Ca
2+
- and voltage-gated K
+
channels of large conductance (BK channels) are expressed in a diverse variety of both excitable and inexcitable cells, with functional properties presumably uniquely ...calibrated for the cells in which they are found. Although some diversity in BK channel function, localization, and regulation apparently arises from cell-specific alternative splice variants of the single pore-forming α subunit (
KCa1.1
,
Kcnma1
,
Slo1
) gene, two families of regulatory subunits, β and γ, define BK channels that span a diverse range of functional properties. We are just beginning to unravel the cell-specific, physiological roles served by BK channels of different subunit composition.
Implicit bias recognition and management curricula are offered as an increasingly popular solution to address health disparities and advance equity. Despite growth in the field, approaches to ...implicit bias instruction are varied and have mixed results. The concept of implicit bias recognition and management is relatively nascent, and discussions related to implicit bias have also evoked critique and controversy. In addition, challenges related to assessment, faculty development, and resistant learners are emerging in the literature. In this context, the authors have reframed implicit bias recognition and management curricula as unique forms of transformative learning that raise critical consciousness in both individuals and clinical learning environments. The authors have proposed transformative learning theory (TLT) as a guide for implementing educational strategies related to implicit bias in health professions. When viewed through the lens of TLT, curricula to recognize and manage implicit biases are positioned as a tool to advance social justice.
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Arenaviridae Radoshitzky, Sheli R; Buchmeier, Michael J; Charrel, Rémi N ...
Journal of general virology,
08/2019, Letnik:
100, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Members of the family Arenaviridae produce enveloped virions containing genomes consisting of two or three single-stranded RNA segments totalling about 10.5 kb. Arenaviruses can infect mammals, ...including humans and other primates, snakes, and fish. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the family Arenaviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/arenaviridae.
Disease resistance genes encoding nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) intracellular immune receptor proteins detect pathogens by the presence of pathogen effectors. Plant genomes ...typically contain hundreds of NLR-encoding genes. The availability of the hexaploid wheat (
) cultivar Chinese Spring reference genome allows a detailed study of its NLR complement. However, low
expression and high intrafamily sequence homology hinder their accurate annotation. Here, we developed NLR-Annotator, a software tool for in silico NLR identification independent of transcript support. Although developed for wheat, we demonstrate the universal applicability of NLR-Annotator across diverse plant taxa. We applied our tool to wheat and combined it with a transcript-validated subset of genes from the reference gene annotation to characterize the structure, phylogeny, and expression profile of the
gene family. We detected 3,400 full-length NLR loci, of which 1,560 were confirmed as expressed genes with intact open reading frames. NLRs with integrated domains mostly group in specific subclades. Members of another subclade predominantly locate in close physical proximity to NLRs carrying integrated domains, suggesting a paired helper function. Most
(88%) display low basal expression (in the lower 10 percentile of transcripts). In young leaves subjected to biotic stress, we found up-regulation of 266 of the
To illustrate the utility of our tool for the positional cloning of resistance genes, we estimated the number of
genes within the intervals of mapped rust resistance genes. Our study will support the identification of functional resistance genes in wheat to accelerate the breeding and engineering of disease-resistant varieties.
Deep dry soil mixing is a ground improvement technique commonly used for treating soft soils. Portland cement is the most commonly used binder, but its long-term use is unsustainable due to the high ...CO2 emissions associated with its manufacture. Alkali-activated cements are a low-carbon alternative that involve the use of pozzolanic industrial by-products and wastes. This study provides insights into the one-dimensional compressibility, internal cemented structure and leaching characteristics of an alluvial soil stabilized with a new 100% waste-based cementitious binder, comprising biochar as the alkali activator and blast furnace slag as the pozzolan. The binder recently was demonstrated by the authors to satisfy European soil stabilization 28-day compressive strength requirements when using dosages of 7.5% and 10% by dry weight. The biochar successfully activated the pozzolanic properties of the slag, whereby the stabilized soil mixtures developed a cemented microstructure which resulted in improvements in compressibility and stiffness. Oedometer data sets for untreated and biochar–slag- and CEM-II-stabilized alluvium were processed successfully through a framework developed by the authors to quantify their artificially cemented internal structure, for use as an input parameter in advanced constitutive soil models. Leaching results indicated that the heavy and trace metal content of 1- and 28-day cured biochar–slag-stabilized samples complied with UK and European waste acceptance criteria, and with mean baseline heavy metal concentrations for groundwater resources in England and Wales. This study advocates the new biochar–slag binder as a suitable replacement for portland cements in soil stabilization, contributing to the path toward net zero carbon emissions for the ground engineering sector and improving the circular economy.
Studying giant star-forming clumps in distant galaxies is important to understand galaxy formation and evolution. At present, however, observers and theorists have not reached a consensus on whether ...the observed "clumps" in distant galaxies are the same phenomenon that is seen in simulations. In this paper, as a step to establish a benchmark of direct comparisons between observations and theories, we publish a sample of clumps constructed to represent the commonly observed "clumps" in the literature. This sample contains 3193 clumps detected from 1270 galaxies at 0.5 ≤ z < 3.0 . The clumps are detected from rest-frame UV images, as described in our previous paper. Their physical properties (e.g., rest-frame color, stellar mass ( M * ), star formation rate (SFR), age, and dust extinction) are measured by fitting the spectral energy distribution (SED) to synthetic stellar population models. We carefully test the procedures of measuring clump properties, especially the method of subtracting background fluxes from the diffuse component of galaxies. With our fiducial background subtraction, we find a radial clump U − V color variation, where clumps close to galactic centers are redder than those in outskirts. The slope of the color gradient (clump color as a function of their galactocentric distance scaled by the semimajor axis of galaxies) changes with redshift and M * of the host galaxies: at a fixed M * , the slope becomes steeper toward low redshift, and at a fixed redshift, it becomes slightly steeper with M * . Based on our SED fitting, this observed color gradient can be explained by a combination of a negative age gradient, a negative E(B − V) gradient, and a positive specific SFR gradient of the clumps. We also find that the color gradients of clumps are steeper than those of intra-clump regions. Correspondingly, the radial gradients of the derived physical properties of clumps are different from those of the diffuse component or intra-clump regions.
