Validation of CTmax Protocols Using Cased and Uncased \u3ci\u3ePycnopsyche Guttifer\u3c/i\u3e (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) Larvae

The critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of a northern Lower Michigan population of Pycnopsyche guttifer was determined using four rates of temperature increase (0.10, 0.33, 0.50, and 0.70oC per minute), and two case states (intact and removed). Across all temperature increase rates, larvae removed from their cases had a significantly lower mean CTmax than those remaining in their cases, suggesting that the case can increase the larva’s ability to tolerate thermal stress, possibly due to respiratory advantages. Regardless of case state, mean CTmax was significantly lower at the 0.10oC per minute increase rate than the other three rates, likely due to increased exposure time. Our results indicate that CTmax studies done using 0.33–0.70oC per minute increase protocols would be comparable with each other, but not with studies using an increase rate of 0.10oC per minute

Validation of CTmax Protocols Using Cased and Uncased \u3ci\u3ePycnopsyche Guttifer\u3c/i\u3e (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) Larvae

The critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of a northern Lower Michigan population of Pycnopsyche guttifer was determined using four rates of temperature increase (0.10, 0.33, 0.50, and 0.70oC per minute), and two case states (intact and removed). Across all temperature increase rates, larvae removed from their cases had a significantly lower mean CTmax than those remaining in their cases, suggesting that the case can increase the larva’s ability to tolerate thermal stress, possibly due to respiratory advantages. Regardless of case state, mean CTmax was significantly lower at the 0.10oC per minute increase rate than the other three rates, likely due to increased exposure time. Our results indicate that CTmax studies done using 0.33–0.70oC per minute increase protocols would be comparable with each other, but not with studies using an increase rate of 0.10oC per minute

The Test Retest of Internal Reliability of the Bod Pod

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Scott Mur

Comparison of outcomes using the rituximab originator MabThera with the biosimilar Truxima in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis

Objectives: The use of rituximab (MabThera®), an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, is the most significant development in the management of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) since the introduction of cytotoxic therapy in 1950. Truxima® is the first anti-CD20 biosimilar approved for the same indications, and has been available in the UK since 2017. Significant cost savings have been reported when switching to biosimilars, which could lead to greater patient access to such treatment. Therefore, it is important to know whether patients’ clinical and laboratory parameters respond equally well to biosimilars as to reference medicines, tested in clinical trials. Method: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical outcomes and laboratory parameters in 257 consecutive patients treated with anti-CD20 depletion therapy using MabThera or Truxima, for induction and maintenance of remission, in two tertiary renal centres between 2010 and 2019. Results: We demonstrated no difference between patients treated with MabThera or Truxima in rates of remission, relapse, and hospitalization with infection when used for either induction or maintenance of remission of AAV. In one hospital subgroup analysis, we showed comparable levels of hypogammaglobulinaemia, B-cell depletion, and frequency of infusion reactions, with no significant differences. Conclusion: The efficacy and safety of the rituximab biosimilar Truxima are not inferior to the originator MabThera in patients with AAV. Truxima represents a cheaper and safe therapeutic alternative that could increase patient access to rituximab

Ecological and Genomic Attributes of Novel Bacterial Taxa That Thrive in Subsurface Soil Horizons.

While most bacterial and archaeal taxa living in surface soils remain undescribed, this problem is exacerbated in deeper soils, owing to the unique oligotrophic conditions found in the subsurface. Additionally, previous studies of soil microbiomes have focused almost exclusively on surface soils, even though the microbes living in deeper soils also play critical roles in a wide range of biogeochemical processes. We examined soils collected from 20 distinct profiles across the United States to characterize the bacterial and archaeal communities that live in subsurface soils and to determine whether there are consistent changes in soil microbial communities with depth across a wide range of soil and environmental conditions. We found that bacterial and archaeal diversity generally decreased with depth, as did the degree of similarity of microbial communities to those found in surface horizons. We observed five phyla that consistently increased in relative abundance with depth across our soil profiles: Chloroflexi, Nitrospirae, Euryarchaeota, and candidate phyla GAL15 and Dormibacteraeota (formerly AD3). Leveraging the unusually high abundance of Dormibacteraeota at depth, we assembled genomes representative of this candidate phylum and identified traits that are likely to be beneficial in low-nutrient environments, including the synthesis and storage of carbohydrates, the potential to use carbon monoxide (CO) as a supplemental energy source, and the ability to form spores. Together these attributes likely allow members of the candidate phylum Dormibacteraeota to flourish in deeper soils and provide insight into the survival and growth strategies employed by the microbes that thrive in oligotrophic soil environments.IMPORTANCE Soil profiles are rarely homogeneous. Resource availability and microbial abundances typically decrease with soil depth, but microbes found in deeper horizons are still important components of terrestrial ecosystems. By studying 20 soil profiles across the United States, we documented consistent changes in soil bacterial and archaeal communities with depth. Deeper soils harbored communities distinct from those of the more commonly studied surface horizons. Most notably, we found that the candidate phylum Dormibacteraeota (formerly AD3) was often dominant in subsurface soils, and we used genomes from uncultivated members of this group to identify why these taxa are able to thrive in such resource-limited environments. Simply digging deeper into soil can reveal a surprising number of novel microbes with unique adaptations to oligotrophic subsurface conditions

