869 research outputs found
Mutations in the Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida type III secretion system affect Atlantic salmon leucocyte activation and downstream immune responses
No full textDeletion mutants of Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida were used to determine the effect of the type three secretion system (TTSS) on Atlantic salmon anterior head kidney leucocytes (AHKL). One strain had a deletion in the outer membrane pore gene, ascC; and the other in three effector genes: aopO, aopH and aexT (we call this strain Δaop3). Host cell invasion success and 24h survival were depressed in ΔascC, as was 24h survival of Δaop3, when compared to the wild type strain. Challenge of AHKLs with A449 or TTSS mutants stimulated expression of the inflammatory mediators IL-8, IL-1 and TNFα at two bacterial concentrations (A600 0.1, 0.01). Expression of IL-12 was not stimulated in ΔascC challenged cells, whereas A449 and Δaop3 challenge resulted in an up-regulation of IL-12 in AHKLs, 2- and 4-fold higher than PBS, respectively. Only the wild type strain elicited a significant increase in IL-10 expression (5.5× at A600 0.1). Inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) and arginase (I+II) genes were also significantly up-regulated upon exposure to all strains. However, iNOS:arginase ratio was elevated in the effector mutant challenge. These results suggest that A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida may enhance survival within the host cell through polarization of macrophages/leucocytes to an alternative, rather than classical, activation state. Furthermore, the short-term survival and lack of T-cell signalling cytokine stimulation in ΔascC, may help explain its inefficiency at providing protection to subsequent wild type challenge.ID: S1050464809002988; M3: Article; Accession Number: S1050464809002988; Author: Mark D. Fast (a, ∗); Author: Brenda Tse (b); Author: Jessica M. Boyd (c); Author: Stewart C. Johnson (d); Affiliation: School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5000, USA; Affiliation: Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Affiliation: Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada; Keyword: Aeromonas salmonicida; Keyword: Type three secretion system; Keyword: Atlantic salmon; Keyword: SHK-1; Keyword: Gene expression; Keyword: Inflammation; Keyword: Activation; Keyword: Interleukin-1β; Keyword: (IL-1β); Keyword: Interleukin-10; Keyword: Interleukin-12; Number of Pages: 8; Language: English;Source type: Electronic(1
Hybrid sources: depictions of garments in postcolonial textile art
No full textIn today's atmosphere of globalisation - through positive agents such as communication networks as well as negative ones such as the refugee crisis - the national and cultural identities projected by dress embrace increasingly complex influences. Postcolonial theory and its attention to material culture, hybrid identities, and the ensuing Diaspora has influenced the work of contemporary artists worldwide. Contemporary artists working with textiles use the garment shape, as a motif and sculptural form rather than a functional peice of clothing, to express the complex results of colonisation. Common to all the works discussed here is an attempt to negotiate conflicts between language, culture and history that the postcolonial world must reconcile. Examples are drawn from work by Sue Blanchfield, Michael Parekowhai, Erica Spitzer Rasmussen, Elaine Reicheck, Doris Salcedo, Yinka Shonibare and Susan Stockwell
Sharing privacy-sensitive access to neuroimaging and genetics data: a review and preliminary validation
No full textThe growth of data sharing initiatives for neuroimaging and genomics represents an exciting opportunity to confront the “small N” problem that plagues contemporary neuroimaging studies while further understanding the role genetic markers play in the function of the brain. When it is possible, open data sharing provides the most benefits. However, some data cannot be shared at all due to privacy concerns and/or risk of re-identification. Sharing other data sets is hampered by the proliferation of complex data use agreements (DUAs) which preclude truly automated data mining. These DUAs arise because of concerns about the privacy and confidentiality for subjects; though many do permit direct access to data, they often require a cumbersome approval process that can take months. An alternative approach is to only share data derivatives such as statistical summaries—the challenges here are to reformulate computational methods to quantify the privacy risks associated with sharing the results of those computations. For example, a derived map of gray matter is often as identifiable as a fingerprint. Thus alternative approaches to accessing data are needed. This paper reviews the relevant literature on differential privacy, a framework for measuring and tracking privacy loss in these settings, and demonstrates the feasibility of using this framework to calculate statistics on data distributed at many sites while still providing privacy.This document is protected by copyright and was first published by Frontiers. All rights reserved. It is reproduced with permission.Peer reviewe
