARE. We thank the Azorean Regional Government for funding POPA, the Ship-owners Association and the Association of the Tuna Canning Industries for their support to the program. MJC was supported by a DRCT doctoral grant (M3.1.2/F/008/2009). MAS was supported by POPH, QREN, European Social Fund and Portuguese Ministry for Science and Education, through an FCT Investigator grant (IF/00943/2013).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 10
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Light control of G protein signaling pathways by a novel photopigment (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 13 (2018): e0205015, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0205015.
    Description: Channelopsins and photo-regulated ion channels make it possible to use light to control electrical activity of cells. This powerful approach has lead to a veritable explosion of applications, though it is limited to changing membrane voltage of the target cells. An enormous potential could be tapped if similar opto-genetic techniques could be extended to the control of chemical signaling pathways. Photopigments from invertebrate photoreceptors are an obvious choice—as they do not bleach upon illumination -however, their functional expression has been problematic. We exploited an unusual opsin, pScop2, recently identified in ciliary photoreceptors of scallop. Phylogenetically, it is closer to vertebrate opsins, and offers the advantage of being a bi-stable photopigment. We inserted its coding sequence and a fluorescent protein reporter into plasmid vectors and demonstrated heterologous expression in various mammalian cell lines. HEK 293 cells were selected as a heterologous system for functional analysis, because wild type cells displayed the largest currents in response to the G-protein activator, GTP-γ-S. A line of HEK cells stably transfected with pScop2 was generated; after reconstitution of the photopigment with retinal, light responses were obtained in some cells, albeit of modest amplitude. In native photoreceptors pScop2 couples to Go; HEK cells express poorly this G-protein, but have a prominent Gq/PLC pathway linked to internal Ca mobilization. To enhance pScop2 competence to tap into this pathway, we swapped its third intracellular loop—important to confer specificity of interaction between 7TMDRs and G-proteins—with that of a Gq-linked opsin which we cloned from microvillar photoreceptors present in the same retina. The chimeric construct was evaluated by a Ca fluorescence assay, and was shown to mediate a robust mobilization of internal calcium in response to illumination. The results project pScop2 as a potentially powerful optogenetic tool to control signaling pathways.
    Description: This work was funded by Colciencias grant FP44842-010-2015 and Connecticut Fund for Science.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 11
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Petrocarbon evolution: Ramped pyrolysis/oxidation and isotopic studies of contaminated oil sediments from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Authors, 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Rogers, K. L., Bosman, S. H., Lardie-Gaylord, M., McNichol, A., Rosenheim, B. E., Montoya, J. P., & Chanton, J. P. (2019). Petrocarbon evolution: Ramped pyrolysis/oxidation and isotopic studies of contaminated oil sediments from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. PLoS One, 14(2), (2019):e0212433, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212433.
    Description: Hydrocarbons released during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill weathered due to exposure to oxygen, light, and microbes. During weathering, the hydrocarbons’ reactivity and lability was altered, but it remained identifiable as “petrocarbon” due to its retention of the distinctive isotope signatures (14C and 13C) of petroleum. Relative to the initial estimates of the quantity of oil-residue deposited in Gulf sediments based on 2010–2011 data, the overall coverage and quantity of the fossil carbon on the seafloor has been attenuated. To analyze recovery of oil contaminated deep-sea sediments in the northern Gulf of Mexico we tracked the carbon isotopic composition (13C and 14C, radiocarbon) of bulk sedimentary organic carbon through time at 4 sites. Using ramped pyrolysis/oxidation, we determined the thermochemical stability of sediment organic matter at 5 sites, two of these in time series. There were clear differences between crude oil (which decomposed at a lower temperature during ramped oxidation), natural hydrocarbon seep sediment (decomposing at a higher temperature; Δ14C = -912‰) and our control site (decomposing at a moderate temperature; Δ14C = -189‰), in both the stability (ability to withstand ramped temperatures in oxic conditions) and carbon isotope signatures. We observed recovery toward our control site bulk Δ14C composition at sites further from the wellhead in ~4 years, whereas sites in closer proximity had longer recovery times. The thermographs also indicated temporal changes in the composition of contaminated sediment, with shifts towards higher temperature CO2 evolution over time at a site near the wellhead, and loss of higher temperature CO2 peaks at a more distant site.
    Description: This research was made possible by grants from The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative through its consortiums: Ecosystem Impacts of Oil & Gas Inputs to the Gulf (ECOGIG), The Center for the Integrated Modeling and Analysis of the Gulf Ecosystem (C-Image), and Deep Sea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Deep-C) and the Resuspension, Redistribution and Deposition of DWH Recalcitrant Material (Re-Direct) project. This is ECOGIG Contribution # 521. Funding was also provided by the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility (NOSAMS) Graduate Student Internship Program (NSF OCE-1239667). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 12
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Microbial iron mats at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and evidence that Zetaproteobacteria may be restricted to iron-oxidizing marine systems (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0119284, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0119284 .
    Description: Chemolithoautotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria play an essential role in the global iron cycle. Thus far, the majority of marine iron-oxidizing bacteria have been identified as Zetaproteobacteria, a novel class within the phylum Proteobacteria. Marine iron-oxidizing microbial communities have been found associated with volcanically active seamounts, crustal spreading centers, and coastal waters. However, little is known about the presence and diversity of iron-oxidizing communities at hydrothermal systems along the slow crustal spreading center of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. From October to November 2012, samples were collected from rust-colored mats at three well-known hydrothermal vent systems on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Rainbow, Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse, and Snake Pit) using the ROV Jason II. The goal of these efforts was to determine if iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria were present at sites proximal to black smoker vent fields. Small, diffuse flow venting areas with high iron(II) concentrations and rust-colored microbial mats were observed at all three sites proximal to black smoker chimneys. A novel, syringe-based precision sampler was used to collect discrete microbial iron mat samples at the three sites. The presence of Zetaproteobacteria was confirmed using a combination of 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and single-cell sorting, while light micros-copy revealed a variety of iron-oxyhydroxide structures, indicating that active iron-oxidizing communities exist along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Sequencing analysis suggests that these iron mats contain cosmopolitan representatives of Zetaproteobacteria, but also exhibit diversity that may be uncommon at other iron-rich marine sites studied to date. A meta-analysis of publically available data encompassing a variety of aquatic habitats indicates that Zetaproteobacteria are rare if an iron source is not readily available. This work adds to the growing understanding of Zetaproteobacteria ecology and suggests that this organism is likely locally restricted to iron-rich marine environments but may exhibit wide-scale geographic distribution, further underscoring the importance of Zetaproteobacteria in global iron cycling.
    Description: This work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation [grants OCE-0926805 (DE and JAB), OCE-1155754 (DE), and OCE-1131109 (GWL)] and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NNX12AG20G (GWL and DE)].
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 13
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Microbial gene abundance and expression patterns across a river to ocean salinity gradient (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0140578, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140578.
    Description: Microbial communities mediate the biogeochemical cycles that drive ecosystems, and it is important to understand how these communities are affected by changing environmental conditions, especially in complex coastal zones. As fresh and marine waters mix in estuaries and river plumes, the salinity, temperature, and nutrient gradients that are generated strongly influence bacterioplankton community structure, yet, a parallel change in functional diversity has not been described. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses were conducted on five water samples spanning the salinity gradient of the Columbia River coastal margin, including river, estuary, plume, and ocean, in August 2010. Samples were pre-filtered through 3 μm filters and collected on 0.2 μm filters, thus results were focused on changes among free-living microbial communities. Results from metagenomic 16S rRNA sequences showed taxonomically distinct bacterial communities in river, estuary, and coastal ocean. Despite the strong salinity gradient observed over sampling locations (0 to 33), the functional gene profiles in the metagenomes were very similar from river to ocean with an average similarity of 82%. The metatranscriptomes, however, had an average similarity of 31%. Although differences were few among the metagenomes, we observed a change from river to ocean in the abundance of genes encoding for catabolic pathways, osmoregulators, and metal transporters. Additionally, genes specifying both bacterial oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis were abundant and expressed in the estuary and plume. Denitrification genes were found throughout the Columbia River coastal margin, and most highly expressed in the estuary. Across a river to ocean gradient, the free-living microbial community followed three different patterns of diversity: 1) the taxonomy of the community changed strongly with salinity, 2) metabolic potential was highly similar across samples, with few differences in functional gene abundance from river to ocean, and 3) gene expression was highly variable and generally was independent of changes in salinity.
    Description: This study was carried out within the context of the Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction (CMOP) supported by the National Science Foundation, grant number OCE-0424602 to Antonio Baptista (http://www.stccmop.org).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Format: text/plain
    Format: application/vnd.ms-excel
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 14
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Mercury-pollution induction of intracellular lipid accumulation and lysosomal compartment amplification in the benthic foraminifer Ammonia parkinsoniana (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0162401, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0162401.
    Description: Heavy metals such as mercury (Hg) pose a significant health hazard through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. By penetrating cell membranes, heavy metal ions may lead to pathological conditions. Here we examined the responses of Ammonia parkinsoniana, a benthic foraminiferan, to different concentrations of Hg in the artificial sea water. Confocal images of untreated and treated specimens using fluorescent probes (Nile Red and Acridine Orange) provided an opportunity for visualizing the intracellular lipid accumulation and acidic compartment regulation. With increased Hg over time, we observed an increased number of lipid droplets, which may have acted as a detoxifying organelle where Hg is sequestered and biologically inactivated. Further, Hg seems to promote the proliferation of lysosomes both in terms of number and dimension that, at the highest level of Hg, resulted in cell death. We report, for the first time, the presence of Hg within the foraminiferal cell: at the basal part of pores, in the organic linings of the foramen/septa, and as cytoplasmic accumulations.
    Description: The research for this paper was partially made possible by the financial support from the PRIN 2010-2011 Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (MIUR) (protocollo 2010RMTLYR) to RC. JMB acknowledges support from The Investment in Science Fund at WHOI. BG, JRE, AJ, LZ, and EMP were supported in part by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research, US Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Mercury Science Focus Area at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is managed by UT-Battelle LLC for the DOE under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 15
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Shipboard design and fabrication of custom 3D-printed soft robotic manipulators for the investigation of delicate deep-sea organisms (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLos One 13 (2018): e0200386, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0200386.
    Description: Soft robotics is an emerging technology that has shown considerable promise in deep-sea marine biological applications. It is particularly useful in facilitating delicate interactions with fragile marine organisms. This study describes the shipboard design, 3D printing and integration of custom soft robotic manipulators for investigating and interacting with deep-sea organisms. Soft robotics manipulators were tested down to 2224m via a Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) and facilitated the study of a diverse suite of soft-bodied and fragile marine life. Instantaneous feedback from the ROV pilots and biologists allowed for rapid re-design, such as adding “fingernails”, and re-fabrication of soft manipulators at sea. These were then used to successfully grasp fragile deep-sea animals, such as goniasterids and holothurians, which have historically been difficult to collect undamaged via rigid mechanical arms and suction samplers. As scientific expeditions to remote parts of the world are costly and lengthy to plan, on-the-fly soft robot actuator printing offers a real-time solution to better understand and interact with delicate deep-sea environments, soft-bodied, brittle, and otherwise fragile organisms. This also offers a less invasive means of interacting with slow-growing deep marine organisms, some of which can be up to 18,000 years old.
    Description: This work is supported by NOAA OER Grant # NA17OAR0110083 “Exploration of the Seamounts of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area” to RDR, EEC, TMS and DFG and Schmidt Ocean Institute Grant: “What is the Current State of the Deep-Sea Coral Ecosystem in the Phoenix Island Protected Area?” to EEC, RDR, TMS and DFG; NSF Instrument Development for Biological Research Award # 1556164 to RJW and #1556123 to DFG; the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative of the National Academy of Sciences under award #NAKFI DBS21 to RJW and DFG; and NFS Research Fellowship awarded to KPB (#DGE1144152). It is also supported by the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. We are grateful for the support from the National Geographic Society Innovation Challenge (Grant No.: SP 12-14) to RJW and DFG.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 16
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Resonance control of acoustic focusing systems through an environmental reference table and impedance spectroscopy (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 13 (2018): e0207532, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207532.
    Description: Acoustic standing waves can precisely focus flowing particles or cells into tightly positioned streams for interrogation or downstream separations. The efficiency of an acoustic standing wave device is dependent upon operating at a resonance frequency. Small changes in a system’s temperature and sample salinity can shift the device’s resonance condition, leading to poor focusing. Practical implementation of an acoustic standing wave system requires an automated resonance control system to adjust the standing wave frequency in response to environmental changes. Here we have developed a rigorous approach for quantifying the optimal acoustic focusing frequency at any given environmental condition. We have demonstrated our approach across a wide range of temperature and salinity conditions to provide a robust characterization of how the optimal acoustic focusing resonance frequency shifts across these conditions. To generalize these results, two microfluidic bulk acoustic standing wave systems (a steel capillary and an etched silicon wafer) were examined. Models of these temperature and salinity effects suggest that it is the speed of sound within the liquid sample that dominates the resonance frequency shift. Using these results, a simple reference table can be generated to predict the optimal resonance condition as a function of temperature and salinity. Additionally, we show that there is a local impedance minimum associated with the optimal system resonance. The integration of the environmental results for coarse frequency tuning followed by a local impedance characterization for fine frequency adjustments, yields a highly accurate method of resonance control. Such an approach works across a wide range of environmental conditions, is easy to automate, and could have a significant impact across a wide range of microfluidic acoustic standing wave systems.
    Description: This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number R21GM107805 and the NSF under award number (OCE-1130140 and OCE-1131134) to SWG, RJO, and HMS.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 17
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Regenerative capacity in the lamprey spinal cord is not altered after a repeated transection (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 14(1), (2019):e0204193, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204193.
    Description: The resilience of regeneration in vertebrates is not very well understood. Yet understanding if tissues can regenerate after repeated insults, and identifying limitations, is important for elucidating the underlying mechanisms of tissue plasticity. This is particularly challenging in tissues, such as the nervous system, which possess a large number of terminally differentiated cells and often exhibit limited regeneration in the first place. However, unlike mammals, which exhibit very limited regeneration of spinal cord tissues, many non-mammalian vertebrates, including lampreys, bony fishes, amphibians, and reptiles, regenerate their spinal cords and functionally recover even after a complete spinal cord transection. It is well established that lampreys undergo full functional recovery of swimming behaviors after a single spinal cord transection, which is accompanied by tissue repair at the lesion site, as well as axon and synapse regeneration. Here we begin to explore the resilience of spinal cord regeneration in lampreys after a second spinal transection (re-transection). We report that by all functional and anatomical measures tested, lampreys regenerate after spinal re-transection just as robustly as after single transections. Recovery of swimming, synapse and cytoskeletal distributions, axon regeneration, and neuronal survival were nearly identical after spinal transection or re-transection. Only minor differences in tissue repair at the lesion site were observed in re-transected spinal cords. Thus, regenerative potential in the lamprey spinal cord is largely unaffected by spinal re-transection, indicating a greater persistent regenerative potential than exists in some other highly regenerative models. These findings establish a new path for uncovering pro-regenerative targets that could be deployed in non-regenerative conditions.
    Description: The authors would like to thank Dr. Cristina Roman-Vendrell and Louie Kerr, Director of the Central Microscopy Facility at the MBL, for technical support. We also thank Dr. Juan Diaz-Quiroz for helpful comments on the manuscript. EG was supported in part by an NSF REU Award (#1659604: Biological Discovery in Woods Hole at the Marine Biological Laboratory).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 18
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Inbreeding ratio and genetic relationships among strains of the Western clawed frog, Xenopus tropicalis (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0133963, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133963.
    Description: The Western clawed frog, Xenopus tropicalis, is a highly promising model amphibian, especially in developmental and physiological research, and as a tool for understanding disease. It was originally found in the West African rainforest belt, and was introduced to the research community in the 1990s. The major strains thus far known include the Nigerian and Ivory Coast strains. However, due to its short history as an experimental animal, the genetic relationship among the various strains has not yet been clarified, and establishment of inbred strains has not yet been achieved. Since 2003 the Institute for Amphibian Biology (IAB), Hiroshima University has maintained stocks of multiple X. tropicalis strains and conducted consecutive breeding as part of the National BioResource Project. In the present study we investigated the inbreeding ratio and genetic relationship of four inbred strains at IAB, as well as stocks from other institutions, using highly polymorphic microsatellite markers and mitochondrial haplotypes. Our results show successive reduction of heterozygosity in the genome of the IAB inbred strains. The Ivory Coast strains clearly differed from the Nigerian strains genetically, and three subgroups were identified within both the Nigerian and Ivory Coast strains. It is noteworthy that the Ivory Coast strains have an evolutionary divergent genetic background. Our results serve as a guide for the most effective use of X. tropicalis strains, and the long-term maintenance of multiple strains will contribute to further research efforts.
    Description: This work was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust (101480/Z/13/Z, http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/stellent/group​s/corporatesite/@msh_publishing_group/do​cuments/web_document/wts058331.pdf) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/K019988/1, http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/pa/grants/AwardDe​tails.aspx?FundingReference=BB/K019988/1) to the European Xenopus Resource Centre. This work was also supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (No. 23710282, http://kaken.nii.ac.jp/d/p/23710282.en.h​tml) to TI from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (No. 20510216, http://kaken.nii.ac.jp/d/p/24310173.en.h​tml) to MS from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 19
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    The influence of age and gender on skin-associated microbial communities in urban and rural human populations (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One (10): e0141842, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141842.
