Juvenile–adult tree associations in a continental Mediterranean ecosystem: no evidence for sustained and general facilitation at increased aridity

Question: How do tree species identity, microhabitat and water availability affect inter- and intra-specific interactions between juvenile and adult woody plants? Location: Continental Mediterranean forests in Alto Tajo Natural Park, Guadalajara, Spain. Methods: A total of 2066 juveniles and adults of four co-occurring tree species were mapped in 17 plots. The frequency of juveniles at different microhabitats and water availability levels was analysed using log-linear models. We used nearest-neighbour contingency table analysis of spatial segregation and J-functions to describe the spatial patterns. Results: We found a complex spatial pattern that varied according to species identity and microhabitat. Recruitment was more frequent in gaps for Quercus ilex, while the other three species recruited preferentially under shrubs or trees depending on the water availability level. Juveniles were not spatially associated to conspecific adults, experiencing segregation from them inmany cases. Spatial associations, both positive and negative, were more common at higher water availability levels. Conclusions: Our results do not agree with expectations from the stressgradient hypothesis, suggesting that positive interactions do not increase in importance with increasing aridity in the study ecosystem. Regeneration patterns are species-specific and depend on microhabitat characteristics and dispersal strategies. In general, juveniles do not look for conspecific adult protection. This work contributes to the understanding of species co-existence, proving the importance of considering a multispecies approach at several plots to overcome limitations of simple pair-wise comparisons in a limited number of sites.

Associations among Physician Advice, Physical Activity, and Sociodemographic Groups in Older Spanish Adults

This study examined the relationship between medical advice to engage in physical activity with type of demand required by physical activity and demographic variables. A cross-sectional study was developed, featuring a questionnaire on physicians? advice, and type of demand. The questionnaire was completed by a probability and nationwide sample of older adults in Spain ( n = 933, M = 74.1, range 65?93), randomly selected using multistage sampling. More physically active older adults have, more often than the less active, received physicians? advice to engage in physical activity. There is a signifi cant relationship between medical advice and type of demand ( p menor que .01) and age ( p menor que .05). However, no relationship was found between physician medical advice and gender, social class, or income. Physicians can effectively promote physical activity among sedentary older adults through appropriate advice. Consequently, health authorities should promote physicians' advising older patients to pursue physical activity.

Micro-scale habitat associations of woody plants in a neotropical cloud forest

Species?habitat associations may contribute to the maintenance of species richness in tropical forests, but previous research has been conducted almost exclusively in lowland forests and has emphasized the importance of topography and edaphic conditions. Is the distribution of woody plant species in a Peruvian cloud forest determined by microhabitat conditions? What is the role of environmental characteristics and forest structure in habitat partitioning in a tropical cloud forest? We examined species?habitat associations in three 1-ha plots using the torus-translation method. We used three different criteria to define habitats for habitat partitioning analyses, based on microtopography, forest structure and both sets of factors. The number of species associated either positively or negatively with each habitat was assessed. Habitats defined on the basis of environmental conditions and forest structure discriminated a greater number of positive and negative associations at the scale of our analyses in a tropical cloud forest. Both topographic conditions and forest structure contribute to small-scale microhabitat partitioning of woody plant species in a Peruvian tropical cloud forest. Nevertheless, canopy species were most correlated with the distribution of environmental variables, while understorey species displayed associations with forest structure.

Sensory and texture properties of mashed potato incorporated wigh inulin and olive oil blends

The effect of adding different ratios of inulin and extra virgin olive oil blends, formulated without (MPA) and with cryoprotectants (MPB), on texture properties of fresh mashed potatoes and frozen/thawed mashed potatoes was studied. Inulin and extra virgin olive oil behaved like soft ?llers, but inulin was associated with increased?brousness and extra virgin olive oil with increased creaminess. In the total dataset and frozen mashed potatoes, frozen/thawed mashed potatoes, and MPA subgroups, component 1 was a contrast between mechanical and surface textural attributes, whereas in MPB samples component 1 was determined by geometrical attributes. Addition of inulin at 30 g/kg and extra virgin olive oil at 45 g/kg is recommended.

Associations between macronutrient intake and serum lipid profile depend on body fat in European adolescents: the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study

The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between macronutrient intake and serum lipid profile in adolescents from eight European cities participating in the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) cross-sectional study (2006–7), and to assess the role of body fat-related variables in these associations. Weight, height, waist circumference, skinfold thicknesses, total choles- terol, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol, TAG, apoB and apoA1 were measured in 454 adolescents (44 % boys) aged 12·5–17·5 years. Macronutrient intake (g/4180 kJ per d (1000 kcal per d)) was assessed using two non-consecutive 24 h dietary recalls. Associations were evaluated by multi-level analysis and adjusted for sex, age, maternal education, centre, sum of four skinfolds, moderate-to-vigorous.

