El examen serológico con muestras de sangre obtenidas en papel de filtro

Se ha puesto a punto una técnica de obtención de sangre total en papel filtro para el muestreo serológico de enfermedades de los conejos tales como: Enfermedad Hemorrágica Viral (RHVD); Encephalitozoonosis; Chlamydia psittaci y Mixomatosis. Se propone como alternativa de muestreo para la determinación de anticuerpos, por ser un método sencillo que no requiere muchos cuidados en el envío al laboratorio. Se evaluaron 94 muestras de suero de conejos llegados al laboratorio para el diagnóstico de las entidades antes citadas. Los resultados serológicos de la muestras de sangre total obtenida por venipuntura y en papel filtro, fueron comparados. Los métodos empleados incluyeron: Inmunofluorescencia Indirecta (IFI) para detectar IgG, Carbón inmunoensayo (CIA) e Inhibición de la Hemoaglutinación (IHA) para la evaluación de anticuerpos totales. Los resultados de sensibilidad, especificidad, índice de concordancia y valores predictivos positivos y negativos obtenidos en este trabajo fueron satisfactorios y nos permitieron decir que la toma y el transporte de muestras de sangre en papel de filtro es una técnica útil con sensibilidad y especificidad adecuada para realizar estudios seroepidemiológicos en conejos

Submillimetric GPS distance measurement over short baselines: noise mitigation by global robust estimation

The potential use of GPS technology for precise length determination is currently a topic of extensive research. A prior work was dedicated to submillimetric length determination over short baselines and under ideal conditions of data availability and a clear environment. This paper presents a new computation method suited to the less favourable working conditions that are usually encountered in practice. It is based on both robust estimation theory and the use of an ambiguity-free estimation method. As the experimental comparisons with the standard procedure based on least-squares ambiguity determination show, it provides more stable values and permits results to be obtained significant to the submillimetre level with time spans of a few hours.This research is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AYA2011-23232).Baselga Moreno, S.; García-Asenjo Villamayor, L.; Garrigues Talens, P. (2014). Submillimetric GPS distance measurement over short baselines: noise mitigation by global robust estimation. Measurement Science and Technology. 25(10):1-6. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/25/10/105004S162510Altamimi, Z., Collilieux, X., & Métivier, L. (2011). ITRF2008: an improved solution of the international terrestrial reference frame. Journal of Geodesy, 85(8), 457-473. doi:10.1007/s00190-011-0444-4Amiri-Simkooei, A. R., & Tiberius, C. C. J. M. (2006). Assessing receiver noise using GPS short baseline time series. GPS Solutions, 11(1), 21-35. doi:10.1007/s10291-006-0026-8Baire, Q., Bruyninx, C., Legrand, J., Pottiaux, E., Aerts, W., Defraigne, P., … Chevalier, J. M. (2013). Influence of different GPS receiver antenna calibration models on geodetic positioning. GPS Solutions, 18(4), 529-539. doi:10.1007/s10291-013-0349-1Baselga, S. (2007). Global Optimization Solution of Robust Estimation. Journal of Surveying Engineering, 133(3), 123-128. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9453(2007)133:3(123)Baselga, S. (2010). Global optimization applied to GPS positioning by ambiguity functions. Measurement Science and Technology, 21(12), 125102. doi:10.1088/0957-0233/21/12/125102Baselga, S. (2014). Ambiguity-Free Method for Fast and Precise GNSS Differential Positioning. Journal of Surveying Engineering, 140(1), 22-27. doi:10.1061/(asce)su.1943-5428.0000111Baselga, S., & García-Asenjo, L. (2008). GNSS Differential Positioning by Robust Estimation. Journal of Surveying Engineering, 134(1), 21-25. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9453(2008)134:1(21)Baselga, S., & García-Asenjo, L. (2008). Multipath Mitigation by Global Robust Estimation. Journal of Navigation, 61(3), 385-392. doi:10.1017/s0373463308004803Baselga, S., García-Asenjo, L., & Garrigues, P. (2013). Submillimetric GPS distance measurement over short baselines: case study in inner consistency. Measurement Science and Technology, 24(7), 075001. doi:10.1088/0957-0233/24/7/075001Dow, J. M., Neilan, R. E., & Rizos, C. (2009). The International GNSS Service in a changing landscape of Global Navigation Satellite Systems. Journal of Geodesy, 83(3-4), 191-198. doi:10.1007/s00190-008-0300-3Griffiths, J., & Ray, J. R. (2012). Sub-daily alias and draconitic errors in the IGS orbits. GPS Solutions, 17(3), 413-422. doi:10.1007/s10291-012-0289-1Huber, P. J. (1981). Robust Statistics. Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics. doi:10.1002/0471725250Koivula, H., Häkli, P., Jokela, J., Buga, A., & Putrimas, R. (2011). GPS Metrology: Bringing Traceable Scale to a Local Crustal Deformation GPS Network. International Association of Geodesy Symposia, 105-112. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-20338-1_13Niu, X., Chen, Q., Zhang, Q., Zhang, H., Niu, J., Chen, K., … Liu, J. (2013). Using Allan variance to analyze the error characteristics of GNSS positioning. GPS Solutions, 18(2), 231-242. doi:10.1007/s10291-013-0324-xRay, J., Altamimi, Z., Collilieux, X., & van Dam, T. (2007). Anomalous harmonics in the spectra of GPS position estimates. GPS Solutions, 12(1), 55-64. doi:10.1007/s10291-007-0067-7Snay, R. A., & Soler, T. (2008). Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS): History, Applications, and Future Enhancements. Journal of Surveying Engineering, 134(4), 95-104. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9453(2008)134:4(95)Wieser, A., & Brunner, F. K. (2002). Short Static GPS Sessions: Robust Estimation Results. GPS Solutions, 5(3), 70-79. doi:10.1007/pl00012901Yang, Y. (1999). Robust estimation of geodetic datum transformation. Journal of Geodesy, 73(5), 268-274. doi:10.1007/s001900050243Yang, Y., Song, L., & Xu, T. (2002). Robust estimator for correlated observations based on bifactor equivalent weights. Journal of Geodesy, 76(6-7), 353-358. doi:10.1007/s00190-002-0256-

