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Juveniles of three cyprinids with various diets and habitat preferences were collected from the Szamos River (Hungary) during a period of pollution in November 2013: the herbivorous, benthic nase (Chondrostoma nasus), the benthivorous, benthic barbel (Barbus barbus), and the omnivorous, pelagic chub (Squalius cephalus). Our study aimed to assess the accumulation of these elements across species with varying diets and habitat preferences, as well as their potential role in biomonitoring efforts. The Ca, K, Mg, Na, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Sr, and Zn concentration was analyzed in muscle, gills, and liver using MP-AES. The muscle and gill concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn increased with trophic level. At the same time, several differences were found among the trace element patterns related to habitat preferences. The trace elements, including Cd, Pb, and Zn, which exceeded threshold concentrations in the water, exhibited higher accumulations mainly in the muscle and gills of the pelagic chub. Furthermore, the elevated concentrations of trace elements in sediments (Cr, Cu, Mn) demonstrated higher accumulation in the benthic nase and barbel. Our findings show habitat preference as a key factor in juvenile bioindicator capability, advocating for the simultaneous use of pelagic and benthic juveniles to assess water and sediment pollution status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we interpret codependency as a dysfunctional pattern of relating to others, and based on this approach, we hypothesized an association with negative forms of dyadic coping, relationship problems and life satisfaction. A total of 246 Hungarian participants (167 females, 79 males), aged 18–72 years (M = 35.3, SD = 11.6) completed our online survey including measures of codependency, dyadic coping, perceptions of relationship, and life satisfaction. In our cross-sectional research, the Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale (SF-CDS), the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI), the Shortened Marital Stress Scale (MSS-R), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) were used. Correlational and pathway analyzes were applied to confirm our hypotheses. Codependency was associated with negative dyadic coping, while we found no measurable influence on positive dyadic coping. Individuals with higher codependency rated both their own and their partner's negative dyadic coping more pronounced, while at the same time they characterized their relationships as more problematic. Structural Equation Modelling proved that codependent attitudes, along with the emergence of negative dyadic coping forms and perception of relationship problems, reduce a person's life satisfaction. Overall, it can be stated that the more codependent the participants were, the more negative their own and partner's behaviour was perceived in stressful situations and the more problematic their intimate relationship was found to be. Our results support the idea that codependency is a specific, largely stable attitude that determines a person's perception and behaviour relating to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flood protection embankments of Hungary and Europe face numerous challenges. Some dike bases were constructed more than 200 years ago; since then, they have been elevated and extended. Because of these iterative adaptations, the dikes bear many construction errors, which can trigger failures and slides. Due to climate change, droughts and low-water periods of the rivers in central Europe are becoming more frequent. As a result of these effects, the water balance of the dikes can alter and desiccate in the long term. The most staggering fissures appeared on dikes built from clays susceptible to volume change. The General Directorate of Water Management ordered a comprehensive survey of dike pavement cracks in Hungary. This was one of the most extensive surveys of such kind. Hungary has some 4400 km of primary flood protection embankments, out of which 1250 km is paved. There are multiple reasons why the pavement of an embankment can crack. The main features of crack patterns related to clays with shrink-swell potential are identified. The results of international studies and the present survey are synthesised. The main objective of this paper is to draw a correlation between drought (aridity) zones, plasticity index of the soil samples, and crack thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dehydrated wheat bran (DWB) prepared from wheat bran, has been used as adsorbent for Tylosin removal from aqueous solution. DWB was characterized by Fourier transform infra-Red (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was used to evaluate and optimize the effect of four parameters, including pH, DWB concentration, Tylosin (TYL) initial concentration and time of adsorption as independent variables on the adsorption removal efficiency (R %) as the response function. The optimal interaction parameters and conditions were obtained by using the MODDE 06® software. The optimal values of the operation parameters under the related constraint conditions were found at pH 5.05, DWB concentration of 0.86 g L−1, TYL initial concentration of 14.27 mg L−1, in a period time of 111 min, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the removal efficiency of TYL approached 93.1%. Adsorption isotherm was used to interpret the process of TYL adsorption on DWB, Timken and Langmuir models were the most accurate to fit experimental data. The pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were applied to test the experimental data. