Genetic sequencing using 16s rRNA for pathogen identification in retropharyngeal lymph nodes from wild elk

Cervical region lymph nodes collected by hunters from 43 wild hunter-harvested elk (Cervus elaphus) in Utah were submitted to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory during fall 2009. We evaluated these lymph nodes as specimens for identification of bacterial pathogens using 16S rRNA genetic sequencing. Thirty-seven bacterial species were identified; each was found in 2 to 30 individual elk. Many common ruminant livestock pathogens were identified in elk; pathogens previously reported in elk were Pasteurella multocida and Streptococcus spp. Cervical region lymph nodes harvested from wild ruminants appear to be acceptable samples for genetic sequencing of bacteria

An improved surrogate method for detecting the presence of chaos in gait

It has been suggested that the intercycle variability present in the time series of biomechanical gait data is of chaotic nature. However, the proper methodology for the correct determination of whether intercycle fluctuations in the data are deterministic chaos or random noise has not been identified. Our goal was to evaluate the pseudoperiodic surrogation (PPS) [Small et al., 2001. Surrogate test for pseudoperiodic time series data. Physical Review Letters 87(18), 188,101–188,104], and the surrogation algorithms of Theiler et al. [1992. Testing for nonlinearity in time series: the method of surrogate data. Physica D 58(1–4), 77–94] and of Theiler and Rapp [1996. Re-examination of the evidence for low-dimensional, nonlinear structure in the human electroencephalogram. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology 98, 213–222], to determine which is the more robust procedure for the verification of the presence of chaos in gait time series. The knee angle kinematic time series from six healthy subjects, generated from a 2-min walk, were processed with both algorithms. The Lyapunov exponent (LyE) and the approximate entropy (ApEn) were calculated from the original data and both surrogates. Paired t-tests that compared the LyE and the ApEn values revealed significant differences between both surrogated time series and the original data, indicating the presence of deterministic chaos in the original data. However, the Theiler algorithm affected the intracycle dynamics of the gait time series by changing their overall shape. This resulted in significantly higher LyE and ApEn values for the Theiler-surrogated data when compared with both the original and the PPS-generated data. Thus, the discovery of significant differences was a false positive because it was not based on differences in the intercycle dynamics but rather on the fact that the time series was of a completely different shape. The PPS algorithm, on the other hand, preserved the intracycle dynamics of the original time series, making it more suitable for the investigation of the intercycle dynamics and the identification of the presence of chaos in the gait time series

Motor control of the lower extremity musculature in children with cerebral palsy

The aim of this investigation was to quantify the differences in torque steadiness and variability of the muscular control in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and typically developing (TD) children. Fifteen children with CP (age = 14.2 ± 0.7 years) that had a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) score of I-III and 15 age and gender matched TD children (age = 14.1 ± 0.7 years) participated in this investigation. The participants performed submaximal steady-state isometric contractions with the ankle, knee, and hip while surface electromyography (sEMG) was recorded. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure the steady-state isometric torques while the participants matched a target torque of 20% of the subject’s maximum voluntary torque value. The coefficient of variation was used to assess the amount of variability in the steady-state torque, while approximate entropy was used to assess the regularity of the steady-state torque over time. Lastly, the distribution of the power spectrum of the respective sEMG was evaluated. The results of this investigation were: 1) children with CP had a greater amount of variability in their torque steadiness at the ankle than TD children, 2) children with CP had a greater amount of variability at the ankle joint than at the knee and hip joint, 3) the children with CP had a more regular steady-state torque pattern than TD children for all the joints, 4) the ankle sEMG of children with CP was composed of higher harmonics than that of the TD children

Microstructural characterization of AISI 431 martensitic stainless steel laser-deposited coatings

High cooling rates during laser cladding of stainless steels may alter the microstructure and phase constitution of the claddings and consequently change their functional properties. In this research, solidification structures and solid state phase transformation products in single and multi layer AISI 431 martensitic stainless steel coatings deposited by laser cladding at different processing speeds are investigated by optical microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), orientation imaging microscopy (OIM), ternary phase diagram, Schaeffler and TTT diagrams. The results of this study show how partitionless solidification and higher solidification rates alter the microstructure and phase constitution of martensitic stainless steel laser deposited coatings. In addition, it is shown that while different cladding speeds have no effect on austenite–martensite orientation relationship in the coatings, increasing the cladding speed has resulted in a reduction of hardness in deposited coatings which is in contrast to the common idea about obtaining higher hardness values at higher cladding speeds.

Multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention with thin-strut biodegradable versus durable polymer drug-eluting stents in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction: A subgroup analysis of the BIOSTEMI randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Randomized evidence comparing newer-generation drug-eluting stents for multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is limited. We sought to investigate clinical outcomes in STEMI patients undergoing multivessel PCI with thin-strut biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stents (BP-SES) versus durable polymer everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES). METHODS We performed a subgroup analysis of the BIOSTEMI (NCT02579031) randomized trial, which included individual patient data from STEMI patients enrolled into the BIOSCIENCE (NCT02579031) study. STEMI patients randomly allocated to BP-SES or DP-EES were divided into those undergoing multivessel versus culprit lesion-only PCI. The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial re-infarction or clinically-indicated target lesion revascularization (TLR), within 24 months. RESULTS Among 1707 STEMI patients, 145 patients underwent multivessel PCI. At 2 years, TLF occurred in 2 patients (2.8%) treated with BP-SES and 13 patients (18.7%) treated with DP-EES (hazard ratio [HR], 0.14; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.03-0.61; p = 0.009) in the multivessel PCI group, and in 40 (5.3%) and 61 (8.2%) patients treated with BP-SES and DP-EES respectively (HR, 0.64; 95%CI, 0.43-0.96; p = 0.03; p for interaction = 0.050) in the culprit lesion-only PCI group. In the multivessel PCI group, the rates of clinically-indicated TLR (0% vs. 12.4%) and target-vessel myocardial re-infarction (0% vs. 4.6%) at 2 years were lower in patients treated with BP-SES compared with DP-EES. CONCLUSION In a subgroup analysis of the BIOSTEMI trial, BP-SES were associated with lower 2-year TLF rates compared to DP-EES in STEMI patients undergoing multivessel PCI

Variability of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation utilization for refractory adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: an international survey study.

Objective: A growing interest in extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) as a rescue strategy for refractory adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) currently exists. This study aims to determine current standards of care and practice variation for ECPR patients in the USA and Korea. Methods: In December 2015, we surveyed centers from the Korean Hypothermia Network (KORHN) Investigators and the US National Post-Arrest Research Consortium (NPARC) on current targeted temperature management and ECPR practices. This project analyzes the subsection of questions addressing ECPR practices. We summarized survey. Results: Overall, 9 KORHN and 4 NPARC centers reported having ECPR programs and had complete survey data available. Two KORHN centers utilized extracorporeal membrane oxygenation only for postarrest circulatory support in patients with refractory shock and were excluded from further analysis. Centers with available ECPR generally saw a high volume of OHCA patients (10/11 centers care for \u3e75 OHCA a year). Location of, and providers trained for cannulation varied across centers. All centers in both countries (KORHN 7/7, NPARC 4/4) treated comatose ECPR patients with targeted temperature management. All NPARC centers and four of seven KORHN centers reported having a standardized hospital protocol for ECPR. Upper age cutoff for eligibility ranged from 60 to 75 years. No absolute contraindications were unanimous among centers. Conclusion: A wide variability in practice patterns exist between centers performing ECPR for refractory OHCA in the US and Korea. Standardized protocols and shared research databases might inform best practices, improve outcomes, and provide a foundation for prospective studies

Water-use strategies in two co-occurring Mediterranean evergreen oaks: surviving the summer drought

