The effectiveness of faecal removal methods of pasture management to control the cyathostomin burden of donkeys

Background: The level of anthelmintic resistance within some cyathostomin parasite populations has increased to the level where sole reliance on anthelmintic-based control protocols is not possible. Management-based nematode control methods, including removal of faeces from pasture, are widely recommended for use in association with a reduction in anthelmintic use to reduce selection pressure for drug resistance; however, very little work has been performed to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of such methods.<p></p> Methods: We analysed data obtained from 345 donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary (Devon, UK), managed under three different pasture management techniques, to investigate the effectiveness of faeces removal in strongyle control in equids. The management groups were as follows: no removal of faeces from pasture, manual, twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture and automatic, twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture (using a mechanical pasture sweeper). From turn-out onto pasture in May, monthly faecal egg counts were obtained for each donkey and the dataset subjected to an auto regressive moving average model.<p></p> Results: There was little to no difference in faecal egg counts between the two methods of faecal removal; both resulted in significantly improved cyathostomin control compared to the results obtained from the donkeys that grazed pasture from which there was no faecal removal.<p></p> Conclusions: This study represents a valuable and unique assessment of the effectiveness of the removal of equine faeces from pasture, and provides an evidence base from which to advocate twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture as an adjunct for equid nematode control. Widespread adoption of this practice could substantially reduce anthelmintic usage, and hence reduce selection pressure for nematode resistance to the currently effective anthelmintic products.<p></p&gt

Response Inhibition and Error Monitoring during a Visual Go/No-Go Task in Inuit Children Exposed to Lead, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, and Methylmercury

Background: Lead (Pb) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are neurotoxic contaminants that have been related to impairment in response inhibition

The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey : baryon acoustic oscillations in the Data Releases 10 and 11 Galaxy samples

We present a one per cent measurement of the cosmic distance scale from the detections of the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the clustering of galaxies from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, which is part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III. Our results come from the Data Release 11 (DR11) sample, containing nearly one million galaxies and covering approximately 8500 square degrees and the redshift range 0.2 < z < 0.7. We also compare these results with those from the publicly released DR9 and DR10 samples. Assuming a concordance Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmological model, the DR11 sample covers a volume of 13 Gpc3 and is the largest region of the Universe ever surveyed at this density. We measure the correlation function and power spectrum, including density-field reconstruction of the BAO feature. The acoustic features are detected at a significance of over 7σ in both the correlation function and power spectrum. Fitting for the position of the acoustic features measures the distance relative to the sound horizon at the drag epoch, rd, which has a value of rd,fid = 149.28 Mpc in our fiducial cosmology. We find DV = (1264 ± 25 Mpc)(rd/rd,fid) at z = 0.32 and DV = (2056 ± 20 Mpc)(rd/rd,fid) at z = 0.57. At 1.0 per cent, this latter measure is the most precise distance constraint ever obtained from a galaxy survey. Separating the clustering along and transverse to the line of sight yields measurements at z = 0.57 of DA = (1421 ± 20 Mpc)(rd/rd,fid) and H = (96.8 ± 3.4 km s−1 Mpc−1)(rd,fid/rd). Our measurements of the distance scale are in good agreement with previous BAO measurements and with the predictions from cosmic microwave background data for a spatially flat CDM model with a cosmological constant.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Germline mutations in the transcription factor IKZF5 cause thrombocytopenia.

To identify novel causes of hereditary thrombocytopenia, we performed a genetic association analysis of whole-genome sequencing data from 13 037 individuals enrolled in the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) BioResource, including 233 cases with isolated thrombocytopenia. We found an association between rare variants in the transcription factor-encoding gene IKZF5 and thrombocytopenia. We report 5 causal missense variants in or near IKZF5 zinc fingers, of which 2 occurred de novo and 3 co-segregated in 3 pedigrees. A canonical DNA-zinc finger binding model predicts that 3 of the variants alter DNA recognition. Expression studies showed that chromatin binding was disrupted in mutant compared with wild-type IKZF5, and electron microscopy revealed a reduced quantity of α granules in normally sized platelets. Proplatelet formation was reduced in megakaryocytes from 7 cases relative to 6 controls. Comparison of RNA-sequencing data from platelets, monocytes, neutrophils, and CD4+ T cells from 3 cases and 14 healthy controls showed 1194 differentially expressed genes in platelets but only 4 differentially expressed genes in each of the other blood cell types. In conclusion, IKZF5 is a novel transcriptional regulator of megakaryopoiesis and the eighth transcription factor associated with dominant thrombocytopenia in humans

Disrupting education using smart mobile pedagogies

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019. As mobile technologies become more multifaceted and ubiquitous in society, educational researchers are investigating the use of these technologies in education. A growing body of evidence shows that traditional pedagogies still dominate the educational field and are misaligned with the diverse learning opportunities offered by the use of mobile technologies. There is an imperative to question those traditional notions of education, including how, where and when teaching and learning are enacted, and to explore the possible mediating roles of new mobile technologies. New smart pedagogies, which embrace the affordances offered by mobile technologies, have the potential to disrupt notions of schooling. In this chapter, we examine the nature of smart pedagogies and their intersection with mobile pedagogies. We unpack notions of innovation and disruption. We then discuss smart mobile learning activities for school students identified from a Systematic Literature Review, together with the pedagogical principles underpinning them. We argue to encourage smart pedagogies, teacher educators should support teachers to implement ‘feasible disruptions’. Consequently, implications for teacher education are explored