Reduced representation sequencing to understand the evolutionary history of Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana Parry) with implications for rare species conservation
No full textUnderstanding the contribution of neutral and adaptive evolutionary processes to population differences is often necessary for better-informed management and conservation of rare species. In this study, we focused on Pinus torreyana Parry (Torrey pine), one of the world's rarest pines, endemic to one island and one mainland population in California. Small population size, low genetic diversity, and susceptibility to abiotic and biotic stresses suggest Torrey pine may benefit from inter-population genetic rescue to preserve the species' evolutionary potential. We leveraged reduced representation sequencing to tease apart the respective contributions of stochastic and deterministic evolutionary processes to population differentiation. We applied these data to model spatial and temporal demographic changes in effective population sizes and genetic connectivity, to assess loci possibly under selection, and to evaluate genetic rescue as a potential conservation strategy. Overall, we observed exceedingly low standing variation reflecting consistently low effective population sizes across time and limited genetic differentiation suggesting maintenance of gene flow following divergence. However, genome scans identified more than 2000 candidate SNPs for divergent selection. Combined with previous observations indicating population phenotypic differentiation, this indicates natural selection has likely contributed to the evolution of population genetic differences. Thus, while reduced genetic diversity, small effective population size, and genetic connectivity between populations suggest genetic rescue could mitigate the adverse effects of rarity, divergent selection suggests genetic mixing could disrupt adaptation. Further work evaluating the fitness consequences of inter-population admixture is necessary to empirically evaluate the trade-offs associated with genetic rescue in Torrey pine.Funding provided by: USDA Health Protection Gene Conservation Program*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: Western Wildlands Environmental Threats Assessment Center*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: Morton Arboretum*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: North Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: ND-EPSCoR NSF-IIA-1355466Funding provided by: NDSU Environmental and Conservation Sciences Graduate Program*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number:All genetic data sets within this repository represent either do novo assembly or range-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained using the dDocent pipeline (Puritz et al. 2014a; Puritz et al. 2014b) for the critically endangered Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana Parry).
Filtering of data sets was either performed using VCFtools (Danecek et al. 2011) or customized R scripts (available upon request to the corresponding author). For details on how these datasets were generated, refer to the Materials and Methods section in the published manuscript.
References:
Puritz, J. B., Hollenbeck, C. M., & Gold, J. R. (2014a). dDocent: a RADseq, variant-calling pipeline designed for population genomics of non-model organisms. PeerJ, 2, e431. doi:10.7717/peerj.431
Puritz, J. B., Matz, M. V, Toonen, R. J., Weber, J. N., Bolnick, D. I., & Bird, C. E. (2014b). Demystifying the RAD fad. Molecular Ecology, 23(24), 5937–5942. doi: 10.1111/mec.12965
Danecek, P., Auton, A., Abecasis, G., Albers, C. A., Banks, E., DePristo, M. A., … Group, 1000 Genomes Project Analysis. (2011). The variant call format and VCFtools. Bioinformatics, 27(15), 2156–2158. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btr33
What is the Effect of Social Rhythm Disrupting Events on Mood in Individuals with Bipolar Disorder?
