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opencc-by-4.0May 2024View details →

Vehicle-to-grid Response on 13 February 2024 in Australian National Electricity Market

This data captures the response of 16 Nissan LEAF electric vehicles to a frequency contingency in the Australian National Electricity Market on the 13th of February 2024, which led to widespread blackouts in Melbourne. The data comes from the bidirectional Wallbox Quasar chargers, as well as six high speed power meters located at the grid connection of each of the properties in which the vehicles were charging.

Data from: Steatotic liver disease induced by TCPOBOP-activated hepatic constitutive androstane receptor: Primary and secondary gene responses with links to disease progression

Constitutive Androstane Receptor (CAR, Nr1i3), a liver nuclear receptor and xenobiotic sensor, induces drug, steroid and lipid metabolizing enzymes, stimulates liver hypertrophy and hyperplasia, and ultimately, hepatocellular carcinogenesis. The mechanisms linking early CAR responses to later disease development are poorly understood. Here we show that exposure of CD-1 mice to TCPOBOP, a halogenated xenochemical and selective CAR agonist ligand, induces pericentral steatosis marked by hepatic accumulation of cholesterol and neutral lipid, and elevated circulating alanine aminotransferase, indicating hepatocyte damage. TCPOBOP-induced steatosis was weaker in the pericentral region but stronger in the periportal region in females compared to males. Early (1-day) TCPOBOP transcriptional responses were enriched for CAR-bound primary response genes, and for lipogenesis and xenobiotic metabolism and oxidative stress protection pathways; late (2-wk) TCPOBOP responses included many CAR binding-independent secondary response genes, with enrichment for macrophage activation, immune response and cytokine and reactive oxygen species production. Late upstream regulators specific to TCPOBOP-exposed male liver were linked to pro-inflammatory responses and hepatocellular carcinoma progression. TCPOBOP administered weekly to male mice using a high corn oil vehicle activated carbohydrate-responsive transcription factor (MLXIPL)-regulated target genes, dysregulated mitochondrial respiratory and translation regulatory pathways, and induced more advanced liver pathology. Overall, TCPOBOP exposure recapitulates histological and gene expression changes characteristic of emerging steatotic liver disease, including secondary gene responses in liver non-parenchymal cells indicative of transition to a more advanced disease state. Upstream regulators of both the early and late TCPOBOP response genes include novel biomarkers for foreign chemical-induced metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Belowground plant competition: Uncoupling root response strategies of peas

Belowground plant competition was shown to induce varying responses, from increases to decreases in root biomass allocation or in directional root placement. Such inconsistencies could result from the fact that root allocation and directional growth were seldom studied together, even though they might represent different strategies. Moreover, variations in belowground responses might be due to different size hierarchies between plants, but this hypothesis was not studied previously. In a greenhouse rhizobox experiment, we examined the way both root allocation and directional root placement of Pisum sativum are affected by the size and density of Festuca glauca neighbors, and by nutrient distribution. We found that root allocation of P. sativum increased with the density and size of F. glauca. In contrast, directional root placement was unaffected by neighbor size and either increased toward or away from neighbors when nutrients were patchily or uniformly distributed, respectively. These results demonstrate that directional root placement under competition is contingent on the distribution of soil resources. Interestingly, our results suggest that root allocation and directional placement might be uncoupled strategies that simultaneously provide stress tolerance and spatial responsiveness to neighbors, thus highlighting the importance of measuring both when studying belowground plant competition.

Data from: Sexually discordant selection is associated with trait specific morphological changes and a complex genomic response

Sexes often have differing fitness optima, potentially generating intra-locus sexual conflict, as each sex bears a genetic 'load' of alleles beneficial to the other sex. One strategy to evaluate conflict in the genome is to artificially select populations discordantly, against established sexual dimorphism, reintroducing attenuated conflict. We investigate a long-term artificial selection experiment reversing sexual size dimorphism in Drosophila melanogaster during ~350 generations of sexually discordant selection. We explore morphological and genomic changes to identify loci under selection between the sexes in discordantly and concordantly size selected treatments. Despite substantial changes to overall size, concordant selection maintained ancestral sexual dimorphism. However, discordant selection altered size dimorphism in a trait-specific manner. We observe multiple, possible soft selective sweeps in the genome, with size related genes showing signs of selection. Patterns of genomic differentiation between the sexes within lineages identified potential sites maintained by sexual conflict. One discordant selected lineage shows a pattern of elevated genomic differentiation between males and females, on chromosome 3L, consistent with the maintenance of sexual conflict. Our results suggest visible signs of conflict and differentially segregating alleles between the sexes due to discordant selection.