    Description: Differences in the bacterial community structure associated with 7 skin sites in 71 healthy people over five days showed significant correlations with age, gender, physical skin parameters, and whether participants lived in urban or rural locations in the same city. While body site explained the majority of the variance in bacterial community structure, the composition of the skin-associated bacterial communities were predominantly influenced by whether the participants were living in an urban or rural environment, with a significantly greater relative abundance of Trabulsiella in urban populations. Adults maintained greater overall microbial diversity than adolescents or the elderly, while the intragroup variation among the elderly and rural populations was significantly greater. Skin-associated bacterial community structure and composition could predict whether a sample came from an urban or a rural resident ~5x greater than random.
    Description: This work was supported by a grant from Johnson & Johnson (China).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: text/plain
    Format: application/pdf
    Format: application/vnd.ms-excel
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 20
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    The good, the bad, and the tiny : a simple, mechanistic-probabilistic model of virus-nutrient colimitation in microbes (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0143299, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0143299.
    Description: For phytoplankton and other microbes, nutrient receptors are often the passages through which viruses invade. This presents a bottom-up vs. top-down, co-limitation scenario; how do these would-be-hosts balance minimizing viral susceptibility with maximizing uptake of limiting nutrient(s)? This question has been addressed in the biological literature on evolutionary timescales for populations, but a shorter timescale, mechanistic perspective is lacking, and marine viral literature suggests the strong influence of additional factors, e.g. host size; while the literature on both nutrient uptake and host-virus interactions is expansive, their intersection, of ubiquitous relevance to marine environments, is understudied. I present a simple, mechanistic model from first principles to analyze the effect of this co-limitation scenario on individual growth, which suggests that in environments with high risk of viral invasion or spatial/temporal heterogeneity, an individual host’s growth rate may be optimized with respect to receptor coverage, producing top-down selective pressure on short timescales. The model has general applicability, is suggestive of hypotheses for empirical exploration, and can be extended to theoretical studies of more complex behaviors and systems.
    Description: This work was supported by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Charles Vest Presidential Fellowship.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Format: text/csv
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 21
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Site-specific variation in gene expression from Symbiodinium spp. associated with offshore and inshore Porites astreoides in the lower Florida Keys is lost with bleaching and disease stress (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 12 (2017): e0173350, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0173350.
    Description: Scleractinian coral are experiencing unprecedented rates of mortality due to increases in sea surface temperatures in response to global climate change. Some coral species however, survive high temperature events due to a reduced susceptibility to bleaching. We investigated the relationship between bleaching susceptibility and expression of five metabolically related genes of Symbiodinium spp. from the coral Porites astreoides originating from an inshore and offshore reef in the Florida Keys. The acclimatization potential of Symbiodinium spp. to changing temperature regimes was also measured via a two-year reciprocal transplant between the sites. Offshore coral fragments displayed significantly higher expression in Symbiodinium spp. genes PCNA, SCP2, G3PDH, PCP and psaE than their inshore counterparts (p〈0.05), a pattern consistent with increased bleaching susceptibility in offshore corals. Additionally, gene expression patterns in Symbiodinium spp. from site of origin were conserved throughout the two-year reciprocal transplant, indicating acclimatization did not occur within this multi-season time frame. Further, laboratory experiments were used to investigate the influence of acute high temperature (32°C for eight hours) and disease (lipopolysaccharide of Serratia marcescens) on the five metabolically related symbiont genes from the same offshore and inshore P. astreoides fragments. Gene expression did not differ between reef fragments, or as a consequence of acute exposure to heat or heat and disease, contrasting to results found in the field. Gene expression reported here indicates functional variation in populations of Symbiodinium spp. associated with P. astreoides in the Florida Keys, and is likely a result of localized adaptation. However, gene expression patterns observed in the lab imply that functional variation in zooxanthellae observed under conditions of chronic moderate stress is lost under the acute extreme conditions studied here.
    Description: Funding for this research was provided by Coastal Preservation network (KBS, BHS).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 22
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Characterization of trace metal content in the developing zebrafish embryo (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 12 (2017): e0179318, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179318.
    Description: Trace metals are essential for health but toxic when present in excess. The maintenance of trace metals at physiologic levels reflects both import and export by cells and absorption and excretion by organs. The mechanism by which this maintenance is achieved in vertebrate organisms is incompletely understood. To explore this, we chose zebrafish as our model organism, as they are amenable to both pharmacologic and genetic manipulation and comprise an ideal system for genetic screens and toxicological studies. To characterize trace metal content in developing zebrafish, we measured levels of three trace elements, copper, zinc, and manganese, from the oocyte stage to 30 days post-fertilization using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results indicate that metal levels are stable until zebrafish can acquire metals from the environment and imply that the early embryo relies on maternal contribution of metals to the oocyte. We also measured metal levels in bodies and yolks of embryos reared in presence and absence of the copper chelator neocuproine. All three metals exhibited different relative abundances between yolks and bodies of embryos. While neocuproine treatment led to an expected phenotype of copper deficiency, total copper levels were unaffected, indicating that measurement of total metal levels does not equate with measurement of biologically active metal levels. Overall, our data not only can be used in the design and execution of genetic, physiologic, and toxicologic studies but also has implications for the understanding of vertebrate metal homeostasis.
    Description: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, R00 DK84122.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 23
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    African baobabs with false inner cavities : the radiocarbon investigation of the Lebombo Eco Trail Baobab (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 10 (2015): e0117193, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117193.
    Description: The article reports the radiocarbon investigation results of the Lebombo Eco Trail tree, a representative African baobab from Mozambique. Several wood samples collected from the large inner cavity and from the outer part of the tree were investigated by AMS radiocarbon dating. According to dating results, the age values of all samples increase from the sampling point with the distance into the wood. For samples collected from the cavity walls, the increase of age values with the distance into the wood (up to a point of maximum age) represents a major anomaly. The only realistic explanation for this anomaly is that such inner cavities are, in fact, natural empty spaces between several fused stems disposed in a ring-shaped structure. We named them false cavities. Several important differences between normal cavities and false cavities are presented. Eventually, we dated other African baobabs with false inner cavities. We found that this new architecture enables baobabs to reach large sizes and old ages. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was 1425 ± 24 BP, which corresponds to a calibrated age of 1355 ± 15 yr. The dating results also show that the Lebombo baobab consists of five fused stems, with ages between 900 and 1400 years; these five stems build the complete ring. The ring and the false cavity closed 800–900 years ago. The results also indicate that the stems stopped growing toward the false cavity over the past 500 years.
    Description: The research was fully funded by the Romanian Ministry of National Education CNCS-UEFISCDI under grant PN-II-ID-PCE-2013-76.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 24
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    An integrated assessment model for helping the United States sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery plan ahead for ocean acidification and warming (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This is an open access article, free of all copyright. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0124145, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124145.
    Description: Ocean acidification, the progressive change in ocean chemistry caused by uptake of atmospheric CO2, is likely to affect some marine resources negatively, including shellfish. The Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) supports one of the most economically important single-species commercial fisheries in the United States. Careful management appears to be the most powerful short-term factor affecting scallop populations, but in the coming decades scallops will be increasingly influenced by global environmental changes such as ocean warming and ocean acidification. In this paper, we describe an integrated assessment model (IAM) that numerically simulates oceanographic, population dynamic, and socioeconomic relationships for the U.S. commercial sea scallop fishery. Our primary goal is to enrich resource management deliberations by offering both short- and long-term insight into the system and generating detailed policy-relevant information about the relative effects of ocean acidification, temperature rise, fishing pressure, and socioeconomic factors on the fishery using a simplified model system. Starting with relationships and data used now for sea scallop fishery management, the model adds socioeconomic decision making based on static economic theory and includes ocean biogeochemical change resulting from CO2 emissions. The model skillfully reproduces scallop population dynamics, market dynamics, and seawater carbonate chemistry since 2000. It indicates sea scallop harvests could decline substantially by 2050 under RCP 8.5 CO2 emissions and current harvest rules, assuming that ocean acidification affects P. magellanicus by decreasing recruitment and slowing growth, and that ocean warming increases growth. Future work will explore different economic and management scenarios and test how potential impacts of ocean acidification on other scallop biological parameters may influence the social-ecological system. Future empirical work on the effect of ocean acidification on sea scallops is also needed.
    Description: Cooley, Rheuban, and Doney were supported by NOAA Grant NA12NOS4780145 (www.noaa.gov) and the Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making (CEDM, NSF SES-0949710) (www.nsf.gov). Luu was supported by a WHOI Summer Student Fellowship (www.whoi.edu).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 25
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Destructive changes in the neuronal structure of the FVB/N mouse retina (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0129719, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129719.
    Description: We applied a series of selective antibodies for labeling the various cell types in the mammalian retina. These were used to identify the progressive loss of neurons in the FVB/N mouse, a model of early onset retinal degeneration produced by a mutation in the pde6b gene. The immunocytochemical studies, together with electroretinogram (ERG) recordings, enabled us to examine the time course of the degenerative changes that extended from the photoreceptors to the ganglion cells at the proximal end of the retina. Our study indicates that photoreceptors in FVB/N undergo a rapid degeneration within three postnatal weeks, and that there is a concomitant loss of retinal neurons in the inner nuclear layer. Although the loss of rods was detected at an earlier age during which time M- and S-opsin molecules were translocated to the cone nuclei; by 6 months all cones had also degenerated. Neuronal remodeling was also seen in the second-order neurons with horizontal cells sprouting processes proximally and dendritic retraction in rod-driven bipolar cells. Interestingly, the morphology of cone-driven bipolar cells were affected less by the disease process. The cellular structure of inner retinal neurons, i.e., ChAT amacrine cells, ganglion cells, and melanopsin-positive ganglion cells did not exhibit any gross changes of cell densities and appeared to be relatively unaffected by the massive photoreceptor degeneration in the distal retina. However, Muller cell processes began to express GFAP at their endfeet at p14, and it climbed progressively to the cell’s distal ends by 6 months. Our study indicates that FVB/N mouse provides a useful model with which to assess possible intervention strategies to arrest photoreceptor death in related diseases.
    Description: This study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF, IOS-1021646, WS) and the National Eye Institute (NEI, EY 14161, WS).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 26
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    AMS radiocarbon dating of large za baobabs (Adansonia za) of Madagascar (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0146977, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146977 .
    Description: The article reports the radiocarbon investigation of Anzapalivoro, the largest za baobab (Adansonia za) specimen of Madagascar and of another za, namely the Big cistern baobab. Several wood samples collected from the large inner cavity and from the outer part/exterior of the tree were investigated by AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating. For samples collected from the cavity walls, the age values increase with the distance into the wood up to a point of maximum age, after which the values decrease toward the outer part. This anomaly of age sequences indicates that the inner cavity of Anzapalivoro is a false cavity, practically an empty space between several fused stems disposed in a ring-shaped structure. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was 780 ± 30 bp, which corresponds to a calibrated age of around 735 yr. Dating results indicate that Anzapalivoro has a closed ring-shaped structure, which consists of 5 fused stems that close a false cavity. The oldest part of the biggest za baobab has a calculated age of 900 years. We also disclose results of the investigation of a second za baobab, the Big cistern baobab, which was hollowed out for water storage. This specimen, which consists of 4 fused stems, was found to be around 260 years old.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 27
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Biochemical mechanisms for geographical adaptations to novel toxin exposures in butterflyfish (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0154208, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154208
    Description: Some species of butterflyfish have had preyed upon corals for millions of years, yet the mechanism of butterflyfish specialized coral feeding strategy remains poorly understood. Certain butterflyfish have the ability to feed on allelochemically rich soft corals, e.g. Sinularia maxima. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is the predominant enzyme system responsible for the detoxification of dietary allelochemicals. CYP2-like and CYP3A-like content have been associated with butterflyfish that preferentially consumes allelochemically rich soft corals. To investigate the role of butterflyfish CYP2 and CYP3A enzymes in dietary preference, we conducted oral feeding experiments using homogenates of S. maxima and a toxin isolated from the coral in four species of butterflyfish with different feeding strategies. After oral exposure to the S. maxima toxin 5-episinulaptolide (5ESL), which is not normally encountered in the Hawaiian butterflyfish diet, an endemic specialist, Chaetodon multicinctus experienced 100% mortality compared to a generalist, Chaetodon auriga, which had significantly more (3–6 fold higher) CYP3A-like basal content and catalytic activity. The specialist, Chaetodon unimaculatus, which preferentially feed on S. maxima in Guam, but not in Hawaii, had 100% survival, a significant induction of 8–12 fold CYP3A-like content, and an increased ability (2-fold) to metabolize 5ESL over other species. Computer modeling data of CYP3A4 with 5ESL were consistent with microsomal transformation of 5ESL to a C15-16 epoxide from livers of C. unimaculatus. Epoxide formation correlated with CYP3A-like content, catalytic activity, induction, and NADPH-dependent metabolism of 5ESL. These results suggest a potentially important role for the CYP3A family in butterflyfish-coral diet selection through allelochemical detoxification.
    Description: This work received support from the following sources: Resource Allocation Program of the Agricultural Research Station for UCR to DS; Summer funding by Hilda and George Liebig Environmental Sciences Summer Fellowship and travel grant Albert March Environmental Sciences Scholarship from the University of California, Riverside; and the Chemistry and DMPK CORE of COBRE, P20GM104932 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported the chemistry studies.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 28
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Smartphone-based distributed data collection enables rapid assessment of shorebird habitat suitability (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: This is an open access article, free of all copyright. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 11 (2016): e0164979, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164979.
    Description: Understanding and managing dynamic coastal landscapes for beach-dependent species requires biological and geological data across the range of relevant environments and habitats. It is difficult to acquire such information; data often have limited focus due to resource constraints, are collected by non-specialists, or lack observational uniformity. We developed an open-source smartphone application called iPlover that addresses these difficulties in collecting biogeomorphic information at piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites on coastal beaches. This paper describes iPlover development and evaluates data quality and utility following two years of collection (n = 1799 data points over 1500 km of coast between Maine and North Carolina, USA). We found strong agreement between field user and expert assessments and high model skill when data were used for habitat suitability prediction. Methods used here to develop and deploy a distributed data collection system have broad applicability to interdisciplinary environmental monitoring and modeling.
    Description: This work was supported by the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative through the U.S. Department of the Interior Hurricane Sandy recovery program under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, and the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 29
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Strength in numbers : collaborative science for new experimental model systems (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-25
    Description: The work is made available under the Creative Commons CCO public domain dedication.. The definitive version was published in PLoS Biology 16 (2018): e2006333, doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2006333.
    Description: Our current understanding of biology is heavily based on a small number of genetically tractable model organisms. Most eukaryotic phyla lack such experimental models, and this limits our ability to explore the molecular mechanisms that ultimately define their biology, ecology, and diversity. In particular, marine protists suffer from a paucity of model organisms despite playing critical roles in global nutrient cycles, food webs, and climate. To address this deficit, an initiative was launched in 2015 to foster the development of ecologically and taxonomically diverse marine protist genetic models. The development of new models faces many barriers, some technical and others institutional, and this often discourages the risky, long-term effort that may be required. To lower these barriers and tackle the complexity of this effort, a highly collaborative community-based approach was taken. Herein, we describe this approach, the advances achieved, and the lessons learned by participants in this novel community-based model for research.
    Description: The research efforts, connections, and collaborations described in this paper and protocols.io (https://www.protocols.io/) were supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Marine Microbiology Initiative.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 30
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Multi-use of the sea: A wide array of opportunities from site-specific cases across Europe (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    In:  EPIC3PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 14(4), pp. 1-36
    Details
    Publication Date: 2020-02-27
    Description: The concept of multi-use of the sea has gained popularity in recent years as a result of ocean space (coastal areas and regions with relatively small sea space in particular) becoming increasingly crowded due to the development of the maritime economy. Competing claims for space can be a source of conflict, however this may also lead to mutual benefits for different users when sustainable combinations are sought. Despite increasing European-wide efforts, on-the-ground knowledge and practice of multi-use are still limited. Therefore, with the aim of investigating opportunities for multi-use development in the European seas, 10 case studies were selected, involving different site-specific contexts. This study analyses the characteristics and development potential for ocean multi-use, integrating results from desk analysis and stakeholder perceptions from different sectors in each of the case study locations. Similarities and differences between various combinations of sea uses are also identified. The results show a high heterogeneity of multi-use opportunities between case studies, with a range of combinations identified. The investigated combinations of maritime uses share an overall balance between factors promoting (drivers) and hindering (barriers) multi-use development. Based on stakeholder opinions, expected benefits (added values) of multi-use implementation outweigh potential negative impacts. Management actions are also proposed to further exploit multi-use potential at a local, regional (sub-national) and national levels.
    Repository Name: EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
    Type: Article , isiRev , info:eu-repo/semantics/article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 31
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Reef-fidelity and migration of tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, across the Coral Sea (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2014. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 9 (2014): e83249, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083249.
    Description: Knowledge of the habitat use and migration patterns of large sharks is important for assessing the effectiveness of large predator Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), vulnerability to fisheries and environmental influences, and management of shark–human interactions. Here we compare movement, reef-fidelity, and ocean migration for tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, across the Coral Sea, with an emphasis on New Caledonia. Thirty-three tiger sharks (1.54 to 3.9 m total length) were tagged with passive acoustic transmitters and their localised movements monitored on receiver arrays in New Caledonia, the Chesterfield and Lord Howe Islands in the Coral Sea, and the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Satellite tags were also used to determine habitat use and movements among habitats across the Coral Sea. Sub-adults and one male adult tiger shark displayed year-round residency in the Chesterfields with two females tagged in the Chesterfields and detected on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, after 591 and 842 days respectively. In coastal barrier reefs, tiger sharks were transient at acoustic arrays and each individual demonstrated a unique pattern of occurrence. From 2009 to 2013, fourteen sharks with satellite and acoustic tags undertook wide-ranging movements up to 1114 km across the Coral Sea with eight detected back on acoustic arrays up to 405 days after being tagged. Tiger sharks dove 1136 m and utilised three-dimensional activity spaces averaged at 2360 km3. The Chesterfield Islands appear to be important habitat for sub-adults and adult male tiger sharks. Management strategies need to consider the wide-ranging movements of large (sub-adult and adult) male and female tiger sharks at the individual level, whereas fidelity to specific coastal reefs may be consistent across groups of individuals. Coastal barrier reef MPAs, however, only afford brief protection for large tiger sharks, therefore determining the importance of other oceanic Coral Sea reefs should be a priority for future research.
