177 research outputs found
Sperm Affects Head Sensory Neuron in Temperature Tolerance of Caenorhabditis elegans
No full textSummaryTolerance to environmental temperature change is essential for the survival and proliferation of animals. The process is controlled by various body tissues, but the orchestration of activity within the tissue network has not been elucidated in detail. Here, we show that sperm affects the activity of temperature-sensing neurons (ASJ) that control cold tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetic impairment of sperm caused abnormal cold tolerance, which was unexpectedly restored by impairment of temperature signaling in ASJ neurons. Calcium imaging revealed that ASJ neuronal activity in response to temperature was decreased in sperm mutant gsp-4 with impaired protein phosphatase 1 and rescued by expressing gsp-4 in sperm. Genetic analysis revealed a feedback network in which ASJ neuronal activity regulates the intestine through insulin and a steroid hormone, which then affects sperm and, in turn, controls ASJ neuronal activity. Thus, we propose that feedback between sperm and a sensory neuron mediating temperature tolerance
軽微な熱刺激が骨格筋細胞分化に及ぼす影響の解明
No full text信州大学(Shinshu university)博士（医工学）この博士論文は、次の学術雑誌論文を一部に使用しています。 / Animal Science Journal 90(8) :1008-1017(2019); doi:10.1111/asj.13227 / BioChemical and Biophysical Research Communications 635 :161-168(2022); doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.10.018 © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved./ Frontiers in Physiology 13 :796190(2022); doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.796190 © 2022 Hayashi, Sakata, Kawamura, Tokutake and Yonekura. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Thesis林 聡子. 軽微な熱刺激が骨格筋細胞分化に及ぼす影響の解明. 信州大学, 2023, 博士論文. 博士（医工学）, 甲第8号, 令和05年03月20日授与.doctoral thesi
Correlation Between Altmetric Scores and Citation Count in 4 High-Impact Plastic Surgery Journals
No full textBackground The Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) aims to determine the impact of research articles throughout the internet and social media outlets. The AAS is a weighted average of the interaction on platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and more.Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the AAS and traditional bibliometrics across plastic surgery journals.Methods Articles, number of citations (NOC), and H-index information in Annals of Plastic Surgery (APS), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open (PRS GO), and Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) from 2017, 2018, and 2019 were queried with the Scopus Online Tool. AAS metrics were collected with the Altmetric Score Calculator Bookmarklet. Descriptive statistics, Spearman rank-correlation analyses, and analyses of variance were performed to measure associations between NOC and AAS.Results A total of 3612 articles were analyzed. NOC was weakly correlated with AAS in APS, PRS GO, and ASJ, and moderately correlated with AAS in PRS. NOC was weakly correlated with Twitter mentions in APS, PRS GO, and ASJ, and moderately correlated in PRS. NOC was weakly correlated with news outlet reporting. The H-index of the first author showed more significant correlations with the AAS than the H-index of the last author.Conclusions NOC and H-index of the first author correlated with AAS in the plastic surgery literature, suggesting AAS may be a useful adjunct to traditional bibliometrics when evaluating the impact and reach of peer-reviewed articles
Genetic and metabolomic analysis of how population density modulates neuroendocrine physiology of C. elegans
No full textThis electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, 2019Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.In nature, organisms are presented with ever-changing environmental stimuli that can be beneficial or detrimental. Distinguishing the critically important environmental cues from the insignificant ones is integral to the survival of the organism. These cues may be based on chemical communication, secreted from other organisms, both the same and different species, present in the same area. Chapter One of this thesis discusses chemical communication, specifically in Caenorhabditis elegans, throughout development, mating, and foraging for novel food sources. It also extends the description of chemical communication to include a wide variety of organisms from bacteria to vertebrates in various applications. In Chapter Two, we discuss the importance of insulin-like signaling in determining the reproductive duration of adult C. elegans. We show that the expression of an insulin-like peptide, INS-6, is downregulated in the presence of crowding and is mediated by ascaroside pheromones.The addition of synthetic ascarosides, as well as mutations that disrupt ins-6, increase the reproductive span of C. elegans. In Chapter Three, we analyze expression changes of the TGF-[beta]-like ligand, DAF-7, in ASJ. Based on previous work that showed daf-7 is expressed in ASJ upon exposure to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we expanded the bacterial substrates that produce this phenotype, focusing in on a nonpathogenic Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We also show that wild isolates of C. elegans vary in their expression of daf-7 in ASJ, even on E. coli, which produces no daf-7 in laboratory wild-type strains. The induction of daf-7 in ASJ by B. subtilis is modulated by population density-dependent cues, through the canonical ascaroside pheromones and daf-22-independent pheromones. The expression of daf-7 in ASJ is also sensitive to secreted natural products from Pristionchus pacificus, a predator of C. elegans.In Chapter Four, I present ideas for expanding on the findings within these two projects. Specifically, I focus on the chemical identification of the modulators of daf-7 and the global transcriptional responses in ASI and ASJ upon elevated population density.by Spencer S. Wong.Ph. D.Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biolog
Appel à comm. : Al-mawaqif Journal (limite : 31 déc 2018).
