ABSTRACTForensic implementation of soil bacterial DNA profiling is limited by the potential for temporal mismatch of DNA profiles, e.g. after storage or seasonal changes. We compared profiles of samples retrieved at one location over 14 years after air-drying, freeze-drying and ?80 °C freezing storage. Sample mismatch in freeze-dried and air-dried samples was significant after two years and continued to increase yearly, whereas profiles after ?80 °C freezing remained unchanged for many years. In an attempt to mitigate inter-seasonal temporal mismatches, e.g. when months pass between crime and seizure of evidence, soils sampled in winter and summer were exposed to artificial ?summer? and ?winter? conditions, respectively, and their DNA profiles were compared. Differences were small between soil types, larger between seasons and largest between ?natural? and ?artificial? seasons. Understanding sources of temporal variations is critical for storage of forensics samples and for developing mitigation procedures that could help overcome these time-induced limitations.
Path analysis provides social science researchers with a powerful tool for conducting theory guided empirical studies with multiple variables. This case presents a step-by-step description of how we used path analysis to examine immigrants' acculturation in multicultural societies. We describe a series of papers we published based on two distinct research studies that used a common instrument. The process of building a path analysis model is explained, specifying how to utilize a theory, build a questionnaire, and develop a model with your data. The case ends with a discussion of some of the lessons learned in our prior research and suggests how to continue this research in the future.
Abstract Recent efforts in systems immunology lead researchers to build quantitative models of cell activation and differentiation. One goal is to account for the distributions of proteins from single-cell measurements by flow cytometry or mass cytometry as readout of biological regulation. In that context, large cell-to-cell variability is often observed in biological quantities. We show here that these readouts, viewed in logarithmic scale may result in two easily-distinguishable modes, while the underlying distribution (in linear scale) is unimodal. We introduce a simple mathematical test to highlight this mismatch. We then dissect the flow of influence of cell-to-cell variability proposing a graphical model which motivates higher-dimensional analysis of the data. Finally we show how acquiring additional biological information can be used to reduce uncertainty introduced by cell-to-cell variability, helping to clarify whether the data is uni- or bimodal. This communication has cautionary implications for manual and automatic gating strategies, as well as clustering and modeling of single-cell measurements. ? 2018 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
This paper presents two opposite perspectives on the labor market in the aftermath of a disaster. The first posits a production sector that is non-tradeable and a labor market with total mobility. This is modeled using agent based simulation. The second presents a production sector that is fully tradeable and a labor market that is perfectly immobile. This is modeled using traditional micro-economic modeling and numerical simulation. Outcomes from the two approaches are compared. In the no-disaster case, participation rates and wages under both approaches settle down to a low-level equilibrium albeit at different rates. In the case of a disaster, outcomes are very different. Under the agent based model labor market mobility results in solutions being found outside the area. In the micro-economic approach workers absorb the recovery process within the area readjusting their demand for labor. When population movement is introduced the system reorganizes at a new equilibrium. The results highlight first, the importance of labor mobility and flexibility and second, the divergent absorption costs in determining the long-term outcomes of a disaster.
Modern forms of travel allowed Victorian women and their afterlives in neo-Victorian fiction to redefine gendered spaces and gender roles, in the metropolis as well as in the empire’s peripheries. The Introduction to the forum surveys issues pertaining to the relationship between female modernity, travel, and the subversion of imperial roles as explored by the papers of the forum.
Plant tissue is composed of many different types of cells. Plant cells required to withstand mechanical pressure, such as vessel elements and fibers, have a secondary cell wall consisting of polysaccharides and lignin, which strengthen the cell wall structure and stabilize the cell shape. Previous attempts to alter the properties of the cell wall have mainly focused on reducing the amount of lignin or altering its structure in order to ease its extraction from raw woody materials for the pulp and paper and biorefinery industries. In this work, we propose the in vivo modification of the cell wall structure and mechanical properties by the introduction of resilin, an elastic protein that is able to crosslink with lignin monomers during cell wall synthesis. The effects of resilin were studied in transgenic eucalyptus plants. The protein was detected within the cell wall and its expression led to an increase in the elastic modulus of transgenic stems. In addition, transgenic stems displayed a higher yield point and toughness, indicating that they were able to absorb more energy before breaking.
