Rising from the Ashes: The Biogeographic Origins of Modern Coral Reef Fishes

During the excavation of Mayan tombs, little did the archaeologists know that the fossils they discovered in the tomb stones would fundamentally alter our understanding of the earliest origins of coral reef fishes. Located just 500 kilometers from the point where an asteroid impact reconfigured the world's biological systems 66 million years ago, we find the earliest origins of three typical reef fish groups. Their presence in Mexico just 3 million years after this impact finally reconciles the conflict between the fossil and phylogenetic evidence for the earliest origins of reef fishes. The incorporation of these fossils into a global reconstruction of fish evolutionary history reveals a new picture of the early biogeography of reef fishes, with strong Atlantic links. From locations associated with biological destruction and societal collapse, we see evidence of the origins of one of the world's most diverse and spectacular marine ecosystems: coral reefs

Multiplexed direct genomic selection (MDiGS): a pooled BAC capture approach for highly accurate CNV and SNP/INDEL detection

Despite declining sequencing costs, few methods are available for cost-effective single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), insertion/deletion (INDEL) and copy number variation (CNV) discovery in a single assay. Commercially available methods require a high investment to a specific region and are only cost-effective for large samples. Here, we introduce a novel, flexible approach for multiplexed targeted sequencing and CNV analysis of large genomic regions called multiplexed direct genomic selection (MDiGS). MDiGS combines biotinylated bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) capture and multiplexed pooled capture for SNP/INDEL and CNV detection of 96 multiplexed samples on a single MiSeq run. MDiGS is advantageous over other methods for CNV detection because pooled sample capture and hybridization to large contiguous BAC baits reduces sample and probe hybridization variability inherent in other methods. We performed MDiGS capture for three chromosomal regions consisting of ∼550 kb of coding and non-coding sequence with DNA from 253 patients with congenital lower limb disorders. PITX1 nonsense and HOXC11 S191F missense mutations were identified that segregate in clubfoot families. Using a novel pooled-capture reference strategy, we identified recurrent chromosome chr17q23.1q23.2 duplications and small HOXC 5′ cluster deletions (51 kb and 12 kb). Given the current interest in coding and non-coding variants in human disease, MDiGS fulfills a niche for comprehensive and low-cost evaluation of CNVs, coding, and non-coding variants across candidate regions of interest

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 variant infection of human colon epithelial cells

The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, characterized by multiple subvariants including BA.1, XBB.1.5, EG.5, and JN.1, became the predominant strain in early 2022. Studies indicate that Omicron replicates less efficiently in lung tissue compared to the ancestral strain. However, the infectivity of Omicron in the gastrointestinal tract is not fully defined, despite the fact that 70% of COVID-19 patients experience digestive disease symptoms. Here, using primary human colonoids, we found that, regardless of individual variability, Omicron infects colon cells similarly or less effectively than the ancestral strain or the Delta variant. The variant induced limited type III interferon expression and showed no significant impact on epithelial integrity. Further experiments revealed inefficient cell-to-cell spread and spike protein cleavage in the Omicron spike protein, possibly contributing to its lower infectious particle levels. The findings highlight the variant-specific replication differences in human colonoids, providing insights into the enteric tropism of Omicron and its relevance to long COVID symptoms

Kinesin family member 6 (kif6) is necessary for spine development in zebrafish

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of John Wiley & Sons for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Developmental Dynamics 243 (2014): 1646–1657, doi:10.1002/dvdy.24208.Idiopathic scoliosis is a form of spinal deformity that affects 2–3% of children and results in curvature of the spine without structural defects of the vertebral units. The pathogenesis of idiopathic scoliosis remains poorly understood, in part due to the lack of a relevant animal model. We performed a forward mutagenesis screen in zebrafish to identify new models for idiopathic scoliosis. We isolated a recessive zebrafish mutant, called skolios, which develops isolated spinal curvature that arises independent of vertebral malformations. Using meiotic mapping and whole genome sequencing, we identified a nonsense mutation in kinesin family member 6 (kif6gw326) unique to skolios mutants. Three additional kif6 frameshift alleles (gw327, gw328, gw329) were generated with transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs). Zebrafish homozygous or compound heterozygous for kif6 frameshift mutations developed a scoliosis phenotype indistinguishable from skolios mutants, confirming that skolios is caused by the loss of kif6. Although kif6 may play a role in cilia, no evidence for cilia dysfunction was seen in kif6gw326 mutants. Overall, these findings demonstrate a novel role for kif6 in spinal development and identify a new candidate gene for human idiopathic scoliosis.2015-11-1

