Common Weeds as a Cause of Perirenal Edema In Swine

The disease problem described here has been diagnosed with increased frequency in Iowa during the last few years. The literature contains very few references to perirenal edema as a lesion in swine, and even fewer references to the condition as a distinct disease syndrome

Collusive Bidding in the Market for Corporate Control

Part I of this article examines the historical evolution of antitrust laws, specifically as they have been applied to the market for corporate control. Part II examines the current judicial opinions advanced which reject the application of antitrust laws to the market for corporate control, including the supposed nonapplicability of antitrust laws to the sale of stock and the implied revocation of the antitrust laws by virtue of the enaction of the Williams Act. Part III addresses the inability of the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate the market for corporate control via the Williams Act in that there is no inherent conflict between the Commission\u27s disclosure requirements and the policy of antitrust laws. Part IV analyzes the quantitative economic effects of the diminution of competition in the market for corporate control and examine its aggregate effect on shareholders

Wind Effects on Near- and Midfield Mixing in Tidally Pulsed River Plumes

River plumes transport and mix land-based tracers into the ocean. In tidally pulsed river plumes, wind effects have long been considered negligible in modulating interfacial mixing in the energetic nearfield region. This research tests the influence of variable, realistic winds on mixing in the interior plume. A numerical model of the Merrimack River plume-shelf system is utilized, with an application of the salinity variance approach employed to identify spatial and temporal variation in advection, straining, and dissipation (mixing) of vertical salinity variance (stratification). Results indicate that moderate wind stresses (∼0.5 Pa) with a northward component countering the downcoast rotation of the plume are most effective at decreasing stratification in the domain relative to other wind conditions. Northward winds advect plume and ambient shelf stratification offshore, allowing shelf water salinity to increase in the nearshore, which strengthens the density gradient at the plume base. Straining in the plume increases with winds enhancing offshore-directed surface velocities, leading to increased shear at the plume base. Increased straining and larger density gradients at the plume base enhance variance dissipation in the near- and midfield plume, and dissipation remains enhanced if the shelf is clear of residual stratification. The smaller spatial and temporal scales of the Merrimack plume allow the mechanisms to occur at tidal time scales in direct response to instantaneous winds. This is the first study to show tidal time scale wind-induced straining and advection as controlling factors on near- and midfield mixing rates in river plumes under realistic winds

A peptide-loaded dendritic cell based cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) vaccination strategy using peptides that span SIV Tat, Rev, and Env overlapping reading frames

CTL based vaccine strategies in the macaque model of AIDS have shown promise in slowing the progression to disease. However, rapid CTL escape viruses can emerge rendering such vaccination useless. We hypothesized that such escape is made more difficult if the immunizing CTL epitope falls within a region of the virus that has a high density of overlapping reading frames which encode several viral proteins. To test this hypothesis, we immunized macaques using a peptide-loaded dendritic cell approach employing epitopes in the second coding exon of SIV Tat which spans reading frames for both Env and Rev. We report here that autologous dendritic cells, loaded with SIV peptides from Tat, Rev, and Env, induced a distinct cellular immune response measurable ex vivo. However, conclusive in vivo control of a challenge inoculation of SIVmac239 was not observed suggesting that CTL epitopes within densely overlapping reading frames are also subject to escape mutations

Validation of Reference Genes for Robust qRT-PCR Gene Expression Analysis in the Rice Blast Fungus \u3ci\u3eMagnaporthe oryzae\u3c/i\u3e

The rice blast fungus causes significant annual harvest losses. It also serves as a genetically- tractable model to study fungal ingress. Whilst pathogenicity determinants have been unmasked and changes in global gene expression described, we know little about Magnaporthe oryzae cell wall remodelling. Our interests, in wall remodelling genes expressed during infection, vegetative growth and under exogenous wall stress, demand robust choice of reference genes for quantitative Real Time-PCR (qRT-PCR) data normalisation. We describe the expression stability of nine candidate reference genes profiled by qRT-PCR with cDNAs derived during asexual germling development, from sexual stage perithecia and from vegetative mycelium grown under various exogenous stressors. Our Minimum Information for Publication of qRT-PCR Experiments (MIQE) compliant analysis reveals a set of robust reference genes used to track changes in the expression of the cell wall remodelling gene MGG_Crh2 (MGG_00592). We ranked nine candidate reference genes by their expression stability (M) and report the best gene combination needed for reliable gene expression normalisation, when assayed in three tissue groups (Infective, Vegetative, and Global) frequently used in M. oryzae expression studies. We found that MGG_Actin (MGG_03982) and the 40S 27a ribosomal subunit MGG_40s (MGG_02872) proved to be robust reference genes for the Infection group and MGG_40s and MGG_Ef1 (Elongation Factor1-α) for both Vegetative and Global groups. Using the above validated reference genes, M. oryzae MGG_Crh2 expression was found to be significantly (p\u3c0.05) elevated three-fold during vegetative growth as compared with dormant spores and two fold higher under cell wall stress (Congo Red) compared to growth under optimal conditions. We recommend the combinatorial use of two reference genes, belonging to the cytoskeleton and ribosomal synthesis functional groups, MGG_Actin, MGG_40s, MGG_S8 (Ribosomal subunit 40S S8) or MGG_Ef1, which demonstrated low M values across heterogeneous tissues. By contrast, metabolic pathway genes MGG_Fad (FAD binding domain-containing protein) and MGG_Gapdh (Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) performed poorly, due to their lack of expression stability across samples

