A truncated variant of the ribosome-associated trigger factor specifically contributes to plant chloroplast ribosome biogenesis.

Molecular chaperones are essential throughout a protein's life and act already during protein synthesis. Bacteria and chloroplasts of plant cells share the ribosome-associated chaperone trigger factor (Tig1 in plastids), facilitating maturation of emerging nascent polypeptides. While typical trigger factor chaperones employ three domains for their task, the here described truncated form, Tig2, contains just the ribosome binding domain.

Production of α-Glycerylphosphorylcholine in Fermented Roots, Tubers, and Fruits.

Vegetables and fruits, high in starch and sugars, are promising substrates for bioethanol production, but can also yield valuable nootropic compounds, such as α-glycerylphosphorylcholine (α-GPC). This compound is a known cognitive enhancer that works by increasing the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for learning and memory. In this study, select root and tuber crops, as well as fruits, were subjected to fermentation to observe the co-production of ethanol and α-GPC.

The influence of realistic 3D mantle viscosity on Antarctica's contribution to future global sea levels.

The response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) to climate change is the largest uncertainty in projecting future sea level. The impact of three-dimensional (3D) Earth structure on the AIS and future global sea levels is assessed here by coupling a global glacial isostatic adjustment model incorporating 3D Earth structure to a dynamic ice-sheet model. We show that including 3D viscous effects produces rapid uplift in marine sectors and reduces projected ice loss for low greenhouse gas emission scenarios, lowering Antarctica's contribution to global sea level in the coming centuries by up to ~40%.

Perceived Access to Healthcare of Indigenous Peoples in Canada With Rheumatoid Arthritis and Their First-Degree Relatives.

Objective: There are complex and interrelated factors that lead to inequitable healthcare delivery in Canada. Many of the factors that underlie these inequities for Canada's geographically dispersed Indigenous peoples remain underexamined.

Methods: A cohort of 831 First Nations (FN) individuals from urban and remote communities were recruited into a longitudinal study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk from 2005 to 2017.

Evidence for an early green/red photocycle that precedes the diversification of GAF domain photoreceptor cyanobacteriochromes.

Phytochromes are linear tetrapyrrole-binding photoreceptors in eukaryotes and bacteria, primarily responding to red and far-red light signals reversibly. Among the GAF domain-based phytochrome superfamily, cyanobacteria-specific cyanobacteriochromes show various optical properties covering the entire visible region. It is unknown what physiological demands drove the evolution of cyanobacteriochromes in cyanobacteria.

Utility of Baseline Transcriptomic Analysis of Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovium as an Indicator for Long-Term Clinical Outcomes.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that can lead to synovial damage, persistent joint pain, and functional disability. Our objective was to evaluate baseline synovial transcriptome from early inflammatory arthritis patients (EIA) and identify pretreatment biomarkers that could potentially provide insights into long-term functional outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Synovial biopsies from clinically inflamed knee joints were procured from either 17 EIA patients before initiation of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy (DMARD-naïve EIA) using the minimally invasive closed needle biopsy technique or advanced RA patients undergoing arthroplasty.

Functional Disability to Evaluate the Risk of Arthritis in First-degree Relatives of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: The events that occur prior to the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) continue to be delineated. We examined the relationship between self-reported joint symptoms, functional disability, and anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) status in a cohort of first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with RA who are at risk of future disease development.

Methods: We studied a cohort of 279 FDR of First Nations (FN) patients with RA who are at increased risk for future RA development, and analyzed data collected at their enrollment study visit.

Canadian policy changes for alcohol-based hand rubs during the COVID-19 pandemic and unintended risks.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to major changes in public policies to address supply chain disruption and escalated the price of consumer disinfectant products. To address market demands on alcohol-based hand rubs and disinfectants, Health Canada implemented major changes to the regulations regarding composition, handling, transportation, and packaging to insure product availability. Furthermore, accelerated licensing of ingredients and packaging did not meet standard medical quality guidelines yet were authorized for manufacturing and packaging of alcohol-based hand rubs and disinfectants.

Toxicology of alcohol-based hand rubs formulated with technical-grade ethanol.

Alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs) formulated with technical-grade ethanol were temporarily permitted in Canada and the U.S beginning April 2020 to meet the current demand due to COVID-19. ABHRs formulated with technical-grade ethanol are low risk for general use.

Model-robust designs for nonlinear quantile regression.

We construct robust designs for nonlinear quantile regression, in the presence of both a possibly misspecified nonlinear quantile function and heteroscedasticity of an unknown form. The asymptotic mean-squared error of the quantile estimate is evaluated and maximized over a neighbourhood of the fitted quantile regression model. This maximum depends on the scale function and on the design.

Solid Earth change and the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Recent studies suggest that Antarctica has the potential to contribute up to ~15 m of sea-level rise over the next few centuries. The evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet is driven by a combination of climate forcing and non-climatic feedbacks. In this review we focus on feedbacks between the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the solid Earth, and the role of these feedbacks in shaping the response of the ice sheet to past and future climate changes.

Drought alters the trophic role of an opportunistic generalist in an aquatic ecosystem.

Abiotic change can alter species interactions by modifying species' trophic roles, but this has not been well studied. Until now, bromeliad-dwelling tipulid larvae were thought to positively affect other macroinvertebrates via a facilitative processing chain. However, under drought, we found the opposite.

