51 research outputs found
Anti-GalNAcβ : a novel anti-glycan autoantibody associated with pregnancy loss in women with antiphospholipid syndrome and in a mouse experimental model
No full textOBJECTIVES: We evaluated the presence of anti-glycan antibodies (aGA) in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and associations between aGA and clinical features of the disease.
METHODS: Sera from APS patients and healthy controls were analyzed for aGA levels by ELISA. Analysis of the association of specific aGA with clinical manifestations of APS was performed. Selected aGA were affinity-purified and injected intravenously into naive mice which were tested for fetal loss. Matrigel invasion assay was performed for detection of choriocarcinoma cells (JAR) invasion and proliferation in the presence of selected aGA. Culture fluid of JAR invasion assays was analyzed for the presence of MMP2 and MMP9.
RESULTS: High levels of several aGA were found in APS sera, of which anti-GalNAc-β was significantly associated with recurrent pregnancy loss. Naive mice infused intravenously with anti-GalNAc-β developed increased fetal loss. Anti-GalNAc-β significantly inhibited the in-vitro percentage of JAR invasiveness and the secretion of MMP2 and MMP9 by human JAR cells.
CONCLUSIONS: APS sera contain significant levels of aGA directed against several glycans. Anti-GalNAc-β Ab is specifically associated with recurrent pregnancy loss both in human patients and experimental mouse model. The pathogenic effects of anti-GalNAc-β include inhibition of JAR cells invasiveness accompanied by decreased MMP2 and MMP9 secretio
Molecular interactions of the Src homology 2 domain protein Shb with phosphotyrosine residues, tyrosine kinase receptors and Src homology 3 domain proteins
No full textThe molecular interactions of the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain and the N-terminal proline-rich sequence motifs (pro-1 to pro-5) of the SH2 protein Shb with other components were presently characterised. Using a degenerate phosphopeptide library the preferred binding site for the Shb SH2 domain was determined to pTyr-Thr/Val/Ile-X-Leu at positions +1 to +3 relative the phosphotyrosine residue. Experiments with competing peptides and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) beta-receptor mutants with Y to F substitutions in autophosphorylation sites revealed multiple binding sites for the Shb SH2 domain in the receptor. The Shb SH2 domain also binds to in vitro phosphorylated fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR-1) mainly through position Y776. The receptor experiments suggest that other residues besides the +1 to +3 positions may also be of significance for Shb binding. The pro-4/pro-5 motif of Shb binds in vitro particularly well to the Src, p85 alpha PI3-kinase and Eps8 SH3 domains expressed as GST fusion proteins. However, the GST-SH3 domain fusion proteins tested bind in vitro to peptides corresponding to the pro-1 to pro-5 motifs of Shb with low affinity and selectivity, suggesting that sequences outside the core proline motif may also be important for Shb-SH3 domain interactions. In vivo association between Shb-SH3 domain proteins v-Src and Eps8 was detected by coimmunoprecipitation. PDGF treatment did not affect the association between Eps8 and Shb. The data suggest that Shb is an adaptor protein linking SH3 domain proteins to tyrosine kinases or other tyrosine phosphorylated proteins
Comparison of Field and Virtual Vegetation Surveys Conducted Using Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) Imagery at Two Coastal Marsh Restoration Projects
No full textTraditional field vegetation plot surveys are critical for monitoring ecosystem restoration performance and include visual observations to quantitatively measure plants (e.g., species composition and abundance). However, surveys can be costly, time-consuming, and only provide data at discrete locations, leaving potential data gaps across a site. Uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) technology can help fill data gaps between high-to-moderate spatial resolution (e.g., 1–30 m) satellite imagery, manned airborne data, and traditional field surveys, yet it has not been thoroughly evaluated in a virtual capacity as an alternative to traditional field vegetation plot surveys. This study assessed the utility of UAS red-green-blue (RGB) and low-altitude imagery for virtually surveying vegetation plots in a web application and compared to traditional field surveys at two coastal marsh restoration sites in southeast Louisiana, USA. Separate expert botanists independently observed vegetation plots in the field vs. using UAS imagery in a web application to identify growth form, species, and coverages. Taxa richness and assemblages were compared between field and virtual vegetation plot survey results using taxa resolution (growth-form and species-level) and data collection type (RGB imagery, Anafi [low-altitude] imagery, or field data) to assess accuracy. Virtual survey results obtained using Anafi low-altitude imagery compared better to field data than those from RGB imagery, but they were dependent on growth-form or species-level resolution. There were no significant differences in taxa richness between all survey types for a growth-form level analysis. However, there were significant differences between each survey type for species-level identification. The number of species identified increased by approximately two-fold going from RGB to Anafi low-altitude imagery and another two-fold from Anafi low-altitude imagery to field data. Vegetation community assemblages were distinct between the two marsh sites, and similarity percentages were higher between Anafi low-altitude imagery and field data compared to RGB imagery. Graminoid identification mismatches explained a high amount of variance between virtual and field similarity percentages due to the challenge of discriminating between them in a virtual setting. The higher level of detail in Anafi low-altitude imagery proved advantageous for properly identifying lower abundance species. These identifications included important taxa, such as invasive species, that were overlooked when using RGB imagery. This study demonstrates the potential utility of high-resolution UAS imagery for increasing marsh vegetation monitoring efficiencies to improve ecosystem management actions and outcomes. Restoration practitioners can use these results to better understand the level of accuracy for identifying vegetation growth form, species, and coverages from UAS imagery compared to field data to effectively monitor restored marsh ecosystems
Is artificial selection in Italian Holstein Friesian cattle favouring heterozygotes?
