Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a severe public health problem and are caused by a range of pathogens, but most commonly by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, ...Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. High recurrence rates and increasing antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens threaten to greatly increase the economic burden of these infections. In this Review, we discuss how basic science studies are elucidating the molecular details of the crosstalk that occurs at the host-pathogen interface, as well as the consequences of these interactions for the pathophysiology of UTIs. We also describe current efforts to translate this knowledge into new clinical treatments for UTIs.
Abstract
For about half a century, the radio pulsar population was observed to spin in the ∼0.002–12 s range, with different pulsar classes having a spin-period evolution that differs substantially ...depending on their magnetic fields or past accretion history. The recent detection of several slowly rotating pulsars has reopened the long-standing question of the exact physics, and observational biases, driving the upper bound of the period range of the pulsar population. In this work, we perform a parameter study of the spin-period evolution of pulsars interacting with supernova fallback matter and specifically look at the fallback accretion disk scenario. Depending on the initial conditions at formation, this evolution can differ substantially from the typical dipolar spin-down, resulting in pulsars that show spin periods longer than their coeval peers. By using general assumptions for the pulsar spin period and magnetic field at birth, initial fallback accretion rates, and including magnetic field decay, we find that very long spin periods (≳100 s) can be reached in the presence of strong, magnetar-like magnetic fields (≳10
14
G) and moderate initial fallback accretion rates (∼10
22
−10
27
g s
−1
). In addition, we study the cases of two recently discovered periodic radio sources, the pulsar PSR J0901–4046 (
P
= 75.9 s) and the radio transient GLEAM-X J162759.5–523504.3 (
P
= 1091 s), in light of our model. We conclude that the supernova fallback scenario could represent a viable channel to produce a population of long-period isolated pulsars that only recent observation campaigns are starting to unveil.
Brazil's Soy Moratorium Gibbs, H K; Rausch, L; Munger, J ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
01/2015, Volume:
347, Issue:
6220
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Supply-chain governance is needed to avoid deforestation
Brazil's Soy Moratorium (SoyM) was the first voluntary zero-deforestation agreement implemented in the tropics and set the stage for ...supply-chain governance of other commodities, such as beef and palm oil supplementary material (SM). In response to pressure from retailers and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), major soybean traders signed the SoyM, agreeing not to purchase soy grown on lands deforested after July 2006 in the Brazilian Amazon. The soy industry recently extended the SoyM to May 2016, by which time they assert that Brazil's environmental governance, such as the increased enforcement and national implementation of the Rural Environmental Registry of private properties (Portuguese acronym CAR) mandated by the Forest Code (FC) (
1
), will be robust enough to justify ending the agreement (
2
). We argue that a longer-term commitment is needed to help maintain deforestation-free soy supply chains, as full compliance and enforcement of these regulations is likely years away. Ending the SoyM prematurely would risk a return to deforestation for soy expansion at a time when companies are committing to zero-deforestation supply chains (
3
).
Detrimental Th17 driven inflammatory and autoimmune disease such as Crohn's disease, graft versus host disease and multiple sclerosis remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. ...Multipotent stromal/stem cell (MSC) inhibit Th17 polarization and activation in vitro and in rodent models. As such, MSC based therapeutic approaches are being investigated as novel therapeutic approaches to treat Th17 driven diseases in humans. The significance of naturally occurring diseases in dogs is increasingly recognized as a realistic platform to conduct pre-clinical testing of novel therapeutics. Full characterization of Th17 cells in dogs has not been completed. We have developed and validated a flow-cytometric method to detect Th17 cells in canine blood. We further demonstrate that Th17 and other IL17 producing cells are present in tissues of dogs with naturally occurring chronic inflammatory diseases. Finally, we have determined the kinetics of a canine specific Th17 polarization in vitro and demonstrate that canine MSC inhibit Th17 polarization in vitro, in a PGE2 independent mechanism. Our findings provide fundamental research tools and suggest that naturally occurring diseases in dogs, such as inflammatory bowel disease, may be harnessed to translate novel MSC based therapeutic strategies that target the Th17 pathway.
Nearly 200 hr of observing with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope during the Galactic and Extragalactic All‐sky MWA (GLEAM) survey was used to assemble images of ionospheric ...structure. These images cover a nearly 50° wide area on the sky at a cadence of 10 min over many 5–7 hr long observing runs. They are generated by tracking the apparent motions of ∼200–800 cosmic radio sources caused by changes in the transverse gradient of the ionospheric total electron content. Spectral analysis of these images revealed that the data set was dominated by three distinct signatures. The first is consistent with field‐aligned structures within the topside ionosphere/lower plasmasphere previously imaged with the MWA. The second are structures that are relatively large and aligned nearly east/west. Regional weather data imply that these are preferentially detected when there is a noticeable shear within the subtropical jet stream, which passes near the MWA. This suggests that this signature may be related to gravity waves launched by jet stream shear. The final signature is consistent with the properties of so‐called electrobuoyancy waves that are known to occur at midlatitudes at night. Detections of these were more common when regional sporadic E (ES) was present, supporting a proposed connection between these waves and polarization electric fields that may arise within ES. We discuss the implications for future observations with the Square Kilometer Array.
