Transposon mutagenesis in bifidobacterium breve: construction and characterization of a Tn5 transposon mutant library for bifidobacterium breve UCC2003

Bifidobacteria are claimed to contribute positively to human health through a range of beneficial or probiotic activities, including amelioration of gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders, and therefore this particular group of gastrointestinal commensals has enjoyed increasing industrial and scientific attention in recent years. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these probiotic mechanisms are still largely unknown, mainly due to the fact that molecular tools for bifidobacteria are rather poorly developed, with many strains lacking genetic accessibility. In this work, we describe the generation of transposon insertion mutants in two bifidobacterial strains, B. breve UCC2003 and B. breve NCFB2258. We also report the creation of the first transposon mutant library in a bifidobacterial strain, employing B. breve UCC2003 and a Tn5-based transposome strategy. The library was found to be composed of clones containing single transposon insertions which appear to be randomly distributed along the genome. The usefulness of the library to perform phenotypic screenings was confirmed through identification and analysis of mutants defective in D-galactose, D-lactose or pullulan utilization abilities.

Measured parental weight status and familial socio-economic status correlates with childhood overweight and obesity at age 9

Background: Parental obesity is a predominant risk factor for childhood obesity. Family factors including socio-economic status (SES) play a role in determining parent weight. It is essential to unpick how shared family factors impact on child weight. This study aims to investigate the association between measured parent weight status, familial socio-economic factors and the risk of childhood obesity at age 9. Methodology/Principal Findings: Cross sectional analysis of the first wave (2008) of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study. GUI is a nationally representative study of 9-year-old children (N = 8,568). Schools were selected from the national total (response rate 82%) and age eligible children (response rate 57%) were invited to participate. Children and their parents had height and weight measurements taken using standard methods. Data were reweighted to account for the sampling design. Childhood overweight and obesity prevalence were calculated using International Obesity Taskforce definitions. Multinomial logistic regression examined the association between parent weight status, indicators of SES and child weight. Overall, 25% of children were either overweight (19.3%) or obese (6.6%). Parental obesity was a significant predictor of child obesity. Of children with normal weight parents, 14.4% were overweight or obese whereas 46.2% of children with obese parents were overweight or obese. Maternal education and household class were more consistently associated with a child being in a higher body mass index category than household income. Adjusted regression indicated that female gender, one parent family type, lower maternal education, lower household class and a heavier parent weight status significantly increased the odds of childhood obesity. Conclusions/Significance: Parental weight appears to be the most influential factor driving the childhood obesity epidemic in Ireland and is an independent predictor of child obesity across SES groups. Due to the high prevalence of obesity in parents and children, population based interventions are required.

(Table XIV-1, Page 137-139) Physical characteristics of manganese nodules collected in the Pacific Ocean during cruise GH76-1 of R/V Hakurei Maru

Nodule samples obtained were described and studied on board for 1) observation of occurrence and morphology in and outside samplers, size classification, measurement of weight and calculation of population density (kg/m2); 2) photographing whole nodules on the plate marked with the frames of unit areas of both 0cean-70 (0.50 m2) and freefall grab (0.13 m2), and that of typical samples on the plate with a 5 cm grid scale: 3) observation of internal structures of the nodules on cut section; and 4) determination of mineral composition by X-ray diffractometer. The relation between nodule types and geological environment or chemical composition was examined by referring to other data of related studies, such as sedimentology. acoustic survey, and chemical analysis.

Description of manganese nodules and crust collected from the Hakurei Maru Cruise GH76-1, January-March, 1976, in the Central Pacific Basin

This report of the GH76-1 cruise mainly includes the results of the on-board observations in the survey area of the medial-eastern part of Central Pacific Basin (5 degree -10 degree N, 170 degree -175 degree W) and partly of analytical work at the on-shore laboratory. In addition, the results of some on-board optical and geophysical works along the tracks of Japan-Ogasawara-survey area-Hawaii, are described in appendices. The GH76-1 cruise of the R/V Hakurei-maru was carried out from the 10th January to the 9th March, 1976 as the second phase field work of the Geological Survey of Japan five-year research program of study on the manganese nodule deposits of the Central Pacific Basin and also as a part of the National Research Institute for Pollution and Resources research program of technological study on the exploitation of deep sea mineral resources. The GSJ research program (F.Y. 1974-F.Y. 1978) aims at providing basic information on the manganese nodule distribution and their origin on the deep sea floor of the Central Pacific Basin bounded by the Marshall Ridge to the west, the Christmas Ridge to the east, and the Mid-Pacific Mountains to the north. The first phase of investigation was carried out during the GH74-5 cruise in the eastern part of the area (6 degree -10 degree 30'W, 164 degree 30'-171 degree 30'N)(Mizuno and Chujo, eds., 1975), and the present second phase covered an areas of 5 degree square, just west of the GH74-5 area.