No full textIn recent years, the genetic analysis of cattle breeds has shown that most of the genetic variability is located within breeds instead that between breeds (Mac Hugh et al., 1998). Moreover, the amount of genetic diversity assessed within breeds is quite high (Edwards et al., 2000). A selection pressure in favour of the heterozygotes can be a possible explanation for this. In this case the management of cattle breeds would represent a tool to preserve genetic variability, instead of the cause of its decline. The Italian Friesian is the main Italian dairy cattle breed. The herd book has been created in 1959 and is managed by the ANAFI (National Association of Italian Friesian Breeders). Each year ANAFI updates the herd book and uses productive data for computing genetic evaluations by an animal model analysis. These genetic evaluations are available to the farmers who use them to choose semen for artificial insemination........
Bibliographie
No full textAfrican Union, Assembly of the African Union, Fifteenth Ordinary Session, Kampala, Uganda, 25-27 juillet 2010. Agyepong, I. A., P. Anafi, E. Asiamah, E. K. Ansah, D. A. Ashon et C. Narh-Dometey, « Health worker (internal customer) satisfaction and motivation in the public sector in Ghana », International Journal of Health Planning and Management, vol. 19, no 4, 2004, p. 319-336. Annear, P. L., M. Bidgeli, R. C. Eang et B. Jacobs, « Providing access to health services for the..
Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Tshwane University of Science and Technology, Private Bag X680 Pretoria 0001, South Africa
No full textThe study was designed to investigate the effect of age, breed, sex and breeding season on thiamine and ascorbic acid status (AA) in camels (Camelus dromedarius). A total of 375 camels were sampled over a one-year field survey in Butana area, Central Sudan. No effect of sex on thiamine and ascorbic acid levels was observed. The breeding male and female camels showed higher status of plasma thiamine and lower ascorbic acid as compared to non-breeding camels. Thiamine plasma contents showed variation with respect to age. The thiamine plasma levels for neonate, yearling and adult were 59.9±4.4, 70.5±8.9 and 88.9±6.7 flg L -I, respectively. The corresponding figures for AA were 6.2±1.0, 4.9±0.9 and 4.5±0.8 mg L -I, respectively. The Arabi showed higher ascorbic acid (5.9±1.0) than Anafi (4.2±0.9 mg L -I). However, no significant breed variation for thiamine status was indicated
Birth date regression to identify genomic signatures of recent selection in Italian Holstein
No full textGenomic signatures of recent selection were identified in 2918 Italian Holstein bulls born between 1987 and 2007 using a birth date regression on EBVs, and the analysis of changes in allele frequencies. Under strong directional selection, allele frequencies rapidly change and permit the identification of genomic regions that carry genes controlling production, functional or type traits. Genotype data from SELMOL, PROZOO and INNOVAGEN projects were used along with EBVs (Estimated Breeding Value) for 32 production and morphological traits of the genotyped animals, provided by the Italian Holstein association (ANAFI). Bulls were genotyped with BovineSNP50 and BovineHD SNPchips. Imputation using SNPchiMp v.1 and BEAGLE (v.3) was used to obtain HD genotypes for all individuals. A total of 2918 animals and 613,956 SNPs were included in the working dataset, after quality control. Birth date regressed Protein Yield EBVs, show a strong positive trend in the birth date interval analyzed. To detect genomic regions involved, we first identified animals with outlier PLUS- and MINUS-variant EBVs, over the total range of birth years (164 bulls, group 1) and in each birth year (159 bulls, group 2). Then, allele frequencies were obtained for each SNP, in PLUS and MINUS variants pools. Finally, we calculated the absolute allele frequency difference between PLUS and MINUS pools within each group and identified genomic regions with high values by overlapping sliding windows of 50 SNPs. Comparing the information from the plus and minus pool identified 0.53% shared windows in genomic regions under recent selection. A ~1.2 Mb region on BTA13 (from position 23.2 to 24.4Mb) had the highest absolute mean difference across datasets. This birth date based analysis is a novel and potentially powerful approach to identify regions under recent selection associated with production, type and functional traits
