Associating sporadic, foodborne illness caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli with specific foods : a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections are a significant public health issue, with foodborne transmission causing >1 million illnesses worldwide each year. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registry # CRD42017074239), to determine the relative association of different food types with sporadic illnesses caused by STEC. Searches were conducted from 01 August to 30 September 2017, using bibliographic and grey literature databases, websites and expert consultation. We identified 22 case-control studies of sporadic STEC infection in humans, from 10 countries within four World Health Organization subregions, from 1985 to 2012. We extracted data from 21 studies, for 237 individual measures in 11 food categories and across three status types (raw or undercooked, not raw and unknown). Beef was the most significant food item associated with STEC illness in the Americas and Europe, but in the Western Pacific region, chicken was most significant. These findings were not significantly moderated by the raw or cooked status of the food item, nor the publication year of the study. Data from the African, South-East Asian and Eastern Mediterranean subregions were lacking and it is unclear whether our results are relevant to these regions

Genetic fat – bullet proofing the Merino ewe

Merino ewes are the backbone of the Australian sheep industry and this is likely to be the case for some time. Stocking rate will remain a key profit driver in Merino enterprises and to maintain or improve profitability producers will need to continually adapt their production systems to deal with even larger changes in feed supply between seasons and years. The reproductive performance of the Merino ewe also needs to improve, largely through improving the survival of twin born lambs, to rebuild flock numbers and meet market demand for lamb and sheep meat. Increasing both stocking rates and reproductive performance need to be achieved in the context of producers wanting to run more sheep per person with less intervention and increased consumer demand for welfare friendly products. Improving genetics and matching sheep genotype to the production and management system will inevitably become more important. We believe this will include defining traits to more easily identify Merino sheep that are more robust, that lose less liveweight when faced with sub-optimum nutrition and that produce more progeny with higher survival rates both pre- and post-weaning. Increasing genetic fat is the prime candidate for increasing the robustness of Merino ewes and their progeny as the storage and mobilisation of fat is an important mechanism for all animals to cope with fluctuating environments. Fat is stored during favourable times and then mobilised to provide energy for fundamental functions when requirements exceed supply, such as during periods of limited nutrition or during late pregnancy and lactation. The amount of fat stored in fat depots in sheep can be increased by selection for higher subcutaneous fat depth, using Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) from MERINOSELECT. However, from a genetic perspective, reducing the fatness of lamb to improve its appeal to the consumer has resulted in a general focus on selection for less fat in Australian sheep breeds. Merino sheep have also become leaner as a result of selection for higher fleece weights and the genetic association between higher fleece weight and reduced fatness (Huisman and Brown 2009). Defining the true value of fat requires an understanding of the effect it has on the value of lamb carcasses as well as its effects on the productivity of the sheep production system in different environments. In this paper we have reviewed published papers and our own unpublished work to test the hypothesis that Merino sheep that are genetically fatter will have improved performance especially under more restricted nutritional conditions

The EBV-encoded latent membrane proteins, LMP2A and LMP2B, limit the actions of interferon by targeting interferon receptors for degradation

Although frequently expressed in Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-positive malignancies, the role that latent membrane protein 2A and 2B (LMP2A and LMP2B) have in the oncogenic process remains obscure. Here we show a novel function for these proteins in epithelial cells, namely, their ability to modulate signalling from type I/II interferon receptors (IFNRs). We show that LMP2A- and LMP2B-expressing epithelial cells show decreased responsiveness to interferon (IFN)α and IFNγ, as assessed by STAT1 phosphorylation, ISGF3 and GAF-mediated binding to IFN-stimulated response element and IFNγ-activated factor sequence elements and luciferase reporter activation. Transcriptional profiling highlighted the extent of this modulation, with both viral proteins impacting ‘globally’ on IFN-stimulated gene expression. Although not affecting the levels of cell-surface IFNRs, LMP2A and LMP2B accelerated the turnover of IFNRs through processes requiring endosome acidification. This function may form part of EBV's strategy to limit anti-viral responses and define a novel function for LMP2A and LMP2B in modulating signalling from receptors that participate in innate immune responses