Reducing insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) extends lifespan, promotes protein homeostasis (proteostasis), and elevates stress resistance of worms, flies, and mammals. How these functions are orchestrated across the organism is only partially understood. Here, we report that in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the IIS positively regulates the expression of caveolin-1 (cav-1), a gene which is primarily expressed in neurons of the adult worm and underlies the formation of caveolae, a subtype of lipid microdomains that serve as platforms for signaling complexes. Accordingly, IIS reduction lowers cav-1 expression and lessens the quantity of neuronal caveolae. Reduced cav-1 expression extends lifespan and mitigates toxic protein aggregation by modulating the expression of aging-regulating and signaling-promoting genes. Our findings define caveolae as aging-governing signaling centers and underscore the potential for cav-1 as a novel therapeutic target for the promotion of healthy aging.
Liad Hinden, Udi, Shiran , Drori, Adi , Gammal, Asaad , Nemirovski, Alina , Hadar, Rivka , Baraghithy, Saja , Permyakova, Anna , Geron, Matan , Cohen, Merav , Tsytkin-Kirschenzweig, Sabina , Riahi, Yael , Leibowitz, Gil , Nahmias, Yaakov , Priel, Avi , ו Tam, Joseph . 2018. “Modulation Of Renal Glut2 By The Cannabinoid-1 Receptor: Implications For The Treatment Of Diabetic Nephropathy.”. Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology : Jasn, 29, 2, Pp. 434–448. doi:10.1681/ASN.2017040371. תקציר
Altered glucose reabsorption via the facilitative glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) during diabetes may lead to renal proximal tubule cell (RPTC) injury, inflammation, and interstitial fibrosis. These pathologies are also triggered by activating the cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB(1)R), which contributes to the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the link between CB(1)R and GLUT2 remains to be determined. Here, we show that chronic peripheral CB(1)R blockade or genetically inactivating CB(1)Rs in the RPTCs ameliorated diabetes-induced renal structural and functional changes, kidney inflammation, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in mice. Inhibition of CB(1)R also downregulated GLUT2 expression, affected the dynamic translocation of GLUT2 to the brush border membrane of RPTCs, and reduced glucose reabsorption. Thus, targeting peripheral CB(1)R or inhibiting GLUT2 dynamics in RPTCs has the potential to treat and ameliorate DN. These findings may support the rationale for the clinical testing of peripherally restricted CB(1)R antagonists or the development of novel renal-specific GLUT2 inhibitors against DN.
Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is an emerging pathogen of Tilapiines associated with high mortalities of wild and farmed tilapia posing great threat to the fishery industry worldwide. The virus has been reported in Israel, Ecuador, Colombia, Thailand, Egypt, Taiwan, India and Malaysia. In this study, a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was developed and used to detect TiLV genome in Nile tilapia from Lake Victoria. Nile tilapia samples were collected from the Tanzanian (108 fish) and Ugandan (83 fish) parts of Lake Victoria in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Samples were screened for TiLV by using RT-PCR and the PCR products were sequenced. The findings show that out of the 191 fish examined, 28 had PCR products showing the presence of TiLV genome. The TiLV nucleic acids were detected in the spleen (10.99%, N=191), head kidney (7.69%, N=65), heart (3.45%, N=29) and liver (0.71%, N=140) samples while no PCR amplification was detected in the brain by the developed RT-PCR method. Generally, the findings show that the lymphoid organs, mainly comprising of the head kidney and spleen had the highest number of samples with positive nucleic acids for TiLV followed by heart samples. On the contrary, the liver and brain that have previously been shown to be target organs during acute infection either did not have or had the lowest level of TiLV nucleic acids detected in the present study. All the 28 sequences retrieved had an average length of 768 bp. A blast analysis on NCBI showed that all sequences obtained were homologous to TiLV segment-2 sequences obtained from previous outbreaks in Israel and Thailand. To our knowledge, this is the first detection of TiLV subclinical infections in Nile tilapia in Lake Victoria, a none-outbreak area.
