MobiQ: A modular Android application for collecting social interaction, repeated survey, GPS and photographic data

The MobiQ app for Android smartphones is a feature-rich application enabling a novel approach to data collection for longitudinal surveys. It combines continuous automatic background data collection with user supplied data. It can prompt users to complete questionnaires at regular intervals, and allows users to upload photographs for social research projects. The app has the capability to collect GPS location data, and calls and text frequency (excluding content) unobtrusively. The app transmits data to a secure cloud rather than storing research data on the phone, but can also store data temporarily if a data connection is unavailable; hence, MobiQ offers data security advantages over text- or web-based surveys using phones. MobiQ has been pilot tested in the field in a social science research project and is able to collect longitudinal social research data. Due to its modular and flexible design, MobiQ can easily be adapted to suit different research questions. Furthermore, its core design approach which allows for long-term power efficient data collection can be re-used outside the social sciences domain for other kinds of smartphone-based data-driven projects. Projects that have a requirement for communications-based, sensors-based, user-based data collection or any combination of these may find our code and design approach beneficial. For example, MobiQ code and architecture has been successfully adapted to build an app for a project investigating smartphone-based implicit authentication for mobile access control

Modern topics in theoretical nuclear physics

Over the past five years there have been profound advances in nuclear physics based on effective field theory and the renormalization group. In this brief, we summarize these advances and discuss how they impact our understanding of nuclear systems and experiments that seek to unravel their unknowns. We discuss future opportunities and focus on modern topics in low-energy nuclear physics, with special attention to the strong connections to many-body atomic and condensed matter physics, as well as to astrophysics. This makes it an exciting era for nuclear physics.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, prepared for the Nuclear Physics Town Hall Meeting at TRIUMF, Sept. 9-10, 2005, comments welcome, references adde

Microvirga lupini sp. nov., Microvirga lotononidis sp. nov., and Microvirga zambiensis sp. nov. are Alphaproteobacterial root nodule bacteria that specifically nodulate and fix nitrogen with geographically and taxonomically separate legume hosts

Strains of Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria were isolated from nitrogen-fixing nodules of the native legumes Listia angolensis (from Zambia) and Lupinus texensis (from Texas, USA). Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that the novel strains belong to the genus Microvirga, with 96.1 % or greater sequence similarity with type strains of this genus. The closest relative of the representative strains Lut6T and WSM3557T was M. flocculans TFBT, with 97.6-98.0 % similarity, while WSM3693T was most closely related to M. aerilata 5420S-16T, with 98.8 % similarity. Analysis of the concatenated sequences of four housekeeping gene loci (dnaK, gyrB, recA, rpoB) and cellular fatty acid profiles confirmed the placement of Lut6T, WSM3557T and WSM3693T within Microvirga. DNA:DNA relatedness values and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of Lut6T, WSM3557T and WSM3693T from each other and from other validly published Microvirga species. The nodA sequence of Lut6T was placed in a clade that contained strains of Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium and Sinorhizobium, while the 100 % identical nodA sequences of WSM3557T and WSM3693T clustered with Bradyrhizobium, Burkholderia and Methylobacterium strains. Concatenated sequences for nifD and nifH show that Lut6T, WSM3557T and WSM3693T were most closely related to Rhizobium etli CFN42T nifDH. On the basis of genotypic, phenotypic and DNA relatedness data, three novel species of Microvirga are proposed: Microvirga lupini (Lut6T = LMG26460T, = HAMBI 3236) Microvirga lotononidis (WSM3557T = LMG26455T, = HAMBI 3237) and Microvirga zambiensis (WSM3693T = LMG26454T, = HAMBI 3238)

Estimation of nasal shedding and seroprevalence of organisms known to be associated with bovine respiratory disease in Australian live export cattle

The prevalence of organisms known to be associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) was investigated in cattle prior to export. A quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay was used to detect nucleic acids from the following viruses and bacteria in nasal swab samples: Bovine coronavirus (BoCV; Betacoronavirus 1), Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), Bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV-1), Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), Bovine parainfluenza virus 3 (BPIV-3), Histophilus somni, Mycoplasma bovis, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Pasteurella multocida. Between 2010 and 2012, nasal swabs were collected from 1,484 apparently healthy cattle destined for export to the Middle East and Russian Federation. In addition, whole blood samples from 334 animals were tested for antibodies to BoHV-1, BRSV, BVDV-1, and BPIV-3 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The nasal prevalence of BoCV at the individual animal level was 40.1%. The nasal and seroprevalence of BoHV-1, BRSV, BVDV-1, and BPIV-3 was 1.0% and 39%, 1.2% and 46%, 3.0% and 56%, and 1.4% and 87%, respectively. The nasal prevalence of H. somni, M. bovis, M. haemolytica, and P. multocida was 42%, 4.8%, 13.4%, and 26%, respectively. Significant differences in nasal and seroprevalence were detected between groups of animals from different geographical locations. The results of the current study provide baseline data on the prevalence of organisms associated with BRD in Australian live export cattle in the preassembly period. This data could be used to develop strategies for BRD prevention and control prior to loading

