Developing an Experimental System for Studying Early Events in Speciation in Drosophila

Speciation occurs when two populations of a species can no longer reproduce, either because of (1) pre-mating reproductive isolation, for example, populations having non-overlapping habitats, or evolving different courtship behaviors, or (2) post-mating pre-zygotic (PMPZ) isolation, where mechanical (e.g., incompatible differences in genitalia), or gametic (e.g., sperm and egg become incompatible) differences renders the strains unable to produce offspring. Previous work has suggested that when incipient species begin to experience reproductive isolation, a phenomenon called “reinforcement” can accelerate the process, by the rapid evolution of new pre- mating or PMPZ barriers. While the occurrence of reinforcement has been studied for many years, not much is known about how rapidly natural selection can create new reproductive barriers, or what the actual mechanisms are that are likely to arise [e.g., pre-mating mechanisms like changes in courtship behavior, or PMPZ mechanisms like differential sperm storage or use by the female (cryptic female choice)]. My project focuses on using genetic engineering to create populations of genetically incompatible strains of Drosophila melanogaster, which then will be studied to understand the exact mechanisms whereby such strains might rapidly diverge from each other due to reinforcement. My research has used recombinant DNA methods to create two complex synthetic alleles (A and B), each consisting of four components. (1) The Prot-B RFP or Prot-B GFP sequences that encode sperm specific proteins tagged with red fluorescent proteins (RFP) or green fluorescent protein (GFP) for the clear distinction of A and B sperm within a female’s seminal receptacle; (2) the 3xP3 RFP and 3xP3 GFP cassettes that result in eye-specific expression of RFP and GFP to allow easy identification of which allele each fly carries; (3) the attB sequence that allows these constructs to be inserted into a specific chromosomal site, using the phiC31 integrase system for site-specific transformation; and (4) one of the two components of the GAL4/UAS system for targeted gene expression. The A allele carries the yeast transcriptional activator protein gene, GAL4, under the control of a constitutive promoter (i.e., the Pros25 proteasome gene promoter). The B allele carries the dominant lethal gene UAS-Poly-Q108 that is activated by GAL4. Thus, while either allele by itself is harmless, when both are present, such as in AB hybrids, the activation of UAS-PolyQ108 leads to 100% pupal lethality. These newly created incompatible A and B populations will be used for long-term experimental evolution studies. In these experiments, flies from both strains will be maintained together in population cages where they can freely mate and reproduce for many generations. Because the only productive matings will be between A x A and B x B, due to the hybrid incompatibility, there will be selective pressure to quickly evolve additional reproductive isolation mechanisms, which will then be identified and analysed in detail. If successful, this will confirm the concept of reinforcement, and furthermore give us clues about specific reproductive isolation mechanisms that are likely to quickly evolve

METHODS FOR DETECTION OF TORNADOES IN POLAND (CASE STUDY)

The purpose of this paper is to specify potential meteorological conditions characteristic for a day (14th July 2012) when dangerous whirlwinds occured in Poland, as well as to evaluate the possibility to detect them by means of available methods and devices. Based on ESWD reports, a set of tornado-type occurrences was selected. Several radar products were analysed in time intervals of 10 minutes. The following parameters were considered: maximum values of reflectivity, vertical wind profile, as well as echo height. Based on satellite images the altitude of storm cloud tops was defined. The data concerning radar products comes from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. The satellite images were acquired from the website. Additionally, vertical aerological soundings and synoptic maps were used. In order to analyse thermodynamic instability, convective indices were calculated

Study of the neutral current interaction with a 0 in the nal state in the ND280 detector of the T2K experiment

PhDThe Tokai to Kamioka (T2K) experiment is designed to detect ! e appearance for the rst time from accelerator generated neutrinos and measure neutrino oscillation parameters. The most intense accelerator muon neutrino beam ever built is produced at the J-PARC facility on the East coast of Japan, and sent 2.5 o -axis toward the Super-Kamiokande water Cherenkov detector. The main background for the recent appearance analysis comes from neutral current 1 0 interaction, accounting for 23% of the background events. In addition, the near detector (ND280) has been built to serve the requirement to provide high accuracy beam characteristics and background studies by measuring a number of neutrino cross-sections. In this thesis the NC1 0 channel studies at the near detector ND280 is performed. The studies aim to develop the NC1 0 event selection to single out the muon neutrino induced NC1 0 interactions in the P D ( 0 Detector) sub- detector, where one 0 decay gamma converts in the P D and the second gamma converts in the P D-ECal ( 0 Electromagnetic Calorimeter) sub-detector. The used data sample was collected during Runs II,III and IV, consisting of a total of 6:2 1020 POT. Simulated events are generated with the NEUT MC to eval- uate backgrounds and estimate the selection effi ciency. The studies have been performed for the two P D confi gurations: fi lled with water and without water.The fi rst approach to the usage of P D-ECal sub-detector in the NC1 0 channel studies showed that further improvements on the P D-ECal reconstruction and matching between the P D and P D-ECal is required. However, as a result of the performed analysis the total e ciency of 3.0% (4.0%) and purity of 17.7% (16.4%) is obtained for the P D fi lled with water (without water) con guration. Finally, after selection, 68 8:2 (stat) (107 10:3 (stat)) events passed all the requirements for the P D fi lled with (without) water. The developed selection lay the groundwork for the future measurement of the NC1 0 cross-section for the events induced by neutrinos interacting in the P D sub-detector and systematic errors evaluation, using larger data sets. As for now, the systematic uncertainties are a subject of a discussion in this thesis

