Is wind-mediated passive leaf movement an effective form of herbivore defence?

Abstract Digital tools are widely used in archaeology for excavation, research, and communication of results. Recently, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the use of these resources in the classroom. The use of digital games for teaching undergraduate archaeology courses has been explored by a number of educators, but the majority of instructors continue to see this medium as lacking any particular educational merit. To combat this conclusion, in this article, the author explores some of the ways that unmodified digital games can be integrated into undergraduate archaeology courses to inspire critical discussions. She discusses two main types of games—conceptual simulations and realist simulations—to show how these can help students better understand theoretical approaches to archaeological interpretation and to consider the most effective form of archaeological reconstructions for different audiences. The author highlights her own experiences teaching with Assassin's Creed: Origins to show the benefits and challenges of working with this medium, and she includes student responses to the use of digital games in discussions. An example of a student assignment and an example of a project prompt are provided as supplemental materials to further encourage the use of digital games in the classroom.

Download Full-text

Overview of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and the Role of Sugary Food Consumption and Other Dietary Components in Its Development

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13051442 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 1442

Author(s):

Pau Vancells Lujan ◽

Esther Viñas Esmel ◽

Emilio Sacanella Meseguer

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Critical Role ◽

Dietary Treatment ◽

Dietary Interventions ◽

Lifestyle Modifications ◽

Alcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Effective Form ◽

Unhealthy Diet

NAFLD is the world’s most common chronic liver disease, and its increasing prevalence parallels the global rise in diabetes and obesity. It is characterised by fat accumulation in the liver evolving to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an inflammatory subtype that can lead to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Currently, there is no effective pharmacotherapeutic treatment for NAFLD. Treatment is therefore based on lifestyle modifications including changes to diet and exercise, although it is unclear what the most effective form of intervention is. The aim of this review, then, is to discuss the role of specific nutrients and the effects of different dietary interventions on NAFLD. It is well established that an unhealthy diet rich in calories, sugars, and saturated fats and low in polyunsaturated fatty acids, fibre, and micronutrients plays a critical role in the development and progression of this disease. However, few clinical trials have evaluated the effects of nutrition interventions on NAFLD. We, therefore, summarise what is currently known about the effects of macronutrients, foods, and dietary patterns on NAFLD prevention and treatment. Most current guidelines recommend low-calorie, plant-based diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, as the most effective dietary pattern to treat NAFLD. More clinical trials are required, however, to identify the best evidence-based dietary treatment approach.

Download Full-text

The chemistry of leaf-movement in Mimosa pudica L.

Tetrahedron ◽

10.1016/s0040-4020(99)00619-5 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 55 (36) ◽

pp. 10937-10948 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Minoru Ueda ◽

Shosuke Yamamura

Keyword(s):

Leaf Movement ◽

Mimosa Pudica

Download Full-text

Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer between Geobacter metallireducens and Methanosarcina barkeri

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00895-14 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 80 (15) ◽

pp. 4599-4605 ◽

Cited By ~ 398

Author(s):

Amelia-Elena Rotaru ◽

Pravin Malla Shrestha ◽

Fanghua Liu ◽

Beatrice Markovaite ◽

Shanshan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Transfer ◽

Model Organism ◽

Methanosarcina Barkeri ◽

Physical Contact ◽

Acetate Metabolism ◽

Geobacter Metallireducens ◽

Content Type ◽

Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer ◽

Interspecies Electron Transfer ◽

Effective Form

ABSTRACTDirect interspecies electron transfer (DIET) is potentially an effective form of syntrophy in methanogenic communities, but little is known about the diversity of methanogens capable of DIET. The ability ofMethanosarcina barkerito participate in DIET was evaluated in coculture withGeobacter metallireducens. Cocultures formed aggregates that shared electrons via DIET during the stoichiometric conversion of ethanol to methane. Cocultures could not be initiated with a pilin-deficientG. metallireducensstrain, suggesting that long-range electron transfer along pili was important for DIET. Amendments of granular activated carbon permitted the pilin-deficientG. metallireducensisolates to share electrons withM. barkeri, demonstrating that this conductive material could substitute for pili in promoting DIET. WhenM. barkeriwas grown in coculture with the H2-producingPelobacter carbinolicus, incapable of DIET,M. barkeriutilized H2as an electron donor but metabolized little of the acetate thatP. carbinolicusproduced. This suggested that H2, but not electrons derived from DIET, inhibited acetate metabolism.P. carbinolicus-M. barkericocultures did not aggregate, demonstrating that, unlike DIET, close physical contact was not necessary for interspecies H2transfer.M. barkeriis the second methanogen found to accept electrons via DIET and the first methanogen known to be capable of using either H2or electrons derived from DIET for CO2reduction. Furthermore,M. barkeriis genetically tractable, making it a model organism for elucidating mechanisms by which methanogens make biological electrical connections with other cells.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of selective transsphenoidal adenomectomy by endocrinological testing and somatomedin-C measurement in acromegaly

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/jns.1989.70.4.0561 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 70 (4) ◽

pp. 561-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Marco Losa ◽

Reinhard Oeckler ◽

Jochen Schopohl ◽

O. Albrecht Müller ◽

Julia Alba-Lopez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tolerance Test ◽

Oral Glucose ◽

Slow Increase ◽

Insulin Hypoglycemia ◽

Somatomedin C ◽

Content Type ◽

Gh Secretion ◽

Effective Form ◽

Transsphenoidal Adenomectomy ◽

Favorable Prognostic Factor

✓ A series of 29 previously untreated patients with acromegaly underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy. Pre- and postoperative evaluation consisted of measuring growth hormone (GH) secretory dynamics during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), the insulin hypoglycemia test, and the thyrotropin- and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (TRH/GnRH) test, and by obtaining the basal somatomedin-C level. After surgery, clinical and biochemical amelioration was achieved in all but two patients. In the whole group, basal GH and somatomedin-C levels decreased from a mean (± standard error of the mean) of 52.3 ± 12.7 to 11.1 ± 6.3 ng/ml and from 7.6 ± 0.7 to 2.5 ± 0.5 U/ml, respectively. Application of different criteria of cure revealed that 19 patients (66%) had basal GH levels below 5 ng/ml, 17 patients (59%) had normal somatomedin-C values, 16 patients (55%) had complete GH suppression (< 1 ng/ml) during OGTT, and 13 patients (45%) met the above-mentioned criteria with disappearance of the paradoxical GH response to TRH/GnRH test. Evaluation of GH secretion by insulin hypoglycemia testing was useless in assessing the outcome after neurosurgery. When only patients with a normal somatomedin-C level and complete GH suppressibility during OGTT were considered “cured,” the main favorable prognostic factor was intrasellar tumor localization, since 15 (75%) of 20 patients were “cured,” as opposed to only one (11%) of nine with extrasellar extension of the adenoma. During the follow-up period, no tumor recurrence was detected in any of the “cured” patients. In these subjects somatomedin-C levels remained stable in all except two patients, who showed a slow increase within the normal range of somatomedin-C concentration. These data confirm that transsphenoidal surgery is the most effective form of treatment in previously untreated acromegalic patients and that normalization of somatomedin-C levels reflects normal GH secretion. Measurement of somatomedin-C could replace more extensive endocrinological testing during monitoring of treated acromegalic patients.

Download Full-text