    Description: Funding was provided by the the Agence Francaise de Développement (http://www.afd.fr), French Pacific Fund, the CRISP program (www.crisponline.info) and QLD Fisheries.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Format: video/mp4
    Format: text/plain
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 32
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Chemical composition and potential environmental impacts of water-soluble polar crude oil components inferred from ESI FT-ICR MS (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0136376, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0136376.
    Description: Polar petroleum components enter marine environments through oil spills and natural seepages each year. Lately, they are receiving increased attention due to their potential toxicity to marine organisms and persistence in the environment. We conducted a laboratory experiment and employed state-of-the-art Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) to characterize the polar petroleum components within two operationally-defined seawater fractions: the water-soluble fraction (WSF), which includes only water-soluble molecules, and the water-accommodated fraction (WAF), which includes WSF and microscopic oil droplets. Our results show that compounds with higher heteroatom (N, S, O) to carbon ratios (NSO:C) than the parent oil were selectively partitioned into seawater in both fractions, reflecting the influence of polarity on aqueous solubility. WAF and WSF were compositionally distinct, with unique distributions of compounds across a range of hydrophobicity. These compositional differences will likely result in disparate impacts on environmental health and organismal toxicity, and thus highlight the need to distinguish between these often-interchangeable terminologies in toxicology studies. We use an empirical model to estimate hydrophobicity character for individual molecules within these complex mixtures and provide an estimate of the potential environmental impacts of different crude oil components.
    Description: This study is funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI) Project # 161684 to Dr. Elizabeth B. Kujawinski.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: text/plain
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 33
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    An unexpected diversity of photoreceptor classes in the longfin squid, Doryteuthis pealeii (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0135381, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135381.
    Description: Cephalopods are famous for their ability to change color and pattern rapidly for signaling and camouflage. They have keen eyes and remarkable vision, made possible by photoreceptors in their retinas. External to the eyes, photoreceptors also exist in parolfactory vesicles and some light organs, where they function using a rhodopsin protein that is identical to that expressed in the retina. Furthermore, dermal chromatophore organs contain rhodopsin and other components of phototransduction (including retinochrome, a photoisomerase first found in the retina), suggesting that they are photoreceptive. In this study, we used a modified whole-mount immunohistochemical technique to explore rhodopsin and retinochrome expression in a number of tissues and organs in the longfin squid, Doryteuthis pealeii. We found that fin central muscles, hair cells (epithelial primary sensory neurons), arm axial ganglia, and sucker peduncle nerves all express rhodopsin and retinochrome proteins. Our findings indicate that these animals possess an unexpected diversity of extraocular photoreceptors and suggest that extraocular photoreception using visual opsins and visual phototransduction machinery is far more widespread throughout cephalopod tissues than previously recognized.
    Description: This research was supported by the Office of Naval Research Basic Research Challenge grant number N00014-10-0989 to TWC and RTH and a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) David Phillips Fellowship BB/L024667/1 to TJW. The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research via grants numbered FA9550-09-0346 to RTH. and FA9550-12-1-0321 to TWC.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Format: text/plain
    Format: image/tiff
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 34
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Analysis of lung microbiota in bronchoalveolar lavage, protected brush and sputum samples from subjects with mild-to-moderate cystic fibrosis Lung Disease (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS 11 (2016): e0149998, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0149998.
    Description: Individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) often acquire chronic lung infections that lead to irreversible damage. We sought to examine regional variation in the microbial communities in the lungs of individuals with mild-to-moderate CF lung disease, to examine the relationship between the local microbiota and local damage, and to determine the relationships between microbiota in samples taken directly from the lung and the microbiota in spontaneously expectorated sputum. In this initial study, nine stable, adult CF patients with an FEV1〉50% underwent regional sampling of different lobes of the right lung by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and protected brush (PB) sampling of mucus plugs. Sputum samples were obtained from six of the nine subjects immediately prior to the procedure. Microbial community analysis was performed on DNA extracted from these samples and the extent of damage in each lobe was quantified from a recent CT scan. The extent of damage observed in regions of the right lung did not correlate with specific microbial genera, levels of community diversity or composition, or bacterial genome copies per ml of BAL fluid. In all subjects, BAL fluid from different regions of the lung contained similar microbial communities. In eight out of nine subjects, PB samples from different regions of the lung were also similar in microbial community composition, and were similar to microbial communities in BAL fluid from the same lobe. Microbial communities in PB samples were more diverse than those in BAL samples, suggesting enrichment of some taxa in mucus plugs. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the microbiota in different regions of the CF lung in clinically stable individuals with mild-to-moderate CF-related lung disease.
    Description: Support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research Development Program (STANTO07R0) as a pilot grant to DAH and AA. Research reported in this publication was also supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health to DAH (R01 AI091702 to DAH) and the American Asthma Foundation Scholars Award and CFFT-ASHARE15A0 and R01HL122372 to AA and R01 HL074175 (BAS). The Dartmouth Lung Biology Center and CF Translational Research Core was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P30GM106394 and by the CFF RDP (CFRDP STANTO11R0).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 35
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Abundance and distribution of sperm whales in the Canary Islands : can sperm whales in the archipelago sustain the current level of ship-strike mortalities? (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS 11 (2016): e0150660, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150660.
    Description: Sperm whales are present in the Canary Islands year-round, suggesting that the archipelago is an important area for this species in the North Atlantic. However, the area experiences one of the highest reported rates of sperm whale ship-strike in the world. Here we investigate if the number of sperm whales found in the archipelago can sustain the current rate of ship-strike mortality. The results of this study may also have implications for offshore areas where concentrations of sperm whales may coincide with high densities of ship traffic, but where ship-strikes may be undocumented. The absolute abundance of sperm whales in an area of 52933 km2, covering the territorial waters of the Canary Islands, was estimated from 2668 km of acoustic line-transect survey using Distance sampling analysis. Data on sperm whale diving and acoustic behaviour, obtained from bio-logging, were used to calculate g(0) = 0.92, this is less than one because of occasional extended periods when whales do not echolocate. This resulted in an absolute abundance estimate of 224 sperm whales (95% log-normal CI 120–418) within the survey area. The recruitment capability of this number of whales, some 2.5 whales per year, is likely to be exceeded by the current ship-strike mortality rate. Furthermore, we found areas of higher whale density within the archipelago, many coincident with those previously described, suggesting that these are important habitats for females and immature animals inhabiting the archipelago. Some of these areas are crossed by active shipping lanes increasing the risk of ship-strikes. Given the philopatry in female sperm whales, replacement of impacted whales might be limited. Therefore, the application of mitigation measures to reduce the ship-strike mortality rate seems essential for the conservation of sperm whales in the Canary Islands.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 36
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Cisplatin resistant spheroids model clinically relevant survival mechanisms in ovarian tumors (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS 11 (2016): e0151089, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151089 .
    Description: The majority of ovarian tumors eventually recur in a drug resistant form. Using cisplatin sensitive and resistant cell lines assembled into 3D spheroids we profiled gene expression and identified candidate mechanisms and biological pathways associated with cisplatin resistance. OVCAR-8 human ovarian carcinoma cells were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of cisplatin to create a matched cisplatin-resistant cell line, OVCAR-8R. Genome-wide gene expression profiling of sensitive and resistant ovarian cancer spheroids identified 3,331 significantly differentially expressed probesets coding for 3,139 distinct protein-coding genes (Fc 〉2, FDR 〈 0.05) (S2 Table). Despite significant expression changes in some transporters including MDR1, cisplatin resistance was not associated with differences in intracellular cisplatin concentration. Cisplatin resistant cells were significantly enriched for a mesenchymal gene expression signature. OVCAR-8R resistance derived gene sets were significantly more biased to patients with shorter survival. From the most differentially expressed genes, we derived a 17-gene expression signature that identifies ovarian cancer patients with shorter overall survival in three independent datasets. We propose that the use of cisplatin resistant cell lines in 3D spheroid models is a viable approach to gain insight into resistance mechanisms relevant to ovarian tumors in patients. Our data support the emerging concept that ovarian cancers can acquire drug resistance through an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
    Description: This work was funded by the NIH NCRR supplement grant P41 RR001395-27S1 (J.W.H.), NSF DBI-1005378 “REU Site: Biological Discovery in Woods Hole”, faculty startup funds from the Office of Research at Oklahoma State University (W.C.), and the Mary Kay Foundation (A.S.B.).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 37
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Multi-method assessment of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) residency, distribution, and dispersal behavior at an aggregation site in the Red Sea (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Cochran, J. E. M., Braun, C. D., Cagua, E. F., Campbell, M. F., Hardenstine, R. S., Kattan, A., Priest, M. A., Sinclair-Taylor, T. H., Skomal, G. B., Sultan, S., Sun, L., Thorrold, S. R., & Berumen, M. L. Multi-method assessment of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) residency, distribution, and dispersal behavior at an aggregation site in the Red Sea. Plos One, 14(9), (2019): e0222285, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222285.
    Description: Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are typically dispersed throughout their circumtropical range, but the species is also known to aggregate in specific coastal areas. Accurate site descriptions associated with these aggregations are essential for the conservation of R. typus, an Endangered species. Although aggregations have become valuable hubs for research, most site descriptions rely heavily on sightings data. In the present study, visual census, passive acoustic monitoring, and long range satellite telemetry were combined to track the movements of R. typus from Shib Habil, a reef-associated aggregation site in the Red Sea. An array of 63 receiver stations was used to record the presence of 84 acoustically tagged sharks (35 females, 37 males, 12 undetermined) from April 2010 to May 2016. Over the same period, identification photos were taken for 76 of these tagged individuals and 38 were fitted with satellite transmitters. In total of 37,461 acoustic detections, 210 visual encounters, and 33 satellite tracks were analyzed to describe the sharks’ movement ecology. The results demonstrate that the aggregation is seasonal, mostly concentrated on the exposed side of Shib Habil, and seems to attract sharks of both sexes in roughly equal numbers. The combined methodologies also tracked 15 interannual homing-migrations, demonstrating that many sharks leave the area before returning in later years. When compared to acoustic studies from other aggregations, these results demonstrate that R. typus exhibits diverse, site-specific ecologies across its range. Sightings-independent data from acoustic telemetry and other sources are an effective means of validating more common visual surveys.
    Description: Financial support was provided in part by KAUST baseline research funds (to MLB), KAUST award nos. USA00002 and KSA 00011 (to SRT), and the U.S. National Science Foundation (OCE 0825148 to SRT and GBS).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 38
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Multiplexed spectral imaging of 120 different fluorescent labels (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons public domain dedication. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0158495, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158495.
    Description: The number of fluorescent labels that can unambiguously be distinguished in a single image when acquired through band pass filters is severely limited by the spectral overlap of available fluorophores. The recent development of spectral microscopy and the application of linear unmixing algorithms to spectrally recorded image data have allowed simultaneous imaging of fluorophores with highly overlapping spectra. However, the number of distinguishable fluorophores is still limited by the unavoidable decrease in signal to noise ratio when fluorescence signals are fractionated over multiple wavelength bins. Here we present a spectral image analysis algorithm to greatly expand the number of distinguishable objects labeled with binary combinations of fluorophores. Our algorithm utilizes a priori knowledge about labeled specimens and imposes a binary label constraint on the unmixing solution. We have applied our labeling and analysis strategy to identify microbes labeled by fluorescence in situ hybridization and here demonstrate the ability to distinguish 120 differently labeled microbes in a single image.
    Description: This work was supported by Grant 2007-3- 13 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (to GGB), National Institutes of Health Grant 1RC1-DE020630 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) (to GGB) and by National Institutes of Health Fellowship 1F31-DE019576 from NIDCR (to AMV).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 39
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Influence of acidic pH on hydrogen and acetate production by an electrosynthetic microbiome (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2014. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 9 (2014): e109935, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109935.
    Description: Production of hydrogen and organic compounds by an electrosynthetic microbiome using electrodes and carbon dioxide as sole electron donor and carbon source, respectively, was examined after exposure to acidic pH (~5). Hydrogen production by biocathodes poised at −600 mV vs. SHE increased〉100-fold and acetate production ceased at acidic pH, but ~5–15 mM (catholyte volume)/day acetate and〉1,000 mM/day hydrogen were attained at pH ~6.5 following repeated exposure to acidic pH. Cyclic voltammetry revealed a 250 mV decrease in hydrogen overpotential and a maximum current density of 12.2 mA/cm2 at −765 mV (0.065 mA/cm2 sterile control at −800 mV) by the Acetobacterium-dominated community. Supplying −800 mV to the microbiome after repeated exposure to acidic pH resulted in up to 2.6 kg/m3/day hydrogen (≈2.6 gallons gasoline equivalent), 0.7 kg/m3/day formate, and 3.1 kg/m3/day acetate ( = 4.7 kg CO2 captured).
    Description: This research was supported by a grant from the Department of Energy, Advanced Projects Research Agency – Energy (DE-AR0000089). CWM was supported with a Director's Postdoctoral Fellowship from Argonne National Laboratory.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: video/quicktime
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 40
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Searching for the oldest baobab of Madagascar : radiocarbon investigation of large Adansonia rubrostipa trees (2015)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 10 (2015): e0121170, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0121170.
    Description: We extended our research on the architecture, growth and age of trees belonging to the genus Adansonia, by starting to investigate large individuals of the most widespread Malagasy species. Our research also intends to identify the oldest baobabs of Madagascar. Here we present results of the radiocarbon investigation of the two most representative Adansonia rubrostipa (fony baobab) specimens, which are located in south-western Madagascar, in the Tsimanampetsotse National Park. We found that the fony baobab called “Grandmother” consists of 3 perfectly fused stems of different ages. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was found to be 1136 ± 16 BP. We estimated that the oldest part of this tree, which is mainly hollow, has an age close to 1,600 yr. This value is comparable to the age of the oldest Adansonia digitata (African baobab) specimens. By its age, the Grandmother is a major candidate for the oldest baobab of Madagascar. The second investigated specimen, called the “polygamous baobab”, consists of 6 partially fused stems of different ages. According to dating results, this fony baobab is 1,000 yr old. This research is the first investigation of the structure and age of Malagasy baobabs.
    Description: The research was fully funded by the Romanian Ministry of National Education CNCS-UEFISCDI under grant PN-II-ID-PCE-2013-76 (URL: http://uefiscdi.gov.ro/).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Format: application/pdf
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 41
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Methanol production by a broad phylogenetic array of marine phytoplankton (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS 11 (2016): e0150820, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150820.
    Description: Methanol is a major volatile organic compound on Earth and serves as an important carbon and energy substrate for abundant methylotrophic microbes. Previous geochemical surveys coupled with predictive models suggest that the marine contributions are exceedingly large, rivaling terrestrial sources. Although well studied in terrestrial ecosystems, methanol sources are poorly understood in the marine environment and warrant further investigation. To this end, we adapted a Purge and Trap Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (P&T-GC/MS) method which allowed reliable measurements of methanol in seawater and marine phytoplankton cultures with a method detection limit of 120 nanomolar. All phytoplankton tested (cyanobacteria: Synechococcus spp. 8102 and 8103, Trichodesmium erythraeum, and Prochlorococcus marinus), and Eukarya (heterokont diatom: Phaeodactylum tricornutum, coccolithophore: Emiliania huxleyi, cryptophyte: Rhodomonas salina, and non-diatom heterokont: Nannochloropsis oculata) produced methanol, ranging from 0.8–13.7 micromolar in culture and methanol per total cellular carbon were measured in the ranges of 0.09–0.3%. Phytoplankton culture time-course measurements displayed a punctuated production pattern with maxima near early stationary phase. Stabile isotope labeled bicarbonate incorporation experiments confirmed that methanol was produced from phytoplankton biomass. Overall, our findings suggest that phytoplankton are a major source of methanol in the upper water column of the world’s oceans.
    Description: This project was solely supported by a grant to TJM from the National Science Foundation (Award# CHE-OCE 1131415).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 42
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Interspecific hybridization in pilot whales and asymmetric genetic introgression in northern Globicephala melas under the scenario of global warming (2016)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 11 (2016): e0160080, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160080 .
    Description: Pilot whales are two cetacean species (Globicephala melas and G. macrorhynchus) whose distributions are correlated with water temperature and partially overlap in some areas like the North Atlantic Ocean. In the context of global warming, distribution range shifts are expected to occur in species affected by temperature. Consequently, a northward displacement of the tropical pilot whale G. macrorynchus is expected, eventually leading to increased secondary contact areas and opportunities for interspecific hybridization. Here, we describe genetic evidences of recurrent hybridization between pilot whales in northeast Atlantic Ocean. Based on mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite loci, asymmetric introgression of G. macrorhynchus genes into G. melas was observed. For the latter species, a significant correlation was found between historical population growth rate estimates and paleotemperature oscillations. Introgressive hybridization, current temperature increases and lower genetic variation in G. melas suggest that this species could be at risk in its northern range. Under increasing environmental and human-mediated stressors in the North Atlantic Ocean, it seems recommendable to develop a conservation program for G. melas.
