Susceptibility of Human Prion Protein to Conversion by Chronic Wasting Disease Prions

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious and fatal neurodegenerative disease and a serious animal health issue for deer and elk in North America. The identification of the first cases of CWD among free-ranging reindeer and moose in Europe brings back into focus the unresolved issue of whether CWD can be zoonotic like bovine spongiform encephalopathy. We used a cell-free seeded protein misfolding assay to determine whether CWD prions from elk, white-tailed deer, and reindeer in North America can convert the human prion protein to the disease-associated form. We found that prions can convert, but the efficiency of conversion is affected by polymorphic variation in the cervid and human prion protein genes. In view of the similarity of reindeer, elk, and white-tailed deer in North America to reindeer, red deer, and roe deer, respectively, in Europe, a more comprehensive and thorough assessment of the zoonotic potential of CWD might be warranted

A new method for deriving composition of S-type asteroids from noisy and incomplete near-infrared spectra

The surface composition of S-type asteroids can be determined using band parameters extracted from their near-infrared (NIR) spectra (0.7-2.50 $\mu$m) along with spectral calibrations derived from laboratory samples. In the past, these empirical equations have been obtained by combining NIR spectra of meteorite samples with information about their composition and mineral abundance. For these equations to give accurate results, the characteristics of the laboratory spectra they are derived from should be similar to those of asteroid spectral data (i.e., similar signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and wavelength range). Here we present new spectral calibrations that can be used to determine the mineral composition of ordinary chondrite-like S-type asteroids. Contrary to previous work, the S/N of the ordinary chondrite spectra used in this study has been decreased to recreate the S/N typically observed among asteroid spectra, allowing us to obtain more realistic results. In addition, the new equations have been derived for five wavelength ranges encompassed between 0.7 and 2.50 $\mu$m, making it possible to determine the composition of asteroids with incomplete data. The new spectral calibrations were tested using band parameters measured from the NIR spectrum of asteroid (25143) Itokawa, and comparing the results with laboratory measurements of the returned samples. We found that the spectrally derived olivine and pyroxene chemistry, which are given by the molar contents of fayalite (Fa) and ferrosilite (Fs), are in excellent agreement with the mean values measured from the samples (Fa$_{28.6\pm1.1}$ and Fs$_{23.1\pm2.2}$), with a maximum difference of 0.6 mol\% for Fa and 1.4 mol\% for Fs.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Searching for Inflow Towards Massive Starless Clump Candidates Identified in the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey

Recent Galactic plane surveys of dust continuum emission at long wavelengths have identified a population of dense, massive clumps with no evidence for on-going star formation. These massive starless clump candidates are excellent sites to search for the initial phases of massive star formation before the feedback from massive star formation effects the clump. In this study, we search for the spectroscopic signature of inflowing gas toward starless clumps, some of which are massive enough to form a massive star. We observed 101 starless clump candidates identified in the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) in HCO+ J = 1-0 using the 12m Arizona Radio Observatory telescope. We find a small blue excess of E = (Nblue - Nred)/Ntotal = 0.03 for the complete survey. We identified 6 clumps that are good candidates for inflow motion and used a radiative transfer model to calculate mass inflow rates that range from 500 - 2000 M /Myr. If the observed line profiles are indeed due to large-scale inflow motions, then these clumps will typically double their mass on a free fall time. Our survey finds that massive BGPS starless clump candidates with inflow signatures in HCO+ J = 1-0 are rare throughout our Galaxy.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Decacationic Pillar[5]arene: A New Scaffold for the Development of 129Xe MRI Imaging Agents

A decacationic water-soluble pillar[5]arene possessing a nonsolvated hydrophobic core has been designed and synthesized. This supramolecular host is capable of binding xenon, as evidenced by hyperCEST depletion experiments. Fluorescence-based studies also demonstrate that xenon binds into the cavity of the pillararene with an association constant of 4.6 × 103 M−1. These data indicate that the water-soluble pillararene is a potential scaffold for building contrast agents that can be detected by xenon-129 magnetic resonance imaging

Resolving Salmonella infection reveals dynamic and persisting changes in murine bone marrow progenitor cell phenotype and function

