Evidence for Remote Effects of Dreissenid Mussels on the Amphipod Diporeia: Analysis of Lake Ontario Benthic Surveys, 1972–2003

The status of invasive dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis) and native amphipods (Diporeia spp.) in Lake Ontario was assessed in 2003 and compared with historical data. D. polymorpha (zebra mussels) were rarely observed in 2003, having been displaced by D. bugensis (quagga mussels). D. bugensis expanded its depth range from 38 m depth in 1995 to 174 m in 2003 and this dreissenid reached densities averaging 8,000/m² at all sites < 90 m. During the same time period, Diporeia populations almost completely disappeared from 0–90 m depth, continuing a declining trend from 1994–1997 reported in previous studies. The average density of Diporeia in the 30–90 m depth interval decreased from 1,380/m² to 63/m² between 1997 and 2003. Prior to 2003, areas deeper than 90 m represented a refuge for Diporeia, but even these deep populations decreased, with densities declining from 2,181/m2 in 1999 to 545/m2 in 2003. Two common hypotheses for the decline of Diporeia in the Great Lakes are food limitation and a toxin/pathogen associated with dreissenid pseudofeces. The Diporeia decline in deep waters preceded the expansion of D. bugensis to these depths, and suggests that shallow dreissenid populations remotely influence profundal habitats. This pattern of decline is consistent with mechanisms that act from some distance including nearshore dreissenid grazing and downslope transport of pseudofeces.     

Trade and spatial economic interdependence

Abstract. Regional scientists have had a long fascination with spatial economic interdependence, initially stimulated by the development of a suite of models in Isard (1960). In recent years there have been two major developments; first, a movement towards greater integration in model development not only with large-scale models, but also with careful attempts to make more components of the system endogenous. The second development has been the pursuit of greater integration than in earlier studies between theory and applied regional economic modelling, most notably in the area of trade and economic development. We explore some of the recent developments of this latter approach and provide an assessment of the current state-of-the art of some future opportunities.     

Assessing Optimal Digital Elevation Model Selection for Active River Area Delineation Across Broad Regions

Water Resources Management - The Active River Area (ARA) is a spatial approach for identifying the extent of functional riparian area. Given known limitations in terms of input elevation data...     

Subwords-Only Alternatives to fastText for Morphologically Rich Languages

Programming and Computer Software - In this work, we present purely subword-based alternatives to fastText word embedding algorithm The alternatives are modifications of the original fastText...     

Observing Inequality: Can Ergonomic Observations Help Interventions Transform the Role of Gender in Work Activity?

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) - Work activity ergonomics (sometimes called francophone ergonomics) draws heavily on observation in order to support transformation of work to arrive at...     

Experimental results of a high Q quasioptical reflection cavity

A quasi-optical reflection cavity intended to be used as the resonant load of a submillimeter wavelength oscillator has been designed, constructed, and tested. The resonator consists of three elements in cascade: a high Q, high finesse folded Fabry-Perot resonator, a lower Q, low finesse Fabry-Perot resonator, and a Littrow mounted diffraction grating. The resonator exhibits a Q of 6600 and 2.5 dB of loss at 63 GHz. The design can be scaled to 1 THz, where waveguide structures become impractical, to serve as the resonator for high frequency quantum well resonant tunneling device oscillators.     

Energy Metabolites as Biomarkers in Ischemic and Dilated Cardiomyopathy

With more than 25 million people affected, heart failure (HF) is a global threat. As energy production pathways are known to play a pivotal role in HF, we sought here to identify key metabolic changes in ischemic- and non-ischemic HF by using a multi-OMICS approach. Serum metabolites and mRNAseq and epigenetic DNA methylation profiles were analyzed from blood and left ventricular heart biopsy specimens of the same individuals. In total we collected serum from n = 82 patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and n = 51 controls in the screening stage. We identified several metabolites involved in glycolysis and citric acid cycle to be elevated up to 5.7-fold in DCM (p = 1.7 × 10⁻⁶). Interestingly, cardiac mRNA and epigenetic changes of genes encoding rate-limiting enzymes of these pathways could also be found and validated in our second stage of metabolite assessment in n = 52 DCM, n = 39 ischemic HF and n = 57 controls. In conclusion, we identified a new set of metabolomic biomarkers for HF. We were able to identify underlying biological cascades that potentially represent suitable intervention targets.     

