Analysis of within-pen and between-pen fenceline temporal contact networks in confined feedlot cattle.

Though contact networks are important for describing the dynamics for disease transmission and intervention applications, individual animal contact and barriers between animal populations, such as fences, are not often utilized in the construction of these models. The objective of this study was to use contact network analysis to quantify contacts within two confined pens of feedlot cattle and the shared "fenceline" area between the pens at varying temporal resolutions and contact duration to better inform the construction of network-based disease transmission models for cattle within confined-housing systems. Two neighboring pens of feedlot steers were tagged with Real-Time Location System (RTLS) tags. Within-pen contacts were defined with a spatial threshold (SpTh) of 0.71 m and a minimum contact duration (MCD) of either 10 seconds (10 s), 30 seconds (30 s), or 60 seconds (60 s). For the fenceline network location readings were included within an area extending from 1 m on either side of the shared fence. "Fenceline" contacts could only occur between a steer from each pen. Static, undirected, weighted contact networks for within-pen networks and the between-pen network were generated for the full study duration and for daily (24-h), 6-h period, and hourly networks to better assess network heterogeneity. For the full study duration network, the two within-pen networks were densely homogenous. The within-pen networks showed more heterogeneity when smaller timescales (6-h period and hourly) were applied. When contacts were defined with a MCD of 30 s or 60 s, the total number of contacts seen in each network decreased, indicating that most of the contacts observed in our networks may have been transient passing contacts. Cosine similarity was moderate and stable across days for within pen networks. Of the 90 total tagged steers between the two pens, 86 steers (46 steers from Pen 2 and 40 steers from Pen 3) produced at least one contact across the shared fenceline. The total network density for the network created across the shared fenceline between the two pens was 17%, with few contacts at shorter timescales and for MCD of 30 s or 60 s. Overall, the contact networks created here from high-resolution spatial and temporal contact observation data provide estimates for a contact network within commercial US feedlot pens and the contact network created between two neighboring pens of cattle. These networks can be used to better inform pathogen transmission models on social contact networks.

Predictors of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among adults in Tennessee during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has convoluted hesitancy toward vaccines, including the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine. Because of COVID-19, the flu season has become more complicated; therefore, it is important to understand all the factors influencing the uptake of these vaccines to inform intervention targets. This article assesses factors related to the uptake of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines among adults in Tennessee. Methods: A cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of 1,400 adults was conducted in Tennessee. The adult sample came from two data sources: Data source 1 completed a baseline survey from January to March 2022, and data source 2 was completed from May to August 2022. Data on vaccine attitudes, facilitators and barriers, and communication needs were collected via random digit dial by Scientific Telephone Samples (STS). Two multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to predict sociodemographic and overall vaccine-related factors associated with receipt or non-receipt (referent) of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Results: Approximately 78% of the adult sample had received the COVID-19 vaccination. A significant positive association for COVID-19 vaccine uptake was seen among those who were older (aged 50-65) (aOR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-3.2), Black (aOR = 2.0; 95% CI:1.3-2.8), and had a college education and higher (aOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.5-3.6). However, there was a significant negative association for persons reporting they were extremely religious (aOR = 0.5; 95% CI:0.3-0.9). Over 56% of the adult sample had received the influenza vaccination this season. Those who had a higher annual household income ($80,000+) (aOR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.3-2.6) and had health insurance (aOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.4-4.8) had a significant positive association with influenza vaccine receipt. However, those who were employed part-time or were unemployed had a significant negative association for influenza vaccine receipt (aOR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5-0.9). Both COVID-19 and influenza vaccine receipt had strongly significant positive trends with increasing belief in effectiveness and trust (p < 0.0001) and strongly significant negative trends with higher levels of overall vaccine hesitancy (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Strategies to increase COVID-19 and influenza vaccination should be age-specific, focus on increasing geographical and financial access, and offer tailored messages to address concerns about these vaccines.

Mortality and histopathology in sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) larvae exposed to pectenotoxin-2 and Dinophysis acuminata.

