Antibody detection of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) in sera of companion cats in Ahvaz, south west of Iran Mosallanejad 1

ABSTRACT Feline infectious peritonitis virus is ubiquitous in domestic cats, especially in young cats and multicat environments. In the present study, a total of 248 companion cats of different ages were examined for serum antibody detection of FIPV by immunochromatography assay. The cats were selected from those referring to Veterinary Hospital of Ahvaz University, southwestern Iran from December 2006 to June 2009. Classification was made by age, sex, breed, region and season. The studied cats were divided based on age into three groups (<6 months, 6 months -3 years and > 3 years) and based on area into five regions (north, east, west, south and central). The results were analyzed by using Chi-square analysis and Fischer's exact test. Seventeen of 248 serum samples (6.85%) had antibody against feline infectious peritonitis virus. Prevalence was significantly higher in young kittens less than 6 months (9.72%; 7 out of 72) and mean-age cats 6 months -3 years (9.28%; 9 out of 97) compared with above 3 years (1.27%; 1 out of 79) (P<0.05). The most common clinical signs were loss weight and depressed appetite in the affected cats. Prevalence was higher in male cats (8.70%; 10 out of 115) than females (5.26%; 7 out of 133), the spring season (11.32%; 6 out of 53) and north region (10.53; 4 out of 38), but the difference was not significant between the prevalence of infection relative to host gender, season and region (P>0.05). It is necessary to control cat population in these area particular young cats to reduce risk of infection transmission between them

Phylogenetic relationships of Iranian Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) based on deduced amino acid sequences of genome segment A and B cDNA

Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) is the causal agent of a highly contagious disease that affects many species of fish and shellfish. This virus causes economically important diseases of farmed rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, in Iran which is often associated with the transmission of pathogens from European resources. In this study, moribund rainbow trout fry were collected during an outbreak of IPNV in three different fish farms in one northern province (Mazandaran), and two west provinces (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad) of Iran. We investigated full genome sequence of Iranian IPNV and compared it with previously identified IPNV sequences. The sequences of different structural and non-structural protein genes were compared with other aquatic birnaviruses sequenced to date. Our results showed that the Iranian isolate fall within genogroup 5, serotype A2 strain SP, having 99 % identity with the strain 1146 from Spain. These results suggest that the Iranian isolate may have originated from Europe

Students Success Modeling: Most Important Factors

The importance of retention rate for higher education institutions has encouraged data analysts to present various methods to predict at-risk students. The present study, motivated by the same encouragement, proposes a deep learning model trained with 121 features of diverse categories extracted or engineered out of the records of 60,822 postsecondary students. The model undertakes to identify students likely to graduate, the ones likely to transfer to a different school, and the ones likely to drop out and leave their higher education unfinished. This study undertakes to adjust its predictive methods for different stages of curricular progress of students. The temporal aspects introduced for this purpose are accounted for by incorporating layers of LSTM in the model. Our experiments demonstrate that distinguishing between to-be-graduate and at-risk students is reasonably achievable in the earliest stages, and then it rapidly improves, but the resolution within the latter category (dropout vs. transfer) depends on data accumulated over time. However, the model remarkably foresees the fate of students who stay in the school for three years. The model is also assigned to present the weightiest features in the procedure of prediction, both on institutional and student levels. A large, diverse sample size along with the investigation of more than one hundred extracted or engineered features in our study provide new insights into variables that affect students success, predict dropouts with reasonable accuracy, and shed light on the less investigated issue of transfer between colleges. More importantly, by providing individual-level predictions (as opposed to school-level predictions) and addressing the outcomes of transfers, this study improves the use of ML in the prediction of educational outcomes.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures, 1 apendi

Isolation and expression of recombinant viral protein (VP2) from Iranian isolates of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) in Escherichia coli

Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) is a member of the family Birnaviridae that has been linked to high mortalities in salmonids. Bacterial based systems as live vectors for the delivery of heterologous antigens offer a number of advantages as vaccination strategies. VP2 is a structural viral protein of IPNV with immunogenicity effects. In this study IPNV was isolated from diseased fry of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) using CHSE-214. Then an expression vector was constructed for expression of viral protein VP2. The designed vector was constructed based upon pET-26b (+) with T7 promoter. A fragment containing the full length of the VP2 gene of Iranian Sp strain was amplified by PCR using genomic RNA of IPNV as template and cloned inpET-26b(+) plasmid. Recombinant structural viral protein VP2 was expressed as a soluble, N-terminal PelB fusion protein and secreted into the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and Rosetta (DE3). The glucose, Isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) was used as a chemical inducer for rVP2 production in 37º C. The rVP2 was extracted from the periplasm by osmotic shock treatment. The presence of gene in bacterial system of E. coli was confirmed by gel electrophoresis technique. The constructed vector could efficiently express the rVP2 into the periplasmic space of E. coli. The successful cloning and expression of the structural viral protein gene into E. coli can be used for developing a useful and safe vaccine to control IPNV infection in Iranian fish industry