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided the best fitting to the experimental data. The mechanism of the adsorption process was determined from the intraparticle diffusion model. The thermodynamic parameters as ΔH° and ΔS° were calculated and the adsorption process was found to be spontaneous and exothermic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory is a widely used measure of narcissism; however, several different conflicting factor structures have been proposed. The present study aimed to untangle those differences by offering a bifactor model of narcissism with an underlying general narcissism factor and several specific factors. Our objective was to estimate the variance explained by the general and the specific factors. Therefore, we applied a set of confirmatory factor analyses on three independent studies (N = 791; N = 319 and N = 237), and also tested the construct validity of these factors with other contemporary measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, big five personality traits, explicit self-esteem, gender and well-being. Our results suggest that the bifactor model with three specific factors yielded acceptable fit to our data in all of the different single-stimulus response formats and languages used in our studies and modelling three specific factors offered more insight into the adaptive and maladaptive characteristics of narcissism. The general narcissism factor alone explains only about half of the common variance, highlighting the importance of the specific factors as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical recovery of phosphorus (P) from wastewater in the form of struvite (MgNH4PO4⋅6H2O) has been shown as a viable replacement for industrial phosphate-based fertilizers. Electrochemical struvite precipitation is dependent upon the oxidation of a magnesium (Mg) anode, and the corrosion process creates a dynamically changing anode surface with likely impacts on reactor performance. In this work, a scaled-up electrochemical reactor (16 L) was designed to study reactor performance over time as anode degradation caused changes to struvite production and energy demand. A concentrated synthetic wastewater was used and electrochemical precipitation was monitored from batch to batch across six separate batch reactor experiments. Generally, the scaled-up electrochemical reactor improved struvite recovery (40–54%) over our previously reported lab-scale reactor (38%); however, the production exponentially decreased with the number of batch experiments from ~ 320 to ~ 210 g/batch, while the consumed energy exponentially increased from 0.9 to 1.6 kWh/batch due to severe degradation of the Mg anode. FTIR, XRD, SEM, XPS, and chemical analyses confirmed a total production of ~ 1.6 kg of high-quality struvite with an energy input of 4.6 kwh kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic biomaterials have attracted considerable attention at different levels of the biological organisation, from molecules to the biosphere, due to a variety of artificial application possibilities. During photosynthesis, the first steps of the conversion of light energy into chemical energy take place in a pigment–protein complex, called reaction centre (RC). In our experiments photosynthetic reaction centre protein, purified from Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26 purple bacteria, was bound to porous silicon pillars (PSiP) after the electropolymerisation of aniline onto the surface. This new type of biohybrid material showed remarkable photoactivity in terms of measured photocurrent under light excitation in an electrochemical cell. The photocurrent was found to increase considerably after the addition of ubiquinone (UQ-0), an e−-acceptor mediator of the RC. The photoactivity of the complex was found to decrease by the addition of terbutryn, the chemical which inhibits the e−-transport on the acceptor side of the RC. In addition to the generation of sizeable light-induced photocurrents, using the PSiP/RC photoactive hybrid nanocomposite material, the system was found to be sensitive towards RC inhibitors and herbicides. This highly ordered patterned 3D structure opens new solution for designing low-power (bio-)optoelectronic, biophotonic and biosensing devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Section Anomali is a species-rich group in North America belonging to Cortinarius, the most diverse genus in the Agaricales. This study is based on extensive morphological investigations and molecular methods using 191 nrDNA ITS sequence data and recovered 43 phylogenetic species from which 14 are described here as new to science. We sequenced ten type materials which belonged to eight species. The synonymy of C. caesiellus with C. albidipes and C. copakensis with C. albocyaneus is proposed here. The North American occurrence of four species (C. albocyaneus, C. anomalus, C. caninus, and C. tabularis), so far known only from Europe, was confirmed. Thirteen