207 research outputs found
Exploring Affordability in the Irish Housing Market. ESRI WP593, June 2018
This paper examines housing affordability in Ireland by looking at the
distribution of housing costs across households. Using microdata from the SILC
survey over the period 2005-2015, the contribution of this paper is threefold. First, the
paper considers the trends in the cost of housing in Ireland across groups of
households split by age, region, household structure, and their position in the
income distribution. Second, we apply selected international housing affordability
definitions and explore the share, and composition, of households in Ireland that
would be captured by these definitions. We do not find evidence of universal
affordability difficulties in the Irish market. However, certain groups do face acute
affordability challenges. Third, working towards a definition of housing cost
affordability for use in Irish policy discussions, we provide some guidance as to
what such a definition could look like
The Cretaceous Angolan turtle Angolachelys mbaxi, description of a new specimen of the postcranial skeleton
The turtle Angolachelys mbaxi Mateus et al., 2009, is an enigmatic turtle from the Late Cretaceous of
Angola which in its description it was erected a new clade, the Angolachelonia Mateus et al., 2009.
The phylogenetic position of Angolachelys and Angolachelonia has been questioned and reviewed
multiple times since their definition. The new specimen of Angolachelys mbaxi, collected from the
same locality as the holotype, consists of postcranial material and a skull, which will not be described
in this thesis. The postcranial material is described and studied in this thesis, with the objective of
reviewing and ascribing the phylogenetic position of Angolachelys and confirming the validity of
Angolachelonia as a clade, to confirm if Angolachelys and the Angolachelonia were in fact of the
marine ecology, and therefore suggesting the existence of an evolutionary transition to the marine
habit by the Angolachelonia. The paleoecology of Angolachelys mbaxi is studied, namely in respect to
the adaptations of its feeding habits. Angolachelys and the Angolachelonia were found in multiple
phylogenetic positions, the most prevalent being found as the sister taxon of the Chelonioidea.
Angolachelys has been defined as a marine turtle, with features indicative of a more pelagic lifestyleA tartaruga Angolachelys mbaxi Mateus et al., 2009, é uma tartaruga enigmática do Cretáceo Superior
de Angola que na sua descrição foi erigida um novo clado, a Angolachelonia. A posição filogenética
de Angolachelys e Angolachelonia foi questionada e revista várias vezes desde a sua definição. O
novo espécime de Angolachelys mbaxi, recolhido na mesma localidade do holótipo, constituído por
material pós-craniano é descrito e estudado nesta tese, com o objetivo de rever e atribuir a posição
filogenética de Angolachelys e confirmar a validade de Angolachelonia como clado, confirmar se
Angolachelys e a Angolachelonia eram de facto da ecologia marinha, sugerindo assim a existência de
uma transição evolutiva para o hábito marinho pela Angolachelonia. É estudada a paleoecologia de
Angolachelys mbaxi, nomeadamente no que diz respeito às adaptações dos seus hábitos alimentares.
Angolachelys e Angolachelonia foram encontrados em várias posições filogenéticas, a mais
prevalente sendo encontrada como o táxon irmão de Chelonioidea. Angolachelys foi definida como
uma tartaruga marinha, com características indicativas de um estilo de vida mais pelágico
Sepsis protects the myocardium and other organs from subsequent ischaemic/reperfusion injury via a MAPK-dependent mechanism
Residential Proximity to Major Roadways Is Associated With Increased Levels of AC133+ Circulating Angiogenic Cells
Objectives: Previous studies have shown that residential proximity to a roadway is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Yet, the nature of this association remains unclear, and its effect on individual cardiovascular disease risk factors has not been assessed. The objective of this study was to determine whether residential proximity to roadways influences systemic inflammation and the levels of circulating angiogenic cells.
Approach and Results: In a cross-sectional study, cardiovascular disease risk factors, blood levels of C-reactive protein, and 15 antigenically defined circulating angiogenic cell populations were measured in participants (n=316) with moderate-to-high cardiovascular disease risk. Attributes of roadways surrounding residential locations were assessed using geographic information systems. Associations between road proximity and cardiovascular indices were analyzed using generalized linear models. Close proximity (\u3c50 m) to a major roadway was associated with lower income and higher rates of smoking but not C-reactive protein levels. After adjustment for potential confounders, the levels of circulating angiogenic cells in peripheral blood were significantly elevated in people living in close proximity to a major roadway (CD31+/AC133+, AC133+, CD34+/AC133+, and CD34+/45dim/AC133+ cells) and positively associated with road segment distance (CD31+/AC133+, AC133+, and CD34+/AC133+ cells), traffic intensity (CD31+/AC133+ and AC133+ cells), and distance-weighted traffic intensity (CD31+/34+/45+/AC133+ cells).