The economics of biomass production in the United States

Biomass crops (e.g. poplar, willow, switchgrass) could become important feedstocks for power, liquid fuel, and chemical production. This paper presents estimates of the potential production of biomass in the US under a range of assumptions. Estimates of potential biomass crop yields and production costs from the Department of Energy`s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) are combined with measures of land rents from USDA`s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), to estimate a competitive supply of biomass wood and grass crops. Estimates are made for one potential biomass use--electric power production--where future costs of electricity production from competing fossil fuels set the demand price. The paper outlines the methodology used and limitations of the analysis

AGRICULTURAL POLICY REFORM IN THE WTO: THE ROAD AHEAD

Agricultural trade barriers and producer subsidies inflict real costs, both on the countries that use these policies and on their trade partners. Trade barriers lower demand for trade partners' products, domestic subsidies can induce an oversupply of agricultural products which depresses world prices, and export subsidies create increased competition for producers in other countries. Eliminating global agricultural policy distortions would result in an annual world welfare gain of $56 billion. High protection for agricultural commodities in the form of tariffs continues to be the major factor restricting world trade. In 2000, World Trade Organization (WTO) members continued global negotiations on agricultural policy reform. To help policymakers and others realize what is at stake in the global agricultural negotiations, this report quantifies the costs of global agricultural distortions and the potential benefits of their full elimination. It also analyzes the effects on U.S. and world agriculture if only partial reform is achieved in liberalizing tariffs, tariff-rate quotas (limits on imported goods), domestic support, and export subsidies.Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Expression of the G1 epitope of bovine ephemeral fever virus G glycoprotein in eukaryotic cells

The envelope glycoprotein (protein G) of bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) has been identified as a plausible vaccine candidate against the BEF disease. In the present study, G1 epitope of the G gly-coprotein gene was cloned in an eukaryotic expression vector, pcDNA3.1(+), under the control of the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. The pcDNA3.1-G1 construct was transfected into human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cell line and the expression efficiency was verified by immunofluorescence staining of transfected cells and Western blot analysis. The results indicated that G1 protein was expressed by the recombinant pcDNA3.1-G1 construct in the transfected cells. The recombinant plasmid constructed in this study can be used as a DNA vaccine to evaluate its potential for immunogenicity and protection against BEF virus in animal models

Association Between Nutritional Status and the Immune response in HIV + Patients under HAART: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Over 850 million people worldwide and 200 million adults in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from malnutrition. Countries most affected by HIV are also stricken by elevated rates of food insecurity and malnutrition. HIV infection and insufficient nutritional intake are part of a vicious cycle that contributes to immunodeficiency and negative health outcomes. However, the effect of the overlap between HIV infection and undernutrition on the immune response following antiretroviral initiation remains unclear. A possible explanation could be the lack of consensus concerning the definition and assessment of nutritional status. Our objectives are to investigate the existence of an association between undernutrition and immune response at antiretroviral treatment initiation and the following year in low- and middle-income countries where malnutrition is most prevalent. Our systematic review will identify studies originating from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) published from 1996 onwards, through searches in MEDLINE (PubMed interface), EMBASE (OVID interface), Cochrane Central (OVID interface) and grey literature. No language restrictions will be applied. We will seek out studies of any design investigating the association between the nutritional status (for example, undernourished versus well nourished) and the immune response, either in terms of CD4 count or immune failure, in seropositive patients initiating antiretroviral therapy or in their first year of treatment. Two reviewers will independently screen articles, extract data and assess scientific quality using standardized forms and published quality assessment tools tailored for each study design. Where feasible, pooled measures of association will be obtained through meta-analyses. Results will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement. This protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO database (registration number: CRD42014005961). Undernutrition and weight loss are prevalent amongst highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-treated patients in LMICs and contribute to excess early mortality. A possible intermediate pathway could be poor immune reconstitution secondary to deficient nutritional status. In the face of limited access to second line treatments, raising HIV resistance and cut backs to HIV programs, it is crucial to identify the factors associated with suboptimal response and therapeutic failure in order to better customize the care strategies employed in LMICs