Identification of Biomarkers Associated with Rous Sarcoma Virus-induced Tumors in Two Divergently Selected Chicken Lines

Poultry has become especially important to genetic research due to breeding feasibility, short generation turnover, and ease of maintaining large populations. The discovery of virus induced cancer has paved the way for further genetic studies. Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) is a tumor-causing virus that infects poultry. While not prevalent today, it can serve as a model for virus-induced cancer in humans and create additional insight to marker assisted selection in poultry. Genetically selected Arkansas Progressor (AP) and Arkansas Regressor (AR) chicken lines have been established and maintained at the Arkansas Experimental Station (AES) in Fayetteville, AR. Previous research has investigated the immunological and genetic characteristics of virus induced tumors. Publication of the Red Jungle Fowl genome has made it possible to perform genome wide studies to identify biomarkers associated with the susceptibility to RSV induced tumors. In this study, whole genomes of AP and AR lines were sequenced and analyzed using Illumina platform next generation sequencing. Over 9,000,000 SNPs were identified against the reference genome and 12,000 were classified as unique SNPs between the AR and AP line. Most SNPs were found in intergenic regions, while few were in protein coding regions. Unique SNPs were categorized by the following mutations: Frameshift (134), No Start (25), No Stop (7), Non-synonymous (6884), and Nonsense (112). Unique SNPs were characterized as occurring in only one line. Nine SNPs were chosen after genomic analyses for testing using PCR and Sanger sequencing in larger populations of AR and AP birds followed by validation in unrelated populations. No statistical correlations were found between the 9 SNPs in the unrelated populations, Giant Jungle Fowl (GJF) and White Leghorn (WL). No genetic difference was detected between birds of differing phenotypes within the GJF and WL lines. SNP frequencies were the same for both birds that regressed tumors and those that progressed tumors. Interestingly, it was observed that the GJF line response to RSV resembled the AR line and the WL line resembled the AP line, and GJF and WL exhibited differing phenotypes, indicating the potential to find biomarkers in larger population sizes

An empirical investigation to evaluate the impact of travel habits at community level for the formulation of sustainable transport strategies: a case study approach

Transportation is a central component to most political, economic, social and environmental issues throughout most inhabited societies. The concerns of transport have become widely acknowledged. It is broadly accepted that promoting alternative forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport use is one solution to tackle environmental concerns. Although, delivering, implementing and developing transport strategies to reduce car usage is still highly debated. Transport stakeholders (e.g. planners and policymakers) have long strived to reduce car usage. Many studies have attempted to develop strategies or understand triggers that might encourage and promote a reduction in car use. Despite this, the car usage has typically intensified and alternative forms of transport have become marginalised or discouraged when compared to the car. This research investigates travel attitudes and behaviours of individuals along a specific urban travel corridor within an area of Birmingham, UK. It explores socio-demographic factors using a mixed methods approach that incorporated questionnaires, travel diaries and interviews. This work identified a series of transport measures conceived upon different urban demographic characteristics in order to meet different individuals’ transport need. A significant finding from this work indicated there was an appetite amongst the sampled participants to be willing to reduce their car use if the right transport strategies were introduced. Initially the results from the questionnaire suggested age influenced car use the most, however, other demographic characteristics (e.g. gender and deprivation) were found to be an influential factor

A multifaceted quality improvement project improves intraoperative redosing of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis during pediatric surgery

