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H7 avian influenza viruses represent a major public health concern, and worldwide outbreaks raise the risk of a potential pandemic. Understanding the memory B cell response to avian (H7) influenza virus infection in humans could provide insights in the potential key to human infection risks. We investigated an epizootic of the highly pathogenic A(H7N7) in the Netherlands, which in 2003 led to infection of 89 persons and one fatal case. Subtype-specificity of antibodies were determined for confirmed H7N7 infected individuals (cases) (n = 19), contacts of these cases (n = 21) and a comparison group controls (n = 16), by microarray, using recombinant hemagglutinin (HA)1 proteins. The frequency and specificity of memory B cells was determined by detecting subtype-specific antibodies in the culture supernatants from in vitro stimulated oligoclonal B cell cultures, from peripheral blood of cases and controls. All cases (100%) had high antibody titers specific for A(H7N7)2003 (GMT > 100), whereas H7-HA1 antigen binding was detected in 29% of contacts and 31% of controls, suggesting that some of the H7 reactivity stems from cross reactive antibodies. To unravel homotypic and heterotypic responses, the frequency and specificity of memory B cells were determined in 2 cases. Ten of 123 HA1 reactive clones isolated from the cases bound to only H7- HA1, whereas 5 bound both H7 and other HA1 antigens. We recovered at least four different epitopal reactivities, though none of the H7 reactive antibodies were able to neutralize H7 infections in vitro. Our study serologically confirms the infection with H7 avian influenza viruses, and shows that H7 infection triggers a mixture of strain -specific and cross-reactive antibodies.

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Contains fulltext : 151398.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)

Restoration has been elevated as an important strategy to reversethe decline of coastal wetlands worldwide. Current practice in restorationscience emphasizes minimizing competition between outplantedpropagules to maximize planting success. This paradigmpersists despite the fact that foundational theory in ecology demonstratesthat positive species interactions are key to organism successunder high physical stress, such as recolonization of bare substrate. Asevidence of how entrenched this restoration paradigm is, our surveyof 25 restoration organizations in 14 states in the United States revealedthat >95% of these agencies assume minimizing negative interactions(i.e., competition) between outplants will maximize propagulegrowth. Restoration experiments in both Western and Eastern Atlanticsalt marshes demonstrate, however, that a simple change in plantingconfiguration (placing propagules next to, rather than at adistance from, each other) results in harnessing facilitation and increasedyields by 107% on average. Thus, small adjustments in restorationdesign may catalyze untapped positive species interactions,resulting in significantly higher restoration success with no addedcost. As positive interactions between organisms commonly occur incoastal ecosystems (especially in more physically stressful areas likeuncolonized substrate) and conservation resources are limited, transformationof the coastal restoration paradigm to incorporate facilitationtheory may enhance conservation efforts, shoreline defense, andprovisioning of ecosystem services such as fisheries production.

Contains fulltext : 151398.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)

Contains fulltext : 151398.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)

Restoration has been elevated as an important strategy to reversethe decline of coastal wetlands worldwide. Current practice in restorationscience emphasizes minimizing competition between outplantedpropagules to maximize planting success. This paradigmpersists despite the fact that foundational theory in ecology demonstratesthat positive species interactions are key to organism successunder high physical stress, such as recolonization of bare substrate. Asevidence of how entrenched this restoration paradigm is, our surveyof 25 restoration organizations in 14 states in the United States revealedthat >95% of these agencies assume minimizing negative interactions(i.e., competition) between outplants will maximize propagulegrowth. Restoration experiments in both Western and Eastern Atlanticsalt marshes demonstrate, however, that a simple change in plantingconfiguration (placing propagules next to, rather than at adistance from, each other) results in harnessing facilitation and increasedyields by 107% on average. Thus, small adjustments in restorationdesign may catalyze untapped positive species interactions,resulting in significantly higher restoration success with no addedcost. As positive interactions between organisms commonly occur incoastal ecosystems (especially in more physically stressful areas likeuncolonized substrate) and conservation resources are limited, transformationof the coastal restoration paradigm to incorporate facilitationtheory may enhance conservation efforts, shoreline defense, andprovisioning of ecosystem services such as fisheries production.

For Navy relevant geometries, separation of wall bounded flows is a highly complex phenomenon. The combination of three-dimensionality and unsteadiness results in a highly complex time-dependent topology of the separated region. In a combined numerical/experimental effort we investigated laminar separation bubbles in external flows. We employed highly-resolved direct numerical simulations to obtain a deeper understanding of the various physical mechanism governing separation, transition, and reattachment. We also carried out and hybrid RANS/LES simulations for a turbulent square-duct and the Stanford University asymmetric diffuser., The original document contains color images. All DTIC reproductions will be in black and white.

We present the U-series dating of bones from Wood Quarry ('Steetley Quarry Cave') using the diffusion-adsorption model to account for uranium uptake. The results give a weighted mean date of 66.8 ± 3.0 kyr, placing this assemblage within or just before M

The authors present techniques leading to small binary decision diagrams (BDDs) for combinational functions. They propose some new heuristics for computing an initial variable ordering, one of which is shown to represent a significant enhancement over the best ones the authors could find in the literature. Additionally, they introduce a novel incremental method, devised to quickly change the variable ordering intrinsic to these diagrams. They discuss an application of this method involving the reduction of the size of diagrams after their construction. Comparison with previously published results is provided., Anglais

A new method is presented to reduce the number of nodes of a binary decision diagram (BDD) after its construction, which the authors call incremental reduction. It is based on an algorithm that swaps two adjacent variables in the BDD ordering. The initial ordering is obtained by an algorithm. Experiments have shown that an average reduction of 20% on the number of nodes of these initial BDDs can be achieved with the authors' method., Anglais

The early MIS 3 (55–40 Kyr BP associated with Middle Palaeolithic archaeology) bird remains from Pin Hole, Creswell Crags, Derbyshire, England are analysed in the context of the new dating of the site’s stratigraphy. The analysis is restricted to the material from the early MIS 3 level of the cave because the upper fauna is now known to include Holocene material as well as that from the Late Glacial. The results of the analysis confirm the presence of the taxa, possibly unexpected for a Late Pleistocene glacial deposit including records such as Alpine swift, demoiselle crane and long-legged buzzard with southern and/or eastern distributions today. These taxa are accompanied by more expected ones such as willow ptarmigan /red grouse and rock ptarmigan living today in northern and montane areas. Finally, there are temperate taxa normally requiring trees for nesting such as wood pigeon and grey heron. Therefore, the result of the analysis is that the avifauna of early MIS 3 in England included taxa whose ranges today do not overlap making it a non-analogue community similar to the many steppe-tundra mammalian faunas of the time. The inclusion of more temperate and woodland taxa is discussed in the light that parts of northern Europe may have acted as cryptic northern refugia for some such taxa during the last glacial. These records showing former ranges of taxa are considered in the light of modern phylogeographic studies as these often assume former ranges without considering the fossil record of those taxa. In addition to the anomalous combination of taxa during MIS 3 living in Derbyshire, the individuals of a number of the taxa are different in size and shape to members of the species today probably due to the high carrying capacity of the steppe-tundra.