Metagenomic-based Surveillance of Pacific Coast tick Dermacentor occidentalis Identifies Two Novel Bunyaviruses and an Emerging Human Ricksettsial Pathogen.

An increasing number of emerging tick-borne diseases has been reported in the United States since the 1970s. Using metagenomic next generation sequencing, we detected nucleic acid sequences from 2 novel viruses in the family Bunyaviridae and an emerging human rickettsial pathogen, Rickettsia philipii, in a population of the Pacific Coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis in Mendocino County sampled annually from 2011 to 2014. A total of 250 adults of this human-biting, generalist tick were collected from contiguous chaparral and grassland habitats, and RNA from each individually extracted tick was deep sequenced to an average depth of 7.3 million reads. We detected a Francisella endosymbiont in 174 ticks (70%), and Rickettsia spp. in 19 ticks (8%); Rickettsia-infected ticks contained R. rhipicephali (16 of 250, 6.4%) or R. philipii (3 of 250,1.2%), the agent of eschar-associated febrile illness in humans. The genomes of 2 novel bunyaviruses (>99% complete) in the genera Nairovirus and Phlebovirus were also identified and found to be present in 20-91% of ticks, depending on the year of collection. The high prevalence of these bunyaviruses in sampled Dermacentor ticks suggests that they may be viral endosymbionts, although further studies are needed to determine whether they are infectious for vertebrate hosts, especially humans, and their potential role in tick ecology

Virtual predictive testing of biomechanical effects of impacts on the human leg

PAM'94 Fourth international conference on virtual predictive testingof industrial prototypes, PARIS, FRANCE, 05-/10/1994 - 05/10/1994In car/pedestrian accident mathematical simulations, it is desirable to extend existing rigid body human model towards deformable finite element models. Thereby a wider range of front car structure/pedestrian interactions can be covered. Even though some injuries to pedestrian are due to contact with the ground, research concerning the severity of injuries due to the car contact, related to the bumper and the bonnet height and stiffness, and to the speed of the vehicle, are being carried out. In a previous study a finite element model of the pedestrian knee-joint in lateral impact was expanded. This paper presents a modelling of a human leg in lateral impact for use in an explicit finite element code. The articulation between each condyle of the femur and the corresponding tuberosity of the tibia is mainly described. The bones entering into the formation of the knee-joint are the condyles of the femur above, the head of the tibia below. The bones are connected together by ligaments, some of which are placed on the exterior (e. g. ; lateral and medial collateral...) of the joint, while others occupy its interior (e. g. ; anterior and posterior crucial...). This model will be impacted to estimate the severity of leg lesions and to predict the risk of leg injuries in car/pedestrian accidents. The effect of the impactor stiffness, velocity and height will be evaluated. Experimental results from static tests and impact tests, to characterise the mechanical behaviour of each part, like the ligaments or the bones, and the whole kinematics of the knee, serve as a basis for the validation of the model

Supersymmetric Electroweak Parity Nonconservation in Top Quark Pair Production at the Fermilab Tevatron

We evaluate the supersymmetric (SUSY) electroweak corrections to the effect of parity nonconservation in $q {\bar q} \to t {\bar t}$ production at the Fermilab Tevatron predicted by the Minimal Supersymmetric Model (MSSM). We find that the parity nonconserving asymmetry from the SUSY electroweak and SUSY Yukawa loop corrections predicted by the minimal supergravity (mSUGRA) model and the MSSM models with scenarios motivated by current data is about one percent. It will be challenging to observe such a small asymmetry at the Tevatron with 10 fb^{-1} of luminosity. It could however be observable if both the top- and bottom-squarks are light and $\tan \beta$ is smaller than 1, though theses parameters are not favored by mSUGRA.Comment: revised version, some new numerical results adde

Modélisation mathématique du mannequin de choc latéral utilisé pour la réglementation en sécurité routière

HARBOURUIC, Numérisation 3D - Human modeling, PARIS, FRANCE, 27-/05/1998 - 01/01/1970La réglementation en matière de sécurité automobile actuelle et/ou a venir, nécessite la réalisation d'essais de comportements des véhicules aux chocs. Ces voitures peuvent comporter des mannequins instrumentes, anthropomorphiques et anthropométriques. L'analyse des signaux mesurés de ces mannequins durant des conditions de chocs rend compte des conséquences de la violence de choc, et donc par conséquent des propriétés de la structure du véhicule a dissiper l'énergie. La conception des voitures est optimisée en fonction des critères réglementaires. Pour le constructeur automobile, des le départ de la conception de la structure du véhicule par ordinateur une étude de résistance de cette structure est menée. Dans cette étude si le comportement du mannequin pouvait être aussi modélise, l'approche numérique serait complète. Ceci en aucun cas n'exclurait l'expérimentation mais permettrait une conception optimisée de la structure des véhicules. La simulation numérique des événements chocs automobiles en présence de mannequins mécaniques d'essais est sortie du stade de recherche et est en train d'atteindre le niveau d'exploitation industrielle pour les procédures de choc frontal et latéral. Le comportement des mannequins en collision est toujours également analyse par essai mécanique a échelle réelle. L'étude présentée dans ce papier est la modélisation mathématique de mannequin de l'EUROSID complet et de sa validation. Il s'agit d'un mannequin de choc latéral développé pour la réglementation en Europe. Ce modèle de type éléments finis est valide pour chaque composant du mannequin EUROSID et pour le mannequin EUROSID complet par comparaison des résultats obtenus par simulation numérique, avec les essais expérimentaux menés à l'INRETS lors de chocs, avec impacteur et sur petite catapulte simulant un choc latéral