    Description: LM had a PCTI Grant from the Asturias Regional Government, referenced BP 10-004. MAS was supported by a 2013 FCT Investigator contract through POPH, QREN European Social Fund and the Portuguese Ministry for Science and Education. This study was also supported by a grant from the Principality of Asturias (reference: GRUPIN-2014-093).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 43
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Using a Bayesian network to understand the importance of coastal storms and undeveloped landscapes for the creation and maintenance of early successional habitat (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Zeigler, S. L., Gutierrez, B. T., Sturdivant, E. J., Catlin, D. H., Fraser, J. D., Hecht, A., Karpanty, S. M., Plant, N. G., & Thieler, E. R. Using a Bayesian network to understand the importance of coastal storms and undeveloped landscapes for the creation and maintenance of early successional habitat. Plos One, 14(7), (2019): e0209986, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209986.
    Description: Coastal storms have consequences for human lives and infrastructure but also create important early successional habitats for myriad species. For example, storm-induced overwash creates nesting habitat for shorebirds like piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). We examined how piping plover habitat extent and location changed on barrier islands in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia after Hurricane Sandy made landfall following the 2012 breeding season. We modeled nesting habitat using a nest presence/absence dataset that included characterizations of coastal morphology and vegetation. Using a Bayesian network, we predicted nesting habitat for each study site for the years 2010/2011, 2012, and 2014/2015 based on remotely sensed spatial datasets (e.g., lidar, orthophotos). We found that Hurricane Sandy increased piping plover habitat by 9 to 300% at 4 of 5 study sites but that one site saw a decrease in habitat by 27%. The amount, location, and longevity of new habitat appeared to be influenced by the level of human development at each site. At three of the five sites, the amount of habitat created and the time new habitat persisted were inversely related to the amount of development. Furthermore, the proportion of new habitat created in high-quality overwash was inversely related to the level of development on study areas, from 17% of all new habitat in overwash at one of the most densely developed sites to 80% of all new habitat at an undeveloped site. We also show that piping plovers exploited new habitat after the storm, with 14–57% of all nests located in newly created habitat in the 2013 breeding season. Our results quantify the importance of storms in creating and maintaining coastal habitats for beach-nesting species like piping plovers, and these results suggest a negative correlation between human development and beneficial ecological impacts of these natural disturbances.
    Description: Funding for this work was provided through a U.S. Geological Survey Mendenhall Post-Doctoral Fellowship awarded to S. Zeigler, with funding for this fellowship made through a grant to E.R. Thieler from the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative. Funders did not play a role in study design, data collection or analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 44
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Differential cellular responses associated with oxidative stress and cell fate decision under nitrate and phosphate limitations in Thalassiosira pseudonana : comparative proteomics (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 12 (2017): e0184849, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184849.
    Description: Diatoms are important components of marine ecosystems and contribute greatly to the world's primary production. Despite their important roles in ecosystems, the molecular basis of how diatoms cope with oxidative stress caused by nutrient fluctuations remains largely unknown. Here, an isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomic method was coupled with a series of physiological and biochemical techniques to explore oxidative stress- and cell fate decision-related cellular and metabolic responses of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana to nitrate (N) and inorganic phosphate (P) stresses. A total of 1151 proteins were detected; 122 and 56 were significantly differentially expressed from control under N- and P-limited conditions, respectively. In N-limited cells, responsive proteins were related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, oxidative stress responses and cell death, corresponding to a significant decrease in photosynthetic efficiency, marked intracellular ROS accumulation, and caspase-mediated programmed cell death activation. None of these responses were identified in P-limited cells; however, a significant up-regulation of alkaline phosphatase proteins was observed, which could be the major contributor for P-limited cells to cope with ambient P deficiency. These findings demonstrate that fundamentally different metabolic responses and cellular regulations are employed by the diatom in response to different nutrient stresses and to keep the cells viable.
    Description: This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41576138, 41076080, 41576138) to Dr. Jun-Rong Liang; the Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, National Science Foundation (OCE-1314642) to Dr. DonaldM Anderson; the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (1-P01-ES021923- 01) to Dr. DonaldM Anderson; and the ERC Advanced Award Diatomite and ANR project DiaDomOil to Dr. Chris Bowler.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 45
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Positive feedbacks enhance macroalgal resilience on degraded coral reefs (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 11 (2016): e0155049, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155049.
    Description: Many reefs have shifted from coral and fish dominated habitats to less productive macroalgal dominated habitats, and current research is investigating means of reversing this phase shift. In the tropical Pacific, overfished reefs with inadequate herbivory can become dominated by the brown alga Sargassum polycystum. This alga suppresses recruitment and survival of corals and fishes, thus limiting the potential for reef recovery. Here we investigate the mechanisms that reinforce S. polycystum dominance and show that in addition to negatively affecting other species, this species acts in a self-reinforcing manner, positively promoting survival and growth of conspecifics. We found that survival and growth of both recruit-sized and mature S. polycystum fronds were higher within Sargassum beds than outside the beds and these results were found in both protected and fished reefs. Much of this benefit resulted from reduced herbivory within the Sargassum beds, but adult fronds also grew ~50% more within the beds even when herbivory did not appear to be occurring, suggesting some physiological advantage despite the intraspecific crowding. Thus via positive feedbacks, S. polycystum enhances its own growth and resistance to herbivores, facilitating its dominance (perhaps also expansion) and thus its resilience on degraded reefs. This may be a key feedback mechanism suppressing the recovery of coral communities in reefs dominated by macroalgal beds.
    Description: Financial support came to MEH from the National Science Foundation (OCE 0929119), the National Institutes of Health (2 U19 TW007401-10), and the Teasley Endowment to the Georgia Institute of Technology.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 46
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Preservation of three-dimensional spatial structure in the gut microbiome (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 12 (2017): e0188257, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188257.
    Description: Preservation of three-dimensional structure in the gut is necessary in order to analyze the spatial organization of the gut microbiota and gut luminal contents. In this study, we evaluated preparation methods for mouse gut with the goal of preserving micron-scale spatial structure while performing fluorescence imaging assays. Our evaluation of embedding methods showed that commonly used media such as Tissue-Tek Optimal Cutting Temperature (OCT) compound, paraffin, and polyester waxes resulted in redistribution of luminal contents. By contrast, a hydrophilic methacrylate resin, Technovit H8100, preserved three-dimensional organization. Our mouse intestinal preparation protocol optimized using the Technovit H8100 embedding method was compatible with microbial fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and other labeling techniques, including immunostaining and staining with both wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Mucus could be visualized whether the sample was fixed with paraformaldehyde (PFA) or with Carnoy’s fixative. The protocol optimized in this study enabled simultaneous visualization of micron-scale spatial patterns formed by microbial cells in the mouse intestines along with biogeographical landmarks such as host-derived mucus and food particles.
    Description: Funding provided by National Science Foundation (www.nsf.gov) grant 1650141 to J.L.M.W. and National Institutes of Health National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (www.nidcr.nih.gov) grant DE022586 to G.G.B.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 47
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Indoles induce metamorphosis in a broad diversity of jellyfish, but not in a crown jelly (Coronatae) (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 12 (2017): e0188601, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188601.
    Description: Many animals go through one or more metamorphoses during their lives, however, the molecular underpinnings of metamorphosis across diverse species are not well understood. Medusozoa (Cnidaria) is a clade of animals with complex life cycles, these life cycles can include a polyp stage that metamorphoses into a medusa (jellyfish). Medusae are produced through a variety of different developmental mechanisms—in some species polyps bud medusae (Hydrozoa), in others medusae are formed through polyp fission (Scyphozoa), while in others medusae are formed through direct transformation of the polyp (Cubozoa). To better understand the molecular mechanisms that may coordinate these different forms of metamorphosis, we tested two compounds first identified to induce metamorphosis in the moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita (indomethacin and 5-methoxy-2-methylindole) on a broad diversity of medusozoan polyps. We discovered that indole-containing compounds trigger metamorphosis across a broad diversity of species. All tested discomedusan polyps metamorphosed in the presence of both compounds, including species representatives of several major lineages within the clade (Pelagiidae, Cyaneidae, both clades of Rhizostomeae). In a cubozoan, low levels of 5-methoxy-2-methylindole reliably induced complete and healthy metamorphosis. In contrast, neither compound induced medusa metamorphosis in a coronate scyphozoan, or medusa production in either hydrozoan tested. Our results support the hypothesis that metamorphosis is mediated by a conserved induction pathway within discomedusan scyphozoans, and possibly cubozoans. However, failure of these compounds to induce metamorphosis in a coronate suggests this induction mechanism may have been lost in this clade, or is convergent between Scyphozoa and Cubozoa.
    Description: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE - 1058262; https://www.nsfgrfp.org/general_resources/about) to RRH. Evo-Devo-Eco Network (IOS # 0955517; http://edenrcn.com/) Research Exchange Funds, awarded to RRH. National Science Foundation Rhode Island Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Graduate Research Fellowship to RRH (DEB-1256695; http://web.uri.edu/rinsfepscor/grad-fellowships/). Brown University Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Dissertation Development Grant from the Bushnell Research and Education Fund awarded to RRH.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 48
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Linking deep convection and phytoplankton blooms in the northern Labrador Sea in a changing climate (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 13 (2018): e0191509, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191509.
    Description: Wintertime convective mixing plays a pivotal role in the sub-polar North Atlantic spring phytoplankton blooms by favoring phytoplankton survival in the competition between light-dependent production and losses due to grazing and gravitational settling. We use satellite and ocean reanalyses to show that the area-averaged maximum winter mixed layer depth is positively correlated with April chlorophyll concentration in the northern Labrador Sea. A simple theoretical framework is developed to understand the relative roles of winter/spring convection and gravitational sedimentation in spring blooms in this region. Combining climate model simulations that project a weakening of wintertime Labrador Sea convection from Arctic sea ice melt with our framework suggests a potentially significant reduction in the initial fall phytoplankton population that survive the winter to seed the region’s spring bloom by the end of the 21st century.
    Description: KB, LB, PJR and LRL were supported by the Office of Science (BER), U. S. Department of Energy as part of the Regional and Global Climate Modelling (RGCM) Program. SCD acknowledges support from NASA Award NNX15AE65G North Atlantic Aerosol and Marine Ecosystem Study (NAAMES).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 49
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Prion protein inhibits fast axonal transport through a mechanism involving casein kinase 2 (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 12 (2017): e0188340, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188340.
    Description: Prion diseases include a number of progressive neuropathies involving conformational changes in cellular prion protein (PrPc) that may be fatal sporadic, familial or infectious. Pathological evidence indicated that neurons affected in prion diseases follow a dying-back pattern of degeneration. However, specific cellular processes affected by PrPc that explain such a pattern have not yet been identified. Results from cell biological and pharmacological experiments in isolated squid axoplasm and primary cultured neurons reveal inhibition of fast axonal transport (FAT) as a novel toxic effect elicited by PrPc. Pharmacological, biochemical and cell biological experiments further indicate this toxic effect involves casein kinase 2 (CK2) activation, providing a molecular basis for the toxic effect of PrPc on FAT. CK2 was found to phosphorylate and inhibit light chain subunits of the major motor protein conventional kinesin. Collectively, these findings suggest CK2 as a novel therapeutic target to prevent the gradual loss of neuronal connectivity that characterizes prion diseases.
    Description: This work was supported by Alzheimer Association New Investigator Research Grant to Promote Diversity NIRGD-11-206379 and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas PIP 112 20150100954 CO (to GP), National Institutes of Health NS066942A and NS096642 (to GM), R01-NS023868 and R01-NS041170 (to STB).
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 50
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Cells containing aragonite crystals mediate responses to gravity in Trichoplax adhaerens (Placozoa), an animal lacking neurons and synapses (2018)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 13 (2018): e0190905, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0190905.
    Description: Trichoplax adhaerens has only six cell types. The function as well as the structure of crystal cells, the least numerous cell type, presented an enigma. Crystal cells are arrayed around the perimeter of the animal and each contains a birefringent crystal. Crystal cells resemble lithocytes in other animals so we looked for evidence they are gravity sensors. Confocal microscopy showed that their cup-shaped nuclei are oriented toward the edge of the animal, and that the crystal shifts downward under the influence of gravity. Some animals spontaneously lack crystal cells and these animals behaved differently upon being tilted vertically than animals with a typical number of crystal cells. EM revealed crystal cell contacts with fiber cells and epithelial cells but these contacts lacked features of synapses. EM spectroscopic analyses showed that crystals consist of the aragonite form of calcium carbonate. We thus provide behavioral evidence that Trichoplax are able to sense gravity, and that crystal cells are likely to be their gravity receptors. Moreover, because placozoans are thought to have evolved during Ediacaran or Cryogenian eras associated with aragonite seas, and their crystals are made of aragonite, they may have acquired gravity sensors during this early era.
    Description: This research was supported by the intramural research program of the NIH, NINDS.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 51
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    The use of mesoscale eddies by juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the southwestern Atlantic (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: This is an open access article, free of all copyright. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 12 (2017): e0172839, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172839.
    Description: Marine animals, such as turtles, seabirds and pelagic fishes, are observed to travel and congregate around eddies in the open ocean. Mesoscale eddies, large swirling ocean vortices with radius scales of approximately 50–100 km, provide environmental variability that can structure these populations. In this study, we investigate the use of mesoscale eddies by 24 individual juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence region. The influence of eddies on turtles is assessed by collocating the turtle trajectories to the tracks of mesoscale eddies identified in maps of sea level anomaly. Juvenile loggerhead sea turtles are significantly more likely to be located in the interiors of anticyclones in this region. The distribution of surface drifters in eddy interiors reveals no significant association with the interiors of cyclones or anticyclones, suggesting higher prevalence of turtles in anticyclones is a result of their behavior. In the southern portion of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence region, turtle swimming speed is significantly slower in the interiors of anticyclones, when compared to the periphery, suggesting that these turtles are possibly feeding on prey items associated with anomalously low near-surface chlorophyll concentrations observed in those features.
    Description: A Woods Hole Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to PG and NASA grant NNX13AE47G funded this work. CB is grateful for support from NOAA and the NSF-GRFP (Grant No. 1314109). DJM gratefully acknowledges support from NASA and NSF.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 52
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Hurricane Isaac brings more than oil ashore: Characteristics of beach deposits following the Deepwater Horizon spill. (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Lemkau, K. L., Reddy, C. M., Carmichael, C. A., Aeppli, C., Swarthout, R. F., & White, H. K. Hurricane Isaac brings more than oil ashore: Characteristics of beach deposits following the Deepwater Horizon spill. Plos One, 14(3), (2019):e0213464, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0213464.
    Description: Prior to Hurricane Isaac making landfall along the Gulf of Mexico coast in August 2012, local and state officials were concerned that the hurricane would mobilize submerged oiled-materials from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill. In this study, we investigated materials washed ashore following the hurricane to determine if it affected the chemical composition or density of oil-containing sand patties regularly found on Gulf Coast beaches. While small changes in sand patty density were observed in samples collected before and after the hurricane, these variations appear to have been driven by differences in sampling location and not linked to the passing of Hurricane Isaac. Visual and chemical analysis of sand patties confirmed that the contents was consistent with oil from the Macondo well. Petroleum hydrocarbon signatures of samples collected before and after the hurricane showed no notable changes. In the days following Hurricane Isaac, dark-colored mats were also found on the beach in Fort Morgan, AL, and community reports speculated that these mats contained oil from the DWH spill. Chemical analysis of these mat samples identified n-alkanes but no other petroleum hydrocarbons. Bulk and δ13C organic carbon analyses indicated mat samples were comprised of marshland peat and not related to the DWH spill. This research indicates that Hurricane Isaac did not result in a notable change the composition of oil delivered to beaches at the investigated field sites. This study underscores the need for improved communications with interested stakeholders regarding how to differentiate oiled from non-oiled materials. This is especially important given the high cost of removing oiled debris and the increasing likelihood of false positives as oiled-materials washing ashore from a spill become less abundant over time.
    Description: The authors wish to acknowledge support for this project from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (RFP-V), the Deep-C Consortium (SA 16-30), NSF (OCE-1333148) awarded to CMR, and a Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellowship to HKW. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 53
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    From the track to the ocean : using flow control to improve marine bio-logging tags for cetaceans (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: This is an open access article, free of all copyright. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 12 (2017): e0170962, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0170962.
    Description: Bio-logging tags are an important tool for the study of cetaceans, but superficial tags inevitably increase hydrodynamic loading. Substantial forces can be generated by tags on fast-swimming animals, potentially affecting behavior and energetics or promoting early tag removal. Streamlined forms have been used to reduce loading, but these designs can accelerate flow over the top of the tag. This non-axisymmetric flow results in large lift forces (normal to the animal) that become the dominant force component at high speeds. In order to reduce lift and minimize total hydrodynamic loading this work presents a new tag design (Model A) that incorporates a hydrodynamic body, a channel to reduce fluid speed differences above and below the housing and wing to redirect flow to counter lift. Additionally, three derivatives of the Model A design were used to examine the contribution of individual flow control features to overall performance. Hydrodynamic loadings of four models were compared using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The Model A design eliminated all lift force and generated up to ~30 N of downward force in simulated 6 m/s aligned flow. The simulations were validated using particle image velocimetry (PIV) to experimentally characterize the flow around the tag design. The results of these experiments confirm the trends predicted by the simulations and demonstrate the potential benefit of flow control elements for the reduction of tag induced forces on the animal.
    Description: This project was funded by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program [National Science Foundation via the Office of Naval Research N00014-11-1-0113]. C. Spencer Garborg was supported by a Grove City College Swezey Student Fellowship to Erik Anderson. Mark Johnson was funded by a Marie Curie-Sklodowska grant from the European Union.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 54
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Evidence of molting and the function of “rock-nosing” behavior in bowhead whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic (2017)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 12 (2017): e0186156, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0186156.
    Description: Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) have a nearly circumpolar distribution, and occasionally occupy warmer shallow coastal areas during summertime that may facilitate molting. However, relatively little is known about the occurrence of molting and associated behaviors in bowhead whales. We opportunistically observed whales in Cumberland Sound, Nunavut, Canada with skin irregularities consistent with molting during August 2014, and collected a skin sample from a biopsied whale that revealed loose epidermis and sloughing. During August 2016, we flew a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) over whales to take video and still images to: 1) determine unique individuals; 2) estimate the proportion of the body of unique individuals that exhibited sloughing skin; 3) determine the presence or absence of superficial lines representative of rock-rubbing behavior; and 4) measure body lengths to infer age-class. The still images revealed that all individuals (n = 81 whales) were sloughing skin, and that nearly 40% of them had mottled skin over more than two-thirds of their bodies. The video images captured bowhead whales rubbing on large rocks in shallow, coastal areas—likely to facilitate molting. Molting and rock rubbing appears to be pervasive during late summer for whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic.
    Description: Fieldwork was funded by: Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Emerging Fisheries 41436-810-120-4D875), Nunavut Wildlife Research Trust Fund (project 3-13-29 Bowhead Whale Movement's and Ecology), Molson Foundation (318366), Ocean Tracking Network (NSERC NETGP 375118-08), and ArcticNet Centre of Excellence (317588) awarded to S.H. Ferguson and World Wildlife Fund Canada (Arctic Species Conservation Fund) awarded to W.R. Koski and S.M.E. Fortune. Additional field work support was provided by: U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS; now Bureau of Ocean Energy Management), through Inter-agency Agreement No. M08PG20021 with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as part of the MMS Alaska Environmental Studies Program awarded to M.F. Baumgartner. Personnel support was provided by: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Canadian Graduate Scholarship, the W. Garfield Weston Award for Northern Research, University of British Columbia Affiliated Fellowship and Northern Scientific Training Program (Canadian Polar Commission) awarded to S.M.E. Fortune
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 55
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Short-term effect of simulated salt marsh restoration by sand-amendment on sediment bacterial communities (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Thomas, F., Morris, J. T., Wigand, C., & Sievert, S. M. Short-term effect of simulated salt marsh restoration by sand-amendment on sediment bacterial communities. Plos One, 14(4), (2019):e0215767, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0215767.
    Description: Coastal climate adaptation strategies are needed to build salt marsh resiliency and maintain critical ecosystem services in response to impacts caused by climate change. Although resident microbial communities perform crucial biogeochemical cycles for salt marsh functioning, their response to restoration practices is still understudied. One promising restoration strategy is the placement of sand or sediment onto the marsh platform to increase marsh resiliency. A previous study examined the above- and below-ground structure, soil carbon dioxide emissions, and pore water constituents in Spartina alterniflora-vegetated natural marsh sediments and sand-amended sediments at varying inundation regimes. Here, we analyzed samples from the same experiment to test the effect of sand-amendments on the microbial communities after 5 months. Along with the previously observed changes in biogeochemistry, sand amendments drastically modified the bacterial communities, decreasing richness and diversity. The dominant sulfur-cycling bacterial community found in natural sediments was replaced by one dominated by iron oxidizers and aerobic heterotrophs, the abundance of which correlated with higher CO2-flux. In particular, the relative abundance of iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria increased in the sand-amended sediments, possibly contributing to acidification by the formation of iron oxyhydroxides. Our data suggest that the bacterial community structure can equilibrate if the inundation regime is maintained within the optimal range for S. alterniflora. While long-term effects of changes in bacterial community on the growth of S. alterniflora are not clear, our results suggest that analyzing the microbial community composition could be a useful tool to monitor climate adaptation and restoration efforts.
    Description: This work was supported by NSF grants DEB-1050557 (SMS) and OCE-1637630 (JM), and WHOI Investment in Science Funds (SMS). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 56
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Evaluating coral trophic strategies using fatty acid composition and indices (2019)
    Public Library of Science
    Details
    Publication Date: 2022-05-26
    Description: © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Radice, V. Z., Brett, M. T., Fry, B., Fox, M. D., Hoegh-Guldberg, O., & Dove, S. G. Evaluating coral trophic strategies using fatty acid composition and indices. Plos One, 14(9), (2019): e0222327, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222327.
    Description: The ecological success of shallow water reef-building corals has been linked to the symbiosis between the coral host and its dinoflagellate symbionts (herein ‘symbionts’). As mixotrophs, symbiotic corals depend on nutrients 1) transferred from their photosynthetic symbionts (autotrophy) and 2) acquired by host feeding on particulate organic resources (heterotrophy). However, coral species differ in the extent to which they depend on heterotrophy for nutrition and these differences are typically poorly defined. Here, a multi-tracer fatty acid approach was used to evaluate the trophic strategies of three species of common reef-building coral (Galaxea fascicularis, Pachyseris speciosa, and Pocillopora verrucosa) whose trophic strategies had previously been identified using carbon stable isotopes. The composition and various indices of fatty acids were compared to examine the relative contribution of symbiont autotrophy and host heterotrophy in coral energy acquisition. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used to estimate the contribution of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) derived from various potential sources to the coral hosts. The total fatty acid composition and fatty acid indices revealed differences between the more heterotrophic (P. verrucosa) and more autotrophic (P. speciosa) coral hosts, with the coral host G. fascicularis showing overlap with the other two species and greater variability overall. For the more heterotrophic P. verrucosa, the fatty acid indices and LDA results both indicated a greater proportion of copepod-derived fatty acids compared to the other coral species. Overall, the LDA estimated that PUFA derived from particulate resources (e.g., copepods and diatoms) comprised a greater proportion of coral host PUFA in contrast to the lower proportion of symbiont-derived PUFA. These estimates provide insight into the importance of heterotrophy in coral nutrition, especially in productive reef systems. The study supports carbon stable isotope results and demonstrates the utility of fatty acid analyses for exploring the trophic strategies of reef-building corals.
    Description: This study was made possible by funding from the XL Catlin Seaview Survey (OHG and VZR; http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/), Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CE140100020; SD and OHG; https://www.coralcoe.org.au/), an ARC Laureate Fellowship (FL120100066; OHG; https://www.arc.gov.au), the University of Queensland Research Training Scholarship (VZR; https://www.uq.edu.au/), and the University of Washington Dale A. Carlson Endowed Faculty Support Fund (MTB and VZR; https://www.washington.edu/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
    Repository Name: Woods Hole Open Access Server
    Type: Article
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER (OA)
  • 57
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    The Role of Liver in Determining Serum Colon-Derived Uremic Solutes (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by Cheng-Jui Lin, Tai-Cherng Liou, Chi-Feng Pan, Pei-Chen Wu, Fang-Ju Sun, Hsuan-Liang Liu, Han-Hsiang Chen, Chih-Jen Wu Evidence has shown that indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) may be alternative predictors of clinical outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Both toxins are derived from the gastrointestinal tract and metabolised in the liver. However, it is unclear whether the liver affects the production of IS and PCS. Here, we explore the association between IS and PCS levels in liver cirrhosis and a CKD-based cohort (N = 115). Liver and kidney function was assessed and classified by a Child-Pugh score (child A–C) and a modified version of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation (Stages 1–4), respectively. An animal model was also used to confirm the two toxin levels in a case of liver fibrosis. In patients with early liver cirrhosis (child A), IS and PCS were significantly associated with CKD stages. In contrast, serum IS and PCS did not significantly change in advanced liver cirrhosis (child C). A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis also showed that T-PCS was significantly associated with stages of liver cirrhosis after adjusting for other confounding factors (B = -2.29, p = 0.012). Moreover, the serum and urine levels of T-PCS and T-IS were significantly lower in rats with liver failure than in those without ( p
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 58
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    MicroRNA and Transcription Factor Mediated Regulatory Network Analysis Reveals Critical Regulators and Regulatory Modules in Myocardial Infarction (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by Guangde Zhang, Hongbo Shi, Lin Wang, Meng Zhou, Zhenzhen Wang, Xiaoxia Liu, Liang Cheng, Weimin Li, Xueqi Li Myocardial infarction (MI) is a severe coronary artery disease and a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms of MI have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we compiled MI-related genes, MI-related microRNAs (miRNAs) and known human transcription factors (TFs), and we then identified 1,232 feed-forward loops (FFLs) among these miRNAs, TFs and their co-regulated target genes through integrating target prediction. By merging these FFLs, the first miRNA and TF mediated regulatory network for MI was constructed, from which four regulators (SP1, ESR1, miR-21-5p and miR-155-5p) and three regulatory modules that might play crucial roles in MI were then identified. Furthermore, based on the miRNA and TF mediated regulatory network and literature survey, we proposed a pathway model for miR-21-5p, the miR-29 family and SP1 to demonstrate their potential co-regulatory mechanisms in cardiac fibrosis, apoptosis and angiogenesis. The majority of the regulatory relations in the model were confirmed by previous studies, which demonstrated the reliability and validity of this miRNA and TF mediated regulatory network. Our study will aid in deciphering the complex regulatory mechanisms involved in MI and provide putative therapeutic targets for MI.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 59
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    CD73 Activity is Dispensable for the Polarization of M2 Macrophages (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by Dominik Eichin, Juha P. Laurila, Sirpa Jalkanen, Marko Salmi The ectoenzyme CD73 catalyzes the hydrolysis of AMP, and is one of the most important producers of extracellular adenosine. On regulatory T cells, CD73 is necessary for immunosuppressive functions, and on Th17 cells CD73-generated adenosine exerts anti-inflammatory effects. However, the expression and function of CD73 in pro-inflammatory M1 and in immunosuppressive M2 macrophages is largely unknown. Here we show that CD73 expression and enzyme activity were induced in in vitro polarized pro-inflammatory human M(LPS+TNF) monocytes/macrophages, while CD73 was absent from immunosuppressive M(IL-4+M-CSF)-polarized macrophages. Inhibition of CD73 activity with the inhibitor AMPCP did not affect the polarization of human monocytes. In mice, CD73 was present on resident peritoneal macrophages. In striking contrast, elicited peritoneal macrophages remained CD73 negative regardless of their polarization towards either a pro-inflammatory M(LPS) or anti-inflammatory M(IL-4c) direction. Finally, the ability of peritoneal macrophages to polarize to pro- and anti-inflammatory cells was perfectly normal in CD73-deficient mice in vivo . These data indicate that, in contrast to other major leukocyte subpopulations, CD73 activity on macrophages does not play a major role in their polarization and that in mice host CD73 on any cell type is not required in vivo for peritoneal macrophage polarization towards either a pro- or an anti-inflammatory direction.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 60
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    DNA Tetrominoes: The Construction of DNA Nanostructures Using Self-Organised Heterogeneous Deoxyribonucleic Acids Shapes (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by Hui San Ong, Mohd Syafiq Rahim, Mohd Firdaus-Raih, Effirul Ikhwan Ramlan The unique programmability of nucleic acids offers alternative in constructing excitable and functional nanostructures. This work introduces an autonomous protocol to construct DNA Tetris shapes (L-Shape, B-Shape, T-Shape and I-Shape) using modular DNA blocks. The protocol exploits the rich number of sequence combinations available from the nucleic acid alphabets, thus allowing for diversity to be applied in designing various DNA nanostructures. Instead of a deterministic set of sequences corresponding to a particular design, the protocol promotes a large pool of DNA shapes that can assemble to conform to any desired structures. By utilising evolutionary programming in the design stage, DNA blocks are subjected to processes such as sequence insertion, deletion and base shifting in order to enrich the diversity of the resulting shapes based on a set of cascading filters. The optimisation algorithm allows mutation to be exerted indefinitely on the candidate sequences until these sequences complied with all the four fitness criteria. Generated candidates from the protocol are in agreement with the filter cascades and thermodynamic simulation. Further validation using gel electrophoresis indicated the formation of the designed shapes. Thus, supporting the plausibility of constructing DNA nanostructures in a more hierarchical, modular, and interchangeable manner.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 61
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    The Influence of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy on Local Postural Muscle and Central Sensory Feedback Balance Control (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by Nima Toosizadeh, Jane Mohler, David G. Armstrong, Talal K. Talal, Bijan Najafi Poor balance control and increased fall risk have been reported in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Traditional body sway measures are unable to describe underlying postural control mechanism. In the current study, we used stabilogram diffusion analysis to examine the mechanism under which balance is altered in DPN patients under local-control (postural muscle control) and central-control (postural control using sensory cueing). DPN patients and healthy age-matched adults over 55 years performed two 15-second Romberg balance trials. Center of gravity sway was measured using a motion tracker system based on wearable inertial sensors, and used to derive body sway and local/central control balance parameters. Eighteen DPN patients (age = 65.4±7.6 years; BMI = 29.3±5.3 kg/m 2 ) and 18 age-matched healthy controls (age = 69.8±2.9; BMI = 27.0±4.1 kg/m 2 ) with no major mobility disorder were recruited. The rate of sway within local-control was significantly higher in the DPN group by 49% (healthy local-control slope = 1.23±1.06×10 -2 cm 2 /sec, P
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 62
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Collective Attention and Stock Prices: Evidence from Google Trends Data on Standard and Poor's 100 (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by Raphael H. Heiberger Today´s connected world allows people to gather information in shorter intervals than ever before, widely monitored by massive online data sources. As a dramatic economic event, recent financial crisis increased public interest for large companies considerably. In this paper, we exploit this change in information gathering behavior by utilizing Google query volumes as a "bad news" indicator for each corporation listed in the Standard and Poor´s 100 index. Our results provide not only an investment strategy that gains particularly in times of financial turmoil and extensive losses by other market participants, but reveal new sectoral patterns between mass online behavior and (bearish) stock market movements. Based on collective attention shifts in search queries for individual companies, hence, these findings can help to identify early warning signs of financial systemic risk. However, our disaggregated data also illustrate the need for further efforts to understand the influence of collective attention shifts on financial behavior in times of regular market activities with less tremendous changes in search volumes.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 63
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Targeted Intracellular Delivery of Resveratrol to Glioblastoma Cells Using Apolipoprotein E-Containing Reconstituted HDL as a Nanovehicle (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by Sea H. Kim, Birendra Babu Adhikari, Siobanth Cruz, Michael P. Schramm, Joe A. Vinson, Vasanthy Narayanaswami The objective of this study is to transport and deliver resveratrol to intracellular sites using apolipoprotein E3 (apoE3). Reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (rHDL) bearing resveratrol (rHDL/res) was prepared using phospholipids and the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr)-binding domain of apoE3. Biophysical characterization revealed that resveratrol was partitioned into the phospholipid bilayer of discoidal rHDL/res particles (~19 nm diameter). Co-immunoprecipitation studies indicated that the LDLr-binding ability of apoE3 was retained. Cellular uptake of resveratrol to intracellular sites was evaluated in glioblastoma A-172 cells by direct fluorescence using chemically synthesized NBD-labeled resveratrol (res/NBD) embedded in rHDL/res. Competition and inhibition studies indicate that the uptake is by receptor mediated endocytosis via the LDLr, with co-localization of apoE3 and res/NBD in late endosomes/lysosomes. We propose that rHDL provides an ideal hydrophobic milieu to sequester resveratrol and that rHDL containing apoE3 serves as an effective “nanovehicle” to transport and deliver resveratrol to targeted intracellular sites.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 64
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Combined Oral Administration of Bovine Collagen Peptides with Calcium Citrate Inhibits Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Rats (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: by JunLi Liu, YiHu Wang, ShuJun Song, XiJie Wang, YaYa Qin, ShaoYan Si, YanChuan Guo Purpose Collagen peptides (CPs) and calcium citrate are commonly used as bone health supplements for treating osteoporosis. However, it remains unknown whether the combination of oral bovine CPs with calcium citrate is more effective than administration of either agent alone. Methods Forty 12-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups ( n = 8) for once-daily intragastric administration of different treatments for 3 months at 3 months after ovariectomy (OVX) as follows: sham + vehicle; OVX + vehicle; OVX + 750 mg/kg CP; OVX + CP-calcium citrate (75 mg/kg); OVX + calcium citrate (75 mg/kg). After euthanasia, the femurs were removed and analyzed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computed tomography, and serum samples were analyzed for bone metabolic markers. Results OVX rats supplemented with CPs or CP-calcium citrate showed osteoprotective effects, with reductions in the OVX-induced decreases in their femoral bone mineral density. Moreover, CP-calcium citrate prevented trabecular bone loss, improved the microarchitecture of the distal femur, and significantly inhibited bone loss with increased bone volume, connectivity density, and trabecular number compared with OVX control rats. CP or CP-calcium citrate administration significantly increased serum procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide levels and reduced serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and C-telopeptide of type I collagen levels. Conclusions Our data indicate that combined oral administration of bovine CPs with calcium citrate inhibits bone loss in OVX rats. The present findings suggest that combined oral administration of bovine CPs with calcium citrate is a promising alternative for reducing bone loss in osteopenic postmenopausal women.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 65
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Viewing Complex, Dynamic Scenes “Through the Eyes” of Another Person: The Gaze-Replay Paradigm (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-09
