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Conflicts fueled by popular religious mobilization have rekindled the controversy surrounding Samuel Huntington’s theory of changing international alignments in the Post-Cold War era. In The Clash of Civilizations, Huntington challenged Fukuyama’s “end of history” thesis that liberal democracy had emerged victorious out of Post-war ideological and economic rivalries. Based on a top-down analysis of the alignments of nation states, Huntington famously concluded that the axes of international geo-political conflicts had reverted to the ancient cultural divisions that had characterized most of human history. Until recently, however, the debate has had to rely more on polemics than empirical evidence. Moreover, Huntington made this prediction in 1993, before social media connected the world’s population. Do digital communications attenuate or echo the cultural, religious, and ethnic “fault lines” posited by Huntington prior to the global diffusion of social media? We revisit Huntington's thesis using hundreds of millions of anonymized email and Twitter communications among tens of millions of worldwide users to map the global alignment of interpersonal relations. Contrary to the supposedly borderless world of cyberspace, a bottom-up analysis confirms the persistence of the eight culturally differentiated civilizations posited by Huntington, with the divisions corresponding to differences in language, religion, economic development, and spatial distance.

In this paper we explore two contrasting perspectives on individuals' participation in associations. On the one hand, some have considered participation the byproduct of pre-existing friendship ties — the more friends one already has in the association, the more likely he or she is to participate. On the other hand, some have considered participation to be driven by the association's capacity to form new identities — the more new friends one meets in the association, the more likely he or she is to participate. We use detailed temporal data from an online association to adjudicate between these two mechanisms and explore their interplay. Our results show a significant impact of new friendship ties on participation, compared to a negligible impact of pre-existing friends, defined here as ties to other members formed outside of the organization's context. We relate this finding to the sociological literature on participation and we explore its implications in the discussion.

Many methodologies are used to predict the genetic merit in animals and plants, but some of them require priori assumptions that may increase the complexity of the model. Artificial neural network (ANN) has advantage to not require priori assumptions about the relationships between inputs and the output allowing great flexibility to handle different types of complex non-additive effects, such as dominance and epistasis. Despite this advantage, the biological interpretability of ANNs is still limited. The aim of this research was to estimate the heritability and markers effects for two traits in Coffea canephora using an additive-dominance architecture ANN and to compare it with genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP). The data used consists of 51 clones of C. canephora varietal Conilon, 32 of varietal group Robusta and 82 intervarietal hybrids. From this, 165 phenotyped individuals were genotyped for 14,387 SNPs. Due to the high computational cost of ANNs, we used Bagging decision tree to reduce the dimensionality of the data, selecting the markers that accumulated 70% of the total importance. An ANN with three hidden layers was run, each varying from 1 to 40 neurons summing 64,000 neural networks. The network architectures with the best predictive ability were selected. The best architectures were composed by 4, 15, and 33 neurons in the first, second and third hidden layers, respectively, for yield, and by 13, 20, and 24 neurons, respectively for rust resistance. The predictive ability was greater when using ANN with three hidden layers than using one hidden layer and GBLUP, with 0.72 and 0.88 for yield and coffee leaf rust resistance, respectively. The concordance rate (CR) of the 10% larger markers effects among the methods varied between 10% and 13.8%, for additive effects and between 5.4% and 11.9% for dominance effects. The narrow-sense (ha2) and dominance-only (hd2) heritability estimates were 0.25 and 0.06, respectively, for yield, and 0.67 and 0.03, respectively for rust resistance. The ANN was able to estimate the heritabilities from an additive-dominance genomic architectures and the ANN with three hidden layers obtained best predictive ability when compared with those obtained from GBLUP and ANN with one hidden layer.

In annual plants, tight coordination of successive developmental events is of primary importance to optimize performance under fluctuating environmental conditions. The recent finding of the genetic interaction of WRKY53, a key senescence-related gene with REVOLUTA, a master regulator of early leaf patterning, raises the question of how early and late developmental events are connected. Here, we investigated the developmental and metabolic consequences of an alteration of the REVOLUTA and WRKY53 gene expression, from seedling to fruiting. Our results show that REVOLUTA critically controls late developmental phases and reproduction while inversely WRKY53 determines vegetative growth at early developmental stages. We further show that these regulators of distinct developmental phases frequently, but not continuously, interact throughout ontogeny and demonstrated that their genetic interaction is mediated by the salicylic acid (SA). Moreover, we showed that REVOLUTA and WRKY53 are keys regulatory nodes of development and plant immunity thought their role in SA metabolic pathways, which also highlights the role of REV in pathogen defence. Together, our findings demonstrate how late and early developmental events are tightly intertwined by molecular hubs. These hubs interact with each other throughout ontogeny, and participate in the interplay between plant development and immunity.

This study investigated the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in rodents and marsupials from the Atlantic Forest in southern Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Two hundred and four fecal samples were collected from different forest areas in the municipalities of Ilhéus, Una, Belmonte, and Mascote. Identifications were performed using PCR and nested PCR followed by sequencing of the gdh and tpi genes for G. duodenalis, and the gp60 and Hsp-70 genes for Cryptosporidium. The total frequency of positive PCR samples for both G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. was 5.4% (11/204). Giardia duodenalis occurred in 2.94% (4/136) of rodents and 2.94% (2/68) of marsupials. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium in rodents and marsupials was 1.47% (2/136) and 4.41% (3/68), respectively. In the areas sampled, the frequency of parasitism was 50% (7/14), while the Mascote region alone had no parasitized animals. The G. duodenalis subgenotype AI was identified in the rodent species Hylaeamys laticeps, Oecomys catherinae, Oligoryzomys nigripes and Akodon cursor, and in the marsupials Gracilinanus agilis and Monodelphis americana. In the rodents Rhipidomys mastacalis, H. laticeps and in the marsupial Marmosa murina the protozoa Cryptosporidium fayeri, Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium ubiquitum with subtypes IIa and IVg by the gp60 gene were found. In conclusion, this study provides the genetic characterization of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in rodents and marsupials. And, these findings reinforce that the rodent and marsupial species mentioned above play a role as new hosts for Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

International audience; The rising public health threat of antimicrobial resistance, the influence of food service companies, as well as the overall lack of positive image of using medical products in intensive farming are major drivers curbing antimicrobial use. In the future, government policies may affect practices of antimicrobial use in beef production in feedlots, a prominent current user of antimicrobials in animal agriculture, but also the agricultural industry generating the highest cash receipt in the U.S. Our objective was to estimate the cost effect from the following policies in feedlots: 1) using antimicrobials for disease prevention, control, and treatment; 2) using antimicrobials only for treatment of disease; and 3) not using antimicrobials for any reason. We modelled a typical U.S. feedlot, where high risk cattle may be afflicted by diseases requiring antimicrobial therapy, namely respiratory diseases, liver abscesses and lameness. We calculated the net revenue loss under each policy of antimicrobial use restriction. With moderate disease incidence, the median net revenue loss was $66 and $96 per animal entering the feedlot, for not using antimicrobials for disease prevention and control, or not using any antimicrobials, respectively, compared to using antimicrobials for disease prevention, control, and treatment. Losses arose mainly from an increase of fatality and morbidity rates, almost doubling for respiratory diseases in the case of antimicrobial use restrictions. In the case of antimicrobial use prohibition, decreasing the feeder cattle price by 9%, or alternatively, increasing the slaughter cattle price by 6.3%, would offset the net revenue losses for the feedlot operator. If no alternatives to antimicrobial therapy for prevention, control and treatment of current infectious diseases are implemented, policies that economically incentivize adoption of non-antimicrobial prevention and control strategies for infectious diseases would be necessary to maintain animal welfare and the profitability of beef production while simultaneously curbing antimicrobial use.

The evolution of glyphosate resistance (GR) in weeds is an increasing problem. Glyphosate has been used intensively on wild poinsettia (Euphorbia heterophylla L.) populations for at least 20 years in GR crops within South America. We investigated the GR mechanisms in a wild poinsettia population from a soybean field in southern Brazil. The GR population required higher glyphosate doses to achieve 50% control (LD50) and 50% dry mass reduction (MR50) compared to a glyphosate susceptible (GS) population. The ratio between the LD50 and MR50 of GR and GS resulted in resistance factors (RF) of 6.9-fold and 6.1-fold, respectively. Shikimate accumulated 6.7 times more in GS than in GR when leaf-discs were incubated with increasing glyphosate concentrations. No differences were found between GR and GS regarding non-target-site mechanisms. Neither population metabolized glyphosate to significant levels following treatment with 850 g ha-1 glyphosate. Similar levels of 14C-glyphosate uptake and translocation were observed between the two populations. No differences in EPSPS expression were found between GS and GR. Two target site mutations were found in all EPSPS alleles of homozygous resistant plants: Thr102Ile + Pro106Thr (TIPT—mutation). Heterozygous individuals harbored both alleles, wild-type and TIPT. Half of GR individuals were heterozygous, suggesting that resistance is still evolving in the population. A genotyping assay was developed based on the Pro106Thr mutation, demonstrating high efficiency to identify homozygous, heterozygous or wild-type EPSPS sequences across different plants. This is the first report of glyphosate-resistant wild-poinsettia harboring an EPSPS double mutation (TIPT) in the same plant.

