High resolution parallel sequencing reveals multistrain Campylobacter in broiler chicken flocks testing 'negative' by conventional culture methods: implications for control of Campylobacter infection.

Contaminated chicken meat is a major source of human Campylobacteriosis and rates of infection remain high, despite efforts to limit the colonisation of broiler (meat) chicken flocks on farms. Using conventional testing methods of culture or qPCR, Campylobacter is typically detected amongst broiler flocks from 3 wk of age, leading to the assumption that infection is introduced horizontally into chicken rearing houses at this time. In this study, we use parallel sequencing of a fragment of the Campylobacter outer membrane protein, encoded by the porA gene, to test for presence of Campylobacter DNA amongst fresh fecal samples collected from broiler flocks aged 23 to 28 d. Campylobacter DNA was detected in all of the 290 samples tested using the porA target, and in 48% of samples using 16S bacterial profiling, irrespective of whether or not Campylobacter could be detected using conventional qPCR thresholds. A single porAf2 variant was predominant among flocks that would be determined to be Campylobacter 'positive' by conventional means, but a diverse pattern was seen among flocks that were Campylobacter 'negative'. The ability to routinely detect low levels of Campylobacter amongst broiler flocks at a much earlier age than would conventionally be identified requires a re-examination of how and when biosecurity measures are best applied for live birds. In addition, it may be useful to investigate why single Campylobacter variants proliferate in some broiler flocks and not others

Diversity among Equals: Educational Opportunity and the State of Affirmative Admissions in New England

This report reviews the practice of Affirmative Admissions as a strategy for achieving diversity within New England colleges and universities. It shows how educational leaders perceive Affirmative Admissions, the nature of regional Affirmative Admissions policies, and the numbers of student affected by current enrollment strategies. This report is part of a larger series on educational access and opportunity in New England. Research was organized into five components: (1) analysis of pertinent legal issues related to postsecondary access and equity; (2) interviews with postsecondary campus and state leaders (n=104); (3) interviews with K-12 leaders and educators at state, district, and school levels (n=45); (4) a survey of 221 postsecondary education institutions in New England; and (5) econometric analyses of student data. The focus was on groups of institutions, 18 groups clustered by admissions policies and restrictions. The most compelling conclusion is that there is no significant evidence that colleges have reduced standards to admit greater numbers of minority students. By increasing educational access to a broader segment of the population, the regions higher education institutions have taken crucial steps toward assuring the vitality and vibrancy of New Englands future economy and civic life. The study also indicates that the pool of qualified minority students is much too small, highlighting the need to improve the preparation of minority students. Three appendixes contain details about survey methodology, participating institutions, and regression coefficients. Prepared by the Center for Education Policy (CEP) and Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research (MISER), University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Sponsored by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation

Soil Application Effects of Metarhizium anisopliae on Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Behavior and Survival in Turfgrass Microcosms

The effect of mycelial and conidial formulations of the insect pathogenic fungi, M. anisopliae, on the survival and behavior Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, larvae and ovipositing adults in turfgrass-soil microcosms was explored. Changes in Japanese beetle grub feeding site selection on sod roots, movement patterns, and survival in Metarhizium anisopliae inoculated soil were examined in greenhouse studies and through the use of radiographic analysis in the laboratory. Our studies indicate that the application of mycelial particles in soil affected the behavior of both larval and adult Japanese beetles. Japanese beetle grubs avoided soil that contained high concentrations of pathogen for up to 20 d after application. Conversely, the incorporation of mycelial particles increased oviposition in both choice and no choice studies. Our findings on scarab response to inundative applications of M. anisopliae mycelium may help explain some of the inconsistency in results that often occur when fungal pathogens are used to control insects in the fiel

Tracer particles for core-collapse supernova nucleosynthesis: The advantages of moving backward

