From orogenic collapse to rifting, structures of the South China Sea

The opening of the South China Sea has been a matter of debate for many years because of its internal structure, the differences between the conjugate margins and the variations of rifting and spreading directions. Although it is considered as being a back-arc basin, it is not sitting directly above a subduction zone, and the rifting process lasted for an unusually long duration. Among the specific characteristics is the early phase of rifting which took place early in place of the former Yanshanian andean-type mountain range. This stage is marked by narrow basins filled with deformed conglomerate, and initiated around 70My ago within a framework where the oblique subduction …published_or_final_versio

Metabolomic changes in lactating multiparous naturally MAP-infected Holstein-Friesian dairy cows suggest changes in mitochondrial energy pathways

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative organism of Johne's Disease, a chronic intestinal infection of ruminants. Infected cows begin shedding MAP within the asymptomatic, subclinical stage of infection before clinical signs, such as weight loss, diarrhoea and reduced milk yields develop within the clinical stages of disease. Herein, we examine the milk metabolomic profiles of naturally MAP-infected Holstein-Friesian cows. The study used biobanked milk samples which were collected 73.4 ± 3.79 (early lactation) and 143 ± 3.79 (mean ± SE) (mid-lactation) days post-calving from 5 MAP-infected and 5 control multiparous cows. The milk metabolome was assessed using flow infusion electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry (FIE-HRMS) for sensitive, non-targeted metabolite fingerprinting. Metabolite fingerprinting assessments using partial least squares discriminate analyses (PLS-DA) indicated that lactation stage was a larger source of variation than MAP status. Examining each lactation stage separately for changes associated to MAP-infection status identified 45 metabolites, 33 in early lactation and 12 in mid-lactation, but only 6 metabolites were targeted in both stages of lactation. Pathway enrichment analysis suggested that MAP affected the malate-aspartate shuffle during early lactation. Pearson's correlation analysis indicated relationships between milk lactose concentrations in mid-lactation and 6 metabolites that were tentatively linked to MAP-infection status. The targeted metabolites were suggestive of wider changes in the bioenergetic metabolism that appear to be an acceleration of the effects of progressing lactation in healthy cows. Additionally, milk lactose concentrations suggest that MAP reduces the availability of lactose derivatives

Metabolomic changes in polyunsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoids as diagnostic biomarkers in Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-inoculated Holstein–Friesian heifers

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative organism of Johne’s disease, a chronic granulomatous enteritis of ruminants. We have previously used naturally MAP-infected heifer calves to document metabolomic changes occurring in MAP infections. Herein, we used experimentally MAP-inoculated heifer calves to identify biomarkers for MAP infections. At 2-weeks of age, 20 Holstein–Friesian (HF) calves were experimentally inoculated with MAP. These calves, along with 20 control calves, were sampled biweekly up to 13-months of age and then monthly up to 19-months of age. Sera were assessed using flow infusion electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry (FIE-HRMS) on a Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer for high throughput, sensitive, non-targeted metabolite fingerprinting. Partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) discriminated between MAP-inoculated and control heifer calves. Out of 34 identified metabolites, six fatty acyls were able to differentiate between experimental groups throughout the study, including 8, 11, 14-eicosatrienoic acid and cis-8, 11, 14, 17-eicosatetraenoic acid which were also detected in our previous study and so further suggested their value as biomarkers for MAP infection. Pathway analysis highlighted the role of the alpha-linoleic acid and linoleic acid metabolism. Within these pathways, two broad types of response, with a rapid increase in some saturated fatty acids and some n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and later n-6 PUFAs, became predominant. This could indicate an initial anti-inflammatory colonisation phase, followed by an inflammatory phase. This study demonstrates the validity of the metabolomic approach in studying MAP infections. Nevertheless, further work is required to define further key events, particularly at a cell-specific level. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13567-022-01087-0

The role of wearable devices and objective gait analysis for the assessment and monitoring of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: Systematic review

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of wearable devices for objective gait measurement of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS) patients, with a focus on relevant gait metrics. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted of five electronic databases to identify studies that assessed gait metrics by wearable or portable technology. Data was collected according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement guidelines. Results: Four articles were identified for inclusion in this review. The objectives, methodology and quality of the studies varied. No single gait metric was investigated in all four studies, making comparison difficult. The most relevant metrics reported included gait cycle, gait velocity, step length and cadence, which were reported in two studies. Two studies explored gait symmetry. Differences between LSS patients and normal healthy subjects are demonstrable using wearable technology. Conclusions: The measurements of gait cycle, cadence, step length, gait velocity, and number of steps with wearable devices can be used in the gait measurement of LSS patients for initial assessment, and objective outcomes following interventions. However, data and analysis are limited, and further studies are necessary to comment on reliability

