3,714 research outputs found
The Impacts of sub-lethal fipronil Pesticides on Periwinkle Snail (Littoraria irrorata) Foraging and Behavior
The abstract for this presentation can be downloaded by clicking on the blue download button
The Sublethal Effects of Fipronil Pesticide on a Coastal Marsh Trophic Cascade
The abstract for this presentation can be downloaded by clicking on the blue download button
Using Search Queries to Understand Health Information Needs in Africa
The lack of comprehensive, high-quality health data in developing nations
creates a roadblock for combating the impacts of disease. One key challenge is
understanding the health information needs of people in these nations. Without
understanding people's everyday needs, concerns, and misconceptions, health
organizations and policymakers lack the ability to effectively target education
and programming efforts. In this paper, we propose a bottom-up approach that
uses search data from individuals to uncover and gain insight into health
information needs in Africa. We analyze Bing searches related to HIV/AIDS,
malaria, and tuberculosis from all 54 African nations. For each disease, we
automatically derive a set of common search themes or topics, revealing a
wide-spread interest in various types of information, including disease
symptoms, drugs, concerns about breastfeeding, as well as stigma, beliefs in
natural cures, and other topics that may be hard to uncover through traditional
surveys. We expose the different patterns that emerge in health information
needs by demographic groups (age and sex) and country. We also uncover
discrepancies in the quality of content returned by search engines to users by
topic. Combined, our results suggest that search data can help illuminate
health information needs in Africa and inform discussions on health policy and
targeted education efforts both on- and offline.Comment: Extended version of an ICWSM 2019 pape
ISM In-Space Manufacturing
Develop and enable the technologies, materials, and processes required to provide affordable, sustainable on-demand manufacturing, recycling, and repair during Exploration Missions
Phosphorylation by the stress-activated MAPK Slt2 down-regulates the yeast TOR complex 2
Saccharomyces cerevisiae target of rapamycin (TOR) complex 2 (TORC2) is an
essential regulator of plasma membrane lipid and protein homeostasis. How TORC2
activity is modulated in response to changes in the status of the cell envelope
is unclear. Here we document that TORC2 subunit Avo2 is a direct target of
Slt2, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of the cell wall integrity
pathway. Activation of Slt2 by overexpression of a constitutively active allele
of an upstream Slt2 activator (Pkc1) or by auxin-induced degradation of a
negative Slt2 regulator (Sln1) caused hyperphosphorylation of Avo2 at its MAPK
phosphoacceptor sites in a Slt2-dependent manner and diminished TORC2-mediated
phosphorylation of its major downstream effector, protein kinase Ypk1. Deletion
of Avo2 or expression of a phosphomimetic Avo2 allele rendered cells sensitive
to two stresses (myriocin treatment and elevated exogenous acetic acid) that
the cell requires Ypk1 activation by TORC2 to survive. Thus, Avo2 is necessary
for optimal TORC2 activity, and Slt2-mediated phosphorylation of Avo2
down-regulates TORC2 signaling. Compared with wild-type Avo2, phosphomimetic
Avo2 shows significant displacement from the plasma membrane, suggesting that
Slt2 inhibits TORC2 by promoting Avo2 dissociation. Our findings are the first
demonstration that TORC2 function is regulated by MAPK-mediated
phosphorylation.Comment: This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Predoctoral Traineeship GM07232 and a University of California at Berkeley
MacArthur and Lakhan-Pal Graduate Fellowship to K.L.L., Erwin Schroedinger
Fellowship J3787-B21 from the Austrian Science Fund to AE-A, Marie
Sklodowska-Curie Action H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 InsiliCardio, GA 75083 to CMA, and
NIH R01 research grant GM21841 to J
That Water Stinks! Will Changes in Water Quality Alter Blue Crab Response to Pesticides?
Nathan Hammond, Allen Schaefer, and Sophie Bott are students in Biological Sciences at Louisiana Tech University.
Jennifer M. Hill is an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences at Louisiana Tech University
Do Differing Enrichment Methodologies Affect the Belowground Productivity of Spartina Alterniflora?
Mariana E. Penny and Stephanie W. Plaisance are students in Environmental Science at Louisiana Tech University.
Nathan Hammond is a student in Biological Sciences at Louisiana Tech University.
Jennifer M. Hill is an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences at Louisiana Tech University
Outlook for tuberculosis elimination in California: An individual-based stochastic model.
RationaleAs part of the End TB Strategy, the World Health Organization calls for low-tuberculosis (TB) incidence settings to achieve pre-elimination (<10 cases per million) and elimination (<1 case per million) by 2035 and 2050, respectively. These targets require testing and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).ObjectivesTo estimate the ability and costs of testing and treatment for LTBI to reach pre-elimination and elimination targets in California.MethodsWe created an individual-based epidemic model of TB, calibrated to historical cases. We evaluated the effects of increased testing (QuantiFERON-TB Gold) and treatment (three months of isoniazid and rifapentine). We analyzed four test and treat targeting strategies: (1) individuals with medical risk factors (MRF), (2) non-USB, (3) both non-USB and MRF, and (4) all Californians. For each strategy, we estimated the effects of increasing test and treat by a factor of 2, 4, or 10 from the base case. We estimated the number of TB cases occurring and prevented, and net and incremental costs from 2017 to 2065 in 2015 U.S. dollars. Efficacy, costs, adverse events, and treatment dropout were estimated from published data. We estimated the cost per case averted and per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained.Measurements and main resultsIn the base case, 106,000 TB cases are predicted to 2065. Pre-elimination was achieved by 2065 in three scenarios: a 10-fold increase in the non-USB and persons with MRF (by 2052), and 4- or 10-fold increase in all Californians (by 2058 and 2035, respectively). TB elimination was not achieved by any intervention scenario. The most aggressive strategy, 10-fold in all Californians, achieved a case rate of 8 (95% UI 4-16) per million by 2050. Of scenarios that reached pre-elimination, the incremental net cost was 48 billion. These had an incremental cost per QALY of 3.1 million. A more efficient but somewhat less effective single-lifetime test strategy reached as low as $80,000 per QALY.ConclusionsSubstantial gains can be made in TB control in coming years by scaling-up current testing and treatment in non-USB and those with medical risks
- …