    Description: by Jennifer Choe Bush, Peter Christopher Pantelis, Xavier Morin Duchesne, Sebastian Alexander Kagemann, Daniel Patrick Kennedy We present a novel “Gaze-Replay” paradigm that allows the experimenter to directly test how particular patterns of visual input—generated from people’s actual gaze patterns—influence the interpretation of the visual scene. Although this paradigm can potentially be applied across domains, here we applied it specifically to social comprehension. Participants viewed complex, dynamic scenes through a small window displaying only the foveal gaze pattern of a gaze “donor.” This was intended to simulate the donor’s visual selection, such that a participant could effectively view scenes “through the eyes” of another person. Throughout the presentation of scenes presented in this manner, participants completed a social comprehension task, assessing their abilities to recognize complex emotions. The primary aim of the study was to assess the viability of this novel approach by examining whether these Gaze-Replay windowed stimuli contain sufficient and meaningful social information for the viewer to complete this social perceptual and cognitive task. The results of the study suggested this to be the case; participants performed better in the Gaze-Replay condition compared to a temporally disrupted control condition, and compared to when they were provided with no visual input. This approach has great future potential for the exploration of experimental questions aiming to unpack the relationship between visual selection, perception, and cognition.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 66
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Oral Migalastat HCl Leads to Greater Systemic Exposure and Tissue Levels of Active α-Galactosidase A in Fabry Patients when Co-Administered with Infused Agalsidase (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-09
    Description: by David G. Warnock, Daniel G. Bichet, Myrl Holida, Ozlem Goker-Alpan, Kathy Nicholls, Mark Thomas, Francois Eyskens, Suma Shankar, Mathews Adera, Sheela Sitaraman, Richie Khanna, John J. Flanagan, Brandon A. Wustman, Jay Barth, Carrolee Barlow, Kenneth J. Valenzano, David J. Lockhart, Pol Boudes, Franklin K. Johnson Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01196871
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 67
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    LTBP-2 Has a Single High-Affinity Binding Site for FGF-2 and Blocks FGF-2-Induced Cell Proliferation (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Clementine Menz, Mahroo K. Parsi, Julian R. J. Adams, Mohamed A. Sideek, Zlatko Kopecki, Allison J. Cowin, Mark A. Gibson Latent transforming growth factor-beta-1 binding protein-2 (LTBP-2) belongs to the fibrillin-LTBP superfamily of extracellular matrix proteins. LTBPs and fibrillins are involved in the sequestration and storage of latent growth factors, particularly transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), in tissues. Unlike other LTBPs, LTBP-2 does not covalently bind TGF-β, and its molecular functions remain unclear. We are screening LTBP-2 for binding to other growth factors and have found very strong saturable binding to fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) (Kd = 1.1 nM). Using a series of recombinant LTBP-2 fragments a single binding site for FGF-2 was identified in a central region of LTBP-2 consisting of six tandem epidermal growth factor-like (EGF-like) motifs (EGFs 9–14). This region was also shown to contain a heparin/heparan sulphate-binding site. FGF-2 stimulation of fibroblast proliferation was completely negated by the addition of 5-fold molar excess of LTBP-2 to the assay. Confocal microscopy showed strong co-localisation of LTBP-2 and FGF-2 in fibrotic keloid tissue suggesting that the two proteins may interact in vivo. Overall the study indicates that LTBP-2 is a potent inhibitor of FGF-2 that may influence FGF-2 bioactivity during wound repair particularly in fibrotic tissues.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 68
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Promoter Hypomethylation of Maspin Inhibits Migration and Invasion of Extravillous Trophoblast Cells during Placentation (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Xinwei Shi, Hao Liu, Jing Cao, Qing Liu, Guiju Tang, Wanlu Liu, Haiyi Liu, Dongrui Deng, Fuyuan Qiao, Yuanyuan Wu Objective Extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells invade the endometrium and the maternal spiral arterioles during the first trimester. Mammary Serine Protease Inhibitor (Maspin, SERPINB5) plays a putative role in regulating the invasive activity of cytotrophoblasts. The maspin gene is silenced in various cancers by an epigenetic mechanism that involves aberrant cytosine methylation. We investigated the effect of the methylation status of the maspin promoter on the maspin expression and the aggressiveness of EVT cells. Methods Western blotting was used to detect the maspin protein expression in EVT cells upon hypoxia. The proliferative ability, the apoptosis rate and the migration and invasiveness were measured with Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, Flow Cytometry technology and Transwell methods. Subsequently, we treated cells with recombinant maspin protein. The methylation degree of maspin promoter region upon hypoxia/ decitabine was detected by bisulfite sequencing PCR and methylation-specific PCR. Finally, we explored the effects of decitabine on maspin protein expression and the aggressiveness of EVT cells. Results Hypoxia effectively increased maspin protein expression in EVT cells and significantly inhibited their aggressiveness. The addition of recombinant maspin protein inhibited this aggressiveness. Decitabine reduced the methylation in the maspin promoter region and effectively increased the maspin protein expression, which significantly weakened the migration and invasiveness of EVT cells. Discussion The methylation status of the maspin promoter is an important factor that affects the migration and invasion of EVT cells during early pregnancy. A decrease in the methylation status can inhibit the migration and invasion of EVT cells to affect placentation and can result in the ischemia and hypoxia of placenta.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 69
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Extracellular Matrix Stiffness Regulates Osteogenic Differentiation through MAPK Activation (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Jun-Ha Hwang, Mi Ran Byun, A. Rum Kim, Kyung Min Kim, Hang Jun Cho, Yo Han Lee, Juwon Kim, Mi Gyeong Jeong, Eun Sook Hwang, Jeong-Ho Hong Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation is regulated by the extracellular matrix (ECM) through activation of intracellular signaling mediators. The stiffness of the ECM was shown to be an important regulatory factor for MSC differentiation, and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) was identified as an effector protein for MSC differentiation. However, the detailed underlying mechanism regarding the role of ECM stiffness and TAZ in MSC differentiation is not yet fully understood. In this report, we showed that ECM stiffness regulates MSC fate through ERK or JNK activation. Specifically, a stiff hydrogel matrix stimulates osteogenic differentiation concomitant with increased nuclear localization of TAZ, but inhibits adipogenic differentiation. ERK and JNK activity was significantly increased in cells cultured on a stiff hydrogel. TAZ activation was induced by ERK or JNK activation on a stiff hydrogel because exposure to an ERK or JNK inhibitor significantly decreased the nuclear localization of TAZ, indicating that ECM stiffness-induced ERK or JNK activation is important for TAZ-driven osteogenic differentiation. Taken together, these results suggest that ECM stiffness regulates MSC differentiation through ERK or JNK activation.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 70
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    120 Years of U.S. Residential Housing Stock and Floor Space (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Maria Cecilia P. Moura, Steven J. Smith, David B. Belzer Residential buildings are a key driver of energy consumption and also impact transportation and land-use. Energy consumption in the residential sector accounts for one-fifth of total U.S. energy consumption and energy-related CO 2 emissions, with floor space a major driver of building energy demands. In this work a consistent, vintage-disaggregated, annual long-term series of U.S. housing stock and residential floor space for 1891–2010 is presented. An attempt was made to minimize the effects of the incompleteness and inconsistencies present in the national housing survey data. Over the 1891–2010 period, floor space increased almost tenfold, from approximately 24,700 to 235,150 million square feet, corresponding to a doubling of floor space per capita from approximately 400 to 800 square feet. While population increased five times over the period, a 50% decrease in household size contributed towards a tenfold increase in the number of housing units and floor space, while average floor space per unit remains surprisingly constant, as a result of housing retirement dynamics. In the last 30 years, however, these trends appear to be changing, as household size shows signs of leveling off, or even increasing again, while average floor space per unit has been increasing. GDP and total floor space show a remarkably constant growth trend over the period and total residential sector primary energy consumption and floor space show a similar growth trend over the last 60 years, decoupling only within the last decade.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 71
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Efficient Generation of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell from Common Lymphoid Progenitors by Flt3 Ligand (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Yi-Ling Chen, Shiun Chang, Ting-Ting Chen, Chien-Kuo Lee Dendritic cells (DCs), including conventional DCs (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) are critical for initiating and controlling the immune response. However, study of DC, particularly pDC, function is hampered by their low frequency in lymphoid organs, and existing methods for in vitro DC generation preferentially favor the production of cDCs over pDCs. Here, we demonstrated that pDCs could be efficiently generated in vitro from common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) using Flt3 ligand (FL) in three different culture systems, namely feeder-free, BM-feeder and AC-6-feeder. This was in stark contrast to common DC progenitors (CDPs), in which cDCs were prominently generated under the same conditions. Moreover, the efficiency and function of pDCs generated from these three systems varied. While AC-6 system showed the greatest ability to support pDC development from CLPs, BM-feeder system was able to develop pDCs with better functionality. pDCs could also be expanded in vivo using hydrodynamic gene transfer of FL, which was further enhanced by the combined treatment of FL and IFN-α. Interestingly, IFN-α selectively promoted the proliferation of CLPs and not CDPs, which might contribute to enhanced pDC development. Together, we have defined conditions for in vitro and in vivo generation of pDCs, which may be useful for investigating the biology of pDCs.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 72
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    A Haptic Feedback Scheme to Accurately Position a Virtual Wrist Prosthesis Using a Three-Node Tactor Array (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Andrew Erwin, Frank C. Sup In this paper, a novel haptic feedback scheme, used for accurately positioning a 1DOF virtual wrist prosthesis through sensory substitution, is presented. The scheme employs a three-node tactor array and discretely and selectively modulates the stimulation frequency of each tactor to relay 11 discrete haptic stimuli to the user. Able-bodied participants were able to move the virtual wrist prosthesis via a surface electromyography based controller. The participants evaluated the feedback scheme without visual or audio feedback and relied solely on the haptic feedback alone to correctly position the hand. The scheme was evaluated through both normal (perpendicular) and shear (lateral) stimulations applied on the forearm. Normal stimulations were applied through a prototype device previously developed by the authors while shear stimulations were generated using an ubiquitous coin motor vibrotactor. Trials with no feedback served as a baseline to compare results within the study and to the literature. The results indicated that using normal and shear stimulations resulted in accurately positioning the virtual wrist, but were not significantly different. Using haptic feedback was substantially better than no feedback. The results found in this study are significant since the feedback scheme allows for using relatively few tactors to relay rich haptic information to the user and can be learned easily despite a relatively short amount of training. Additionally, the results are important for the haptic community since they contradict the common conception in the literature that normal stimulation is inferior to shear. From an ergonomic perspective normal stimulation has the potential to benefit upper limb amputees since it can operate at lower frequencies than shear-based vibrotactors while also generating less noise. Through further tuning of the novel haptic feedback scheme and normal stimulation device, a compact and comfortable sensory substitution device for upper limb amputees might be created.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 73
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Anti-Retroviral Lectins Have Modest Effects on Adherence of Trichomonas vaginalis to Epithelial Cells In Vitro and on Recovery of Tritrichomonas foetus in a Mouse Vaginal Model (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-09
    Description: by Aparajita Chatterjee, Daniel M. Ratner, Christopher M. Ryan, Patricia J. Johnson, Barry R. O’Keefe, W. Evan Secor, Deborah J. Anderson, Phillips W. Robbins, John Samuelson Trichomonas vaginalis causes vaginitis and increases the risk of HIV transmission by heterosexual sex, while Tritrichomonas foetus causes premature abortion in cattle. Our goals were to determine the effects, if any, of anti-retroviral lectins, which are designed to prevent heterosexual transmission of HIV, on adherence of Trichomonas to ectocervical cells and on Tritrichomonas infections in a mouse model. We show that Trichomonas Asn-linked glycans ( N -glycans), like those of HIV, bind the mannose-binding lectin (MBL) that is part of the innate immune system. N -glycans of Trichomonas and Tritrichomonas bind anti-retroviral lectins (cyanovirin-N and griffithsin) and the 2G12 monoclonal antibody, each of which binds HIV N -glycans. Binding of cyanovirin-N appears to be independent of susceptibility to metronidazole, the major drug used to treat Trichomonas . Anti-retroviral lectins, MBL, and galectin-1 cause Trichomonas to self-aggregate and precipitate. The anti-retroviral lectins also increase adherence of ricin-resistant mutants, which are less adherent than parent cells, to ectocervical cell monolayers and to organotypic EpiVaginal tissue cells. Topical application of either anti-retroviral lectins or yeast N -glycans decreases by 40 to 70% the recovery of Tritrichomonas from the mouse vagina. These results, which are explained by a few simple models, suggest that the anti-retroviral lectins have a modest potential for preventing or treating human infections with Trichomonas .
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 74
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Educational Inequalities in Exit from Paid Employment among Dutch Workers: The Influence of Health, Lifestyle and Work (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-09
    Description: by Suzan J. W. Robroek, Anne Rongen, Coos H. Arts, Ferdy W. H. Otten, Alex Burdorf, Merel Schuring Background Individuals with lower socioeconomic status are at increased risk of involuntary exit from paid employment. To give sound advice for primary prevention in the workforce, insight is needed into the role of mediating factors between socioeconomic status and labour force participation. Therefore, it is aimed to investigate the influence of health status, lifestyle-related factors and work characteristics on educational differences in exit from paid employment. Methods 14,708 Dutch employees participated in a ten-year follow-up study during 1999–2008. At baseline, education, self-perceived health, lifestyle (smoking, alcohol, sports, BMI) and psychosocial (demands, control, rewards) and physical work characteristics were measured by questionnaire. Employment status was ascertained monthly based on tax records. The relation between education, health, lifestyle, work-characteristics and exit from paid employment through disability benefits, unemployment, early retirement and economic inactivity was investigated by competing risks regression analyses. The mediating effects of these factors on educational differences in exit from paid employment were tested using a stepwise approach. Results Lower educated workers were more likely to exit paid employment through disability benefits (SHR:1.84), unemployment (SHR:1.74), and economic inactivity (SHR:1.53) but not due to early retirement (SHR:0.92). Poor or moderate health, an unhealthy lifestyle, and unfavourable work characteristics were associated with disability benefits and unemployment, and an unhealthy lifestyle with economic inactivity. Educational differences in disability benefits were explained for 40% by health, 31% by lifestyle, and 12% by work characteristics. For economic inactivity and unemployment, up to 14% and 21% of the educational differences could be explained, particularly by lifestyle-related factors. Conclusions There are educational differences in exit from paid employment, which are partly mediated by health, lifestyle and work characteristics, particularly for disability benefits. Health promotion and improving working conditions seem important measures to maintain a productive workforce, particularly among workers with a low education.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 75
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Security Analysis and Improvement of ‘a More Secure Anonymous User Authentication Scheme for the Integrated EPR Information System’ (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by SK Hafizul Islam, Muhammad Khurram Khan, Xiong Li Over the past few years, secure and privacy-preserving user authentication scheme has become an integral part of the applications of the healthcare systems. Recently, Wen has designed an improved user authentication system over the Lee et al.’s scheme for integrated electronic patient record (EPR) information system, which has been analyzed in this study. We have found that Wen’s scheme still has the following inefficiencies: (1) the correctness of identity and password are not verified during the login and password change phases; (2) it is vulnerable to impersonation attack and privileged-insider attack; (3) it is designed without the revocation of lost/stolen smart card; (4) the explicit key confirmation and the no key control properties are absent, and (5) user cannot update his/her password without the help of server and secure channel. Then we aimed to propose an enhanced two-factor user authentication system based on the intractable assumption of the quadratic residue problem (QRP) in the multiplicative group. Our scheme bears more securities and functionalities than other schemes found in the literature.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 76
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    GDSCalc: A Web-Based Application for Evaluating Discrete Graph Dynamical Systems (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Sherif H. Elmeligy Abdelhamid, Chris J. Kuhlman, Madhav V. Marathe, Henning S. Mortveit, S. S. Ravi Discrete dynamical systems are used to model various realistic systems in network science, from social unrest in human populations to regulation in biological networks. A common approach is to model the agents of a system as vertices of a graph, and the pairwise interactions between agents as edges. Agents are in one of a finite set of states at each discrete time step and are assigned functions that describe how their states change based on neighborhood relations. Full characterization of state transitions of one system can give insights into fundamental behaviors of other dynamical systems. In this paper, we describe a discrete graph dynamical systems (GDSs) application called GDSCalc for computing and characterizing system dynamics. It is an open access system that is used through a web interface. We provide an overview of GDS theory. This theory is the basis of the web application; i.e., an understanding of GDS provides an understanding of the software features, while abstracting away implementation details. We present a set of illustrative examples to demonstrate its use in education and research. Finally, we compare GDSCalc with other discrete dynamical system software tools. Our perspective is that no single software tool will perform all computations that may be required by all users; tools typically have particular features that are more suitable for some tasks. We situate GDSCalc within this space of software tools.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 77
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Depth-Dependent Mineral Soil CO2 Production Processes: Sensitivity to Harvesting-Induced Changes in Soil Climate (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Lisa Kellman, Amy Myette, Hugo Beltrami Forest harvesting induces a step change in the climatic variables (temperature and moisture), that control carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) production arising from soil organic matter decomposition within soils. Efforts to examine these vertically complex relationships in situ within soil profiles are lacking. In this study we examined how the climatic controls on CO 2 production change within vertically distinct layers of the soil profile in intact and clearcut forest soils of a humid temperate forest system of Atlantic Canada. We measured mineral soil temperature (0, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 cm depth) and moisture (0–15 cm and 30–60 cm depth), along with CO 2 surface efflux and subsurface concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 35, 50, 75 and 100 cm depth) in 1 m deep soil pits at 4 sites represented by two forest-clearcut pairs over a complete annual cycle. We examined relationships between surface efflux at each site, and soil heat, moisture, and mineral soil CO 2 production. Following clearcut harvesting we observed increases in temperature through depth (1–2°C annually; often in excess of 4°C in summer and spring), alongside increases in soil moisture (30%). We observed a systematic breakdown in the expected exponential relationship between CO 2 production and heat with mineral soil depth, consistent with an increase in the role moisture plays in constraining CO 2 production. These findings should be considered in efforts to model and characterize mineral soil organic matter decomposition in harvested forest soils.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 78
