EXPLORING CHARACTERISTICS OF VACCINATED DOGS THAT FAIL TO ACHIEVE AN ADEQUATE LEVEL OF RABIES VIRUS NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES

Master of Public HealthPublic Health Interdepartmental ProgramMajor Professor Not ListedThis study provides additional findings that could potentially have implications for current and future guidelines as they pertain to pet travel, vaccination campaigns, and exposure recommendations. Furthermore, the study provides insight into additional research needed within the area of rabies serology specifically as it pertains to the influence of breed or dog size, primary versus anamnestic responses to vaccination, and smaller sampling intervals to determine the initial detection of immunocompetence

Butterfly surveys in Albania during 2014 including the discovery of two new species for the country

During field surveys conducted in Albania in 2014, we encountered 90 species of butterflies. Anthocharis damone Boisduval, 1836 is a new species for the fauna of Albania while Apatura metis Freyer, 1829 is confirmed for the country. With these discoveries the number of butterfly species known to occur in Albania has risen to 200 and our surveys added many new sites for species considered rare and local in Albania. In addition, the life cycles of Lycaena ottomana (Lefèbvre, 1830) and Apatura metis from Albania are documented and discussed

Capital humano y crecimiento. Estimaciones alternativas por provincias españolas en la década de los noventa

La forma de medición del capital humano y su introducción en la función de producción es actualmente objeto de análisis. En este trabajo se presenta un estudio comparativo de los efectos económicos que el capital humano, medido en términos de trabajadores equivalentes y en términos de ocupados que superan un determinado nivel educativo, tiene sobre la producción provincial española en los años noventa. Para ello, se han aproximado dos funciones de producción tipo Cobb-Douglas, en las que el Valor Añadido Bruto es función del capital humano (trabajadores equivalentes o nivel medio de educación) y del capital físico privado y público. Los resultados obtenidos mediante la técnica de datos de panel sugieren la necesidad de seguir avanzando para obtener un mejor modo de aproximación de esta variable y de su integración en la función estimada, que se intuye podrá derivarse de una combinación de los dos modelos analizados

Comparison of three different PCR protocols for the detection of ferlaviruses

Background Ferlaviruses are important pathogens in snakes often associated with respiratory and neurological disease. The detection of ferlaviral RNA by PCR is considered to be the most reliable method for the diagnosis of infection. The PCRs that have been used most commonly for this purpose have not been properly assessed to determine their sensitivity, specificity and ability to detect the known genetic diversity of this group of viruses. The aim of this study was to compare three published PCR protocols so that a single method could be recommended to laboratories that perform this testing. Results Comparisons were carried out using cell culture isolates and tissues from snakes infected with specific virus genotypes. A single round PCR targeting a short segment of the viral polymerase (L) gene provided the highest sensitivity and specificity, and detected isolated ferlaviruses from all four described genogroups, as well as from tissues of infected snakes. Conclusion A broadly-reactive PCR for the detection of all known ferlaviruses was found to provide a good combination of detection limit, specificity and speed. Based on these criteria, this method is recommended for the diagnosis of ferlavirus infections

The functional repertoire contained within the native microbiota of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

The microbiota is generally assumed to have a substantial influence on the biology of multicellular organisms. The exact functional contributions of the microbes are often unclear and cannot be inferred easily from 16S rRNA genotyping, which is commonly used for taxonomic characterization of bacterial associates. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, we here analyzed the metabolic competences of the native microbiota of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We integrated whole-genome sequences of 77 bacterial microbiota members with metabolic modeling and experimental characterization of bacterial physiology. We found that, as a community, the microbiota can synthesize all essential nutrients for C. elegans. Both metabolic models and experimental analyses revealed that nutrient context can influence how bacteria interact within the microbiota. We identified key bacterial traits that are likely to influence the microbe’s ability to colonize C. elegans (i.e., the ability of bacteria for pyruvate fermentation to acetoin) and affect nematode fitness (i.e., bacterial competence for hydroxyproline degradation). Considering that the microbiota is usually neglected in C. elegans research, the resource presented here will help our understanding of this nematode’s biology in a more natural context. Our integrative approach moreover provides a novel, general framework to characterize microbiota-mediated functions

Convergent Evolution in Aquatic Tetrapods: Insights from an Exceptional Fossil Mosasaur

Mosasaurs (family Mosasauridae) are a diverse group of secondarily aquatic lizards that radiated into marine environments during the Late Cretaceous (98–65 million years ago). For the most part, they have been considered to be simple anguilliform swimmers – i.e., their propulsive force was generated by means of lateral undulations incorporating the greater part of the body – with unremarkable, dorsoventrally narrow tails and long, lizard-like bodies. Convergence with the specialized fusiform body shape and inferred carangiform locomotory style (in which only a portion of the posterior body participates in the thrust-producing flexure) of ichthyosaurs and metriorhynchid crocodyliform reptiles, along with cetaceans, has so far only been recognized in Plotosaurus, the most highly derived member of the Mosasauridae. Here we report on an exceptionally complete specimen (LACM 128319) of the moderately derived genus Platecarpus that preserves soft tissues and anatomical details (e.g., large portions of integument, a partial body outline, putative skin color markings, a downturned tail, branching bronchial tubes, and probable visceral traces) to an extent that has never been seen previously in any mosasaur. Our study demonstrates that a streamlined body plan and crescent-shaped caudal fin were already well established in Platecarpus, a taxon that preceded Plotosaurus by 20 million years. These new data expand our understanding of convergent evolution among marine reptiles, and provide insights into their evolution's tempo and mode