LIVER BIOCHEMISTRY PROFILE IN WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) REARED IN CAPTIVITY

El presente estudio se llevó a cabo con 23 venados cola blanca (Odocoileus virginianus), de ambos sexos, y criados en cautiverio en la provincia de Lima, con el objetivo de determinar el perfil bioquímico sanguíneo hepático a través de los valores séricos de Bilirrubina Total y Directa, Proteínas Totales, Albúmina, Alanino Amino Transferasa (ALT), Aspartato Amino Transferasa (AST), Fosfatasa Alcalina (FA), y Gamma Glutamil Transferasa (GGT). Los animales (7 machos y 16 hembras), pertenecientes a tres zoológicos o zoocriaderos, fueron anestesiados con clorhidrato de ketamina o con la combinación de clorhidrato de ketamina y clorhidrato de xilacina. Se extrajo 7 ml de sangre por punción de la vena safena en tubos estériles sin anticoagulante, y los sueros fueron analizados con kits comerciales. Los valores encontrados (media ± DE) fueron para Bilirrubina Total: 0.6 ± 0.3 mg/dl; Bilirrubina Directa: 0.08 ± 0.06 mg/dl; Proteínas Totales: 6.6 ± 0.7 g/dl; Albúmina: 3.6 ± 0.5 g/dl; ALT: 26.0 ± 9.7 UI/l; AST: 87.6 ± 22.9 UI/l; FA: 73.9 ± 33.8 UI/l; y GGT: 42.5 ± 12.6 UI/l. No hubo diferencia estadística entre sexos con excepción de BT y albúmina (p<0.05).This study was carried out with 23 adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)of both sexes, kept in captivity in the province of Lima to establish reference liverbiochemistry profilevalues (Total and direct bilirubin, total protein, albumin, alanineamino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (AF),and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT). The animals (7 males and 16 females) were from three local zoos and were anesthesyzed with ketamine hydrochloride or with acombination of ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride. Blood samples (7ml) were collected from the saphenous vein in sterile tubes and serum was analyzedusing commercial kits. The values (mean ± SD) were Total Bilirubin: 0.6 ± 0.3 mg/dl;Direct Bilirubin: 0.08 ± 0.06 mg/dl; Total Protein: 6.6 ± 0.7 g/dl; Albumin: 3.6 ± 0.5 g/dl;ALT: 26.0 ± 9.7 UI/l; AST: 87.6 ± 22.9 UI/l; AF: 73.9 ± 33.8 UI/l, and GGT: 42.5 ± 12.6 UI/l.There were no statistical differences due to sex except for total bilirubin and albumin(p<0.05

A virtual reality computing platform for real time 3D visualization

In the last decade, virtual reality (VR) systems have been used to enhance the visualization of design projects. The VR techniques allow to the designer interacting and modelling in a more intuitive and e cient way. Current 3D and animated simulation tools are a new chal- lenge for 3D visualization. In this paper we propose a general VR com- puting platform that enables real time visualization of 3D scenarios for manufacturing and forensic simulations. The platform is able to treat static and dynamic 3D environments, allowing to share the experience of navigation in the scene among the users, even geographically distributed. The platform proposed is validated through a case study using real time 3D models manipulations and interaction in a simulated car crash.Eje: Workshop Computación gráfica, imágenes y visualización (WCGIV)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Simulación de entidades en realidad virtual

En la actualidad, las nuevas tecnologías emergentes han alterado los procedimientos tradicionales de transmision del conocimiento, incorporando nuevas formas de visualización e interacción a través de equipos especializados los cuales proveen, además, la alternativa de interacción del observador con el objeto/dato visualizado, enriqueciendo la ilusión de representar información tridimensional en un espacio bidimensional. La generación de gráficos 3D en los que se simulen de forma realista el comportamiento de personajes, objetos y materiales naturales, en especial cuando estos interaccionan entre sí es de gran importancia, y a que existen muchas aplicaciones que requieren que el comportamiento de este tipo de entidades sea realista o al menos creíble. Adicionalmente, el hecho de que en las aplicaciones interactivas, como en la simulaci on o los videojuegos, el tiempo para determinar su comportamiento sea muy reducido, hace que el problema tenga difícil solución. Esta propuesta de trabajo establece los lineamientos a seguir con la intención de abordar los principales problemas existentes en la simulación del comportamiento de personajes y objetos dentro de un entorno de Realidad Virtual inmersiva, así como las técnicas que pueden ser empleadas en su solución Esta propuesta de trabajo establece los lineamientos a seguir con la intenci on de abordar los principales problemas existentes en la simulación del comportamiento de personajes y objetos dentro de un entorno de Realidad Virtual inmersiva, así como las técnicas que pueden ser empleadas en su solución.Eje: Computación gráfica, imágenes y visualizaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI