Multidisciplinary Sciences

Determining authorship and the order of authorship in
scientific papers, in modern interdisciplinary and interinstitutional
science, has become complex at a legal and ethical level. Failure
to define authorship before or during the research, creates
subsequent problems for those considered authors of a publication
or lead authors of a work, particularly so, once the project or
manuscript is completed. This article proposes a quantitative
and qualitative model to determine authorship within a scientific,
ethical and legal frame. The principles used for the construction
of this design are based on 2 criteria: a) stages of research and
scientific method involving: 1. Planning and development of the
research project, 2. Design and data collection, 3. Presentation
of results, 4. Interpretation of results, 5. Manuscript preparation
to disseminate new knowledge to the scientific community, 6.
Administration and management, and b) weighting coefficients in
each phase, to decide on authorship and ownership of the work.
The model also considers and distinguishes whether the level
and activity performed during the creation of the work and the
diffusion of knowledge is an intellectual or practical contribution;
this distinction both contrasts and complements the elements
protected by copyright laws. The format can be applied a priori
and a posteriori to the completion of a project or manuscript and
can conform to any research and publication type. The use of
this format will quantitatively resolve: 1. The order of authorship
(first author and co-author order), 2. Determine the inclusion and
exclusion of contributors, taking into account ethical and legal
principles, and 3. Percentages of economic rights for each authors.

Genetic and environmental factors are key drivers regulating organismal lifespan but how these impact healthspan is less well understood. Techniques capturing biomechanical properties of tissues on a nano-scale level are providing new insights into disease mechanisms. Here, we apply Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to quantitatively measure the change in biomechanical properties associated with ageing Caenorhabditis elegans in addition to capturing high-resolution topographical images of cuticle senescence. We show that distinct dietary restriction regimes and genetic pathways that increase lifespan lead to radically different healthspan outcomes. Hence, our data support the view that prolonged lifespan does not always coincide with extended healthspan. Importantly, we identify the insulin signalling pathway in C. elegans and interventions altering bacterial physiology as increasing both lifespan and healthspan. Overall, AFM provides a highly sensitive technique to measure organismal b...

In the present research and during surveys of mycobiota inhabiting leaves and roots of some wild and medicinal plants in El-Kharga Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypt, two significant isolates were isolated for the first time in Egypt and for the second time worldwide after type species inhabiting leaves of Convolvulus arvensis and Moringa oleifera. Those isolates were phenotypically classified as Aspergillus creber, and A. keveii referred to the representative type species belonging to the genus Aspergillus section Versicolores and section Usti, respectively. Pure cultures of both species have been deposited in the Culture Collection of Assiut University Mycological Centre with A. creber AUMC 14298 and A. keveii AUMC 14299. Their identification was verified by molecular recognition based on the sequencing of the ITS gene for each. Sequences of the two fungi's ITS genes have been submitted to GenBank with respective accession numbers MN542346 and MN542353, respectively. These species are recorded here for the first time worldwide as endophytes. The current research provides brief descriptions and photographs of both species.

Lean body mass, consisting mostly of skeletal muscle, is important for healthy aging. We performed a genome-wide association study for whole body (20 cohorts of European ancestry with n = 38,292) and appendicular (arms and legs) lean body mass (n = 28,330) measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry or bioelectrical impedance analysis, adjusted for sex, age, height, and fat mass. Twenty-one single-nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with lean body mass either genome wide (p < 5 × 10(-8)) or suggestively genome wide (p < 2.3 × 10(-6)). Replication in 63,475 (47,227 of European ancestry) individuals from 33 cohorts for whole body lean body mass and in 45,090 (42,360 of European ancestry) subjects from 25 cohorts for appendicular lean body mass was successful for five single-nucleotide polymorphisms in/near HSD17B11, VCAN, ADAMTSL3, IRS1, and FTO for total lean body mass and for three single-nucleotide polymorphisms in/near VCAN, ADAMTSL3, and IRS1 for appe...