Potassium (K+) acquisition, translocation and cellular homeostasis are mediated by various membrane transport systems in all organisms. We identified and described an ion channel in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum (HcSKC) that harbors features of animal voltage-dependent Shaker-like K+ channels, and investigated its role in both free-living hyphae and symbiotic conditions. RNAi lines affected in the expression of HcSKC were produced and used for in vitro mycorrhizal assays with the maritime pine as host plant, under standard or low K+ conditions. The adaptation of H. cylindrosporum to the downregulation of HcSKC was analyzed by qRT-PCR analyses for other K+-related transport proteins: the transporters HcTrk1, HcTrk2, and HcHAK, and the ion channels HcTOK1, HcTOK2.1, and HcTOK2.2. Downregulated HcSKC transformants displayed greater K+ contents at standard K+ only. In such conditions, plants inoculated with these transgenic lines were impaired in K+ nutrition. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that the reduced expression of HcSKC modifies the pool of fungal K+ available for the plant and/or affects its symbiotic transfer to the roots. Our study reveals that the maintenance of K+ transport in H. cylindrosporum, through the regulation of HcSKC expression, is required for the K+ nutrition of the host plant.

International audience; The imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole-5-carboxamides (ITAs) are a promising class of anti-tuberculosis agents shown to have potent activity in vitro and to target QcrB, a key component of the mycobacterial cytochrome bcc-aa3 super complex critical for the electron transport chain. Herein we report the intracellular macrophage potency of nine diverse ITA analogs with MIC values ranging from 0.0625-2.5 μM and mono-drug resistant potency ranging from 0.0017 to 7 μM. The in vitro ADME properties (protein binding, CaCo-2, human microsomal stability and CYP450 inhibition) were determined for an outstanding compound of the series, ND-11543. ND-11543 was tolerable at >500 mg/kg in mice and at a dose of 200 mg/kg displayed good drug exposure in mice with an AUC(0-24h) >11,700 ng·hr/mL and a >24 hr half-life. Consistent with the phenotype observed with other QcrB inhibitors, compound ND-11543 showed efficacy in a chronic murine TB infection model when dosed at 200 mg/kg for 4 weeks. The efficacy was not dependent upon exposure, as pre-treatment with a known CYP450-inhibitor did not substantially improve efficacy. The ITAs are an interesting scaffold for the development of new anti-TB drugs especially in combination therapy based on their favorable properties and novel mechanism of action.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:01:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-01-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris, Gray 1828) are widely distributed in tropical waters around the world. Although they occur in large, pelagic groups in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, elsewhere in the Pacific they are found in small and genetically isolated populations associated with islands. This species is considered to be “Least Concern” (LC) by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). To assess genetic diversity and population structure of an island-associated population in the South Atlantic Ocean we surveyed 162 spinner dolphins throughout the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago of the northeast coast of Brazil using ten microsatellite loci and sequencing a 413-bp section of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region. Eleven mtDNA haplotypes were identified and haplotype diversity (h) and nucleotide diversity (π) were 0.3747 and 0.0060, respectively. Median-Joining Network revealed the presence of two very divergent haplotypes and F-statistics indicated some heterogeneity between two sampling years. All microsatellite loci were polymorphic (Ho: 0.767; He: 0,764) but, revealed no detectable substructure. We also compared the mtDNA haplotypes from Noronha to 159 haplotypes representing 893 individuals from 14 locations worldwide. We found that the two common haplotypes from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago were absent in all other populations. These comparisons showed that Noronha spinner dolphins are likely more differentiated than other island populations, suggesting that they form societies with strong site fidelity mediated by females. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Genética Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Campus do Litoral Paulista Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Marine Mammal Institute Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Genética Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Campus do Litoral Paulista Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP)

International audience; Anthropogenic disturbance impacts the phylogenetic composition and diversity of ecological communities. While changes in diversity are known to dramatically change species interactions and alter disease dynamics, the effects of phylogenetic changes in host and vector communities on disease have been relatively poorly studied. Using a theoretical model, we investigated how phylogeny and extinction influence network structural characteristics relevant to disease transmission in disturbed environments. We modelled a multi-host, multi-vector community as a bipartite ecological network, where nodes represent host and vector species and edges represent connections among them through vector feeding, and we simulated vector preferences and threat status on host and parasite phylogenies. We then simulated loss of hosts, including phylogenetically clustered losses, to investigate how extinction influences network structure. We compared effects of phylogeny and extinction to those of host specificity, which we predicted to strongly increase network modularity and reduce disease prevalence. The simulations revealed that extinction often increased modularity, with higher modularity as species loss increased, although not as much as increasing host specificity did. These results suggest that extinction itself, all else being equal, may reduce disease prevalence in disturbed communities. However, in real communities, systematic patterns in species loss (e.g. favoring high competence species) or changes in abundance may counteract these effects. Unexpectedly, we found that effects of phylogenetic signal in host and vector traits were relatively weak, and only important when phylogenetic signal of host and vector traits were similar, or when these traits both varied.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T19:42:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-07-01 The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the acquired immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is much higher in prisons than in community settings. Some explanatory factors for this burden include putative aspects of the prison environment, such as unprotected sexual relations and sexual violence, use of injectable drugs and syringe sharing. Nonetheless, efforts in better understanding the dynamics of both HCV and HIV are scarce in developing countries such as Brazil, which poses a risk not only to the inmates but to the community as well. In this investigation, we sought to determine the seroprevalence and sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors associated with HIV and anti-HCV antibodies among men detained at high-security institutions. This is an epidemiological, proportionally stratified observational study including 1,132 inmates aged 18 to 79 years-old (Mage = 32.58±10.18) from eleven high-security prisons located in the State of Paraná , Brazil. We found that HIV and anti-HCV prevalence were 1.6% (95% CI: 1.0-2.5) and 2.7% (95% CI: 1.0-2.5), respectively. Risk factors associated with HIV included not receiving intimate visits (OR = 8.80, 95% CI: 1.15- 66.88), already having another sexually transmitted infection (OR = 3.89, 95% CI: 1.47- 10.29), and reporting attendance in HIV preventive campaigns (OR = 4.24, 95% CI: 1.58- 11.36). Moreover, anti-HCV seroprevalence was associated with higher age (OR = 4.03, 95% CI: 1.61-10.07), criminal recidivism (OR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.02-6.52), and the use of injectable drugs (OR = 7.32, 95% CI 3.36-15.92). Although prisons might increase the risk for acquiring and transmitting HIV and HCV, the adoption of permanent epidemiological surveillance programs could help reducing the circulation of viruses, involving strategies focusing on screening, treating, and preventing infections to assure proper prisoner health. Moreover, these policies need to take place inside and outside the prison environment to offer continued assistance to former prisoners once they leave the institution.Copyright: Public Health Lab Faculty of Medicine Western Parana State University Postgraduate Program in Applied Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine Western Parana State University Penitentiary Department Division of Public Security and Penitentiary Administration Department of Pharmacy S o Paulo State University

International audience; The Arabidopsis thaliana F-box gene HAWAIIAN SKIRT (HWS) affects organ growth and the timing of floral organ abscission. The loss-of-function hws-1 mutant exhibits fused sepals and increased organ size. To understand the molecular mechanisms of HWS during plant development, we mutagenized hws-1 seeds with ethylmethylsulphonate (EMS) and screened for mutations suppressing hws-1 associated phenotypes. We isolated the shs1/ hws-1 (suppressor of hws-1) mutant in which hws-1 sepal fusion phenotype was suppressed. The shs1/hws-1 mutant carries a G -> A nucleotide substitution in the MIR164 binding site of CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1 (CUC1) mRNA. CUC1 and CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 2 (CUC2) transcript levels were altered in shs1, renamed cuc1-1D, and in hws-1 mutant. Genetic interaction analyses using single, double and triple mutants of cuc1-1D, cuc2-1D (a CUC2 mutant similar to cuc1-1D), and hws-1, demonstrate that HWS, CUC1 and CUC2 act together to control floral organ number. Loss of function of HWS is associated with larger petal size due to alterations in cell proliferation and mitotic growth, a role shared with the CUC1 gene.