Water input into the Mariana subduction zone estimated from ocean-bottom seismic data.

The water cycle at subduction zones remains poorly understood, although subduction is the only mechanism for water transport deep into Earth. Previous estimates of water flux exhibit large variations in the amount of water that is subducted deeper than 100 kilometres. The main source of uncertainty in these calculations is the initial water content of the subducting uppermost mantle.

Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability.

The marine portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) accounts for one-fourth of the cryospheric contribution to global sea-level rise and is vulnerable to catastrophic collapse. The bedrock response to ice mass loss, glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), was thought to occur on a time scale of 10,000 years. We used new GPS measurements, which show a rapid (41 millimeters per year) uplift of the ASE, to estimate the viscosity of the mantle underneath.

Is High Folic Acid Intake a Risk Factor for Autism?-A Review.

Folate is required for metabolic processes and neural development. Insuring its adequate levels for pregnant women through supplementation of grain-based foods with synthetic folic acid (FA) in order to prevent neural tube defects has been an ongoing public health initiative. However, because women are advised to take multivitamins containing FA before and throughout pregnancy, the supplementation together with natural dietary folates has led to a demographic with high and rising serum levels of unmetabolized FA.

OPTIMAL DESIGNS FOR SPLINE WAVELET REGRESSION MODELS.

In this article we investigate the optimal design problem for some models. Wavelets are very flexible in modeling complex relations, and optimal designs are appealing as a means of increasing the experimental precision. In contrast to the designs for the Haar wavelet regression model (Herzberg and Traves 1994; Oyet and Wiens 2000), the -optimal designs we construct are different from the -optimal designs.

Slab temperature controls on the Tonga double seismic zone and slab mantle dehydration.

Double seismic zones are two-layered distributions of intermediate-depth earthquakes that provide insight into the thermomechanical state of subducting slabs. We present new precise hypocenters of intermediate-depth earthquakes in the Tonga subduction zone obtained using data from local island-based, ocean-bottom, and global seismographs. The results show a downdip compressional upper plane and a downdip tensional lower plane with a separation of about 30 km.

Could folic acid influence growth cone motility during the development of neural connectivity?

Perinatal dietary supplementation, together with widespread fortification of grain-based foods with synthetic folic acid (FA) has resulted in rising concentrations of unmetabolized plasma FA in pregnant women. In a recently published study we reported on experiments in which we cultured dorsal root ganglia from chick embryos in a range of FA concentrations. We found that FA inhibited neurite extension, synaptogenesis, and growth cone motility.

The "Dirty Liver" as a Coincidental Finding on Sonography: Sonographic Criteria for Biliary Microhamartomas of the Liver.

Objectives: Biliary microhamartomas of the liver are known as symptomless, benign, microscopic biliary duct deformations. The consistently improving quality of ultrasound technology has made it possible to visualize them, which has led to difficulty in distinguishing them from neoplastic liver alterations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the appearance of biliary microhamartomas and their behavior on contrast-enhanced sonography.

Influence of Folic Acid on Neural Connectivity during Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurogenesis.

The vitamin folic acid (FA) is essential for DNA synthesis, repair and methylation, and for methionine synthesis. Although it is necessary for neural development, recent studies suggest a possible link between excess maternal supplemental FA intake and adverse interferences with single-carbon metabolism and neural development. Insufficient FA early in brain development can lead to failure of the neural tube closure, but the consequences of too much intake have not been fully investigated.

Comparison Between Various Color Spectra and Conventional Grayscale Imaging for Detection of Parenchymal Liver Lesions With B-Mode Sonography.

Objectives: The electronic colorization of grayscale B-mode sonograms using various color schemes aims to enhance the adaptability and practicability of B-mode sonography in daylight conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic effectiveness and importance of colorized B-mode sonography.

Methods: Fifty-three video sequences of sonographic examinations of the liver were digitized and subsequently colorized in 2 different color combinations (yellow-brown and blue-white).

In situ cooling with ice water for the easier removal of self-expanding nitinol stents.

Background: It is yet to be determined what effects temperature has on the properties of nitinol in order to simplify the process of removing nitinol self-expanding metal stents (SEMS).

Materials And Methods: We describe the procedure for removal of SEMS in a total of 11 cases with 9 patients. A study involving cooling of nitinol stents in situ with ice water just before their removal was attempted.

Seismic evidence of effects of water on melt transport in the Lau back-arc mantle.

Processes of melt generation and transport beneath back-arc spreading centres are controlled by two endmember mechanisms: decompression melting similar to that at mid-ocean ridges and flux melting resembling that beneath arcs. The Lau Basin, with an abundance of spreading ridges at different distances from the subduction zone, provides an opportunity to distinguish the effects of these two different melting processes on magma production and crust formation. Here we present constraints on the three-dimensional distribution of partial melt inferred from seismic velocities obtained from Rayleigh wave tomography using land and ocean-bottom seismographs.

Injection anthrax--a new outbreak in heroin users.

Background: Injection anthrax is a rare disease that affects heroin users and is caused by Bacillus anthracis. In 2012, there were four cases in Germany, one of which was fatal, as well as a small number of cases in other European countries, including Denmark, France, and the United Kingdom. Three cases among drug users occurred in Germany in 2009/2010, in the setting of a larger outbreak centered on Scotland, where there were 119 cases.