In the Mediterranean evergreen oakwoodlands of southern Portugal, the main tree species are Quercus ilex ssp. rotundifolia Lam. (holm oak) and Quercus suber L. (cork oak). We studied a savannah-type woodland where these species coexist, with the aim of better understanding the mechanisms of tree adaptation to seasonal drought. In both species, seasonal variations in transpiration and predawn leaf water potential showed a maximum in spring followed by a decline through the rainless summer and a recovery with autumn rainfall. Although the observed decrease in predawn leaf water potential in summer indicates soil water depletion, trees maintained transpiration rates above 0.7 mm day–1 during the summer drought. By that time, more than 70% of the transpired water was being taken from groundwater sources. The daily fluctuations in soil water content suggest that some root uptake of groundwater was mediated through the upper soil layers by hydraulic lift. During the dry season, Q. ilex maintained higher predawn leaf water potentials, canopy conductances and transpiration rates than Q. suber. The higherwater status of Q. ilexwas likely associated with their deeper root systems compared with Q. suber. Whole-tree hydraulic conductance and minimum midday leaf water potential were lower in Q. ilex, indicating that Q. ilex was more tolerant to drought than Q. suber. Overall, Q. ilex seemed to have more effective drought avoidance and drought tolerance mechanisms than Q. suber

Effects of recent minimum temperature and water deficit increases on Pinus pinaster radial growth and wood density in southern Portugal

Western Iberia has recently shown increasing frequency of drought conditions coupled with heatwave events, leading to exacerbated limiting climatic conditions for plant growth. It is not clear to what extent wood growth and density of agroforestry species have suffered from such changes or recent extreme climate events. To address this question, tree-ring width and density chronologies were built for a Pinus pinaster stand in southern Portugal and correlated with climate variables, including the minimum, mean and maximum temperatures and the number of cold days. Monthly and maximum daily precipitations were also analyzed as well as dry spells. The drought effect was assessed using the standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration (SPEI) multi-scalar drought index, between 1 to 24-months. The climate-growth/density relationships were evaluated for the period 1958-2011. We show that both wood radial growth and density highly benefit from the strong decay of cold days and the increase of minimum temperature. Yet the benefits are hindered by long-term water deficit, which results in different levels of impact on wood radial growth and density. Despite of the intensification of long-term water deficit, tree-ring width appears to benefit from the minimum temperature increase, whereas the effects of long-term droughts significantly prevail on tree-ring density. Our results further highlight the dependency of the species on deep water sources after the juvenile stage. The impact of climate changes on longterm droughts and their repercussion on the shallow groundwater table and P. pinaster’s vulnerability are also discussed. This work provides relevant information for forest management in the semi-arid area of the Alentejo region of Portugal. It should ease the elaboration of mitigation strategies to assure P. pinaster’s production capacity and quality in response to more arid conditions in the near future in the regioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Interannual and spatial impacts of phenological transitions, growing season length, and spring and autumn temperatures on carbon sequestration: A North America flux data synthesis

Understanding feedbacks of ecosystem carbon sequestration to climate change is an urgent step in developing future ecosystem models. Using 187 site-years of flux data observed at 24 sites covering three plant functional types (i.e. evergreen forests (EF), deciduous forests (DF) and non-forest ecosystems (NF) (e.g., crop, grassland, wetland)) in North America, we present an analysis of both interannual and spatial relationships between annual net ecosystem production (NEP) and phenological indicators, including the flux-based carbon uptake period (CUP) and its transitions, degree-day-derived growing season length (GSL), and spring and autumn temperatures. Diverse responses were acquired between annul NEP and these indicators across PFTs. Forest ecosystems showed consistent patterns and sensitivities in the responses of annual NEP to CUP and its transitions both interannually and spatially. The NF ecosystems, on the contrary, exhibited different trends between interannual and spatial relationships. The impact of CUP onset on annual NEP in NF ecosystems was interannually negative but spatially positive. Generally, the GSL was observed to be a likely good indicator of annual NEP for all PFTs both interannually and spatially, although with relatively moderate correlations in NF sites. Both spring and autumn temperatures were positively correlated with annual NEP across sites while this potential was greatly reduced temporally with only negative impacts of autumn temperature on annual NEP in DF sites. Our analysis showed that DF ecosystems have the highest efficiency in accumulating NEP from warmer spring temperature and prolonged GSL, suggesting that future climate warming will favor deciduous species over evergreen species, and supporting the earlier observation that ecosystems with the greatest net carbon uptake have the longest GSL