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Current strength, temperature, and bodyscape modulate cleaning services for giant manta rays
Get PDFThe cleaner-client system among reef teleosts has received considerable attention in both wild and captive environments, but the spatially and taxonomically diverse associations between cleaner fish and elasmobranchs are less understood. Using remote video, we investigated interactions between giant manta rays (Mobula birostris) and cleaner wrasse at a seamount in the Philippines. Cleaning events occurred between 11:00 and 16:00 hours on a seasonal basis and were constrained by current strengths and ambient water temperatures. The frequency with which giant manta rays interacted with cleaner fish varied on an individual basis. Blue streaked cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) and moon wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) selectively foraged on manta rays’ gills and pelvis, with L. dimidiatus also demonstrating slight preferences for the pectoral fins. Cleaners’ foraging preferences may indicate ectoparasitic infections in specific areas of a manta ray’s body. The exclusivity with which giant manta rays visited a particular cleaning station on the seamount may be a response to the quality of services that cleaners provide there. Giant mantas’ fidelity to this site may also be attributed to localised concentrations of food that are available nearby. The seamount provides habitat that appears to be important to the life history strategies of the region’s giant manta rays
The physiological and perceptual effects of stochastic simulated rugby league match play
No full textAccepted author manuscript version reprinted, by permission, from International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0834. © International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.Purpose: To examine responses to a simulated rugby league protocol designed to include more stochastic commands, and therefore require greater vigilance, than traditional team sport simulation protocols.
Methods: Eleven male university rugby players completed two trials (randomised and control) of a rugby league movement simulation protocol, separated by 7-10 days. The control trial (CON) consisted of 48 repeated ~115 s cycles of activity. The stochastic simulation (STOCH) was matched for the number and types of activity performed every 5.45 min in CON, but included no repeated cycles of activity. Movement using GPS, heart rate, RPE and Stroop test performance were assessed throughout. MVC peak torque, voluntary activation (%) and global task load were assessed after exercise.
Results: The mean mental demand of STOCH was higher than CON (Effect size (ES) = 0.56; ±0.69). Mean sprint speed was higher in STOCH (22.5 ± 1.4 vs. 21.6 ± 1.6 km∙h-1; ES = 0.50; ±0.55), which was accompanied by a higher RPE (14.3 ± 1.0 vs. 13.0 ± 1.4; ES = 0.87; ±0.67) and a greater number of errors in the Stroop Test (10.3 ± 2.5 vs. 9.3 ± 1.4 errors; ES = 0.65; ±0.83). MVC peak torque (CON = -48.4 ± 31.6 N∙m, STOCH = -39.6 ± 36.6 N∙m) and voluntary activation (CON = -8.3 ± 4.8%, STOCH = -6.0 ± 4.1%) was similarly reduced in both trials.
Conclusions: Providing more stochastic commands, which requires greater vigilance, might alter performance and associated physiological, perceptual and cognitive responses to team sport simulations
Catchment asymmetry in Tabernas Desert (Almería, Spain)
Get PDFAbstract and e-Poster presented at Geoecology and Desertification, from physical to human factors. International Symposium in memory of Prof Juan Puigdefabregas (EcoDesert) Almería, February 2019
Systems Based Mechanisms of Aging
No full textThe last number of decades have witnessed an unrelenting global rise in the number of older people. This demographic shift is laudable; however, many older people are burdened by poor health. The main reason so many older people have their healthspan compromised is due to the complex biology which underpins ageing and the diseases which are associated with this intriguing phenomenon. Fortunately, however, in recent years there has been a paradigm shift within biological research which has seen the emergence of systems biology. In contrast to a reductionist approach which was commonplace in biological research for many years, systems biology seeks to understand biological systems in an integrated manner. Investigating ageing and age related disease in this way is becoming increasingly effective. In this article we discuss the methods which underpin systems and provide examples of their application to biogerontology research
Transcription factors that shape the mammalian pancreas
