100039 research outputs found
Sort by
A Bivalent Self-Amplifying RNA Vaccine Against Yellow Fever and Zika Viruses
No full textIntroduction: Yellow fever (YFV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses cause significant morbidity and mortality, despite the existence of an approved YFV vaccine and the development of multiple ZIKV vaccine candidates to date. New technologies may improve access to vaccines against these pathogens. We previously described a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC)-delivered self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccine platform with excellent thermostability and immunogenicity, appropriate for prevention of tropical infectious diseases.
Methods: YFV and ZIKV prM-E antigen-expressing saRNA constructs were created using a TC-83 strain Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus-based replicon and complexed with NLC by simple mixing. Monovalent and bivalent vaccine formulations were injected intramuscularly into C57BL/6 mice and Syrian golden hamsters, and the magnitude, durability, and protective efficacy of the resulting immune responses were then characterized.
Results and discussion: Monovalent vaccines established durable neutralizing antibody responses to their respective flaviviral targets, with little evidence of cross-neutralization. Both vaccines additionally elicited robust antigen-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cell populations. Notably, humoral responses to YFV saRNA-NLC vaccination were comparable to those in YF-17D-vaccinated animals. Bivalent formulations established humoral and cellular responses against both viral targets, commensurate to those established by monovalent vaccines, without evidence of saRNA interference or immune competition. Finally, both monovalent and bivalent vaccines completely protected mice and hamsters against lethal ZIKV and YFV challenge. We present a bivalent saRNA-NLC vaccine against YFV and ZIKV capable of inducing robust and efficacious neutralizing antibody and cellular immune responses against both viruses. These data support the development of other multivalent saRNA-based vaccines against infectious diseases
It\u27s Time to Re-Evaluate the Reporting of Common Measures From Isokinetic Dynamometers: Isokinetic for Torque, Isotonic for Power
No full textIsokinetic dynamometry is commonly used to provide an objective and reliable assessment of muscle function across a variety of clinical, athletic and research settings. Important muscle function variables that are commonly assessed are torque- and power-related measures. Isokinetic mode is overwhelmingly used to provide these variables, and has been so for decades; however, this mode may not be the best suited to examine power variables. The article aims to explore this issue through conceptual evaluation and empirical results using unpublished data. The implication is that due to the almost complete lack of unique information that power provides additional to torque in isokinetic mode, the isotonic mode is better suited to assess power for functional, operational, and methodological reasons. Thus, muscle function tests on an isokinetic dynamometer provide more fitting and useful data when isokinetic mode is used to determine torque measures, and isotonic mode is used to provide power measures
Factor Structure and Longitudinal Changes in Bilinguals’ Oral Narratives Production: Role of Language Exposure, Language-Domain Proficiency, and Transfer
No full textThis paper examined the interaction between narrative performance, language exposure, and standardized measures of morphosyntax and semantics, in bilingual children tested two times, 1 year apart. We aimed to 1) identify the factor structure of oral narrative measures, and 2) examine the direction and strength of the effects of (i) language exposure and (ii) the relationship between language domains and narrative production. A total of 143 Spanish (L1)-English (L2) bilingual children completed a battery of oral narrative and oral language proficiency assessments in Spanish and English at two time points (kindergarten and Grade 1). Factor analyses yielded an identical two-factor structure of bilingual oral narrative measurements, namely productivity (word production) and complexity (sentence structure), in both Spanish and English across the two time points. Cross-lagged analysis showed that narrative production predicted semantics and morphosyntax performance in Spanish and English one year later. Cross-language transfer from L1 to L2 on the complexity of narrative was noted. Language exposure predicted only Spanish narrative production, but not English. These results suggest within- and cross-language transfer, highlighting the importance of L1 language development. In addition, current findings highlight the importance of language exposure for L1 in early school-age children
Reviews and Syntheses: Variable Inundation Across Earth’s Terrestrial Ecosystems
