4,046 research outputs found
Malpais spring virus is a new species in the genus vesiculovirus
BACKGROUND: Malpais Spring virus (MSPV) is a mosquito-borne rhabdovirus that infects a variety of wild and feral ungulates in New Mexico, including horses and deer. Although, initial serologic tests and electron microscopy at the time of isolation nearly 25 years ago provided evidence that MSPV is a novel virus, possibly related to vesiculoviruses, the virus still has not been approved as a new species. FINDINGS: Use of the illumina platform allowed us to obtain the complete genome of MSPV. Analysis of the complete 11019 nt genome sequence of the prototype 85-488NM strain of MSPV indicates that it encodes the five common rhabdovirus structural proteins (N, P, M, G and L) with alternative ORFs (> 180 nt) in the N, M and G genes, including a 249 nt ORF in the G gene predicted to encode a 9.26 kDa highly basic transmembrane protein. Although antigenically very distant, phylogenetic analysis of the L gene indicates that MSPV is most closely related to Jurona virus, also isolated from mosquitoes in Brazil, as well as a number of other vesiculoviruses. CONCLUSIONS: In sum, our analysis indicates MSPV should be classified as a member of the genus Vesiculovirus, family Rhabdoviridae. The complete genome sequence of MSPV will be helpful in the development of a reverse genetics system to study the unique aspects of this vesiculovirus in vivo and in vitro, and will assist development of specific diagnostic tests to study the epidemiology of MSPV infection
Investigating local policy drivers for alcohol harm prevention: a comparative case study of two local authorities in England
Background: The considerable challenges associated with implementing national level alcohol policies have
encouraged a renewed focus on the prospects for local-level policies in the UK and elsewhere. We adopted a
case study approach to identify the major characteristics and drivers of differences in the patterns of local
alcohol policies and services in two contrasting local authority (LA) areas in England.
Methods: Data were collected via thirteen semi-structured interviews with key informants (including public
health, licensing and trading standards) and documentary analysis, including harm reduction strategies and
statements of licensing policy. A two-stage thematic analysis was used to categorize all relevant statements
into seven over-arching themes, by which document sources were then also analysed.
Results: Three of the seven over-arching themes (drink environment, treatment services and barriers and
facilitators), provided for the most explanatory detail informing the contrasting policy responses of the two
LAs: LA1 pursued a risk-informed strategy via a specialist police team working proactively with problem
premises and screening systematically to identify riskier drinking. LA2 adopted a more upstream regulatory
approach around restrictions on availability with less emphasis on co-ordinated screening and treatment
measures.
Conclusion: New powers over alcohol policy for LAs in England can produce markedly different policies for
reducing alcohol-related harm. These difference are rooted in economic, opportunistic, organisational and
personnel factors particular to the LAs themselves and may lead to closely tailored solutions in some policy
areas and poorer co-ordination and attention in others
Therapeutic efficacy of alpha-1 antitrypsin augmentation therapy on the loss of lung tissue: an integrated analysis of 2 randomised clinical trials using computed tomography densitometry
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Two randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have investigated the efficacy of IV alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) augmentation therapy on emphysema progression using CT densitometry.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from these similar trials, a 2-center Danish-Dutch study (n = 54) and the 3-center EXAcerbations and CT scan as Lung Endpoints (EXACTLE) study (n = 65), were pooled to increase the statistical power. The change in 15<sup>th </sup>percentile of lung density (PD15) measured by CT scan was obtained from both trials. All subjects had 1 CT scan at baseline and at least 1 CT scan after treatment. Densitometric data from 119 patients (AAT [Alfalastin<sup>® </sup>or Prolastin<sup>®</sup>], n = 60; placebo, n = 59) were analysed by a statistical/endpoint analysis method. To adjust for lung volume, volume correction was made by including the change in log-transformed total lung volume as a covariate in the statistical model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean follow-up was approximately 2.5 years. The mean change in lung density from baseline to last CT scan was -4.082 g/L for AAT and -6.379 g/L for placebo with a treatment difference of 2.297 (95% CI, 0.669 to 3.926; p = 0.006). The corresponding annual declines were -1.73 and -2.74 g/L/yr, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The overall results of the combined analysis of 2 separate trials of comparable design, and the only 2 controlled clinical trials completed to date, has confirmed that IV AAT augmentation therapy significantly reduces the decline in lung density and may therefore reduce the future risk of mortality in patients with AAT deficiency-related emphysema.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The EXACTLE study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov as 'Antitrypsin (AAT) to Treat Emphysema in AAT-Deficient Patients'; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00263887.</p
Seasonal and annual fluxes of nutrients and organic matter from large rivers to the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Estuaries and Coasts 35 (2012): 369-382, doi:10.1007/s12237-011-9386-6.River inputs of nutrients and organic matter impact the biogeochemistry of arctic
estuaries and the Arctic Ocean as a whole, yet there is considerable uncertainty about the
magnitude of fluvial fluxes at the pan-arctic scale. Samples from the six largest arctic
rivers, with a combined watershed area of 11.3 x 106 km2, have revealed strong seasonal
variations in constituent concentrations and fluxes within rivers as well as large
differences among the rivers. Specifically, we investigate fluxes of dissolved organic
carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved inorganic
nitrogen, nitrate, and silica. This is the first time that seasonal and annual constituent
fluxes have been determined using consistent sampling and analytical methods at the pan
arctic scale, and consequently provide the best available estimates for constituent flux
from land to the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. Given the large inputs of river water
to the relatively small Arctic Ocean, and the dramatic impacts that climate change is
having in the Arctic, it is particularly urgent that we establish the contemporary river
fluxes so that we will be able to detect future changes and evaluate the impact of the
changes on the biogeochemistry of the receiving coastal and ocean systems.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through grants
OPP-0229302, OPP-0519840, OPP-0732522, and OPP-0732944. Additional support was
provided by the U. S. Geological Survey (Yukon River) and the Department of Indian
and Northern Affairs (Mackenzie River)
Relating Differently to Intrusive Images: The Impact of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on Intrusive Images in Patients With Severe Health Anxiety (Hypochondriasis).
