Phe265 of the D1 protein is required to stabilize plastoquinone binding in the Q-binding site of photosystem II in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

In Photosystem II electrons from water splitting pass through a primary quinone electron acceptor (Q) to the secondary plastoquinone (Q). The D2 protein forms the Q-binding site and the D1 protein forms the Q-binding site. A non-heme iron sits between Q and Q resulting in a quinone-Fe-acceptor complex that must be activated before assembly of the oxygen-evolving complex can occur.

Phylogenomics and morphology of Celmisiinae (Asteraceae: Astereae): Taxonomic and evolutionary implications.

The tribe Astereae (Asteraceae) includes 36 subtribes and 252 genera, and is distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. One of the subtribes, Celmisiinae Saldivia, has been recently circumscribed to include six genera and ca. 160 species, and is restricted to eastern Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea.

Mutagenesis of Ile184 in the cd-loop of the photosystem II D1 protein modifies acceptor-side function via spontaneous mutation of D1-His252 in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

The Photosystem II water-plastoquinone oxidoreductase is a multi-subunit complex which catalyses the light-driven oxidation of water to molecular oxygen in oxygenic photosynthesis. The D1 reaction centre protein exists in multiple forms in cyanobacteria, including D1 which is expressed under far-red light. We investigated the role of Phe184 that is found in the lumenal cd-loop of D1 but is typically an isoleucine in other D1 isoforms.

Study of heart function in PRE-Eclampsia during and after PreGnancy (SHePREG): The pilot cohort.

Background: Pre-eclampsia with severe features (severe PreE) is associated with heart dysfunction, yet the impact beyond pregnancy, including its association with cardiomyopathic genetic polymorphisms, remains poorly understood.

Objective: We aimed to characterize the temporal impact of severe PreE on heart function through the 4th trimester in women with and without deleterious cardiomyopathic genetic variants.

Methods: Pregnant women were enrolled to undergo transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in late pregnancy and 3 months postpartum.

Expression of the far-red D1 protein or introduction of conserved far-red D1 residues into Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 impairs Photosystem II.

The wavelengths of light harvested in oxygenic photosynthesis are ~400-700 nm. Some cyanobacteria respond to far-red light exposure via a process called far-red light photoacclimation which enables absorption of light at wavelengths >700 nm and its use to support photosynthesis. Far-red-light-induced changes include up-regulation of alternative copies of multiple proteins of Photosystem II (PS II).

Noninvasive Bioelectronic Treatment of Postcesarean Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Improved strategies are needed to decrease opioid use after cesarean delivery but still adequately control postoperative pain. Although transcutaneous electrical stimulation devices have proven effective for pain control after other surgical procedures, they have not been tested as part of a multimodal analgesic protocol after cesarean delivery, the most common surgical procedure in the United States.

Objective: To determine whether treatment with a noninvasive high-frequency electrical stimulation device decreases opioid use and pain after cesarean delivery.

Multicomponent provider-patient intervention to improve glycaemic control in Medicaid-insured pregnant individuals with type 2 diabetes: clinical trial protocol for the ACHIEVE study.

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the most frequent comorbid medical conditions in pregnancy. Glycaemic control decreases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes for the pregnant individual and infant. Achieving glycaemic control can be challenging for Medicaid-insured pregnant individuals who experience a high burden of unmet social needs.

Transcriptomics-Based Subphenotyping of the Human Placenta Enabled by Weighted Correlation Network Analysis in Early-Onset Preeclampsia With and Without Fetal Growth Restriction.

Background: Placental disorders contribute to pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction (FGR), but debate regarding their specific pathobiology persists. Our objective was to apply transcriptomics with weighted gene correlation network analysis to further clarify the placental dysfunction in these conditions.

Methods: We performed RNA sequencing with weighted gene correlation network analysis using human placental samples (n=30), separated into villous tissue and decidua basalis, and clinically grouped as follows: (1) early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE)+FGR (n=7); (2) normotensive, nonanomalous preterm FGR (n=5); (2) EOPE without FGR (n=8); (4) spontaneous idiopathic preterm birth (n=5) matched for gestational age; and (5) uncomplicated term births (n=5).

Zeta diversity differentiates factors driving community assembly of rare and common ectomycorrhizal fungi.

A fundamental goal in community ecology is to understand what factors drive community assembly processes. The factors affecting ectomycorrhizal fungal communities are unknown in many regions, particularly in the southern hemisphere. We investigate community assembly using ITS2 metabarcoding of ectomycorrhizal fungi sampled from 3943 hyphal ingrowth bags buried in 81 Nothofagus forests across New Zealand's South Island.

Resilience in the Ranks: Trait Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Buffer the Deleterious Effects of Envy on Mental Health Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel.

Public safety personnel (PSP) face frequent stressors that increase their risk of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety. In addition to being exposed to potentially traumatic events, PSP trainees may face a compounded risk of developing mental health symptoms, as their training environments are conducive to social comparisons and the resultant painful emotion of envy. Envy is associated with numerous negative health and occupational outcomes.

Characteristics and perceptions associated with COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among pregnant and postpartum individuals: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To assess the frequency and associated characteristics of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and postpartum individuals.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Prenatal care at a single academic tertiary care centre.

