Infectious cDNA Clone of the Modified Live Virus Vaccine Strain of \u3cem\u3eEquine Arteritis\u3c/em\u3e Virus

An isolated polynucleotide molecule includes a DNA sequence encoding an infectious RNA molecule encoding a modified live viral strain of an Equine arteritis virus, wherein the DNA sequence is SEQ ID NO:1 or a degenerate variant thereof. Also provided are transformed or transfected host cells including that sequence, vectors including the sequence, and isolated infectious RNA molecules encoded by the sequence. Further, a modified DNA sequence encoding an infectious RNA molecule encoding a modified live viral strain of an Equine arteritis virus is provided wherein the DNA sequence is SEQ ID NO:2 or a degenerate variant thereof, including a silent point mutation allowing distinguishing the modified sequence from the parent and other strains of Equine arteritis virus

Constructing a distributed AUV network for underwater plume-tracking operations

© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks 2012 (2012): 191235, doi:10.1155/2012/191235.In recent years, there has been significant concern about the impacts of offshore oil spill plumes and harmful algal blooms on the coastal ocean environment and biology, as well as on the human populations adjacent to these coastal regions. Thus, it has become increasingly important to determine the 3D extent of these ocean features (“plumes”) and how they evolve over time. The ocean environment is largely inaccessible to sensing directly by humans, motivating the need for robots to intelligently sense the ocean for us. In this paper, we propose the use of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) network to track and predict plume shape and motion, discussing solutions to the challenges of spatiotemporal data aliasing (coverage versus resolution), underwater communication, AUV autonomy, data fusion, and coordination of multiple AUVs. A plume simulation is also developed here as the first step toward implementing behaviors for autonomous, adaptive plume tracking with AUVs, modeling a plume as a sum of Fourier orders and examining the resulting errors. This is then extended to include plume forecasting based on time variations, and future improvements and implementation are discussed.This research was made with Government support under and awarded by DoD, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship, 32 CFR 168a

Estimating the incidence of equine viral arteritis and the sensitivity of its surveillance in the French breeding stock

Equine viral arteritis (EVA) may have serious economic impact on the equine industry. For this reason, it is monitored in many countries, especially in breeding stock, to avoid its spread during breeding activities. In France, surveillance is mainly based on serological tests, since mares are not vaccinated, but difficulties in interpreting certain series of results may impair the estimation of the number of outbreaks. In this study, we propose specific rules for identifying seroconversion in order to estimate the number of outbreaks that were detected by the breeding stock surveillance component (BSSC) in France between 2006 and 2013. A consensus among multidisciplinary experts was reached to consider seroconversion as a change in antibody titer from negative to at least 32, or as an eight-fold or greater increase in antibody level. Using these rules, 239 cases and 177 outbreaks were identified. Subsequently, we calculated the BSSC's sensitivity as the ratio of the number of detected outbreaks to the total number of outbreaks that occurred in breeding stock (including unreported outbreaks) estimated using a capture-recapture model. The total number of outbreaks was estimated at 215 (95% credible interval 195-249) and the surveillance sensitivity at 82% (CrI95% 71-91). Our results confirm EVA circulation in French breeding stock, show that neutralizing antibodies can persist up to eight years in naturally infected mares and suggest that certain mares have been reinfected. This study shows that the sensitivity of the BSSC is relatively high and supports its relevance to prevent the disease spreading through mating

Computational Method for Phase Space Transport with Applications to Lobe Dynamics and Rate of Escape

Lobe dynamics and escape from a potential well are general frameworks introduced to study phase space transport in chaotic dynamical systems. While the former approach studies how regions of phase space are transported by reducing the flow to a two-dimensional map, the latter approach studies the phase space structures that lead to critical events by crossing periodic orbit around saddles. Both of these frameworks require computation with curves represented by millions of points-computing intersection points between these curves and area bounded by the segments of these curves-for quantifying the transport and escape rate. We present a theory for computing these intersection points and the area bounded between the segments of these curves based on a classification of the intersection points using equivalence class. We also present an alternate theory for curves with nontransverse intersections and a method to increase the density of points on the curves for locating the intersection points accurately.The numerical implementation of the theory presented herein is available as an open source software called Lober. We used this package to demonstrate the application of the theory to lobe dynamics that arises in fluid mechanics, and rate of escape from a potential well that arises in ship dynamics.Comment: 33 pages, 17 figure

