Late Pleistocene Vertebrate, Plant and Insect Remains from the lnnerkip Site, Southwestern Ontario

Remains of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus), muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) and Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingi) have been recovered from a peat deposit exposed on a tributary of the Thames River in southwestern Ontario. Numerous insect fossils, principally Coleoptera, and a variety of plants recovered from the same stratigraphie horizon have permitted a partial reconstruction of a larger community at the site of peat deposition. The plant, vertebrate and invertebrate fossils represent part of an assemblage which existed in. or beside, a small pond. Deposition probably occurred at the end of the Sangamon Interglaciation (Isotope Stage 5e) or during warm Early Wisconsinan interstadial (Isotope Stage 5c or 5a).Les restes de cerf de Virginie (Odocoileus virginianus), de campagnols des champs (Microtus pennsylvanicus), de rat musqué (Ondatra zibethicus) et de tortue mouchetée (Emydoidea blandingi) ont été recueillis dans un dépôt de tourbe à découvert d'un tributaire de la rivière Thames. De nombreux fossiles d'insectes, surtout de coléoptères, et une certaine variété de végétaux faisant partie du même horizon stratigraphique ont permis de faire la reconstitution, du moins partielle, d'une communauté plus importante au site de la mise en place de la tourbe. Les fossiles de végétaux, de vertébrés et d'invertébrés représentent une partie d'un regroupement qui a vécu dans un petit étang ou à proximité. La mise en place a probablement eu lieu à la fin de l'Interglaciaire du Sangamonien (stade isotopique 5e) ou au cours d'un interstade chaud du Wisconsinien inférieur (stade isotopique 5c ou 5a).Reste von Virginia-Hirsch (Odocoileus virginianus), Wiesenmâusen (Microtus pennsylvanicus), Bisamratte (Ondatra zibethicus) und Blading's Schildkrôte (Emydoidea blandingi) wurden aus einer Torfablagerung wiedergewonnen, die an einem Nebenfluss des Thames River offengelegt war. Zahlreiche Insekten-fossile, hauptsàchlich Coleoptera, und eine Vielfalt von Pflanzen von demselben stratigraphischen Horizont erlaubten eine teilweise Rekonstruktion einer grôsseren Lebensgemeinschaft am Ort der Torfablagerung. Die Fossile von Pflanzen, Wirbeltieren und Wirbellosen sind Teil einer Einheit, die in oder neben einem kleinen Teich existierte. Die Ablagerung fand wahrscheinlich am Ende des sangamonischen Interglazial (lsotop Stadium 5e) oder wàhrend des fruhen Wisconsinischen Interstadial (lsotop Stadium 5c oder 5a) statt

SPICES: Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems

SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems) is a five-year M-class mission proposed to ESA Cosmic Vision. Its purpose is to image and characterize long-period extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks in the visible (450 - 900 nm) at a spectral resolution of about 40 using both spectroscopy and polarimetry. By 2020/22, present and near-term instruments will have found several tens of planets that SPICES will be able to observe and study in detail. Equipped with a 1.5 m telescope, SPICES can preferentially access exoplanets located at several AUs (0.5-10 AU) from nearby stars ($<$25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses to Super Earths ($\sim$2 Earth radii, $\sim$10 M$_{\oplus}$) as well as circumstellar disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System

Evaluating the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Mutation D614G on Transmissibility and Pathogenicity.

Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G are suggestive of a selective advantage but may also be due to a random founder effect. We investigate the hypothesis for positive selection of spike D614G in the United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Despite the availability of a large dataset, well represented by both spike 614 variants, not all approaches showed a conclusive signal of positive selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases in frequency relative to 614D in a manner consistent with a selective advantage. We do not find any indication that patients infected with the spike 614G variant have higher COVID-19 mortality or clinical severity, but 614G is associated with higher viral load and younger age of patients. Significant differences in growth and size of 614G phylogenetic clusters indicate a need for continued study of this variant

Evaluating the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Mutation D614G on Transmissibility and Pathogenicity

Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G are suggestive of a selective advantage but may also be due to a random founder effect. We investigate the hypothesis for positive selection of spike D614G in the United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Despite the availability of a large dataset, well represented by both spike 614 variants, not all approaches showed a conclusive signal of positive selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases in frequency relative to 614D in a manner consistent with a selective advantage. We do not find any indication that patients infected with the spike 614G variant have higher COVID-19 mortality or clinical severity, but 614G is associated with higher viral load and younger age of patients. Significant differences in growth and size of 614G phylogenetic clusters indicate a need for continued study of this variant

The vertebrate fauna from the Natufian level at Jebel es-Saaïdé (Saaïdé II), Lebanon

