Liturgies and Hymnology in the American Lutheran Church Until 1820

In the analysis and consideration of any liturgical form or group of liturgies the student must from the beginning set down for himself certain principles and accepted norms of judgment to guide him in such study and to form for him a definite, logical and true basis for comparison and evaluation of the material treated

Methods for reproductive tract scoring as a tool for improving sow productivity

Improving sow lifetime productivity (SLP) is essential for maximizing farm profitability. Study objectives were to determine the accuracy for different vulva scoring methods in a commercial production system and to assess whether gilt reproductive tract scoring (evaluated by vulva width; VW) prior to puberty could serve as useful gilt selection criteria. To accomplish this objective, 958 prepubertal replacement gilts in a commercial system were evaluated at approximately 15 weeks of age. Gilt body weight was recorded in addition to four different methods to evaluate VW. Methods for VW assessment included digital caliper measurement (mm), visual evaluation and scoring by trained farm personnel (Farm Score; FS), and two methods using scoring tools (Vulva Score Method A and B; VSA and VSB, respectively) specifically calibrated from the VW distribution measured on gilts from previous studies. The VSA and FS methods assigned gilts to one of three categories (S, M, L and 1, 2, 3, respectively) whereas VSB classified gilts vulvas using a five-point scoring system (1 to 5). At 15-wk of age, a low proportion of variability in vulva size (27.8 ± 0.1 mm) could be explained by BW (62.2 ± 0.2 kg; R2 = 0.05). All three scoring methods were effective in categorizing gilts based upon VW, as the measured VW size within methods differed by score (P \u3c 0.01). The proportion of gilts achieving their first parity increased with score for VSA (64.7, 73.2, and 84.4%; P = 0.02), VSB (66.0, 71.7, 79.2, 76.4, and 84.2%; P = 0.02), and FS (67.2, 75.0, and 88.8%; P = 0.03), but VSA, VSB, and FS did not influence percentage of gilts achieving their second parity (P = 0.32, 0.29, and 0.30, respectively). Litter performance of gilts scored as M or L using VSA improved with an increased total born over two parities compared to those scored as S (23.96 vs. 26.38 pigs; P \u3c 0.01) as well as born alive (21.13 vs. 23.05 pigs; P \u3c 0.05). Results were similar for VSB, where scores 2-5 had greater total born (23.97 vs. 26.33 pigs; P \u3c 0.01) and born alive (21.11 vs. 23.02 pigs; P \u3c 0.05) through two parities compared to gilts scored 1. Using the FS method, total born pigs tended to be increased (P = 0.06) through two parities for gilts having a 2 or 3 vulva score compared to those scored as a 1. Collectively, assessing VW at approximately 15 wk of age may identify sows with improved productivity through two parities as breeding herd females

Drivers for Rift Valley fever emergence in Mayotte: A Bayesian modelling approach

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a major zoonotic and arboviral hemorrhagic fever. The conditions leading to RVF epidemics are still unclear, and the relative role of climatic and anthropogenic factors may vary between ecosystems. Here, we estimate the most likely scenario that led to RVF emergence on the island of Mayotte, following the 2006–2007 African epidemic. We developed the first mathematical model for RVF that accounts for climate, animal imports and livestock susceptibility, which is fitted to a 12-years dataset. RVF emergence was found to be triggered by the import of infectious animals, whilst transmissibility was approximated as a linear or exponential function of vegetation density. Model forecasts indicated a very low probability of virus endemicity in 2017, and therefore of re-emergence in a closed system (i.e. without import of infected animals). However, the very high proportion of naive animals reached in 2016 implies that the island remains vulnerable to the import of infectious animals. We recommend reinforcing surveillance in livestock, should RVF be reported is neighbouring territories. Our model should be tested elsewhere, with ecosystem-specific data

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Drosophila melanogaster and Vector Mosquito Developmental Genes

Genome sequencing projects have presented the opportunity for analysis of developmental genes in three vector mosquito species: Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles gambiae. A comparative genomic analysis of developmental genes in Drosophila melanogaster and these three important vectors of human disease was performed in this investigation. While the study was comprehensive, special emphasis centered on genes that 1) are components of developmental signaling pathways, 2) regulate fundamental developmental processes, 3) are critical for the development of tissues of vector importance, 4) function in developmental processes known to have diverged within insects, and 5) encode microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate developmental transcripts in Drosophila. While most fruit fly developmental genes are conserved in the three vector mosquito species, several genes known to be critical for Drosophila development were not identified in one or more mosquito genomes. In other cases, mosquito lineage-specific gene gains with respect to D. melanogaster were noted. Sequence analyses also revealed that numerous repetitive sequences are a common structural feature of Drosophila and mosquito developmental genes. Finally, analysis of predicted miRNA binding sites in fruit fly and mosquito developmental genes suggests that the repertoire of developmental genes targeted by miRNAs is species-specific. The results of this study provide insight into the evolution of developmental genes and processes in dipterans and other arthropods, serve as a resource for those pursuing analysis of mosquito development, and will promote the design and refinement of functional analysis experiments

Clinical and functional heterogeneity associated with the disruption of retinoic acid receptor beta.

PURPOSE: Dominant variants in the retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB) gene underlie a syndromic form of microphthalmia, known as MCOPS12, which is associated with other birth anomalies and global developmental delay with spasticity and/or dystonia. Here, we report 25 affected individuals with 17 novel pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in RARB. This study aims to characterize the functional impact of these variants and describe the clinical spectrum of MCOPS12. METHODS: We used in vitro transcriptional assays and in silico structural analysis to assess the functional relevance of RARB variants in affecting the normal response to retinoids. RESULTS: We found that all RARB variants tested in our assays exhibited either a gain-of-function or a loss-of-function activity. Loss-of-function variants disrupted RARB function through a dominant-negative effect, possibly by disrupting ligand binding and/or coactivators' recruitment. By reviewing clinical data from 52 affected individuals, we found that disruption of RARB is associated with a more variable phenotype than initially suspected, with the absence in some individuals of cardinal features of MCOPS12, such as developmental eye anomaly or motor impairment. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that pathogenic variants in RARB are functionally heterogeneous and associated with extensive clinical heterogeneity