The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in the Data Release 9 Spectroscopic Galaxy Sample

We present measurements of galaxy clustering from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), which is part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III). These use the Data Release 9 (DR9) CMASS sample, which contains 264,283 massive galaxies covering 3275 square degrees with an effective redshift z=0.57 and redshift range 0.43 < z < 0.7. Assuming a concordance Lambda-CDM cosmological model, this sample covers an effective volume of 2.2 Gpc^3, and represents the largest sample of the Universe ever surveyed at this density, n = 3 x 10^-4 h^-3 Mpc^3. We measure the angle-averaged galaxy correlation function and power spectrum, including density-field reconstruction of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature. The acoustic features are detected at a significance of 5\sigma in both the correlation function and power spectrum. Combining with the SDSS-II Luminous Red Galaxy Sample, the detection significance increases to 6.7\sigma. Fitting for the position of the acoustic features measures the distance to z=0.57 relative to the sound horizon DV /rs = 13.67 +/- 0.22 at z=0.57. Assuming a fiducial sound horizon of 153.19 Mpc, which matches cosmic microwave background constraints, this corresponds to a distance DV(z=0.57) = 2094 +/- 34 Mpc. At 1.7 per cent, this is the most precise distance constraint ever obtained from a galaxy survey. We place this result alongside previous BAO measurements in a cosmological distance ladder and find excellent agreement with the current supernova measurements. We use these distance measurements to constrain various cosmological models, finding continuing support for a flat Universe with a cosmological constant.Comment: 33 page

Statistical Inference of In Vivo Properties of Human DNA Methyltransferases from Double-Stranded Methylation Patterns

DNA methyltransferases establish methylation patterns in cells and transmit these patterns over cell generations, thereby influencing each cell's epigenetic states. Three primary DNA methyltransferases have been identified in mammals: DNMT1, DNMT3A and DNMT3B. Extensive in vitro studies have investigated key properties of these enzymes, namely their substrate specificity and processivity. Here we study these properties in vivo, by applying novel statistical analysis methods to double-stranded DNA methylation patterns collected using hairpin-bisulfite PCR. Our analysis fits a novel Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to the observed data, allowing for potential bisulfite conversion errors, and yields statistical estimates of parameters that quantify enzyme processivity and substrate specificity. We apply this model to methylation patterns established in vivo at three loci in humans: two densely methylated inactive X (Xi)-linked loci ( and ), and an autosomal locus (), where methylation densities are tissue-specific but moderate. We find strong evidence for a high level of processivity of DNMT1 at and , with the mean association tract length being a few hundred base pairs. Regardless of tissue types, methylation patterns at are dominated by DNMT1 maintenance events, similar to the two Xi-linked loci, but are insufficiently informative regarding processivity to draw any conclusions about processivity at that locus. At all three loci we find that DNMT1 shows a strong preference for adding methyl groups to hemi-methylated CpG sites over unmethylated sites. The data at all three loci also suggest low (possibly 0) association of the de novo methyltransferases, the DNMT3s, and are consequently uninformative about processivity or preference of these enzymes. We also extend our HMM to reanalyze published data on mouse DNMT1 activities in vitro. The results suggest shorter association tracts (and hence weaker processivity), and much longer non-association tracts than human DNMT1 in vivo

A molten salt test loop for component and instrumentation testing

Molten salt is an effective coolant for a wide range of applications, including nuclear reactors, concentrated solar power, and other high temperature industrial heat transfer processes. The technical readiness level of components and instrumentation for high-temperature molten salt applications needs improvement for molten salt to be more widely adopted. A molten salt test loop was designed, built, and commissioned as a test bed to address these issues. The molten salt test loop at Abilene Christian University was built out of 316 stainless steel with a forced flow centrifugal-type pump, and was instrumented for remote operation. A low-temperature molten nitrate salt was used in this system, which was designed to operate at temperatures up to 300 ◦C and flow rates up to 90 liters per minute. This paper describes the loop design, computational fluid dynamics modeling, construction, and commissioning details. An outline of the data acquisition and control systems is presented. Salt samples were taken before and after introduction into the loop, and melting points were measured both before and after salt circulation. Performance of the system is discussed as well as improvements required for higher temperature loops envisioned for the future

3D correlative light and electron microscopy of cultured cells using serial blockface scanning electron microscopy.

The processes of life take place in multiple dimensions, but imaging these processes in even three dimensions is challenging. Here, we describe a workflow for 3D correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) of cell monolayers using fluorescence microscopy to identify and follow biological events, combined with serial blockface scanning electron microscopy to analyse the underlying ultrastructure. The workflow encompasses all steps from cell culture to sample processing, imaging strategy, and 3D image processing and analysis. We demonstrate successful application of the workflow to three studies, each aiming to better understand complex and dynamic biological processes, including bacterial and viral infections of cultured cells and formation of entotic cell-in-cell structures commonly observed in tumours. Our workflow revealed new insight into the replicative niche of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in primary human lymphatic endothelial cells, HIV-1 in human monocyte-derived macrophages, and the composition of the entotic vacuole. The broad application of this 3D CLEM technique will make it a useful addition to the correlative imaging toolbox for biomedical research