Toxic species of the dinoflagellate genus Dinophysis can produce diarrheic toxins including okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxins (DTXs), and the non-diarrheic pectenotoxins (PTXs). Okadaic acid and DTXs cause diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in human consumers, and also cause cytotoxic, immunotoxic and genotoxic effects in a variety of mollusks and fishes at different life stages in vitro. The possible effects of co-produced PTXs or live cells of Dinophysis to aquatic organisms, however, are less understood. Effects on an early life stage of sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus), a common finfish in eastern USA estuaries, were evaluated using a 96-h toxicity bioassay. Three-week old larvae were exposed to PTX2 concentrations from 50 to 4000 nM, live Dinophysis acuminata culture (strain DAVA01), live cells resuspended in clean medium or culture filtrate. This D. acuminata strain produced mainly intracellular PTX2 (≈ 21 pg cell-1), with much lower levels of OA and dinophysistoxin-1. No mortality or gill damages were observed in larvae exposed to D. acuminata (from 5 to 5500 cells mL-1), resuspended cells and culture filtrate. However, exposure to purified PTX2 at intermediate to high concentrations (from 250 to 4000 nM) resulted in 8 to 100% mortality after 96 h (24-h LC50 of 1231 nM). Histopathology and transmission electron microscopy of fish exposed to intermediate to high PTX2 concentrations revealed important gill damage, including intercellular edema, necrosis and sloughing of gill respiratory epithelia, and damage to the osmoregulatory epithelium, including hypertrophy, proliferation, redistribution and necrosis of chloride cells. Tissue damage in gills is likely caused by the interaction of PTX2 with the actin cytoskeleton of the affected gill epithelia. Overall, the severe gill pathology observed following the PTX2 exposure suggested death was due to loss of respiratory and osmoregulatory functions in C. variegatus larvae.

Estimation of foot-and-mouth disease windborne transmission risk from USA beef feedlots.

Windborne spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) requires specific epidemiological and meteorological conditions, thus modeling the risk of windborne spread involves integrating epidemiological and meteorological models. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential risk of windborne spread of FMD from an infected US feedlot using an integrated modeling approach, and to identify factors that determine this risk. To address this objective, we integrated a within-herd epidemiological model and an advanced atmospheric dispersion model, and calculated infection risk dependent on exposed herd size. A previously developed epidemiological model was used to simulate the spread of FMD through a typical U.S. feedlot, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) HYSPLIT atmospheric dispersion model, which has been validated for FMD modeling, was used to model virus dispersion. Infection risk for exposed herds was calculated as a binomial probability accounting for dose and exposed herd size. We modeled risk of windborne spread from a typical 4000 head feedlot in the U.S. state of Iowa (IA), and a typical 48,000 head feedlot in the U.S. state of Kansas (KS) during winter and summer seasons. The risk of windborne spread of FMD varied based on weather/season conditions, estimated average viral shedding rate per head, size of infected herd, and size of exposed herd. In the baseline Kansas scenario (KS/103/W), the median of the maximum daily risk of infecting a 1000-head exposed herd ranged from 58.16 % at 1 km to 0.78 % at 10 km (Table 4). In the baseline Iowa scenario (IA/103/W), the median of the maximum daily risk of infecting a 1000-head exposed herd ranged from 21.78 % at 1 km to 0.05 % at 10 km (Table 4). The minimum control area recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an FMD outbreak is 10 km from the infected premise. Our results indicate that significant risk of windborne spread may extend beyond 10 km in certain situations. This is particularly a concern in areas where there are large feedlots in relatively close proximity, such as in southwestern Kansas. Our model may be useful as a research tool in the absence of an outbreak and may help direct surveillance and response efforts in the event of an outbreak.

Spatial and network analysis of U.S. livestock movements based on Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection.