L’édification des chaînes péricratoniques, contraintes structurales et cinématiques appliquées aux reconstructions de l'Asie du SE sur SIG

Le SE asiatique est un chantier qui permet d’étudier la formation des chaînes de montagnes situées au dessus des zones de subduction à différents stades de leur évolution. Dans ces régions, la cinématique des plaques est extrêmement rapide, souvent de l’ordre de 10 cm/an, et la convergence engendre l’ouverture, elle aussi rapide, de bassins marginaux qui fragmentent sous forme de lanières les masses continentales. Les fragments ainsi séparés comportent donc un substratum généralement constitué de matériel correspondant à des ophiolites de supra subduction (arc, avant-arc, arrière- arc) ainsi que des reliques de croûte continentale. Ce type de mécanisme aboutit à la formation de plaques étirées qui peuvent être soit de nature océanique comme pour la plaque Philippine [Karig, 1975] formée de bassins arrière-arcs ouverts à l’Eocène (Bassin ouest-philippin), puis à l’Oligo-Miocène (bassin de Parece Vela/Shikoku), et au Pliocène (bassin des Mariannes) [Le Pichon et al., 1975] ; bassin de Damar [Hinschberger, 2001]), soit de nature continentale comme dans le cas des marges Australienne et Eurasiatique [Rangin et Pubellier, 1990 ; Rangin et al., 1990] (fig. 1). Dans ce dernier cas, la configuration résultante est celle d’une marge étirée à la façon d’un éventail depuis le Paléocène jusqu’au Miocène moyen. Ce mécanisme génère des bassins diachrones ouverts vers l’est, avec un propagateur vers le sud-ouest comme cela est visible dans l’ouest de la mer de Chine [Huchon et al., 1998], et est déduit pour la mer des Célèbes et son prolongement dans le détroit de Makassar [Moss and Chambers, 1999]. Cet étirement prenait lui-même la suite de l’écroulement gravitaire de la chaîne Yenshanienne depuis le Crétacé supérieur, qui marquait la fin d’un processus similaire d’accrétion de blocs gondwaniens au cours du Mésozoïque [Metcalfe, 1996 ; Sewell et al., 2000]. L’ensemble du bloc de la Sonde, avec ses bassins marginaux est soumis à un raccourcissement depuis le début du Miocène [Rangin et al., 1990], les bassins marginaux rentrant en subduction, et certains blocs basculés de la marge passive étant en cours d’accostage contre la marge continentale. De même que l’ouverture des bassins s’était effectuée de manière diachrone, le serrage des bassins s’effectue lui aussi de façon diachrone. Les mécanismes actifs de convergence par subduction et les blocages sont maintenant bien connus, la précision des récepteurs GPS, et surtout la répétition des mesures depuis près de dix ans permettant de bien contraindre les déplacements instantanés. Nous avons utilisé principalement les vecteurs GPS du programme GEODYSSEA [Michel et al., 2001]. Parallèlement, les études de tomographie sismique imagent des anomalies positives de vitesse dans le manteau pouvant indiquer des lithosphères subductées. C’est le cas de la proto mer de Chine Sud, parallèle à l’actuelle mer de Chine du Sud et probablement de géométrie similaire, maintenant disparue par subduction [Rangin et al., 1999b ; Prouteau et al., 2001]. Dans cet article, les mouvements déduits du GPS ont été utilisés comme base cinématique jusqu’à l’âge de la dernière déformation marquante, pour chaque bloc des ceintures déformées. L’évolution des marges a été revue de manière globale sur l’ensemble de l’Asie du SE, de façon à présenter des coupes structurales synthétiques,avant et après raccourcissement (fig. 3 à 10). Ces coupes montrent que l’arrivée des blocs continentaux dans les zones de subduction entraîne un blocage, puis le plus souvent un saut de subduction qui intègre le bloc à la marge en créant une déformation de la plaque supérieure [Dominguez et al., 1998 ; Pubellier et al., 1999 ; Von Huene et al., 1995 ; Ranero et al., 2000]. Une base de données sur l’Asie du Sud-est est utilisée dans les reconstructions, mais seulement une partie est représentée sur les planches 1 à 6 (topographie-bathymétrie, principales failles). La base complète comprend aussi bien les failles actives et anciennes, que la topographie des chaînes de montagnes, la morphologie des fonds sous-marins, la gravimétrie à l’air libre, les vecteurs de déplacement GPS en différents points à partir du calcul du meilleur pôle eulerien correspondant au mouvement de chaque bloc, les épaisseurs des sédiments dans les bassins, ou encore la localisation des profils sismiques utilisés. L’utilisation d’un système d’information géographique permet de restituer les déplacements des plaques ou des micro-blocs crustaux, soit à l’aide des vitesses angulaires, soit de façon interactive. Cette démarche permet de choisir entre plusieurs hypothèses géologiques en gardant une cohérence d’ensemble. Les paléo- distances géodésiques entre les blocs peuvent être mesurées, et les chaînes de montagnes comme Taïwan ou la Chaîne centrale de Nouvelle Guinée ont été étirées pour retrouver l’espace qu’elles occupaient vraisemblablement avant leur formation. Dans les reconstructions, la profondeur des bassins correspond aux valeurs actuelles, et n’a pas été restaurée en fonction du temps. Enfin, nous n’avons pas étendu les reconstructions à l’Himalaya et au Tibet, les mouvements verticaux étant trop importants. Les reconstructions effectuées à 2, 4, 6, 10, 15 et 20 Ma (planches 1 à 6) montrent que les parties continentales des plaques Sunda et Australie ; (SU/AU) s’éloignent l’une de l’autre, alors que la plaque philippine continue de “brosser” la plaque de la Sonde [Rangin et al., 1990], en transportant vers l’ouest des fragments formés au nord de la plaque australienne. Il s’agit donc d’un article qui présente une généralisation de processus géodynamiques de fonctionnement des marges actives, et dont le but est de donner une image cohérente de l’accrétion de blocs aux bordures des continents, et qui a nécessité des choix dans les options souvent débattues de l’évolution au deuxième ordre de secteurs d’importance locale