No full textCandidature pour publications Dates : April 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 Location: Algeria Anthropology, Humanities, Islamic History / Studies, Philosophy, Social Sciences To send an article to ‘Almawaqif Journal’ via ASJ Platform simple, First, subscribe at ASJP following the link: https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en Log in as an author, click on “Submit an article” or access ‘Almawaqif’ at https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/submission/142 ... and then follow the steps below: Download the t..
Macrosiphum mentzeliae , Wilson 1915
No full textMacrosiphum mentzeliae Wilson (Figs. 13–24) Macrosiphum mentzeliae, Wilson 1915: 99, Gillette and Palmer 1934: 188, Palmer 1952: 316, Eastop and Hille Ris Lambers 1976: 260, Smith and Parron 1978: 184, Remaudière, and Remaudière 1997: 115, Blackman and Eastop 2006: 1212. Biology and distribution.—This aphid was described by Wilson (1915) based on a single sample of apterae and alatae sent to him from Monclova, Mexico, collected on “ Mentzelia ” in November of 1909. Subsequently, Palmer (1952) recorded collecting it on “ Mentzelia sp.,” including oviparae and alate males, indicating a monoecious life cycle. Her specimens were from Colo- rado and Utah and she reported that it was “rather common.” The first au- thor has also found it to be common across western U.S.A. Blackman and Eastop (2019) report the host plant as “ Mentzelia aspera (= M. albicaulis), and possibly other Mentzelia spp.” (The ref- erence to Mentzelia albicaulis (Douglas) Douglas ex Torr. & A. Gray being a synonym of Mentzelia aspera L. is apparently based on information provided by The Plant List (2019) but seems to conflict with accepted nomenclature. The second author consulted various online resources and a published checklist (Villaseñor 2016) and could not find confirmation of this synonymy and we therefore use the name M. albicaulis hereafter.) Available specimens, all in the ASJ collection, have been collected from M. albicaulis, Mentzelia laevicaulis (Douglas) Torrey & A. Gray, and “ Mentzelia.” At least one of these samples was collected on a plant other than M. albicaulis and M. laevicaulis – a sample from near Socorro, New Mexico on a tall Mentzelia with large white flowers. It seems, therefore, that M. mentzeliae has a wide host range within Mentzelia. This aphid is unusual in that it lives in a wide range of habitat types and exists across a huge geographical area. The first author has collected it in desert habitats such as central New Mexico and central Washington, but also on lower slopes of forested mountains in central Oregon, especially in areas disturbed by road-building and wild fire, and on Douglas Pass in western Colorado at 2,500 m elevation. The host plants of M. mentzeliae in Washington and Oregon (M. albicaulis and M. laevicaulis) are drought tolerant and actively grow through the hottest and driest parts of the year. Unlike many aphids, which reproduce little or not at all during hot summer conditions and are mostly found on host plants in moderate microclimates, M. mentzeliae can often be found on M. laevicaulis mid-summer growing in southfacing road-cuts in the hottest of localities such as Franklin County, Washington (see Material examined, below). Our funda- trices of M. mentzeliae were all collected in late March on warm sandy slopes, indicating egg hatch must have occurred in late February or early March, earlier than most aphids in these localities. The known distribution of M. mentzeliae includes Mexico at least as far south and east as Monclova (Coahuila state), north to central Washington. Its host plants M. albicaulis and M. laevicaulis both have been recorded from Canada (eFloras 2019), indicating that M. mentzeliae may exist in western Canada as well. Remarks.