The Malagarasi River Does Not Form an Absolute Barrier to Chimpanzee Movement in Western Tanzania

The Malagarasi River has long been thought to be a barrier to chimpanzee movements in western Tanzania. This potential geographic boundary could affect chimpanzee ranging behavior, population connectivity and pathogen transmission, and thus has implications for conservation strategies and government policy. Indeed, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence comparisons it was recently argued that chimpanzees from communities to the north and to the south of the Malagarasi are surprisingly distantly related, suggesting that the river prevents gene flow. To investigate this, we conducted a survey along the Malagarasi River. We found a ford comprised of rocks that researchers could cross on foot. On a trail leading to this ford, we collected 13 fresh fecal samples containing chimpanzee DNA, two of which tested positive for SIVcpz. We also found chimpanzee feces within the riverbed. Taken together, this evidence suggests that the Malagarasi River is not an absolute barrier to chimpanzee movements and communities from the areas to the north and south should be considered a single population. These results have important consequences for our understanding of gene flow, disease dynamics and conservation management

Sporormiella as a tool for detecting the presence of large herbivores in the Neotropics

The reliability of using the abundance of Sporormiella spores as a proxy for the presence and abundance of megaherbivores was tested in southern Brazil. Mud-water interface samples from nine lakes, in which cattle-use was categorized as high, medium, or low, were assayed for Sporormiella representation. The sampling design allowed an analysis of both the influence of the number of animals using the shoreline and the distance of the sampling site from the nearest shoreline. Sporormiella was found to be a reliable proxy for the presence of large livestock. The concentration and abundance of spores declined from the edge of the lake toward the center, with the strongest response being in sites with high livestock use. Consistent with prior studies in temperate regions, we find that Sporormiella spores are a useful proxy to study the extinction of Pleistocene megafauna or the arrival of European livestock in Neotropical landscapes

Relationship building in Vietnamese English written business communication: A systemic functional analysis,

English has a long history in Vietnam and in the last two decades, particularly for business communication, it has developed with an unprecedented speed. Despite this ascendancy, there is an absence of research regarding English in Vietnamese business correspondence. The current study is an in-depth investigation of this with a particular focus on the written features of English, reflecting the importance of written documents in this context. This research was framed within the theoretical perspectives of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). 303 business texts from various business sectors composed by Vietnamese writers were collected. They were then analysed with regard to four SFL variables: speech functions, mood, modality and terms of address to establish the nature of the interpersonal written features developing within Vietnam. The findings of the study indicate that the writers employed several linguistic strategies (e.g., using Vietnamese kinship terms and Vietnamese lexis) and non-linguistic strategies (e.g., using emoticons and written giggling) to establish a close relationship with their interactants. Relationship building was also reflected in the employment of politeness strategies to achieve positive politeness effect. These results suggest that SFL is a useful theoretical framework and analytical tool to uncover how English is employed in different socio-cultural contexts to enact social meaning-making processes

Vaccine-Associated Enhanced Respiratory Disease Does Not Interfere with the Adaptive Immune Response Following Challenge with Pandemic A/H1N1 2009

The implications of sequential prime and challenge with mismatched influenza A viruses is a concern in mammals, including humans. We evaluated the ability of pigs affected with vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD) to generate a humoral immune response against the heterologous challenge virus inciting the VAERD. Vaccinated and challenged (V/C) pigs were administered an inactivated swine δ-cluster H1N2 (MN08) vaccine with an HA similar to pre-2009 seasonal human viruses and challenged with heterologous A(H1N1) pandemic 2009 (H1N1pdm09). Vaccination induced MN08-specific hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody but not cross-reacting H1N1pdm09 HI antibody. However, vaccinated pigs demonstrated significantly higher post-challenge anti-H1N1pdm09 serum neutralizing (SN) antibodies at 14 and 21 days post inoculation (dpi) compared to nonvaccinated, challenged pigs (NV/C), indicating a priming effect of the vaccine. Serum and lung whole virus anti-H1N1pdm09 IgG ELISA antibodies in the vaccinated group were significantly higher than the challenge only pigs at all-time points evaluated. Lung IgA ELISA antibodies to both antigens were detected at 2, 5, and 21 dpi in vaccine-primed pigs, contrasted against mucosal ELISA antibody responses detected only at 21 dpi in the naïve-challenged group. Collectively, vaccine-primed pigs demonstrated a robust humoral immune response and elevated local adaptive cytokine levels, indicating VAERD does not adversely affect the induction of an immune response to challenge with heterologous virus despite the severe clinical disease and underlying lung pathology. Thus, original antigenic sin does not appear to be a component of VAERD.This article is from Viral Immunology 26 (2013): 314, doi:10.1089/vim.2013.0018.</p

