A GUI driven Σ-Δ modulator design, evaluation and measurement tool with a view to practical implementation

A user-friendly design tool created in the MATLAB/Simulink environment to speed up the design, analysis, evaluation and measurement of single-loop and multistage sigma-delta (Sigma-Delta) modulators at the system level is presented in this paper. The tool covers a variety of Simulink-based design topologies of low-pass, band-pass and high-pass Sigma-Delta modulators

Immune profiling of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to Lactococcus garvieae: Evidence in asymptomatic versus symptomatic or vaccinated fish

Lactococcosis, caused by the Gram-positive bacterium Lactococcus garvieae, is a major concern in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) farms, which are regularly affected by outbreaks especially during the summer/fall months. In these farms, unvaccinated healthy and symptomatic fish can coexist with vaccinated fish. In the present study, innate (leukogram, serum lysozyme activity, peroxidase activity, antiprotease activity, bactericidal activity, total IgM and total proteins), and specific immune parameters (serum antibodies to L. garvieae) were assessed in unvaccinated adult rainbow trout naturally exposed to the pathogen, with or without evidence of clinical signs, or subjected to vaccination. Blood was drawn from all three groups, and blood smears were prepared. Bacteria were found in the blood smears of 70% of the symptomatic fish but not in any of the asymptomatic fish. Symptomatic fish showed lower blood lymphocytes and higher thrombocytes than asymptomatic fish (p ≤.05). Serum lysozyme and bactericidal activity did not vary substantially among groups; however, serum antiprotease and peroxidase activity were significantly lower in the unvaccinated symptomatic group than in the unvaccinated and vaccinated asymptomatic groups (p ≤.05). Serum total proteins and total immunoglobulin (IgM) levels in vaccinated asymptomatic rainbow trout were significantly higher than in unvaccinated asymptomatic and symptomatic groups (p ≤.05). Similarly, vaccinated asymptomatic fish produced more specific IgM against L. garvieae than unvaccinated asymptomatic and symptomatic fish (p ≤.05). This preliminary study provides basic knowledge on the immunological relationship occurring between the rainbow trout and L. garvieae, potentially predicting health outcomes. The approach we proposed could facilitate infield diagnostics, and several non-specific immunological markers could serve as reliable indicators of the trout's innate ability to fight infection

Calcium signals are necessary to establish auxin transporter polarity in a plant stem cell niche

In plants mechanical signals pattern morphogenesis through the polar transport of the hormone auxin and through regulation of interphase microtubule (MT) orientation. To date, the mechanisms by which such signals induce changes in cell polarity remain unknown. Through a combination of time-lapse imaging, and chemical and mechanical perturbations, we show that mechanical stimulation of the SAM causes transient changes in cytoplasmic calcium ion concentration (Ca^(2+)) and that transient Ca^(2+) response is required for downstream changes in PIN-FORMED 1 (PIN1) polarity. We also find that dynamic changes in Ca^(2+) occur during development of the SAM and this Ca^(2+) response is required for changes in PIN1 polarity, though not sufficient. In contrast, we find that Ca^(2+) is not necessary for the response of MTs to mechanical perturbations revealing that Ca^(2+) specifically acts downstream of mechanics to regulate PIN1 polarity response

The association of Lactococcus petauri with lactococcosis is older than expected

Lactococcosis is a globally prevalent infectious disease that has a significant economic and sanitary impact on the rainbow trout industry. Lactococcus garvieae has traditionally been considered the only species implicated in the etiology of this disease, but Lactococcus petauri, a new species, has recently been implicated as another etiological agent. Both species cannot be distinguished by routine methods commonly used in diagnostic laboratories, resulting in their misidentification. In the present study, the identification of 48 isolates initially identified as L. garvieae was studied by determining their in-silico DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) values using pairwise comparisons of their whole genome sequences and the genomes of the type strains of L. garvieae and L. petauri. The genome sequences of 37 isolates from countries in which lactococcosis can be considered endemic (Spain, Italy, Türkiye, and Greece) were obtained in this study, and the genomes of 11 isolates were retrieved from the GenBank database. Isolates from Italy, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, India, one Turkish isolate from 2013 and two Spanish isolates recovered in 1992 and 1996 were confirmed as L. garvieae. The remaining isolates from Spain and Türkiye, as well as those from Portugal, Israel, USA, and Greece were identified as L. petauri. Overall, 60.4% of isolates previously identified as L. garvieae were found to be L. petauri. These results confirm the implication of both species in the etiology of lactococcosis and suggest that L. petauri plays a significant role in the epidemiology of this disease. Some of the isolates identified as L. petauri in the present study were isolated three decades ago, indicating that its association with lactococcosis is older than might be expected from the recent descriptions. The commercial Rapid ID32 Strep system was unable to discriminate between L. garvieae and L. petauri. However, both species exhibited some biochemical differences that might serve as phenotypic markers for their presumptive recognition. Consequently, isolates that hydrolyze hippurate and produce acid from sucrose and tagatose could be presumptively recognized as L. petauri, while those that fail these tests could be identified as L. garvieae. The results of this work indicate that great attention should be given to L. petauri in the epidemiology of lactococcosis