Antiretroviral penetration into the CNS and incidence of AIDS-defining neurologic conditions

Objective: The link between CNS penetration of antiretrovirals and AIDS-defining neurologic disorders remains largely unknown. Methods: HIV-infected, antiretroviral therapy-naive individuals in the HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration who started an antiretroviral regimen were classified according to the CNS Penetration Effectiveness (CPE) score of their initial regimen into low (,8), medium (8-9), or high (.9) CPE score. We estimated "intention-to-treat" hazard ratios of 4 neuroAIDS conditions for baseline regimens with high and medium CPE scores compared with regimens with a low score. We used inverse probability weighting to adjust for potential bias due to infrequent follow-up. Results: A total of 61,938 individuals were followed for a median (interquartile range) of 37 (18, 70) months. During follow-up, there were 235 cases of HIV dementia, 169 cases of toxoplasmosis, 128 cases of cryptococcal meningitis, and 141 cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for initiating a combined antiretroviral therapy regimen with a high vs low CPE score was 1.74 (1.15, 2.65) for HIV dementia, 0.90 (0.50, 1.62) for toxoplasmosis, 1.13 (0.61, 2.11) for cryptococcal meningitis, and 1.32 (0.71, 2.47) for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. The respective hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for a medium vs low CPE score were 1.01 (0.73, 1.39), 0.80 (0.56, 1.15), 1.08 (0.73, 1.62), and 1.08 (0.73, 1.58). Conclusions: We estimated that initiation of a combined antiretroviral therapy regimen with a high CPE score increases the risk of HIV dementia, but not of other neuroAIDS conditions

Searching for gravitational waves from known pulsars

We present upper limits on the amplitude of gravitational waves from 28 isolated pulsars using data from the second science run of LIGO. The results are also expressed as a constraint on the pulsars' equatorial ellipticities. We discuss a new way of presenting such ellipticity upper limits that takes account of the uncertainties of the pulsar moment of inertia. We also extend our previous method to search for known pulsars in binary systems, of which there are about 80 in the sensitive frequency range of LIGO and GEO 600.Comment: Accepted by CQG for the proceeding of GWDAW9, 7 pages, 2 figure

Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with 39 Gamma-Ray Bursts Using Data from the Second, Third, and Fourth LIGO Runs

We present the results of a search for short-duration gravitational-wave bursts associated with 39 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by gamma-ray satellite experiments during LIGO's S2, S3, and S4 science runs. The search involves calculating the crosscorrelation between two interferometer data streams surrounding the GRB trigger time. We search for associated gravitational radiation from single GRBs, and also apply statistical tests to search for a gravitational-wave signature associated with the whole sample. For the sample examined, we find no evidence for the association of gravitational radiation with GRBs, either on a single-GRB basis or on a statistical basis. Simulating gravitational-wave bursts with sine-gaussian waveforms, we set upper limits on the root-sum-square of the gravitational-wave strain amplitude of such waveforms at the times of the GRB triggers. We also demonstrate how a sample of several GRBs can be used collectively to set constraints on population models. The small number of GRBs and the significant change in sensitivity of the detectors over the three runs, however, limits the usefulness of a population study for the S2, S3, and S4 runs. Finally, we discuss prospects for the search sensitivity for the ongoing S5 run, and beyond for the next generation of detectors.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, 14 tables; minor changes to text and Fig. 2; accepted by Phys. Rev.