After decades, the theoretical study of core-collapse supernova explosions is moving from parameterized, spherically symmetric models to increasingly realistic multi-dimensional simulations. Obtaining nucleosynthesis yields based on such multi-dimensional core-collapse supernova (CCSN) simulations, however, is not straightforward and frequently tracer particles are employed. Tracer particles may be tracked in situ during the simulation, but often they are reconstructed in a post-processing step based on the information saved during the hydrodynamics simulation. Reconstruction can be done in a number of ways and here we compare the approaches of backward and forward integration of the equations of motion to the results based on inline particle trajectories. We find that both methods agree reasonably well with the inline results for isotopes for which a large number of particles contribute. However, for rarer isotopes that are produced only by a small number of particle trajectories, deviations can be large. For our setup, we find that backward integration leads to a better agreement with the inline particles by more accurately reproducing the conditions following freeze-out from nuclear statistical equilibrium, because the establishment of nuclear statistical equilibrium erases the need for detailed trajectories at earlier times. Based on our results, if inline tracers are unavailable, we recommend backward reconstruction, to the point when nuclear statistical equilibrium last applied, with an interval between simulation snapshots of at most 1 ms for nucleosynthesis post-processing.Comment: 23 pages, 18 figures, sumitted to Ap

Cacao seeds are a "Super Fruit": A comparative analysis of various fruit powders and products

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Numerous popular media sources have developed lists of "Super Foods" and, more recently, "Super Fruits". Such distinctions often are based on the antioxidant capacity and content of naturally occurring compounds such as polyphenols within those whole fruits or juices of the fruit which may be linked to potential health benefits. Cocoa powder and chocolate are made from an extract of the seeds of the fruit of <it>the Theobroma cacao </it>tree. In this study, we compared cocoa powder and cocoa products to powders and juices derived from fruits commonly considered "Super Fruits".</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Various fruit powders and retail fruit products were obtained and analyzed for antioxidant capacity (ORAC (μM TE/g)), total polyphenol content (TP (mg/g)), and total flavanol content (TF (mg/g)). Among the various powders that were tested, cocoa powder was the most concentrated source of ORAC and TF. Similarly, dark chocolate was a significantly more concentrated source of ORAC and TF than the fruit juices.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cocoa powder and dark chocolate had equivalent or significantly greater ORAC, TP, and TF values compared to the other fruit powders and juices tested, respectively. Cacao seeds thus provide nutritive value beyond that derived from their macronutrient composition and appear to meet the popular media's definition of a "Super Fruit".</p

Power to identify a genetic predictor of antihypertensive drug response using different methods to measure blood pressure response

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine whether office, home, ambulatory daytime and nighttime blood pressure (BP) responses to antihypertensive drug therapy measure the same signal and which method provides greatest power to identify genetic predictors of BP response.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed office, home, ambulatory daytime and nighttime BP responses in hypertensive adults randomized to atenolol (N = 242) or hydrochlorothiazide (N = 257) in the Pharmacogenomic Evaluation of Antihypertensive Responses Study. Since different measured BP responses may have different predictors, we tested the "same signal" model by using linear regression methods to determine whether known predictors of BP response depend on the method of BP measurement. We estimated signal-to-noise ratios and compared power to identify a genetic polymorphism predicting BP response measured by each method separately and by weighted averages of multiple methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After adjustment for pretreatment BP level, known predictors of BP response including plasma renin activity, race, and sex were independent of the method of BP measurement. Signal-to-noise ratios were more than 2-fold greater for home and ambulatory daytime BP responses than for office and ambulatory nighttime BP responses and up to 11-fold greater for weighted averages of all four methods. Power to identify a genetic polymorphism predicting BP response was directly related to the signal-to-noise ratio and, therefore, greatest with the weighted averages.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Since different methods of measuring BP response to antihypertensive drug therapy measure the same signal, weighted averages of the BP responses measured by multiple methods minimize measurement error and optimize power to identify genetic predictors of BP response.</p