731 research outputs found
Are photographs a suitable alternative to dental study casts when assessing primary surgical outcome in children born with unilateral cleft lip and palate?
Chronic wasting disease prions in mule deer interdigital glands
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a geographically expanding, fatal neurodegenerative disease in cervids. The disease can be transmitted directly (animal-animal) or indirectly via infectious prions shed into the environment. The precise mechanisms of indirect CWD transmission are unclear but known sources of the infectious prions that contaminate the environment include saliva, urine and feces. We have previously identified PrPC expression in deer interdigital glands, sac-like exocrine structures located between the digits of the hooves. In this study, we assayed for CWD prions within the interdigital glands of CWD infected deer to determine if they could serve as a source of prion shedding and potentially contribute to CWD transmission. Immunohistochemical analysis of interdigital glands from a CWD-infected female mule deer identified disease-associated PrPCWD within clusters of infiltrating leukocytes adjacent to sudoriferous and sebaceous glands, and within the acrosyringeal epidermis of a sudoriferous gland tubule. Proteinase K-resistant PrPCWD material was amplified by serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) from soil retrieved from between the hoof digits of a clinically affected mule deer. Blinded testing of interdigital glands from 11 mule deer by real-time quake-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) accurately identified CWD-infected animals. The data described suggests that interdigital glands may play a role in the dissemination of CWD prions into the environment, warranting future investigation
Educational Attainment of Children Born with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate in the United Kingdom
Cellular prion protein distribution in the vomeronasal organ, parotid, and scent glands of white-tailed deer and mule deer
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious and fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting species of the cervidae family. CWD has an expanding geographic range and complex, poorly understood transmission mechanics. CWD is disproportionately prevalent in wild male mule deer and male white-tailed deer. Sex and species influences on CWD prevalence have been hypothesized to be related to animal behaviours that involve deer facial and body exocrine glands. Understanding CWD transmission potential requires a foundational knowledge of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) in glands associated with cervid behaviours. In this study, we characterized the presence and distribution of PrPC in six integumentary and two non-integumentary tissues of hunter-harvested mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus). We report that white-tailed deer expressed significantly more PrPC than their mule deer in the parotid, metatarsal, and interdigital glands. Females expressed more PrPC than males in the forehead and preorbital glands. The distribution of PrPC within the integumentary exocrine glands of the face and legs were localized to glandular cells, hair follicles, epidermis, and immune cell infiltrates. All tissues examined expressed sufficient quantities of PrPC to serve as possible sites of prion initial infection, propagation, and shedding
Are people with an orofacial cleft at a higher risk of dental caries? A systematic review and meta-analysis
X-ray Emission and Corona of the Young Intermediate Mass Binary Ori E
Theta 1 Ori E is a young, moderate mass binary system, a rarely observed case
of spectral-type G-giants of about 3 Solar masses, which are still collapsing
towards the main sequence. We have obtained high resolution X-ray spectra with
Chandra and find that the system is very active and similar to coronal sources,
having emission typical of magnetically confined plasma: a broad temperature
distribution with a hot component and significant high energy continuum; narrow
emission lines from H- and He-like ions, as well as a range of Fe ions, and
relative luminosity, L_x/L_bol = 0.001. Density, while poorly constrained, is
consistent with the low density limits as determined from Mg XI and Ne IX
emission lines. Coronal elemental abundances are sub-Solar, with Ne being the
highest at about 0.4 times Solar. We find a possible trend in Trapezium hot
plasmas towards low relative abundances of Fe, O, and Ne, which is hard to
explain in terms of the dust depletion scenarios of low-mass young stars.
Variability was unusually low relative to other coronally active stars. The
emission is similar to post main-sequence G-stars. Coronal structures could be
compact or comparable to the dimensions of the stellar radii. We conclude that
the X-rays in theta 1 Ori E are generated by a convective dynamo.Comment: Accepted by ApJ (scheduled for Dec 2009, v707
Video and image systems engineering education for the 21st century
Includes bibliographical references.We are developing a new graduate program at Purdue in Video and Image Systems Engineering (VISE). The project is comprised of three parts: a new curriculum centered around a degree option in VISE to be earned as part of the Masters or Ph.D. degrees; a state-of-the-art lecture/laboratory facility for instruction, laboratory experiments, and project and homework activities in VISE courses; and enhancement of existing courses and development of new courses in the VISE area.Supported by an Image Systems Engineering Grant from Hewlett-Packard Company
Development of an automated DNA purification module using a micro-fabricated pillar chip
We present a fully automated DNA purification module comprised of a micro-fabricated chip and sequential injection analysis system that is designed for use within autonomous instruments that continuously monitor the environment for the presence of biological threat agents. The chip has an elliptical flow channel containing a bed (3.5 × 3.5 mm) of silica-coated pillars with height, width and center-to-center spacing of 200, 15, and 30 µm, respectively, which provides a relatively large surface area (ca. 3 cm2) for DNA capture in the presence of chaotropic agents. We have characterized the effect of various fluidic parameters on extraction performance, including sample input volume, capture flow rate, and elution volume. The flow-through design made the pillar chip completely reusable; carryover was eliminated by flushing lines with sodium hypochlorite and deionized water between assays. A mass balance was conducted to determine the fate of input DNA not recovered in the eluent. The device was capable of purifying and recovering Bacillus anthracis genomic DNA (input masses from 0.32 to 320 pg) from spiked environmental aerosol samples, for subsequent analysis using polymerase chain reaction-based assays.<br /
Asteroseismology with the Roman Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey
Asteroseismology has transformed stellar astrophysics. Red giant
asteroseismology is a prime example, with oscillation periods and amplitudes
that are readily detectable with time-domain space-based telescopes. These
oscillations can be used to infer masses, ages and radii for large numbers of
stars, providing unique constraints on stellar populations in our galaxy. The
cadence, duration, and spatial resolution of the Roman galactic bulge
time-domain survey (GBTDS) are well-suited for asteroseismology and will probe
an important population not studied by prior missions. We identify photometric
precision as a key requirement for realizing the potential of asteroseismology
with Roman. A precision of 1 mmag per 15-min cadence or better for saturated
stars will enable detections of the populous red clump star population in the
Galactic bulge. If the survey efficiency is better than expected, we argue for
repeat observations of the same fields to improve photometric precision, or
covering additional fields to expand the stellar population reach if the
photometric precision for saturated stars is better than 1 mmag.
Asteroseismology is relatively insensitive to the timing of the observations
during the mission, and the prime red clump targets can be observed in a single
70 day campaign in any given field. Complementary stellar characterization,
particularly astrometry tied to the Gaia system, will also dramatically expand
the diagnostic power of asteroseismology. We also highlight synergies to Roman
GBTDS exoplanet science using transits and microlensing.Comment: Roman Core Community Survey White Paper, 3 pages, 4 figure
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