Vertebrate remains recovered from preliminary test trenching and pits in a Natufian habitation site named Saaïdé II, on the edge of Jebel es-Saaïdé, about 800 m northwest of Saaïdé, on the eastern slope of the Lebanon Mountains, indicate a mixed forest and savanna assemblage with some open water. Twenty-two vertebrate taxa are identified from fragmentary remains. These are: Reptilia (1), Moorish, Mediterranean or spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca); Aves (7), ?imperial eagle (Aquila cf. ?heliaca), pintail duck (Anas acula), teal (Anas crecca), pochard (Netta rufina), greylag or white-fronted goose (Anser anser or A. albifrons), great bustard (Otis tarda) and ?rock dove (Columba ?livia); Mammalia (14), hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), man (Homo sapiens), Cape hare (Lepus capensis), mole rat (Spalax ?kebarensis). golden jackal (Canis aureus syriacus), ?red fox (Vulpes ?vulpes), honey badger (Mellivora capensis), stone marten (Martes ?foina), ?European lynx (?Lynx lynx), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), goat (Capra aegagrus) or ibex (C. ibex), and wild cattle or aurochs (Bos primigenius). This assemblage suggests that the Natufian inhabitants of Jebel es-Saaïdé hunted both in the broadleafed forests of the Lebanon Mountains for deer or in the grasslands of the Litani-Asi drainage for gazelle, hares or rodents, and obtained waterbirds along the streams flowing into the Asi River. The cattle may have been taken either near the water or in the forests. Key-words : Neolithic. Natufian. Vertebrate Fauna, Ecology, Saaïdé II, Bekaa Valley. Lebanon.Les restes de vertébrés mis au jour dans les sondages préliminaires effectués sur le site naloufien de Saaïdé II, sur la pente orientale des Monts du Liban, représentent une faune de forêt mixte et de savane avec des zones humides. Les 22 taxons de vertébrés identifiés sont les suivants: Reptiles ( I ), tortue grecque, méditerranéenne (Testudo graeca); Oiseaux (7): aigle impérial ? ( Aquila cf ?heliaca), canard pilet (Anas acuta), sarcelle d'hiver (Anas crecca), nette rousse (Netta rufïna), oie rieuse (Anser anser ou A. albifrons), grande outarde (Otis tarda) et pigeon biset (Columba ?livia); Mammifères (14) : hérisson (Erinaceus europaeus), homme (Homo sapiens,), lièvre (Lepus capensis), spalax (Spalax ?kebarensis), chacal (Canis aureus syriacus), renard ? (Vulpes ?vulpes), blaireau (Mellivora capensis), marte (Martes ?foina), lynx ? (Lynx lynx ?), cerf (Cervus elaphus), chevreuil (Capreolus capreolus), gazelle (Gazella gazella), chèvre (Capra aegagrus) ou ibex (С. ibex), aurochs (Bos primigenius). Cet ensemble suggère que les Natoufiens de Jebel es-Saaïdé chassaient à la fois le cerf dans les forêts à feuilles caduques des Monts du Liban, la gazelle, le lièvre et des rongeurs dans les prairies du bassin du Litani et de l'Asi ainsi que les oiseaux d'eau le long des torrents, tandis que l'aurochs pouvait être traqué près de l'eau ou dans les forêts. Mots clés : Néolithique, Naloufien, Vertébrés. Ecologie, Saaïdé II, Beqaa, Liban.Churcher Charles S. The vertebrate fauna from the Natufian level at Jebel es-Saaïdé (Saaïdé II), Lebanon. In: Paléorient, 1994, vol. 20, n°2. pp. 35-58

Flow chart of the study designs in Haiti, Kenya and Panama.

<p>*The number of eggs genotyped is different from the number of eggs collected. This is due to failures in DNA extraction, PCR amplification or Pyrosequencing. x̄ represents the mean number of eggs sampled per host; SD = standard deviation. The dashed lines mean that the connection between the two boxes is not direct.</p

Genotype frequencies of β-tubulin position 167 in <i>A. lumbricoides</i> before and after ABZ treatment.

1<p>TT = homozygous susceptible-type TTC/TTC.</p>2<p>TA = heterozygous TTC/TAC.</p>3<p>AA = homozygous resistance-type type TAC/TAC.</p>4<p>Tx = treatment.</p><p>The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of individual eggs genotyped. The letters (a,b) indicate significant difference (p<0.001) between the genotypes of the pre- and post treatment groups.</p><p>P-values were obtained from Fisher's exact test.</p

Faecal egg count reduction rates for <i>A. lumbricoides</i>, <i>T. trichiura</i> and hookworms.

1<p>FEC, faecal egg count, (egg per gram of stool).</p>2<p>CI, confidence interval. The confidence intervals of the egg reduction rate were calculated using a bootstrap resampling method <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002247#pntd.0002247-Efron1" target="_blank">[45]</a>.</p>3<p>ERR, egg reduction rate. The ERR estimates were obtained by dividing the difference between the arithmetic mean of the pre- and post-treatment FEC (at group level, ignoring individual variability) by the mean of the pre-treatment mean count (see text).</p>4<p>NA = Not applicable.</p>5<p>HW = Hookworm.</p

Genotype frequencies of the β-tubulin gene position 200 in <i>T. trichiura</i> from Haiti and Kenya.

<p>Genotype frequencies of <i>T. trichura</i> collected in Haiti (A) and in Kenya (B); Number of individual <i>T. trichiura</i> eggs genotyped according to the available material, in Haiti was 65 in the untreated group (pre-Tx) and 38 in the treated group (post-Tx), in Kenya was 40 in the untreated group and 90 in the treated group. Sequences were diploid, TT indicates the homozygous susceptible-type TTC/TTC, TA the heterozygous TTC/TAC and AA, the homozygous resistance-type TAC/TAC; Tx = treatment, *Indicates a significant difference (p<0.001) in genotype frequency between the pre- and post treatment groups. P-values were obtained by Fisher's exact test.</p