Resolving the ecological niches of coexisting marine microbial taxa is challenging due to the high species richness of microbial communities and the apparent functional redundancy in bacterial ...genomes and metagenomes. Here, we generated over 11 million Illumina reads of protein-encoding transcripts collected from well-mixed southeastern US coastal waters to characterize gene expression patterns distinguishing the ecological roles of hundreds of microbial taxa sharing the same environment. The taxa with highest in situ growth rates (based on relative abundance of ribosomal protein transcripts) were typically not the greatest contributors to community transcription, suggesting strong top-down ecological control, and their diverse transcriptomes indicated roles as metabolic generalists. The taxa with low in situ growth rates typically had low diversity transcriptomes dominated by specialized metabolisms. By identifying protein-encoding genes with atypically high expression for their level of conservation, unique functional roles of community members emerged related to substrate use (such as complex carbohydrates, fatty acids, methanesulfonate, taurine, tartrate, ectoine), alternative energy-conservation strategies (proteorhodopsin, AAnP, V-type pyrophosphatases, sulfur oxidation, hydrogen oxidation) and mechanisms for negotiating a heterogeneous environment (flagellar motility, gliding motility, adhesion strategies). On average, the heterotrophic bacterioplankton dedicated 7% of their transcriptomes to obtaining energy by non-heterotrophic means. This deep sequencing of a coastal bacterioplankton transcriptome provides the most highly resolved view of bacterioplankton niche dimensions yet available, uncovering a spectrum of unrecognized ecological strategies.
Little is known about the relative importance of inorganic and organic nitrogen (N) sources in fueling production of phytoplankton versus heterotrophic bacteria on the continental shelf. This issue ...was addressed during two diel experiments conducted in the Mid-Atlantic Bight at the Long-term Ecosystem Observatory, LEO-15, off southern New Jersey. Uptake of
15N-labeled ammonium (NH
4
+), nitrate (NO
3
−), and nitrite (NO
2
−), and dual-labeled (
15N and
13C) urea and dissolved free amino acids was measured in water taken from the surface and bottom mixed layers approximately every 4
h over two 24
h periods in July 2002. Two methods were used to quantify
15N uptake rates: (1) traditional filtration into various phytoplankton and bacterial size classes, and (2) flow cytometric (FCM) sorting of autotrophic cells based on the presence of chlorophyll autofluorescence. Due to a strong pycnocline, the nutrient composition was quite distinct between the surface and bottom mixed layers. Dissolved organic N (DON) comprised >99% of the total dissolved N (TDN) pool in surface waters, whereas the bottom-water TDN pool was roughly divided between NH
4
+, NO
3
−, and DON. Urea was the dominant N form used by all fractions at the surface, and although phytoplankton >3
μm was responsible for most of the urea uptake, bacterial use was detected using stable isotopes and also suggested by
ureC sequence analysis. The majority of
ureC sequences recovered from the 0.2–0.8
μm fraction belonged to members of the
Alphaproteobacteria (46%), whereas those of the 0.8–3.0
μm size class consisted primarily of
Cyanobacteria (70%). In contrast to the surface, N uptake in the bottom layer was dominated by NH
4
+. The bacterial fraction was responsible for 20–49% of the size-fractionated NH
4
+ and NO
3
− uptake in surface samples and 36–93% at the bottom. These results suggest that organic N, such as urea, is a viable source of N nutrition to phytoplankton forced to compete with heterotrophic bacteria for limited inorganic N.
The aim of this study was to determine whether massage therapy can be used as an adjunct intervention to induce sleep in infants born preterm.
Thirty infants born at a minimum of 28 weeks gestational ...age, who were at the time of the study between 32 and 48 weeks adjusted gestational age, were randomly assigned to receive massage therapy on 1 day and not receive massage on an alternate day. The Motionlogger Micro Sleep Watch Actigraph recorded lower extremity activity on the morning of each day.
No significant difference was found between groups for sleep efficiency (P = .13) during the time period evaluated. Groups differed significantly during the time period after the massage ended with more infants sleeping on the nonmassage day (χ = 4.9802, P = .026).
Massage is well tolerated in infants born preterm and infants do not fall asleep faster after massage than without massage.