Satellite telemetry is an increasingly utilized technology in wildlife research, and current devices can track individual animal movements at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. However, as we enter the golden age of satellite telemetry, we need an in-depth understanding of the main technological, species-specific and environmental factors that determine the success and failure of satellite tracking devices across species and habitats. Here, we assess the relative influence of such factors on the ability of satellite telemetry units to provide the expected amount and quality of data by analyzing data from over 3,000 devices deployed on 62 terrestrial species in 167 projects worldwide. We evaluate the success rate in obtaining GPS fixes as well as in transferring these fixes to the user and we evaluate failure rates. Average fix success and data transfer rates were high and were generally better predicted by species and unit characteristics, while environmental characteristics influenced the variability of performance. However, 48% of the unit deployments ended prematurely, half of them due to technical failure. Nonetheless, this study shows that the performance of satellite telemetry applications has shown improvements over time, and based on our findings, we provide further recommendations for both users and manufacturers. Forest and Nature for Society (FONASO) Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate programme [2013-09] University of Goettingen Norwegian Environment Agency Research Council of Norway [212919] Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Messerli Foundation, WWF Landcare Research Ltd New Zealand TBfree New Zealand (AHB project) [R10737] Norwegian Research Counsil, Smafefondet, NMBU Research Council of Norway Federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Landesjagdabgabe) Wildlife Conservation Society Swedish Environmental Protection Agency private foundation "Marie Clair Cronstedts stiftelse" NASA Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment [NNX15AV92A] National Geographic Society Waitt Grant Program [W157-110] FAPESP [2013/50421-2, 2014/23132-2] CNPq [312045/2013-1, 312292/2016-3, 161089/2014-3] Silicon Valley Community Foundation The Overbrook Foundation International ReSource Award WCS Brasil Vanderbilt University PROCAD/CAPES [88881.068425/2014-01] MLSJ Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo Fapesp [2013/50421-2, 2014/23132-2] Projeto Pecarideos - WCS Brasil Howard G Buffett Foundation Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia -CONACYT Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) [814274, 834118] Leobner Realgemeinschaft Forstbetrieb Kletschach WWF Nedbank Green Trust [GT 2251] DFG [Fi707/9-1/DFG Zi548/6-1/DAAD (D/12/41834), FI707/9-1, ZI548/6-1] DAAD [D/12/41834] Nottingham Trent University The Howard G. Buffett Foundation ISRO-IISc Space Technology Cell Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance and Space Technology Cell, Indian Institute of Science Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Panthera Kaplan Graduate Award Bank of America Reindeer Development Fund in Norway Rhodes University Robin Hurt Wildlife Foundation Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Wildlife Conservation Network Humboldt State University HSU Marine and Coastal Science Initiative Humboldt State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant Claude Leon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship The Cape Leopard Trust Conservation South Africa South African National Parks HERD project (Hwange Environmental Research Development) - Agence Nationale de la Recherche (FEAR project) [ANR-08-BLAN-0022] Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Programme Zones Ateliers) National Geographic Society [C151-08] NSERC CGS D U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Service public de Wallonie Direction generale de l'Agriculture, des Ressources naturelles et de l'Environnement U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Parrotia-Stiftung Stiftung Dr. Joachim de Giacomi Basler Stiftung fur biologische Forschung Messerli Stiftung Carl Burger Stiftung CIC Schweiz CIC Deutschland Paul Schiller Stiftung Karl Mayer Stiftung Consorcio Capim Branco de Energia Ministere de l'Agriculture de l'Agroalimentaire et de la Foret Conseil Regional de Bourgogne Conseil General de la Cote d'Or Federation Departementale des Chasseurs de Cote d'Or Groupement de Defense Sanitaire de Cote d'Or Federation Nationale des Chasseurs Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage South African National Research Foundation [107099] Sao Paulo Research Foundation [FAPESP 2013/04957-8, FAPESP 2013/18526-9] MAVA Foundation, Switzerland The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU (German Federal Environmental Foundation) Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Project GLOBE - Polish-Norwegian Research Programme [POLNOR/198352/85/2013] ASer: Norway Grants under the Polish-Norwegian Research Program [POL-NOR/198352/85/2013] The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) Zoologische Gesellschaft fur Arten-und Populationsschutz (ZGAP) Iranian Cheetah Society Quagga Conservation Fund IdeaWild Association Francaise des Parcs Zoologiques (AFdPZ) DEAL (Direction de l'Environnement de l'Amenagement et du Logement) de Guyane CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) The Nedbank WWF Green Trust The International Foundation for Science Cape Leopard Trust German Research Foundation [DFG: KA 1082/16-1] The Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group (WRMRG) International Foundation for Science (IFS) Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) The Rufford Small Grants Foundation Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust WWF Sweden Leakey Foundation National Geographic Society WennerGren Foundation Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion Colciencias, Project "Efecto de la presencia de saladosnaturales en la distribucion y uso de habitat de la danta de tier-ras bajas (Tapirus terrestris) en las amazonas colombiano" [1101569-33286, 0385-2013] Alexander von Humboldt Foundation NSF Graduate Research Fellowship [DEG-125608] Sustainability East Asia LLC - SEA Amarula Trust National Geographic Earthwatch Institute World Wildlife Fund for Nature Columbus Zoo California North Coast Chapter of The Wildlife Society Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation Anses This work was supported by: Forest and Nature for Society (FONASO) Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate programme (CONTRACT NO. 2013-09) to MPGH, Publication costs were covered by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Goettingen; The Norwegian Environment Agency, the Research Council of Norway (project 212919), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research to JM; Messerli Foundation, WWF to JMel; CRou: The author was supported in the form of salary by a postdoctoral grant funded by Landcare Research Ltd New Zealand and data provided was funded by research project grant from TBfree New Zealand (AHB project number R10737). Norwegian Research Counsil, Smafefondet, NMBU to NHJ; The Research Council of Norway to GS; Federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Landesjagdabgabe) to MK; Funding for the capture and collaring of khulan was received from Wildlife Conservation Society, administered through a cooperative agreement with Sustainability East Asia LLC - SEA and originating from Oy Du Tolgoi -OT gold and copper mining company to PK; Swedish fieldwork was supported by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and by the private foundation "Marie Clair Cronstedts stiftelse" to PKje; NASA Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (project #NNX15AV92A), National Geographic Society Waitt Grant Program (Grant #W157-110) to SL; Research Council of Norway to JDCL; FAPESP (2013/50421-2, 2014/23132-2), CNPq (312045/2013-1; 312292/2016-3; 161089/2014-3), Silicon Valley Community Foundation, The Overbrook Foundation, the International ReSource Award, WCS Brasil, and Vanderbilt University. PROCAD/CAPES (88881.068425/2014-01); MLSJ Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo Fapesp (process: 2013/50421-2 and scholarship: 2014/23132-2) and CNPQ (scholarship: 161089/2014-3), Projeto Pecarideos - WCS Brasil and Vanderbilt University for funding this research to JEFO.; Howard G Buffett Foundation, Amarula Trust to AS; Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia -CONACYT with resources from the FEE to JJT; Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) grant numbers 814274 and 834118, Leobner Realgemeinschaft and Forstbetrieb Kletschach to RS; WWF Nedbank Green Trust (grant number GT 2251) to MD; DFG Fi707/9-1/DFG Zi548/6-1/DAAD (D/12/41834) to MKla; DFG FI707/9-1, DFG ZI548/6-1, DAAD D/12/41834 to DZ; GPS tags were funded by Nottingham Trent University, National Geographic, Earthwatch Institute, World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Columbus Zoo to RY; The Howard G. Buffett Foundation to AStr; ISRO-IISc Space Technology Cell to MT; Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance and Space Technology Cell, Indian Institute of Science to ATV; D.R.E. Am. Italia provided support in the form of salary for author SN, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the 'author contributions' section.; RG was supported by funds of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection; Panthera Kaplan Graduate Award to AD; Bank of America to JAM; The Norwegian Environment Agency, the Research Council of Norway (Project 212919), the Reindeer Development Fund in Norway, and several County administrations around Norway to JO; Rhodes University to DMP; Robin Hurt Wildlife Foundation, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute to AC; Wildlife Conservation Network, Panthera to CT; Humboldt State University, HSU Marine and Coastal Science Initiative, California North Coast Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation to CLA; Humboldt State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant to IA; Humboldt State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant to WTB; Claude Leon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Cape Leopard Trust, Conservation South Africa, South African National Parks to BC; GPS collars were funded by the HERD project (Hwange Environmental Research Development), funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (FEAR project ANR-08-BLAN-0022), and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Programme Zones Ateliers). Some collars were funded by the National Geographic Society GRANT #C151-08 to SP; NSERC CGS D to KJT; SK: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to SK; Service public de Wallonie. Direction generale de l'Agriculture, des Ressources naturelles et de l'Environnement to AL; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to KB; Parrotia-Stiftung, Stiftung Dr. Joachim de Giacomi, Basler Stiftung fur biologische Forschung, Messerli Stiftung, Carl Burger Stiftung, CIC Schweiz, CIC Deutschland, Paul Schiller Stiftung and Karl Mayer Stiftung to SCS; Consorcio Capim Branco de Energia to FCA; Consorcio Capim Branco de Energia to FGL; Ministere de l'Agriculture de l'Agroalimentaire et de la Foret, the Conseil Regional de Bourgogne, the Conseil General de la Cote d'Or, the Federation Departementale des Chasseurs de Cote d'Or, the Groupement de Defense Sanitaire de Cote d'Or, the Federation Nationale des Chasseurs and the Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage to AP.; ; South African National Research Foundation (Grant number: 107099) to LHS; Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP 2013/04957-8 and FAPESP 2013/18526-9) to ABer; MAVA Foundation, Switzerland; The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU (German Federal Environmental Foundation) to DM; Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) to CRic; Anses to ER; Project GLOBE (POLNOR/198352/85/2013) funded by the Polish-Norwegian Research Programme operated by the National Centre for Research and Development; ASer: Norway Grants under the Polish-Norwegian Research Program operated by the National Centre for Research and Development (GLOBE, POL-NOR/198352/85/2013) to NS; The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), Zoologische Gesellschaft fur Arten-und Populationsschutz (ZGAP), Iranian Cheetah Society, Quagga Conservation Fund, IdeaWild, Panthera and Association Francaise des Parcs Zoologiques (AFdPZ) to MSF; DEAL (Direction de l'Environnement de l'Amenagement et du Logement) de Guyane, CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) to RBer; The Nedbank WWF Green Trust, The International Foundation for Science, the Cape Leopard Trust, Rhodes University to GKM; German Research Foundation (DFG: KA 1082/16-1) to LP; The Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group (WRMRG), International Foundation for Science (IFS), Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF), The Rufford Small Grants Foundation, Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust to TG; WWF Sweden to RSte; Leakey Foundation, National Geographic Society, WennerGren Foundation to LS; Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion Colciencias, Project "Efecto de la presencia de saladosnaturales en la distribucion y uso de habitat de la danta de tier-ras bajas (Tapirus terrestris) en las amazonas colombiano" (grantnumber 1101569-33286, contract: 0385-2013) to DA; PostDoctoral Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to ORB; NSF Graduate Research Fellowship DEG-125608 to SKac. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.; We thank Horst Reinecke and Christian Trothe for database management and data entry, and James Gibbons, Matthias Schmid and Benjamin Hofner for their enlightening explanations on the statistics. We thank Stan Tomkiewicz for insightful discussion on GPS collar functioning, and the Eurodeer. org network, Sarah Davidson of Movebank. org, and Stephanie O'Donnell of WILDLABS. NET for helping to spread the word about this study. We also thank Jonah Gula, Olav Strand, Ole Roer, Liu Yanlin, Bernt-Erik Saether, Anders Borstad, Laura McMahon, Thomas Morrison, Maurizio Ramanzin, Vebjorn Veiberg, Erling Johan Solberg, Leif Soennichsen, Hans Christian Pedersen, Tom McCarthy, Jacqueline L. Frair, Siobhan Dyer, Morten Odden, Lars Haugaard, and Peter G. Crawshaw, Jr. for their data contributions. The publication was supported by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Goettingen.