Data from: Captures do not affect escape response to humans in Alpine marmot

Capture and manipulation are an integral part of wildlife research and management. These practices, however, can affect animals either directly or indirectly, and studies should generally evaluate the consequences of captures to ensure animal welfare and reduce sampling bias. Here, we investigated the indirect, behavioural effects of live-capture on escape response to humans in Alpine marmot Marmota marmota within the Stelvio National Park (central Italian Alps) over three seasons (2021- 2023). We used flight initiation distance (FID) as a measure of escape response and tested it in relation to capture status using linear mixed modelling. Captures did not have any detectable effect on escape response, and FID was best explained by covariates such as starting distance, distance to nearest burrow, current behaviour during the observation and year of observation. It might be that, in marmots, escape response to humans is a rather inert behaviour. As such, although we cannot rule out unmeasured effects, capture may not represent an excessively traumatic experience which could trigger immediate behavioural modification. In turn, capture is unlikely to compromise animal welfare or cause scientific bias in studies investigating escape response in this species, at least over the short term.

Antigen-specific memory NK cell responses against HIV and influenza utilize the NKG2/HLA-E axis

For over a decade, multiple studies have disputed the notion of natural killer (NK) cells as purely innate lymphocytes by demonstrating that they are capable of putative antigen-specific immunological memory against multiple infectious agents including two critical global health priorities – human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and influenza. However, the mechanisms underlying antigen specificity remain unknown. Herein, we demonstrate that antigen-specific human NK cell memory develops upon exposure to both HIV and influenza, unified by a conserved and epitope-specific targetable mechanism largely dependent on the activating CD94/NKG2C receptor and its ligand HLA-E, and confirm these findings by three rigorous assays. We validated the permanent acquisition of antigen-specificity by individual memory NK cells by single-cell cloning. We identified biomarkers of antigen-specific NK cell memory through complex immunophenotyping by 30-parameter flow cytometry showing elevated expression of KLRG1, a4b7, and NKG2C. Finally, we show individual HLA-E-restricted peptides that may constitute the dominant NK cell response in HIV-1- and influenza-infected persons in vivo. Our findings clarify the mechanisms behind antigen-specific memory NK cell responses, and suggest they could be targeted for future vaccines, cure strategies, or other therapeutic interventions.

Data from: Behavioural responses of brown bears to roads and hunting disturbance

Harvest regulations commonly attenuate the consequences of hunting on specific segments of a population. However, regulations may not protect individuals from non-lethal effects of hunting and their consequences remain poorly understood. In this study, we compared the movement rates of Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos, n = 47) across spatiotemporal variations in risk in relation to the onset of bear hunting. We tested two alternative hypotheses based on whether behavioural responses to hunting involve hiding or escaping. If bears try to reduce risk exposure by avoiding being detected by hunters, we expect individuals from all demographic groups to reduce their movement rate during the hunting season. On the other hand, if bear avoid hunters by escaping, we expect them to increase their movement rate in order to leave high-risk areas faster. We found an increased movement rate in females accompanied by dependent offspring during the morning hours of the bear hunting season, a general decrease in movement rate in adult lone females, and no changes in males and subadult females. The increased movement rate that we observed in females with dependant offspring during the hunting season was likely an antipredator response because it only occurred in areas located closer to roads, whereas the decreased movement rate in lone females could be either part of a seasonal activity patterns or be associated with an increased selection for better concealment. Our study suggests that female brown bears accompanied by offspring likely move faster in high-risk areas to minimize risk exposure as well as the costly trade-offs (i.e., time spent foraging versus time spent hiding) typically associated with anti-predator tactics that involve changes in resource selection. Our study also highlights the importance of modeling fine-scale spatiotemporal variations in risk to adequately capture the complexity in behavioural responses caused by human activities in wildlife.