No full textThe structure, function, and dynamics of Earth\u27s terrestrial ecosystems are profoundly influenced by how often (frequency) and how long (duration) they are inundated with water. A diverse array of natural and human-engineered systems experience temporally variable inundation whereby they fluctuate between inundated and non-inundated states. Variable inundation spans extreme events to predictable sub-daily cycles. Variably inundated ecosystems (VIEs) include hillslopes, non-perennial streams, wetlands, floodplains, temporary ponds, tidal systems, storm-impacted coastal zones, and human-engineered systems. VIEs are diverse in terms of inundation regimes, water chemistry and flow velocity, soil and sediment properties, vegetation, and many other properties. The spatial and temporal scales of variable inundation are vast, ranging from sub-meter to whole landscapes and from sub-hourly to multi-decadal. The broad range of system types and scales makes it challenging to predict the hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology, and physical evolution of VIEs. Despite all experiencing the loss and gain of an overlying water column, VIEs are rarely considered together in conceptual, theoretical, modeling, or measurement frameworks and approaches. Studying VIEs together has the potential to generate mechanistic understanding that is transferable across a much broader range of environmental conditions, relative to knowledge generated by studying any one VIE type. We postulate that enhanced transferability will be important for predicting changes in VIE function in response to global change. Here we aim to catalyze cross-VIE science that studies drivers and impacts of variable inundation across Earth\u27s VIEs. To this end, we complement expert mini-reviews of eight major VIE systems with overviews of VIE-relevant methods and challenges associated with scale. We conclude with perspectives on how cross-VIE science can derive transferable understanding via unifying conceptual models in which the impacts of variable inundation are studied across multi-dimensional environmental space
Managed Honey Bees, \u3ci\u3eApis mellifera\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Face Greater Risk From Parasites and Pathogens Than Mosquito Control Insecticide Applications
No full textAs the primary pollinator for many crops, honey bees (Apis mellifera) are critically important to food production and the agricultural economy. Adult mosquito control is often suspected by the public and commercial beekeepers to harm honey bees, creating conflicts between industries. To investigate this matter, a two-year field study was conducted on vegetated wetlands in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. where honey bee colonies were placed in areas subjected to aerial adult mosquito control applications using the organophosphate naled. Comparison colonies were placed in areas not exposed to insecticides. Colony conditions were documented over the two-year period to capture both immediate and cumulative season-long effects of naled to honey bee health. A Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) analysis of mortality data from treated and non-treated colonies using mixed effects models revealed no statistically significant differences, indicating that aerial applications of naled for mosquito control did not adversely affect these honey bee colonies. A Random Forest machine-learning model identified that Nosema infection, maximum temperatures, and seasonal progression were more significant contributors to bee mortality during the study period, whereas cumulative naled applications were among the least significant predictors. Non-parametric statistical tests (NMDS and PERMANOVA) indicated no differences in colony resources (pollen/honey/nectar; open/capped brood) and parasite (Varroa mites; Vairimorpha microsporidians) loads between exposed colonies and non-treatment colonies. These findings were consistent across different seasons and varying environmental conditions. Our results suggest that naled, when used as intended for mosquito control, does not pose a significant risk to managed honey bee populations in rural settings
Geographic and Sociodemographic Disparities in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Adherence
No full textEarly identification and intervention are crucial to minimizing impacts of congenital hearing loss. Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs recommend newborn hearing screening before one month of age and a diagnostic audiologic evaluation before three months for infants who do not pass the screening. However, not all infants meet these benchmarks, as geographic and sociodemographic factors may influence adherence.
Addresses of primary contacts and audiology clinics were geocoded to calculate drive times to the nearest clinic in 10-minute intervals for infants born in Minnesota between 2019 and 2021. Birth location, NICU admittance, and sociodemographic characteristics were also analyzed. Random forest classifiers and logistic regressions identified key variables and optimizing models.
The 1-month benchmark was met by 97.9% of infants, while 50.5% met the 3-month benchmark. For every ten additional audiology clinics within 30 minutes of driving, the odds of meeting the 1-month benchmark increased by 22% (p \u3c 0.01). Each additional 10 minutes of drive time decreased the odds by 7.3% for the 1-month and 3.6% for the 3-month benchmarks (p \u3c 0.01).