The generation of immune cells from BM precursors is a carefully regulated process. This is essential to limit the potential for oncogenesis and autoimmunity yet protect against infection. How infection modulates this is unclear. Salmonella can colonize systemic sites including the BM and spleen. This resolving infection has multiple IFN-γ-mediated acute and chronic effects on BM progenitors, and during the first week of infection IFN-γ is produced by myeloid, NK, NKT, CD4+ T cells, and some lineage-negative cells. After infection, the phenotype of BM progenitors rapidly but reversibly alters, with a peak ∼30-fold increase in Sca-1hi progenitors and a corresponding loss of Sca-1lo/int subsets. Most strikingly, the capacity of donor Sca-1hi cells to reconstitute an irradiated host is reduced; the longer donor mice are exposed to infection, and Sca-1hic-kitint cells have an increased potential to generate B1a-like cells. Thus, Salmonella can have a prolonged influence on BM progenitor functionality not directly related to bacterial persistence. These results reflect changes observed in leucopoiesis during aging and suggest that BM functionality can be modulated by life-long, periodic exposure to infection. Better understanding of this process could offer novel therapeutic opportunities to modulate BM functionality and promote healthy aging

Natural Occurrence of Ochratoxin A in Musts, Wines and Grape Vine Fruits from Grapes Harvested in Argentina

In this study, ochratoxin A (OTA) occurrence in Argentinean musts, wines and dried vine fruits was evaluated, alongside with the performance of OchraStarTM columns for OTA extraction. In all the three matrices analyzed, the OchraStarTM columns showed good performance. The analysis of natural occurrence of OTA in the red must and the red wine samples showed low incidence with low levels of mean OTA contamination (0.12 ng/mL and 0.37 ng/mL, respectively), while 60% of the dried vine fruit samples were contaminated with OTA, in levels ranging from 0.26 to 20.28 ng/g

Doctor Kids Online

El presente trabajo de investigación nace con el objetivo de atender la necesidad de padres de familia del país de acceder a un servicio médico inmediato para sus menores hijos, que dado el contexto actual, se ha tornado aún más difícil. Por esta razón, Doctor Kids Online tiene como objetivo ser un canal de atención médica accesible y rápida enfocada en atender a niños de hasta 5 años, que residan en Lima Metropolitana, en las especialidades de pediatría, nutrición y psicología infantil. El valor agregado de este proyecto es que las familias podrán acceder a una atención médica virtual a un costo accesible sin tiempos de espera o reprogramaciones desde la comodidad de sus hogares. El público objetivo son padres jóvenes que hacen uso de las redes sociales y suelen realizar compras online, valoran el tiempo y la calidad. Teniendo en cuenta estas necesidades, la propuesta de valor del proyecto se basará en la calidad e inmediatez del servicio. Para ello, contaremos con un sitio web que permita que la experiencia del usuario sea didáctica y sencilla. Se emplearon dos tipos metodológicos de investigación. La investigación cualitativa, a través de entrevistas a profundidad y el método Pitch a través de una landing page para identificar las necesidades más relevantes y el 70% indica que estaría dispuesto a tomar el servicio médico virtual o que ya lo ha tomado. Con respecto al análisis del plan financiero, el proyecto es rentable teniendo un VAN de S/6,365,682 y un TIR de 723.30%.This research work was born with the objective of meeting the need of parents in the country to access immediate medical service for their minor children, which, given the current context, has become even more difficult. For this reason, Doctor Kids Online aims to be an accessible and fast medical care channel focused on serving children up to 5 years old, who reside in Metropolitan Lima, in the specialties of pediatrics, nutrition and child psychology. The added value of this project is that families will be able to access virtual medical care at an affordable cost without waiting times or reprogramming from the comfort of their homes. The target audience is young parents who make use of social networks and usually make purchases online, they value time and quality. Taking these needs into account, the project's value proposition will be based on the quality and immediacy of the service. To do this, we will have a website that allows the user experience to be didactic and simple. Two methodological types of research were used. Qualitative research, through in-depth interviews and the Pitch method through a landing page to identify the most relevant needs and 70% indicate that they would be willing to take the virtual medical service or that they have already taken it. Regarding the analysis of the financial plan, the project is profitable, having a NPV of S/6,365,682 and an TIR of 723.30%.Trabajo de investigació

Author Correction: Cross-ancestry genome-wide association analysis of corneal thickness strengthens link between complex and Mendelian eye diseases.

Emmanuelle Souzeau, who contributed to analysis of data, was inadvertently omitted from the author list in the originally published version of this Article. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article