16S-23S rRNA Internal Transcribed Spacer Region (ITS) Sequencing: A Potential Molecular Diagnostic Tool for Differentiating Lactococcus garvieae and Lactococcus petauri

Lactococcus garvieae is the etiological agent of lactococcosis, a clinically and economically significant infectious disease affecting farmed rainbow trout. L. garvieae had been considered the only cause of lactococcosis for a long time; however, L. petauri, another species of the genus Lactococcus, has lately been linked to the same disease. The genomes and biochemical profiles of L. petauri and L. garvieae have a high degree of similarity. Traditional diagnostic tests currently available cannot distinguish between these two species. The aim of this study was to use the transcribed spacer (ITS) region between 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA as a potential useful molecular target to differentiate L. garvieae from L. petauri, saving time and money compared to genomics methods currently used as diagnostic tools for accurate discrimination between these two species. The ITS region of 82 strains was amplified and sequenced. The amplified fragments varied in size from 500 to 550 bp. Based on the sequence, seven SNPs were identified that separate L. garvieae from L. petauri. The 16S-23S rRNA ITS region has enough resolution to distinguish between closely related L. garvieae and L. petauri and it can be used as a diagnostic marker to quickly identify the pathogens in a lactococcosis outbreak

Calcium signals are necessary to establish auxin transporter polarity in a plant stem cell niche

In plants mechanical signals pattern morphogenesis through the polar transport of the hormone auxin and through regulation of interphase microtubule (MT) orientation. To date, the mechanisms by which such signals induce changes in cell polarity remain unknown. Through a combination of time-lapse imaging, and chemical and mechanical perturbations, we show that mechanical stimulation of the SAM causes transient changes in cytoplasmic calcium ion concentration (Ca^(2+)) and that transient Ca^(2+) response is required for downstream changes in PIN-FORMED 1 (PIN1) polarity. We also find that dynamic changes in Ca^(2+) occur during development of the SAM and this Ca^(2+) response is required for changes in PIN1 polarity, though not sufficient. In contrast, we find that Ca^(2+) is not necessary for the response of MTs to mechanical perturbations revealing that Ca^(2+) specifically acts downstream of mechanics to regulate PIN1 polarity response

Entrainment of the Mammalian Cell Cycle by the Circadian Clock: Modeling Two Coupled Cellular Rhythms

The cell division cycle and the circadian clock represent two major cellular rhythms. These two periodic processes are coupled in multiple ways, given that several molecular components of the cell cycle network are controlled in a circadian manner. For example, in the network of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) that governs progression along the successive phases of the cell cycle, the synthesis of the kinase Wee1, which inhibits the G2/M transition, is enhanced by the complex CLOCK-BMAL1 that plays a central role in the circadian clock network. Another component of the latter network, REV-ERBα, inhibits the synthesis of the Cdk inhibitor p21. Moreover, the synthesis of the oncogene c-Myc, which promotes G1 cyclin synthesis, is repressed by CLOCK-BMAL1. Using detailed computational models for the two networks we investigate the conditions in which the mammalian cell cycle can be entrained by the circadian clock. We show that the cell cycle can be brought to oscillate at a period of 24 h or 48 h when its autonomous period prior to coupling is in an appropriate range. The model indicates that the combination of multiple modes of coupling does not necessarily facilitate entrainment of the cell cycle by the circadian clock. Entrainment can also occur as a result of circadian variations in the level of a growth factor controlling entry into G1. Outside the range of entrainment, the coupling to the circadian clock may lead to disconnected oscillations in the cell cycle and the circadian system, or to complex oscillatory dynamics of the cell cycle in the form of endoreplication, complex periodic oscillations or chaos. The model predicts that the transition from entrainment to 24 h or 48 h might occur when the strength of coupling to the circadian clock or the level of growth factor decrease below critical values

MINERvA neutrino detector response measured with test beam data

The MINERvA collaboration operated a scaled-down replica of the solid scintillator tracking and sampling calorimeter regions of the MINERvA detector in a hadron test beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility. This article reports measurements with samples of protons, pions, and electrons from 0.35 to 2.0 GeV/c momentum. The calorimetric response to protons, pions, and electrons are obtained from these data. A measurement of the parameter in Birks' law and an estimate of the tracking efficiency are extracted from the proton sample. Overall the data are well described by a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation of the detector and particle interactions with agreements better than 4%, though some features of the data are not precisely modeled. These measurements are used to tune the MINERvA detector simulation and evaluate systematic uncertainties in support of the MINERvA neutrino cross section measurement program.Comment: as accepted by NIM