Data from: Data for habitat quality or quantity? Niche marginality across 21 plants and animals suggests differential responses between highland and lowland species to past climatic changes

Climatic changes can affect species distributions, population abundance, and evolution. Such organismal responses could be determined by the amount and quality of available habitats, which can vary independently. In this study, we assessed changes in habitat quantity and quality independently to generate explicit predictions of the species' responses to climatic changes between Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and present day. We built ecological niche models and distribution models for 21 reptile, mammal, and plant taxa from the Baja California peninsula inhabiting lowland or highland environments. Geological data suggests the CCSM global circulation model is a better representation of LGM climate for the Baja California peninsula. Significant niche divergence was detected for all clades within species, along with significant differences in the niche breadth and area of distribution between northern and southern clades. Most clades showed a reduction in distribution area towards LGM. Further, niche marginality (used as a measure of habitat quality) was higher during LGM for most clades, except for northern highland species. Our results suggest that changes in habitat quantity and quality can affect organismal response independently. This allows the prediction of genomic signatures associated with changes in effective population size and selection pressure that could be explicitly tested to support our models.

KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs and Helios+Tregs in peripheral blood predict nivolumab response in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer

Purpose: To identify predictive factors of nivolumab sensitivity, peripheral blood NKs and Tregs were evaluated in patients with metastatic renal cancer (mRCC) enrolled in the REVOLUTION trial. Experimental design: 57 mRCCs being treated with nivolumab, as at least second-line of therapy (REV), and 62 healthy donors (HDs) were longitudinally evaluated (0-1-3-6-12 months) for peripheral NKs and Tregs, phenotype and function. Multivariable logistic regression were conducted to identify the independent predictors. The .632+ internal cross-validation was used to avoid overfitting. The best cut-off value based on three-months clinical-response was applied to progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier curves for PFS and OS were produced. Results: At pre-treatment, mRCCs displayed high frequency of NKp46+NKs, NKp30+NKs, KIR2DL1+NKs, KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs, and PD-1+NKs with reduced NK degranulation; as well as high frequency of Tregs, PD-1+Tregs, Helios+Tregs and ENTPD-1+Tregs. Responder patients (R), identified as a clinical response after three-months of treatment, presented at pre-treatment significantly low CD3+, high KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs, high PD-1+Tregs and high Helios+Tregs. Upon multivariate analysis, only KIR2DL2/DL3NKs and Helios+Tregs held as independent predictors of nivolumab responsiveness. The KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs >35.3% identified patients with longer OS while the Helios+Tregs >34.3% displayed significantly longer PFS. After 1-month of nivolumab, R patients showed low CD3+, high NKs, KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs and ICOS+Tregs. Among these subpopulations, CD3+ and KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs held as independent predictors of nivolumab efficacy. Low CD3+ (≤71%) significantly associated with longer PFS while high KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs (>23.3%) associated with both PFS and OS. Conclusions: Pre-treatment evaluation of Helios+Tregs/KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs and one-month post-treatment CD3+/ KIR2DL2/DL3+NKs will predict nivolumab response in mRCCs.

