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Thiamin (vitamin B1) plays a vital role in cellular energy metabolism/ATP production. Pancreatic acinar cells (PACs) obtain thiamin from circulation and convert it to thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) in the cytoplasm. TPP is then taken up by the mitochondria via a carrier-mediated process that involves the mitochondrial TPP transporter (MTPPT; encoded by the gene SLC25A19). We have previously characterized different aspects of the mitochondrial carrier-mediated TPP uptake process, but nothing is known about its possible regulation at the posttranscriptional level. We address this issue in the current investigations focusing on the role of miRNAs in this regulation. First, we subjected the human (and rat) 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the SLC25A19 to three in-silico programs, and all have identified putative binding sites for miR-122-5p. Transfecting pmirGLO-hSLC25A19 3'-UTR into rat PAC AR42J resulted in a significant reduction in luciferase activity compared with cells transfected with pmirGLO-empty vector. Mutating as well as truncating the putative miR-122-5p binding sites in the hSLC25A19 3'-UTR led to abrogation of inhibition in luciferase activity in PAC AR42J. Furthermore, transfecting/transducing PAC AR42J and human primary PACs with mimic of miR-122-5p led to a significant inhibition in the level of expression of the MTPPT mRNA and protein as well as in mitochondrial carrier-mediated TPP uptake. Conversely, transfecting PAC AR42J with an inhibitor of miR-122-5p increased MTPPT expression and function. These findings show, for the first time, that expression and function of the MTPPT in PACs are subject to posttranscriptional regulation by miR-122-5p.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study shows that the expression and function of mitochondrial TPP transporter (MTPPT) are subject to posttranscriptional regulation by miRNA-122-5p in pancreatic acinar cells.

This study examined the effect of exposure of small and large intestinal epithelial cells to the bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on uptake of free form of vitamin B1, i.e., thiamin. The intestinal tract encounters two sources of thiamin: diet and the gut microbiota. Absorption of thiamin in both the small and large intestine occurs via a carrier-mediated process that involves thiamin transporters 1 and 2 (THTR-1 and -2). Complementary in vitro (human duodenal epithelial HuTu-80 cells and human colonic epithelial NCM460 cells), in vivo (mice), and ex vivo (human primary differentiated enteroid and colonoid monolayers) models were used. The results showed that exposure to LPS causes a significant inhibition in carrier-mediated [3H]-thiamin uptake by small and large intestinal epithelia, with no change in the levels of expression of THTR-1 and -2 mRNAs and their total cellular proteins. However, a significant decrease in the fractions of the THTR-1 and -2 proteins that are expressed at the cell membranes of these epithelial cells was observed. These effects of LPS appeared to involve a protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway as activating this pathway caused a reversal in the inhibition of thiamin uptake and level of expression of its transporters at the cell membrane. These findings demonstrate that exposure of gut epithelia to LPS (a situation that occurs under different pathological conditions) leads to inhibition in thiamin uptake due to a decrease in level of expression of its transporters at the cell membrane that is likely mediated via a PKA signaling pathway. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: This study shows that the exposure of gut epithelial cells to bacterial LPS negatively impact the uptake process of the free form of vitamin B1 (i.e., thiamin). This appears to be mediated via suppression in the level of thiamin transporters 1 and 2 (THTR-1 and -2) expression at the cell membrane and involves a protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ontogenetic development in teleost fish is sensitive to temperature, and the developmental rate has a direct relationship with the environmental temperature within a species' thermal tolerance limit. Temperature determines time to and survival at hatching. Yellow perch is a North American species of ecological and commercial importance, and its phenology is vulnerable to climate change. The embryonic development of yellow perch was comparable to closely related members of the family Percidae. Developmental progression was fastest at 18°C and slowest at 12°C, with medial progression at 15°C. Time to hatch and swim‐up, feeding onset, and exogenous feeding phases were different across all incubation temperatures regardless of a gradual post‐hatch warming of the 12 and 15°C groups to a common garden temperature of 18°C. Incubation temperature may lower the rate of survival to hatch at 15°C and had complex impacts on developmental abnormalities. Temperature had significant effects on the development rate, time of hatch, survival, and incidence of developmental abnormalities. Early ontogenetic thermal history in ectotherms is an important factor determining phenotypic variation. It will be important to link the thermally induced changes in development described here to the physiological and morphological differences and to link the developmental abnormalities to functional performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Action follows from being. One's way of doing and understanding comparative education follows from one's being. It springs from the soul. Using [Kim, T., and R. Brooks' (2013). "Internationalisation, Mobile Academics, and Knowledge Creation in Universities: A Comparative Analysis." SRHE Research Award (2011/12) Final Report] framework on the relationship between academic mobility and knowledge creation, I will reflect here on my personal and intellectual journey and how it has shaped my work on comparative histories of the field of comparative education. As this article is written, I am commencing a new transition in my professional life, this time in Japan. I am reflecting on a possible new research agenda building on my past work and the new panorama opened from my new vantage point in the field.