Modern clearing techniques for the three-dimensional (3D) visualisation of neural tissue microstructure have been very effective when used on rodent brain but very few studies have utilised them on human brain material, mainly due to the inherent difficulties in processing post-mortem tissue. Here we develop a tissue clearing solution, OPTIClear, optimised for fresh and archival human brain tissue, including formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material. In light of practical challenges with immunostaining in tissue clearing, we adapt the use of cresyl violet for visualisation of neurons in cleared tissue, with the potential for 3D quantification in regions of interest. Furthermore, we use lipophilic tracers for tracing of neuronal processes in post-mortem tissue, enabling the study of the morphology of human dendritic spines in 3D. The development of these different strategies for human tissue clearing has wide applicability and, we hope, will provide a baseline for further technique d...

The adult mammalian heart contains multiple cell types that work in unison under tightly regulated conditions to maintain homeostasis. Cardiac fibroblasts are a significant and unique population of non-muscle cells in the heart that have recently gained substantial interest in the cardiac biology community. To better understand this renaissance cell, it is essential to systematically survey what has been known in the literature about the cellular and molecular processes involved. We have built CARFMAP (http://visionet.erc.monash.edu.au/CARFMAP), an interactive cardiac fibroblast pathway map derived from the biomedical literature using a software-assisted manual data collection approach. CARFMAP is an information-rich interactive tool that enables cardiac biologists to explore the large body of literature in various creative ways. There is surprisingly little overlap between the cardiac fibroblast pathway map, a foreskin fibroblast pathway map, and a whole mouse organism signalling p...

Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common seizure syndrome and are potentially a prelude to more severe epilepsy. Although zinc (Zn(2+)) metabolism has previously been implicated in FS, whether or not variation in proteins essential for Zn(2+) homeostasis contributes to susceptibility is unknown. Synaptic Zn(2+) is co-released with glutamate and modulates neuronal excitability. SLC30A3 encodes the zinc transporter 3 (ZNT3), which is primarily responsible for moving Zn(2+) into synaptic vesicles. Here we sequenced SLC30A3 and discovered a rare variant (c.892C > T; p.R298C) enriched in FS populations but absent in population-matched controls. Functional analysis revealed a significant loss-of-function of the mutated protein resulting from a trafficking deficit. Furthermore, mice null for ZnT3 were more sensitive than wild-type to hyperthermia-induced seizures that model FS. Together our data suggest that reduced synaptic Zn(2+) increases the risk of FS and more broadly support the ...

Aspergillus flavus AUMC 10331 and A. oryzae AUMC 10329 were used in consortium culture for the production of xylanase enzyme from rice husk using solid-state fermentation technique. The xylanase purification was performed using ion exchange resin IR-120 EP and Sephadex G-75. The purified xylanase showed a total activity of 293.0 IU and a specific activity of 350.96 IU/mg protein and the enzyme was purified to 8.1 fold with 2.7% recovery. The purified xylanase was active over a wide spectrum of pHs from 3-10 and the highest activity was obtained at pH 7.0 followed by 74% of xylanase activity at pH 9.5. At pH 9.5, the xylanase exhibited its optimal activity at 70 °C indicating that the xylanase was alkaliphilic and thermophilic xylanase. The xylanase activity was greatly increased by FeSO4 and CuSO4 up to 332.15% and 194.1% respectively and slightly inhibited by CoCl2. Km and Vmax for the purified xylanase were determined at pH 9.5 and 70 °C for birchwood xylan as 22.13 mg/ml and 135.13 IU/min respectively. The crude and purified enzyme showed high specificity towards the xylans tested. The highest activity was observed for oat spelt xylan; it was three times the activity of birchwood xylan for the crude enzyme and more than six times for the purified enzyme. The specific activity of the xylanase towards birchwood xylan was lower than oat spelt xylan and avicell. The purified xylanase did not act towards carboxymethyl cellulose compared with the crude one.

