122 research outputs found
Phylogenomics identifies a new major subgroup of apicomplexans, Marosporida class. nov., with extreme apicoplast genome reduction
No full text- Nuclear and Plastid multi-protein matrices for phylogenomics analyses
- Apicoplast genomes of Rhytidocystis sp1 and sp2, Siedleckia nematoides, and Eleutheroschizon dubosq
Plastid evolution in deep-branching apicomplexans
No full textNuclear and Plastid multi-protein matrices used for phylogenomics analyse
Parallel functional reduction in the mitochondria of apicomplexan parasites
No full text(1) Phylogenomics tree matrix, (2) mitochondrial metabolic protein alignments and individual phylogenies, and (3) transcriptome assemblies generated in this study
Generation and characterization of random and site-directed mutants of Shiga-like toxin 1A by Escherichia Coli O157:H7 in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
No full textFood-borne illnesses are mainly associated with Shiga-like toxins (Stx1 and Stx2) produced by various serotypes of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). These serotypes are collectively known as STEC (Stx-producing E. coli). One of these serotypes E. coli O157:H7 has been the major cause of food-borne illnesses recently in US, Canada and Japan. The clinical manifestations of EHEC infections range from watery diarrhea, severe bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and hemorrhagic colitis (HC), to the most severe outcome, life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) resulting in kidney failure.
This study involved generation and characterization of random and site-directed mutants of Shiga-like toxin 1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The mutants were characterized for protein expression, ribosome depurination and loss of cytotoxicity. The results from this study are crucial to understand the mechanism by which Shiga-like toxins exhibit their cytotoxicity to the cells. The results from this study can aid in development of treaments against the diseases caused by Shiga-like toxin 1.M.S.Includes bibliographical references (p. 33-35)by Varsha Shet
Dialogical Skirmishes
No full textTan was guest editor for 'And Now China?', a special print edition of the Ctrl+P journal, which critically responded to the celebratory rhetoric’s of ‘China Now’ and other celebratory markers of China's global ascent in 2008. As well as the introductory article 'Dialogical Skirmishes', Tan also interviewed Hans Ulrich Obrist
Visualization considerations for IEEA
No full textThesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2015.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 93-96).Epoch-Era Analysis (EEA) is a quantitative analysis approach that allows decision-makers to evaluate performance of design alternatives over a set of possible futures. To address the computational and cognitive burden arising from a potentially unlimited number of futures, the insertion of human-in-the-loop interaction into certain modules of EEA, or Interactive Epoch-Era Analysis (IEEA), was proposed. This thesis discusses user goals of these modules as well as principles of data visualization and user interface design, and evaluates the functionality and usability of selected visualizations and interfaces accordingly in the context of these IEEA modules.by Varsha J. Raghavan.M. Eng
GPU accelerated Hungarian algorithm for traveling salesman problem
No full textIn this thesis, we present a model of the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) cast in a quadratic assignment problem framework with linearized objective function and constraints. This is referred to as Reformulation Linearization Technique at Level 2 (or RLT2). We apply dual ascent procedure for obtaining lower bounds that employs Linear Assignment Problem (LAP) solver recently developed by Date(2016). The solver is a parallelized Hungarian Algorithm that uses Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) enabled NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units (GPU) as the parallel programming architecture. The aim of this thesis is to make use of a modified version of the Dual Ascent-LAP solver to solve the TSP.