Rhizobacterial influence on healthy stand establishment of canola grown in Rhizoctonia solani infested fields of Saskatchewan

Non-Peer ReviewedPre-emergence seedling damping-off, seedling blight, and brown girdling root rot caused by R. solani are important diseases of canola/rape seed in western Canada. Annual yield losses in excess of 20-30% have been reported in several infected fields. Cultural control methods or resistant cultivars are currently unavailable for these diseases. Chemical fungicides have been developed for use to control the disease, but the success rate has been varied. However, the use of chemicals is becoming less acceptable from an environmental point of view. Several studies indicated that biological control using plant growth promoting rhizobacteria may also be effective in controlling R. solani. Field plots were established in Saskatoon, Regina and Melfort, SK, in 1990, 1991 and 1992 to evaluate the potential of rhizobacterial strains as seed treatments to increase the healthy stand of canola CV. Westar grown in R. solani infested field. The bacteria were formulated either in sterile peat or in a liquid carrier and applied to seed just before planting. Bacterized seed were mechanically planted in replicated field plots artificially infested with R. solani. Final healthy stand was measured 30 days after planting. Grain yields were determined by harvesting the plots. Seed bacterization significantly increased the final healthy stand compared to non-bacterized controls. Strains which increased stand showed in vitro antagonistic activity to not only R. solani but also other pathogens such as Pythium ultimum, Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum. Some of these strains induced root elongation of canola under laboratory conditions. Rhizosphere colonization, chemical compatibility and shelf-life of the important bacteria will be discussed

Heat to Electricity Conversion by a Graphene Stripe with Heavy Chiral Fermions

A conversion of thermal energy into electricity is considered in the electrically polarized graphene stripes with zigzag edges where the heavy chiral fermion (HCF) states are formed. The stripes are characterized by a high electric conductance Ge and by a significant Seebeck coefficient S. The electric current in the stripes is induced due to a non-equilibrium thermal injection of "hot" electrons. This thermoelectric generation process might be utilized for building of thermoelectric generators with an exceptionally high figure of merit Z{\delta}T \simeq 100 >> 1 and with an appreciable electric power densities \sim 1 MW/cm2.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Anomalous NMR Spin-Lattice Relaxation in SrB_{6} and Ca_{1-x}La_{x}B_{6}

We report the results of {11}B nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of SrB_{6} and Ca_{0.995}La_{0.05}B_{6} below room temperature. Although the electrical resistivities of these two materials differ substantially, their {11}B-NMR responses exhibit some strikingly common features. Both materials exhibit ferromagnetic order, but their {11}B-NMR spectra reveal very small hyperfine fields at the Boron sites. The spin lattice relaxation T_{1}^{-1} varies considerably with external field but changes with temperature only below a few K. We discuss these unusual results by considering various different scenarios for the electronic structure of these materials.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B Rapid communication, 4 pages, 3 figures. This manuscript replaces an earlier version and includes some minor changes in the text and in Fig.

Selectivity and functional diversity in arbuscular mycorrhizas of co-occurring fungi and plants from a temperate deciduous woodland