Significance In this report we investigate company–community conflict and its role in the regulation of sustainability performance in the extractive industries. We estimate the cost of conflict to companies and identify conflict as an important means through which environmental and social risks are translated into business costs and decision-making. The paper clarifies the relationship between the environmental and social risk experienced—and interpreted—by local communities, and the business risks experienced—and interpreted—by corporations. Findings reveal that, at least for the case of the extractive industries, these two types of risk can co-constitute each other. The central importance of corporate strategy and behavior for sustainability science is highlighted.

Significance In this report we investigate company–community conflict and its role in the regulation of sustainability performance in the extractive industries. We estimate the cost of conflict to companies and identify conflict as an important means through which environmental and social risks are translated into business costs and decision-making. The paper clarifies the relationship between the environmental and social risk experienced—and interpreted—by local communities, and the business risks experienced—and interpreted—by corporations. Findings reveal that, at least for the case of the extractive industries, these two types of risk can co-constitute each other. The central importance of corporate strategy and behavior for sustainability science is highlighted.

Gait is an important health indicator and poor gait is strongly associated with disability and risk of falls. Thyroid dysfunction is suggested as a potential determinant of gait deterioration, but this has not been explored in a population-based study. We therefore investigated the association of thyroid function with gait patterns in 2645 participants from the Rotterdam Study with data available on TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), FT4 (free thyroxine) and gait, without known thyroid disease or dementia. The primary outcome was Global gait (standardized Z-score), while secondary outcomes included gait domains (Rhythm, Variability, Phases, Pace, Base of support, Tandem, Turning) and velocity. Gait was assessed by electronic walkway. Multivariable regression models revealed an inverted U-shaped association of TSH (p < 0.001), but no association of FT4 concentrations with Global gait (p = 0.2). TSH levels were positively associated with Base of support (p = 0.01) and followed an i...

Betatron radiation from laser wakefield accelerators is an ultrashort pulsed source of hard, synchrotron-like x-ray radiation. It emanates from a centimetre scale plasma accelerator producing GeV level electron beams. In recent years betatron radiation has been developed as a unique source capable of producing high resolution x-ray images in compact geometries. However, until now, the short pulse nature of this radiation has not been exploited. This report details the first experiment to utilize betatron radiation to image a rapidly evolving phenomenon by using it to radiograph a laser driven shock wave in a silicon target. The spatial resolution of the image is comparable to what has been achieved in similar experiments at conventional synchrotron light sources. The intrinsic temporal resolution of betatron radiation is below 100 fs, indicating that significantly faster processes could be probed in future without compromising spatial resolution. Quantitative measurements of the sho...

An increasing number of genome-wide association (GWA) studies are now using the higher resolution 1000 Genomes Project reference panel (1000G) for imputation, with the expectation that 1000G imputation will lead to the discovery of additional associated loci when compared to HapMap imputation. In order to assess the improvement of 1000G over HapMap imputation in identifying associated loci, we compared the results of GWA studies of circulating fibrinogen based on the two reference panels. Using both HapMap and 1000G imputation we performed a meta-analysis of 22 studies comprising the same 91,953 individuals. We identified six additional signals using 1000G imputation, while 29 loci were associated using both HapMap and 1000G imputation. One locus identified using HapMap imputation was not significant using 1000G imputation. The genome-wide significance threshold of 5×10-8 is based on the number of independent statistical tests using HapMap imputation, and 1000G imputation may lead t...

Cellular bioenergetics (CBE) plays a critical role in tissue regeneration. Physiologically, an enhanced metabolic state facilitates anabolic biosynthesis and mitosis to accelerate regeneration. However, the development of approaches to reprogram CBE, toward the treatment of substantial tissue injuries, has been limited thus far. Here, we show that induced repair in a rabbit model of weight-bearing bone defects is greatly enhanced using a bioenergetic-active material (BAM) scaffold compared to commercialized poly(lactic acid) and calcium phosphate ceramic scaffolds. This material was composed of energy-active units that can be released in a sustained degradation-mediated fashion once implanted. By establishing an intramitochondrial metabolic bypass, the internalized energy-active units significantly elevate mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) to supply increased bioenergetic levels and accelerate bone formation. The ready-to-use material developed here represents a highly efficien...