—We offer new illustrations (Figs. 13–24) and measurements (Table 2) for M. mentzeliae to add to the contributions of Wilson (1915) and Palmer (1952), easing comparison of this and similar species. We also add the first measurements of the fundatrix. Macrosiphum mentzeliae can be separated from M. glawatz and M. gaurae as explained above. Like M. glawatz, M. mentzeliae shares important features with M. garyreed. The two species are easily distinguished by the presence of robust spinules ventro-laterally on a.s. I of M. mentzeliae (absent in M. garyreed), and the usual presence of prominent lateral tubercles in M. garyreed (very small or absent in M. mentzeliae). The u.r.s./ metatarsal II ratios overlap for these two species, but the u.r.s. length in M. garyreed is more than 190 µm versus 142– 186 µm in M. mentzeliae. Above we mentioned that a feature shared by M. mentzeliae, M. gaurae, and M. glawatz is “moderate length antennae.” By this we mean a general impression made by the species in life and on slides. We can illustrate this by comparison with one other species in North America with a long u.r.s. and membranous tergum in apterae: Macrosiphum aetheocornum Smith and Knowlton, which feeds on wild Geranium spp. in western North America. The u.r.s./metatarsal II ratio in this species is similar to M. mentzeliae and the others mentioned above, but M. aetheocornum has longer antennae, segment by segment (as given for apterae by Palmer 1952): a.s. III 850–1020 µm, a.s. IV 650–750 µm, a.s. V 580–690 µm, versus a.s. III 534–822 µm, a.s. IV 348–636 µm, a.s. V 324–570 µm in M. mentzeliae (and almost identical ranges in M. glawatz and M. garyreed). Material examined.—Collecting details of the specimens measured for the taxonomic comparison to M. glawatz and for Table 2 are as follows. Fundatrices: Slide number AJ5418, U.S.A., Oregon, Malheur County, Leslie Gulch, ex Mentzelia, 24 March 2012, A.S. Jensen (2 ASJ); Slide number AJ5432, U.S.A., Idaho, Ada County, Swan Falls, ex Mentzelia, 31 March 2012, A.S. Jensen (1 ASJ). Apterae: Slide number AJ9310, U.S.A., Oregon, Grant County, Hwy 395 ~m.p. 12C south of John Day, ex Mentzelia albicaulis, 23 June 2017, A.S. Jensen (3 ASJ); Slide number AJ3067, U.S.A., Washington, Franklin County, Mesa, ex Mentzelia laevicaulis, 25 June 2008, A.S. Jensen (2 ASJ); Slide number AJ5035, U.S.A., Washington, Lincoln County, Coffee Pot Lake, ex Mentzelia, 26 June 2011, A.S. Jensen (4 ASJ); Slide number AJ3858, U.S.A., Washington, Lincoln County, Coffee Pot Lake, ex Mentzelia laevicaulis, 4 July 2009, A.S. Jensen (2 ASJ); Slide numbers AJ7760, AJ7761, U.S.A., Oregon, Harney County, Steens loop south side, ex Mentzelia, 6 September 2014 (6 ASJ); Slide numbers AJ4662, AJ4663, U.S.A., New Mexico, Socorro County, E. of Socorro, ex Mentzelia, 19 September 2010, A.S. Jensen (5 ASJ); Slide numbers AJ3289, AJ3290, U.S.A., Washington, Franklin County, Mesa, ex Mentzelia laevicaulis, 24 September 2008, A.S. Jensen (6 ASJ); Slide number AJ7780, U.S.A., New Mexico, Sandoval County, Cabezon Trail, ex Mentzelia, 23 September 2014, A.S. Jensen (3 ASJ); Slide number AJ6888, U.S.A., Arizona, Coconino County, S-P Crater, ex Mentzelia, 26 September 2013, A.S. Jensen (3 ASJ); Slide number AJ6124, U.S.A., New Mexico, Sierra County, nr. Kingston, ex Mentzelia, 5 October 2012, A.S. Jensen (2 ASJ). Alatae: Slide number AJ7977, U.S.A., Oregon, Crook County, Ochoco N.F. nr. Summit of Hwy 26, ex Mentzelia, 4 June 2015, A.S. Jensen (1 ASJ); Slide numbers AJ3063, AJ3064, AJ3065, AJ3066, U.S.A., Washington, Franklin County, Mesa, ex Mentzelia laevicaulis, 25 June 2008, A.S. Jensen (4 