Changes in ventilatory responses at high altitude measured using rebreathing

Ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia play a vital role in maintaining gas exchange homeostasis, and in adaptation to high-altitude environments. This study investigates the mechanisms underlying sensitization of hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses (HVR and HCVR, respectively) in individuals acclimatized to moderate high altitude (3800 m). Thirty-one participants underwent chemoreflex testing using the Duffin modified rebreathing technique. Measures were taken at sea level and after 2 days of acclimatization to high altitude. Ventilatory recruitment thresholds (VRT), HCVR-Hyperoxia, HCVR-Hypoxia, and HVR were quantified. Acclimatization to high altitude resulted in increased HVR (p<0.001) and HCVR-Hyperoxia (p<0.001), as expected. We also observed that the decrease in VRT under hypoxic test conditions significantly contributed to the elevated HVR at high altitude since the change in VRT across hyperoxic and hypoxic test conditions was greater at high altitude compared to baseline sea level tests (p=0.043). Pre-VRT, or basal, ventilation also increased at high altitude (p<0.001), but the change did not differ between oxygen conditions. Taken together, this data suggests that the increase in HVR at high altitude is at least partially driven by a larger decrease in the VRT in hypoxia versus hyperoxia at high altitude compared to sea level. This study highlights the intricacies of respiratory adaptations during acclimatization to moderate high altitude, shedding light on the roles of the VRT, baseline respiratory drive, and two-slope HCVR in this process. These findings contribute to our understanding of how the human respiratory control responds to hypoxic and hypercapnic challenges at high altitude.

Species-dependent responses of crop plants to polystyrene microplastics

Only recently there has been a strong focus on the impacts of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/microplastics">microplastics</a> on terrestrial crop plants. This study aims to examine and compare the effects of microplastics on two monocotyledonous (barley, Hordeum vulgare and wheat, Triticum aestivum), and two dicotyledonous (carrot, Daucus carota and lettuce, Lactuca sativa) <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/plant-specie">plant species</a> through two complimentary experiments. First, we investigated the effects of low, medium, and high (103, 105, 107 particles per mL) concentrations of 500 nm <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/polystyrene">polystyrene</a> microplastics (PS-MPs) on seed germination and early development. We found species-dependent effects on the early development, with microplastics only significantly affecting lettuce and carrot. When acutely exposed during germination, PS-MPs significantly delayed the germination of lettuce by 24%, as well as promoted the shoot growth of carrot by 71% and decreased its biomass by 26%. No effect was recorded on monocot species. Secondly, we performed a chronic (21 d) hydroponic experiment on lettuce and wheat. We observed that PS-MPs significantly reduced the shoot growth of lettuce by up to 35% and increased its biomass by up to 64%, while no record was reported on wheat. In addition, stress level indicators and defence mechanisms were significantly up-regulated in both lettuce and wheat seedlings. Overall, this study shows that PS-MPs affect plant development: impacts were recorded on both germination and growth for dicots, and responses identified by biochemical markers of stress were increased in both lettuce and wheat. This highlights species-dependent effects as the four crops were grown under identical conditions to allow direct comparison. For future research, our study emphasizes the need to focus on crop specific effects, while also working towards knowledge of plastic-induced impacts at environmentally relevant conditions.

Symbionts out of sync: decoupled physiological responses are widespread and ecologically important in lichen associations

A core vulnerability in symbioses is the need for coordination between the symbiotic partners, which are often assumed to be closely physiologically integrated. We critically re-examine this assumed integration in lichen symbioses, recovering a long overlooked yet fundamental physiological asymmetry in carbon balance. We examine the physiological, ecological and transcriptional basis of this asymmetry in the lichen Evernia mesomorpha. This carbon balance asymmetry depends on hydration source and aligns with climatic range limits. Differences in gene expression across the E. mesomorpha symbiosis suggest that the physiologies of the primary lichen symbionts are decoupled. Furthermore, we use gas-exchange data to show that asymmetries in carbon balance are widespread and common across evolutionarily disparate lichen associations. Using carbon balance asymmetry as an example, we provide evidence for the wide-ranging importance of physiological asymmetries in symbioses.

opencc-by-4.0May 2024View details →

Response of protons to Mercury's magnetotail reconfigurations

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Dataset for Article - a role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating female reproductive responses to temperature in a pest beetle

This dataset contains data for analysis on a role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating female reproductive responses to temperature in a pest beetle. Dataset contains raw gene expression data, methylation-ELISA data, MSRE data and life history data collected in laboratory conditions using the study system, Callosobruchus maculatus.