Livestock movements are a common pathway for the spread infectious diseases in a population. An understanding of livestock movement patterns is needed to understand national transmission risks of highly infectious diseases during epidemics. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is an approach that helps to describe the relationships among individuals and the implications of those relationships. We used SNA to describe the contact structure of livestock movements throughout the contiguous U.S. from April 1st, 2015 to March 31st, 2016. We describe 4 network types: beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, and small ruminant. Livestock movement data were sourced from Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) while county-level farm demographic data were from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). In the described networks, nodes are represented by counties and arcs by shipments between nodes; the networks were weighted based on the number of shipments between nodes. For the analyses, movement data were aggregated at the county level and on an annual basis. Measures of centrality and cohesiveness were computed and identification of trade-communities in all networks was conducted. During the study period, a total of 219,042 movements were recorded and beef cattle movements accounted for 63 % of all movements. At least 70 % of U.S. counties were present in each of the networks, but the density of arcs was less than 2% in all networks. In the beef cattle network, counties with high out-degree were strongly correlated (0.8) with the number of beef cows per county while for the dairy cattle network a strong correlation (>0.86) was found with the number of dairy cattle per km2 at the county level. All networks were found to have between 4 and 6 large communities (50 counties or more per community), and were geographically clustered except for the communities in the small ruminant network. Outputs reported in these analyses can help to understand the structure of the contact networks for beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, and small ruminants. They may also be used in conjunction with simulation modeling to evaluate spread of highly infectious disease such as foot-and-mouth disease at the national level and to evaluate the application of intervention strategies.

Operationalizing outcome measures of human papillomavirus vaccination among adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: When examining vaccination coverage, researchers must make decisions about how to define outcome measures based on many factors, including the timing of doses. Different operationalizations of the same outcome can often lead to different findings and can affect the ability to make comparisons across studies. This methodological article aimed to illustrate the implications of two options for operationalizing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination based on timing: initiation of the first dose at any age vs before the 13th birthday (on time). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational design. METHODS: The 2014 National Immunization Survey for Teens (N = 16,439 adolescents aged 13-17 years) was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression for each outcome measure and effect modification by gender. RESULTS: Age was positively associated with initiation at any age but negatively associated with on-time initiation. Gender modified the effect of race/ethnicity for both measures of initiation, but the pattern across groups was different for the two outcomes. Gender modified the effect of provider recommendation for initiation at any age, while gender modified the effects of age and region for on-time initiation. CONCLUSION: Decisions of how to operationalize outcomes of HPV vaccine initiation among adolescents can lead to different conclusions about the role of age and gender differences for several predictive variables. To inform the development of public health efforts that promote on-time HPV vaccination among male and female adolescents, researchers should consider the importance of dose timing when operationalizing outcome measures. We recommend including on-time receipt of the HPV vaccine as an outcome measure.

A deterministic, dynamic systems model of cow-calf production: The effects of breeding replacement heifers before mature cows over a 10-year horizon.

Some cattle production experts believe that cow-calf producers should breed replacement heifers (nulliparous cows) before cows (primiparous and multiparous cows), sometimes referred to as providing a heifer lead time (tHL). Our objective was to model the effects different durations of tHL may have on measures of herd productivity, including the percent of the herd cycling before the end of the first 21 d of the breeding season (%C21), the percent of the herd pregnant at pregnancy diagnosis (%PPD), the distribution of pregnancy by 21-d breeding intervals, the kilograms of calf weaned per cow exposed (KPC), and the replacement percentage (%RH), using a deterministic, dynamic systems model of cow-calf production over a 10-yr horizon. We also wished to examine differences in the effect of tHL related to the primiparous duration of postpartum anestrus (dPPA). The study model examined 6 different dPPA for primiparous cows (60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or 110 d). The multiparous cow duration of postpartum anestrus was set to 60 d. The breeding season length for nulliparous cows was 63 d, as was the breeding season length for primiparous and multiparous cows. Nulliparous cows were modeled with a tHL of 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, or 42 d. Results are reported for the final breeding season of the 10-yr horizon. Increasing tHL resulted in a greater %C21 for the herd and for primiparous cows. Length of tHL had minimal impact on the %PPD unless the dPPA was 80 d or greater. For a dPPA of 110 d, a 0 d tHL resulted in the herd having 88.1 %PPD. When tHL was 21 d, the %PPD increased to 93.0%. The KPC was 161.2 kg when the dPPA was 110 d and tHL was 0 d and improved to 183.2 kg when tHL was increased to 42 d. The %RH did not vary much unless the dPPA was 90 d or greater, but increasing tHL resulted in decreased %RH. Based on the model results, increasing tHL improves the production outcomes included in the analysis, but herds with dPPA of 90 d or greater had the greatest degree of improvement. For these herds, approximately two-thirds of the improvement in outcomes by increasing tHL from 0 d to 42 d was realized when tHL was 21 d. Costs are likely incurred when implementing tHL in a breeding management program, and an ideal tHL likely depends on the dPPA of the herd, the expected improvement in productivity, and the costs associated with increasing tHL. Determining the dPPA of a herd could help veterinarians and producers develop optimal herd management strategies.