The PsbJ protein is required for photosystem II activity in centers lacking the PsbO and PsbV lumenal subunits.

Photosystem II (PS II) of oxygenic photosynthesis is found in the thylakoid membranes of plastids and cyanobacteria. The mature PS II complex comprises a central core of four membrane proteins that bind the majority of the redox-active cofactors. In cyanobacteria the central core is surrounded by 13 low-molecular-weight (LMW) subunits which each consist of one or two transmembrane helices.

Molecular signatures of labor and nonlabor myometrium with parsimonious classification from 2 calcium transporter genes.

Clinical phenotyping of term and preterm labor is imprecise, and disagreement persists on categorization relative to underlying pathobiology, which remains poorly understood. We performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of 31 specimens of human uterine myometrium from 10 term and 21 preterm cesarean deliveries with rich clinical context information. A molecular signature of 4814 transcripts stratified myometrial samples into quiescent (Q) and nonquiescent (NQ) phenotypes, independent of gestational age and incision site.

Feedback mechanisms stabilise degraded turf algal systems at a CO seep site.

Human activities are rapidly changing the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems. Large-scale replacement of kelp forests and coral reefs with turf algal mats is resulting in homogenous habitats that have less ecological and human value. Ocean acidification has strong potential to substantially favour turf algae growth, which led us to examine the mechanisms that stabilise turf algal states.

Effect of Fasting on Total Bile Acid Levels in Pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate differences between fasting and nonfasting bile acid levels in asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women.

Methods: This is a report of two prospective cohort studies describing bile acid levels in the fasting and nonfasting state in pregnancy. The first cohort included asymptomatic women with singleton pregnancies.

Progesterone Receptor Signaling Selectively Modulates Cytokine-Induced Global Gene Expression in Human Cervical Stromal Cells.

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants <1 year of age. Intrauterine inflammation is a hallmark of preterm and term parturition; however, this alone cannot fully explain the pathobiology of PTB. For example, the cervix undergoes a prolonged series of biochemical and biomechanical events, including extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and mechanochemical changes, culminating in ripening.

Homogeneous environmental selection dominates microbial community assembly in the oligotrophic South Pacific Gyre.

Oligotrophic subtropical gyres are the largest continuous biomes on Earth and play a key role in global biogeochemical cycles. Microbial communities govern primary production and carbon cycling in the oligotrophic South Pacific Gyre, yet the ecological processes which underpin microbial biogeography in the region remain understudied. We investigated microbial biogeography and community assembly processes at three depths over a ~2,000-km the transect was longitudinal, so ran from 32°S, 170°W to 32°S, 152°W).

Effects of multiple drivers of ocean global change on the physiology and functional gene expression of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi.

Ongoing ocean global change due to anthropogenic activities is causing multiple chemical and physical seawater properties to change simultaneously, which may affect the physiology of marine phytoplankton. The coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi is a model species often employed in the study of the marine carbon cycle. The effect of ocean acidification (OA) on coccolithophore calcification has been extensively studied; however, physiological responses to multiple environmental drivers are still largely unknown.

The diversity and distribution of D1 proteins in cyanobacteria.

The psbA gene family in cyanobacteria encodes different forms of the D1 protein that is part of the Photosystem II reaction centre. We have identified a phylogenetically distinct D1 group that is intermediate between previously identified G3-D1 and G4-D1 proteins (Cardona et al. Mol Biol Evol 32:1310-1328, 2015).

Stabilization of Photosystem II by the PsbT protein impacts photodamage, repair and biogenesis.

Photosystem II (PS II) catalyzes the light-driven process of water splitting in oxygenic photosynthesis. Four core membrane-spanning proteins, including D1 that binds the majority of the redox-active co-factors, are surrounded by 13 low-molecular-weight (LMW) proteins. We previously observed that deletion of the LMW PsbT protein in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp.

Purple haze: Cryptic purple sequestrate in New Zealand.

is a species-rich ectomycorrhizal genus containing taxa that exhibit agaricoid or sequestrate basidiome morphologies. In New Zealand, one of the most recognizable and common species is the purple sequestrate fungus, . We used genome skimming of the almost 100-y-old type specimen from to obtain the nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.

Subtle bacterioplankton community responses to elevated CO and warming in the oligotrophic South Pacific gyre.

Bacterioplankton play a critical role in primary production, carbon cycling, and nutrient cycling in the oligotrophic ocean. To investigate the effect of elevated CO and warming on the composition and function of bacterioplankton communities in oligotrophic waters, we performed two trace-metal clean deck board incubation experiments during the New Zealand GEOTRACES transect of the South Pacific gyre (SPG). High-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that bacterioplankton community composition was distinct between the fringe and ultra-oligotrophic centre of the SPG and changed consistently in response to elevated CO at the ultra-oligotrophic centre but not at the mesotrophic fringe of the SPG.

Fungal diversity in canopy soil of silver beech, Nothofagus menziesii (Nothofagaceae).

Adventitious roots in canopy soils associated with silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii Hook.f. (Nothofagaceae)) form ectomycorrhizal associations.