Streptococcus uberis strains isolated from the bovine mammary gland evade immune recognition by mammary epithelial cells, but not of macrophages

Streptococcus uberis is frequently isolated from the mammary gland of dairy cattle. Infection with some strains can induce mild subclinical inflammation whilst others induce severe inflammation and clinical mastitis. We compared here the inflammatory response of primary cultures of bovine mammary epithelial cells (pbMEC) towards S. uberis strains collected from clinical or subclinical cases (seven strains each) of mastitis with the strong response elicited by Escherichia coli. Neither heat inactivated nor live S. uberis induced the expression of 10 key immune genes (including TNF, IL1B, IL6). The widely used virulent strain 0140J and the avirulent strain, EF20 elicited similar responses; as did mutants defective in capsule (hasA) or biofilm formation (sub0538 and sub0539). Streptococcus uberis failed to activate NF-κB in pbMEC or TLR2 in HEK293 cells, indicating that S. uberis particles did not induce any TLR-signaling in MEC. However, preparations of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from two strains strongly induced immune gene expression and activated NF-κB in pbMEC, without the involvement of TLR2. The immune-stimulatory LTA must be arranged in the intact S. uberis such that it is unrecognizable by the relevant pathogen receptors of the MEC. The absence of immune recognition is specific for MEC, since the same S. uberis preparations strongly induced immune gene expression and NF-κB activity in the murine macrophage model cell RAW264.7. Hence, the sluggish immune response of MEC and not of professional immune cells to this pathogen may aid establishment of the often encountered belated and subclinical phenotype of S. uberis mastitis

Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/388

Suppression of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral collisions, corresponding to 0-5% and 70-80% of the hadronic Pb-Pb cross section. The measured charged particle spectra in $|\eta|<0.8$ and $0.3 < p_T < 20$ GeV/$c$ are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The result indicates only weak medium effects ($R_{\rm AA} \approx$ 0.7) in peripheral collisions. In central collisions, $R_{\rm AA}$ reaches a minimum of about 0.14 at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7GeV/$c$ and increases significantly at larger $p_{\rm T}$. The measured suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles is stronger than that observed at lower collision energies, indicating that a very dense medium is formed in central Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages, 5 captioned figures, 3 tables, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/98

Particle-yield modification in jet-like azimuthal di-hadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-$p_{\rm T}$ trigger particles ($8 < p_{\rm T} < 15$ GeV/$c$) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jet-like correlation peaks in azimuthal di-hadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta $p_{\rm T}> 3$ GeV/$c$ on the away-side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near-side a moderate enhancement of 20-30% is found.Comment: 15 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/350

Centrality Dependence of the Charged-Particle Multiplicity Density at Midrapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2: 76 TeV is presented. The charged-particle density normalized per participating nucleon pair increases by about a factor of 2 from peripheral (70%-80%) to central (0%-5%) collisions. The centrality dependence is found to be similar to that observed at lower collision energies. The data are compared with models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions

Visualization of omics data for systems biology

Gehlenborg N, O'Donoghue SI, Baliga NS, et al. Visualization of omics data for systems biology. Nat Methods. 2010;7(3s):S56-S68.High-throughput studies of biological systems are rapidly accumulating a wealth of 'omics'-scale data. Visualization is a key aspect of both the analysis and understanding of these data, and users now have many visualization methods and tools to choose from. The challenge is to create clear, meaningful and integrated visualizations that give biological insight, without being overwhelmed by the intrinsic complexity of the data. In this review, we discuss how visualization tools are being used to help interpret protein interaction, gene expression and metabolic profile data, and we highlight emerging new directions

Relationship between the mineralogical composition of the clay fraction of some andalusian caracteristic soils and theri behaviour in relation to potassium

12 páginas, 7 figuras, 3 tablas, 7 referencias.[ES]: Se estudia la fracción arcilla de los suelos más característicos de nuestra región y su comportamiento frente al potasio, relacionándolo con la composición mineralógica de dicha fracción. Exceptuando el suelo fersialítico, los diferentes horizontes de cada suelo no presentan variaciones importantes en su comportamiento frente al potasio. Los suelos vérticos litomorfos y vérticos topomorfos presentan los valores más altos de Kx, lo que está de acuerdo con una mayor edafización y con altas concentraciones de montmorillonita e ilita. El suelo calcimorfo, a pesar de poseer composición mineralógica simlar, está muy poco evolucionado y presenta valores más bajos de Kx, similares a los del suelo aluvial, que está asimismo poco evolucionado, con alta proporción de ilita, a la que acompañan pequeñas proporciones de montmorillonita y caolinita. En el suelo fersialítico lavado disminuye el valor de Kx, al descender en el perfil, en el mismo sentido en que disminuye la ilita y aumenta la montmorillonita. Los horizontes C de los suelos de gran desarrollo edafogenético presentan en relación con los horizontes superiores, a pesar de poseer composición mineralógica similar, valores muy pequeños de Kx. El grado de desarrollo del suelo es el que tiene mayor influencia en los valores de Kx. Los tratamientos de eliminación de materia orgánica y/o geles producen un aumento muy apreciable de los valores de Kx.[EN]: The clay fractions of soils caracteristic of western Anclalucía and their behaviour in relation to potassium are studied, and the latter in related to the mineralogical composition of the former. Except the "fersialitico soil" (Rhocloxeralfs), the various horizons of each soil do not present distinct variations in their behaviour in relation to potassium. The "vertisol litomorfo" (chromoxererts) and «topomorfo» (Pelloxererts) soils present the highest values of Kx which agrees with the strong weathering of these soils and their nigh proportions of montmoillonite and illite. The "calcimorfo soil" (Calciorthids) is little weathered and present lower values of Kx, despite its mineralogical composition, which is analogous to the preceding soils. Similarly low values of Kx are obtained for the «aluvial soil» (Xerofluvents), also little weathered, which contains high proportion of illite, with small amounts of montmorillonite and kaolinite. The value of Kx and the proportion of illite for the leached fersialitico soil decrease and the proportion of montmorillonite increases as getting down across the profile. C horizons of soils with high podogenic development present much lower values of Kx than upper horizona, despite the analogy of their mineralogical compositions. The degree of development of soils has the highest influence on Kx, values. Treatments for removing organic matter and/or gels originate important increases in Kx values.Peer reviewe