A deterministic, dynamic systems model of cow-calf production: The effects of the duration of postpartum anestrus on production parameters over a 10-year horizon.

The duration of postpartum anestrus (dPPA) is important to consider for reproductive performance and efficiency in cow-calf operations. We developed a deterministic, dynamic systems model of cow-calf production over a 10-yr horizon to model the effects that dPPA had on measures of herd productivity, including the percentage of cows cycling before the end of the first 21 d of the breeding season (%C21), the percentage of cows pregnant at pregnancy diagnosis (%PPD), the distribution of pregnancy by 21-d breeding intervals, the kilograms of calf weaned (KW), the kilograms of calf weaned per cow exposed (KPC), and the replacement percentage. A 1,000-animal herd was modeled, with the beginning and ending dates for a 63-d natural service breeding season being the same for eligible replacement heifers (nulliparous cows) and cows (primiparous and multiparous cows). Herds were simulated to have a multiparous cow dPPA of 50, 60, 70, or 80 d, with the dPPA for primiparous cows being set to 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or 110 d. Only combinations where the primiparous dPPA was greater than or equal to the multiparous dPPA were included, resulting in 22 model herds being simulated in the analysis. All other model parameters were held constant between simulations. In model season 10, the %C21 was 96.2% when the multiparous cow and primiparous cow dPPA was 50 d and was 48.3% when the multiparous cow and primiparous cow dPPA was 80 d. The %PPD in model season 10 for these same herds was 95.1% and 86.0%, respectively. The percentage of the herd becoming pregnant in the first 21 d of the breeding season also differed between these herds (61.8% and 31.3%, respectively). The 10-yr total KW was more than 275,000 kg greater for the herd with a 50-d multiparous cow and primiparous cow dPPA when compared with the herd with the 80-d multiparous and primiparous cow dPPA and had a model season 10 KPC of 180.8 kg compared with 151.4 kg for the longer dPPA. The model results show that both the multiparous cow and primiparous cow dPPA affect herd productivity outcomes and that a dPPA less than 60 d results in improved production outcomes relative to longer dPPA. Veterinarians and producers should consider determining the dPPA to aid in making management decisions to improve reproductive performance of cow-calf herds.

Homology-Aware Phylogenomics at Gigabase Scales.