The commentary on Ab?'l-Mu'ayyad al-Nasafi's Manz?mah fi al-'Aq?'id known as al-Ra'iyyah: Critical edition and analysis
No full textİslam ilim geleneği metin yazım türleri içerisinde önemli bir yere sahip olan şiir türü, kelâm ilminin bir alt dalı olarak akaid literatüründe de kendisine yer bulmuştur. Genel olarak düz yazı şekinde telif edilen akaid metinleri, eğitim ve öğretim faaliyetlerinin gelişip medreselerin yaygınlaşmasıyla birlikte şiir şeklinde de yazılmaya başlanmıştır. Bu tür eserlerin kolay ezberlenmesi, zihinde daha kalıcı olması ve talep edilen ilmin konularını bir araya toplaması gibi faydaları sebebiyle bu tarz telif türlerine ilgi artmış ve ilmî ortamlarda yaygınlaşmıştır. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, Ebü'l-Müeyyed en-Nesefî'nin (ö. 519/1125) şiir formatında telif etmiş olduğu el-Manzûmetü'r-râ'iyye adlı eseri ve bu esere anonim bir kimse tarafından yazılmış olan şerhin incelemesi ve tenkitli neşrini yaparak kelâm literatürüne mütevazı bir katkı sunmaktır. Hanefî-Mâtürîdî telif geleneğinde şiir türünde üretilen akaid metinlerinin ilk örneğini oluşturan bu eserin ve şerhlerinin daha önce çalışılmamış olması bu araştırmayı önemli kılmaktadır. Çalışmanın ilk bölümünde el-Manzûmetü'r-râ'iyye adlı eserin müellifi olan ve hakkında çok az bilgiye sahip olduğumuz Ebü'l-Müeyyed en-Nesefî'nin hayatı hakkında bilgi verilmiş olup bu eserin el yazma nüshaları tanıtılmış ve eserin Nesefî'ye aidiyeti incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın ikinci bölümünde ise el-Manzûmetü'r-râ'iyye şerhinin nüshaları tanıtılmış ve eserin müellifi tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışmanın son bölümünde el-Manzûmetü'r-râ'iyye şerhinin içerik analizi yapılmış ve kelâm literatürü içerisindeki yeri tespit edimeye çalışılmış olup çalışmanın sonunda manzumenin şerhinin tenkitli neşri bulunmaktadır.Poetry that holds an important place in the types of text writing in the tradition of Islamic knowledge gained ground in also 'aq?'id literature as a sub-branch of ?ilm al-Kala?m. The 'aq?'id texts that are compiled generally in the form of prose began to be written also in the form of poetry in parallel with the improvement of education and training activities and the proliferation of madrasahs. These types of compilation drew increased interest and became prevalent in scholarly environments due to the benefits through their being easily memorised and more permanent in mind and the ease of collecting the subjects of knowledge. The purpose of this study to offer a modest contribution to Kal?m literature by examining and critically disseminating the work of Ab?'l-Mu'ayyad al-Nasafi? (d. 519/1125) named al-Râiyyah which is composed in the form of poetry and the commentary on that work written by an anonymous person. Being the prototype of 'aq?'id texts produced in the type of poetry in the tradition of H?anafi?-Ma?turi?di? compilation, neither this text nor its commentaries are previously studied. This makes this research significant. In the first part of the study, the life of Ab?'l-Mu'ayyad al-Nasafi?, the author of the work named al-Râiyyah, with whom we have a nodding acquaintance is presented as well as the manuscripts of this work are introduced afterwards the attribution of the work to al-Nasafi? is examined. In the second part of the study, the copies of the sharh? on al-Râiyyah are demonstrated and the author of this work is tried to be determined. In the final part of the study, the content of the sharh? on al-Râiyyah is analysed and its place in Kal?m literature is explored. This research presents the critical edition of the sharh? on al-Râiyyah at the end of the study
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