Background Health effects of sedentary behaviors (SB) may vary depending on their characteristics such as type, purpose, duration, and intensity of the behavior. While a growing number of questionnaires assess sedentary behaviors, it is unclear which characteristics of SB are measured. The aim of this review was to examine the content of self-report SB questionnaires. Methods Three databases were searched for sedentary behavior questionnaires published before January 1st, 2016. Based on the inclusion criteria, 82 articles out of 1369 were retrieved for a total of 60 questionnaires. For each questionnaire, the sedentary behavior characteristics identified were reported and analyzed. Results Most of the questionnaires assessed the time (n = 60), posture (n = 54), purpose (n = 46) and the types (n = 45) of SB performed. Fewer questionnaires assessed the environment (n = 20) social context (n = 11), status (n = 2), and associated behaviors (n = 2) related to sedentary behaviors. All the questionnaires except two assessed time spent in SB with 17 assessing frequency and 6 assessing breaks in SB. The most frequent characteristics identified in the questionnaires were the categories of sitting (90%), a day (95%), watching television (65%) and using a computer (55%). Many characteristics of SB were not measured. Conclusions By knowing the breadth of SB included in questionnaires, this review provides support to shape the design of new questionnaires designed to reduce the gaps in measuring sedentary behaviors.

Shipping has increased dramatically in recent decades and oysters can hear them. We studied the interaction between noise pollution and trace metal contamination in the oyster Magallana gigas. Four oyster-groups were studied during a 14-day exposure period. Two were exposed to cadmium in the presence of cargo ship-noise ([Cd++]w ≈ 0.5 μg∙L-1; maximum sound pressure level 150 dBrms re 1 μPa), and 2 were exposed only to cadmium. The Cd concentration in the gills ([Cd]g) and the digestive gland ([Cd]dg), the valve closure duration, number of valve closures and circadian distribution of opening and closure, the daily shell growth-rate and the expression of 19 genes in the gills were studied. Oysters exposed to Cd in the presence of cargo ship-noise accumulated 2.5 times less Cd in their gills than did the controls without ship noise and their growth rate was 2.6 times slower. In the presence of ship noise, oysters were closed more during the daytime, and their daily valve activity was reduced. Changes in gene activity in the gills were observed in 7 genes when the Cd was associated with the ship noise. In the absence of ship noise, a change in expression was measured in 4 genes. We conclude that chronic exposure to cargo ship noise has a depressant effect on the activity in oysters, including on the volume of the water flowing over their gills (Vw). In turn, a decrease in the Vw and valve-opening duration limited metal exposure and uptake by the gills but also limited food uptake. This latter conclusion would explain the slowing observed in the fat metabolism and growth rate. Thus, we propose that cargo ship noise exposure could protect against metal bioaccumulation and affect the growth rate. This latter conclusion points towards a potential risk in terms of ecosystem productivity.

Crossbreeding has been used to improve performance in beef cattle, however the effects of breed composition on methane (CH4) production, yield and intensity from cattle raised in tropical intensive and integrated systems remain unknown. To assess the impact of breed composition on performance and methane emissions, Nellore (NEL; yr 1: BW = 171.5± 19.4 kg; n = 10; yr 2: BW = 215.8±32.3 kg, n = 25) and Angus x Nellore crossbred (AN; yr 1: BW = 214.2±26.4 kg, n = 10; yr 2: BW = 242.5±32.2 kg, n = 25) were compared. The animals grazed on integrated crop-livestock system in the growing phase (stocking rate 2452 kg BW/ha, herbage mass 4,884 kg dry matter (DM)/ha, forage allowance 5.9 kg DM/100kg BW) and then were finished in a feedlot. Steers (n = 8) from each breed composition were randomly selected in each phase to measure CH4 production using a sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique and DM intake (DMI) using titanium dioxide. Compared with NEL, AN had both superior total gain and average daily gain (ADG) in the grazing period. The AN presented greater ADG in the feedlot with a shorter finishing period and resulted in greater carcass yield and carcass ADG. Methane production (kg/period) was lower in NEL (19% less) than AN in grazing (P

Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-26T15:28:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-10-08 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Small populations of endangered species can be impacted by genetic processes such as drift and inbreeding that reduce population viability. As such, conservation genetic analyses that assess population levels of genetic variation and levels of gene flow can provide important information for managing threatened species. The Sao Paulo Marsh Antwren (Formicivora paludicola) is a recently-described and critically endangered bird from Sao Paulo State (Brazil) whose total estimated population is around 250-300 individuals, distributed in only 15 isolated marshes around Sao Paulo metropolitan region. We used microsatellite DNA markers to estimate the population genetic characteristics of the three largest remaining populations of this species all within 60 km of each other. We detected a high and significant genetic structure between all populations (overall F-ST = 0.103) which is comparable to the highest levels of differentiation ever documented for birds, (e.g., endangered birds found in isolated populations on the tops of African mountains), but also evidence for first-generation immigrants, likely from small local unsampled populations. Effective population sizes were small (between 28.8-99.9 individuals) yet there are high levels of genetic variability within populations and no evidence for inbreeding. Conservation implications of this work are that the high levels of genetic structure suggests that translocations between populations need to be carefully considered in light of possible local adaptation and that remaining populations of these birds should be managed as conservation units that contain both main populations studied here but also small outlying populations which may be a source of immigrants. Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Genet, BR-18618970 Sao Paulo, Brazil Ohio State Univ, Dept Evolut Ecol & Organismal Biol, Columbus, OH 43210 USA Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Ciencias Ambientais, BR-18052 Sao Paulo, Brazil Louisiana State Univ, Museum Nat Sci, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA Univ Sao Paulo, Secao Aves, Museu Zool, BR-04218970 Sao Paulo, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Genet, BR-18618970 Sao Paulo, Brazil FAPESP: 2012/09105-7 FAPESP: 2013/01604-2

BackgroundDNA methylation is affected by the activities of the key enzymes and intermediate metabolites of the one-carbon pathway, one of which involves homocysteine. We investigated the effect of the well-known genetic variant associated with mildly elevated homocysteine: MTHFR 677C>T independently and in combination with other homocysteine-associated variants, on genome-wide leukocyte DNA-methylation.MethodsMethylation levels were assessed using Illumina 450k arrays on 9,894 individuals of European ancestry from 12 cohort studies. Linear-mixed-models were used to study the association of additive MTHFR 677C> T and genetic-risk score (GRS) based on 18 homocysteineassociated SNPs, with genome-wide methylation.ResultsMeta-analysis revealed that the MTHFR 677C> T variant was associated with 35 CpG sites in cis, and the GRS showed association with 113 CpG sites near the homocysteine-associated variants. Genome-wide analysis revealed that the MTHFR 677C> T variant was associated with 1 trans-CpG (nearest gene ZNF184), while the GRS model showed association with 5 significant trans-CpGs annotated to nearest genes PTF1A, MRPL55, CTDSP2, CRYM and FKBP5.ConclusionsOur results do not show widespread changes in DNA-methylation across the genome, and therefore do not support the hypothesis that mildly elevated homocysteine is associated with widespread methylation changes in leukocytes.

International audience; Antigen-specific T-cells are highly variable, spanning potent antiviral efficacy and damaging auto-reactivity. In virus infections, identifying the most efficacious responses is critical to vaccine design. However, current methods depend on indirect measures or on ex vivo expanded CTL clones. We here describe a novel application of cytotoxic saporin-conjugated tetramers to kill antigen-specific T-cells without significant off-target effects. The relative efficacy of distinct antiviral CD8+ T-cell specificity can be directly assessed via antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell depletion. The utility of these reagents is demonstrated here in identifying the CD8+ T-cell specificity most effective in preventing HIV progression in HIV-infected HLA-B*27-positive immune controllers.