Obstacles to inferring species trees from whole genome data sets range from algorithmic and data management challenges to the wholesale discordance in evolutionary history found in different parts of a genome. Recent work that builds trees directly from genomes by parsing them into sets of small $k$-mer strings holds promise to streamline and simplify these efforts, but existing approaches do not account well for gene tree discordance. We describe a "seed and extend" protocol that finds nearly exact matching sets of orthologous $k$-mers and extends them to construct data sets that can properly account for genomic heterogeneity. Exploiting an efficient suffix array data structure, sets of whole genomes can be parsed and converted into phylogenetic data matrices rapidly, with contiguous blocks of $k$-mers from the same chromosome, gene, or scaffold concatenated as needed. Phylogenetic trees constructed from highly curated rice genome data and a diverse set of six other eukaryotic whole genome, transcriptome, and organellar genome data sets recovered trees nearly identical to published phylogenomic analyses, in a small fraction of the time, and requiring many fewer parameter choices. Our method's ability to retain local homology information was demonstrated by using it to characterize gene tree discordance across the rice genome, and by its robustness to the high rate of interchromosomal gene transfer found in several rice species.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction for managers: a randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which was initially used in clinical settings, has also proved to be an effective tool for managing work-related stress in occupational groups inherently exposed to certain psychosocial risks. AIMS: To examine the potential for work-related stress management using MBSR for middle-level managers who are considered to be particularly affected by the negative effects of stress related to organizational restructuring. METHODS: Middle-level managers participated in a randomized controlled study which implemented a 2 (experimental versus control group) × 2 (baseline, post-treatment) study design, yielding a between-group comparison. The participants were randomly assigned to an 8-week intervention group or to a wait-list control group. RESULTS: The results showed that, relative to the control group, the MBSR intervention had significant effects on several outcomes in the 144 subjects, including: decreases in perceived work-related stress (F(1,140) = 20.4, P < 0.001, ddiff = 0.72), negative affect (F(1,140) = 45.3, P < 0.001, ddiff = 0.93), intensity of somatic complaints (F(1,140) = 20.7, P < 0.001, ddiff = 0.69), and sickness absence (F(1,140) = 67.3, P < 0.001, ddiff = 0.69), and increase in self-esteem (F(1,140) = 44.1, P < 0.001, ddiff = 1.25), and positive affect (F(1,140) = 6.73, P < 0.01, ddiff = 0.43). No effects were found on frequency of somatic complaints. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that MBSR is an effective method for managing work-related stress and bolstering psychological resilience in the workplace, particularly in the face of psychosocial risks of a global, economic nature.

The Effect of Chinese rhubarb, Rheum officinale, with and without benazepril on the progression of naturally occurring chronic kidney disease in cats.

BACKGROUND: Renal fibrosis is common in progressive kidney disease. Transforming growth factors ß (TGF-ß) are important mediators of all types of fibrosis, including renal fibrosis. Chinese rhubarb has been shown to have antifibrotic properties in part because of inhibition of TGF-ß and has slowed the progression of kidney disease in rodent models. HYPOTHESIS: That administration of a Chinese rhubarb supplement will slow the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats and the concurrent administration of Chinese rhubarb and benazepril will be more effective than either alone. ANIMALS: Twenty-nine client-owned cats with naturally occurring IRIS Stage 2 or early Stage 3 CKD and without comorbidity such as cancer, urinary tract obstruction, urinary tract infection, poorly controlled hyperthyroidism, or systemic hypertension were enrolled in the study. METHODS: A randomized, positive-controlled, prospective study was performed. Cats received Chinese rhubarb, benazepril, or both in addition to standard treatment for CKD. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess changes in serum creatinine concentration, body weight, hematocrit, urine protein: urine creatinine ratio (UPC), and systemic arterial blood pressure over time between and within treatment groups over an average of 22 months. RESULTS: No significant differences were detected in serum creatinine concentration, body weight, hematocrit, UPC, and systemic arterial pressure over time between or within treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This study failed to detect a significant difference in the progression of CKD in cats treated with Chinese rhubarb, benazepril, or both. Further study in specific subsets of cats with CKD is warranted.

Prevalence and relatedness of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains in the feces and on the hides and carcasses of U.S. meat goats at slaughter.

We determined the prevalences of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in feces, hide, and carcasses of meat goats at a U.S. processing plant. Prevalences were 11.1%, 2.7%, and 2.7%, respectively. Sixteen pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtypes were identified among 49 E. coli O157:H7 isolates, some of which were present on multiple sample types or collection days.

Investigating effects of between- and within-host variability on Escherichia coli O157 shedding pattern and transmission.