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-02-27, accepted 2020-04-03, registration 2020-04-22, pub-electronic 2020-09-07, online 2020-09-07, pub-print 2020-10Publication status: PublishedFunder: University of ManchesterAbstract: Improving our understanding of mammalian pancreas development is crucial for the development of more effective cellular therapies for diabetes. Most of what we know about mammalian pancreas development stems from mouse genetics. We have learnt that a unique set of transcription factors controls endocrine and exocrine cell differentiation. Transgenic mouse models have been instrumental in studying the function of these transcription factors. Mouse and human pancreas development are very similar in many respects, but the devil is in the detail. To unravel human pancreas development in greater detail, in vitro cellular models (including directed differentiation of stem cells, human beta cell lines and human pancreatic organoids) are used; however, in vivo validation of these results is still needed. The current best ‘model’ for studying human pancreas development are individuals with monogenic forms of diabetes. In this review, we discuss mammalian pancreas development, highlight some discrepancies between mouse and human, and discuss selected transcription factors that, when mutated, cause permanent neonatal diabetes. Graphical abstrac
Adolescents’ experiences of fluctuating pain in musculoskeletal disorders: a qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-01-16, registration 2020-09-02, accepted 2020-09-02, pub-electronic 2020-10-02, online 2020-10-02, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: Versus Arthritis; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012041; Grant(s): 20380Abstract: Background: Adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain experience daily fluctuations in pain. Although not all fluctuations are bothersome, pain flares are a distinct type of symptom fluctuation with greater impact. Since literature on the experience of pain flares is non-existent, the aim of this review was to (i) synthesise the qualitative literature on adolescents’ experiences of fluctuating pain in musculoskeletal disorders in order to (ii) identify knowledge gaps to inform future research on pain flares. Methods: Electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO), grey literature and reference lists were searched from inception to June 2018 for qualitative studies reporting adolescents’ experiences of pain. Comprehensiveness of reporting was assessed using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Health Research. Studies were analysed using thematic synthesis. Results: Of the 3787 records identified, 32 studies (n = 536) were included. Principal findings were synthesised under three key themes: 1) symptom experience, 2) disruption and loss, and 3) regaining control. The first theme (symptom experience) describes adolescent’s perception and interpretation of pain fluctuations. The second theme (disruption and loss) describes the physical, social and emotional constraints faced as a result of changes in pain. The third theme (regaining control) describes coping strategies used to resist and accommodate unpredictable phases of pain. Each theme was experienced differently depending on adolescents’ characteristics such as their developmental status, pain condition, and the duration of the pain experience. Conclusions: Adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain live with a daily background level of symptoms which frequently fluctuate and are associated with functional and emotional difficulties. It was not clear whether these symptoms and challenges were experienced as part of ‘typical’ fluctuations in pain, or whether they reflect symptom exacerbations classified as ‘flares’. Further research is needed to explore the frequency and characteristics of pain flares, and how they differ from their typical fluctuations in pain. The review also highlights areas relating to the pain experience, symptom management and health service provision that require further exploration to support more personalised, tailored care for adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain
The Evolution of Alan Grant: Narratives of Reproductive Futurism in Jurassic Park
No full textAs a quintessential product of 1990s Hollywood, Jurassic Park is reflective not only of shifts in form, production, and marketing, but of the underlying cultural preoccupations of the decade. In an era when Hollywood’s action heroes were increasingly making the transition to domesticated fatherhood, Jurassic Park offers a version of this narrative through the character of Alan Grant (Sam Neill).
Alan Grant begins the film averse to the idea of parenthood and children in general; he dismisses them as “noisy, messy, expensive [and] smelly”, and is reluctant to engage with Lex and Tim on their tour of the park. This paper will examine the evolution of Grant’s character from this taciturn, aloof version of himself to a man who comes to embrace a paternal role by the end of the film. Shunted into the role of protector after the dinosaurs breach their compounds, he turns his focus to the survival of himself and the children.