Méthodes d'évaluation de la protection des jambes de piétons lors de chocs avec l'avant d'une voiture

35èmes Assises nationales de médecine du trafic ; 3e entretiens de la prévention routière, PARIS, FRANCE, 21-/10/1994 - 22/10/199

Comparaison de la réponse de la face humaine et de celle du mannequin lors d'impacts

36èmes assises nationales de médecine du trafic, NIMES, FRANCE, 20-/10/1995 - 21/10/1995Lors des collisions frontales en chocs automobiles, la face humaine est particulièrement sollicitée. Par sa déformation, elle absorbe de l'énergie et limite les contraintes transmises à la boite crânienne. Il est donc important de connaître l'influence exacte de ce phénomène et de comparer la réponse de la face humaine par rapport à celle des mannequins couramment utilisés lors des crashs tests. L'objectif de cette étude est de comparer la réponse de la face humaine et de celle de mannequins anthropomorphiques et anthropométriques de choc frontal (hybrid II, hybrid III) lors de reconstruction d'impacts. L'analyse bibliographique se décompose en deux parties. La première concerne les sujets anatomiques ; l'anatomie fonctionnelle de la face humaine, les lésions en fonction des impacts. La deuxième partie porte sur les mannequins de chocs frontaux ; les têtes couramment utilisées sur mannequins, hybrid II et hybrid III la base de connaissance actuelle avec les essais de face fragilisée, de face sensible, de tête de mannequin prototype. D'après l'étude bibliographique précédente, une procédure d'essais est mise au point. Les expérimentations spécifiques sur la face de mannequin et sur la face de sujet anatomique permettent de mesurer la réponse de la face lors d'impacts et d'apprécier le degré de biofidélité des faces des mannequins actuel

Supersymmetric Electroweak Corrections to Single Top Quark Production at the Fermilab Tevatron

We have calculated the $O(\alpha_{ew} M_t^2/M_W^2)$ supersymmetric electroweak corrections to single top quark production via $q\bar q' \to t\bar b$ at the Fermilab Tevatron in the minimal supersymmetric model. The supersymmetric electroweak corrections to the cross section are a few percent for $tan \beta> 1$, and can exceed 10% for $tan\beta<1$. The combined effects of SUSY electroweak corrections and the Yukawa corrections can exceed 10% for favorable parameter values, which might be observable at a high-luminosity Tevatron.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures available at reques

Conservation and divergence of chemical defense system in the tunicate Oikopleura dioica revealed by genome wide response to two xenobiotics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Animals have developed extensive mechanisms of response to xenobiotic chemical attacks. Although recent genome surveys have suggested a broad conservation of the chemical defensome across metazoans, global gene expression responses to xenobiotics have not been well investigated in most invertebrates. Here, we performed genome survey for key defensome genes in <it>Oikopleura dioica </it>genome, and explored genome-wide gene expression using high density tiling arrays with over 2 million probes, in response to two model xenobiotic chemicals - the carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) the pharmaceutical compound Clofibrate (Clo).</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>Oikopleura </it>genome surveys for key genes of the chemical defensome suggested a reduced repertoire. Not more than 23 cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes could be identified, and neither CYP1 family genes nor their transcriptional activator AhR was detected. These two genes were present in deuterostome ancestors. As in vertebrates, the genotoxic compound BaP induced xenobiotic biotransformation and oxidative stress responsive genes. Notable exceptions were genes of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling pathway. Clo also affected the expression of many biotransformation genes and markedly repressed genes involved in energy metabolism and muscle contraction pathways.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Oikopleura </it>has the smallest number of CYP genes among sequenced animal genomes and lacks the AhR signaling pathway. However it appears to have basic xenobiotic inducible biotransformation genes such as a conserved genotoxic stress response gene set. Our genome survey and expression study does not support a role of AhR signaling pathway in the chemical defense of metazoans prior to the emergence of vertebrates.</p

One-loop QCD Corrections to Top Quark Decay into a Neutralino and Light Stop

We calculate the one-loop QCD corrections to $t\rightarrow \tilde t_1 \tilde \chi^0_j$ using dimensional reduction scheme, including QCD and supersymmetric QCD corrections. The analytic expressions for the corrections to the decay width are given, which can easily be extended to $t\rightarrow \tilde \chi^+_j \tilde b_i$. The numerical results show that the correction amounts to more than a 10\% reduction in the partial width relative to the tree level result. We also compare the corrections in the no-mixing stop case with those in the mixing stop case.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, revised version(using dimensional reduction technique, the corrections have been recalculated