Get PDFThe social zeitgeber hypothesis suggests that life events have the capacity to lead to the onset of affective episodes in those vulnerable to bipolar disorder via biological and social rhythm disruption. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the role of life events that disrupt social routines in the exacerbation of mood symptoms. This report examined the effect of social rhythm disrupting (SRD) events on recurrence during preventative treatment in a sample of 82 patients with bipolar disorder who achieved remission from an acute episode, and assessed whether treatment assignment (interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) vs. intensive clinical management (ICM)) moderated this effect. We also examined the effect of short term (STC) and long term (LTC) threat (unpleasant) events. Recurrence was determined by blinded senior psychiatrists who were not otherwise involved in the conduct of the study and who were asked to determine whether the participant met Research Diagnostic Criteria for a new affective episode. Life events were measured with the Bedford College Life Events and Difficulty Schedule (LEDS) and were rated for degree of SRD and threat. Chi-square tests, Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, and Cox proportional hazards models showed that patients who had a recurrence were more likely to experience independent SRD, STC, and LTC events prior to recurrence than those who survived the two-year preventative phase without a recurrence, and this event occurred closer in time to recurrence than to a corresponding non-recurrence point in the non-recurrence group. In contrast, events that were rated for SRD and threat were not more likely to occur among individuals experiencing a recurrence than events rated for threat only. Nor did such a combined event occur more closely in time to a recurrence than events rated for threat only. Last, among those who experienced an SRD event, those who received preventative IPSRT were more likely to have a recurrence than those who received preventative ICM. Future studies should focus on the types of SRD events that are related to mood worsening, as well as on novel methods of examining these scientific aims that make use of longitudinal datasets
Rural natives’ perceptions of strengths and challenges in their communities
Get PDFThis brief uses two sources of data to explore how Native Americans view the current socioeconomic and environmental state of their communities and their future within them—the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) surveys and focus groups with Native leaders in one rural state. The data help to illustrate how the Native experience is both similar to, and unique from, that of other rural Americans. While the findings reported by author Jessica Ulrich-Schad illustrate that there are significant challenges facing Native people, they also show that strengths and opportunities continue to exist in Indian Country and that Natives remain firmly attached to their Native identities, culture, and natural environment
Chromatin-mediated Candida albicans virulence
No full textFirst author Jessica Lopes da Rosa is a doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at UMass Medical School.Candida albicans is the most prevalent human fungal pathogen. To successfully propagate an infection, this organism relies on the ability to change morphology, express virulence-associated genes and resist DNA damage caused by the host immune system. Many of these events involve chromatin alterations that are crucial for virulence. This review will focus on the studies that have been conducted on how chromatin function affects pathogenicity of C. albicans and other fungi. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Histone chaperones and Chromatin assembly
A new breed of publisher: towards open global sharing
Get PDFThis presentation was given at the Publishing in Libraries Conference at the College at Brockport, State University of New York on March 20, 2015 as part of a panel discussion entitled 'The repository as publisher: opportunities and challenges in a dual role', with Benjamin Hockenberry, Jessica Clemons, and Timothy Deliyannides. The presentation gives an overview of the evolution of the publishing program at the University of Pittsburgh beginning with the dissemination of new scholarly content through author self-archiving repositories and leading to the publication of scholarly peer-reviewed journals with partners located around the world. Pitt's journal publishing program is detailed. The presentation highlights the library's unique perspective, values, and commitment to openly sharing scholarly research in all its forms worldwide
Expression pattern diversity and functional conservation between retroposed PRAT genes from drosophila melanogaster and drosophila virilis
No full textGene duplication by retrotransposition duplicates only the coding and untranslated regions of a gene and, thus, biases retroduplicated genes toward having different expression patterns from their parental genes. As such, genes duplicated by retrotransposition are more likely to develop novel expression domains. To explore this idea further, we used the Prat/Prat2 gene duplication in Drosophila as a case study to examine the aftermath of a retrotransposition event that resulted in both the parent and the child gene becoming essential for survival. We used the Gal4-UAS transgene system with EGFP as a reporter to determine the developmental expression patterns of Prat and Prat2 from D. melanogaster (DmPrat and DmPrat2) and Prat from D. virilis (DvPrat). We also tested the functional equivalence of the protein products of DmPrat and DmPrat2. We found that each of the proteins could rescue DmPrat mutations, showing that the requirement for both Prat and Prat2 in Drosophila is not simply due to differences in protein function. In contrast, we found that the DmPrat and DmPrat2 genes have developed nonoverlapping patterns of expression, which correlate with their respective loss-of-function phenotypes. We further found that DvPrat expression is similar to DmPrat during development but differs in adult gonads. Thus, the function of the Prat retrogene has not diverged in the D. melanogaster and D. virilis lineages, while some aspects of its expression pattern have evolved. Finally, we have identified promoter elements, conserved upstream of DmPrat and DvPrat, that this retrogene has acquired to drive its expression
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