Key Points
One hundred eighty hours of data from the GLEAM survey at frequencies below 100 MHz were used to image ionospheric structures over a ∼50° field of view
Most wavefronts were found to have one of three orientations: (1) field aligned, (2) nearly east‐west, and (3) northeast to southwest
Category (2) wavefronts appear associated with shear within the jet stream; category (3) waves appear associated with sporadic E
Glucagon, secreted by pancreatic islet α cells, is the principal hyperglycemic hormone. In diabetes, glucagon secretion is not suppressed at high glucose, exacerbating the consequences of ...insufficient insulin secretion, and is inadequate at low glucose, potentially leading to fatal hypoglycemia. The causal mechanisms remain unknown. Here we show that α cell KATP-channel activity is very low under hypoglycemic conditions and that hyperglycemia, via elevated intracellular ATP/ADP, leads to complete inhibition. This produces membrane depolarization and voltage-dependent inactivation of the Na+ channels involved in action potential firing that, via reduced action potential height and Ca2+ entry, suppresses glucagon secretion. Maneuvers that increase KATP channel activity, such as metabolic inhibition, mimic the glucagon secretory defects associated with diabetes. Low concentrations of the KATP channel blocker tolbutamide partially restore glucose-regulated glucagon secretion in islets from type 2 diabetic organ donors. These data suggest that impaired metabolic control of the KATP channels underlies the defective glucose regulation of glucagon secretion in type 2 diabetes.
Display omitted
•KATP channel closure stimulates insulin secretion but inhibits glucagon release•α cell depolarization reduces voltage-gated Ca2+ entry and glucagon release•An activating KATP channel mutation impairs glucagon release in mice•KATP channel closure corrects glucagon secretion defect in type 2 diabetic islets
The high-frequency radio sky is bursting with synchrotron transients from massive stellar explosions and accretion events, but the low-frequency radio sky has, so far, been quiet beyond the Galactic ...pulsar population and the long-term scintillation of active galactic nuclei. The low-frequency band, however, is sensitive to exotic coherent and polarized radio-emission processes, such as electron-cyclotron maser emission from flaring M dwarfs
, stellar magnetospheric plasma interactions with exoplanets
and a population of steep-spectrum pulsars
, making Galactic-plane searches a prospect for blind-transient discovery. Here we report an analysis of archival low-frequency radio data that reveals a periodic, low-frequency radio transient. We find that the source pulses every 18.18 min, an unusual periodicity that has, to our knowledge, not been observed previously. The emission is highly linearly polarized, bright, persists for 30-60 s on each occurrence and is visible across a broad frequency range. At times, the pulses comprise short-duration (<0.5 s) bursts; at others, a smoother profile is observed. These profiles evolve on timescales of hours. By measuring the dispersion of the radio pulses with respect to frequency, we have localized the source to within our own Galaxy and suggest that it could be an ultra-long-period magnetar.
From the time oocytes leave quiescence, there are constant microenvironmental influences contributing to development, thus acquiring developmental competence is not a simple, linear phenomenon. ...During folliculogenesis, oocytes experience many morphological and cytological changes that contribute toward the acquisition of developmental competence, a process defined by an oocyte's ability to progress through folliculogenesis, be fertilized, undergo cleavage, and develop into an embryo. Many factors, such as ovarian follicle size, cow age, and the morphology of the cumulus–oocyte complex, have been extensively investigated to understand this process. In parallel to aiding in the understanding of oocyte biology, these features have been used to characterize an oocyte's ability to achieve competence. In addition, oocytes undergo intense gene transcription and protein translation to accumulate the maternal stores. When the oocyte is fully grown, most genes are transcriptionally inactive, and the chromatin is densely compacted. More recently, RNA profiling has been used to further define the transcriptional parameters that are associated with oocyte development. Here, focusing on cattle, we provide an overview of the experimental models commonly used to understand the underlying biology related to oocyte developmental competence. We compiled public data and showed that cattle oocytes can express over 15 000 protein-coding genes, suggesting a complex transcriptome landscape. Surprisingly, less than 2% of the expressed genes have been linked to developmental competence. The identification of the gene products that contribute to oocyte development, and understanding their biological function, are a vital component of our quest toward defining oocyte developmental competence at the molecular level. Summary Sentence Developmental competence acquired by an oocyte throughout folliculogenesis is dependent upon fine-tuned gene regulation and transcript accumulation.
Divided Unions Walker, Alexis N
2019, 2020, 2019-12-13
eBook
A comparative history of public and private sector unions from the Wagner Act of 1935 until today The 2011 battle in Wisconsin over public sector employees' collective bargaining rights occasioned ...the largest protests in the state since the Vietnam War. Protestors occupied the state capitol building for days and staged massive rallies in downtown Madison, receiving international news coverage. Despite an unprecedented effort to oppose Governor Scott Walker's bill, Act 10 was signed into law on March 11, 2011, stripping public sector employees of many of their collective bargaining rights and hobbling government unions in Wisconsin. By situating the events of 2011 within the larger history of public sector unionism, Alexis N. Walker demonstrates how the passage of Act 10 in Wisconsin was not an exceptional moment, but rather the culmination of events that began over eighty years ago with the passage of the Wagner Act in 1935.Although explicitly about government unions, Walker's book argues that the fates of public and private sector unions are inextricably linked. She contends that the exclusion of public sector employees from the foundation of private sector labor law, the Wagner Act, firmly situated private sector law at the national level, while relegating public sector employees' efforts to gain collective bargaining rights to the state and local levels. She shows how private sector unions benefited tremendously from the national-level protections in the law while, in contrast, public sector employees' efforts progressed slowly, were limited to union-friendly states, and the collective bargaining rights that they finally did obtain were highly unequal and vulnerable to retrenchment. As a result, public and private sector unions peaked at different times, preventing a large, unified labor movement. The legacy of the Wagner Act, according to Walker, is that labor remains geographically concentrated, divided by sector, and hobbled in its efforts to represent working Americans politically in today's era of rising economic inequality.
PDF