Healthy cattle and their environment are the reservoir for the human pathogen Escherichia coli O157. In E. coli O157 epidemiology, supershedders have been loosely defined as cattle that shed high concentrations of E. coli O157 (≥ 10(4)colony-forming cells (CFU)/g of feces) at a single (or multiple) cross-section in time. Due to the variability in the pathogen shedding level among animals (between-host variability), as well as fluctuations in the level shed by a single animal (within-host variability), it is difficult to interpret fecal bacteria distributions, as well as to parse the relative contribution of between- and within-host variability to the observed shedding patterns at the pen level. We developed an agent-based model that integrates individual animal data on temporal fecal shedding dynamics with pen-level E. coli O157 transmission to study how the temporal (and aggregation) patterns of E. coli O157 shedding loads and prevalence arise at the pen level. We demonstrated that even without between-host variability, the prevalence of animals with concentration of E. coli O157 in feces that exceeds 10(4)CFU/g is similar to that observed in cross-sectional field data. Both within-host and between-host variability can generate supershedders.

Acute assessment of an aspalathin-enriched green rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) extract with hypoglycemic potential.

Rooibos, an endemic South African plant, known for its use as herbal tea, has potential as an antidiabetic herbal product, following recent demonstration of the glucose lowering effect of its major flavonoid, the dihydrochalcone C-glucoside aspalathin. The purpose of this study was to confirm antidiabetic activity for rooibos extract high in aspalathin content. An extract (SB1) was selected after screening for high aspalathin content and α-glucosidase inhibition activity. On-line HPLC-biochemical detection confirmed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity for aspalathin. In vitro the extract induced a dose response increase in glucose uptake (5 × 10⁻5 to 5 µg/ml) on C2C12 myotubules. Aspalathin was effective at 1, 10 and 100 µM, while rutin was effective at 100 µM. In the Chang cells only the extract was effective. In vivo the extract sustained a glucose lowering effect comparable to metformin over a 6h period after administration (25mg/kg body weight (BW)) to STZ-induced diabetic rats. In an oral glucose tolerance test the extract (30 mg/kg BW) was more effective than vildagliptin (10mg/kg BW), a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor. An aspalathin-rutin mixture (1:1; m/m) dosed at 1.4 mg/kg BW, but not the single compounds separately, reduced blood glucose concentrations of STZ-induced diabetic rats over a 6h monitoring period. The improved hypoglycemic activity of the aspalathin-rutin mixture and the extract illustrated synergistic interactions of polyphenols in complex mixtures.

Alcohol and drug misuse, risk of re-admission to a general hospital and psychiatric contact.

Patients with physical problems related to the use of alcohol or drugs often present to general hospitals in an unplanned, emergency fashion. In 2005, the Kerr report concluded that fundamental changes were needed in our approach, shifting the emphasis from a reactive to a more proactive, prevention-based model in the treatment of acute medical conditions. We studied patients who had at least one alcohol- or drug-related emergency admission, whose most recent admission was to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and who, using the Scottish Patients at Risk of Re-admission and Admission (SPARRA) All Ages Tool, were thought to be at high risk of further emergency admission. We examined data sets derived from the National Health Service National Services Scotland Information Services Division, a Liaison Psychiatry database, data from the local psychiatric Patient Information Management System and data collected by the hospital alcohol liaison nurse to examine this group of patients further and consider the scope for any future intervention. Patients who have an alcohol- or drug-related emergency admission to the general hospital are at increased risk of re-admission. A substantial proportion of these patients has come into contact with the psychiatric services, often attracting a substance misuse and/or personality disorder diagnosis. A significant proportion also presents in the context of self-harm. In conclusion, this group of frequent hospital attenders may be difficult to engage but may benefit from more proactive intervention, a more joined-up management approach and the development of an enhanced general hospital alcohol liaison service.

Regional temperature and precipitation changes under high-end (≥4°C) global warming.

Climate models vary widely in their projections of both global mean temperature rise and regional climate changes, but are there any systematic differences in regional changes associated with different levels of global climate sensitivity? This paper examines model projections of climate change over the twenty-first century from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report which used the A2 scenario from the IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios, assessing whether different regional responses can be seen in models categorized as 'high-end' (those projecting 4°C or more by the end of the twenty-first century relative to the preindustrial). It also identifies regions where the largest climate changes are projected under high-end warming. The mean spatial patterns of change, normalized against the global rate of warming, are generally similar in high-end and 'non-high-end' simulations. The exception is the higher latitudes, where land areas warm relatively faster in boreal summer in high-end models, but sea ice areas show varying differences in boreal winter. Many continental interiors warm approximately twice as fast as the global average, with this being particularly accentuated in boreal summer, and the winter-time Arctic Ocean temperatures rise more than three times faster than the global average. Large temperature increases and precipitation decreases are projected in some of the regions that currently experience water resource pressures, including Mediterranean fringe regions, indicating enhanced pressure on water resources in these areas.