The success of Genome Wide Association Studies in the discovery of sequence variation linked to complex traits in humans has increased interest in high throughput SNP genotyping assays in livestock species. Primary goals are QTL detection and genomic selection. The purpose here was design of a 50-60,000 SNP chip for goats. The success of a moderate density SNP assay depends on reliable bioinformatic SNP detection procedures, the technological success rate of the SNP design, even spacing of SNPs on the genome and selection of Minor Allele Frequencies (MAF) suitable to use in diverse breeds. Through the federation of three SNP discovery projects consolidated as the International Goat Genome Consortium, we have identified approximately twelve million high quality SNP variants in the goat genome stored in a database together with their biological and technical characteristics. These SNPs were identified within and between six breeds (meat, milk and mixed): Alpine, Boer, Creole, Katjang, Saanen and Savanna, comprising a total of 97 animals. Whole genome and Reduced Representation Library sequences were aligned on >10 kb scaffolds of the de novo goat genome assembly. The 60,000 selected SNPs, evenly spaced on the goat genome, were submitted for oligo manufacturing (Illumina, Inc) and published in dbSNP along with flanking sequences and map position on goat assemblies (i.e. scaffolds and pseudo-chromosomes), sheep genome V2 and cattle UMD3.1 assembly. Ten breeds were then used to validate the SNP content and 52,295 loci could be successfully genotyped and used to generate a final cluster file. The combined strategy of using mainly whole genome Next Generation Sequencing and mapping on a contig genome assembly, complemented with Illumina design tools proved to be efficient in producing this GoatSNP50 chip. Advances in use of molecular markers are expected to accelerate goat genomic studies in coming years. Copyright: © 2014 Tosser-Klopp et al.

International audience; The bc 1 complex of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is essential for Plasmodium falciparum proliferation, the causative agent of human malaria. Therefore, this enzyme is an attractive target for antimalarials. However, biochemical investigations of the parasite enzyme needed for the study of new drugs are challenging. In order to facilitate the study of new compounds targeting the enzyme, we are modifying the inhibitor binding sites of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to generate a complex that mimics the P. falciparum enzyme. In this study we focused on its Qo pocket, the site of atovaquone binding which is a leading antimalarial drug used in treatment and causal prophylaxis. We constructed and studied a series of mutants with modified Qo sites where yeast residues have been replaced by P. falciparum equivalents, or, for comparison, by human equivalents. Mitochondria were prepared from the yeast Plasmodium-like and human-like Qo mutants. We measured the bc 1 complex sensitivity to atovaquone, azoxystrobin, a Qo site targeting fungicide active against P. falciparum and RCQ06, a quinolone-derivative inhibitor of P. falciparum bc 1 complex.The data obtained highlighted variations in the Qo site that could explain the differences in inhibitor sensitivity between yeast, plasmodial and human enzymes. We showed that the yeast Plasmodium-like Qo mutants could be useful and easy-to-use tools for the study of that class of antimalarials.

l pasado 21 de abril de 2009 la Honorable Consiliatura dio su aprobación al proyecto denominado Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam) is the causal agent of bacterial blight of cassava, which is among the main components of human diet in Africa and South America. Current information about the molecular pathogenicity factors involved in the infection process of this organism is limited. Previous studies in other bacteria in this genus suggest that advanced draft genome sequences are valuable resources for molecular studies on their interaction with plants and could provide valuable tools for diagnostics and detection. Here we have generated the first manually annotated high-quality draft genome sequence of Xam strain CIO151. Its genomic structure is similar to that of other xanthomonads, especially Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and Xanthomonas citri pv. citri species. Several putative pathogenicity factors were identified, including type III effectors, cell wall-degrading enzymes and clusters encoding protein secretion systems. Specific characteristics in this genome include changes in the xanthomonadin cluster that could explain the lack of typical yellow color in all strains of this pathovar and the presence of 50 regions in the genome with atypical nucleotide composition. The genome sequence was used to predict and evaluate 22 variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) loci that were subsequently demonstrated as polymorphic in representative Xam strains. Our results demonstrate that Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis strain CIO151 possesses ten clusters of pathogenicity factors conserved within the genus Xanthomonas. We report 126 genes that are potentially unique to Xam, as well as potential horizontal transfer events in the history of the genome. The relation of these regions with virulence and pathogenicity could explain several aspects of the biology of this pathogen, including its ability to colonize both vascular and non-vascular tissues of cassava plants. A set of 16 robust, polymorphic VNTR loci will be useful to develop a multi-locus VNTR analysis scheme for epidemiological surveillance of this disease.

International audience; The human population history in Southeast Asia was shaped by numerous migrations and population expansions. Their reconstruction based on archaeological, linguistic or human genetic data is often hampered by the limited number of informative polymorphisms in classical human genetic markers, such as the hypervariable regions of the mitochondrial DNA. Here, we analyse housekeeping gene sequences of the human stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori from various countries in Southeast Asia and we provide evidence that H. pylori accompanied at least three ancient human migrations into this area: i) a migration from India introducing hpEurope bacteria into Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia; ii) a migration of the ancestors of Austro-Asiatic speaking people into Vietnam and Cambodia carrying hspEAsia bacteria; and iii) a migration of the ancestors of the Thai people from Southern China into Thailand carrying H. pylori of population hpAsia2. Moreover, the H. pylori sequences reflect iv) the migrations of Chinese to Thailand and Malaysia within the last 200 years spreading hspEasia strains, and v) migrations of Indians to Malaysia within the last 200 years distributing both hpAsia2 and hpEurope bacteria. The distribution of the bacterial populations seems to strongly influence the incidence of gastric cancer as countries with predominantly hspEAsia isolates exhibit a high incidence of gastric cancer while the incidence is low in countries with a high proportion of hpAsia2 or hpEurope strains. In the future, the host range expansion of hpEurope strains among Asian populations, combined with human motility, may have a significant impact on gastric cancer incidence in Asia.

International audience; Background: Intensification of world trade is responsible for an increase in the number of alien species introductions. Human-mediated dispersal promotes not only introductions but also expansion of the species distribution via long-distance dispersal. Thus, understanding the role of anthropogenic pathways in the spread of invading species has become one of the most important challenges nowadays. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analysed the invasion pattern of the pinewood nematode in China based on invasion data from 1982 to 2005 and monitoring data on 7 locations over 15 years. Short distance spread mediated by long-horned beetles was estimated at 7.5 km per year. Infested sites located further away represented more than 90% of observations and the mean long distance spread was estimated at 111–339 km. Railways, river ports, and lakes had significant effects on the spread pattern. Human population density levels explained 87% of the variation in the invasion probability (P,0.05).Since 2001, the number of new records of the nematode was multiplied by a factor of 5 and the spread distance by a factor of 2. We combined a diffusion model to describe the short distance spread with a stochastic,individual based model to describe the long distance jumps. This combined model generated an error of only 13% when used to predict the presence of the nematode. Under two climate scenarios (stable climate or moderate warming), projections of the invasion probability suggest that this pest could expand its distribution 40–55% by 2025. Conclusions/Significance: This study provides evidence that human-induced dispersal plays a fundamental role in the spread of the pinewood nematode, and appropriate control measures should be taken to stop or slow its expansion. This model can be applied to Europe, where the nematode had been introduced later, and is currently expanding its distribution. Similar models could also be derived for other species that could be accidentally transported by humans.

International audience; Background: Acute hydrogen sulfide (H2S) poisoning produces a coma, the outcome of which ranges from full recovery to severe neurological deficits. The aim of our study was to 1- describe the immediate and long-term neurological effects following H2S-induced coma in un-anesthetized rats, and 2- determine the potential benefit of methylene blue (MB), a compound we previously found to counteract acute sulfide cardiac toxicity.Methods: NaHS was administered IP in un-sedated rats to produce a coma (n = 34). One minute into coma, the rats received MB (4 mg/kg IV) or saline. The surviving rats were followed clinically and assigned to Morris water maze (MWM) and open field testing then sacrificed at day 7.Results: Sixty percent of the non-treated comatose rats died by pulseless electrical activity. Nine percent recovered with neurological deficits requiring euthanasia, their brain examination revealed major neuronal necrosis of the superficial and middle layers of the cerebral cortex and the posterior thalamus, with variable necrosis of the caudate putamen, but no lesions of the hippocampus or the cerebellum, in contrast to the typical distribution of post-ischemic lesions. The remaining animals displayed, on average, a significantly less effective search strategy than the control rats (n = 21) during MWM testing. Meanwhile, 75% of rats that received MB survived and could perform the MWM test (P

International audience; The remarkable mechanical strength of cellulose reflects the arrangement of multiple β-1,4-linked glucan chains in a para-crystalline fibril. During plant cellulose biosynthesis, a multimeric cellulose synthesis complex (CSC) moves within the plane of the plasma membrane as many glucan chains are synthesized from the same end and in close proximity. Many questions remain about the mechanism of cellulose fibril assembly, for example must multiple catalytic subunits within one CSC polymerize cellulose at the same rate? How does the cellulose fibril bend to align horizontally with the cell wall? Here we used mathematical modeling to investigate the interactions between glucan chains immediately after extrusion on the plasma membrane surface. Molecular dynamics simulations on groups of six glucans, each originating from a position approximating its extrusion site, revealed initial formation of an uncrystallized aggregate of chains from which a protofibril arose spontaneously through a ratchet mechanism involving hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions between glucose monomers. Consistent with the predictions from the model, freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy using improved methods revealed a hemispherical accumulation of material at points of origination of apparent cellulose fibrils on the external surface of the plasma membrane where rosette-type CSCs were also observed. Together the data support the possibility that a zone of uncrystallized chains on the plasma membrane surface buffers the predicted variable rates of cellulose polymerization from multiple catalytic subunits within the CSC and acts as a flexible hinge allowing the horizontal alignment of the crystalline cellulose fibrils relative to the cell wall.