(Table XIII-2, Page 166) Physical characteristics of manganese nodules collected in the Pacific Ocean during cruise GH77-1 of R/V Hakurei Maru

In the GH77-1 cruise, manganese nodules were obtained from 31 stations among 37 total ones. Here are reported the preliminary results of the observation mainly done on-board. Special attention was paid to confirming the applicability of the nodule type classification tentatively established in the previous GH76-1 cruise and to delineating the pattern of the nodule distribution and clarifying its relation to the geological factors, such as topography, surface sediment types, and substrate stratigraphy. In addition, a short description of the obtained rock samples from a few stations is included in this chapter.

Recent benthic foraminifera of the Scotia Sea and Argentine Basin

We investigated 88 surface sediment samples taken with a multiple corer from the southwestern South Atlantic Ocean for their live (Rose Bengal stained) and dead benthic foraminiferal content. Using Q-Mode Principal Component Analysis six live and six dead associations are differentiated. Live and dead association distributions correspond fairly well; differences are mainly caused by downslope transport and selective test destruction. In addition, four potential fossil associations are calculated from the dead data set after removal of non-fossilizable species. These potential fossil associations are expected to be useful for paleoceanographic reconstructions. Environments are described in detail for the live and potential fossil associations and for selected species. Along the upper Argentine continental slope strong bottom currents control the occurrence of live, dead and potential fossil Angulogerina angulosa associations. Here, particles of a high organic carbon flux rate remain suspended. Below this high energy environment live, dead and potential fossil Uvigerina peregrina dominated associations correlate with enhanced sediment organic carbon content and still high organic carbon flux rates. The live A. angulosa and U. peregrina associations correlate with high standing crops. Furthermore, live and dead Epistominella exigua-Nuttallides umbonifer associations were separated. Dominance of a Nuttallides umbonifer potential fossil association relates to coverage by Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) and Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW), above the Calcite Compensation Depth (CCD). Three associations of mainly agglutinated foraminifera occur in sediments bathed mainly by AABW or CDW. A Reophax difflugiformis association was found in mud-rich and diatomaceous sediments. Below the CCD, a Psammosphaera fusca association occurs in coarse sediments poor in organic carbon while a Cribrostomoides subglobosus-Ammobaculites agglutinans association covers a more variable environmental range with mud contents exceeding 30%. One single Eggerella bradyi-Martinottiella communis association poor in both species and individuals remains from the agglutinated associations below the CCD if only preservable species are considered for calculation.

Bulk and molecular proxies of sediment core GeoB6518-1

A 20 kyr long sediment sequence from the Congo deep sea fan (core GeoB 6518-1), one of the world's largest deep sea river fans, has been analysed for bulk and molecular proxies in order to reconstruct the marine, soil and plant organic carbon (OC) contributions to these sediments since the last glacial maximum. The bulk proxies applied, C/N ratio and d13Corg, ranged from 10 to 12.5 and from -24.5 to -21 per mill VPDB, respectively. As molecular proxies, concentrations of marine derived alkenones and terrestrial derived odd-numbered n-alkanes were used, which varied between 0.2 and 4 µg/g dry weight sediment. In addition, the branched vs. isoprenoid tetraether (BIT) index, a proxy for soil organic matter input, was used, which varied from 0.3 to 0.5 in this core. Application of binary mixing models, based on the different individual proxies, showed estimates for terrestrial OC input varying by up to 50% due to the heterogeneous nature of the OC. Application of a three end-member mixing model using the d13Corg content, the C/N ratio and the BIT index, enabled the distinction of soil and plant organic matter as separate contributors to the sedimentary OC pool. The results show that marine OC accounts for 20% to 40% of the total OC present in the deep sea fan sediments over the last 20 kyr and that soil OC accounts for about half (45% on average) of the OC present. This suggests that soil OC represents the majority of the terrestrial OC delivered to the fan sediments. Accumulation rates of the plant and soil OC fractions over the last 20 kyr varied by a factor of up to 5, and are strongly related to sediment accumulation rates. They showed an increase starting at ca. 17 kyr BP, a decline during the Younger Dryas, peak values during the early Holocene and lower values in the late Holocene. This pattern matches with reconstructions of past central African humidity and Congo River discharge from the same core and revealed that central African precipitation patterns exert a dominant control on terrestrial OC deposition in the Congo deep sea fan. Marine OC accumulation rates are only weakly related to sediment accumulation rates and vary only little over time compared to the terrigenous fractions. These variations are likely a result of enhanced preservation during times of higher sedimentation rates and of relative small fluctuations in primary production due to wind-driven upwelling.