Conclusions: Living close to a major roadway is associated with elevated levels of circulating cells positive for the early stem marker AC133+. This may reflect an increased need for vascular repair. Levels of these cells in peripheral blood may be a sensitive index of cardiovascular injury because of residential proximity to roadways
Residential Proximity to Major Roadways Is Associated With Increased Levels of AC133+ Circulating Angiogenic Cells
OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown that residential proximity to a roadway is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Yet, the nature of this association remains unclear, and its effect on individual cardiovascular disease risk factors has not been assessed. The objective of this study was to determine whether residential proximity to roadways influences systemic inflammation and the levels of circulating angiogenic cells.
APPROACH AND RESULTS: In a cross-sectional study, cardiovascular disease risk factors, blood levels of C-reactive protein, and 15 antigenically defined circulating angiogenic cell populations were measured in participants (n=316) with moderate-to-high cardiovascular disease risk. Attributes of roadways surrounding residential locations were assessed using geographic information systems. Associations between road proximity and cardiovascular indices were analyzed using generalized linear models. Close proximity (\u3c50 \u3em) to a major roadway was associated with lower income and higher rates of smoking but not C-reactive protein levels. After adjustment for potential confounders, the levels of circulating angiogenic cells in peripheral blood were significantly elevated in people living in close proximity to a major roadway (CD31+/AC133+, AC133+, CD34+/AC133+, and CD34+/45dim/AC133+ cells) and positively associated with road segment distance (CD31+/AC133+, AC133+, and CD34+/AC133+ cells), traffic intensity (CD31+/AC133+ and AC133+ cells), and distance-weighted traffic intensity (CD31+/34+/45+/AC133+ cells).
CONCLUSIONS: Living close to a major roadway is associated with elevated levels of circulating cells positive for the early stem marker AC133+. This may reflect an increased need for vascular repair. Levels of these cells in peripheral blood may be a sensitive index of cardiovascular injury because of residential proximity to roadways
Exposure to Ambient Air Fine Particulate Matter Prevents VEGF-Induced Mobilization of Endothelial Progenitor Cells from the Bone Marrow
Background: Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5; < 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter) induces endothelial dysfunction and increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute to postnatal endothelial repair and regeneration. In humans and mice, EPC levels are decreased upon exposure to elevated levels of PM2.5
Emergence and spread of a SARS-CoV-2 lineage A variant (A.23.1) with altered spike protein in Uganda
Here, we report SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance from March 2020 until January 2021 in Uganda, a landlocked East African country with a population of approximately 40 million people. We report 322 full SARS-CoV-2 genomes from 39,424 reported SARS-CoV-2 infections, thus representing 0.8% of the reported cases. Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences revealed the emergence of lineage A.23.1 from lineage A.23. Lineage A.23.1 represented 88% of the genomes observed in December 2020, then 100% of the genomes observed in January 2021. The A.23.1 lineage was also reported in 26 other countries. Although the precise changes in A.23.1 differ from those reported in the first three SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), the A.23.1 spike-protein-coding region has changes similar to VOCs including a change at position 613, a change in the furin cleavage site that extends the basic amino acid motif and multiple changes in the immunogenic N-terminal domain. In addition, the A.23.1 lineage has changes in non-spike proteins including nsp6, ORF8 and ORF9 that are also altered in other VOCs. The clinical impact of the A.23.1 variant is not yet clear and it has not been designated as a VOC. However, our findings of emergence and spread of this variant indicate that careful monitoring of this variant, together with assessment of the consequences of the spike protein changes for COVID-19 vaccine performance, are advisable
Nebulized mesenchymal stem cell derived conditioned medium ameliorates Escherichia coli induced pneumonia in a rat model
BackgroundMesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have shown immense therapeutic promise in a range of inflammatory diseases, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and are rapidly advancing through clinical trials. Among their multimodal mechanisms of action, MSCs exert strong immunomodulatory effects via their secretome, which contains cytokines, small molecules, extracellular vesicles, and a range of other factors. Recent studies have shown that the MSC secretome can recapitulate many of the beneficial effects of the MSC itself. We aimed to determine the therapeutic capacity of the MSC secretome in a rat bacterial pneumonia model, especially when delivered directly to the lung by nebulization which is a technique more appropriate for the ventilated patient.MethodsConditioned medium (CM) was generated from human bone marrow derived MSCs in the absence of antibiotics and serum supplements. Post-nebulization lung penetration was estimated through nebulization of CM to a cascade impactor and simulated lung and quantification of collected total protein and IL-8 cytokine. Control and nebulized CM was added to a variety of lung cell culture models and injury resolution assessed. In a rat E. coli pneumonia model, CM was instilled or administered by nebulization and lung injury and inflammation assessed at 48 h.ResultsMSC-CM was predicted to have good distal lung penetration and delivery when administered by nebulizer. Both control and nebulized CM reduced NF-κB activation and inflammatory cytokine production in lung cell culture, while promoting cell viability and would closure in oxidative stress and scratch wound models. In a rat bacterial pneumonia model, both instilled and nebulizer delivered CM improved lung function, increasing blood oxygenation and reducing carbon dioxide levels compared to unconditioned medium controls. A reduction in bacterial load was also observed in both treatment groups. Inflammatory cytokines were reduced significantly by both liquid and aerosol CM administration, with less IL-1β, IL-6, and CINC1 in these groups compared to controls.ConclusionMSC-CM is a potential therapeutic for pneumonia ARDS, and administration is compatible with vibrating mesh nebulization
APOBEC3 deaminase editing in mpox virus as evidence for sustained human transmission since at least 2016
Historically, mpox has been characterized as an endemic zoonotic disease that transmits through contact with the reservoir rodent host in West and Central Africa. However, in May 2022, human cases of mpox were detected spreading internationally beyond countries with known endemic reservoirs. When the first cases from 2022 were sequenced, they shared 42 nucleotide differences from the closest mpox virus (MPXV) previously sampled. Nearly all these mutations are characteristic of the action of APOBEC3 deaminases, host enzymes with antiviral function. Assuming APOBEC3 editing is characteristic of human MPXV infection, we developed a dual-process phylogenetic molecular clock that-inferring a rate of ~6 APOBEC3 mutations per year-estimates that MPXV has been circulating in humans since 2016. These observations of sustained MPXV transmission present a fundamental shift to the perceived paradigm of MPXV epidemiology as a zoonosis and highlight the need for revising public health messaging around MPXV as well as outbreak management and control.Editor’s summary: In March 2022, an international epidemic of human Mpox was detected, showing that it was not solely a zoonotic infection. A hallmark of the approximately 88,000 cases that have been reported were TC>TT and GA>AA mutations in Mpox viruses, which were acquired at a surprisingly high evolutionary rate for a pox virus. Knowing that these types of mutation are a sign of activity by a host antiviral enzyme called APOBEC3, O’Toole et al. investigated whether the mutations reflected human-to-human transmission rather than repeated zoonotic spillover. Bayesian evolutionary analysis showed that Mpox virus recently diversified into several lineages in humans that display elevated numbers of mutations, signaling APOBEC exposure and sustained human-to-human transmission rather than zoonosis as the source of new cases. —Caroline AshWellcome Trust ARTIC (Collaborators Award 206298/Z/17/Z, ARTIC network) (Á.O.T.,
P.L., M.A.S., A.R.); European Research Council (grant agreement
no. 725422 – ReservoirDOCS) (P.L., M.A.S., A.R.); National
Institutes of Health (R01 AI153044) (P.L., M.A.S., A.R.); David and
Lucile Packard Foundation (M.W.); Research Foundation, Flanders–
Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek–Vlaanderen, G066215N,
G0D5117N and G0B9317N (P.L.); HORIZON 2020 EU grant 874850
MOOD (P.L.); HERA project (grant/2021/PHF/23776) supported
by the European Commission through the European Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention (V.B. and J.P.G.). The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
receives core funding from the Nigerian government.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Analizying MOOCs from an educational perspective in Spain
ABSTRACT: This article is the result of a Teaching Innovation Project funded by the University of Cantabria’s Vice-Rectorate for Teaching Staff. Its goals are to analyze the phenomenon of MOOCs with pedagogical criteria and to develop a Best Practice Guide. The project was developed by the Universities of Cantabria and Oviedo, all the work was divided into three phases: 1) Theoretical review and the design of classroom activities, 2) The implementation of classroom activities and analysis of the main results and 3) The development of a MOOC Best Practice Guide. The results of the second phase at the University of Cantabria are presented here. They demonstrate the need to introduce these massive open online courses into degree programmes in Education, updating higher education studies and providing valuable knowledge for understanding the educational potential (not just technological or financial) of this online training
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