Recurrent distressing intrusive images are a common experience in hypochondriasis. The aim of the current study was to assess the impact of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for hypochondriasis on the occurrence and nature of distressing intrusive imagery in hypochondriasis. A semi-structured interview was used to assess intrusive imagery, and an adapted version of the Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire (SMQ) was used to assess participants’ relationship with their intrusive images. A consecutive series of participants (N = 20) who were receiving MBCT for hypochondriasis as part of an ongoing research program were assessed prior to participating in an 8-week MBCT intervention, immediately following the intervention, and at three month follow-up. As compared to the baseline assessment, the frequency of intrusive images, the distress associated with them, and the intrusiveness of the images were all significantly reduced at the post-MBCT assessment. Participants’ adapted SMQ scores were significantly increased following the MBCT intervention, suggesting that participants’ relationship with their intrusive images had changed in that they had developed a more ‘mindful’ and compassionate response to the images when they did occur. Effect sizes from pre- to post-intervention were medium to large (Cohen’s d = 0.75 - 1.50). All treatment gains were maintained at 3 month follow-up. Results suggest that MBCT may be an effective intervention for addressing intrusive imagery in hypochondriasis
Parity-Violating Electron Scattering from 4He and the Strange Electric Form Factor of the Nucleon
We have measured the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the elastic
scattering of polarized electrons from ^4He at an average scattering angle
= 5.7 degrees and a four-momentum transfer Q^2 = 0.091 GeV^2. From
these data, for the first time, the strange electric form factor of the nucleon
G^s_E can be isolated. The measured asymmetry of A_PV = (6.72 +/- 0.84 (stat)
+/- 0.21 (syst) parts per million yields a value of G^s_E = -0.038 +/- 0.042
(stat) +/- 0.010 (syst), consistent with zero
Mapping Migratory Bird Prevalence Using Remote Sensing Data Fusion
This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the Public Library of Science and can be found at: http://www.plosone.org/home.action.Background: Improved maps of species distributions are important for effective management of wildlife under increasing anthropogenic pressures. Recent advances in lidar and radar remote sensing have shown considerable potential for mapping forest structure and habitat characteristics across landscapes. However, their relative efficacies and integrated use in habitat mapping remain largely unexplored. We evaluated the use of lidar, radar and multispectral remote sensing data in predicting multi-year bird detections or prevalence for 8 migratory songbird species in the unfragmented temperate deciduous forests of New Hampshire, USA. \ud
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Methodology and Principal Findings: A set of 104 predictor variables describing vegetation vertical structure and variability from lidar, phenology from multispectral data and backscatter properties from radar data were derived. We tested the accuracies of these variables in predicting prevalence using Random Forests regression models. All data sets showed more than 30% predictive power with radar models having the lowest and multi-sensor synergy ("fusion") models having highest accuracies. Fusion explained between 54% and 75% variance in prevalence for all the birds considered. Stem density from discrete return lidar and phenology from multispectral data were among the best predictors. Further analysis revealed different relationships between the remote sensing metrics and bird prevalence. Spatial maps of prevalence were consistent with known habitat preferences for the bird species. \ud
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Conclusion and Significance: Our results highlight the potential of integrating multiple remote sensing data sets using machine-learning methods to improve habitat mapping. Multi-dimensional habitat structure maps such as those generated from this study can significantly advance forest management and ecological research by facilitating fine-scale studies at both stand and landscape level
Ensuring the Safe and Effective Use of Medications During Pregnancy: Planning and Prevention Through Preconception Care
Spooked
There’s always something a bit scary about a ghost story. Somehow, though, when you read a collection of them you’re expecting to meet a spook or two. It takes a little more effort to frighten the reader.
We hope we’ve managed to do just that with this bunch of tales and our striking cover. We hope as well you’ll find the stories as different from each other as they are from the normal ghost story.
You’ll come across some old friends amongst the authors in this volume. Bridge House is beginning to es-tablish a brand and we have several writers now who have the measure of what we’re looking for. You’ll also meet some new names and writing styles. We’re sure both will please.
And now to the ghosts…. They too have a life of their own … precisely drawn by our authors. It’s that time of year isn’t it? When the nights are getting longer, the days are getting shorter, when strange shadows lurk and you begin to hear noises you don’t understand. We have traditional ghosts, more subtle ghosts, naughty ghosts, nice ghost, nasty ghost and in one or two of our stories it’s a little difficult to work out who is haunting whom.
Stoke up the fire, sit back, enjoy and prepare to be:
Spooked
Antiepileptic drugs’ tolerability and safety – a systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse effects in dogs
<p>Various anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are used for the management of idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in dogs. Their safety profile is an important consideration for regulatory bodies, owners and prescribing clinicians. However, information on their adverse effects still remains limited with most of it derived from non-blinded non-randomized uncontrolled trials and case reports.</p><p><span>This poster won third place, which was presented at the Veterinary Evidence Today conference, Edinburgh November 1-3, 2016. </span></p><br /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access" /
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