Fluorescent labels to study thermal transitions in epoxy/silica composites

The analysis of the fluorescent response from the dansyl moiety as a function of temperature has been used to estimate the thermal transitions in silica particle/epoxy-based composite materials. Silica particles were surface-coated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and 3-aminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane (APDES). 5-Dimethylamino-1-naphtalenesulfonyl chloride (DNS) and 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-(2-aminoehyl)) sulfonamide (DNS-EDA) were selectively attached to the silanized silica particles and to the epoxy matrix respectively. The fluorescence results, interpreted in terms of the model of interpenetrating polymer networks, suggest that (i) independent of the silane coating, the interfacial region is slightly more rigid and heterogeneous than the epoxy bulk and (ii) the interface generated with APTES seems to be more flexible than that obtained with APDES.The authors gratefully acknowledge projects of Epoxil (MAT2000-0391-P4-02) and Fibrodont (MAT2001-0677-P3) for financial support

The hVPS34-SGK3 pathway counteracts inhibition of the PI3K-Akt to maintain mTORC1 and tumour growth

We explore mechanisms that enable cancer cells to tolerate PI3K or Akt inhibitors. Prolonged treatment of breast cancer cells with PI3K or Akt inhibitors leads to increased expression and activation of a kinase termed SGK3 that is related to Akt. Under these conditions, SGK3 is controlled by hVps34 that generates PtdIns(3)P, which binds to the PX domain of SGK3 promoting phosphorylation and activation by its upstream PDK1 activator. Furthermore, under conditions of prolonged PI3K/Akt pathway inhibition, SGK3 substitutes for Akt by phosphorylating TSC2 to activate mTORC1. We characterise 14h, a compound that inhibits both SGK3 activity and activation in vivo, and show that a combination of Akt and SGK inhibitors induced marked regression of BT‐474 breast cancer cell‐derived tumours in a xenograft model. Finally, we present the kinome‐wide analysis of mRNA expression dynamics induced by PI3K/Akt inhibition. Our findings highlight the importance of the hVps34‐SGK3 pathway and suggest it represents a mechanism to counteract inhibition of PI3K/Akt signalling. The data support the potential of targeting both Akt and SGK as a cancer therapeutic

An efficient method for the carboxylation of few-wall carbon nanotubes with little damage to their sidewalls

We report a novel method that is able to efficiently functionalize carbon nanotubes (few-walled: from 1 to 6 layers and multiwalled) with a high yield of carboxyl groups, based on treatments with H₂O₂ in the presence of UV light. The amount of carboxylic groups was quantified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and back-titration, showing both measurements reasonable agreement. According to the zeta potential values and to the amount of suspended nanotubes, we demonstrate that the method is able to produce uniform and stable suspensions of carbon nanotubes in water. With the aid of scanning and transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectroscopy, we show that the surfaces of the tubes are not damaged by the treatment and that the functionalized tubes have an enhanced reactivity toward oxygen. This route is efficient and could now be used to fabricate polymer composites using few-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes.O. Martín and J. Baselga acknowledge support from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain) under grants MAT2010-17091 and MAT2009-06296E. M. Terrones acknowledges support from the Research Center for Exotic Nanocarbons, Japan regional Innovation Strategy Program by the Excellence, JST. T. Blanco acknowledges support from CDTI under the project NANOMULFUN (SAE-20081035)