Macroevolution of insect–plant associations: The relevance of host biogeography to host affiliation

Identifying the factors that have promoted host shifts by phytophagous insects at a macroevolutionary scale is critical to understanding the associations between plants and insects. We used molecular phylogenies of the beetle genus Blepharida and its host genus Bursera to test whether these insects have been using hosts with widely overlapping ranges over evolutionary time. We also quantified the importance of host range coincidence relative to host chemistry and host phylogenetic relatedness. Overall, the evolution of host use of these insects has not been among hosts that are geographically similar. Host chemistry is the factor that best explains their macroevolutionary patterns of host use. Interestingly, one exceptional polyphagous species has shifted among geographically close chemically dissimilar plants.

Quantifying pursuit-diving seabirds’ associations with fine-scale physical features in tidal streamenvironments

Acknowledgements James J. Waggitt was funded by a NERC Case studentship supported by OpenHydro Ltd and Marine Scotland Science (NE/J500148/1). Vessel-based transects were funded by a NERC (NE/J004340/1) and a Scottish National Heritage (SNH) grant. FVCOM modelling was funded by a NERC grant (NE/J004316/1). Marine Scotland Science provided time on the FRV Alba-na-Mara as part as the Marine Collaboration Research Forum (MarCRF). The bathymetry data used in hydrodynamic models (HI 1122 Sanday Sound to Westray Firth) was collected by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) as part of the UK Civil Hydrography Programme. We wish to thank Christina Bristow, Matthew Finn and Jennifer Norris at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC); Marianna Chimienti, Ciaran Cronin, Tim Sykes and Stuart Thomas for performing vessel-based transects; Marine Scotland Science staff Eric Armstrong, Ian Davies, Mike Robertson, Robert Watret and Michael Stewart for their assistance; Shaun Fraser, Pauline Goulet, Alex Robbins, Helen Wade and Jared Wilson for invaluable discussions; Thomas Cornulier, Alex Douglas, James Grecian and Samantha Patrick for their help with statistical analysis; and Gavin Siriwardena, Leigh Torres, Mark Whittingham and Russell Wynn for their constructive comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.

Exome-wide analysis of rare coding variation identifies novel associations with COPD and airflow limitation in MOCS3, IFIT3 and SERPINA12

Funding: British Women’s Heart and Health Study is funded by the Department of Health grant no. 90049 and the British Heart Foundation grant no. PG/09/022. British Regional Heart Study is supported by the British Heart Foundation (grant RG/ 13/16/30528). CB (COPDBEAT) received funding from the Medical Research Council UK (grant no. G0601369), CB (COPDBEAT) and AJW (UKCOPD) were supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Unit). MB (COPDBEAT) received funding from the NIHR (grant no. PDF-2013-06-052). Hertfordshire Cohort Study received support from the Medical Research Council, Arthritis Research UK, the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the British Heart Foundation; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Nutrition, University of Southampton; NIHR Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, University of Oxford. Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study is funded by the Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health Directorates, grant number CZD/16/6 and the Scottish Funding Council grant HR03006. EU COPD Gene Scan is funded by the European Union, grant no. QLG1-CT-2001-01012. English Longitudinal Study of Aging is funded by the Institute of Aging, NIH grant No. AG1764406S1. GoDARTs is funded by the Wellcome Trust grants 072960, 084726 and 104970. MDT has been supported by MRC fellowship G0902313. UK Biobank Lung Exome Variant Evaluation study was funded by a Medical Research Council strategic award to MDT, IPH, DPS and LVW (MC_PC_12010)

The location of the carboxy-terminal region of γ chains in fibrinogen and fibrin D domains

Elongated fibrinogen molecules are comprised of two outer “D” domains, each connected through a “coiled-coil” region to the central “E” domain. Fibrin forms following thrombin cleavage in the E domain and then undergoes intermolecular end-to-middle D:E domain associations that result in double-stranded fibrils. Factor XIIIa mediates crosslinking of the C-terminal regions of γ chains in each D domain (the γXL site) by incorporating intermolecular ɛ-(γ-glutamyl)lysine bonds between amine donor γ406 lysine of one γ chain and a glutamine acceptor at γ398 or γ399 of another. Several lines of evidence show that crosslinked γ chains extend “transversely” between the strands of each fibril, but other data suggest instead that crosslinked γ chains can only traverse end-to-end-aligned D domains within each strand. To examine this issue and determine the location of the γXL site in fibrinogen and assembled fibrin fibrils, we incorporated an amine donor, thioacetyl cadaverine, into glutamine acceptor sites in fibrinogen in the presence of XIIIa, and then labeled the thiol with a relatively small (0.8 nm diameter) electron dense gold cluster compound, undecagold monoaminopropyl maleimide (Au11). Fibrinogen was examined by scanning transmission electron microscopy to locate Au11-cadaverine-labeled γ398/399 D domain sites. Seventy-nine percent of D domain Au11 clusters were situated in middle to proximal positions relative to the end of the molecule, with the remaining Au11 clusters in a distal position. In fibrin fibrils, D domain Au11 clusters were located in middle to proximal positions. These findings show that most C-terminal γ chains in fibrinogen or fibrin are oriented toward the central domain and indicate that γXL sites in fibrils are situated predominantly between strands, suitably aligned for transverse crosslinking.

