Hypersensitivity Lung Disease in the Turkey Raising Industry

journal articleBiomedical Informatic

Soft topographic map for clustering and classification of bacteria

In this work a new method for clustering and building a topographic representation of a bacteria taxonomy is presented. The method is based on the analysis of stable parts of the genome, the so-called “housekeeping genes”. The proposed method generates topographic maps of the bacteria taxonomy, where relations among different type strains can be visually inspected and verified. Two well known DNA alignement algorithms are applied to the genomic sequences. Topographic maps are optimized to represent the similarity among the sequences according to their evolutionary distances. The experimental analysis is carried out on 147 type strains of the Gammaprotebacteria class by means of the 16S rRNA housekeeping gene. Complete sequences of the gene have been retrieved from the NCBI public database. In the experimental tests the maps show clusters of homologous type strains and present some singular cases potentially due to incorrect classification or erroneous annotations in the database

Toxic and essential trace elements in human primary teeth: A baseline study within The MoBaTooth Biobank and The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)

The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) includes a nation-wide collection of deciduous teeth located in the MoBaTooth biobank. The aim of the present study is to create a baseline for early-life metal exposure using dentine biomarkers. Deciduous teeth were collected in the MoBaTooth biobank, a sub-study of the MoBa-study. This study uses 94 primary teeth from children with no known medical conditions at the age of 6 months, a normal birth weight (2500-4500g) and an equal number of teeth shed between 2008-2013 and 2014-2019. A total of 48 girls and 46 boys are included to create a baseline to characterise retrospective exposure to toxicants during multiple early-life developmental periods. Estimates of weekly prenatal and postnatal exposure to 18 metals by measuring dentine concentrations have been made using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Temporal trends in dentine levels differed from metal to metal. Girls had higher postnatal dentine levels of Mn and Zn, compared to boys (p = 0.020 for postnatal Mn-levels, and p = 0.011 for postnatal Zn-levels). Deciduous teeth provide retrospective information on the intensity and timing of early-life metal exposure at weekly temporal resolution. Creating a baseline, future studies can use outcomes of conditions and illness in children in case-control-studies aiming at prevention. Using deciduous teeth, a novel noninvasive biomarker, characterising early-life exposure to 18 metals in approximately weekly increments during sensitive developmental periods extending from the second trimester to 4 months postnatally has been performed.publishedVersio

Nonlinear Thermal Reduced-Order Modeling for Hypersonic Vehicles

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143073/1/1.J055499.pd

The anatomy of a cluster IDP. Part 1: Carbon abundance, bulk chemistry, and mineralogy of fragments from L2008#5

The objective of this study was to determine whether or not cluster particles are sufficiently homogeneous to enable observations from one fragment of the cluster to be extrapolated to the entire cluster. We report on the results of a consortium study of the fragments of a large cluster particle. Multiple fragments from one large cluster were distributed to several research groups and were subjected to a variety of mineralogical and chemical analyses including: SEM, TEM, ion probe, SXRF, noble gas measurements, and microprobe laser mass spectrometry of individual fragments

Advancing Equity In The Pandemic Treaty

There is a broad consensus around equity’s importance. Even countries that hoarded supplies during the acute phase of COVID-19 seem to understand that the international community must find a means to ensure fairer allocation of medical resources when the next health crisis hits. But there has been little agreement about the concrete steps needed to operationalize fairer access and benefit sharing. That is, what are the workable mechanisms that could reduce the divide between richer and poorer populations? The World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization, has appointed an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to develop a pandemic convention, agreement, or other instrument under the WHO constitution. The February 2023 draft is designed “to achieve greater equity … through the fullest national and international cooperation.” It is important that the negotiators develop specific, measurable metrics that directly impact equity. The mechanisms and metrics agreed upon should allow the public to evaluate whether a more equitable system is emerging through this new regime. Equity won’t just happen. We need to plan and prepare for equity, and we need international norms with which nations must comply to achieve the fairness we strive for

Error quantification in multi-parameter mapping facilitates robust estimation and enhanced group level sensitivity

Multi-Parameter Mapping (MPM) is a comprehensive quantitative neuroimaging protocol that enables estimation of four physical parameters (longitudinal and effective transverse relaxation rates and , proton density , and magnetization transfer saturation ) that are sensitive to microstructural tissue properties such as iron and myelin content. Their capability to reveal microstructural brain differences, however, is tightly bound to controlling random noise and artefacts (e.g. caused by head motion) in the signal. Here, we introduced a method to estimate the local error of , and maps that captures both noise and artefacts on a routine basis without requiring additional data. To investigate the method's sensitivity to random noise, we calculated the model-based signal-to-noise ratio (mSNR) and showed in measurements and simulations that it correlated linearly with an experimental raw-image-based SNR map. We found that the mSNR varied with MPM protocols, magnetic field strength (3T vs. 7T) and MPM parameters: it halved from to and decreased from to by a factor of 3-4. Exploring the artefact-sensitivity of the error maps, we generated robust MPM parameters using two successive acquisitions of each contrast and the acquisition-specific errors to down-weight erroneous regions. The resulting robust MPM parameters showed reduced variability at the group level as compared to their single-repeat or averaged counterparts. The error and mSNR maps may better inform power-calculations by accounting for local data quality variations across measurements. Code to compute the mSNR maps and robustly combined MPM maps is available in the open-source hMRI toolbox