Prematurity-Related Hypertension in Children and Adolescents

Due to the functional and structural immaturity of different organ systems, preterms have a higher rate of morbidity and mortality. The prevention and treatment of the complications of prematurity is a major challenge in perinatal health care. Recently, there have been several multicenter research trials analysing the impact of prematurity or low birth weight on the health problems of children and adolescents. Many of these studies deal with the issue of pediatric hypertension. An analysis of 15 studies conducted in the years 1998–2011, in which blood pressure values in ex-preterm children were measured, was performed. Comparison was based on several issues: measurement method, cohorts age, size, and birthweight. It has been proven that hypertension occurs more often in former preterm infants; however the etiologic pathways that cause this condition still remain unclear. Moreover, pediatric hypertension is a significant problem, because of its transformation into adult hypertension and increased cardiovascular risk later in life. Therefore it is crucial to introduce wide-spread screening and detection of elevated blood pressure, especially among prematurely born children

Duration of untreated psychosis and pathways to care in Suriname:a qualitative study among patients, relatives and general practitioners

PURPOSE: Psychosis is a severe mental health problem and is responsible for poor health outcomes, premature mortality and morbidity, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), that is the time period between onset of symptoms until initiation of appropriate treatment by a healthcare professional, is one of the main determinants for successful treatment in western settings. This study aims to explore the factors related to the DUP among Surinamese patients using the perspectives from patients, their families and first-line healthcare professionals in Suriname. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients having a history of psychosis, family members and general practitioners between February 2019 and April 2019 in Suriname. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis for which an inductive and deductive approach was applied. RESULTS: In total, 28 patients, 13 family members and 8 general practitioners were interviewed. Five patients were excluded from the study. A median DUP of 4 months was found (IQR 1–36). Identified themes related to DUP included presentation of symptoms and illness awareness, help-seeking behaviour and alternative medicine, social support and stigma, financial and practical factors. CONCLUSION: Multiple factors were related to DUP, of which poor illness awareness, traditional medicine, stigma and social support were predominant. Poor illness awareness and use of alternative medicine were related to a longer DUP. Stigma was often an obstacle for patients and their families. Social and family support was important in helping patients to get medical help sooner. Other explored factors including financial and practical factors did not contribute to DUP

Applicability of a web-based, individualized exercise intervention in patients with liver disease, cystic fibrosis, esophageal cancer, and psychiatric disorders : process evaluation of 4 ongoing clinical trials

Background: In the primary and secondary prevention of civilization diseases, regular physical activity is recommended in international guidelines to improve disease-related symptoms, delay the progression of the disease, or to enhance postoperative outcomes. In the preoperative context, there has been a paradigm shift in favor of using preconditioning concepts before surgery. Web-based interventions seem an innovative and effective tool for delivering general information, individualized exercise recommendations, and peer support. Objective: Our first objective was to assess feasibility of our Web-based interventional concept and analyze similarities and differences in a sustained exercise implementation in different diseases. The second objective was to investigate the overall participants? satisfaction with our Web-based concept. Methods: A total of 4 clinical trials are still being carried out, including patients with esophageal carcinoma scheduled for oncologic esophagectomy (internet-based perioperative exercise program, iPEP, study), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (hepatic inflammation and physical performance in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, HELP, study), depression (exercise for depression, EXDEP, study), and cystic fibrosis (cystic fibrosis online mentoring for microbiome, exercise, and diet, COMMED, study). During the intervention period, the study population had access to the website with disease-specific content and a disease-specific discussion forum. All participants received weekly, individual tailored exercise recommendations from the sports therapist. The main outcome was the using behavior, which was obtained by investigating the log-in rate and duration. Results: A total of 20 participants (5 from each trial) were analyzed. During the intervention period, a regular contact and a consequent implementation of exercise prescription were easily achieved in all substudies. Across the 4 substudies, there was a significant decrease in log-in rates (P<.001) and log-in durations (P<.001) over time. A detailed view of the different studies shows a significant decrease in log-in rates and log-in durations in the HELP study (P=.004; P=.002) and iPEP study (P=.02; P=.001), whereas the EXDEP study (P=.58; P=.38) and COMMED study (P=.87; P=.56) showed no significant change over the 8-week intervention period. There was no significant change in physical activity within all studies (P=.31). Only in the HELP study, the physical activity level increased steadily over the period analyzed (P=.045). Overall, 17 participants (85%, 17/20) felt secure and were not scared of injury, with no major differences in the subtrials. Conclusions: The universal use of the Web-based intervention appears to be applicable across the heterogonous collectives of our study patients with regard to age and disease. Although the development of physical activity shows only moderate improvements, flexible communication and tailored support could be easily integrated into patients? daily routine

Autologous stem cell transplantation as consolidation therapy for patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma in first remission : long-term outcome and risk factors analysis

This report is a retrospective analysis of 65 patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL), who underwent high-dose therapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (autoHCT) as a consolidation of first response achieved with either induction or salvage chemotherapy. We intended to determine the prognostic factors that influenced outcome after autoHCT and to define the predictive value of the scoring systems most often applied for transplant outcomes. Nineteen patients in either complete or partial remission underwent autoHCT after induction chemotherapy. Forty-six patients received second-line chemotherapy as a consolidation of partial response after induction chemotherapy (n = 34) or as a salvage therapy after primary induction failure (n = 12), and thereafter proceeded to autoHCT. Finally, the 36 patients were in complete remission, and 29 in partial remission at autoHCT. The median follow-up of survivors was 53 months (range 7–157 months). The 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival for all patients were 61.5 % (95 % CI 47.0–74.2 %) and 59.4 % (95 % CI 46.1–71.5 %), respectively. In multivariate analysis, bone marrow involvement at diagnosis and less than partial remission after induction chemotherapy were factors independently predictive for overall survival and progression-free survival. The prognostic index for PTCL could reliably stratify the prognosis of PTCL in this analysis