Way out of Africa: Early Pleistocene paleoenvironments inhabited by Homo erectus in Sangiran, Java

A sequence of paleosols in the Solo Basin, Central Java, Indonesia, documents the local and regional environments present when Homo erectus spread through Southeast Asia during the early Pleistocene. The earliest human immigrants encountered a low-relief lake-margin landscape dominated by moist grasslands with open woodlands in the driest landscape positions. By 1.5 Ma, large streams filled the lake and the landscape became more riverine in nature, with riparian forests, savanna, and open woodland. Paleosol morphology and carbon isotope values of soil organic matter and pedogenic carbonates indicate a long-term shift toward regional drying or increased duration of the annual dry season through the early Pleistocene. This suggests that an annual dry season associated with monsoon conditions was an important aspect of the paleoclimate in which early humans spread from Africa to Southeast Asia.     

Cytoprotective Effect of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Produced in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

Asialo-erythropoietin, a desialylated form of human erythropoietin (EPO) lacking hematopoietic activity, is receiving increased attention because of its broader protective effects in preclinical models of tissue injury. However, attempts to translate its protective effects into clinical practice is hampered by unavailability of suitable expression system and its costly and limit production from expensive mammalian cell-made EPO (rhuEPO^M) by enzymatic desialylation. In the current study, we took advantage of a plant-based expression system lacking sialylating capacity but possessing an ability to synthesize complex N-glycans to produce cytoprotective recombinant human asialo-rhuEPO. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing asialo-rhuEPO were generated by stably co-expressing human EPO and β1,4-galactosyltransferase (GalT) genes under the control of double CaMV 35S and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate gene (GapC) promoters, respectively. Plant-produced asialo-rhuEPO (asialo-rhuEPO^P) was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography. Detailed N-glycan analysis using NSI-FTMS and MS/MS revealed that asialo-rhuEPO^P bears paucimannosidic, high mannose-type and complex N-glycans. In vitro cytoprotection assays showed that the asialo-rhuEPO^P (20 U/ml) provides 2-fold better cytoprotection (44%) to neuronal-like mouse neuroblastoma cells from staurosporine-induced cell death than rhuEPO^M (21%). The cytoprotective effect of the asialo-rhuEPO^P was found to be mediated by receptor-initiated phosphorylation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and suppression of caspase 3 activation. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that plants are a suitable host for producing cytoprotective rhuEPO derivative. In addition, the general advantages of plant-based expression system can be exploited to address the cost and scalability issues related to its production.     

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Cytokines and Fibroblast Growth factor-2 Stimulate Human Endothelial Cell-Pericyte Tube Co-Assembly in 3D Fibrin Matrices under Serum-Free Defined Conditions

We describe a novel 3D fibrin matrix model using recombinant hematopoietic stem cell cytokines under serum-free defined conditions which promotes the assembly of human endothelial cell (EC) tubes with co-associated pericytes. Individual ECs and pericytes are randomly mixed together and EC tubes form that is accompanied by pericyte recruitment to the EC tube abluminal surface over a 3-5 day period. These morphogenic processes are stimulated by a combination of the hematopoietic stem cell cytokines, stem cell factor, interleukin-3, stromal derived factor-1α, and Flt-3 ligand which are added in conjunction with fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 into the fibrin matrix. In contrast, this tube morphogenic response does not occur under serum-free defined conditions when VEGF and FGF-2 are added together in the fibrin matrices. We recently demonstrated that VEGF and FGF-2 are able to prime EC tube morphogenic responses (i.e. added overnight prior to the morphogenic assay) to hematopoietic stem cell cytokines in collagen matrices and, interestingly, they also prime EC tube morphogenesis in 3D fibrin matrices. EC-pericyte interactions in 3D fibrin matrices leads to marked vascular basement membrane assembly as demonstrated using immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, we show that hematopoietic stem cell cytokines and pericytes stimulate EC sprouting in fibrin matrices in a manner dependent on the α5β1 integrin. This novel co-culture system, under serum-free defined conditions, allows for a molecular analysis of EC tube assembly, pericyte recruitment and maturation events in a critical ECM environment (i.e. fibrin matrices) that regulates angiogenic events in postnatal life.     

Odoriferous Therapy: A Review Identifying Essential Oils against Pathogens of the Respiratory Tract

This review explores the body of scientific information available on the antimicrobial properties of essential oils against pathogens responsible for respiratory infections and critically compares this to what is recommended in the Layman's aroma‐therapeutic literature. Essential oils are predominantly indicated for the treatment of respiratory infections caused by bacteria or viruses (total 79.0 %), the efficacy of which has not been confirmed through clinical trials. When used in combination, they are often blended for presumed holistic synergistic effects. Of the essential oils recommended, all show some degree of antioxidant activity, 50.0 % demonstrate anti‐inflammatory effects and 83.3 % of the essential oils showed antihistaminic activity. Of the essential oils reviewed, 43.8 % are considered non‐toxic while the remaining essential oils are considered slightly to moderately toxic (43.7 %) or the toxicity is unknown (12.5 %). Recommendations are made for further research into essential oil combinations.     

Particle deposition and sensory drive

The mutualism between chemical cues emitted into the air and variations in how primates respond to them using olfaction has demonstrated aspects of species‐specific adaptations. Building on this mutualism we can look at particle deposition as another means to understanding how various environments may have elicited biological changes that enable efficient communication. Research on particle movement and deposition within the nasal cavity is largely based on questions about health as it relates to drug delivery systems and overall olfactory function in modern humans. With increased access to 3D models and the use of computational fluid dynamic analysis, researchers have been able to simulate site‐specific deposition, to determine what particles are making it through the nasal cavity to the main olfactory epithelium, which ultimately leads to processing in the olfactory bulb. Here we discuss particle deposition research, sensory drive and their potential applications to evolutionary anthropology.     

Bioassessment of benthic macroinvertebrates in wetlands: a paired comparison of two standardized sampling protocols

Wetlands Ecology and Management - We compared a rapid bioassessment protocol (Traveling Sweep Approach [TSA]) with a more conventional time intensive protocol (Composite Transect Approach [CTA]) to...     

Spine and dine: A key defensive trait promotes ecological success in spiny ants

A key focus of ecologists is explaining the origin and maintenance of morphological diversity and its association with ecological success. We investigate potential benefits and costs of a common and varied morphological trait, cuticular spines, for foraging behavior, interspecific competition, and predator–prey interactions in naturally co‐occurring spiny ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Polyrhachis) in an experimental setting. We expect that a defensive trait like spines might be associated with more conspicuous foraging, a greater number of workers sent out to forage, and potentially increased competitive ability. Alternatively, consistent with the ecological trade‐off hypothesis, we expect that investment in spines for antipredator defense might be negatively correlated with these other ecological traits. We find little evidence for any costs to ecological traits, instead finding that species with longer spines either outperform or do not differ from species with shorter spines for all tested metrics, including resource discovery rate and foraging effort as well as competitive ability and antipredator defense. Spines appear to confer broad antipredator benefits and serve as a form of defense with undetectable costs to key ecological abilities like resource foraging and competitive ability, providing an explanation for both the ecological success of the study genus and the large number of evolutionary origins of this trait across all ants. This study also provides a rare quantitative empirical test of ecological effects related to a morphological trait in ants.     

Local and landscape responses of biodiversity in calcareous grasslands

Biodiversity and Conservation - Across Europe, calcareous grasslands become increasingly fragmented and their quality deteriorates through abandonment and land use intensification, both affecting...