Doing politics in the recent Arab uprisings: Towards a political discourse analysis of the Arab Spring slogans

The present paper aims to analyse a number of those slogans collected from the sit-in quarters in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Using political discourse analysis, it unravels various typical discourse structures and strategies that are used in slogans in the construction of a sub-genre of political discourse in the Arab world. Drawing data from several mediums, including banners, wall graffiti, audio-visual instruments, chanting, speeches and songs, this paper tries to show the extent to which the slogans serve as a medium by which political complaints and comments are dispensed and consumed. This paper draws on a rhetorical analysis to find out their persuasive effect on shaping the Arab intellect and on the change of the political atmosphere in the region. Lastly, this paper attempts to show to what extent the slogans meet the standards of political discourse and whether they can be considered as a sub-genre of political discourse or not.IS

Clonal Immune Responses of Mycobacterium-Specific γδ T Cells in Tuberculous and Non-Tuberculous Tissues during M. tuberculosis Infection

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that unvaccinated macaques infected with large-dose M.tuberculosis(Mtb) exhibited delays for pulmonary trafficking of Ag-specific αβ and γδ T effector cells, and developed severe lung tuberculosis(TB) and "secondary" Mtb infection in remote organs such as liver and kidney. Despite delays in lungs, local immunity in remote organs may accumulate since progressive immune activation after pulmonary Mtb infection may allow IFNγ-producing γδ T cells to adequately develop and traffic to lately-infected remote organs. As initial efforts to test this hypothesis, we comparatively examined TCR repertoire/clonality, tissue trafficking and effector function of Vγ2Vδ2 T cells in lung with severe TB and in liver/kidney without apparent TB. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We utilized conventional infection-immunity approaches in macaque TB model, and employed our decades-long expertise for TCR repertoire analyses. TCR repertoires in Vγ2Vδ2 T-cell subpopulation were broad during primary Mtb infection as most TCR clones found in lymphoid system, lung, kidney and liver were distinct. Polyclonally-expanded Vγ2Vδ2 T-cell clones from lymphoid tissues appeared to distribute and localize in lung TB granuloms at the endpoint after Mtb infection by aerosol. Interestingly, some TCR clones appeared to be more predominant than others in lymphocytes from liver or kidney without apparent TB lesions. TCR CDR3 spetratyping revealed such clonal dominance, and the clonal dominance of expanded Vγ2Vδ2 T cells in kidney/liver tissues was associated with undetectable or low-level TB burdens. Furthermore, Vγ2Vδ2 T cells from tissue compartments could mount effector function for producing anti-mycobacterium cytokine. CONCLUSION: We were the first to demonstrate clonal immune responses of mycobacterium-specific Vγ2Vδ2 T cells in the lymphoid system, heavily-infected lungs and lately subtly-infected kidneys or livers during primary Mtb infection. While clonally-expanded Vγ2Vδ2 T cells accumulated in lately-infected kidneys/livers without apparent TB lesions, TB burdens or lesions appeared to impact TCR repertoires and tissue trafficking patterns of activated Vγ2Vδ2 T cells

Overexpression of extracellular superoxide dismutase reduces acute radiation induced lung toxicity