species were not formally described here due to lack of relevant information. An identification key to the known Anomali species in North America is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In eukaryotes the entry into mitosis is initiated by activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which in turn activate a large number of protein kinases to induce all mitotic processes. The general view is that kinases are active in mitosis and phosphatases turn them off in interphase. Kinases activate each other by cross- and self-phosphorylation, while phosphatases remove these phosphate groups to inactivate kinases. Crucial exceptions to this general rule are the interphase kinase Wee1 and the mitotic phosphatase Cdc25. Together they directly control CDK in an opposite way of the general rule of mitotic phosphorylation and interphase dephosphorylation. Here we investigate why this opposite system emerged and got fixed in almost all eukaryotes. Our results show that this reversed action of a kinase-phosphatase pair, Wee1 and Cdc25, on CDK is particularly suited to establish a stable G2 phase and to add checkpoints to the cell cycle. We show that all these regulators appeared together in LECA (Last Eukaryote Common Ancestor) and co-evolved in eukaryotes, suggesting that this twist in kinase-phosphatase regulation was a crucial step happening at the emergence of eukaryotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the electrochemistry of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate in aqueous solution on Mg and Mg AZ31 alloy (Al 3 wt%, Zn 1 wt%, balanced Mg) electrodes was studied using electrochemical characterization similar to electro-agglomeration and physical characterization to shed some light on the electrochemical mechanism of struvite formation as phosphate precipitation in waste. It was found that the Mg AZ31 alloy exhibited higher corrosion current densities (jcorr), and thus higher Mg dissolution rates and corrosion rates (vcorr) when compared with pure Mg. This finding was confirmed by ion chromatography (IC) analysis. Results also showed a phosphorus removal efficiency (PRem) of 16.8% together with ~53 mL H2 production for pure Mg and 17.2% with ~61 mL H2 production for Mg AZ31 alloy. The precipitates formed on the two Mg electrode materials were physically characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which indicated the formation of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate-MgNH4PO4*6H2O). It was found that (i) the thickness of the films was influenced by the applied scan rates, which also had a significant impact on the morphology, and (ii) hydrogen bubble formation influenced the precipitates, whereby the film thicknesses were negatively impacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Omecamtiv mecarbil (OM) is a promising novel drug for improving cardiac contractility. We tested the therapeutic range of OM and identified previously unrecognized side effects. The Ca2+ sensitivity of isometric force production ( pCa50) and force at low Ca2+ levels increased with OM concentration in human permeabilized cardiomyocytes. OM (1 μM) slowed the kinetics of contractions and relaxations and evoked an oscillation between normal and reduced intracellular Ca2+ transients, action potential lengths and contractions in isolated canine cardiomyocytes. Echocardiographic studies and left ventricular pressure–volume analyses demonstrated concentration-dependent improvements in cardiac systolic function at OM concentrations of 600–1200 μg/kg in rats. Administration of OM at a concentration of 1200 μg/kg was associated with hypotension, while doses of 600–1200 μg/kg were associated with the following aspects of diastolic dysfunction: decreases in E/A ratio and the maximal rate of diastolic pressure decrement (dP/dtmin) and increases in isovolumic relaxation time, left atrial diameter, the isovolumic relaxation constant Tau, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and the slope of the end-diastolic pressure–volume relationship. Moreover, OM 1200 μg/kg frequently evoked transient electromechanical alternans in the rat in vivo in which normal systoles were followed by smaller contractions (and T-wave amplitudes) without major differences on the QRS complexes. Besides improving systolic function, OM evoked diastolic dysfunction and pulsus alternans. The narrow therapeutic window for OM may necessitate the monitoring of additional clinical safety parameters in clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correct Eq. 1 is given hereafter: 1 HT ht Graph The authors identified an error in Fig. Reference 1 Illés Z, Nagy L. Effect of climate change on earthworks of infrastructure: statistical evaluation of the cause of dike pavement cracks. Correction: Effect of climate change on earthworks of infrastructure: statistical evaluation of the cause of dike pavement cracks. [Extracted from the article]