Predicting feed intake using modelling based on feeding behaviour in finishing beef steers.

Current techniques for measuring feed intake in housed cattle are both expensive and time-consuming making them unsuitable for use on commercial farms. Estimates of individual animal intake are required for assessing production efficiency. The aim of this study was to predict individual animal intake using parameters that can be easily obtained on commercial farms including feeding behaviour, liveweight and age. In total, 80 steers were used, and each steer was allocated to one of two diets (40 per diet) which consisted of (g/kg; DM) forage to concentrate ratios of either 494:506 (MIXED) or 80:920 (CONC). Individual daily fresh weight intakes (FWI; kg/day) were recorded for each animal using 32 electronic feeders over a 56-day period, and individual DM intakes (DMI; kg/day) subsequently calculated. Individual feeding behaviour variables were calculated for each day of the measurement period from the electronic feeders and included: total number of visits to the feeder, total time spent at the feeder (TOTFEEDTIME), total time where feed was consumed (TIMEWITHFEED) and average length of time during each visit to the feeder. These feeding behaviour variables were chosen due to ease of obtaining from accelerometers. Four modelling techniques to predict individual animal intake were examined, based on (i) individual animal TOTFEEDTIME relative expressed as a proportion of the dietary group (GRP) and total GRP intake, (ii) multiple linear regression (REG) (iii) random forests (RF) and (iv) support vector regressor (SVR). Each model was used to predict CONC and MIXED diets separately, giving eight prediction models, (i) GRP_CONC, (ii) GRP_MIXED, (iii) REG_CONC, (iv) REG_MIXED, (v) RF_CONC, (vi) RF_MIXED, (vii) SVR_CONC and (viii) SVR_MIXED. Each model was tested on FWI and DMI. Model performance was assessed using repeated measures correlations (R2_RM) to capture the repeated nature of daily intakes compared with standard R2, RMSE and mean absolute error (MAE). REG, RF and SVR models predicted FWI with R2_RM = 0.1–0.36, RMSE = 1.51–2.96 kg and MAE = 1.19–2.49 kg, and DMI with R2_RM = 0.13–0.19, RMSE = 1.15–1.61 kg and MAE = 0.9–1.28 kg. The GRP models predicted FWI with R2_RM = 0.42–0.49, RMSE = 2.76–3.88 kg and MAE = 2.46–3.47 kg, and DMI with R2_RM = 0.32–0.44, RMSE = 0.32–0.44 kg, MAE = 1.55–2.22 kg. Whilst more simplistic GRP models showed higher R2_RM than regression and machine learning techniques, these models had larger errors, likely due to individual feeding patterns not being captured. Although regression and machine learning techniques produced lower errors associated with individual intakes, overall precision of prediction was too low for practical use