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Protective Effect of Sevoflurane Postconditioning against Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Ameliorating Mitochondrial Impairment, Oxidative Stress and Rescuing Autophagic Clearance (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-12
    Description: by Peng Yu, Jing Zhang, Shuchun Yu, Zhenzhong Luo, Fuzhou Hua, Linhui Yuan, Zhidong Zhou, Qin Liu, Xiaohong Du, Sisi Chen, Lieliang Zhang, Guohai Xu Background and Purpose Myocardial infarction leads to heart failure. Autophagy is excessively activated in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rats. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the protection of sevoflurane postconditioning (SPC) in myocardial I/R is through restored impaired autophagic flux. Methods Except for the sham control (SHAM) group, each rat underwent 30 min occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary (LAD) followed by 2 h reperfusion. Cardiac infarction was determined by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride triazole (TTC) staining. Cardiac function was examined by hemodynamics and echocardiography. The activation of autophagy was evaluated by autophagosome accumulation, LC3 conversion and p62 degradation. Potential molecular mechanisms were investigated by immunoblotting, real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining. Results SPC improved the hemodynamic parameters, cardiac dysfunction, histopathological and ultrastructural damages, and decreased myocardial infarction size after myocardial I/R injury ( P 〈 0.05 vs. I/R group). Compared with the cases in I/R group, myocardial ATP and NAD + content, mitochondrial function related genes and proteins, and the expressions of SOD2 and HO-1 were increased, while the expressions of ROS and Vimentin were decreased in the SPC group ( P 〈 0.05 vs. I/R group). SPC significantly activated Akt/mTOR signaling, and inhibited the formation of Vps34/Beclin1 complex via increasing expression of Bcl2 protein ( P 〈 0.05 vs. I/R group). SPC suppressed elevated expressions of LC3 II/I ratio, Beclin1, Atg5 and Atg7 in I/R rat, which indicated that SPC inhibited over-activation of autophagy, and promoted autophagosome clearance. Meanwhile, SPC significantly suppressed the decline of Opa1 and increases of Drp1 and Parkin induced by I/R injury ( P 〈 0.05 vs. I/R group). Moreover, SPC maintained the contents of ATP by reducing impaired mitochondria. Conclusion SPC protects rat hearts against I/R injury via ameliorating mitochondrial impairment, oxidative stress and rescuing autophagic clearance.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 79
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Influential Factors on the Relative Age Effect in Alpine Ski Racing (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-09
    Description: by Lisa Müller, Erich Müller, Carolin Hildebrandt, Elmar Kornexl, Christian Raschner The relative age effect (RAE), which refers to an over-representation of selected athletes born early in the selection year, was proven to be present in alpine ski racing in all age categories at both national and international levels. However, the influential factors on, or the causal mechanisms of, the RAE are still unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine three possible influential factors on the relative age effect in alpine skiing: physical performance, anthropometric characteristics and biological maturational status. The study included the investigation of 282 elite Austrian youth ski racers and 413 non-athletes (comparison group) of the same age (10–13 years) and region. Six physical performance tests were performed, body mass and height were assessed, and the age at peak height velocity (APHV) was calculated. A significant RAE was present in the ski racers. No differences were shown in the physical performance characteristics or in the calculated APHV between the relative age quarters. These results suggest that ski racers born in the last quarter can counteract the relative age disadvantages if they already present the same level of physical performance and maturational status as those born at the beginning of the year. The height and weight of ski racers born at the beginning of the year were significantly higher compared to the non-athletes, and ski racers born in relative age quarter 1 were taller and heavier compared to the ski racers of the other quarters. This indicates that the anthropometric characteristics influence the selection process in alpine ski racing, and that relatively older athletes are more likely to be selected if they exhibit advanced anthropometric characteristics.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 80
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Intrinsic Functional Connectivity in Salience and Default Mode Networks and Aberrant Social Processes in Youth at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-09
    Description: by Andrea Pelletier-Baldelli, Jessica A. Bernard, Vijay A. Mittal Social processes are key to navigating the world, and investigating their underlying mechanisms and cognitive architecture can aid in understanding disease states such as schizophrenia, where social processes are highly impacted. Evidence suggests that social processes are impaired in individuals at ultra high-risk for the development of psychosis (UHR). Understanding these phenomena in UHR youth may clarify disease etiology and social processes in a period that is characterized by significantly fewer confounds than schizophrenia. Furthermore, understanding social processing deficits in this population will help explain these processes in healthy individuals. The current study examined resting state connectivity of the salience (SN) and default mode networks (DMN) in association with facial emotion recognition (FER), an integral aspect of social processes, as well as broader social functioning (SF) in UHR individuals and healthy controls. Consistent with the existing literature, UHR youth were impaired in FER and SF when compared with controls. In the UHR group, we found increased connectivity between the SN and the medial prefrontal cortex, an area of the DMN relative to controls. In UHR youth, the DMN exhibited both positive and negative correlations with the somatosensory cortex/cerebellum and precuneus, respectively, which was linked with better FER performance. For SF, results showed that sensory processing links with the SN might be important in allowing for better SF for both groups, but especially in controls where sensory processing is likely to be unimpaired. These findings clarify how social processing deficits may manifest in psychosis, and underscore the importance of SN and DMN connectivity for social processing more generally.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 81
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Length-Based Assessment of Coral Reef Fish Populations in the Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Marc O. Nadon, Jerald S. Ault, Ivor D. Williams, Steven G. Smith, Gerard T. DiNardo The coral reef fish community of Hawaii is composed of hundreds of species, supports a multimillion dollar fishing and tourism industry, and is of great cultural importance to the local population. However, a major stock assessment of Hawaiian coral reef fish populations has not yet been conducted. Here we used the robust indicator variable “average length in the exploited phase of the population (L¯)”, estimated from size composition data from commercial fisheries trip reports and fishery-independent diver surveys, to evaluate exploitation rates for 19 Hawaiian reef fishes. By and large, the average lengths obtained from diver surveys agreed well with those from commercial data. We used the estimated exploitation rates coupled with life history parameters synthesized from the literature to parameterize a numerical population model and generate stock sustainability metrics such as spawning potential ratios (SPR). We found good agreement between predicted average lengths in an unfished population (from our population model) and those observed from diver surveys in the largely unexploited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Of 19 exploited reef fish species assessed in the main Hawaiian Islands, 9 had SPRs close to or below the 30% overfishing threshold. In general, longer-lived species such as surgeonfishes, the redlip parrotfish ( Scarus rubroviolaceus ), and the gray snapper ( Aprion virescens ) had the lowest SPRs, while short-lived species such as goatfishes and jacks, as well as two invasive species ( Lutjanus kasmira and Cephalopholis argus ), had SPRs above the 30% threshold.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 82
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Performance of Dutch Children on the Bayley III: A Comparison Study of US and Dutch Norms (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Leonie J. P. Steenis, Marjolein Verhoeven, Dave J. Hessen, Anneloes L. van Baar Background The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-third edition (Bayley-III) are frequently used to assess early child development worldwide. However, the original standardization only included US children, and it is still unclear whether or not these norms are adequate for use in other populations. Recently, norms for the Dutch version of the Bayley-III (The Bayley-III-NL) were made. Scores based on Dutch and US norms were compared to study the need for population-specific norms. Methods Scaled scores based on Dutch and US norms were compared for 1912 children between 14 days and 42 months 14 days. Next, the proportions of children scoring 〈 1-SD and 〈 -2 SD based on the two norms were compared, to identify over- or under-referral for developmental delay resulting from non-population-based norms. Results Scaled scores based on Dutch norms fluctuated around values based on US norms on all subtests. The extent of the deviations differed across ages and subtests. Differences in means were significant across all five subtests (p 〈 .01) with small to large effect sizes ( η p 2 ) ranging from .03 to .26). Using the US instead of Dutch norms resulted in over-referral regarding gross motor skills, and under-referral regarding cognitive, receptive communication, expressive communication, and fine motor skills. Conclusions The Dutch norms differ from the US norms for all subtests and these differences are clinically relevant. Population specific norms are needed to identify children with low scores for referral and intervention, and to facilitate international comparisons of population data.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 83
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    A Pilot Study on Clinical and Neuroimaging Characteristics of Chinese Posterior Cortical Atrophy: Comparison with Typical Alzheimer’s Disease (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Xiao-Dan Wang, Hui Lu, Zhihong Shi, Li Cai, Shuai Liu, Shuling Liu, Tong Han, Ying Wang, Yuying Zhou, Xinping Wang, Shuo Gao, Yong Ji Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a clinicoradiologic neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by predominant impairment of higher visual functions. Neuroimaging and neuropathological studies show that PCA is probably an atypical presentation of Alzheimer’s disease. However, in China PCA has rarely been studied and remains largely unknown. Our study therefore aimed to analyze the clinical manifestations and patterns of cerebral atrophy, amyloid beta deposition and regional glucose metabolism in Chinese PCA patients, comparing them directly with those of typical Alzheimer’s disease (TAD). Seven PCA patients, 6 TAD patients and 5 controls underwent neuropsychological assessment, MRI scan, 11 C-PIB PET scan and 18 F-FDG PET scan. Cerebral atrophy including ventricular enlargement, posterior atrophy and medial temporal lobe atrophy were evaluated with MRI. The uptake of 11 C-PIB was quantified at the voxel level using the standardized uptake value ratio. Comparisons of regional cerebral glucose metabolism were calculated with statistical parametric mapping. PCA patients showed significant impairment on visuospatial function in neuropsychological assessment. And PCA patients showed more severe posterior atrophy and less severe left medial temporal lobe atrophy compared with TAD patients. The data from 11 C-PIB PET scanning showed that amyloid beta deposition in PCA was comparable to TAD. Moreover, in PCA the results from 18 F-FDG PET scanning revealed significant hypometabolism in the temporoparietooccipital region and identified specific hypometabolism in the right occipital lobe, compared with TAD. Our study thus provides a preliminary view of PCA in Chinese patients. A further study with a larger number of subjects would be recommended to confirm these findings.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 84
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Reliability and Validity Study of Clinical Ultrasound Imaging on Lateral Curvature of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Q. Wang, M. Li, Edmond H. M. Lou, M. S. Wong Background Non-ionizing radiation imaging assessment has been advocated for the patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). As one of the radiation-free methods, ultrasound imaging has gained growing attention in scoliosis assessment over the past decade. The center of laminae (COL) method has been proposed to measure the spinal curvature in the coronal plane of ultrasound image. However, the reliability and validity of this ultrasound method have not been validated in the clinical setting. Objectives To evaluate the reliability and validity of clinical ultrasound imaging on lateral curvature measurements of AIS with their corresponding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements. Methods Thirty curves (ranged 10.2°–68.2°) from sixteen patients with AIS were eligible for this study. The ultrasound scan was performed using a 3-D ultrasound unit within the same morning of MRI examination. Two researchers were involved in data collection of these two examinations. The COL method was used to measure the coronal curvature in ultrasound image, compared with the Cobb method in MRI. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of the COL method was evaluated by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The validity of this method was analyzed by paired Student’s t -test, Bland–Altman statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient. The level of significance was set as 0.05. Results The COL method showed high intra- and inter-rater reliabilities (both with ICC (2, K) 〉0.9, p
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 85
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Robust Gene-Gene Interaction Analysis in Genome Wide Association Studies (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Yongkang Kim, Taesung Park Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully discovered hundreds of associations between genetic variants and complex traits. Most GWAS have focused on the identification of single variants. It has been shown that most of the variants that were discovered by GWAS could only partially explain disease heritability. The explanation for this missing heritability is generally believed to be gene-gene (GG) or gene-environment (GE) interactions and other structural variants. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) has been proven to be reasonably powerful in detecting GG and GE interactions; however, its performance has been found to decline when outlying quantitative traits are present. This paper proposes a robust GMDR estimation method (based on the L-estimator and M-estimator estimation methods) in an attempt to reduce the effects caused by outlying traits. A comparison of robust GMDR with the original MDR based on simulation studies showed the former method to outperform the latter. The performance of robust GMDR is illustrated through a real GWA example consisting of 8,577 samples from the Korean population using the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) level as a phenotype. Robust GMDR identified the KCNH1 gene to have strong interaction effects with other genes on the function of insulin secretion.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 86
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Item Anomaly Detection Based on Dynamic Partition for Time Series in Recommender Systems (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Min Gao, Renli Tian, Junhao Wen, Qingyu Xiong, Bin Ling, Linda Yang In recent years, recommender systems have become an effective method to process information overload. However, recommendation technology still suffers from many problems. One of the problems is shilling attacks-attackers inject spam user profiles to disturb the list of recommendation items. There are two characteristics of all types of shilling attacks: 1) Item abnormality: The rating of target items is always maximum or minimum; and 2) Attack promptness: It takes only a very short period time to inject attack profiles. Some papers have proposed item anomaly detection methods based on these two characteristics, but their detection rate, false alarm rate, and universality need to be further improved. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an item anomaly detection method based on dynamic partitioning for time series. This method first dynamically partitions item-rating time series based on important points. Then, we use chi square distribution (χ 2 ) to detect abnormal intervals. The experimental results on MovieLens 100K and 1M indicate that this approach has a high detection rate and a low false alarm rate and is stable toward different attack models and filler sizes.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 87
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Budgetary Impact of Treating Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Patients with First-Line Arsenic Trioxide and Retinoic Acid from an Italian Payer Perspective (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Morgan Kruse, Rebecca Wildner, Gisoo Barnes, Monique Martin, Udo Mueller, Francesco Lo-Coco, Ashutosh Pathak The objective of this study was to estimate the net cost of arsenic trioxide (ATO) added to all- trans retinoic acid (ATRA) compared to ATRA plus chemotherapy when used in first-line acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) treatment for low to intermediate risk patients from the perspective of the overall Italian healthcare systemA Markov model was developed with 3 health states: stable disease, disease event and death. Each month, patients could move from stable to disease event or die from either state. After a disease event, patients discontinued initial treatment and switched to the other regimen as second-line therapy. Treatment regimens, efficacy and adverse events were derived from published sources and expert opinion; unit costs were collected from standard Italian sources. Clinical outcomes and costs for pre-ATO and post-ATO scenarios were combined with population and product utilization information to calculate the total budgetary impact using a 3-year time horizon; one-way sensitivity analyses were conducted. Three-year cumulative pharmacy costs for ATO+ATRA were €46,700 per-patient versus €6,500 for ATRA+chemotherapy; however, medical costs for ATO+ATRA were €12,300 per-patient versus €30,200 for ATRA+chemotherapy. The total budgetary impact was estimated to be an additional €127,300, €312,500 and €477,800 in the first, second and third years, respectively. The model was most sensitive to changes in the cost of the ATO+ATRA regimen during the consolidation phase. Budgetary impact models are valuable to payers making formulary decisions regarding the access and affordability of new medicines. The cost of treatment analysis showed that pharmacy costs for ATO+ATRA were higher than for ATRA+chemotherapy, while all other evaluated costs were lower for ATO+ATRA treated patients. The average budgetary impact was €305,900 per year overall, representing a 3.5% increase. Further research is needed to determine the cost-effectiveness of ATO+ATRA compared to the current first-line standard of care in APL.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 88
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    DAPK1 Promoter Methylation and Cervical Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Antonella Agodi, Martina Barchitta, Annalisa Quattrocchi, Andrea Maugeri, Manlio Vinciguerra Objective The Death-Associated Protein Kinase 1 ( DAPK1 ) gene has been frequently investigated in cervical cancer (CC). The aim of the present study was to carry out a systematic review and a meta-analysis in order to evaluate DAPK1 promoter methylation as an epigenetic marker for CC risk. Methods A systematic literature search was carried out. The Cochrane software package Review Manager 5.2 was used. The fixed-effects or random-effects models, according to heterogeneity across studies, were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). Furthermore, subgroup analyses were conducted by histological type, assays used to evaluate DAPK1 promoter methylation, and control sample source. Results A total of 20 papers, published between 2001 and 2014, on 1929 samples, were included in the meta-analysis. DAPK1 promoter methylation was associated with an increased CC risk based on the random effects model (OR: 21.20; 95%CI = 11.14–40.35). Omitting the most heterogeneous study, the between study heterogeneity decreased and the association increased (OR: 24.13; 95% CI = 15.83–36.78). The association was also confirmed in all the subgroups analyses. Conclusions A significant strong association between DAPK1 promoter methylation and CC was shown and confirmed independently by histological tumor type, method used to evaluate methylation and source of control samples. Methylation markers may have value in early detection of CC precursor lesions, provide added reassurances of safety for women who are candidates for less frequent screens, and predict outcomes of women infected with human papilloma virus.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 89
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Molecular Basis of Gene-Gene Interaction: Cyclic Cross-Regulation of Gene Expression and Post-GWAS Gene-Gene Interaction Involved in Atrial Fibrillation (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-13