1 The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi colonizing plants at a woodland site in North Yorkshire (UK) have been characterized from the roots of five plant species (Rubus fruticosus agg. L., Epilobium angustifolium L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Ajuga reptans L. and Glechoma hederacea L.), and identified using small-subunit rRNA (SSUrRNA) gene amplification and sequencing. 2 Interactions between five plant species from the site and four co-occurring glomalean fungi were investigated in artificial one-to-one AM symbioses. Three of the fungi were isolated from the site; the fourth was a culture genetically similar to a taxon found at the site. Phosphorus uptake and growth responses were compared with non-mycorrhizal controls. 3 Individual fungi colonized each plant with different spatial distribution and intensity. Some did not colonize at all, indicating incompatibility under the conditions used in the experiments. 4 Glomus hoi consistently occupied a large proportion of root systems and outperformed the other fungi, improving P uptake and enhancing the growth of four out of the five plant species. Only G. hoi colonized and increased P uptake in Acer pseudoplatanus, the host plant with which it associates almost exclusively under field conditions. Colonization of all plant species by Scutellospora dipurpurescens was sparse, and beneficial to only one of the host plants (Teucrium scorodonia). Archaeospora trappei and Glomus sp. UY1225 had variable effects on the host plants, conferring a range of P uptake and growth benefits on Lysimachia nummularia and T. scorodonia, increasing P uptake whilst not affecting biomass in Ajuga reptans and Glechoma hederacea, and failing to form mycorrhizas with A. pseudoplatanus. 5 These experimental mycorrhizas show that root colonization, symbiont compatibility and plant performance vary with each fungus-plant combination, even when the plants and fungi naturally co-exist. 6 We provide evidence of physical and functional selectivity in AM. The small number of described AM fungal species (154) has been ascribed to their supposed lack of host specificity, but if the selectivity we have observed is the general rule, then we may predict that many more, probably hard-to-culture glomalean species await discovery, or that members of species as currently perceived may be physiologically or functionally distinct

Trial to encourage adoption and maintenance of a Mediterranean diet (TEAM-MED): Protocol for a randomised feasibility trial of a peer support intervention for dietary behaviour change in adults at high cardiovascular disease risk

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Adoption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, interventions to achieve dietary behaviour change are typically resource intensive. Peer support offers a potentially low-cost approach to encourage dietary change. The primary objective of this randomised controlled trial is to explore the feasibility of peer support versus a previously tested dietetic-led intervention to encourageMDbehaviour change, and to test recruitment strategies, retention and attrition in order to inform the design of a definitive trial. A total of 75 overweight adults at high CVD risk who do not follow a MD (Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS ≤3)) will be randomly assigned to either: a minimal intervention (written materials), a proven intervention (dietetic support, written materials and key MD foods), or a peer support intervention (group-based community programme delivered by lay peers) for 12 months. The primary end-point is change in MDS from baseline to 6 months (adoption of MD). Secondary end-points include: change in MDS from 6 to 12 months (maintenance of MD), effects on nutritional biomarkers and CVD risk factors, fidelity of implementation, acceptability and feasibility of the peer support intervention. This study will generate important data regarding the feasibility of peer support for ease of adoption of MD in an ‘at risk’ Northern European population. Data will be used to direct a larger scale trial, where the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of peer support will be tested

Glassy Vortex State in a Two-Dimensional Disordered XY-Model

The two-dimensional XY-model with random phase-shifts on bonds is studied. The analysis is based on a renormalization group for the replicated system. The model is shown to have an ordered phase with quasi long-range order. This ordered phase consists of a glass-like region at lower temperatures and of a non-glassy region at higher temperatures. The transition from the disordered phase into the ordered phase is not reentrant and is of a new universality class at zero temperature. In contrast to previous approaches the disorder strength is found to be renormalized to larger values. Several correlation functions are calculated for the ordered phase. They allow to identify not only the transition into the glassy phase but also an additional crossover line, where the disconnected vortex correlation changes its behavior on large scales non-analytically. The renormalization group approach yields the glassy features without a breaking of replica symmetry.Comment: latex 12 pages with 3 figures, using epsf.sty and multicol.st

Comment on: “Peatland carbon stocks and burn history: Blanket bog peat core evidence highlights charcoal impacts on peat physical properties and long-term carbon storage”, by A. Heinemeyer, Q. Asena, W.L. Burn and A.L. Jones (Geo: Geography and Environment. 2018; e00063)

A recent paper by Heinemeyer et al. (2018) in this journal has suggested that the use of prescribed fire may enhance carbon accumulation in UK upland blanket bogs. We challenge this finding based on a number of concerns with the original manuscript including the lack of an unburned control, insufficient replication, unrecognised potential confounding factors, and potentially large inaccuracies in the core dating approach used to calculate carbon accumulation rates. We argue that burn‐management of peatlands is more likely to lead to carbon loss than carbon gain