BACKGROUND: Acute RT-induced damage to the lung is characterized by inflammatory changes, which proceed to the development of fibrotic lesions in the late phase of injury. Ultimately, complete structural ablation will ensue, if the source of inflammatory / fibrogenic mediators and oxidative stress is not removed or attenuated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine whether overexpression of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) in mice ameliorates acute radiation induced injury by inhibiting activation of TGFβ1 and downregulating the Smad 3 arm of its signal transduction pathway. METHODS: Whole thorax radiation (single dose, 15 Gy) was delivered to EC-SOD overexpressing transgenic (XRT-TG) and wild-type (XRT-WT) animals. Mice were sacrificed at 1 day, 1 week, 3, 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Breathing rates, right lung weights, total/differential leukocyte count, activated TGFβ1 and components of its signal transduction pathway (Smad 3 and p-Smad 2/3) were assessed to determine lung injury. RESULTS: Irradiated wild-type (XRT-WT) animals exhibited time dependent increase in breathing rates and right lung weights, whereas these parameters were significantly less increased (p < 0.05) at 3, 6, 10 and 14 weeks in irradiated transgenic (XRT-TG) mice. An inflammatory response characterized predominantly by macrophage infiltration was pronounced in XRT-WT mice. This acute inflammation was significantly attenuated (p < 0.05) in XRT-TG animals at 1, 3, 6 and 14 weeks. Expression of activated TGFβ1 and components of its signal transduction pathway were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) at later time-points in XRT-TG vs. XRT-WT. CONCLUSION: This study shows that overexpression of EC-SOD confers protection against RT-induced acute lung injury. EC-SOD appears to work, in part, via an attenuation of the macrophage response and also decreases TGFβ1 activation with a subsequent downregulation of the profibrotic TGFβ pathway

The determinants of stroke phenotypes were different from the predictors (CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc) of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation: a comprehensive approach

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading cause of fatal ischemic stroke. It was recently reported that international normalized ratio (INR) levels were associated with infarct volumes. However, factors other than INR levels that affect stroke phenotypes are largely unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the determinants of stroke phenotypes (pattern and volume) among patients with AF who were not adequately anticoagulated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed data pertaining to consecutive AF patients admitted over a 6-year period with acute MCA territory infarcts. We divided the patients according to DWI (diffusion-weighted imaging) lesion volumes and patterns, and the relationship between stroke predictors (the CHADS₂and CHA₂DS₂-VASc score), systemic, and local factors and each stroke phenotype were then evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The stroke phenotypes varied among 231 patients (admission INR median 1.06, interquartile range (IQR) 1.00-1.14). Specifically, (1) the DWI lesion volumes ranged from 0.04-338.62 ml (median 11.86 ml; IQR, 3.07-44.20 ml) and (2) 46 patients had a territorial infarct pattern, 118 had a lobar/deep pattern and 67 had a small scattered pattern. Multivariate testing revealed that the CHADS₂and CHA₂DS₂-VASc score were not related to either stroke phenotype. Additionally, the prior use of antiplatelet agents was not related to the stroke phenotypes. Congestive heart failure and diastolic dysfunction were not associated with stroke phenotypes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of this study indicated that the determinants of stroke phenotypes were different from the predictors (i.e., CHADS2 and CHA₂DS₂-VASc score) of stroke in patients with AF.</p

TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME) IX: a 27 Myr extended population of Lower-Centaurus Crux with a transiting two-planet system

We report the discovery and characterization of a nearby (~ 85 pc), older (27 +/- 3 Myr), distributed stellar population near Lower-Centaurus-Crux (LCC), initially identified by searching for stars co-moving with a candidate transiting planet from TESS (HD 109833; TOI 1097). We determine the association membership using Gaia kinematics, color-magnitude information, and rotation periods of candidate members. We measure it's age using isochrones, gyrochronology, and Li depletion. While the association is near known populations of LCC, we find that it is older than any previously found LCC sub-group (10-16 Myr), and distinct in both position and velocity. In addition to the candidate planets around HD 109833 the association contains four directly-imaged planetary-mass companions around 3 stars, YSES-1, YSES-2, and HD 95086, all of which were previously assigned membership in the younger LCC. Using the Notch pipeline, we identify a second candidate transiting planet around HD 109833. We use a suite of ground-based follow-up observations to validate the two transit signals as planetary in nature. HD 109833 b and c join the small but growing population of <100 Myr transiting planets from TESS. HD 109833 has a rotation period and Li abundance indicative of a young age (< 100 Myr), but a position and velocity on the outskirts of the new population, lower Li levels than similar members, and a CMD position below model predictions for 27 Myr. So, we cannot reject the possibility that HD 109833 is a young field star coincidentally nearby the population.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures, Accepted for publication in A