Mortality of live export cattle on long-haul voyages: pathologic changes and pathogens

The cause of death in 215 cattle on 20 long-haul live export voyages from Australia to the Middle East, Russia, and China was investigated between 2010 and 2012 using gross, histologic, and/or molecular pathology techniques. A quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was used to detect nucleic acids from viruses and bacteria known to be associated with respiratory disease in cattle: Bovine coronavirus (Betacoronavirus 1), Bovine herpesvirus 1, Bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 and 2, Bovine respiratory syncytial virus, Bovine parainfluenza virus 3, Histophilus somni, Mycoplasma bovis, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Pasteurella multocida. The most commonly diagnosed cause of death was respiratory disease (107/180, 59.4%), followed by lameness (n = 22, 12.2%), ketosis (n = 12, 6.7%), septicemia (n = 11, 6.1%), and enteric disease (n = 10, 5.6%). Two thirds (130/195) of animals from which lung samples were collected had histologic changes and/or positive qRT-PCR results indicative of infectious lung disease: 93 out of 130 (72%) had evidence of bacterial infection, 4 (3%) had viral infection, and 29 (22%) had mixed bacterial and viral infections, and for 4 (3%) the causative organism could not be identified. Bovine coronavirus was detected in up to 13% of cattle tested, and this finding is likely to have important implications for the management and treatment of respiratory disease in live export cattle. Results from the current study indicate that although overall mortality during live export voyages is low, further research into risk factors for developing respiratory disease is require

Screening of soil micro-organisms and their influence in the establishment of annual herbaceous species

Studies oriented to rmderstanding the colonising potential of plant species rarely focus on the relationships between plants and other living organisms in the soil and in the rhizobacteria. This work presents part of the microbial diversity identified in eleven annual plant species common in crops under arid and semi arid climatic conditions (Hymenocarpos hispanicus Lassen, Trifolium arvense L., Trifolium clusii, Gardon and Gren., Ornithopus compressus L., Avena sterilis L., Briza maxima L., Bromus tectorum L., Holcus lonotus L., Lolium rigidum Gaudin, Poo bulbosa L. and Rumex bucepholophorus (Steinh)Reich.fil.). The effect of rhizobacteria on the germination and growth of two annual plant species, annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin) and wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum L) was studied showing complex relations of competition and mutualism. From 20 bacterial isolates applied to seeds and seedlings of both species, five promoted seed germination and enhanced vegetative growth; seven isolates showed competitive effect inhibiting the germination and delaying plant growth; eight isolates had no significant effect neither in the germination nor in the total biomass production. These relations, besides contributing to the knowledge of vegetative dynamics present a potential tool of biological control of weeds, with the advantage of not introducing in the soil foreign (exotic) organisms of difficult control

Role of CYP2D6 in the stereoselective disposition of venlafaxine in humans.

CYP2D6 is involved in the O-demethylation metabolic pathway of venlafaxine in humans. In this study, we investigated whether this isozyme is stereoselective. Plasma samples from seven CYP2D6 extensive metabolizers (EMs) and five CYP2D6 poor metabolizers (PMs), collected during a period without and with coadministration of quinidine, were analysed. Subjects were administered venlafaxine hydrochloride 18.75 mg orally every 12 h for 48 h on two occasions (1 week apart); once alone and once during the concomitant administration of quinidine sulphate every 12 h. Blood and urine samples were collected under steady-state conditions over one dosing interval (12 h). The present results show that, although CYP2D6 catalyses the O-demethylation of both enantiomers of venlafaxine, it displays a marked stereoselectivity towards the (R)-enantiomer. The oral clearance of (R)-venlafaxine was found to be nine-fold higher in EMs compared to PMs [median (range) 173 (29-611) l/h versus 20 (16-24) l/h, P < 0.005], while it was two-fold higher for (S)-venlafaxine [73 (32-130) l/h versus 37 (21-44) l/h, P < 0.05]. In EMs, quinidine decreased (R)- and (S)-venlafaxine oral clearance by 12-fold ( 0.05) and four-fold ( 0.05), respectively. In contrast, quinidine did not have any effects on renal clearance of (R)-venlafaxine [4 (2-10) l/h for venlafaxine alone versus 5 (0.6-7) l/h for venlafaxine + quinidine] and of (S)-venlafaxine [4 (1-7) l/h for venlafaxine alone versus 3 (0.4-6) l/h for venlafaxine + quinidine]. The coadministration of quinidine to EMs resulted in an almost complete inhibition of the partial metabolic clearance of (R)-venlafaxine to O-demethylated metabolites [127 (10-493) l/h down to 1 (0.1-3) l/h, 0.05], while a seven-fold reduction was measured for (S)-venlafaxine [47 (14-94) l/h versus 7 (1-19) l/h, 0.05]. In PMs, coadministration of quinidine did not significantly change oral clearance and partial metabolic clearance of (R)- and (S)-venlafaxine to its various metabolites. In contrast, data obtained on the partial metabolic clearance of (R)- and (S)-venlafaxine to N-demethylated metabolites, a reaction which is mediated by CYP3A4, suggest a lack of stereoselectivity of this enzyme