Many animals are indirect developers with distinct larval and adult body plans 1. The molecular basis of differences between larval and adult forms is often poorly understood, adding a level of ...uncertainty to comparative developmental studies that use data from both indirect and direct developers. Here we compare the larval and adult body plans of an indirect developing hemichordate, Schizocardium californicum 2. We describe the expression of 27 transcription factors with conserved roles in deuterostome ectodermal anteroposterior (AP) patterning in developing embryos, tornaria larvae, and post-metamorphic juveniles and show that the tornaria larva of S. californicum is transcriptionally similar to a truncated version of the adult. The larval ectoderm has an anterior molecular signature, while most of the trunk, defined by the expression of hox1–7, is absent. Posterior ectodermal activation of Hox is initiated in the late larva prior to metamorphosis, in preparation for the transition to the adult form, in which the AP axis converges on a molecular architecture similar to that of the direct developing hemichordate Saccoglossus kowalevskii. These results identify a molecular correlate of a major difference in body plan between hemichordate larval and adult forms and confirm the hypothesis that deuterostome larvae are “swimming heads” 3. This will allow future comparative studies with hemichordates to take into account molecular differences caused by early life history evolution within the phylum. Additionally, comparisons with other phyla suggest that a delay in trunk development is a feature of indirect development shared across distantly related phyla.
•Differences in anteroposterior patterning between direct and indirect developers•The tornaria larva has an anterior identity without a posterior Hox domain•A posterior Hox domain is a characteristic of adult, but not larval, body plans
Gonzalez et al. address the hypothesis of whether bilaterian larval and adult body plans are built on the same organizational principles. They show in hemichordates that the tornaria larva lacks the conserved, Hox-patterned posterior territory of adults. This may be a common feature of many bilaterian larval body plans.
Childhood obesity disproportionately impacts Hispanics in the United States (US), the nation's largest ethnic minority population. However, even among Hispanic children, those born in the US are at ...increased risk of developing obesity than those not born in the US (i.e. first-generation Hispanics). The objective of this study is to assess whether ethnic and generational differences in the friend networks of Hispanic adolescents moderate the association between immigrant generation and weight.
We analyzed data from first-generation, second-generation, and third-generation Hispanic 12 to 19 year-old participants in Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Using multivariable linear regression, we examined the association between generational status and body mass index (BMI), and whether the ethnic and generational composition of friends moderated that association.
Higher generational status was associated with higher BMI. The ethnic and generational composition of friends was not independently associated with BMI among Hispanic adolescents. However, a social network with a greater proportion of second-generation Hispanics was positively associated with BMI among first-generation Hispanics, and negatively associated with BMI among second-generation Hispanics.
The generational status of peers in Hispanic adolescents’ social networks, particularly the proportion that are second-generation Hispanic, moderates the positive association between immigrant generation and BMI. Moreover, this moderation effect is different across immigrant generations so that the proportion of second-generation adolescents within a social network is associated with higher BMI in first-generation Hispanic adolescents, but with lower BMI among those who are second-generation. These results were confirmed in sensitivity analyses. Our findings suggest that the generational composition of social networks alters the association between the generational status and weight of Hispanic adolescents, and thus that social factors within those networks may contribute to those associations.
•Immigrant generation is associated with higher weight among Hispanic adolescents.•2nd generation peers in social network moderate the generation-weight association.•Moderation effect of social networks differs across immigrant generations.
Abstract Introduction The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of endodontic sealers (GuttaFlow Bioseal, GuttaFlow2, and MTA Fillapex) on human periodontal ligament stem ...cells ( h PDLSCs). As a reference, AH Plus was compared with the more recent endodontic sealers regarding cell viability and cell attachment. Methods Biological testing was carried out in vitro on h PDLSCs. Cell viability assay was performed by using eluates from each endodontic sealer. To assess cell morphology and attachment to the different sealers, the h PDLSCs were directly seeded onto the material surfaces and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Chemical composition of the sealers was determined by energy-dispersive x-ray, and eluates were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Statistical differences were assessed by analysis of variance and Tukey test ( P < .05). Results Cell viability was evident after 24 hours in the presence of GuttaFlow Bioseal and GuttaFlow 2 but not in the case of AH Plus or MTA Fillapex. At 168 hours, GuttaFlow Bioseal and GuttaFlow 2 exhibited high and moderate cell viability, respectively, whereas AH Plus and MTA Fillapex revealed low rates of cell cell viability ( P < .001). Finally, scanning electron microscopy studies revealed a high degree of proliferation, cell spreading, and attachment, especially when using GuttaFlow Bioseal disks. Conclusions GuttaFlow Bioseal and GuttaFlow2 showed lower cytotoxicity than MTA Fillapex and AH plus. Further in vitro and in vivo investigations are required to confirm the suitability of GuttaFlow Bioseal for clinical application.
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