Rationale: Mycobacterium vaccae (NCTC 11659) is an environmental saprophytic bacterium with anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and stress resilience properties. Previous studies have shown that whole, heat-killed preparations of M. vaccae prevent allergic airway inflammation in a murine model of allergic asthma. Recent studies also demonstrate that immunization with M. vaccae prevents stress-induced exaggeration of proinflammatory cytokine secretion from mesenteric lymph node cells stimulated ex vivo, prevents stress-induced exaggeration of chemically induced colitis in a model of inflammatory bowel disease, and prevents stress-induced anxiety-like defensive behavioral responses. Furthermore, immunization with M. vaccae induces anti-inflammatory responses in the brain and prevents stress-induced exaggeration of microglial priming. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying anti-inflammatory effects of M. vaccae are not known. Objectives: Our objective was to identify and characterize novel anti-inflammatory molecules from M. vaccae NCTC 11659. Methods: We have purified and identified a unique anti-inflammatory triglyceride, 1,2,3-tri [Z-10-hexadecenoyl] glycerol, from M. vaccae and evaluated its effects in freshly isolated murine peritoneal macrophages. Results: The free fatty acid form of 1,2,3-tri [Z-10-hexadecenoyl] glycerol, 10(Z)-hexadecenoic acid, decreased lipopolysaccharide-stimulated secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 ex vivo. Meanwhile, next-generation RNA sequencing revealed that pretreatment with 10(Z)-hexadecenoic acid upregulated genes associated with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) signaling in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages, in association with a broad transcriptional repression of inflammatory markers. We confirmed using luciferase-based transfection assays that 10(Z)-hexadecenoic acid activated PPARα signaling, but not PPARγ, PPARδ, or retinoic acid receptor (RAR) α signaling. The effects of 10(Z)-hexadecenoic acid on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated secretion of IL-6 were prevented by PPARα antagonists and absent in PPARα-deficient mice. Conclusion: Future studies should evaluate the effects of 10(Z)-hexadecenoic acid on stress-induced exaggeration of peripheral inflammatory signaling, central neuroinflammatory signaling, and anxiety- and fear-related defensive behavioral responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of cumulative daily solar radiation (CDSR) on the biomass of river phytoplankton (Chl-a) in the growing season was studied using a large dataset of rivers in the Carpathian Basin. The amount of solar radiation was cumulated over the range of 1–60 days. The CDSR–Chl-a relationship could be described by linear regression and appeared to be significant for almost all watercourses with the exception of rivers with short water residence time. To determine the most relevant time period of CDSR impacting phytoplankton biomass, the slopes of regressions were plotted against the accumulating number of days of light exposure (1–60). Two characteristic shapes were obtained: unimodal for rhithral rivers with hard substrate and steady increase for lowland potamal rivers with fine substrate. In both cases, there is an increasing tendency in the slope values with water residence time (WRT). It was demonstrated that CDSR has a pronounced impact on river phytoplankton biomass even in cases when WRT was shorter than the cumulated solar radiation period. These results indicate that development of phytoplankton within the river channel is a complex process in which meroplankton dynamics may have significant impacts. Our results have two implications: First, CDSR cannot be neglected in predictive modelling of riverine phytoplankton biomass. Second, climate models forecast increased drought with subsequently increased CDSR in several regions globally, which may trigger a rise in phytoplankton biomass in light-limited rivers with high nutrient concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific inhibitory reactions of herbicides with photosynthetic reaction centers bound to working electrodes were monitored in a conventional electrochemical cell and a newly designed microfluidic electrochemical flow cell. In both cases, the bacterial reaction centers were bound to a transparent conductive metal oxide, indium-tin-oxide, electrode through carbon nanotubes. In the conventional cell, photocurrent densities of up to a few μA/cm could be measured routinely. The photocurrent could be blocked by the photosynthetic inhibitor terbutryn ( I = 0.38 ± 0.14 μM) and o-phenanthroline ( I = 63.9 ± 12.2 μM). The microfluidic flow cell device enabled us to reduce the sample volume and to simplify the electrode arrangement. The useful area of the electrodes remained the same (ca. 2 cm), similar to the classical electrochemical cell; however, the size of the cell was reduced considerably. The microfluidic flow control enabled us monitoring in real time the binding/unbinding of the inhibitor and cofactor molecules at the secondary quinone site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic principles of structural and functional requirements of photosynthetic energy conversion in hierarchically organized machineries are reviewed. Blueprints of photosynthesis, the energetic basis of virtually all life on Earth, can serve the basis for constructing artificial light energy-converting molecular devices. In photosynthetic organisms, the conversion of light energy into chemical energy takes places in highly organized fine-tunable systems with structural and functional hierarchy. The incident photons are absorbed by light-harvesting complexes, which funnel the