Employers and students are increasingly demanding applied, relevant skills. Eye tracking technology is used extensively by companies to test consumer attention and awareness of advertisements, packaging, and websites, but the marketing education literature lacks a pedagogy for teaching it in a marketing classroom. An experiential learning activity is presented where students conduct their own eye tracking studies in the classroom to test the effectiveness of marketing materials. A study is presented that shows students effectively gained knowledge, experience, and confidence in eye tracking through the activity. Results also demonstrate the effectiveness of experiential learning compared to observing the same activity.

The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is a commercially valuable freshwater species with a broad distribution in North America. Some phylogeographic work has been done on this species, but little is known about genetic population subdivision among populations of the widely dispersed Mississippian lineage. We used 3,173 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 508 lake whitefish from 22 different lakes to examine population structure across central Canada and the United States. Bayesian clustering, ordination, and fixation indices identified population subdivision that largely reflected geographic distance and hydrological connectivity, with greater differentiation between lakes that are farther apart. Population subdivision was hierarchical, with greater differentiation between Canadian provinces and less differentiation based on river basins within provincial boundaries. Interestingly, isolation by distance alone was not sufficient to account for all of the observed genetic differentiation among populations. We conclude that important components of lake whitefish genetic diversity are present at different spatial scales, and that populations within the Mississippian lineage have differentiated widely across their range.

Abstract Background The Savanna Nightjar (Caprimulgus affinis) is a widespread, polytypic species which was previously treated as two or three species. It is currently treated as a single species based on superficial similarity of their songs but no detailed comparisons of the songs in this complex have been made. Methods A total of 15 acoustic variables were measured for the songs of 86 individuals representing 8 of the 10 subspecies in the complex. Results Three major groups can be distinguished based on univariate and multivariate analyses: a northern group consisting of the subspecies C. a. monticolus, C. a. amoyensis and C. a. stictomus; a southern group consisting of C. a. affinis, C. a. kasuidori, C. a. timorensis and C. a. propinquus; and a third group in the Philippines consisting of C. a. griseatus. Conclusions It is here argued that these groups are best treated as species, and that Franklin’s Nightjar (C. monticolus) and Kayumanggi Nightjar (C. griseatus) are reinstated as separate species.

In the Design of Experiments, we seek to relate response variables to explanatory factors. Response Surface methodology (RSM) approximates the relation between output variables and a polynomial transform of the explanatory variables using a linear model. Some researchers have tried to adjust other types of models, mainly nonlinear and nonparametric. We present a large panel of Machine Learning approaches that may be good alternatives to the classical RSM approximation. The state of the art of such approaches is given, including classification and regression trees, ensemble methods, support vector machines, neural networks and also direct multi-output approaches. We survey the subject and illustrate the use of ten such approaches using simulations and a real use case. In our simulations, the underlying model is linear in the explanatory factors for one response and nonlinear for the others. We focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches and show how their hyperparameters may be tuned. Our simulations show that even when the underlying relation between the response and the explanatory variables is linear, the RSM approach is outperformed by the direct neural network multivariate model, for any sample size (n ≤ 30).

Extensive tropical floodplain wetlands, such as the Brazilian Pantanal, are complex ecosystems composed of mosaics of permanently and seasonally flooded habitats and are increasingly threatened by land use and climate change. Spatial and interannual variability in the seasonal flood pulse is a fundamental ecological driver in these ecosystems. This study analyzes optical imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellite to determine the extent and seasonal patterns of inundation over five years in the northern Pantanal, a Ramsar site renowned for its wildlife. The study site is bordered by the Cuiabá and São Lourenço rivers, each with distinct flow regimes. Inundation patterns were revealed with a combination of water indices, supervised classification of land cover, and a digital elevation model. Total extent of flooding was underestimated by the optical imagery, but open water bodies were readily delineated with the land cover classification.

The controlled use of fires to reduce combustible materials in prescribed burning helps to prevent the occurrence of forest fires. In recent decades, these fires have mainly been caused by anthropogenic activities. The study area is located in the Pantanal biome. In 2020, the greatest drought in 60 years happened in the Pantanal. The fire affected almost one third of the biome. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of prescribed burnings carried out in 2021 on three macrohabitats (M1: natural grassland flooded with a proliferation of Combretum spp., M2: natural grassland of seasonal swamps, and M3: natural grassland flooded with a proliferation of Vochysia divergens) inside the SESC Pantanal Private Natural Heritage Reserve. Multispectral and thermal data analyses were conducted with remotely piloted aircraft systems in 1 ha plots in three periods of the dry season with early, mid, and late burning. The land use and land cover classification indicate that the predominant vegetation type in these areas is seasonally flooded grassland, with percentages above 73%, except in zone three, which has a more diverse composition and structure, with the presence of arboreal specimens of V. divergem Pohl. The pattern of the thermal range showed differentiation pre- and post-burning. The burned area index indicated that fire was more efficient in the first two macrohabitats because they are natural grasslands, reducing the grass species in the burnings. Early and mid prescribed burnings are a good option to reduce the continuous accumulation of dry forest biomass fuel material and help to promote landscape heterogeneity. The use of multispectral sensor data with high spatial/spectral resolution can show the effects of fires, using highly detailed scales for technical decision making.