BackgroundAccurate intraoperative antibiotic redosing contributes to prevention of surgical site infections in pediatric patients. Ensuring compliance with evolving national guidelines of weight‐based, intraoperative redosing of antibiotics is challenging to pediatric anesthesiologists.AimsOur primary aim was to increase compliance of antibiotic redoses at the appropriate time and appropriate weight‐based dose to 70%. Secondary aims included a subset analysis of time compliance and dose compliance individually, and compliance based on order entry method of the first dose (verbal or electronic).MethodsAt a freestanding, academic pediatric hospital, we reviewed surgical cases between May 1, 2014, and October 31, 2017 requiring antibiotic redoses. After an institutional change in cefazolin dosing in May 2015, phased interventions to improve compliance included electronic countermeasures to display previous and next dose timing, an alert 5 minutes prior to next dose, and weight‐based dose recommendation (September 2015). Physical countermeasures include badge cards, posting of guidelines, and updates to housestaff manual (September 2015). Statistical process control charts were used to assess overall antibiotic redose compliance, time compliance, and dose compliance. The chi‐square test was used to analyze group differences.ResultsA total of 3015 antibiotic redoses were administered during 2341 operative cases between May 1, 2014, and October 31, 2017. Mean monthly compliance with redosing was 4.3% (May 2014‐April 2015) and 73% (November 2015‐October 2017) (P < 0.001). Dose‐only compliance increased from 76% to 89% (P < 0.001), and time‐only compliance increased from 4.9% to 82% (P < 0.001). After implementation of countermeasures, electronic order entry compared with verbal order was associated with higher dose compliance, 90% vs 86% (P = 0.015).ConclusionThis quality improvement project, utilizing electronic and physical interventions, was effective in improving overall prophylactic antibiotic redosing compliance in accordance with institutional redosing guidelines.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150557/1/pan13651_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150557/2/pan13651.pd

On the distinguishability of random quantum states

We develop two analytic lower bounds on the probability of success p of identifying a state picked from a known ensemble of pure states: a bound based on the pairwise inner products of the states, and a bound based on the eigenvalues of their Gram matrix. We use the latter to lower bound the asymptotic distinguishability of ensembles of n random quantum states in d dimensions, where n/d approaches a constant. In particular, for almost all ensembles of n states in n dimensions, p>0.72. An application to distinguishing Boolean functions (the "oracle identification problem") in quantum computation is given.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures; v2 fixes typos and an error in an appendi

Accountability : construct definition and measurement of a virtue vital to flourishing

This work was supported by a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust (TRT0171).Embracing accountability to others for one’s responsibilities within relationships is important for flourishing, yet underexamined. An interdisciplinary team defined the construct of accountability and developed an 11-item single-factor Accountability Scale. In national samples with US census demographic representation (total N = 1257), we conducted psychometric analyses using methods from classical test theory (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) and item response theory. The Accountability Scale demonstrated internal consistency, construct validity, test-retest reliability, and incremental validity. Accountability correlated positively with relational variables (agreeableness, empathy) responsibility-oriented variables (conscientiousness, self-regulation), virtues (gratitude, forgiveness, limitations-owning humility), relational repair, perceived meaning presence, and flourishing, inversely with symptoms (personality disorders, temper, anxiety, depression), and weakly with searching for meaning and social desirability. Accountability scores superseded demographic variables, conscientiousness, and agreeableness to predict relational repair, perceived presence of meaning in life, and flourishing. We offer the accountability construct and scale to advance human flourishing research and applied work.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Dredging fundamentally reshapes the ecological significance of 3D terrain features for fish in estuarine seascapes

Context: Landscape modification alters the condition of ecosystems and the structure of terrain, with widespread impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Seafloor dredging impacts a diversity of flora and fauna in many coastal landscapes, and these processes also transform three-dimensional terrain features. The potential ecological significance of these terrain changes in urban seascapes has, however, not been investigated. Objectives: We examined the effects of terrain variation on fish assemblages in 29 estuaries in eastern Australia, and tested whether dredging changes how fish associate with terrain features. Methods: We surveyed fish assemblages with baited remote underwater video stations and quantified terrain variation with nine complementary metrics (e.g. depth, aspect, curvature, slope, roughness), extracted from bathymetry maps created with multi-beam sonar. Results: Fish diversity and abundance were strongly linked to seafloor terrain in both natural and dredged estuaries, and were highest in shallow waters and near features with high curvature. Dredging, however, significantly altered the terrain of dredged estuaries and transformed the significance of terrain features for fish assemblages. Abundance and diversity switched from being correlated with lower roughness and steeper slopes in natural estuaries to being linked to features with higher roughness and gentler slopes in dredged estuaries. Conclusions: Contrasting fish-terrain relationships highlight previously unrecognised ecological impacts of dredging, but indicate that plasticity in terrain use might be characteristic of assemblages in urban landscapes. Incorporating terrain features into spatial conservation planning might help to improve management outcomes, but we suggest that different approaches would be needed in natural and modified landscapes