excitation energy into reaction centre (RC) protein complexes containing redox-active chlorophyll molecules; the primary charge separations in the RCs are followed by vectorial transport of charges (electrons and protons) in the photosynthetic membrane. RCs possess properties that make their use in solar energy-converting and integrated optoelectronic systems feasible. Therefore, there is a large interest in many laboratories and in the industry toward their use in molecular devices. RCs have been bound to different carrier matrices, with their photophysical and photochemical activities largely retained in the nano-systems and with electronic connection to conducting surfaces. We show examples of RCs bound to carbon-based materials (functionalized and non-functionalized single- and multiwalled carbon nanotubes), transitional metal oxides (ITO) and conducting polymers and porous silicon and characterize their photochemical activities. Recently, we adapted several physical and chemical methods for binding RCs to different nanomaterials. It is generally found that the P(QQ) charge pair, which is formed after single saturating light excitation is stabilized after the attachment of the RCs to the nanostructures, which is followed by slow reorganization of the protein structure. Measuring the electric conductivity in a direct contact mode or in electrochemical cell indicates that there is an electronic interaction between the protein and the inorganic carrier matrices. This can be a basis of sensing element of bio-hybrid device for biosensor and/or optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phylogeny of the Psathyrellaceae has received much attention recently. Despite repeated efforts for inferring a stable phylogeny that can serve as a basis for reclassification of the Psathyrellaceae, extensive taxonomic rearrangements have been withheld by several factors; among others, inadequate taxon sampling in several clades and low support values for critical relationships. In this paper, we present a well-resolved, robust phylogeny and morphological circumscriptions for 14 clades of the Psathyrellaceae. Sequence data from a matrix of four nuclear genes (approximately 4,700 characters, including recoded indels) and various phylogenetic methods were used to infer relationships. Unexpected relationships and other morphologically informed phylogenetic hypotheses have been tested by constraint analyses. Nearly fully resolved consensus trees have been obtained, with strong support for most of the large clades and several early evolutionary events. We identified poorly sampled regions of the phylogeny and discuss potential additions and extensions of the phylogeny for future sampling. Prospects for and potential pitfalls of a future reclassification are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics deal with possible associations of a single genetic polymorphism or those of multiple gene profiles with responses to drugs. In rheumatology, genes and gene signatures may be associated with altered efficacy and/or safety of anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics. In brief, genes of cytochrome P450, other enzymes involved in drug metabolism, transporters and some cytokines have been associated with responses to and toxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and DMARDs. The efficacy of biologics may be related to alterations in cytokine, chemokine and FcγR genes. Numerous studies reported multiple genetic signatures in association with responses to biologics; however, data are inconclusive. More, focused studies carried out in larger patient cohorts, using pre-selected genes, may be needed in order to determine the future of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics as tools for personalized medicine in rheumatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic reaction center (RC) is the minimal nanoscopic photoconverter in the photosynthetic membrane that catalyzes the conversion of solar light to energy readily usable for the metabolism of the living organisms. After electronic excitation the energy of light is converted into chemical potential by the generation of a charge separated state accompanied by intraprotein and ultimately transmembrane proton movements. We designed a system which fulfills the minimum structural and functional requirements to investigate the physico/chemical conditions of the processes: RCs were reconstituted in closed lipid vesicles made of selected lipids entrapping a pH sensitive indicator, and electron donors (cytochrome c and K[Fe(CN)]) and acceptors (decylubiquinone) were added to sustain the photocycle. Thanks to the low proton permeability of our preparations, we could show the formation of a transmembrane proton gradient under illumination and low buffering conditions directly by measuring proton-related signals simultaneously inside and outside the vesicles. The effect of selected ionophores such as gramicidin, nigericin and valinomycin was used to gain more information on the transmembrane proton gradient driven by the RC photochemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