Shorter drive times and more urban residences increase adherence to both benchmarks, while birth location, insurance coverage and educational attainment also played significant roles. Addressing these barriers is crucial for improving EHDI outcomes
Genomic-Transcriptomic Analysis Identifies the Syrian Hamster as a Superior Animal Model for Human Diseases
No full textBackground The Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) has shown promise as a human diseases model, recapitulating features of different human diseases including COVID-19. However, the landscape of its genome and transcriptome has not been systematically dissected, restricting its potential applications. Results Here we provide a complete analysis of the genome and transcriptome of the Syrian hamster and found that its lineage diverged from that of the Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) around 29.4 million years ago. 21,387 protein-coding genes were identified, with 90.03% of the 2.56G base pair sequence being anchored to 22 chromosomes. Further comparison of the transcriptomes from 15 tissues of the Syrian hamster revealed that the Syrian hamster shares a pattern of alternative splicing modes more similar to humans, compared to rats and mice. An integrated genomic-transcriptomic analysis revealed that the Syrian hamster also has genetic and biological advantages as a superior animal model for cardiovascular diseases. Strikingly, several genes involved in SARS-COV-2 infection, including ACE2, present a higher homology with humans compared to other rodents and show the same function as their human counterparts. Conclusion The detailed molecular characterisation of the Syrian hamster in the present study opens a wealth of fundamental resources from this small rodent for future research into human disease pathology and treatment
BIGapp: A User-Friendly Genomic Tool Kit Identified Quantitative Trait Loci for Creeping Rootedness in Alfalfa (\u3ci\u3eMedicago sativa\u3c/i\u3e L.)
No full textAlfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a globally vital forage crop valued for its perennial growth and multiple annual harvests. A breeding effort is underway to improve the crop for productivity and persistence against biotic and abiotic stresses using “creeping rootedness,” a trait where plants exhibit horizontal root growth, similar to rhizomes, with increased vegetative ground surface area. In this study, we genotyped a breeding population of 648 alfalfa lines segregating for creeping rootedness using the 3K DArTag marker panel to identify trait-associated genomic loci and evaluate the feasibility of genomic prediction to accelerate breeding cycles. Using genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we identified three quantitative trait loci (QTLs), with one major QTL located on chromosome 6.1 associated with this trait. Genomic prediction showed moderate predictive ability (r = 0.68) for creeping rootedness. A significant advancement in this study was the development and utilization of the Breeding Insight Genomics Application (BIGapp), an R Shiny application designed to streamline the processing of genomic data through an intuitive interface. This tool makes integrating genomics into existing breeding programs accessible, regardless of species ploidy or the researcher\u27s coding proficiency. The identified QTL will be essential in future efforts to develop new alfalfa cultivars with the creeping rootedness trait and accelerate the breeding cycle, with BIGapp playing a pivotal role in these advancements
Academic Standards Subcommittee Agenda November 20, 2025
No full textWelcome and approval of October 16, 2025 minutes New Topics: Academic Grievance Policy process Catalog year policy proposa
Family Ties and Acclimation to Salinity in Solanaceae
No full textBelowground competition is affected by the presence and identity of neighboring plants, as well as by environmental conditions. We examined the effects of the degree of relatedness (DOR) of neighboring Solanaceae relatives under salinity stress vs. control. Cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) (C) and bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) (B) plants were grown individually or in pairs of high (H) DOR (CC and BB) and low (L) DOR (CB), under control and salinity conditions. In comparisons of plant responses to DOR and treatments, cherry tomato benefited from the presence of bell pepper, with increased CO2 assimilation (A), stomatal conductance (gs), plant height (H), shoot and root growth, xylem area and root respiration, thus acclimating better to salinity with L-DOR pairing. In contrast, salinity-stressed bell pepper showed impairment in A, gs, H, biomass, root anatomy, and proliferation of fine roots with significantly increased root respiration, especially with L-DOR pairing. Expression of genes in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) was also affected by the neighbor’s presence, influencing respiration rate. Acclimation to salinity is, therefore, species-specific and depends on the neighbors’ presence and DOR, suggesting that cultivating major crops with different DORs under extreme environmental constraints could increase stress tolerance for sustainable agriculture