A biomechanical model of agonist-initiated contraction in the asthmatic airway.

This paper presents a modelling framework in which the local stress environment of airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells may be predicted and cellular responses to local stress may be investigated. We consider an elastic axisymmetric model of a layer of connective tissue and circumferential ASM fibres embedded in parenchymal tissue and model the active contractile force generated by ASM via a stress acting along the fibres. A constitutive law is proposed that accounts for active and passive material properties as well as the proportion of muscle to connective tissue. The model predicts significantly different contractile responses depending on the proportion of muscle to connective tissue in the remodelled airway. We find that radial and hoop-stress distributions in remodelled muscle layers are highly heterogenous with distinct regions of compression and tension. Such patterns of stress are likely to have important implications, from a mechano-transduction perspective, on contractility, short-term cytoskeletal adaptation and long-term airway remodelling in asthma.

Associations between the presence and magnitude of Escherichia coli O157 in feces at harvest and contamination of preintervention beef carcasses.

To quantify associations at slaughter between Escherichia coli O157 carcass contamination, fecal-positive animals, and high-shedding animals within truckloads of finished cattle, we sampled up to 32 cattle from each of 50 truckloads arriving at a commercial abattoir in the Midwest United States during a 5-week summer period. Carcass swab samples collected pre-evisceration and fecal samples collected postevisceration were matched within animals and analyzed for the presence of E. coli O157, using enrichment, immunomagnetic separation, and plating on selective media (IMS). In addition, a direct plating procedure was performed on feces to identify high-shedding animals. E. coli O157 was isolated from 39 (2.6%) of 1,503 carcass samples in 15 (30%) truckloads, and 127 (8.5%) of 1,495 fecal samples in 37 (74%) truckloads. Fifty-five (3.7%) high-shedding animals were detected from 26 (52%) truckloads. Truckload high-shedder (Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient [r(s)] = 0.68), IMS-positive (r(s) = 0.48), and combined fecal (r(s) = 0.61) prevalence were significantly correlated with carcass prevalence. The probability of isolating E. coli O157 from a carcass was not significantly associated with the high-shedder or fecal IMS status of the animal from which the carcass was derived. However, the probability of carcass contamination was significantly associated with all truckload-level measures of fecal E. coli O157, particularly whether or not a high shedder was present within the truckload (odds ratio = 16.2; 95% confidence interval, 6.3-43.6). Our results suggest that high shedders within a truckload at slaughter could be a target for mitigation strategies to reduce the probability of preevisceration carcass contamination.

The cytoplasmic part of L1-CAM controls growth and gene expression in human tumors that is reversed by therapeutic antibodies.

L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1-CAM) is a transmembrane cell adhesion molecule involved in cell migration and axon guidance in the developing nervous system. L1 is also overexpressed in ovarian and endometrial carcinomas and is associated with a bad prognosis. In carcinoma cell lines, L1 overexpression augments cell motility, tumor growth in mice and induces expression of Erk-dependent genes. Here, we show that a mutation in the cytoplasmic portion of L1 (T1247A, S1248A) abrogates Erk activation, blocks cell migration on extracellular matrix proteins and did not augment tumor growth in non-obese diabetic/severe combined immuno-deficient mice. In cells expressing mutant L1, the induction of Erk-dependent genes such as beta3-integrin, cathepsin-B and several transcription factors is eliminated and the invasive phenotype is abrogated. L1 antibodies showed similar effects. They prevented Erk activation and interfered with the Erk-dependent gene expression pattern. These findings provide a rationale for the mode of action of L1 antibodies and suggest that interference with L1 function could become a valuable target for therapy.