Accountability: Construct Definition and Measurement of a Virtue Vital to Flourishing

Embracing accountability to others for one’s responsibilities within relationships is important for flourishing, yet underexamined. An interdisciplinary team defined the construct of accountability and developed an 11-item single-factor Accountability Scale. In national samples with US census demographic representation (total N = 1257), we conducted psychometric analyses using methods from classical test theory (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) and item response theory. The Accountability Scale demonstrated internal consistency, construct validity, test-retest reliability, and incremental validity. Accountability correlated positively with relational variables (agreeableness, empathy) responsibility-oriented variables (conscientiousness, self-regulation), virtues (gratitude, forgiveness, limitations-owning humility), relational repair, perceived meaning presence, and flourishing, inversely with symptoms (personality disorders, temper, anxiety, depression), and weakly with searching for meaning and social desirability. Accountability scores superseded demographic variables, conscientiousness, and agreeableness to predict relational repair, perceived presence of meaning in life, and flourishing. We offer the accountability construct and scale to advance human flourishing research and applied work

Counterexamples to additivity of minimum output p-Renyi entropy for p close to 0

Complementing recent progress on the additivity conjecture of quantum information theory, showing that the minimum output p-Renyi entropies of channels are not generally additive for p>1, we demonstrate here by a careful random selection argument that also at p=0, and consequently for sufficiently small p, there exist counterexamples. An explicit construction of two channels from 4 to 3 dimensions is given, which have non-multiplicative minimum output rank; for this pair of channels, numerics strongly suggest that the p-Renyi entropy is non-additive for all p < 0.11. We conjecture however that violations of additivity exist for all p<1.Comment: 7 pages, revtex4; v2 added correct ref. [15]; v3 has more information on the numerical violation as well as 1 figure (2 graphs) - note that the explicit example was changed and the more conservative estimate of the bound up to which violations occur, additionally some other small issues are straightened ou

Seafloor Terrain Shapes the Three-dimensional Nursery Value of Mangrove and Seagrass Habitats

Mangroves and seagrasses are important nurseries for many marine species, and this function is linked to the complexity and context of these habitats in coastal seascapes. It is also connected to bathymetric features that influence habitat availability, and the accessibility of refuge habitats, but the significance of terrain variation for nursery function is unknown. To test whether seafloor terrain influences nursery function, we surveyed fish assemblages from mangrove and seagrass habitats in 29 estuaries in eastern Australia with unbaited underwater cameras and quantified the surrounding three-dimensional terrain with a set of complementary surface metrics (that is, depth, aspect, curvature, slope, roughness) applied to sonar-derived bathymetric maps. Terrain metrics explained variability in assemblages in both mangroves and seagrasses, with differing effects for the entire fish assemblage and nursery species composition, and between habitats. Higher depth, plan curvature (concavity or convexity) and roughness (backscatter) were negatively correlated with abundance and diversity in mangroves and positively linked to abundance and diversity in seagrass. Mangrove nursery species (6 species) were most abundant in forests adjacent to flats with concave holes, rough substrates and low-moderate depths, whereas seagrass nursery species (3 species) were most abundant in meadows adjacent to deep channels with soft mounds and ledges. These findings indicate that seafloor terrain influences nursery function and demonstrate contrasting effects of terrain variation in mangroves and seagrass. We suggest that incorporating three-dimensional terrain into coastal conservation and restoration plans could help to improve outcomes for fisheries management, but contrasting strategies might be needed for different nursery habitats