Correlation between drug response and driver gene mutations

Raw results of paper 'Single nucleotide and copy number variants of cancer driver genes inform drug response in multiple cancers'

Data from: Phenotypically plastic responses to environmental variation are more complex than life history theory predicts

For insects that exhibit wing polyphenic development, abiotic and biotic signals dictate the adult wing morphology of the insect in an adaptive manner such that in stressful environments the formation of a flight-capable morph is favored and in low stress environments a flightless morph is favored. While there is a relatively large amount known about the environmental cues that dictate morph formation in wing polyphenic hemipterans like planthoppers and aphids, whether those cues dictate the same morphs in non-hemipteran (i.e. cricket) wing polyphenic species has not been explicitly investigated. To experimentally test the generality of environmental cue determination of wing polyphenism across taxa with diverse life histories, in this study we tested the importance of food quantity, parasitic infection, and tactile cues on wing morph determination in the wing polyphenic sand field cricket, Gryllus firmus. Our results also show that certain stress cues, such as severe diet quantity limitation and parasitic infection, actually led to an increase in the production of flightless morph. Based on these findings, our results suggest that physiological and genetic constraints are important to an organism's ability to respond to environmental variation in an adaptive manner beyond simple life history trade-offs.

Data from: Helper plasticity in response to breeder turnover in gray wolves

Nonbreeding helpers can greatly improve the survival of young and reproductive fitness of breeders in many cooperatively breeding species. Breeder turnover, in turn, can have profound effects on dispersal decisions made by helpers. Despite its importance in explaining group size and predicting population demography of cooperative breeders, our current understanding of how individual traits influence animal behavior after disruptions to social structure is incomplete particularly for terrestrial mammals. We used 12 years of genetic sampling and group pedigrees of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Idaho, USA, to ask questions about how breeder turnover affected the apparent decisions by mature helpers (>2-year-old) to stay or leave a group over a one-year time interval. We found that helpers showed plasticity in their responses to breeder turnover. Most notably, helpers varied by sex and appeared to base dispersal decisions on the sex of the breeder that was lost as well. Male and female helpers stayed in a group slightly more often when there was breeder turnover of the same sex, although males that stayed were often recent adoptees in the group. Males, however, appeared to remain in a group less often when there was breeding female turnover likely because such vacancies were typically filled by related females from the males' natal group (i.e., inbreeding avoidance). We show that helpers exploit instability in the breeding pair to secure future breeding opportunities for themselves. The confluence of breeder turnover, helper sex, and dispersal and breeding strategies merge to influence group composition in gray wolves.

Matrix stiffness influences response to chemo and targeted therapy in brain metastatic breast cancer cells

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Urban and rural chickadee response to novel object and simulated predator

Urbanization is changing natural landscapes worldwide, pushing species to quickly acclimate or adapt if they are to survive in urban environments. Mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) readily nest in both urban and rural environments without suffering apparent reproductive costs. However, whether urban-nesting chickadees are successful in these environments due to differences in behaviour between urban and rural birds remains untested. We examined the behavioural responses of urban and rural nesting mountain chickadee females when presented with a novel object (red plastic cup) or simulated predator (imitation squirrel model) at the nest. Behavioural responses depended on both the type of model and the habitat. As expected, mountain chickadees responded more strongly to squirrel models than novel objects; however, the magnitude of the difference in response depended on habitat. Urban birds seemingly ignored the novel object, spending little time investigating, and re-entering the nest box quickly. In contrast, rural birds spent more time reacting to the novel object and alarm calling within 5 m of the nest. When presented with a predator model, the urban birds reacted relatively more strongly (compared to the novel stimulus) than rural birds, spending more time within 5 m of the nest and alarm calling. These results suggest that either mountain chickadees in urban environments quickly acclimatize to the presence of novel objects or, potentially, that less neophobic birds disproportionately settle in urban environments or experience positive selection in urban areas. Either way, reduced neophobia may aid in mountain chickadees' ability to readily and successfully nest in such habitats.

Dataset used in publication titled " Dependence of climate and carbon cycle response in net zero emission pathways on the magnitude and duration of positive and negative emission pulses"

Essential model data use to produce figures and tables for the publication titled " Dependence of climate and carbon cycle response in net zero emission pathways on the magnitude and duration of positive and negative emission pulses"