Sea surface temperatures reconstructed from alkenones of surface sediment samples of the Argentine Basin at stations GeoB1501-1 to GeoB2830-1

We analysed the alkenone unsaturation ratio (UK'37) in 87 surface sediment samples from the western South Atlantic (5°N-50°S) in order to evaluate its applicability as a paleotemperature tool for this part of the ocean. The measured UK'37 ratios were converted into temperature using the global core-top calibration of Müller et al. (1998, doi:10.1016/S0016-7037(98)00097-0) and compared with annual mean atlas sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) of overlying surface waters. The results reveal a close correspondence (<1.5°C) between atlas and alkenone temperatures for the Western Tropical Atlantic and the Brazil Current region north of 32°S, but deviating low alkenone temperatures by -2° to -6°C are found in the regions of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (35-39°S) and the Malvinas Current (41-48°S). From the oceanographic evidence these low UK'37 values cannot be explained by preferential alkenone production below the mixed layer or during the cold season. Higher nutrient availability and algal growth rates are also unlikely causes. Instead, our results imply that lateral displacement of suspended particles and sediments, caused by strong surface and bottom currents, benthic storms, and downslope processes is responsible for the deviating UK'37 temperatures. In this way, particles and sediments carrying a cold water UK'37 signal of coastal or southern origin are transported northward and offshore into areas with warmer surface waters. In the northern Argentine Basin the depth between displaced and unaffected sediments appears to coincide with the boundary between the northward flowing Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW) and the southward flowing North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) at about 4000 m.

Polymer Fluid Dynamics: Continuum and Molecular Appoaches

To solve problems in polymer fluid dynamics, one needs the equation of continuity, motion, and energy. The last two equations contain the stress tensor and the heat-flux vector for the material. There are two ways to formulate the stress tensor: (1) one can write a continuum expression for the stress tensor in terms of kinematic tensors, or (2) one can select a molecular model that represents the polymer molecule, and then develop an expression for the stress tensor from kinetic theory. The advantage of the kinetic theory approach is that one gets information about the relation between the molecular structure of the polymers and the rheological properties. In this review, we restrict the discussion primarily to the simplest stress tensor expressions or “constitutive equations” containing from two to four adjustable parameters, although we do indicate how these formulations may be extended to give more complicated expressions. We also explore how these simplest expressions are recovered as special cases of a more general framework, the Oldroyd 8-constant model. The virtue of studying the simplest models is that we can discover some general notions as to which types of empiricisms or which types of molecular models seem to be worth investigating further. We also explore equivalences between continuum and molecular approaches. We restrict the discussion to several types of simple flows, such as shearing flows and extensional flows. These are the flows that are of greatest importance in industrial operations. Furthermore, if these simple flows cannot be well described by continuum or molecular models, then it is not necessary to lavish time and energy to apply them to more complex flow problems.

The Worsening of the employment and work conditions and its relationship to the self-perceived health in European working population. Relevance and effects of the latest socioeconomic crisis

The recent crisis of the capitalistic economic system has altered the working conditions and occupations in the European Union. The recession situation has accelerated trends and has brought transformations that have been observed before. Changes have not looked the same way in all the countries of the Union. The social occupation norms, labour relations models and the type of global welfare provision can help underline some of these inequalities. Poor working conditions can expose workers to situations of great risk. This is one of the basic assumptions of the theoretical models and analytical studies of the approach to the psychosocial work environment. Changes in working conditions of the population seems to be important to explain in the worst health states. To observe these features in the current period of economic recession it has made a comparative study of trend through the possibilities of the European Working Conditions Survey in the 2005 and 2010 editions. It has also set different multivariate logistic regression models to explore potential partnerships with the worst conditions of employment and work. It seems that the economic crisis has intensified changes in working conditions and highlighted the effects of those conditions on the poor health of the working population. This conclusion can’t be extended for all EU countries; some differences were observed in terms of global welfare models.

Effect of reading sport chronicles on the perception of justice and the predisposition to protest actions in soccer

In this study three chronicles from national newspapers (one generalist and two sport press) were analyzed. The chronicles belong to Spain’s soccer final of the King’s Cup in 2014. The aim of the study was to know if there was any influence on the readers’ perception of justice and consequently if this influence could cause a particular predisposition to participate in acts of protest. 462 university students participated. The results showed that different chronicles caused differences in the perception of justice depending on the chronicle read. However, a clear influence on the willingness to participate in acts of protest was not obtained. These results should make us think about the impact of sport press and its influence, and to be aware of the indirect responsibility of every sector on the antisocial behaviors generated by soccer in our country.