Though this procedure is computational expensive, the bounds obtained are tight and our experimental results confirm that the gap is within 2% for most problems. However, due to limitations in computational resources, we could only test problem sizes N < 30. Further work can be directed at theoretical and computational analysis to test the efficiency of our approach for larger problem instances.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2019-05-01The student, Varsha Ravi Prakash Kaushik, accepted the attached license on 2017-04-28 at 14:19.The student, Varsha Ravi Prakash Kaushik, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2017-04-28 at 14:27.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2017-04-28 at 14:50.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #11137 on 2017-08-10 at 15:07:21Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-10T20:33:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2017-04-28Embargo set by: Colleen Fallaw for item 102858
Lift date: 2019-08-10T21:27:21Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 102858 on 2019-08-11T09:15:32Z
Navigating intimate spaces of violence: Global legal responses on female genital mutilation/cutting
No full textInternational human rights law recognizes Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) as a form of violence against women and girls and focuses on the urgency to eradicate this harmful cultural and religious practice through enactment of laws, supplemented by psychological and health support services. FGM/C operates within private-intimate spaces in the family and community. It is committed to control female sexuality and suppress female sexual desire. The violence of FGM/C is examined in this chapter as emanating and operating within patriarchal social structures and not simply as violence practiced and confined within the narrow walls of a specific culture or religion. The chapter presents an overview of the current global legal responses to address and eradicate FGM/C. In doing so, the chapter explores intimate spaces occupied by minor girls and their families, the tussle between individual, family, community, religion, culture and law and the challenges faced by States in navigating the complexity of rights regimes and criminal regimes to determine legal interventions that are likely to be effective, with the objective of assessing best practices emerging from several jurisdictions that have legislated on the subject
The phylogeny and evolution apicomplexan parasites
No full textApicomplexans are a large phylum of obligate animal parasites that contain pathogens such as Plasmodium spp. (the causative agent of malaria) and Toxoplasma gondii. While these medically relevant apicomplexans are the subject of extensive research, the bulk of the diversity of the group, particularly the lineages that infect invertebrates, remain poorly studied and largely ignored in high-throughput sequencing surveys. In this dissertation, I show that these groups are critical to gaining insights into the origins and evolution of the Apicomplexa. I begin by examining the diversity and inferred ecology of the enigmatic apicomplexan-related lineages (ARLs), and show that ARL-V is highly abundant in environmental surveys, and is tightly associated with coral tissue and mucus, suggesting that it represents a core symbiont of coral. In the following chapters, using methods of single-cell transcriptomics, I sequenced the transcriptomes of 15 invertebrate-infecting apicomplexans. Using this dataset, I constructed a robust and taxon-rich multi-gene apicomplexan phylogeny that resolves the deep phylogenetic relationships within the group, and also form a new class of apicomplexans, the Marosporida, that is sister to the Hematozoa and Coccidia. Most unexpectedly, in Chapter 2, I show that certain taxa previously classified as apicomplexans, actually represent convergently evolved animal parasites, suggesting that apicomplexan-like parasites have evolved at least four times independently. In Chapter 3, I examine the presence and function of apicoplasts (remnant plastids) across the diversity of the group using whole genome shotgun sequencing (WGS), and find that the Marosporida contain the smallest, most AT-rich, and gene poor apicoplast genomes sequenced to date. I also present the first evidence of plastids in the gregarines, and show that archigregarines retain the canonical apicomplexan plastid metabolism, whereas only one clade of marine eugregarines retains plastids that solely carry out type II fatty acid biosynthesis. Lastly in Chapter 4, I reconstruct the mitochondrial metabolism in the gregarines and squirmids, and find that eugregarines contain highly reduced respiratory chains, suggesting that they have lost their mitochondrial genomes, and possess limited energy metabolism. Altogether, the data presented here, illustrates the significance of invertebrate-infecting apicomplexans in illuminating the early evolution of the apicomplexans and myzozoans.Science, Faculty ofBotany, Department ofGraduat
Changes in the Intention to Return and the Related Risk Perception Among Residents and Evacuees of Tomioka Town 11 Years After the Fukushima Nuclear Accident
No full textObjective: This study examined temporal trends in risk perception and intention to return to Tomioka among residents and evacuees with the aim of aiding community recovery. Methods: Responses to questionnaires distributed in 2017 and 2021 were compared regarding demographic information, intention to return to Tomioka, desire to consult radiation experts, and risk perception such as anxiety about food consumption, drinking tap water, self-health, and genetic effects. Questionnaires were distributed to all persons registered with the Tomioka town council, both current residents and evacuees. Results: In 2021, the proportion of responders who had already returned/ wanted to return and those who did not want to return increased by 3.2% and 6.8% respectively, and the proportion unsure about returning decreased by 10.1%. Anxiety for self-health decreased by 15.4%, for genetic effects decreased by 24.4%, for food consumption decreased by 30.9%, and the latter 2 remained significant factors among responders unsure of returning and among those who did not want to return in 2021. Conclusions: Risk perception for food and genetic effects was significantly associated with uncertainty about returning or not returning. There is a need for continual monitoring of risk perception trends and implementation of targeted risk communication strategies.長崎大学学位論文 学位記番号:共博(医歯薬)甲第40号 学位授与年月日:令和6年3月19日Author: Varsha Hande, Makiko Orita, Hitomi Matsunaga, Yuya Kashiwazaki, Yasuyuki Taira and Noboru TakamuraCitation: Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 17, art. no. e386; 2023Nagasaki University (長崎大学), 博士(医学) (2024-03-19
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