Macrophage regulation of the “second brain”: CD163 intestinal macrophages interact with inhibitory interneurons to regulate colonic motility - evidence from the Cx3cr1-Dtr rat model

Intestinal macrophages are well-studied for their conventional roles in the immune response against pathogens and protecting the gut from chronic inflammation. However, these macrophages may also have additional functional roles in gastrointestinal motility under typical conditions. This is likely to occur via both direct and indirect influences on gastrointestinal motility through interaction with myenteric neurons that contribute to the gut-brain axis, but this mechanism is yet to be properly characterised. The CX3CR1 chemokine receptor is expressed in the majority of intestinal macrophages, so we used a conditional knockout Cx3cr1-Dtr (diphtheria toxin receptor) rat model to transiently ablate these cells. We then utilized ex vivo video imaging to evaluate colonic motility. Our previous studies in brain suggested that Cx3cr1-expressing cells repopulate by 7 days after depletion in this model, so we performed our experiments at both the 48 hr (macrophage depletion) and 7-day (macrophage repopulation) time points. We also investigated whether inhibitory neuronal input driven by nitric oxide from the enteric nervous system is required for the regulation of colonic motility by intestinal macrophages. Our results demonstrated that CD163-positive resident intestinal macrophages are important in regulating colonic motility in the absence of this major inhibitory neuronal input. In addition, we show that intestinal macrophages are indispensable in maintaining a healthy intestinal structure. Our study provides a novel understanding of the interplay between the enteric nervous system and intestinal macrophages in colonic motility. We highlight intestinal macrophages as a potential therapeutic target for gastrointestinal motility disorders when inhibitory neuronal input is suppressed

Optimal frequency for microfluidic mixing across a fluid interface

A new analytical tool for determining the optimum frequency for a micromixing strategy to mix two fluids across their interface is presented. The frequency dependence of the flux is characterized in terms of a Fourier transform related to the apparatus geometry. Illustrative microfluidic mixing examples based on electromagnetic forcing and fluid pumping strategies are presented.Sanjeeva Balasuriy

Complete Genome Sequence of Noncytopathic Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus 1 Contaminating a High-Passage RK-13 Cell Line

A high-passage rabbit kidney RK-13 cell line (HP-RK-13[KY], originally derived from the ATCC CCL-37 cell line) used in certain laboratories worldwide is contaminated with noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (ncpBVDV). On complete genome sequence analysis, the virus strain was found to belong to BVDV group 1b

Quantifying transport within a two-cell microdroplet induced by circular and sharp channel bends

Abstract not availableSanjeeva Balasuriya

Crystal structure and molecular imaging of the Nav channel β3 subunit indicates a trimeric assembly.

The vertebrate sodium (Nav) channel is composed of an ion-conducting α subunit and associated β subunits. Here, we report the crystal structure of the human β3 subunit immunoglobulin (Ig) domain, a functionally important component of Nav channels in neurons and cardiomyocytes. Surprisingly, we found that the β3 subunit Ig domain assembles as a trimer in the crystal asymmetric unit. Analytical ultracentrifugation confirmed the presence of Ig domain monomers, dimers, and trimers in free solution, and atomic force microscopy imaging also detected full-length β3 subunit monomers, dimers, and trimers. Mutation of a cysteine residue critical for maintaining the trimer interface destabilized both dimers and trimers. Using fluorescence photoactivated localization microscopy, we detected full-length β3 subunit trimers on the plasma membrane of transfected HEK293 cells. We further show that β3 subunits can bind to more than one site on the Nav 1.5 α subunit and induce the formation of α subunit oligomers, including trimers. Our results suggest a new and unexpected role for the β3 subunits in Nav channel cross-linking and provide new structural insights into some pathological Nav channel mutations