ASJ); Slide number AJ8620, U.S.A., Oregon, Lake County, Hwy 31 near Summer Lake, ex Mentzelia laevicaulis, 10 July 2016, A.S. Jensen (2 ASJ); Slide numbers AJ5887, AJ5888, U.S.A., Colorado, Garfield County, Douglas Pass, ex Mentzelia, 20 August 2012, A.S. Jensen (3 ASJ).Published as part of Jensen, Andrew S. & Rorabaugh, Jesse, 2020, New Macrosiphum Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Information From Western North America, Including One New Species And One New Synonymy, pp. 81-103 in Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 122 (1) on pages 92-102, DOI: 10.4289/0013-8797.122.1.81, http://zenodo.org/record/372814
Altmetrics: An Analysis of Social Media Promotion, Gaming, and Ethics in Academic Publishing
No full textBoth enthusiasm and caution surrounding the use of social media and altmetrics—“alternative metrics” that measure online attention garnered by published journal articles or other scholarly works—in scientific publishing have increased as editors, authors and readers use these technologies regularly. In some sectors of the publishing world, the introduction of these technologies raises questions around publication ethics and the role of journal editors in promoting—and potentially artificially inflating or “gaming” altmetrics for—research published in their journals. In this report, we discuss the effects of social media promotion through the lense of altmetrics. We begin with a look at an experiment, which tracked altmetrics for 120 articles published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) between 1996 to 2016. ASJ editors introduced a number of interventions, including extra social media promotion and press coverage, to better understand variations in altmetrics as a result of such promotion by ASJ editors and authors, compared to articles that pre-date the onset of social media. They further studied eight articles that received deliberate extra social media, press, and other promotional interventions to assess whether those articles’ altmetrics improved as a result.Our results show a demonstrated increase in altmetrics for ASJ research published after 2012, due to the heavy use of social media for marketing purposes. We found that the newest articles published in ASJ, in particular those that were afforded extra social media and other marketing promotion after 2014, typically garnered the highest Altmetric Attention Scores, with greater digital impact in the form of tweets, Facebook posts, blogs, and national media attention.The report goes on to discuss these findings in the context of publication ethics. We believe that a grey area exists between the extremes of “all research promotion is good, because it results in attention for our journals” and “any kind of strategic social media promotion of research is unethical.” Strategic promotion for research on the part of journal editors and authors can be helpful in bringing research to the attention of communities of interest. However, gaming practices such as purchasing social media posts and the use of bots are inexcusable, and such practices can cast undue suspicion upon responsible journal marketing practices. These practices may in turn cause readers to question the ethics of the research itself, which can be detrimental for journals.This report shows that the use of social media and targeted engagement strategies in academic publishing can have significant effects on an article’s digital impact, and added benefits for journals such as improved author and brand loyalty. We invite journal editors and authors who read this report to consider this topic and share their feedback with ASJ and Altmetric.<br
Phototaxis and Phototransduction Mechanisms in the Model System C. elegans.
No full textC. elegans has become an increasingly popular model system for the study of sensory systems, in particular olfactory transduction and mechanotransduction. However, C. elegans is eyeless and lives in darkness (i.e. soil), and this organism has generally been presumed to be photoinsensitive. The ability to sense light is crucial to the survival of many organisms. In my thesis work I challenged the assumption that C. elegans is photoinsensitive, reasoning that light might serve functions other than “vision” per se. For instance, negative phototaxis behavior in C. elegans could function to retain worms in soil, or protect them from harmful effects of UV light. In my thesis research, I found that light stimuli, indeed, elicit avoidance behavior in C. elegans, and that prolonged light stimulation is lethal to worms. We also identified a group of ciliary sensory neurons as candidate photoreceptor cells. In a subset of these neurons (ASJ and ASK), we showed that light evokes a depolarizing conductance mediated by cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-sensitive cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels.
By recording the photoreceptor neuron ASJ and ASK in wild-type and various mutant worms, we found that phototransduction is a G protein–mediated process and requires membrane-associated guanylate cyclases, but not typical phosphodiesterases. In addition, we found that C. elegans phototransduction requires LITE-1, a candidate photoreceptor protein known to be a member of the invertebrate taste receptor family. Our genetic, pharmacological and electrophysiological data suggest a model in which LITE-1 transduces light signals via G protein signaling, which leads to upregulation of the second messenger cGMP, followed by opening of cGMP-sensitive CNG channels and stimulation of photoreceptor cells. Our results identify a phototransduction cascade in C. elegans and implicate the function of a ‘taste receptor’ in phototransduction.PhDNeuroscienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77700/1/alexward_1.pd
Commentary on: Aesthetic Surgery Research Funding: Where Does It Come From and to Whom Does It Go?
No full textAs Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) president, it was interesting to read and analyze this article by Hammond et al.1 It appears the impetus for this study germinated from the findings of an article by Tang et al.2 That article highlighted the fact that of the 100 top cited articles from 1950 to 2017, 56% were reconstructive vs 11% aesthetic and, as such, showed a discrepancy in cosmetic surgery innovation. One hypothesis for this discrepancy was the possible lack of funding for aesthetic studies, which, the authors believed, was driving the infrastructure for future studies. The authors researched these hypotheses and uncovered some interesting facts.
The current study utilized 10-year data from the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ), which ranks #1 in aesthetic surgery and #2 in plastic surgery based on impact factor.3 Their findings show 2 facts that seem to contradict the study by Tang et al, namely, an increasing number of original aesthetic surgery articles and a corresponding increasing trend of funded studies in ASJ.
The current analysis uncovered some interesting trends especially when comparing funded research from the academic setting with private practice. There seems to be an increasing trend for academic articles vs private practice articles. Private practice tended to rely heavily on funding from private industry, whereas academic centers had a more diverse portfolio when it came to funding. For example, published private practice articles received no funding from government agencies. There did not seem to be a discrepancy in the level of evidence-based submissions between the 2 groups.
Regarding the trend of funding in academic centers vs private practice settings, the authors appeared to generate their own hypotheses. They speculate that private practioners may have less interest in research, lack time, or lack of knowledge of available resources. These hypotheses seem to make sense but require further study.
As opposed to the undertones of Tang et al’s article, I think that the evidence clearly points to the fact the aesthetic surgery research is alive and well. We have all witnessed the meteoric rise in ASJ’s impact factor and the development and success of ASJ Open Forum. The development of ASJ Open Forum was partly due to the fact that ASJ was being overwhelmed by monthly submissions. In addition, ASJ Open Forum allows more aesthetic surgery research to find a place in the literature.
As we have seen ASJ flourish in recent years, we have also seen the growth of ASERF as measured by its financial growth and the amount of funding it provides for aesthetic surgery research. One of the major missions of ASERF is to promote research in aesthetic medicine and surgery. Although academic institutions have received major funding from ASERF, its underlying mission is to truly support research by aesthetic society members in private practice. The application process is somewhat rigorous but does not discriminate between academic and private practice settings. I certainly encourage aesthetic surgeons in private practice interested in research to seek out funding opportunities from ASERF.
Lastly, I want to comment on 2 advanced technology systems in which ASERF participates and will set the standard for research in the future. The authors mentioned the Aesthetic Neural Network (ANN). The ANN currently has 364 participating surgeons, clinics, and medical spas. It is a seamless and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)-compliant system that captures data on a daily basis. It has so far recorded 6.6 million procedures and has the potential to harvest an immense amount of retrospective data. In addition, ASERF has invested in a HIPPA-compliant electronic data capture system contained within The Aesthetic Society’s Aesthetic One App. It is currently directly registering implants with the implant manufacturers, creating an implant registry, collecting data regarding breast implant procedures, and empowering patients by giving them information about their surgery and implants. ASERF is currently investing in a system that will allow the merging of these 2 technologies to run studies by members or industry through a digital platform. Hopefully, this will encourage industry to participate in more studies with our Foundation and Society.
Although this study has some limitations, as mentioned in the article, it does highlight the fact that aesthetic surgery and medicine research is increasing year by year. Other evidence, such as the increasing impact of ASJ and the development of ASJ Open Forum, supports this article’s conclusion. The one troubling trend seems to be the decreasing trend of private practice research, especially because there is a plethora of untapped clinical data in this setting. The authors have suggested a few reasons for this trend but will study this particular issue in the future. Some good clinical evidence is locked up in private practice, and the ANN and the Aesthetic One App may be a way to harvest this important clinical information in a seamless fashion. ASERF’s strategic plan is to find innovative ways to harvest this information—in essence, to expand the scope of private practice research. The best is yet to come! Disclosures
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publication of this article. Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and publication of this article. References
1. Hammond J, Armstrong V, McMullen K, Bernard R, Teven C. Aesthetic surgery research funding: where does it come from and to whom does it go? Aesthet Surg J. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjaa335. [Epub ahead of print].
2. Yao-Mei Tang J, Pawliuk C, Bucevska M, Mulpuri V, Arneja JS. What is driving paradigm shifts in plastic surgery and is cosmetic surgery keeping up? Plast Reconstr Surg. 2020;145(5):1164-1171.
3.“About the Journal.” Oxford University Press. academic.oup.com/asj/pages/about. Accessed February 5, 2021
Ten-Year Results From the Natrelle 410 Anatomical Form-Stable Silicone Breast Implant Core Study
No full textBackground: Silicone breast implants have long been used for breast augmentation and reconstruction. During this time, these medical devices have gone through a number of modifications to improve their safety, quality, and clinical outcome performance.
Objectives: The authors conducted a 10-year study to determine the safety and effectiveness of Natrelle 410 silicone breast implants.
Methods: This prospective, multicenter study enrolled 941 subjects who were undergoing either augmentation, augmentation revision, reconstruction, or reconstruction revision. Data on complications, reoperations, explantations, and subject satisfaction were collected at annual clinic visits, and one-third of subjects underwent biennial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to screen for implant rupture. The authors used the Kaplan-Meier estimator to calculate risk rates for local complications, reoperations, and explantations.
Results: Capsular contracture rates increased approximately 1% per year from the previously reported 6-year rates. The rates were significantly lower than those from the Natrelle round gel core study. The overall rate of confirmed ruptured implants in subjects who underwent MRI was 5.7%. Eleven late seromas were reported. The most common reason for explantation was a subject requesting a size or style change. Satisfaction rates remained high through 10 years, with most subjects saying they were somewhat or definitely satisfied with their implants.
Conclusions: This 10-year prospective trial demonstrated the long-term safety and effectiveness of Natrelle 410 anatomical form-stable implants. The complication rates were low and the satisfaction rates were high
- …