Functional and Molecular Properties of DYT-SGCE Myoclonus-Dystonia Patient-Derived Striatal Medium Spiny Neurons

Myoclonus-dystonia (DYT-SGCE, formerly DYT11) is characterized by alcohol-sensitive, myoclonic-like appearance of fast dystonic movements. It is caused by mutations in the SGCE gene encoding ε-sarcoglycan leading to a dysfunction of this transmembrane protein, alterations in the cerebello-thalamic pathway and impaired striatal plasticity. To elucidate underlying pathogenic mechanisms, we investigated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) from two myoclonus-dystonia patients carrying a heterozygous mutation in the SGCE gene (c.298T>G and c.304C>T with protein changes W100G and R102X) in comparison to two matched healthy control lines. Calcium imaging showed significantly elevated basal intracellular Ca²⁺ content and lower frequency of spontaneous Ca²⁺ signals in SGCE MSNs. Blocking of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels by verapamil was less efficient in suppressing KCl-induced Ca²⁺ peaks of SGCE MSNs. Ca²⁺ amplitudes upon glycine and acetylcholine applications were increased in SGCE MSNs, but not after GABA or glutamate applications. Expression of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels and most ionotropic receptor subunits was not altered. SGCE MSNs showed significantly reduced GABAergic synaptic density. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings displayed elevated amplitudes of miniature postsynaptic currents and action potentials in SGCE MSNs. Our data contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for myoclonus-dystonia.     

Mutant p53 Mediates Sensitivity to Cancer Treatment Agents in Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Associated with MicroRNA and SLC7A11 Expression

TP53 gene mutations occur in 70% of oesophageal adenocarcinomas (OACs). Given the central role of p53 in controlling cellular response to therapy we investigated the role of mutant (mut-) p53 and SLC7A11 in a CRISPR-mediated JH-EsoAd1 TP53 knockout model. Response to 2 Gy irradiation, cisplatin, 5-FU, 4-hydroxytamoxifen, and endoxifen was assessed, followed by a TaqMan OpenArray qPCR screening for differences in miRNA expression. Knockout of mut-p53 resulted in increased chemo- and radioresistance (2 Gy survival fraction: 38% vs. 56%, p < 0.0001) and in altered miRNA expression levels. Target mRNA pathways analyses indicated several potential mechanisms of treatment resistance. SLC7A11 knockdown restored radiosensitivity (2 Gy SF: 46% vs. 73%; p = 0.0239), possibly via enhanced sensitivity to oxidative stress. Pathway analysis of the mRNA targets of differentially expressed miRNAs indicated potential involvement in several pathways associated with apoptosis, ribosomes, and p53 signaling pathways. The data suggest that mut-p53 in JH-EsoAd1, despite being classified as non-functional, has some function related to radio- and chemoresistance. The results also highlight the important role of SLC7A11 in cancer metabolism and redox balance and the influence of p53 on these processes. Inhibition of the SLC7A11-glutathione axis may represent a promising approach to overcome resistance associated with mut-p53.     

Rheological analysis of vapor‐grown carbon nanofiber‐reinforced polyethylene composites

The melt rheological analysis of high‐density polyethylene reinforced with vapor‐grown carbon nanofibers (VGCNFs) was performed on an oscillatory rheometer. The influence of frequency, temperature, and nanofiber concentration (up to 30 wt %) on the rheological properties of composites was investigated. Specifically, the viscosity increase is accompanied by an increase in the elastic melt properties, represented by the storage modulus G′, which is much higher than the increase in the loss modulus G″. The composites and pure PE exhibit a typical shear thinning behavior as complex viscosity decreases rapidly with the increase of shearing frequency. The shear thinning behavior is much more pronounced for the composites with high fiber concentration. The rheological threshold value for this system was found to be around 10 wt % of VGCNF. The damping factor was reduced significantly by the inclusion of nanofibers into the matrix. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 155–162, 2004