Defining Fatty Acid Changes Linked to Rumen Development, Weaning and Growth in Holstein-Friesian Heifers

After birth, as effectively monogastric animals, calves undergo substantial physiological changes to become ruminants by 3 months of age and reach sexual maturity at approximately 15 months of age. Herein, we assess longitudinal metabolomic changes in Holstein-Friesian (HF) heifers from birth until sexual maturity during this developmental process. Sera from 20 healthy, HF heifers were sampled biweekly from 2 weeks of age until 13 months of age and then monthly until 19 months of age. Sera were assessed using flow infusion electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry (FIE-HRMS) on a Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer for high-throughput, sensitive, non-targeted metabolite fingerprinting. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) of the derived metabolomes indicated changes detectable in heifers’ sera over time. Time series analyses identified 30 metabolites that could be related to rumen development and weaning at ~3 months of age. Further time series analysis identified 40 metabolites that could be correlated with growth. These findings highlight the role of acetic acid and 3-phenylpropionate (3-PP) in rumen development and growth, suggest that weaning induces elevated levels of fatty acyls in response to a post-weaning stress-induced innate immune response and demonstrate the utilization of fatty acyls in growth. The identified metabolites offer serum metabolites which could inform the nutrition and healthy development of heifers

Metabolomic Changes in Naturally MAP-Infected Holstein–Friesian Heifers Indicate Immunologically Related Biochemical Reprogramming

Johne's disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), causes weight loss, diarrhoea, and reduced milk yields in clinically infected cattle. Asymptomatic, subclinically infected cattle shed MAP bacteria but are frequently not detected by diagnostic tests. Herein, we compare the metabolite profiles of sera from subclinically infected Holstein-Friesian heifers and antibody binding to selected MAP antigens. The study used biobanked serum samples from 10 naturally MAP-infected and 10 control heifers, sampled monthly from ~1 to 19 months of age. Sera were assessed using flow infusion electrospray-high-resolution mass spectrometry (FIE-HRMS) on a Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer for high-throughput, sensitive, non-targeted metabolite fingerprinting. Partial least-squares discriminant analyses (PLS-DA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of the data discriminated between naturally MAP-infected and control heifers. In total, 33 metabolites that differentially accumulated in naturally MAP-infected heifers compared to controls were identified. Five were significantly elevated within MAP-infected heifers throughout the study, i.e., leukotriene B4, bicyclo prostaglandin E2 (bicyclo PGE2), itaconic acid, 2-hydroxyglutaric acid and N6-acetyl-L-lysine. These findings highlight the potential of metabolomics in the identification of novel MAP diagnostic markers and particular biochemical pathways, which may provide insights into the bovine immune response to MAP

Reflections on a 'virtual' practice development unit: changing practice through identity development

Aims. This paper draws together the personal thoughts and critical reflections of key people involved in the establishment of a ‘virtual’ practice development unit of clinical nurse specialists in the south of England. Background. This practice development unit is ‘virtual’ in that it is not constrained by physical or specialty boundaries. It became the first group of Trust-wide clinical nurse specialists to be accredited in the UK as a practice development unit in 2004. Design and methods. The local university was asked to facilitate the accreditation process via 11 two-hour audio-recorded learning sessions. Critical reflections from practice development unit members, leaders and university staff were written 12 months after successful accreditation, and the framework of their content analysed. Findings and discussion. Practice development was seen as a way for the clinical nurse specialists to realize their potential for improving patient care by transforming care practice in a collaborative, interprofessional and evolutionary manner. The practice development unit provided a means for these nurses to analyse their role and function within the Trust. Roberts’ identity development model for nursing serves as a useful theoretical underpinning for the reflections contained in this paper. Conclusions. These narratives provide another example of nurses making the effort to shape and contribute to patient care through organizational redesign. This group of nurses began to realize that the structure of the practice development unit process provided them with the means to analyse their role and function within the organization and, as they reflected on this structure, their behaviour began to change. Relevance to clinical practice. Evidence from these reflections supports the view that practice development unit participants have secured a positive and professional identity and are, therefore, better able to improve the patient experience