Background: Parent involvement in school is a consistent predictor of educational success. However, research has been inconsistent in addressing how parent involvement ought to be defined and measured, which has led to varied findings across schools and educational systems. Aims: Attending to the multidimensionality of the construct, this study adopted a person-centred approach to identify subpopulations of school-based parent involvement. Subsequently, profile differences were investigated in relation to student engagement and three antecedent variables (gender, socio-economic status, and authoritative parenting). Sample: Data were obtained from primary (10-year old; N = 4,284) and secondary (14-year old; N = 3,346) school students in Singapore. Methods: Latent profile analysis was conducted on student-rated surveys of multiple parent involvement behaviours in school and their perceptions. Subsequently, the manual BCH method was employed to concurrently model covariates and outcomes on the latent profile model. Pairwise comparisons between profiles were examined for statistical significance. Results: Consistent across both cohorts, four distinct profiles emerged that revealed "high," "moderate," "selective," and "low" parent involvement patterns. "High" parent involvement reflected high ratings across multiple activities, combined with positive perceptions of parental involvement. These profiles differed significantly in terms of their antecedent characteristics, particularly, authoritative parenting, and in relation to their impact on student engagement. Conclusion: Results from this study clarify relations between multi-faceted dimensions of parent involvement in school. Additionally, there is a case for continued school-family partnerships among secondary students as students remain academically engaged when parents are involved in school and students relate positively to their involvement.

Field-measured soil respiration (RS, the soil-to-atmosphere CO2 flux) observations were compiled into a global soil respiration database (SRDB) a decade ago, a resource that has been widely used by the biogeochemistry community to advance our understanding of RS dynamics. Novel carbon cycle science questions require updated and augmented global information with better interoperability among datasets. Here, we restructured and updated the global RS database to version SRDB-V5. The updated version has all previous fields revised for consistency and simplicity, and it has several new fields to include ancillary information (e.g., RS measurement time, collar insertion depth, collar area). The new SRDB-V5 includes published papers through 2017 (800 independent studies), where total observations increased from 6633 in SRDB-V4 to 10 366 in SRDB-V5. The SRDB-V5 features more RS data published in the Russian and Chinese scientific literature and has an improved global spatio-temporal coverage and improved global climate space representation. We also restructured the database so that it has stronger interoperability with other datasets related to carbon cycle science. For instance, linking SRDB-V5 with an hourly timescale global soil respiration database (HGRsD) and a community database for continuous soil respiration (COSORE) enables researchers to explore new questions. The updated SRDB-V5 aims to be a data framework for the scientific community to share seasonal to annual field RS measurements, and it provides opportunities for the biogeochemistry community to better understand the spatial and temporal variability in RS, its components, and the overall carbon cycle. The database can be downloaded at https://github.com/bpbond/srdb and will be made available in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC). All data and code to reproduce the results in this study can be found at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3876443 (Jian and Bond-Lamberty, 2020).

Este artigo analisa os projetos de arquitetura contemporânea referentes a novos museus e sua relação com a demanda pela repatriação de acervos museológicos. A metodologia baseia-se no estudo do projeto arquitetônico do Grande Museu Egípcio (GME) – ainda em fase de consolidação – em diálogo com as experiências do Museu da Acrópole, em Atenas, e do Museu Real do Benim. Localizado a cerca de dois quilômetros das Pirâmides de Gizé, o GME está sendo construído com padrões de excelência para acondicionar e expor suas coleções egiptológicas. Seu desenvolvimento foi fruto de uma competição internacional de arquitetura promovida pelo governo egípcio, que selecionou três projetos finalistas: Rizzi, Himmelblau e Peng. Entendemos que essas propostas podem ser interpretadas a partir de três figuras importantes que nortearam o desenvolvimento de formas arquitetônicas contemporâneas: a tumba, o templo e a pirâmide. Consideramos que o projeto do GME está vinculado ao processo de consolidação da estruturação museal egípcia, que pode se relacionar aos pedidos de repatriação (ou mesmo empréstimo) de acervos museológicos, empreendidos desde 2002 no país pelo arqueólogo egípcio Zahi Hawass. Acreditamos que o caso do GME, assim como os outros exemplos citados, contribui para desarticular o argumento da falta de condições para armazenamento e pesquisa dos acervos museológicos.