new coprophilous species, Coprinellus radicellus, is presented and described on the basis of morphological characters and a species phylogeny inferred from ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and beta-tubulin gene sequences. The species is characterized by lageniform pileo- and caulocystidia, 8- to 11-μm long ellipsoid basidiospores with a central germ-pore, globose cheilocystidia, an often rooting stipe, the lack of pleurocystidia and velar elements. These characters distinguish C. radicellus from all other described species in subsection Setulosi. It comes closest to C. brevisetulosus (Arnolds) Redhead, Vilgalys & Moncalvo and C. pellucidus (P. Karst.) Redhead, Vilgalys & Moncalvo both morphologically and phylogenetically, but is distinct from both. Another five representatives of morphologically recognizable groups of subsection Setulosi were included in the phylogenetic analyses and found were distinct from C. radicellus, both morphologically and phylogenetically. To date, this new species is known only from Scandinavia, which is surprising in view of the uniform geographical distributions of most setulose Coprinellus species. A key to coprophilous taxa of Coprinellus with pileo- and caulocystidia is presented. Three new combinations are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic reaction center (RC) pigment protein complex converts the free energy of light into chemical potential of charge pairs with extremely high efficiency. A transient phase in the absorption spectrum in the sub-millisecond time scale is expected to be especially important to examine the conformational gating model of the QQB to QAQ (here QA and QB are the primary and secondary quinone type electron acceptors, respectively) electron transport. Essential kinetic components at few tens of microseconds scale and at around 200 μs have been suggested. We investigated the conformation change of RCs using heterodyne detection of the laser-induced transient grating method. An about 25 μs dynamics was observed, which coincides with the one described by the conformational gating model and possibly related to the nonadiabatic intrinsic QQB to QAQ electron transport. The relative intensity of this component decreased with increasing quinone concentration indicating an initial (P+Q)1 or a relaxed (P+Q)2 conformational substate. We did not find the decay component at few hundreds of microseconds time scale indicating that there is no large displacement in the RC structure if QB is present. The diffusion coefficient of the RC/LDAO detergent micelles calculated from the kinetic component was D = 3.8 × 10−11 m2/s that agrees fairly well with the number estimated from the Einstein–Stokes relationship, and relates to a hydrodynamic diameter of 11.4 nm of the RC in LDAO micellar solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibition of electron transport and damage to the protein subunits by visible light has been studied in isolated reaction centers of the non-sulfur purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Illumination by 1100 μEm−2 s−1 light induced only a slight effect in wild type, carotenoid containing 2.4.1. reaction centers. In contrast, illumination of reaction centers isolated from the carotenoidless R26 strain resulted in the inhibition of charge separation as detected by the loss of the initial amplitude of absorbance change at 430 nm arising from the P+QB − → PQB recombination. In addition to this effect, the L, M and H protein subunits of the R26 reaction center were damaged as shown by their loss on Coomassie stained gels, which was however not accompanied by specific degradation products. Both the loss of photochemical activity and of protein subunits were suppressed in the absence of oxygen. By applying EPR spin trapping with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine we could detect light-induced generation of singlet oxygen in the R26, but not in the 2.4.1. reaction centers. Moreover, artificial generation of singlet oxygen, also led to the loss of the L, M and H subunits. Our results provide evidence for the common hypothesis that strong illumination by visible light damages the carotenoidless reaction center via formation of singlet oxygen. This mechanism most likely proceeds through the interaction of the triplet state of reaction center chlorophyll with the ground state triplet oxygen in a similar way as occurs in Photosystem II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Tissue transglutaminase is a multifunctional enzyme that accumulates to high levels in cells undergoing apoptosis. Retinoids act as an acute and direct regulator of tissue transglutaminase gene transcription. The studies reported here were carried out to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of tissue transglutaminase expression. We have isolated and characterized the mouse tissue transglutaminase gene promoter and 3.8 kb of 5'flanking DNA. A large fragment of the promoter that includes both the core promoter and 3.8 kb of 5'-flanking DNA shows retinoid-dependent transcriptional activity when stably transfected into HeLa cells. In these stably transfected HeLa cells both the endogenous tissue transglutaminase gene and transfected mouse tissue transglutaminase promoter are activated by all-trans retinoic acid and by retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-specific and retinoid X receptor (RXR)-specific retinoids. In embryos made transgenic with a transglutaminase promoter-β-galactosidase reporter gene, the transgene shows specific patterns of expression