Optimising a digitally delivered behavioural weight loss programme: study protocol for a factorial cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Digitally delivered weight loss programmes can provide a convenient, potentially cheaper, and scalable treatment option for people who may need to lose weight. However, outcomes are often inferior to in-person interventions in the long-term. This trial will use principles from the Multiphase Optimisation Strategy (MOST) framework to test whether it can enhance the effectiveness of a commercial digital behavioural weight loss programme. This trial aims to identify an optimised combination of four intervention components to enhance weight loss over a 24-week period. We will also explore which components contribute to improvements in participant retention and engagement with the programme. Methods: Approximately 1400 adults with a BMI > 21 kg/m2 will be enrolled and randomised to one of 16 experimental conditions in a 24 factorial cluster design. The trial will test four intervention components: an introductory video call with the health coach, drop-in webchat sessions with the health coach, goal setting statements, and food diary review and feedback. All participants will receive the core digital behavioural weight loss programme and up to four new intervention components. Participation in the trial will last for 24 weeks. The primary outcome will be weight change at 16 weeks. Other outcomes, measured at 4, 16, and 24 weeks, include programme drop-out and engagement (number of interactions with the three main app functions). Fidelity and acceptability will be assessed using data on component adherence and self-report questionnaires. Decision-making for the enhanced programme will be based on components that contribute to at least a minimal improvement in weight loss, defined as ≥ 0.75kg, alone or in combination with other components. Discussion: The factorial design is an efficient way to test the efficacy of behavioural components alone, or in combination, to improve the effectiveness of digital weight loss programmes. This trial will test the implementation of the MOST framework in an industry setting, using routinely collected data, which may provide a better way to refine and evaluate these types of interventions in a model of continuous service improvement. Trial registration: Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN14407868. Registered 5 January 2024, 10.1186/ISRCTN14407868

Ferrets exclusively synthesize Neu5Ac and express naturally humanized influenza A virus receptors

Mammals express the sialic acids ​N-acetylneuraminic acid (​Neu5Ac) and ​N-glycolylneuraminic acid (​Neu5Gc) on cell surfaces, where they act as receptors for pathogens, including influenza A virus (IAV). ​Neu5Gc is synthesized from ​Neu5Ac by the enzyme cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH). In humans, this enzyme is inactive and only ​Neu5Ac is produced. Ferrets are susceptible to human-adapted IAV strains and have been the dominant animal model for IAV studies. Here we show that ferrets, like humans, do not synthesize ​Neu5Gc. Genomic analysis reveals an ancient, nine-exon deletion in the ferret CMAH gene that is shared by the Pinnipedia and Musteloidia members of the Carnivora. Interactions between two human strains of IAV with the sialyllactose receptor (sialic acid—α2,6Gal) confirm that the type of terminal sialic acid contributes significantly to IAV receptor specificity. Our results indicate that exclusive expression of ​Neu5Ac contributes to the susceptibility of ferrets to human-adapted IAV strains

Soil Application Effects of Metarhizium anisopliae on Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Behavior and Survival in Turfgrass Microcosms

The effect of mycelial and conidial formulations of the insect pathogenic fungi, M. anisopliae, on the survival and behavior Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, larvae and ovipositing adults in turfgrass-soil microcosms was explored. Changes in Japanese beetle grub feeding site selection on sod roots, movement patterns, and survival in Metarhizium anisopliae inoculated soil were examined in greenhouse studies and through the use of radiographic analysis in the laboratory. Our studies indicate that the application of mycelial particles in soil affected the behavior of both larval and adult Japanese beetles. Japanese beetle grubs avoided soil that contained high concentrations of pathogen for up to 20 d after application. Conversely, the incorporation of mycelial particles increased oviposition in both choice and no choice studies. Our findings on scarab response to inundative applications of M. anisopliae mycelium may help explain some of the inconsistency in results that often occur when fungal pathogens are used to control insects in the fiel