Ecological Niche Modeling of Francisella tularensis Subspecies and Clades in the United States

Two subspecies of Francisella tularensis are recognized: F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (type A) and F. tularensis subsp. holartica (type B). Type A has been subdivided further into A1a, A1b, and A2, which differ geographically and clinically. The aim of this work was to determine whether or not differences among subspecies and clades translate into distinct ecological niches. We used 223 isolates from humans and wildlife representing all six genotypes (type A, B, A1, A2, A1a, or A1b). Ecological-niche models were built independently for each genotype, using the genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction. The resulting models were compared using a non-parametric multivariate analysis-of-variance method. A1 and A2 are ecologically distinct, supporting the previously observed geographic division, whereas ecological niches for types A and B overlapped notably but A1a and A1b displayed no appreciable differences in their ecological niches

Exportation of Monkeypox Virus From the African Continent.

BACKGROUND: The largest West African monkeypox outbreak began September 2017, in Nigeria. Four individuals traveling from Nigeria to the United Kingdom (n = 2), Israel (n = 1), and Singapore (n = 1) became the first human monkeypox cases exported from Africa, and a related nosocomial transmission event in the United Kingdom became the first confirmed human-to-human monkeypox transmission event outside of Africa. METHODS: Epidemiological and molecular data for exported and Nigerian cases were analyzed jointly to better understand the exportations in the temporal and geographic context of the outbreak. RESULTS: Isolates from all travelers and a Bayelsa case shared a most recent common ancestor and traveled to Bayelsa, Delta, or Rivers states. Genetic variation for this cluster was lower than would be expected from a random sampling of genomes from this outbreak, but data did not support direct links between travelers. CONCLUSIONS: Monophyly of exportation cases and the Bayelsa sample, along with the intermediate levels of genetic variation, suggest a small pool of related isolates is the likely source for the exported infections. This may be the result of the level of genetic variation present in monkeypox isolates circulating within the contiguous region of Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states, or another more restricted, yet unidentified source pool

Ecological Niche Modeling of Francisella tularensis Subspecies and Clades in the United States

Two subspecies of Francisella tularensis are recognized: F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (type A) and F. tularensis subsp. holartica (type B). Type A has been subdivided further into A1a, A1b, and A2, which differ geographically and clinically. The aim of this work was to determine whether or not differences among subspecies and clades translate into distinct ecological niches. We used 223 isolates from humans and wildlife representing all six genotypes (type A, B, A1, A2, A1a, or A1b). Ecological-niche models were built independently for each genotype, using the genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction. The resulting models were compared using a non-parametric multivariate analysis-of-variance method. A1 and A2 are ecologically distinct, supporting the previously observed geographic division, whereas ecological niches for types A and B overlapped notably but A1a and A1b displayed no appreciable differences in their ecological niches

Deployable Structures and Biological Morphology

IASS-IACM 2008 Session: Deployable Structures and Biological Morphology Session Organizers: Hiroshi FURUYA (Tokyo Institute of Technology), Hidetoshi KOBAYASHI (Osaka University) -- Plenary Lecture: Abstract, Slides and Video : "Folding and deployment of stored-energy composite structures" by Sergio PELLEGRINO (California Institute of Technology) -- Keynote Lecture: "Unfolding of potato flower as a deployable structure" by Hidetoshi KOBAYASHI, Keitaro HORIKAWA(Osaka University), Yoshinori MORITA (Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.) -- "Structural analysis for the multi-folding and deployable structures" by Masatoshi NAKAZAWA (Tohoku Gakuin University), Ichiro ARIO (Hiroshima University), Andrew WATSON (Loughborough University) -- "Deployment schemes for 2-D space apertures and mapping for bio-inspired design" by Christopher H. JENKINS, Jeffery J. LARSEN (Montana State University) -- "Microstructure of foldable membrane for gossamer spacecrafts" by Hiroshi FURUYA, Yasutaka SATOU, Yosuke INOUE, Tadashi MASUOKA (Tokyo Institute of Technology) -- "Natural twist buckling in shells: From the hawkmoth's bellows to the deployable Kresling-pattern and cylindrical Miura-ori" by Biruta KRESLING (Experimental Design and Bionics, Paris

Climate Change Effects on Plague and Tularemia in the United States

Plague and tularemia are serious zoonotic diseases endemic to North America. We evaluated spatial patterns in their transmission in view of changing climates. First, we tested whether observed shifts since the 1960s are consistent with expected patterns of shift given known climate changes over that period. Then, we used general circulation model results summarizing global patterns of changing climates into the future to forecast likely shifts in patterns of transmission over the next 50 years. The results indicate that these diseases are indeed shifting in accord with patterns of climatic shift, but that overall geographic shifts will likely be subtle, with some northward movement of southern limits and possibly northward movement of northern limits as well

FIELD IDENTIFICATION KEY AND GUIDE FOR BATS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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