during limb development. The transglutaminase transgene is expressed in cartilage, the cells of the apical ectodermal ridge, and in regions of apoptotic cell death of the interdigital mesenchyme. It appears that cis-acting elements responsible for the complex retinoid regulation, tissue- and apoptosis-specific expression are embedded within the proximal 3.8 kb of DNA flanking the 5'-end of the mouse tissue transglutaminase gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spontaneous mutant ( R/89) of photosynthetic purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26 was selected for resistance to 200 μM atrazin. It showed increased resistance to interquinone electron transfer inhibitors of o-phenanthroline (resistance factor, RF=20) in UQ reconstituted isolated reaction centers and terbutryne in reaction centers (RF=55) and in chromatophores (RF=85). The amino acid sequence of the Q binding protein of the photosynthetic reaction center (the L subunit) was determined by sequencing the corresponding pufL gene and a single mutation was found (Ile → Met). The changed amino acid of the mutant strain is in van der Waals contact with the secondary quinone Q. The binding and redox properties of Q in the mutant were characterized by kinetic (charge recombination) and multiple turnover (cytochrome oxidation and semiquinone oscillation) assays of the reaction center. The free energy for stabilization of QQ with respect to QQ was ΔG=−60 meV and 0 meV in reaction centers and ΔG=−85 meV and −46 meV in chromatophores of R-26 and R/89 strains at pH 8, respectively. The dissociation constants of the quinone UQ and semiquinone UQ in reaction centers from R-26 and R/89 showed significant and different pH dependence. The observed changes in binding and redox properties of quinones are interpreted in terms of differential effects (electrostatics and mesomerism) of mutation on the oxidized and reduced states of Q. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Rechtsmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cloud computing considerably reduces the costs of deploying applications through on-demand, automated and fine-granular allocation of resources. Even in private settings, cloud computing platforms enable agile and self-service management, which means that physical resources are shared more efficiently. Cloud computing considerably reduces the costs of deploying applications through on-demand, automated and fine-granular allocation of resources. Even in private settings, cloud computing platforms enable agile and self-service management, which means that physical resources are shared more efficiently. Nevertheless, using shared infrastructures also creates more opportunities for attacks and data breaches. In this paper, we describe the SecureCloud approach. The SecureCloud project aims to enable confidentiality and integrity of data and applications running in potentially untrusted cloud environments. The project leverages technologies such as Intel SGX, OpenStack and Kubernetes to provide a cloud platform that supports secure applications. In addition, the project provides tools that help generating cloud-native, secure applications and services that can be deployed on potentially untrusted clouds. The results have been validated in a real-world smart grid scenario to enable a data workflow that is protected end-to-end: from the collection of data to the generation of high-level information such as fraud alerts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyphae represent a hallmark structure of multicellular fungi. The evolutionary origins of hyphae and of the underlying genes are, however, hardly known. By systematically analyzing 72 complete genomes, we here show that hyphae evolved early in fungal evolution probably via diverse genetic changes, including co-option and exaptation of ancient eukaryotic (e.g. phagocytosis-related) genes, the origin of new gene families, gene duplications and alterations of gene structure, among others. Contrary to most multicellular lineages, the origin of filamentous fungi did not correlate with expansions of kinases, receptors or adhesive proteins. Co-option was probably the dominant mechanism for recruiting genes for hypha morphogenesis, while gene duplication was apparently less prevalent, except in transcriptional regulators and cell wall - related genes. We identified 414 novel gene families that show correlated evolution with hyphae and that may have contributed to its evolution. Our results suggest that hyphae represent a unique multicellular organization that evolved by limited fungal-specific innovations and gene duplication but pervasive co-option and modification of ancient eukaryotic functions. Hyphae are a major innovation in fungi associated with transitions to multicellularity. Here, Kiss and colleagues use comparative genomic analyses to reconstruct the evolutionary origins of hyphae and the molecular evolution of hypha morphogenesis genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinoids - derivatives of vitamin A - are important cell permeant signaling molecules that regulate gene expression through activation of nuclear receptors. P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and ABCG2 are plasma membrane efflux transporters affecting the tissue distribution of numerous structurally unrelated lipophilic