Search results for "YV"
showing 10 items of 2932 documents
Engineered Functional Redundancy Relaxes Selective Constraints upon Endogenous Genes in Viral RNA Genomes
2018
Functional redundancy, understood as the functional overlap of different genes, is a double-edge sword. At the one side, it is thought to serve as a robustness mechanism that buffers the deleterious effect of mutations hitting one of the redundant copies, thus resulting in pseudogenization. At the other side, it is considered as a source of genetic and functional innovation. In any case, genetically redundant genes are expected to show an acceleration in the rate of molecular evolution. Here, we tackle the role of functional redundancy in viral RNA genomes. To this end, we have evaluated the rates of compensatory evolution for deleterious mutations affecting an essential function, the suppr…
Viral fitness correlates with the magnitude and direction of the perturbation induced in the host’s transcriptome: the tobacco etch Potyvirus—tobacco…
2018
Determining the fitness of viral genotypes has become a standard practice in virology as it is essential to evaluate their evolutionary potential. Darwinian fitness, defined as the advantage of a given genotype with respect to a reference one, is a complex property that captures, in a single figure, differences in performance at every stage of viral infection. To what extent does viral fitness result from specific molecular interactions with host factors and regulatory networks during infection? Can we identify host genes in functional classes whose expression depends on viral fitness? Here, we compared the transcriptomes of tobacco plants infected with seven genotypes of tobacco etch potyv…
Newly Digitized Database Reveals the Lives and Families of Forced Migrants from Finnish Karelia
2017
Studies on displaced persons often suffer from a lack of data on the long-term effects of forced migration. A register created during 1960s and published as a book series ‘Siirtokarjalaisten tie’ in 1970 documented the lives of individuals who fled the southern Karelian district of Finland after its first and second occupation by the Soviet Union in 1940 and 1944. To realize the potential value of these data for scientific research, we have recently scanned the register using optical character recognition (OCR) software, and developed proprietary computer code to extract these data. Here we outline the steps involved in the digitization process, and present an overview of the Migration Kare…
VDBP, CYP27B1, and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Gene Polymorphism Analyses in a Group of Sicilian Multiple Sclerosis Patients
2016
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of central nervous system regarded as one of the most common causes of neurological disability in young adults. The exact etiology of MS is not yet known, although epidemiological data indicate that both genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure are involved. A poor vitamin D status has been proposed as the most attractive environmental factor. Several evidence have highlighted the importance of mutations in vitamin D-regulating genes for vitamin D status. The purpose of our study was to assess the genetic variants of VDBP and CYP27B1 in MS patients and in a control group. A total of 192 subjects, including 100 MS patients a…
Kluyveromyces osmophilus is not a synonym of Zygosaccharomyces mellis; reinstatement as Zygosaccharomyces osmophilus comb. nov.
2020
Kluyveromyces osmophilus, a single-strain species isolated from Mozambique sugar, has been treated a synonym of Zygosaccharomyces mellis. Analyses of D1/D2 LSU rRNA gene sequences confirmed that the species belongs to the genus Zygosaccharomyces but showed it to be distinct from strains of Z. mellis. During studies of yeasts associated with stingless bees in Brazil, nine additional isolates of the species were obtained from unripe and ripe honey and pollen of Scaptotrigona cfr. bipunctata, as well as ripe honey of Tetragonisca angustula. The D1/D2 sequences of the Brazilian isolates were identical to those of the type strain of K. osmophilus CBS 5499 (=ATCC 22027), indicating that they rep…
Factors influencing serum 25-hydroxivitamin D levels and other bone metabolism parameters in healthy older women
2016
Objective: Older women have frequently low serum 25-hydroxivitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations, high parathormone (PTH) levels and low bone mineral density (BMD) values. Endogenous synthesis, dietary habits, sunlight exposure and fat-mass-mediated storage may influence 25(OH)D levels and bone metabolism, but the relevance of these factors in the elderly has yet to be fully elucidated. We aimed to investigate the influence of dietary vitamin D intake and fat mass on serum 25(OH)D levels and bone metabolism in older women. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Community. Participants: 218 fit older women attending a biweekly mild fitness program. Measurements: Dietary habits was investigated throu…
Identifying and understanding spa tourists’ wellness attitudes
2018
As an increasing number of people in affluent societies are trending toward more health-conscious lifestyles, tourism consumer behavior has changed considerably, especially in the spa and wellness ...
Improvements in Mindfulness Facets Mediate the Alleviation of Burnout Dimensions
2020
Abstract Objectives While interventions using mindfulness have been effective in treating burnout, the mechanisms of change need more research. This study investigated which of five mindfulness facets (observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reacting) mediated the intervention effects on three burnout dimensions (exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy) during an 8-week mindfulness-, acceptance-, and value-based (MAV) intervention and a 10-month follow-up. Methods The participants were a heterogeneous sample of employees suffering from burnout (n = 202, 80% women, mean age = 47.5 years). Latent change score modeling was conducted for each combinati…
Burnout-related ill-being at work : Associations between mindfulness and acceptance skills, worksite factors, and experienced well-being in life
2018
The aim of this paper was to investigate the associations between mindfulness and acceptance (MAA) skills and burnout-related ill-being at work (ILLB) after eliminating the impact of worksite (WS) and general well-being in life (WELLB) factors. The results were derived from data on employees (n = 168) of varying professional backgrounds, who experienced relatively high levels of burnout. Analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling (SEM) and the Cholesky decomposition method, since these allow for the investigation of multiple measures and multiple factors in relation to one another. In relation to ill-being at work, the analyses revealed a general MAA factor as well as a spe…
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Using Finnish Sign Language : Training Counselors in Signed ACT for the Deaf. A Pilot Study
2018
This study evaluated the implementation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Finnish Sign Language in a rehabilitation center for deaf people. Sixteen (16) clients and nine (9) staff members participated in this pilot study. Staff members received a brief training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) including 16 h lectures, 15 h supervision, and studying material. Each staff member treated 1–2 clients during 8–10 sessions. As part of the study, several ACT metaphors and exercises were translated into Finnish Sign Language. The study indicated that counselors with limited knowledge of psychological interventions were able to deliver an ACT intervention using Finnish Sign Language a…