Some like it hot: population-specific adaptations in venom production to abiotic stressors in a widely distributed cnidarian

Background: In cnidarians, antagonistic interactions with predators and prey are mediated by their venom, whose synthesis may be metabolically expensive. The potentially high cost of venom production has been hypothesized to drive population-specific variation in venom expression due to differences in abiotic conditions. However, the effects of environmental factors on venom production have been rarely demonstrated in animals. Here, we explore the impact of specific abiotic stresses on venom production of distinct populations of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Actiniaria, Cnidaria) inhabiting estuaries over a broad geographic range where environmental conditions such as temperatures and salinity vary widely. Results: We challenged Nematostella polyps with heat, salinity, UV light stressors, and a combination of all three factors to determine how abiotic stressors impact toxin expression for individuals collected across this species’ range. Transcriptomics and proteomics revealed that the highly abundant toxin Nv1 was the most downregulated gene under heat stress conditions in multiple populations. Physiological measurements demonstrated that venom is metabolically costly to produce. Strikingly, under a range of abiotic stressors, individuals from different geographic locations along this latitudinal cline modulate differently their venom production levels. Conclusions: We demonstrate that abiotic stress results in venom regulation in Nematostella. Together with anecdotal observations from other cnidarian species, our results suggest this might be a universal phenomenon in Cnidaria. The decrease in venom production under stress conditions across species coupled with the evidence for its high metabolic cost in Nematostella suggests downregulation of venom production under certain conditions may be highly advantageous and adaptive. Furthermore, our results point towards local adaptation of this mechanism in Nematostella populations along a latitudinal cline, possibly resulting from distinct genetics and significant environmental differences between their habitats.publishedVersio

Hidroquímica das águas do Sistema Aquífero Integrado Guarani/Serra Geral nos municípios de Águas Frias e Quilombo, SC.

As águas subterrâneas são de extrema importância para o desenvolvimento da região oeste de Santa Catarina. O Sistema Aquífero Serra Geral (SASG) e o Sistema Aquífero Guarani (SAG) presentes na região têm sido tratados como um sistema integrado, denominado Sistema Aquífero Integrado Guarani/Serra Geral, devido a diversos estudos que identificaram a mistura entre as águas de ambos aquíferos, relacionada a grandes fraturas regionais que permitem sua circulação. A hidroquímica é um dos critérios utilizados para diferenciar a proveniência das águas e compreender sua evolução. Desta forma, este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar as características hidroquímicas de 31 amostras de poços tubulares do SASG nos municípios de Águas Frias e Quilombo, situados na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Chapecó, para estabelecer a classificação hidroquímica das águas e verificar a possível mistura com as águas do SAG e/ou aquíferos permianos subjacentes. Os resultados foram submetidos ao cálculo do balanço iônico e filtrados dentro de uma faixa de no máximo 10% de erro. Logo após, as águas foram classificadas através da plotagem no diagrama de Piper da proporção dos íons maiores HCO3⁻ , Cl⁻ , SO4 2- , Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+ e K+ . Os parâmetros sólidos totais dissolvidos (STD), pH e condutividade foram divididos em 4 classes de acordo com os quartis estatísticos e o método Boxplot, para identificação preliminar de valores atípicos no intervalo amostral para cada parâmetro. Foram identificados 7 tipos hidroquímicos principais: águas bicarbonatadas-cálcicas-magnesianas e bicarbonatadas-cálcicas, consideradas águas típicas do SASG, com menor tempo de residência; águas bicarbonatadas-sódicas com maior tempo de residência e/ou com mistura com as águas provenientes do SAG através de recarga por ascensão; e águas cloradas-sulfatadas-sódicas, cloradas-sódicas, sulfatadas-cálcicas e sulfatadas-sódicas, que representam as águas com maior tempo de residência, consideradas típicas de porções mais profundas do SAG e dos aquíferos permianos subjacentes. As classes geradas através do Boxplot permitiram a identificação de zonas de ocorrência dos valores extremos de STD, pH e condutividade. As classes com valores mais elevados (acima do limite superior da caixa central) dos 3 parâmetros podem indicar a ocorrência de águas com maior tempo de residência e/ou mistura das águas entre o aquífero superior e os aquíferos mais profundos. Por outro lado, as classes com os menores valores (abaixo do limite inferior da caixa central), podem indicar águas com menor tempo de residência, tendendo à meteóricas. A avaliação da distribuição espacial dos tipos hidroquímicos e das demais classes demonstrou a existência de um alinhamento principal com ocorrência das águas com características típicas de mistura, e que pode estar relacionado a uma estrutura tectônica que permita a ascensão das águas dos aquíferos profundos