International audience; Helicobacter pylori has probably infected the human stomach since our origins and subsequently diversified in parallel with their human hosts. The genetic population history of H. pylori can therefore be used as a marker for human migration. We analysed seven housekeeping gene sequences of H. pylori strains isolated from 78 Senegalese and 24 Malagasy patients and compared them with the sequences of strains from other geographical locations. H. pylori from Senegal and Madagascar can be placed in the previously described HpAfrica1 genetic population, subpopulations hspWAfrica and hspSAfrica, respectively. These 2 subpopulations correspond to the distribution of Niger-Congo speakers in West and most of subequatorial Africa (due to Bantu migrations), respectively. H. pylori appears as a single population in Senegal, indicating a long common history between ethnicities as well as frequent local admixtures. The lack of differentiation between these isolates and an increasing genetic differentiation with geographical distance between sampling locations in Africa was evidence for genetic isolation by distance. The Austronesian expansion that started from Taiwan 5000 years ago dispersed one of the 10 subgroups of the Austronesian language family via insular Southeast Asia into the Pacific and Madagascar, and hspMaori is a marker for the entire Austronesian expansion. Strain competition and replacement of hspMaori by hpAfrica1 strains from Bantu migrants are the probable reasons for the presence of hspSAfrica strains in Malagasy of Southeast Asian descent. hpAfrica1 strains appear to be generalist strains that have the necessary genetic diversity to efficiently colonise a wide host spectrum.

Ecological intensification, i.e. relying on ecological processes to replace chemical inputs, is often presented as the ideal alternative to conventional farming based on an intensive use of chemicals. It is said to both maintain high yield and provide more robustness to the agroecosystem. However few studies compared the two types of management with respect to their consequences for production and robustness toward perturbation. In this study our aim is to assess productive performance and robustness toward diverse perturbations of a Cacao agroecosystem managed with two contrasting groups of strategies: one group of strategies relying on a high level of pesticides and a second relying on low levels of pesticides. We conducted this study using a dynamical model of a Cacao agroecosystem that includes Cacao production dynamics, and dynamics of three insects: a pest (the Cacao Pod Borer, Conopomorpha cramerella) and two characteristic but unspecified beneficial insects (a pollinator of Cacao and a parasitoid of the Cacao Pod Borer). Our results showed two opposite behaviors of the Cacao agroecosystem depending on its management, i.e. an agroecosystem relying on a high input of pesticides and showing low ecosystem functioning and an agroecosystem with low inputs, relying on a high functioning of the ecosystem. From the production point of view, no type of management clearly outclassed the other and their ranking depended on the type of pesticide used. From the robustness point of view, the two types of managements performed differently when subjected to different types of perturbations. Ecologically intensive systems were more robust to pest outbreaks and perturbations related to pesticide characteristics while chemically intensive systems were more robust to Cacao production and management-related perturbation. peerReviewed

International audience; Cryptochromes are conserved flavoprotein receptors found throughout the biological kingdom with diversified roles in plant development and entrainment of the circadian clock in animals. Light perception is proposed to occur through flavin radical formation that correlates with biological activity in vivo in both plants and Drosophila. By contrast, mammalian (Type II) cryptochromes regulate the circadian clock independently of light, raising the fundamental question of whether mammalian cryptochromes have evolved entirely distinct signaling mechanisms. Here we show by developmental and transcriptome analysis that Homo sapiens cryptochrome - 1 (HsCRY1) confers biological activity in transgenic expressing Drosophila in darkness, that can in some cases be further stimulated by light. In contrast to all other cryptochromes, purified recombinant HsCRY1 protein was stably isolated in the anionic radical flavin state, containing only a small proportion of oxidized flavin which could be reduced by illumination. We conclude that animal Type I and Type II cryptochromes may both have signaling mechanisms involving formation of a flavin radical signaling state, and that light independent activity of Type II cryptochromes is a consequence of dark accumulation of this redox form in vivo rather than of a fundamental difference in signaling mechanism.

19 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, supporting information https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276382.-- Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting information files, The recent commercialization of unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) has facilitated their incorporation into a variety of ecological studies. While UAVs are able to provide accurate visual data of marine species from an aerial perspective, these devices have some limitations that make measuring marine animals below the surface challenging. Many marine organisms are often visible from the air, but are deeper in the water column, and current methods cannot measure animals below the surface. Here, we developed and tested a stereo-video camera (SVC) system that was mounted onto a commercially-available UAV. We used the SVC-UAV to conduct remote body-size measurements for two marine species: the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum). When comparing SVC measurements to those taken by hand, the SVC-UAV had a mean absolute error (MAE) of 4.44 cm (n = 6; mean percent error (MPE) = 10.6%) for green sea turtles and 7.16 cm absolute error (n = 1; PE = 3.6%) for the nurse shark. Using a linear model, we estimated the slope of the SVC versus hand measurements for green sea turtles to be 1.085 (±0.099 SE), and accounting for the standard error, a measurement bias was not apparent. Using model selection, based on a global model predicting MAE from animal distance to the SVC and body size, the top ranked model was the intercept-only model. This indicates that neither animal distance nor body size strongly influenced measurement error. Incorporating SVC systems into UAVs can allow for relatively accurate measurements of near surface-dwelling marine species. To our knowledge, there is no other stand-alone SVC for UAVs available that offers similar accuracy and utility, This research was funded by the University of West Florida Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, Department of Biology, Office of Alumni Relations, and Office of Undergraduate Research, the Cape Eleuthera Institute, Institut de Ciències del Mar, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and Oregon State University, With the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)

11 Pág. Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), It is critical to understand the role feed manufacturing may have regarding potential African swine fever virus (ASFV) transmission, especially given the evidence that feed and/or ingredients may be potential vectors. The objective of the study was to evaluate the distribution of ASFV in a feed mill following manufacture of contaminated feed. To accomplish this, a pilot-scale feed mill consisting of a mixer, bucket elevator, and spouting was constructed in a BSL-3Ag facility. First, a batch of ASFV-free feed was manufactured, followed by a batch of feed that had an ASFV-contaminated ingredient added to feed, which was then mixed and discharged from the equipment. Subsequently, four additional ASFV-free batches of feed were manufactured using the same equipment. Environmental swabs from 18 locations within the BSL-3Ag room were collected after each batch of feed was discharged. The locations of the swabs were categorized into four zones: 1) feed contact surface, 2) non-feed contact surface < 1 meter away from feed, 3) non-feed contact surface > 1 meter from feed, and 4) transient surfaces. Environmental swabs were analyzed using a qPCR specific for the ASFV p72 gene and reported as genomic copy number (CN)/mL of environmental swab processing buffer. Genomic copies were transformed with a log10 function for statistical analysis. There was no evidence of a zone × batch interaction for log10 genomic CN/mL (P = 0.625) or cycle threshold (Ct) value (P = 0.608). Sampling zone impacted the log10 p72 genomic CN/mL (P < 0.0001) and Ct values (P < 0.0001), with a greater amount of viral genome detected on transient surfaces compared to other surfaces (P < 0.05). This study illustrates that once ASFV enters the feed mill environment it becomes widespread and movement of people can significantly contribute to the spread of ASFV in a feed mill environment., Funding for this work was obtained from the NBAF Transition Funds from the state of Kansas (JAR), the National Pork Board under award number 20-018 (CKJ), the Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases under grant number HSHQDC 16-A-B0006 (JAR), and the AMP Core of the NIGMS COBRE Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CEZID) under award number P20GM13044 (JAR)

