Millennium development goal 6 and HIV infection in Zambia : what can we learn from successive household surveys?

Background: Geographic location represents an ecological measure of HIV status and is a strong predictor of HIV prevalence. Given the complex nature of location effects, there is limited understanding of their impact on policies to reduce HIV prevalence. Methods: Participants were 3949 and 10 874 respondents from two consecutive Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys from 2001/2007 (mean age for men and women: 30.3 and 27.7 years, HIV prevalence 14.3% in 2001/2002; 30.3 and 28.0 years, HIV prevalence of 14.7% in 2007). A Bayesian geo-additive mixed model based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques was used to map the change in the spatial distribution of HIV/AIDS prevalence at the provincial level during the 6-year period, accounting for important risk factors. Results: Overall HIV/AIDS prevalence changed little over the 6-year period, but the mapping of residual spatial effects at the provincial level suggested different regional patterns. A pronounced change in odds ratios in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces in 2001/2002 and in Lusaka and Central provinces in 2007 was observed following adjustment for spatial autocorrelation. Western province went from a lower prevalence area in 2001 (13.4%) to a higher prevalence area in 2007 (17.3%). Southern province went from the highest prevalence area in 2001 (17.3%) to a lower prevalence area in 2007 (15.9%). Conclusion: Findings from two consecutive surveys corroborate the Zambian government's effort to achieve Millennium Developing Goal (MDG) 6. The novel finding of increased prevalence in Western province warrants further investigation. Spatially adjusted provincial-level HIV/AIDS prevalence maps are a useful tool for informing policies to achieve MDG 6 in Zambia. (C) 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkin

The Rho Pathway Mediates Transition to an Alveolar Type I Cell Phenotype During Static Stretch of Alveolar Type II Cells

Stretch is an essential mechanism for lung growth and development. Animal models in which fetal lungs have been chronically over or underdistended demonstrate a disrupted mix of type II and type I cells, with static overdistention typically promoting a type I cell phenotype. The Rho GTPase family, key regulators of cytoskeletal signaling, are known to mediate cellular differentiation in response to stretch in other organs. Using a well-described model of alveolar epithelial cell differentiation and a validated stretch device, we investigated the effects of supraphysiologic stretch on human fetal lung alveolar epithelial cell phenotype. Static stretch applied to epithelial cells suppressed type II cell markers (SP-B and Pepsinogen C, PGC), and induced type I cell markers (Caveolin-1, Claudin 7 and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1, PAI-1) as predicted. Static stretch was also associated with Rho A activation. Furthermore, the Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632 decreased Rho A activation and blunted the stretch-induced changes in alveolar epithelial cell marker expression. Together these data provide further evidence that mechanical stimulation of the cytoskeleton and Rho activation are key upstream events in mechanotransduction-associated alveolar epithelial cell differentiation

Heat stress: A major contributor to poor animal welfare associated with long-haul live export voyages

Recent investigations by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry into high mortalities on live export voyages from Australia to the Middle East during the Northern hemisphere summer suggest that animal welfare may be compromised by heat stress. The live export industry has generated a computer model that aims to assess the risk of heat stress and to contain mortality levels on live export ships below certain arbitrary limits. Although the model must be complied with under Australian law, it is not currently available for independent scientific scrutiny, and there is concern that model and the mandated space allowances are inadequate. This review appraises the relevant literature on heat stress in sheep and cattle, including laboratory studies aimed at mimicking the ambient temperatures and humidity levels likely to be encountered on live export voyages. Animal welfare is likely to be very poor as a result of heat stress in some shipments

Not by transmission alone : the role of invention in cultural evolution

We are grateful to the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. for funding this work and to the Diverse Intelligences research community for valuable conversations around these themes. S. Nöbel acknowledges IAST funding from the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the Investissements d’Avenir program, grant ANR-17-EUR-0010 and support by the Laboratoires d’Excellence TULIP (ANR-10-LABX-41). EA and MS acknowledge support from the US Army Research Office (W911NF‐17‐1‐0017 to EA).Innovation—the combination of invention and social learning—can empower species to invade new niches via cultural adaptation. Social learning has typically been regarded as the fundamental driver for the emergence of traditions and thus culture. Consequently, invention has been relatively understudied outside the human lineage—despite being the source of new traditions. This neglect leaves basic questions unanswered: what factors promote the creation of new ideas and practices? What affects their spread or loss? We critically review the existing literature, focusing on four levels of investigation: traits (what sorts of behaviours are easiest to invent?), individuals (what factors make some individuals more likely to be inventors?), ecological contexts (what aspects of the environment make invention or transmission more likely?), and populations (what features of relationships and societies promote the rise and spread of new inventions?). We aim to inspire new research by highlighting theoretical and empirical gaps in the study of innovation, focusing primarily on inventions in non-humans. Understanding the role of invention and innovation in the history of life requires a well-developed theoretical framework (which embraces cognitive processes) and a taxonomically broad, cross-species dataset that explicitly investigates inventions and their transmission. We outline such an agenda here. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution’.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Viral inosine triphosphatase: A mysterious enzyme with typical activity, but an atypical function