BodyMap incorporated PCR-based expression profiling data and a gene ranking system

BodyMap is a human and mouse gene expression database that is based on site-directed 3′-expressed sequence tags generated at Osaka University. To date, it contains more than 300 000 tag sequences from 64 human and 39 mouse tissues. For the recent release, the precise anatomical expression patterns for more than half of the human gene entries were generated by introduced amplified fragment length polymorphism (iAFLP), which is a PCR-based high-throughput expression profiling method. The iAFLP data incorporated into BodyMap describe the relative contents of more than 12 000 transcripts across 30 tissue RNAs. In addition, a newly developed gene ranking system helps users obtain lists of genes that have desired expression patterns according to their significance. BodyMap supports complete transfer of unique data sets and provides analysis that is accessible through the WWW at http://bodymap.ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

Acyl-homoserine lactone quorum sensing in Gram-negative bacteria: A signaling mechanism involved in associations with higher organisms

Recent advances in studies of bacterial gene expression have brought the realization that cell-to-cell communication and community behavior are critical for successful interactions with higher organisms. Species-specific cell-to-cell communication is involved in successful pathogenic or symbiotic interactions of a variety of bacteria with plant and animal hosts. One type of cell–cell signaling is acyl-homoserine lactone quorum sensing in Gram-negative bacteria. This type of quorum sensing represents a dedicated communication system that enables a given species to sense when it has reached a critical population density in a host, and to respond by activating expression of genes necessary for continued success in the host. Acyl-homoserine lactone signaling in the opportunistic animal and plant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a model for the relationships among quorum sensing, pathogenesis, and community behavior. In the P. aeruginosa model, quorum sensing is required for normal biofilm maturation and for virulence. There are multiple quorum-sensing circuits that control the expression of dozens of specific genes that represent potential virulence loci.

Foreign glycoproteins expressed from recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses are incorporated efficiently into virus particles.

In a previous study we demonstrated that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) can be used as a vector to express a soluble protein in mammalian cells. Here we have generated VSV recombinants that express four different membrane proteins: the cellular CD4 protein, a CD4-G hybrid protein containing the ectodomain of CD4 and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail of the VSV glycoprotein (G), the measles virus hemagglutinin, or the measles virus fusion protein. The proteins were expressed at levels ranging from 23-62% that of VSV G protein and all were transported to the cell surface. In addition we found that all four proteins were incorporated into the membrane envelope of VSV along with the VSV G protein. The levels of incorporation of these proteins varied from 6-31% of that observed for VSV G. These results suggest that many different membrane proteins may be co-incorporated quite efficiently with VSV G protein into budding VSV virus particles and that specific signals are not required for this co-incorporation process. In fact, the CD4-G protein was incorporated with the same efficiency as wild type CD4. Electron microscopy of virions containing CD4 revealed that the CD4 molecules were dispersed throughout the virion envelope among the trimeric viral spike glycoproteins. The recombinant VSV-CD4 virus particles were about 18% longer than wild type virions, reflecting the additional length of the helical nucleocapsid containing the extra gene. Recombinant VSVs carrying foreign antigens on the surface of the virus particle may be useful for viral targeting, membrane protein purification, and for generation of immune responses.

Post T Tauri stars in the solar neighborhood: isolated or members of young associations and moving groups

Post T Tauri stars (PTTS) are late-type stars in the age range between 10 and 100 Myr filling the gap between T Tauri (TTs) and zero-age: main sequence phases. This period of evolution remains ambiguous and until now different studies of young stars have failed to find the numbers of PTTS that are expected. In the last years, some PTTS have been identified among the X-ray detected pre-main sequence stars in some star-forming regions. More recently, additional PTTS have been identified in young associations and moving groups (β Pic, TW Hya, Tucana/Horologium, and the AB Dor). However, many isolated PTTS still remain undiscovered. In this contribution, we compiled the PTTS previously identified in the literature, and identified new candidates using the information provided by the high resolution spectra obtained during our surveys of late-type stars possible members to young moving groups, FGK stars in the solar neighborhood, and RasTyc sample. To identify PTTS we applied an age-oriented definition using relative age indicators (Li abundance, chromospheric and coronal emission and the kinematics) as well as color-magnitude diagrams and pre-main sequence isochrones.