The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas belongs to one of the most species-rich but genomically poorly explored phyla, the Mollusca. Here we report the sequencing and assembly of the oyster genome using short reads and a fosmid-pooling strategy, along with transcriptomes of development and stress response and the proteome of the shell. The oyster genome is highly polymorphic and rich in repetitive sequences, with some transposable elements still actively shaping variation. Transcriptome studies reveal an extensive set of genes responding to environmental stress. The expansion of genes coding for heat shock protein 70 and inhibitors of apoptosis is probably central to the oyster's adaptation to sessile life in the highly stressful intertidal zone. Our analyses also show that shell formation in molluscs is more complex than currently understood and involves extensive participation of cells and their exosomes. The oyster genome sequence fills a void in our understanding of the Lophotrochozoa.Oceans cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and harbour most of the phylum diversity of the animal kingdom. Understanding marine biodiversity and its evolution remains a major challenge. The Pacific oyster C. gigas (Thunberg, 1793) is a marine bivalve belonging to the phylum Mollusca, which contains the largest number of described marine animal species 1 . Molluscs have vital roles in the functioning of marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, and have had major effects on humans, primarily as food sources but also as sources of dyes, decorative pearls and shells, vectors of parasites, and biofouling or destructive agents. Many molluscs are important fishery and aquaculture species, as well as models for studying neurobiology, biomineralization, ocean acidification and adaptation to coastal environments under climate change 2,3 . As the most speciose member of the Lophotrochozoa, phylum Mollusca is central to our understanding of the biology and evolution of this superphylum of protostomes.As sessile marine animals living in estuarine and intertidal regions, oysters must cope with harsh and dynamically changing environments. Abiotic factors such as temperature and salinity fluctuate wildly, and toxic metals and desiccation also pose serious challenges. Filter-feeding oysters face tremendous exposure to microbial pathogens. Oysters do have a notable physical line of defence against predation and desiccation in the formation of thick calcified shells, a key evolutionary innovation making molluscs a successful group. However, acidification of the world's oceans by uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide poses a potentially serious threat to this ancient adaptation 4 . Understanding biomineralization and molluscan shell formation is, thus, a major area of interest 5 . Crassostrea gigas is also an interesting model for developmental biology owing to its mosaic development with typical molluscan stages, including trochophore and veliger larvae and metamorphosis.A complete genome sequence of C. gigas would enable a more th...

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The soluble poly(methyl methacrylate-co-octavinyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) (PMMA-POSS) hybrid nanocomposites with improved T g and high thermal stability were synthesized by common free radical polymerization and characterized using FTIR, high-resolution 1 H NMR, 29 Si NMR, GPC, DSC, and TGA. The POSS contents in the nanocomposites were determined based on FTIR spectrum, revealing that it can be effectively adjusted by varying the feed ratio of POSS in the hybrid composites. On the basis of the 1 H NMR analysis, the number of the reacted vinyl groups on each POSS molecules was determined to be about 6-8. The DSC and TGA measurements indicated that the hybrid nanocomposites had higher T g and better thermal properties than the pure PMMA homopolymer. The T g increase mechanism was investigated using FTIR, displaying that the dipole-dipole interaction between PMMA and POSS also plays very important role to the T g improvement besides the molecular motion hindrance from the hybrid structure. The thermal stability enhances with increase of POSS content, which is mainly attributed to the incorporation of nanoscale inorganic POSS uniformly dispersed at molecular level.

PD-L1 is up-regulated on neutrophils during sepsis, which may be related to sepsis-induced immunosuppression.

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Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is characterized as brain dysfunction associated with sepsis. In this study we sought to investigate the effects of resveratrol in mice with SAE, as well as its effects in NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β, which were critical in the pathogenesis of SAE. SAE was induced in mice via cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), and resveratrol was administered at two doses after surgery. Spatial learning memory functions were evaluated by Morris water maze testing. Apoptosis in the hippocampus was quantified using TUNEL assay. Inflammation in the hippocampus was quantified by measuring the levels of microglial activation, NLRP3, and IL-1β. CLP mice treated with resveratrol demonstrated a better spatial memory during water maze training. The TUNEL assay demonstrated significantly attenuated rates of apoptosis, in resveratrol treated mice, while decreasing the number of iba-1 positive microglia in the hippocampus region. NLRP3 expression and IL-1β cleavage were well inhibited by resveratrol dose-dependently. The in vitro results showed that in the BV2 cell lines resveratrol prevents ATP induced NLRP3 activation and IL-1β cleavage, which were reversed by the sirtuin 1 inhibitor, nicotinamide. In conclusion, resveratrol improves the spatial memory in mice with SAE and inhibits the NLRP3/IL-1β axis in the microglia.

A series of poly(acetoxystyrene-co-octavinyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) (PAS−POSS) hybrid nanocomposites were synthesized by free radical polymerization and characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, GPC, DSC, and TGA technologies. The POSS contents in these nanocomposites were calculated on the basis of FTIR data. The results show that POSS content can be controlled by varying the POSS feed ratios. DSC and TGA measurements reveal that the incorporation of POSS into polymers can improve the thermal properties of polymeric materials. The FTIR spectra were employed to explain the T g improvement mechanism. POSS moieties influence the T g of nanocomposite in two ways. At relatively low POSS contents, POSS plays a role of inert diluent to reduce T g. With the increase of POSS contents, both the aggregation of POSS nanoparticles and the dipole−dipole interaction between POSS and PAS molecules contribute to the increase of T g.

Mosquito populations are sensitive to long-term variations in climate and short-term variations in weather. Mosquito abundance is a key determinant of outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, such as West Nile virus (WNV). In this work, the short-term impact of weather conditions (temperature and precipitation) on Culex pipiens L.-Culex restuans Theobald mosquito abundance in Peel Region, Ontario, Canada, was investigated using the 2002-2009 mosquito data collected from the WNV surveillance program managed by Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and a gamma-generalized linear model. There was a clear association between weather conditions (temperature and precipitation) and mosquito abundance, which allowed the definition of threshold criteria for temperature and precipitation conditions for mosquito population growth. A predictive statistical model for mosquito population based on weather conditions was calibrated using real weather and mosquito surveillance data, and validated using a subset of surveillance data. Results showed that WNV vector abundance on any one day could be predicted with reasonable accuracy from relationships with mean degree-days >9 degrees C over the 11 preceding days, and precipitation 35 d previously. This finding provides optimism for the development of weather-generated forecasting for WNV risk that could be used in decision support systems for interventions such as mosquito control.