compounds. In the present work we aimed to study the interaction of the above ABC transporters with retinoid derivatives. We have found that 13-cis-retinoic acid, retinol and retinyl-acetate inhibited the Pgp and ABCG2 mediated substrate transport as well as the substrate stimulated ATPase activity of these transporters. Interestingly, 9-cis-retinoic acid and ATRA (all-trans retinoic acid), both are stereoisomers of 13-cis-retinoic acid, did not have any effect on the transporters' activity. Our fluorescence anisotropy measurements revealed that 13-cis-retinoic acid, retinol and retinyl-acetate selectively increase the viscosity and packing density of the membrane. Thus, the mixed-type inhibition of both transporters by retinol and ABCG2 by 13-cis-retinoic acid may be the collective result of direct interactions of these retinoids with the substrate binding site(s) and of indirect interactions mediated by their membrane rigidifying effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cherry-red transitory coloration is formed when OsO or osmium(VI) is added to alkaline hydrogen peroxide solution in the pH range 9-13. The transient has an absorption maximum at 530 nm and its concentration depends on the pH of reaction mixture reaching a maximum at pH 10.5-11. The transient is designated as a peroxo-derivative of osmium(VIII) [or an osmium(VII) - Superoxide radical pair if the peroxoderivative undergoes a fast intramolecular one-electron transfer]. Many decades ago it was observed that a cherry-red coloration appears transiently when osmium tetroxide solution is added to alkaline hydrogen peroxide solution. However, to our knowledge, there are no literature data about the nature of this transient. Further, we observed recently that there is a close connection between the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalysed by osmium tetroxide and the intensity of the coloration, and therefore an attempt was made to investigate the transient by using a fast spectrophotometer technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the apoptosis during limb development in a transgenic mouse model. Expression and activation of the tissue transglutaminase gene associated with apoptotic cell death; Expression pattern of the beta-galactosidase marker gene.

Mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes) have the greatest morphological diversity and complexity of any group of fungi. They have radiated into most niches and fulfil diverse roles in the ecosystem, including wood decomposers, pathogens or mycorrhizal mutualists. Despite the importance of mushroom-forming fungi, large-scale patterns of their evolutionary history are poorly known, in part due to the lack of a comprehensive and dated molecular phylogeny. Here, using multigene and genome-based data, we assemble a 5,284-species phylogenetic tree and infer ages and broad patterns of speciation/extinction and morphological innovation in mushroom-forming fungi. Agaricomycetes started a rapid class-wide radiation in the Jurassic, coinciding with the spread of (sub)tropical coniferous forests and a warming climate. A possible mass extinction, several clade-specific adaptive radiations and morphological diversification of fruiting bodies followed during the Cretaceous and the Paleogene, convergently giving rise to the classic toadstool morphology, with a cap, stalk and gills (pileate-stipitate morphology). This morphology is associated with increased rates of lineage diversification, suggesting it represents a key innovation in the evolution of mushroom-forming fungi. The increase in mushroom diversity started during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic radiation event, an era of humid climate when terrestrial communities dominated by gymnosperms and reptiles were also expanding.

In the version of this Article originally published, it was incorrectly stated that "16,687 protein-coding genes were inferred for the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of Armillaria"; the value was incorrect and it should have read "15,787". This has now been corrected.

Armillaria species are both devastating forest pathogens and some of the largest terrestrial organisms on Earth. They forage for hosts and achieve immense colony sizes via rhizomorphs, root-like multicellular structures of clonal dispersal. Here, we sequenced and analysed the genomes of four Armillaria species and performed RNA sequencing and quantitative proteomic analysis on the invasive and reproductive developmental stages of A. ostoyae. Comparison with 22 related fungi revealed a significant genome expansion in Armillaria, affecting several pathogenicity-related genes, lignocellulose-degrading enzymes and lineage-specific genes expressed during rhizomorph development. Rhizomorphs express an evolutionarily young transcriptome that shares features with the transcriptomes of both fruiting bodies and vegetative mycelia. Several genes show concomitant upregulation in rhizomorphs and fruiting bodies and share cis-regulatory signatures in their promoters, providing genetic and regulatory insights into complex multicellularity in fungi. Our results suggest that the evolution of the unique dispersal and pathogenicity mechanisms of Armillaria might have drawn upon ancestral genetic toolkits for wood-decay, morphogenesis and complex multicellularity.