Integrated Monitoring of Mola mola Behaviour in Space and Time

Over the last decade, ocean sunfish movements have been monitored worldwide using various satellite tracking methods. This study reports the near-real time monitoring of fine-scale (< 10 m) behaviour of sunfish. The study was conducted in southern Portugal in May 2014 and involved satellite tags and underwater and surface robotic vehicles to measure both the movements and the contextual environment of the fish. A total of four individuals were tracked using custom-made GPS satellite tags providing geolocation estimates of fine-scale resolution. These accurate positions further informed sunfish areas of restricted search (ARS), which were directly correlated to steep thermal frontal zones. Simultaneously, and for two different occasions, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) video-recorded the path of the tracked fish and detected buoyant particles in the water column. Importantly, the densities of these particles were also directly correlated to steep thermal gradients. Thus, both sunfish foraging behaviour (ARS) and possibly prey densities, were found to be influenced by analogous environmental conditions. In addition, the dynamic structure of the water transited by the tracked individuals was described by a Lagrangian modelling approach. The model informed the distribution of zooplankton in the region, both horizontally and in the water column, and the resultant simulated densities positively correlated with sunfish ARS behaviour estimator (rs = 0.184, p<0.001). The model also revealed that tracked fish opportunistically displace with respect to subsurface current flow. Thus, we show how physical forcing and current structure provide a rationale for a predator’s fine-scale behaviour observed over a two weeks in May 2014.

Integrated Monitoring of Mola mola Behaviour in Space and Time

Over the last decade, ocean sunfish movements have been monitored worldwide using various satellite tracking methods. This study reports the near-real time monitoring of fine-scale (< 10 m) behaviour of sunfish. The study was conducted in southern Portugal in May 2014 and involved satellite tags and underwater and surface robotic vehicles to measure both the movements and the contextual environment of the fish. A total of four individuals were tracked using custom-made GPS satellite tags providing geolocation estimates of fine-scale resolution. These accurate positions further informed sunfish areas of restricted search (ARS), which were directly correlated to steep thermal frontal zones. Simultaneously, and for two different occasions, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) video-recorded the path of the tracked fish and detected buoyant particles in the water column. Importantly, the densities of these particles were also directly correlated to steep thermal gradients. Thus, both sunfish foraging behaviour (ARS) and possibly prey densities, were found to be influenced by analogous environmental conditions. In addition, the dynamic structure of the water transited by the tracked individuals was described by a Lagrangian modelling approach. The model informed the distribution of zooplankton in the region, both horizontally and in the water column, and the resultant simulated densities positively correlated with sunfish ARS behaviour estimator (rs = 0.184, p<0.001). The model also revealed that tracked fish opportunistically displace with respect to subsurface current flow. Thus, we show how physical forcing and current structure provide a rationale for a predator’s fine-scale behaviour observed over a two weeks in May 2014.

Administración pública local y construcción de la central hidroeléctrica en la Amazonia

Exponemos los resultados de una observación exploratoria en la que se analizan los impactos funcionales en el sistema administrativo como consecuencia de la construcción de la Central Hidroeléctrica de Belo Monte (CHB) en el municipio de Altamira (Amazonia oriental brasileña). En la perspectiva teórico-conceptual de la teoría de sistemas sociales de Niklas Luhmann, realizamos una observación del sistema administrativo local sobre sus operaciones y funciones, en base a cuatro códigos preestablecidos: toma de decisiones, contingencia, significación simbólica del proyecto y planificación. Las conclusiones permiten entrever en un aplano conceptual la utilidad de los conceptos sistémicos de Luhmann, y en el empírico, una planificación y administración pública municipal reactivas.

The Buksh Museum of Hobby-Craft

This article describes the last of three architecture projects carried out over two years’ PhD research in the Indian city of Agra, completed in 2014. The projects aimed to expose ways that residents in the city’s historical Tajganj neighbourhoods had, over four centuries, constructed an urban topography that was meaningful to them. The final project the Buksh Museum of Hobby-Craft explored ways in which re-establishing a civic role for one building could enable those involved to reimagine the potential of this neglected urban district. This was done through assembling temporary additions to a ruined building.

The project was carried out with a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) and ran parallel to an urban regeneration scheme for Tajganj with which this NGO was involved. Several groups with different urban specialisms were involved in this scheme and were committed to fielding their own set of objectives within it: often these goals conflicted. The research project, isolated from these objectives, allowed participants to engage with the conflicting value sets in play, and explore ways of mediating between them without compromising any groups’ role in the regeneration scheme itself.