Plant viruses typically have highly condensed genomes, yet the plant‐pathogenic viruses Cassava brown streak virus, Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, and Euphorbia ringspot virus are unusual in encoding an enzyme not yet found in any other virus, the “house‐cleaning” enzyme inosine triphosphatase. Inosine triphosphatases (ITPases) are highly conserved enzymes that occur in all kingdoms of life and perform a house‐cleaning function by hydrolysing the noncanonical nucleotide inosine triphosphate to inosine monophosphate. The ITPases encoded by cassava brown streak virus and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus have been characterized biochemically and are shown to have typical ITPase activity. However, their biological role in virus infection has yet to be elucidated. Here we review what is known of viral‐encoded ITPases and speculate on potential roles in infection with the aim of generating a greater understanding of cassava brown streak viruses, a group of the world's most devastating viruses

The Neogene seismic stratigraphy and uplift history of the Otago Shelf, New Zealand

The Otago continental shelf is a prospective petroleum area on the east side of the South Island New Zealand. During the Neogene it evolved from a post-rift to passive margin as giant progrades extended eastward across the shelf, fed by tectonic uplift and erosion of the Southern Alps to the west. Seismic reflection profiles reveal an uplifted limestone horizon near the Dunedin Volcano. This may be caused by a buoyant load under the lithosphere and can be spatially and temporally linked to the Dunedin Volcano and geophysical anomalies in the area. This thesis utilises 2D and 3D seismic data to map Neogene sequence boundaries over the Otago Shelf. Seven such sequence boundaries have been mapped based on distinctive seismic characteristics above and below these surfaces. These surfaces have been tied to nearby petroleum and Integrated Ocean Drilling Project wells using biostratigraphic data and then used to generate a series of isopach and depth maps that document the Neogene evolution of this margin. The maps depict the deposition of Neogene sediment and provide age constraints to structural events in the basin such as the uplift near Dunedin and fault movement on the Endeavour High. The maps are then used to develop a lithospheric flexure model where uplift is interpreted to have been caused by asthenospheric upwelling beneath Dunedin. The model provides insight into the conditions that led to the flexure of the lithosphere, specifically the elastic thickness of the plate and the magnitude and depth distribution of buoyant intrusive material that fed the Dunedin Volcano. Asthenospheric upwelling explains elevated heat flow around Dunedin and would result in enhanced petroleum maturity. This highlights the potential for petroleum generation in source rocks immediately offshore from Dunedin

Susceptibility or resilience? Prenatal stress predisposes male rats to social subordination, but facilitates adaptation to subordinate status

Mood disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) affect a significant proportion of the population. Although progress has been made in the development of therapeutics, a large number of individuals do not attain full remission of symptoms and adverse side effects affect treatment compliance for some. In order to develop new therapies, there is a push for new models that better reflect the multiple risk factors that likely contribute to the development of depressive illness. We hypothesized that early life stress would exacerbate the depressive-like phenotype that we have previously observed in socially subordinate (SUB) adult male rats in the visible burrow system (VBS), a semi-natural, ethologically relevant environment in which males in a colony form a dominance hierarchy. Dams were exposed to chronic variable stress (CVS) during the last week of gestation, resulting in a robust and non-habituating glucocorticoid response that did not alter maternal food intake, body weight or litter size and weight. As adults, one prenatal CVS (PCVS) and one non-stressed (NS) male were housed in the VBS with adult females. Although there were no overt differences between PCVS and NS male offspring prior to VBS housing, a greater percentage of PCVS males became SUB. However, the depressive-like phenotype of SUB males was not exacerbated in PCVS males; rather, they appeared to better cope with SUB status than NS SUB males. They had lower basal plasma corticosterone than NS SUB males at the end of VBS housing. In situ hybridization for CRH in the PVN and CeA did not reveal any prenatal treatment or status effects, while NPY expression was higher within the MeA of dominant and subordinate males exposed to the VBS in comparison with controls, but with no effect of prenatal treatment. These data suggest that prenatal chronic variable stress may confer resilience to offspring when exposed to social stress in adulthood

Readmissions - can they be predicted on admission?

This paper looks at the development of logistic regression models to predict readmissions for medical patients on their initial admission to hospital. The design of our study was a retrospective analysis of a large dataset drawn from a range of secondary sources - medical, nursing, therapy and social care records. Three northern hospitals and related community health districts and social care organizations in the UK participated. Records of 1,192 patients discharged from medical wards during the period April 1992-March 1995 were analysed. Readmission within six weeks of discharge was the main outcome. Four logistic regression equations were produced. Three individual site equations were calculated and classification levels for readmission of 17-22 per cent were achieved. Component factors that differed in importance were age, GP contact, social services contact, marital status and living status. The weakest equation was the equation that encompassed patients from all three sites, which classified 7 per cent of readmissions. It is possible to develop equations that will predict explain readmission for a fifth of medical patients on admission to individual hospitals. Further exporatory work needs to be undertaken to explore reasons for differences between districts and develop more generalizable predictive equations

High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) longitudinal controller: Design, analyses, and simulation resultss

This paper describes the design, analysis, and nonlinear simulation results (batch and piloted) for a longitudinal controller which is scheduled to be flight-tested on the High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). The HARV is an F-18 airplane modified for and equipped with multi-axis thrust vectoring. The paper includes a description of the facilities, a detailed review of the feedback controller design, linear analysis results of the feedback controller, a description of the feed-forward controller design, nonlinear batch simulation results, and piloted simulation results. Batch simulation results include maximum pitch stick agility responses, angle of attack alpha captures, and alpha regulation for full lateral stick rolls at several alpha's. Piloted simulation results include task descriptions for several types of maneuvers, task guidelines, the corresponding Cooper-Harper ratings from three test pilots, and some pilot comments. The ratings show that desirable criteria are achieved for almost all of the piloted simulation tasks