Antimicrobial use in animal agriculture is often perceived to play a role in the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance. Increased consumer awareness of this issue places pressure on animal husbandry to adopt policies to reduce or eliminate antimicrobial use. We use a scoping review methodology to assess research on consumer perceptions of antimicrobial drugs in meat products in the United States, Canada, or the European Union. Evaluating peer-reviewed and grey literature, we included studies for assessment if they met these topical and geographic requirements, involved primary data collection, and were originally published in English. Our screening process identified 124 relevant studies. Three reviewers jointly developed a data charting form and independently charted the contents of the studies. Of the 105 studies that measured consumer concern, 77.1% found that consumers were concerned about antimicrobial use in meat production. A minority of studies (29.8% of all studies) queried why consumers hold these views. These studies found human health and animal welfare were the main reasons for concern. Antimicrobial resistance rarely registered as an explicit reason for concern. A smaller group of studies (23.3%) measured the personal characteristics of consumers that expressed concern about antimicrobials. Among these studies, the most common and consistent features of these consumers were gender, age, income, and education. Regarding the methodology used, studies tended to be dominated by either willingness-to-pay studies or Likert scale questionnaires (73.64% of all studies). We recommend consideration of qualitative research into consumer views on this topic, which may provide new perspectives that explain consumer decision-making and mentality that are lacking in the literature. In addition, more research into the difference between what consumers claim is of concern and their ultimate purchasing decisions would be especially valuable.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T10:32:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-06-01 The intensity damages caused by nutritional deficiency in growing plants can vary with nutrients. The effects caused by nutrient omission in the plant nutritional efficiency in relation to the absorption and use of the missing nutrient, and the reasons why these damages reflect in other nutrients have not yet been reported in the culture of scarlet eggplant. A better understanding of the nutritional mechanisms involved may clarify why certain nutrients cause greater limitations than other during plants growth. Thus, this study was designed with the aim of evaluating the damages caused by macronutrients deficiency in the culture of scarlet eggplant in the accumulation of these nutrients, nutritional deficiency, plants growth and in visual symptoms. The experiment was carried out in a controlled environment where plants were cultivated in a hydroponic system. Treatments consisted of supplying a complete Hoagland and Arnon solution (CS), and other nutrient solutions with individual omissions of nitrogen (-N), phosphorus (-P), potassium (-K), calcium (-Ca), magnesium (-Mg) and sulphur (-S). When a nutrient deficiency arose, nutritional analyses, growth and visual symptoms were analyzed. The omissions of N, S and K in the nutrient solution resulted in lower accumulation of all macronutrients in both the above and below ground biomass. Individual omissions resulted in nutritional imbalances with reflexes in the absorption efficiencies and use of the missing nutrient, as well as of other nutrients, revealing that the metabolism involves multiple nutritional interactions. Losses of nutritional efficiencies of macronutrients caused detrimental effects on plants growth, with reduced height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, and biomass production in above ground and below ground. From the losses in production in above ground biomass, the order of macronutrients limitation was N, S, K, Ca, Mg, and P, with reductions of 99, 96, 94, 76, 51 and 46%, respectively, in comparison to plants cultivated in CS. The most limiting nutrients were N, S, and K, seen that its deficiencies affected the metabolism of all other nutrients. This study demonstrates the importance of an adequate nutritional management of N, S, and K in the cultivation of scarlet eggplant. Department of Agricultural Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Agronomy Mato Grosso State University (UNEMAT) Department of Technology São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Agricultural Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Technology São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Publisher Copyright: Copyright: © 2020 Hager et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted and changed lives on a global scale since its emergence and spread from China in late 2019. It has caused millions of infections, and thousands of deaths worldwide. However, the control of this pandemic still remains unachievable in many African countries including Egypt and Nigeria, despite the application of some strict preventive and control measures. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of Egyptians and Nigerians towards the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was designed as a cross-sectional community-based questionnaire survey in both countries. Participants’ demography, knowledge, attitude, and perceptions towards the COVID-19 outbreak were obtained using a convenience sampling technique. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. A total of 1437 respondents were included in this preliminary report. The mean knowledge score was 14.7±2.3. The majority of the respondents (61.6%) had a satisfactory knowledge of the disease. Age (18–39 years), education (College/bachelors), and background of respondents were factors influencing knowledge levels. The attitude of most respondents (68.9%) towards instituted preventive measures was satisfactory with an average attitude score of 6.9 ± 1.2. The majority of the respondents (96%) practiced self-isolation and social-distancing but only 36% follow all health recommendations. The perception of most respondents (62.1%) on the global efforts at controlling the virus and preventing further spread was satisfactory with an average score of 10.9 ± 2.7. Only 22% of the respondents were satisfied with their country’s handling of the pandemic. An apprehensive understanding of the current status in Africa through studies like KAP is crucial to avoid Africa being the next epicenter of the pandemic. For the populace to follow standard infection prevention and control measures adequately, governments need to gain the trust of citizens by strengthening the health systems and improving surveillance activities in detecting cases, to offer the optimum health services to their communities.

International audience; Diabetes is associated with a dramatic mortality rate due to its vascular complications. Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to enhanced glycation of erythrocytes and oxidative stress. Even though erythrocytes play a determining role in vascular complications, very little is known about how erythrocyte structure and functionality can be affected by glycation. Our objective was to decipher the impact of glycation on erythrocyte structure, oxidative stress parameters and capacity to interact with cultured human endothelial cells. In vitro glycated erythrocytes were prepared following incubation in the presence of different concentrations of glucose. To get insight into the in vivo relevance of our results, we compared these data to those obtained using red blood cells purified from diabetics or non-diabetics. We measured erythrocyte deformability, susceptibility to hemolysis, reactive oxygen species production and oxidative damage accumulation. Altered structures, redox status and oxidative modifications were increased in glycated erythrocytes. These modifications were associated with reduced antioxidant defence mediated by enzymatic activity. Enhanced erythrocyte phagocytosis by endothelial cells was observed when cultured with glycated erythrocytes, which was associated with increased levels of phosphatidylserine-likely as a result of an eryptosis phenomenon triggered by the hyperglycemic treatment. Most types of oxidative damage identified in in vitro glycated erythrocytes were also observed in red blood cells isolated from diabetics. These results bring new insights into the impact of glycation on erythrocyte structure, oxidative damage and their capacity to interact with endothelial cells, with a possible relevance to diabetes.

Background There is a critical need to identify the drivers of willingness to receive new vaccines against emerging and epidemic diseases. A discrete choice experiment is the ideal approach to evaluating how individuals weigh multiple attributes simultaneously. We assessed the degree to which six attributes were associated with willingness to be vaccinated among university students in Uganda. Methods We conducted a single-profile discrete choice experiment at Makerere University in 2019. Participants were asked whether or not they would be vaccinated in 8 unique scenarios where attributes varied by disease risk, disease severity, advice for or against vaccination from trusted individuals, recommendations from influential figures, whether the vaccine induced indirect protection, and side effects. We calculated predicted probabilities of vaccination willingness using mixed logistic regression models, comparing health professional students with all other disciplines. Findings Of the 1576 participants, 783 (49.8%) were health professional students and 685 (43.5%) were female. Vaccination willingness was high (78%), and higher among health students than other students. We observed the highest vaccination willingness for the most severe disease outcomes and the greatest exposure risks, along with the Minister of Health’s recommendation or a vaccine that extended secondary protection to others. Mild side effects and recommendations against vaccination diminished vaccination willingness. Interpretation Our results can be used to develop evidence-based messaging to encourage uptake for new vaccines. Future vaccination campaigns, such as for COVID-19 vaccines in development, should consider acknowledging individual risk of exposure and disease severity and incorporate recommendations from key health leaders.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:37:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-12-01 Subclinical stage of ehrlichiosis is characterized by absence of clinical or laboratory alterations; however, it could lead to silent glomerular/tubular changes and contribute significantly to renal failure in humans and animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate glomerular and tubular alterations in dogs with subclinical ehrlichiosis. We evaluated renal biopsies of 14 bitches with subclinical ehrlichiosis and 11 control dogs. Samples were obtained from the left kidney, and the tissue obtained was divided for light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy. Abnormalities were identified by light microscopy in 92.9% of dogs with ehrlichiosis, but not in any of the dogs of the control group. Mesangial cell proliferation and synechiae (46.1%) were the most common findings, but focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and ischemic glomeruli (38.4%), focal glomerular mesangial matrix expansion (30.7%), mild to moderate interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (23%), and glomerular basement membrane spikes (23%) were also frequent in dogs with ehrlichiosis. All animals with ehrlichiosis exhibited positive immunofluorescence staining for immunoglobulins. Transmission electron microscopy from dogs with ehrlichiosis revealed slight changes such as sparse surface projections and basement membrane double contour. The subclinical phase of ehrlichiosis poses a higher risk of development of kidney damage due to the deposition of immune complexes. Graduate Program in Veterinary Science (PPGCV) College of Veterinary Medicine (FAMEV) Universidade Federal de Uberlãndia (UFU), Uberlãndia Department of Veterinary Clinic and Surgery Faculdade de Ciências Agrária e Veterinária (FCAV) Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Department of Veterinary Clinics Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ) Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Department of Pathology Universidade Federal Do Maranhão (UFMA) Department of Veterinary Biosciences College of Veterinary Medicine The Ohio State University Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences University of Florida Department of Veterinary Clinic and Surgery Faculdade de Ciências Agrária e Veterinária (FCAV) Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Department of Veterinary Clinics Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ) Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP)

International audience; Accurate characterization and simulation of electromagnetic propagation can be obtained by ray-tracing methods, which are based on a high frequency approximation to the Maxwell equations and describe the propagating field as a set of propagating rays, reflecting, diffracting and scattering over environment elements. However, this approach has been usually too computationally costly to be used in large and dynamic scenarios, but this situation is changing thanks the increasing availability of efficient ray-tracing libraries for graphical processing units. In this paper we present Opal, an electromagnetic propagation simulation tool implemented with ray-tracing on graphical processing units, which is part of the Veneris framework. Opal can be used as a stand-alone ray-tracing simulator, but its main strength lies in its integration with the game engine, which allows to generate customized 3D environments quickly and intuitively. We describe its most relevant features and provide implementation details, highlighting the different simulation types it supports and its extension possibilites. We provide application examples and validate the simulation on demanding scenarios, such as tunnels, where we compare the results with theoretical solutions and further discuss the tradeoffs between the simulation types and its performance.