We have designed a novel prodrug class that is stable in neutral aqueous media but releases bioactive nitric oxide (NO) on metabolism by esterase. Diazeniumdiolates of structure R2N−N(O)N−OR‘, in ...which R‘ = Na, were reacted with BrCH2OAc to convert the spontaneously NO-releasing salts 1a (R2N = diethylamino) and 1b (R2N = pyrrolidino) to prodrugs 2a (AcOM-DEA/NO) and 2b (AcOM-PYRRO/NO), respectively, where R‘ = CH2OAc. In contrast to anions 1a and 1b (half-lives in pH 7.4 phosphate at 37 °C of 2 min and 3 s, respectively), 2a and 2b showed only minimal decomposition after 16 h under these conditions. Very rapid hydrolysis occurred in the presence of porcine liver esterase, however, with free anion 1a being observed as an intermediate in the esterase-induced generation of NO from 2a. The potential utility of this prodrug class is illustrated with a comparison of 1 and 2 as antiproliferative agents in NO-sensitive human leukemia cell lines HL-60 and U937. While the 72-h IC50's for 1a and 1b (which generate NO throughout the medium) in HL-60 cell cultures were >600 μM, those of 2a and 2b were 8.3 and 6.4 μM, respectively. This result is consistent with our hypothesis that 2 is selectively hydrolyzed to 1 and thence to NO intracellularly. For U937 cells, the 72-h IC50 for both 2a and 2b was 53 μM. By contrast, relatively high antiproliferative IC50's (>100 μM in U937 cells) were observed for analogues in which R‘ = CH2CH2SC(O)Me, from which acetyl and 2-mercaptoethyl groups must be successively cleaved to free the NO-releasing diazeniumdiolate function. Within 24 h at initial concentrations of 50 μM, 2a and 2b induced apoptosis in 50% and 57% of the HL-60 cells, respectively (35% and 40% of the U937 cells, respectively). The data reveal significant in vitro antileukemic activity on the part of these novel compounds. Moreover, their substantial ease-of-handling advantages over the anionic diazeniumdiolates from which they are derived suggest their use as convenient agents for probing the biological roles of NO.
According to Blejwas, it's possible that pioneers taming the Tennessee Valley region of the state stirred up the first kettles of chicken stew. ...while the dish might mystify anyone living beyond ...the counties that hug the Alabama-Tennessee border, it is "deeply sown into the local culture and a major element of the region's social life and identity" (57). Later in the same chapter Blejwas notes, "No dish better showcases the African backbone and cultural blend of southern cooking than gumbo, a seafood stew that unites ingredients across continents" (33). Chapters on boiled peanuts and sweet potato pie allow Blejwas to dig deep into the complex racial history of the state-from enslavement to emancipation to the Civil Rights Era.
In a transect across Norwegian coastal waters and the Barents Sea to approximately 78 degree N, distinct patterns in the distribution and abundance of bacterial assimilatory nitrate reductase (nasA) ...genes were observed in relation to NO super(-) sub(3) availability and bacterial dissolved inorganic nitrogen utilization. A real-time PCR assay, developed for a group of nasA genes characteristic of Marinobacter sp., which are a common group of nitrate-assimilating bacteria in the marine environment, indicated that the nasA gene abundance of Marinobacter sp. was positively correlated with NO super(-) sub(3) concentration. At 5 stations sampled, Marinobacter sp. nasA gene abundance was, on average, 8-fold higher at 80 m compared to 5 m depth, relative to total bacteria. Bacterial productivity, bacterial biomass, chlorophyll a, NH super(+) sub(4), and NO super(-) sub(3) were modeled as independent variables in a partial least-squares regression model to determine how well each variable predicted the variation in nasA community structure, defined by terminal restriction-length-fragment polymorphism analysis. NO super(-) sub(3) concentration was the best predictor, by a factor of 10, of the variability associated with nasA community structure. In a companion study of super(15)NO super(-) sub(3) and super(15)NH super(+) sub(4) uptake across the same transect, conducted at the same time as this study, bacteria were relatively more important in terms of total community uptake in the marginal ice zone, where NO super(-) sub(3) levels were high, compared to samples from the North Atlantic, where NO super(-) sub(3) concentrations were lower. Results presented here indicate that NO super(-) sub(3) availability and patterns of NO super(-) sub(3) utilization are correlated with nasA community structure variability and abundance.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) attract, retain and award science degrees to African Americans at a higher rate than majority institutions. Because they offer life-changing and ...career-orienting experiences for students, field stations and marine laboratories are well positioned to help increase the number of students opting for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers and ocean science and education careers, in particular. Two kinds of partnerships have developed between Savannah State University (SSU), an HBCU, and marine laboratories as a result of federal funding: a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program between SSU and the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, and an internship/graduate program between SSU and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. These collaborations and other funded projects since 1998 have resulted in an increase in the percent of graduates from SSU's Bachelor of Science in Marine Science degree who had a significant research experience from 25% before 1999 to 66% percent afterwards and an increase in the number graduating with honors from 30% prior to 1999 to 41% after 1999. The growth and productivity of marine science degree and research experience programs at Savannah State University illustrates how collaboration and partnerships can be an effective way to increase access and eventually pay big dividends by increasing diversity in geoscience professions.
In 2015, the American Council for Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) developed 3 strategic initiative panels to address integrated clinical education, student readiness, and common terminology for ...physical therapist clinical education.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of the work from the Common Terminology Panel.
This was a descriptive, consensus-based study.
Using a consensus process and data that were collected from a review of literature, a document analysis of core and historical professional documents, focus group discussions, and an online open comment period, panel members developed a glossary for physical therapist clinical education.
The final glossary included 34 terms in 4 categories. The categories included clinical education infrastructure, sites, stakeholders, and assessment. The ACAPT Board of Directors approved the glossary in June 2017, and the ACAPT membership approved the glossary in October 2017.
The focus of the glossary was on physical therapist clinical education. A future, similar project should be undertaken for physical therapist assistant clinical education.
This process resulted in a comprehensive glossary for physical therapist clinical education; changes to several current terms, including "internship" and "full-time clinical education experience"; and the addition of new terms, including "preceptor" and "site coordinator for clinical education." New terminology will provide standard language for consistent communication and a common framework for all stakeholders.
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