The relevance of caseous lymphadenitis as a cause of culling in adult sheep

Four hundred and ninety-eight culled sheep received at the Ruminant Clinical Service of the Veterinary Faculty of Zaragoza, Spain, were examined in life and after humanitarian sacrifice in order to reach the final diagnosis of the cause of culling and to evaluate the presence of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) lesions. One hundred and forty-seven of the 498 studied animals (29.52%) showed CLA compatible lesions that were subsequently confirmed by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolation. One hundred and seven of the 147 CLA affected animals presenting the visceral clinical form of the disease (72.79%), while only 32 animals were affected by the superficial form (21.77%). In addition, eight animals were found to be affected in both the visceral and the superficial presentations (5.44%). Eighty-four of the 147 CLA-affected animals (57.14%) did not show any concurrent disease, considering, in this case, CLA the main cause of culling (84/498: 16.87%). In the superficial presentation, the retropharyngeal lymph node, as a sole lesion, was the most frequently affected (13/32: 40.63%). Further, in the visceral form of the disease, 85.06% of the affected animals had the lesions located in the respiratory system (91/107: 85.06%). CLA was revealed as an important cause of culling in sheep production

Can additive beta-diversity be reliably partitioned into nestedness and turnover components?

Aims: Quantifying β‐diversity (differences in the composition of communities) is central to many ecological studies. There are many β‐diversity metrics, falling mostly into two approaches: variance‐based (e.g., the Sørensen index), or diversity partitioning (e.g., additive β‐diversity). The former cannot be used when species–sites matrices are unavailable (which is often the case in island biogeography in particular) and only species richness data are provided. Recently, efforts have been made to partition additive β‐diversity, a metric calculated using only α‐diversity and γ‐diversity, into nestedness and turnover components (termed here “richness‐only β‐diversity partitioning”). We set out to test whether this form of β‐diversity partitioning generates interpretable results, comparable with metrics based on species incidence β‐diversity partitioning. Location: Global. Time period: Present day. Major taxa studied: Multiple taxa. Methods: We first provide a brief review of β‐diversity partitioning methods, with a particular focus on the development of richness‐only β‐diversity partitioning. Second, we use 254 empirical incidence matrices (provided with the paper) sourced from the literature to measure turnover and nestedness using incidence β‐diversity partitioning, comparing the resulting values with those calculated using richness‐only β‐diversity. Results: We provide an account of the emergence of β‐diversity partitioning, with particular reference to the analysis of richness‐only datasets, and to the definition and usage of the relevant metrics. Analytically, we report weak correlations between turnover and nestedness calculated using the two different approaches. We show that this is because identical values of α‐diversity and γ‐diversity can correspond to incidence matrices with a range of different structures. Main conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the use of richness‐only β‐diversity partitioning to measure turnover and nestedness is problematic and can produce patterns unrelated to conventional measures of turnover and nestedness. We therefore recommend that more accurate definitions are adopted for these terms in future studies.</br

Genomic characterization of a novel group A lamb rotavirus isolated in Zaragoza, Spain

An ovine rotavirus (OVR) strain, 762, was isolated from a 30-day-old lamb affected with severe gastroenteritis, in Zaragoza, Spain, and the VP4, VP7, VP6, NSP4, and NSP5/NSP6 genes were subsequently characterized molecularly. Strain OVR762 was classified as a P[14] rotavirus, as the VP4 and VP8* trypsin-cleavage product of the VP4 protein revealed the highest amino acid (aa) identity (94% and 97%, respectively) with that of the P11[14] human rotavirus (HRV) strain PA169, isolated in Italy. Analysis of the VP7 gene product revealed that OVR762 possessed G8 serotype specificity, a type common in ruminants, with the highest degree of aa identity(95–98%) shared with serotype G8 HRV, bovine rotavirus, and guanaco (Lama guanicoe) rotavirus strains. Moreover, strain OVR762 displayed a bovine-like NSP4 (genotype E2) and NSP5/NSP6 (genotype H3), and a VP6 genotype I2, as well as a long electropherotype pattern. This is the first report of a lamb rotavirus with P[14] and G8 specificities, providing additional evidence for the wide genetic and antigenic diversity of group A rotaviruses