Unraveling spatial heterogeneity of soil legacy phosphorus in subtropical grasslands.

Humans have profoundly altered phosphorus (P) cycling across scales. Agriculturally driven changes (e.g.

Generation of Functional-RNA Arrays by In Vitro Transcription and In Situ RNA Capture for the Detection of RNA-RNA Interactions.

RNA performs a wide variety of vital cellular functions. These functions typically require interactions with other biological macromolecules, often as part of an intricate communication network. High-throughput techniques capable of analyzing RNA-based interactions are therefore essential.

Reprogramming Gene Expression by Targeting RNA-Based Interactions: A Novel Pipeline Utilizing RNA Array Technology.

Regulatory RNA-based interactions are critical for coordinating gene expression and are increasingly being targeted in synthetic biology, antimicrobial, and therapeutic fields. Bacterial -encoded small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate the translation and/or stability of mRNA targets through base-pairing interactions. These interactions are often integral to complex gene circuits which coordinate critical bacterial processes.

Generation of small molecule-binding RNA arrays and their application to fluorogen-binding RNA aptamers.

The discovery and engineering of more and more functions of RNA has highlighted the utility of RNA-targeting small molecules. Recently, several fluorogen-binding RNA aptamers have been developed that have been applied to live cell imaging of RNA and metabolites as RNA tags or biosensors, respectively. Although the design and application of these fluorogen-binding RNA aptamer-based devices is straightforward in theory, in practice, careful optimisation is required.

High-density functional-RNA arrays as a versatile platform for studying RNA-based interactions.

We are just beginning to unravel the myriad of interactions in which non-coding RNAs participate. The intricate RNA interactome is the foundation of many biological processes, including bacterial virulence and human disease, and represents unexploited resources for the development of potential therapeutic interventions. However, identifying specific associations of a given RNA from the multitude of possible binding partners within the cell requires robust high-throughput systems for their rapid screening.

Is differential diagnosis attainable in disarticulated pathological bone remains? A case-study from a late 19th/early 20th century necropolis from Juncal (Porto de Mós, Portugal).

Differential diagnosis is a fundamental step in every palaeopathological study. It is a challenging exercise since many intrinsic and extrinsic factors may negatively impact the accurate interpretation of bone changes in human skeletal remains. Among these, the completeness and preservation of skeletal elements plays a significant role.

Testing times: identifying puberty in an identified skeletal sample.

Background: Identifying the onset of puberty in skeletal remains can provide evidence of social changes associated with the onset of adulthood.

Aim: This paper presents the first test of a skeletal method for identifying stages of development associated with the onset of puberty in a skeletal sample of known age and cause of death.

Materials And Methods: Skeletal methods for assessing skeletal development associated with changes associated with puberty were recorded in the identified skeletal collection in Coimbra, Portugal.

In search of consensus: Terminology for entheseal changes (EC).

This article presents a consensus terminology for entheseal changes that was developed in English by an international team of scholars and then translated into French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and German. Use of a standard, neutral terminology to describe entheseal morphology will reduce misunderstandings between researchers, improve the reliability of comparisons between studies, and eliminate unwarranted etiological assumptions inherent in some of the descriptive terms presently used in the literature.

Exploring poverty: skeletal biology and documentary evidence in 19th-20th century Portugal.

Background: The inference of the state of wealth or poverty from human skeletal remains is a difficult task, as the limited number of skeletal changes are mediated by numerous other physiological, biomechanical and pathological events. In recent years, identified skeletal collections have become valuable resources in enabling aetiologies of these changes to be understood while controlling for some known causative factors, e.g.

An improved method for surface immobilisation of RNA: application to small non-coding RNA-mRNA pairing.

Characterisation of RNA and its intermolecular interactions is increasing in importance as the inventory of known RNA functions continues to expand. RNA-RNA interactions are central to post-transcriptional gene regulation mechanisms in bacteria, and the interactions of bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) with their mRNA targets are the subject of much current research. The technology of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an attractive approach to studying these interactions since it is highly sensitive, and allows interaction measurements to be recorded in real-time.

Hfq binding changes the structure of small noncoding RNAs OxyS and RprA, which are involved in the riboregulation of .

OxyS and RprA are two small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) that modulate the expression of rpoS, encoding an alternative sigma factor that activates transcription of multiple Escherichia coli stress-response genes. While RprA activates rpoS for translation, OxyS down-regulates the transcript. Crucially, the RNA binding protein Hfq is required for both sRNAs to function, although the specific role played by Hfq remains unclear.

Characterization of MicA interactions suggests a potential novel means of gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs.

MicA is a small non-coding RNA that regulates ompA mRNA translation in Escherichia coli. MicA has an inhibitory function, base pairing to the translation initiation region of target mRNAs through short sequences of complementarity, blocking their ribosome-binding sites. The MicA structure contains two stem loops, which impede its interaction with target mRNAs, and it is thought that the RNA chaperone protein Hfq, known to be involved in MicA regulation of ompA, may structurally remodel MicA to reveal the ompA-binding site for cognate pairing.

The low-resolution solution structure of Hfq in complex with Qrr1 sRNA.

In , the RNA binding protein and chaperone Hfq (VcHfq) facilitates the pairing of the quorum regulatory RNA (Qrr) small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) to the 5' untranslated regions of the mRNAs for a number of global regulators that modulate the expression of virulence genes. This Qrr-mediated sRNA circuit is an attractive antimicrobial target, but characterization at the molecular level is required for this to be realized. Here, we investigate the interactions between VcHfq and the Qrr sRNAs using a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques.

Characterization of Vibrio cholerae Hfq provides novel insights into the role of the Hfq C-terminal region.

Hfq is a bacterial RNA binding protein that facilitates small RNA-mediated posttranscriptional gene regulation. In Vibrio cholerae, Hfq and four Hfq-dependent small RNAs are essential for the expression of virulence genes, but little is known about this mechanism at the molecular level. To better understand V.

The acceptability of self-administration of subcutaneous Depo-Provera.

Depo-Provera (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, or DMPA) is an important contraceptive option for women worldwide. Currently, it is only available in intramuscular form requiring regular quarterly routine attendance at a health facility. A new subcutaneous preparation has been developed.