The narrative of Jurassic Park is preoccupied with reversing extinction. On a literal level, this concerns the dinosaurs resurrected by John Hammond. Beyond this, it is also applicable to Grant’s rehabilitation as a paternal figure. By the 1990s, Hollywood’s action heroes were diminishing, a reflection of the industry’s own preoccupation with the presumption of masculine crisis. Fatherhood was persistently constructed, throughout the decade, as an answer to this crisis, a way of ‘saving’ men and reaffirm their worth. As such, Jurassic Park may be read as a narrative of reproductive futurism, offering a tangible future as a father to Grant, channelling his energy towards his own survival as the helicopter flies past a flock of birds, the ancestors of the dinosaurs they have left on the island below
Arts in the Military: A theatrical Performance Exercise
Get PDFAn investigation in to the value of a theatrical exercise in the military. Slide show presentation.The 11th edition of the International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD – 2016) addressed three key topics leading towards a new architecture of knowledge: big data, culture and creativity. In view of radically changing demands on knowledge work as an eminent factor for personal, organizational, and societal success its patterns have to be rethought. New ways of creating, processing, and sharing knowledge must be discovered beyond the classic paths of established disciplines. This paper presented research n progress investigating the value of a theatrical exercise in the military training of an elite unit in Portugal
Responding to nerve agent poisoning: A guide for emergency nurses. Part 2
No full textThe release of chemical agents can cause loss of life and result in major incidents. Chemical agent-related major incidents require a modified response by emergency services due to the chemicals’ transmissibility, lethality, latency and persistence. In general, modifications to casualty flow, triage and treatment are made to reduce transmissibility, and lethality of chemical hazards. This article, the second of a two-part series on nerve agents, describes the adapted response and explains how emergency nurses must be familiar with principles of care including incident and casualty management
Manipulation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Restriction Factors: RPRD2, SERINC3 and SERINC5
Get PDFBackground: There is a need for a newer approach to tackle human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to limitations of the current antiretrovirals, innate cell restriction factors offer such opportunity. This study seeks to characterise three novel HIV restriction factors and explore their therapeutic potentials.
Methods: Jurkat cell line was treated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), a toll-like receptor-3 agonist (TLR3), at different concentrations (5 µg/ml, 10 µg/ml, 20 µg/ml) and (4 µg/ml, 8 µg/ml, 12 µg/ml) and untreated controls. Its effects on cellular proliferation were observed over many hours. A bioinformatic search of Regulation of nuclear pre-mRNA domain-containing 2 (RPRD2) and Serine incorporator 3 and 5 (SERINC3 and SERINC5) were conducted to predict for nuclear localisation signal (NLS) and potential ubiquitination and Sumoylation sites in the proteins using online NLS Mapper, UbPred and GPS-SUMO tools respectively. Small interference RNA (siRNA) transfection of Jurkat cell line was done to knockdown karyopherin alpha 2 (KPNA2) using Lipofectamine 3000. Western blot analysis was done to assess transfection efficiency.
Results: Jurkat cells treated with 5 µg/ml, 10 µg/ml and 20 µg/ml proliferated more than the control while those treated with 4 µg/ml, 8 µg/ml and 12 µg/ml proliferated less with statistical significance between the untreated and 4 µg/ml concentration at 72 hours (p = 0.021).RPRD2 was the only protein that has NLS (RDPFHSLKRPRPPFARGPPFFAPKRPFFP)at position 1430 with a score of 9.8. RPRD2 has a site predicted each for SUMO interaction and sumoylation consensus (p = 0.022), SERINC3 had six sites for SUMO interactions and 2 for sumoylation non-consensus, all with no statistical significance and SERINC5 has a significant SUMO interaction
site at position 44-48 (p = 0.049). The predicted ubiquitination sites for RPRD2 were 44 (ten with high, 27 with medium and seven with low confidence respectively), SERINC3 had four sites (two with medium and low confidence each) and SERINC5 had three (one with high, medium and low confidence each). The KPNA2 knockdown was not successful.
Conclusion: HIV restriction factors present a potential therapeutic target; adequate characterisation of these proteins is important towards fashioning drugs in this regard.
Keywords: Toll-like receptor 3, Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), Nuclear localisation signal, Sumoylation, Ubiquitination, Karyopherin alpha 2 (KPNA2
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