The Core Scientific Dataset (CSD) model with JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) serialization is presented as a lightweight, portable, and versatile standard for intra- and interdisciplinary scientific data exchange. This model supports datasets with a p-component dependent variable, {U 0, . . ., U q, . . ., U p− 1}, discretely sampled at M unique points in a d-dimensional independent variable (X 0, . . ., X k, . . ., X d− 1) space. Moreover, this sampling is over an orthogonal grid, regular or rectilinear, where the principal coordinate axes of the grid are the independent variables. It can also hold correlated datasets assuming the different physical quantities (dependent variables) are sampled on the same orthogonal grid of independent variables. The model encapsulates the dependent variables’ sampled data values and the minimum metadata needed to accurately represent this data in an appropriate coordinate system of independent variables. The CSD model can serve as a re-usable building block in the development of more sophisticated portable scientific dataset file standards.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:27:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-10-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii has been extensively studied in wild boars worldwide due to the emerging risk for human infection through meat consumption. However, this is the first study that reports toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in wild boars, wild boar hunters and their hunting dogs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in the complex wild boars, hunting dogs and hunters, and to determine the risk factors associated with seropositivity in southern and central-western Brazil. Overall, anti-T. gondii seropositivity was observed in 15/71 (21.1%) wild boars by modified agglutination test (MAT); and 49/157 (31.2%) hunting dogs and 15/49 (32.7%) hunters by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in Brazilian wild boars was within the national and international range, posting wild boars as potential environmental sentinels for T. gondii presence. In addition, the findings have comparatively shown that wild boars have been less exposed to infection than hunting dogs or hunters in both Brazilian regions. Seropositivity for T. gondii was statistically higher in 12/14 (85.7%) captured wild boars when compared to 5/57 (7.0%) free-range wild boars (p = 0.000001). Similarly, captured wild boars from anthropized areas were more likely to be seropositive than of natural regions (p = 0.000255). When in multiple regression model, dogs with the habit of wild boar hunting had significant more chance to be positive (adjusted-OR 4.62 CI 95% 1.16-18.42). Despite potential as sentinels of environmental toxoplasmosis, seroprevalence in wild boars alone may provide a biased basis for public health concerns; thus, hunters and hunting dogs should be always be included in such studies. Although hunters should be aware of potential T. gondii infection, wild boars from natural and agricultural areas may present lower protozoa load when compared to wild boars from anthropized areas, likely by the higher presence of domestic cats as definitive hosts. Graduate College of Veterinary Science Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) Graduate College of Cellular and Molecular Biology Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) Public Health Institute (PHI) Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Nursing and Public Health State University of Ponta Grossa Department of Medicine State University of Ponta Grossa Department of Collective Health Federal University of Parana Department of Comparative Pathobiology Purdue University Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T00:55:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-10-01 Mycoplasma hyorhinis (MHR) and Mycoplasma hyosynoviae (MHS) are common opportunistic pathogens in the upper respiratory tract and tonsils of swine. The identification of the specific species involved in clinical cases using conventional diagnostic methods is challenging. Therefore, a recombinant chimeric polypeptide based on the seven known variable lipoproteins (A-G) specific of MHR and a cocktail of surface proteins detergent-extracted from MHS cultures were generated and their suitability as antemortem biomarkers for serodiagnosis of MHR- and MHS-infection were evaluated by ELISA. M. hyorhinis and MHS ELISA performance, evaluated using serum samples collected over a 56-day observation period from pigs inoculated with MHR, MHS, M. hyopneumoniae, M. flocculare, or Friis medium, varied by assay, targeted antibody isotype, and cutoffs. The progressions of MHR and MHS clinical diseases were evaluated in relation to the kinetics of the isotype-specific antibody response in serum and bacterial shedding in oral fluids during the observation period. In pigs inoculated with MHR, bacterial DNA was detected in one or more of the 5 pens at all sampling points throughout the study, IgA was first detected at DPI 7, one week before the first clinical signs, with both IgA and IgG detected in all samples collected after DPI 14. The peak of MHS shedding (DPI 8) coincided with the onset of the clinical signs, with both IgA and IgG detected in all serum samples collected ≥ DPI 14. This study demonstrated, under experimental conditions, that both ELISAs were suitable for early detection of specific antibodies against MHR or MHS. The diagnostic performance of the MHR and MHS ELISAs varied depending on the selected cutoff and the antibody isotype evaluated. The high diagnostic and analytical specificity of the ELISAs was particularly remarkable. This study also provides insights into the infection dynamics of MHR-associated disease and MHS-associated arthritis not previously described. College of Veterinary Medicine Iowa State University São Paulo State University (Unesp) School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences São Paulo State University (Unesp) School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T10:36:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-10-01 A scale with robust statistical validation is essential to diagnose pain and improve decision making for analgesia. This blind, randomised, prospective and opportunist study aimed to develop an ethogram to evaluate behaviour and validate a scale to assess acute ovine postoperative pain. Elective laparoscopy was performed in 48 healthy sheep, filmed at one preoperative and three postoperative moments, before and after rescue analgesia and 24 hours after. The videos were randomised and assessed twice by four evaluators, with a one-month interval between evaluations. Statistical analysis was performed using R software and differences were considered significant when p 0.80 with the numerical, simple descriptive, and visual analogue scales, and a correlation of 0.48 with the facial expression scale. According to the mixed linear model, the scale was responsive, due to the increase and decrease in pain scores of all items after surgery and analgesic intervention, respectively. All items on the scale demonstrated an acceptable Spearman item-total correlation (0.56-0.76), except for appetite (0.25). The internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's α = 0.81) and all items presented specificity > 0.72 and sensitivity between 0.61-0.90, except for appetite. According to the Youden index, the cut-off point was ≥ 4 out of 12, with a diagnostic uncertainty zone of 4 to 5. The area under the curve > 0.95 demonstrated the excellent discriminatory capacity of the instrument. In conclusion, the Unesp-Botucatu pain scale in sheep submitted to laparoscopy is valid, reliable, specific, sensitive, with excellent internal consistency, accuracy, discriminatory capacity, and a defined cut-off point. Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science São Paulo State University (Unesp) Department of Veterinary Medicine State University of Maringá Goiano Federal Institute Urutai Campus Department of Veterinary Medicine Department of Veterinary Surgery and Animal Reproduction School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science São Paulo State University (Unesp)

International audience; Blue light is an identified risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), leading to neovascularization, is a major complication of the wet form of this disease. We investigated how blue light affects VEGF expression and secretion using A2E-loaded retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, a cell model of AMD. Incubation of RPE cells with A2E resulted in a significant increase in VEGF mRNA and, intracellular and secreted VEGF protein levels, but not mRNA levels of VEGFR1 or VEGFR2. Blue light exposure of A2E-loaded RPE cells resulted in a decrease in VEGF mRNA and protein levels, but an increase in VEGFR1 levels. The toxicity of 440 nm light on A2E-loaded RPE cells was enhanced by VEGF supplementation. Our results suggest that age-related A2E accumulation may result in VEGF synthesis and release. This synthesis of VEGF, which enhances blue light toxicity for the RPE cells, is itself suppressed by blue light. Anti-VEGF therapy may therefore improve RPE survival in AMD.

We compared the distribution and occurrence of 15 carnivore species with data collected monthly over three years by trained native trackers using both sign surveys and an encounter-based, visual-distance method in a well-preserved region of southern Guyana (Amazon / Guiana Shield). We found that a rigorously applied sign-based method was sufficient to describe the status of most carnivore species populations, including rare species such as jaguar and bush dog. We also found that even when accumulation curves for direct visual encounter data reached an asymptote, customarily an indication that sufficient sampling has occurred to describe populations, animal occurrence and distribution were grossly underestimated relative to the results of sign data. While other researchers have also found that sign are better than encounters or camera traps for large felids, our results are important in documenting the failure of even intensive levels of effort to raise encounter rates sufficiently to enable statistical analysis, and in describing the relationship between encounter and sign data for an entire community of carnivores including felids, canids, procyonids, and mustelids. National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [BE/CNH 0508094]; Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationGordon and Betty Moore Foundation [2054.01]; National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq-Brazil)National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [202214/2015-0]; Stanford UniversityStanford University [51211805202]; Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [2017/24252-0, 2019/00648-7] The National Science Foundation (Grant BE/CNH 0508094) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant 2054.01) provided funding for this project. The National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPqBrazil) provided a scholarship to F.G. (process 202214/2015-0) and Stanford University provided additional financial support (process 51211805202). F.G. was also supported by Grant 2017/24252-0 and 2019/00648-7 by Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.; We thank Guyana's Environmental Protection Agency and Ministry of Amerindian Affairs for project permitting. The Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation, the North Rupununi District Development Board, and the Deep South Toshaos's Council, acted as in-country collaborators and provided invaluable logistical support. We are grateful to Mike Williams and Wilson Lorentino for invaluable help in negotiations. We thank the Makushi, Wapishana and Wai-Wai technicians whose hard work and dedication made the research possible, as well as the leaders and members of all of our partner communities for their participation, trust, feedback, and innumerable contributions to the project. We thank the graduate students, post-docs, data transcribers, and volunteers who are not authors on this article but who contributed essential work and ideas to the project. We also thank Rodolfo Dirzo for providing a home during the writing of a first draft of the paper to J.M.V.F. and F.G. The National Science Foundation (Grant BE/CNH 0508094) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant 2054.01) provided funding for this project. The National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq-Brazil) provided a scholarship to F.G. (process 202214/2015-0) and Stanford University provided additional financial support (process 51211805202). F.G. was also supported by Grant 2017/24252-0 and 2019/00648-7 by Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

Background The sterile insect technique (SIT) requires mass-rearing of the target species, irradiation to induce sexual sterility and transportation from the mass-rearing facility to the target site. Those treatments require several steps that may affect the biological quality of sterile males. This study has been carried out to evaluate the relative impact of the chilling, irradiation and transport on emergence rate, flight ability and survival of sterile male tsetse flies Glossina palpalis gambiensis. Results Chilling, irradiation and transport all affected the quality control parameters studied. The emergence rate was significantly reduced by long chilling periods and transport, i.e. from 92% at the source insectary to 78% upon arrival in Dakar. Flight ability was affected by all three parameters with 31% operational flies lossed between the source and arrival insectaries. Only survival under stress was not affected by any of the treatments. Conclusion The chilling period and transport were the main treatments which impacted significantly the quality of sterile male pupae. Therefore, the delivery of sterile males was divided over two shipments per week in order to reduce the chilling time and improve the quality of the sterile males. Quality of the male pupae may further be improved by reducing the transport time and vibration during transport. Keys words: Tsetse flies, mass-rearing conditions, sterile insect technique, quality