    Description: by Yufeng Huang, Chuchu Wang, Yufeng Yao, Xiaoyu Zuo, Shanshan Chen, Chengqi Xu, Hongfu Zhang, Qiulun Lu, Le Chang, Fan Wang, Pengxia Wang, Rongfeng Zhang, Zhenkun Hu, Qixue Song, Xiaowei Yang, Cong Li, Sisi Li, Yuanyuan Zhao, Qin Yang, Dan Yin, Xiaojing Wang, Wenxia Si, Xiuchun Li, Xin Xiong, Dan Wang, Yuan Huang, Chunyan Luo, Jia Li, Jingjing Wang, Jing Chen, Longfei Wang, Li Wang, Meng Han, Jian Ye, Feifei Chen, Jingqiu Liu, Ying Liu, Gang Wu, Bo Yang, Xiang Cheng, Yuhua Liao, Yanxia Wu, Tie Ke, Qiuyun Chen, Xin Tu, Robert Elston, Shaoqi Rao, Yanzong Yang, Yunlong Xia, Qing K. Wang Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia at the clinic. Recent GWAS identified several variants associated with AF, but they account for
    Print ISSN: 1553-7390
    Electronic ISSN: 1553-7404
    Topics: Biology
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 90
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Relative Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in People with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Population-Based Cohort Study (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-14
    Description: by Shu-I Wu, Su-Chiu Chen, Shen-Ing Liu, Fang-Ju Sun, Jimmy J. M. Juang, Hsin-Chien Lee, Kai-Liang Kao, Michael E. Dewey, Martin Prince, Robert Stewart Objective Despite high mortality associated with serious mental illness, risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear, especially for patients with bipolar disorder. The main objective was to investigate the relative risk of AMI associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders in a national sample. Method Using nationwide administrative data, an 11-year historic cohort study was assembled, comprised of cases aged 18 and above who had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, compared to a random sample of all other adults excluding those with diagnoses of serious mental illness. Incident AMI as a primary diagnosis was ascertained. Hazard ratios stratified by age and gender were calculated and Cox regression models were used to adjust for other covariates. Results A total of 70,225 people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and 207,592 people without serious mental illness were compared. Hazard ratios in men adjusted for age, income and urbanization were 1.15 (95% CI 1.01~1.32) for schizophrenia and 1.37 (1.08~1.73)for bipolar disorder, and in women, 1.85 (1.58~2.18) and 1.88(1.47~2.41) respectively. Further adjustment for treated hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia attenuated the hazard ratio for men with schizophrenia but not the other comparison groups. Hazard ratios were significantly stronger in women than men and were stronger in younger compared to older age groups for both disorders; however, gender modification was only significant in people with schizophrenia, and age modification only significant in people with bipolar disorder. Conclusions In this large national sample, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were associated with raised risk of AMI in women and in the younger age groups although showed differences in potential confounding and modifying factors.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 91
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Fat Metaplasia on Sacroiliac Joint Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Baseline Is Associated with Spinal Radiographic Progression in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-14
    Description: by Kwi Young Kang, In Je Kim, Min A Yoon, Yeon Sik Hong, Sung-Hwan Park, Ji Hyeon Ju Objective To study the relationship between inflammatory and structural lesions in the sacroiliac joints (SIJs) on MRI and spinal progression observed on conventional radiographs in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Methods One hundred and ten patients who fulfilled the ASAS axSpA criteria were enrolled. All underwent SIJ MRI at baseline and lumbar spine radiographs at baseline and after 2 years. Inflammatory and structural lesions on SIJ MRI were scored using the SPondyloArthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) method. Spinal radiographs were scored using the Stoke AS Spinal Score (SASSS). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of spinal progression. Results Among the 110 patients, 25 (23%) showed significant radiographic progression (change of SASSS≥2) over 2 years. There was no change in the SASSS over 2 years according to the type of inflammatory lesion. Patients with fat metaplasia or ankyloses on baseline MRI showed a significantly higher SASSS at 2 years than those without (p
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 92
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Multiparametric Cell Cycle Analysis Using the Operetta High-Content Imager and Harmony Software with PhenoLOGIC (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-07-29
    Description: by Andrew J. Massey High-content imaging is a powerful tool for determining cell phenotypes at the single cell level. Characterising the effect of small molecules on cell cycle distribution is important for understanding their mechanism of action especially in oncology drug discovery but also for understanding potential toxicology liabilities. Here, a high-throughput phenotypic assay utilising the PerkinElmer Operetta high-content imager and Harmony software to determine cell cycle distribution is described. PhenoLOGIC, a machine learning algorithm within Harmony software was employed to robustly separate single cells from cell clumps. DNA content, EdU incorporation and pHH3 (S10) expression levels were subsequently utilised to separate cells into the various phases of the cell cycle. The assay is amenable to multiplexing with an additional pharmacodynamic marker to assess cell cycle changes within a specific cellular sub-population. Using this approach, the cell cycle distribution of γH2AX positive nuclei was determined following treatment with DNA damaging agents. Likewise, the assay can be multiplexed with Ki67 to determine the fraction of quiescent cells and with BrdU dual labelling to determine S-phase duration. This methodology therefore provides a relatively cheap, quick and high-throughput phenotypic method for determining accurate cell cycle distribution for small molecule mechanism of action and drug toxicity studies.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 93
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    In Vivo Measurement of Mesokinesis in Gekko gecko: The Role of Cranial Kinesis during Gape Display, Feeding and Biting (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-02
    Description: by Stéphane J. Montuelle, Susan H. Williams Cranial kinesis refers to movements of skeletal sub-units relative to one another at mobile sutures within the skull. The presence and functional significance of cranial kinesis has been investigated in various vertebrates, with much of our understanding coming from comparative studies and manipulation of ligamentous specimens. Drawing on these studies, cranial kinesis in lizards has been modeled as a four-bar linkage system involving streptostyly (rotation of the quadrate), hypokinesis (dorsoventral flexion and extension of the palato-maxillary sub-unit), mesokinesis (dorsoventral flexion and extension of the snout at the fronto-parietal suture) and metakinesis (sliding movements between parietal and supraocciptal bones). In vivo studies, although limited, suggest that cranial kinesis serves an important role during routine behaviors such as feeding. Here, we use X-ray Reconstruction Of Moving Morphology to further quantify mesokinesis in vivo in Gekko gecko during three routine behaviors: gape display, biting and post-ingestion feeding. During gape display, the snout rotates dorsally above rest position, with mesokinesis accounting for a 10% increase in maximum gape over that achieved solely by the depression of the lower jaw. During defensive biting, the snout rotates ventrally below rest position to participate in gape closure. Finally, ventroflexion of the snout also occurs during post-ingestion feeding, accounting for 42% of gape closure during intra-oral transport, 86% during puncture-crushing, and 61% during pharyngeal packing. Mesokinesis thus appears to facilitate prey puncturing by allowing the snout to rotate ventrally so that the upper teeth pierce the prey item, thus limiting the need for large movements of the lower jaw. This is suggested to maintain a firm grip on the prey and reduce the possibility of prey escape. More generally, this study demonstrates that mesokinesis is a key component of defensive biting and gape display behaviors, as well as post-ingestion feeding, all of which are linked to organismal fitness.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 94
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    A Mechanistic Assessment of the Discordance between Normal Serum Alanine Aminotransferase Levels and Altered Liver Histology in Chronic Hepatitis B (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-02
    Description: by Xianqiong Gong, Jiaen Yang, Jinmo Tang, Chong Gu, Lijian Huang, Ying Zheng, Huiqing Liang, Min Wang, Chuncheng Wu, Yue Chen, Manying Zhang, Zhijian Yu, Qianguo Mao To understand the mechanisms underlying the discordance between normal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and significant alterations in liver histology of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with persistent normal ALT (PNALT) or minimally elevated ALT. A total of 300 treatment-naive chronic HBV-infected patients with PNALT (ALT ≤ upper limit of normal [ULN, 40 U/ml]) or minimally elevated ALT (1-2×ULN) were retrospectively enrolled. All patients underwent liver biopsy and histological changes were analyzed along with biochemical and HBV markers. Among 300 participants, 177 were HBeAg-positive and 123 HBeAg-negative. Significant histologic abnormalities were found in 42.9% (76/177) and 52.8% (65/123) of HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients, respectively. Significant fibrosis, which is a marker of prior injury, was more frequently detected than significant necroinflammation (suggesting active liver injury) in both HBeAg-positive and -negative groups, suggesting that liver injury occurred intermittently in our cohort. No significant differences were noticed in the percentage of patients with severe fibrosis between HBeAg-positive and negative phases or between ages 30 and 40 and over 40, suggesting that the fibrosis was possibly carried over from an early phase. Finally, lowering ALT ULN (30 U/L for men, 19 U/L for women) alone was not adequate to increase the sensitivity of ALT detection of liver injury. However, the study was limited to a small sample size of 13 HBeAg-positive patients with ALT in the revised normal range. We detected significant liver pathology in almost 50% of chronic HBV infected patients with PNALT (ALT ≤ 40 U/ml) or minimally elevated ALT. We postulated that small-scale intermittent liver injury was possibly responsible for the discordance between normal serum ALT and significant liver changes in our cohort.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 95
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Unplanned Excision of Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma in Korea: A Nationwide Study Based on a Claims Registry (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-04
    Description: by Seungcheol Kang, Han-Soo Kim, Ilkyu Han Unplanned excision of extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is common and has detrimental effects not only on patients’ oncologic outcomes but also on functional and economic issues. However, no study has analyzed a nationwide population-based database. To estimate the incidence and treatment pattern of unplanned excision in extremity STS in the Korean population, a nationwide epidemiologic study was performed using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database, a centralized nationwide healthcare claims registry of Korea that covers the entire Korean population. Among 1,517 patients with extremity STS in the 4-year study period, 553 (36.5%) underwent unplanned excision (unplanned group). About 80% of unplanned excisions were performed in tertiary or general hospitals. Of the unplanned group, 240 (43.4%) underwent re-excision with or without radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, and 51 (9.2%) did not undergo re-excision but were treated with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy; whereas, 262 (47.4%) did not undergo any further treatment following unplanned excision. This study is the first nationwide population-based study on the unplanned excision of extremity STS. The results may have implications in establishing preventive or therapeutic measures to reduce the burden of unplanned excision of extremity STS.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 96
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Concerted Evolution of Duplicate Control Regions in the Mitochondria of Species of the Flatfish Family Bothidae (Teleostei: Pleuronectiformes) (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-04
    Description: by Dong-He Li, Wei Shi, Thomas A. Munroe, Li Gong, Xiao-Yu Kong Mitogenomes of flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes) exhibit the greatest diversity of gene rear-rangements in teleostean fishes. Duplicate control regions (CRs) have been found in the mito-genomes of two flatfishes, Samariscus latus (Samaridae) and Laeops lanceolata (Bothidae), which is rare in teleosts. It has been reported that duplicate CRs have evolved in a concerted fashion in fishes and other animals, however, whether concerted evo-lution exists in flatfishes remains unknown. In this study, based on five newly sequenced and six previously reported mitogenomes of lefteye flounders in the Bothidae, we explored whether duplicate CRs and concerted evolution exist in these species. Results based on the present study and previous reports show that four out of eleven bothid species examined have duplicate CRs of their mitogenomes. The core regions of the duplicate CRs of mitogenomes in the same species have identical, or nearly identical, sequences when compared to each other. This pattern fits the typical characteristics of concerted evolution. Additionally, phylogenetic and ancestral state reconstruction analysis also provided evidence to support the hypothesis that duplicate CRs evolved concertedly. The core region of concerted evolution is situated at the conserved domains of the CR of the mitogenome from the termination associated sequences (TASs) to the conserved sequence blocks (CSBs). Commonly, this region is con-sidered to regulate mitochondrial replication and transcription. Thus, we hypothesize that the cause of concerted evolution of the duplicate CRs in the mtDNAs of these four bothids may be related to some function of the conserved sequences of the CRs during mitochondrial rep-lication and transcription. We hope our results will provide fresh insight into the molecular mechanisms related to replication and evolution of mitogenomes.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 97
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Distinct Regulation of Transmitter Release at the Drosophila NMJ by Different Isoforms of nemy (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-04
    Description: by David Knight, Konstantin G. Iliadi, Natalia Iliadi, Ronit Wilk, Jack Hu, Henry M. Krause, Paul Taylor, Michael F. Moran, Gabrielle L. Boulianne Synaptic transmission is highly plastic and subject to regulation by a wide variety of neuromodulators and neuropeptides. In the present study, we have examined the role of isoforms of the cytochrome b561 homologue called no extended memory ( nemy ) in regulation of synaptic strength and plasticity at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of third instar larvae in Drosophila . Specifically, we generated two independent excisions of nemy that differentially affect the expression of nemy isoforms. We show that the nemy 45 excision, which specifically reduces the expression of the longest splice form of nemy , leads to an increase in stimulus evoked transmitter release and altered synaptic plasticity at the NMJ. Conversely, the nemy 26.2 excision, which appears to reduce the expression of all splice forms except the longest splice isoform, shows a reduction in stimulus evoked transmitter release, and enhanced synaptic plasticity. We further show that nemy 45 mutants have reduced levels of amidated peptides similar to that observed in peptidyl-glycine hydryoxylating mono-oxygenase (PHM) mutants. In contrast, nemy 26.2 mutants show no defects in peptide amidation but rather display a decrease in Tyramine β hydroxylase activity (TβH). Taken together, these results show non-redundant roles for the different nemy isoforms and shed light on the complex regulation of neuromodulators.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 98
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Pentoxifylline for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-04
    Description: by Davide Bolignano, Graziella D’Arrigo, Anna Pisano, Giuseppe Coppolino Background Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a promising therapeutic approach for reducing inflammation and improving anemia associated to various systemic disorders. However, whether this agent may be helpful for anemia management also in CKD patients is still object of debate. Study Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Population Adults with CKD (any KDOQI stage, including ESKD patients on regular dialysis) and anemia (Hb
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 99
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Tumor-Targeting Salmonella typhimurium A1-R Arrests a Chemo-Resistant Patient Soft-Tissue Sarcoma in Nude Mice (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-04
    Description: by Yukihiko Hiroshima, Ming Zhao, Yong Zhang, Nan Zhang, Ali Maawy, Takashi Murakami, Sumiyuki Mii, Fuminari Uehara, Mako Yamamoto, Shinji Miwa, Shuya Yano, Masashi Momiyama, Ryutaro Mori, Ryusei Matsuyama, Takashi Chishima, Kuniya Tanaka, Yasushi Ichikawa, Michael Bouvet, Itaru Endo, Robert M. Hoffman A patient-derived nude-mouse model of soft-tissue sarcoma has been established and treated in the following groups: (1) untreated controls; (2) gemcitabine (GEM) (80 mg/kg, ip, weekly, 3 weeks); (3) Pazopanib (100 mg/kg, orally, daily, 3 weeks) and (4) Salmonella typhimurium A1-R (5 × 10 7 CFU/body, ip, weekly, 3 weeks). The sarcoma was resistant to GEM (p = 0.879). Pazopanib tended to reduce the tumor volume compared to the untreated mice, but there was no significant difference (p = 0.115). S . typhimurium A1-R significantly inhibited tumor growth compared to the untreated mice (p = 0.001). S . typhimurium A1-R was the only effective treatment for the soft-tissue sarcoma nude mouse model among all treatments including a newly approved multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor; Pazopanib. These results suggest tumor-targeting S . typhimurium A1-R is a promising treatment for chemo-resistant soft-tissue sarcoma.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
  • 100
    facet.materialart.
    Unknown
    Transcriptome Analysis Reveals that Red and Blue Light Regulate Growth and Phytohormone Metabolism in Norway Spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] (2015)
    Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    In: PLoS ONE
    Details
    Publication Date: 2015-08-04
    Description: by Fangqun OuYang, Jian-Feng Mao, Junhui Wang, Shougong Zhang, Yue Li The mechanisms by which different light spectra regulate plant shoot elongation vary, and phytohormones respond differently to such spectrum-associated regulatory effects. Light supplementation can effectively control seedling growth in Norway spruce. However, knowledge of the effective spectrum for promoting growth and phytohormone metabolism in this species is lacking. In this study, 3-year-old Norway spruce clones were illuminated for 12 h after sunset under blue or red light-emitting diode (LED) light for 90 d, and stem increments and other growth traits were determined. Endogenous hormone levels and transcriptome differences in the current needles were assessed to identify genes related to the red and blue light regulatory responses. The results showed that the stem increment and gibberellin (GA) levels of the seedlings illuminated by red light were 8.6% and 29.0% higher, respectively, than those of the seedlings illuminated by blue light. The indoleacetic acid (IAA) level of the seedlings illuminated by red light was 54.6% lower than that of the seedlings illuminated by blue light, and there were no significant differences in abscisic acid (ABA) or zeatin riboside [ZR] between the two groups of seedlings. The transcriptome results revealed 58,736,166 and 60,555,192 clean reads for the blue-light- and red-light-illuminated samples, respectively. Illumina sequencing revealed 21,923 unigenes, and 2744 (approximately 93.8%) out of 2926 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found to be upregulated under blue light. The main KEGG classifications of the DEGs were metabolic pathway (29%), biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (20.49%) and hormone signal transduction (8.39%). With regard to hormone signal transduction, AUXIN-RESISTANT1 ( AUX1 ), AUX/IAA genes, auxin-inducible genes, and early auxin-responsive genes [( auxin response factor ( ARF ) and small auxin-up RNA ( SAUR )] were all upregulated under blue light compared with red light, which might have yielded the higher IAA level. DELLA and phytochrome-interacting factor 3 (PIF3), involved in negative GA signaling, were also upregulated under blue light, which may be related to the lower GA level. Light quality also affects endogenous hormones by influencing secondary metabolism. Blue light promoted phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, accompanied by upregulation of most of the genes in their pathways. In conclusion, red light may promote stem growth by regulating biosynthesis of GAs, and blue light may promote flavonoid, lignin, phenylpropanoid and some hormones (such as jasmonic acid) which were related to plant defense in Norway spruce, which might reduce the primary metabolites available for plant growth.
    Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
    Topics: Medicine , Natural Sciences in General
    Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
    PAPER CURRENT
Close ⊗
This website uses cookies and the analysis tool Matomo. More information can be found here...