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Vaccination of chickens against avian coccidiosis in chickens often involves storing Eimeria oocysts for months after oocyst propagation and sporulation. The purpose of this study was to determine how long E. acervulina, E. maxima , and E. tenella oocysts remained viable when stored at refrigeration (4°C) or egg room (20°C) temperatures. Separate tubes containing E. acervulina, E. maxima , or E. tenella oocysts were stored at these temperatures and a sample removed every 3 mo for inoculating chickens for evidence of a patent infection. Also, an aliquot of each Eimeria species at each time–temperature combination was subjected to in vitro excystation to quantify the relative number of released sporozoites to intact (nonexcysted) sporocysts. Eimeria tenella appeared to be most susceptible to storage in that no oocyst production was observed at 9 mo at either temperature. Although E. maxima oocysts were viable at 9 mo, no oocyst production was observed at 12 mo storage at these 2 temperatures. Quite unexpected was that E. acervulina was much more stable than E. tenella and E. maxima remaining viable up to and including 27 mo at 4°C and up to and including 12 mo at 20°C. No consistent correlation was observed between in vivo oocyst production and in vitro excystation arising from these 2 respective temperatures (E. acervulina r = 0.58, r = 0.54; E. maxima r = 0.90, r = 0.54; E. tenella r = 0.38, r = 0.90). These data indicate that attention must be paid to time and temperature of Eimeria oocyst storage, and that sporozoite excystation may not be a good indicator of oocyst viability, particularly at later timepoints in incubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coccidiosis, an intestinal disease caused by Eimeria parasites, is responsible for major losses in the poultry industry by impacting chicken health. The gut microbiota is associated with health factors, such as nutrient exchange and immune system modulation, requiring understanding on the effects of Eimeria infection on the gut microbiota. This study aimed to determine the effects of Eimeria acervulina infection on the luminal and mucosal microbiota of the cecum (CeL and CeM) and ileum (IlL and IlM) at multiple time points (days 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14) post-infection. E. acervulina infection decreased evenness in CeL microbiota at day 10, increased richness in CeM microbiota at day 3 before decreasing richness at day 14, and decreased richness in IlL microbiota from day 3 to 10. CeL, CeM, and IlL microbiota differed between infected and control birds based on beta diversity at varying time points. Infection reduced relative abundance of bacterial taxa and some predicted metabolic pathways known for short-chain fatty acid production in CeL, CeM, and IlL microbiota, but further understanding of metabolic function is required. Despite E. acervulina primarily targeting the duodenum, our findings demonstrate the infection can impact bacterial diversity and abundance in the cecal and ileal microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Cryptosporidium spp. CP15 and CSL peptides stimulate antibody production. • Antibodies induced by CP15-1 and CP15-3 peptides neutralise parasite entry in vitro. • CP15 plays an important role in sporozoite entry to enterocytes. • A multiple-epitope vaccine is required for complete entry blocking. Abstract Cryptosporidium spp. is a zoonotic intracellular protozoan and a significant cause of diarrhoea in humans and animals worldwide. This parasite can cause high morbidity in immunocompromised people and children in developing countries, livestock being the main reservoir. This study was aimed at performing preliminary tests on Swiss albino weaned mice (ICR) to evaluate the humoral immune response induced against peptides derived from Cryptosporidium parvum CP15 (15 kDa sporozoite surface antigen) and CSL (circumsporozoite-like antigen) proteins. Peptides were identified and characterised using bioinformatics tools and were chemically synthesised. The antibody response was determined and the neutralising effect of antibodies was measured in cell culture. Despite all peptides studied here were capable of stimulating antibody production, neutralising antibodies were detected for just two of the CP15-derived ones. Additional studies aimed at evaluating further the potential of such peptides as vaccine candidates are thus recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to compare the levels of recombinant protein from three Eimeria genes before and after optimization of codons for expression in Escherichia coli. Protein coding sequences from Eimeria maxima (EmaxSO7, EmaxIMP1) and Eimeria acervulina (EAH00033530) were cloned with or without prior codon optimization and expressed as polyHis fusion proteins. All three outcomes: higher, lower, or no change in the yield of amount of recombinant protein were observed suggesting that codon optimization alone for expression in E. coli does not inevitably lead to higher expression levels. Analysis of codon usage for each gene sequence revealed that, similar to other organisms, Eimeria intersperses rare and frequently used codons in protein-coding sequences. However, no relationship was observed between the predicted protein structure and the location of major and minor codons, suggesting that codon selection in this apicomplexan parasite is influenced by factors other than regional secondary protein structure. • Heterologous gene expression in Escherichia coli often utilizes codon optimization. • Codon optimization had variable effects on recombinant protein expression. • Analysis of 3 genes from the protozoan Eimeria showed differential codon choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Loneliness is a powerful predictor of several medical and psychiatric conditions that are highly prevalent in Veterans, including depression and PTSD. Despite this, few studies have examined loneliness in Veterans or how best to intervene upon Veteran loneliness. Additional empirical research is needed in these areas in order to define clear intervention targets and improve Veteran care.Materials and Methods: In this pilot study, we used 62 Veterans' self-reported loneliness and symptoms of post-traumatic stress to examine whether specific symptom clusters of post-traumatic stress were associated with greater loneliness. Post-traumatic stress was measured using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, and responses were further parsed into four symptom clusters: intrusions, avoidance, negative alterations in mood and cognition (excluding the social withdrawal item), and alterations in arousal and reactivity.Results: Results revealed that only the negative alterations in mood and cognition symptom cluster was associated with increased Veteran loneliness, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, social isolation, and symptoms of depression. These analyses were also repeated using a subset of our sample (n = 29) who completed repeated measures of the PTSD Checklist. Results again revealed that the same symptom cluster predicted Veteran loneliness over 1 year later.Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates the value of a publicly available PTSD measure for identifying lonely Veterans and highlights how reducing negative alterations in mood and cognition may serve as a potentially critical target for future Veteran loneliness interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ostertagiosis remains an economically important parasitic disease in cattle in the temperate regions of the world. Repeated exposures to Ostertagia ostertagi in calves cause significant pathology in the abomasum but elicit little protective immunity. The larvae use the host's gastric glands as a niche for development, where the parasite completes its parasitic stages, while in the gastric glands, the larvae must down-regulate the host inflammatory immune responses. Annexin (ANX) A1, commonly found in most eukaryotes, is heavily involved in controlling anti-inflammatory responses by binding receptors on leukocytes. We hypothesized, therefore, that parasite proteins of the ANX family may be involved in host-parasite interactions during ostertagiosis. BLASTN search with the bovine ANXA1 identified two families of Oos-ANX like proteins (Oos-ANXL), each of which was highly conserved at the genetic level and identical at the amino acid sequence level. Oos-ANXL-1 is encoded by two transcripts and Oos-ANXL-2 by 20 transcripts. The present study characterized one Oos-ANXL, representing the most abundant Oos-ANXL, which was further defined as Oost-ANXL-2.1. Oos-ANXL-2.1 with a coding sequence of 519 bp was PCR-amplified, cloned, and expressed. Oos-ANXL-2.1 was immunolocalized to both L3 and adult, but not L4. The staining appeared to be associated with the gut and hypodermis in L3, but it was specifically localized to the hypodermis in adult worms. Western blots detected three protein bands in parasite lysates using anti-recombinant Oos-ANXL-2.1 antibody. Integrated optical density for each of the 3 Oos-ANXL-2s or the total Oos-ANXL-2s detected by Western blots ( P < 0.05) was higher in adult worms than in L3 or L4. The results indicate that the production of Oos-ANXL-2s is developmentally regulated and most abundant in the adult worm. This rather large family of proteins could be a potential vaccine target against O. ostertagi infection and warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eimeria maxima is one of the most pathogenic species of avian coccidia, yet it is unknown why different E. maxima strains differ in the pathogenic effects they cause in chickens. The purpose of this study was to determine if a more pathogenic E. maxima strain (APU1) was also more fecund than a less pathogenic E. maxima strain (APU2). At identical doses, E. maxima APU1 always produces greater intestinal lesions and lower weight gain compared to E. maxima APU2. Using a dose response study, median and mean intestinal lesion scores in E. maxima APU1-infected chickens were greater by a score of 1–1.5 compared to chickens infected with E. maxima APU2. Likewise, weight gain depression in E. maxima APU1-infected chickens was 20–25% greater (equivalent to 110–130 g body weight) than in E. maxima APU2-infected chickens. In order to understand the underlying cause of these observed clinical effects, 120 broiler chicks (5 oocyst levels, 6 replicates/level) were inoculated with various doses of E. maxima APU1 or APU2 oocysts. The dynamics of oocyst shedding was investigated by collecting fecal material every 12 h from 114 to 210 h post-inoculation (p.i.) and every 24 h thereafter from 210 to 306 h, and then processed for measuring E. maxima oocyst output. Oocysts were first observed at 138 h p.i., and time of peak oocyst production was nearly identical for both E. maxima APU1 and APU2 around 150–162 h. Total oocyst production was 1.1–2.6 fold higher at all dose levels for E. maxima APU1 compared to E. maxima APU2, being significantly higher (P < 0.05) at the log 1.5 dose level. Other groups of chickens were infected with higher doses of E. maxima APU1 or APU2 oocysts, and intestinal lesions were assessed by histology at 72, 96, 120, and 144 h p.i. Although schizonts, gamonts, and oocysts were observed at expected time-points, no obvious differences were noted in lesions induced by the two E. maxima strains. This study showed that the greater fecundity of E. maxima APU1 compared to E. maxima APU2 explains in part the observed differences in pathogenicity of the two E. maxima strains, but that other factors may contribute to differences in observed clinical effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Stochastic Monte Carlo Markov chain model is used to synthetically produce verifiable electric charging and driving profiles. • Identification of prominent socioeconomic and behavioural factors affecting charging and driving behaviour. • Statistically significant analysis of electric vehicle driving and charging patterns that captures the inherit risk and uncertainty when leveraging their flexibility. With the increased roll-out of electric vehicles (EV), the need, but also opportunity, for leveraging their flexibility in the context of grid support, ancillary services and local market energy trading. However, the uncertainty and variability in driving patterns and resultant charging profiles pose substantial risk for aggregators. Given this context, the paper demonstrates a method for producing a stochastic, socio-economically-differentiated aggregation model that determines the flexibility space of a realistic and diverse EV fleet. A probabilistic Monte Carlo Markov Chain model is developed that allows for the overlay and comparison of different technical, spatial and social-economic behavioural factors through clustering and correlation analyses. In turn, the model enables a statistically significant analysis of the 'Energy Space' available that captures the inherit risk and uncertainty when leveraging EV flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to characterize a gene named EAH 00033530 identified by RNAseq analysis of sporulating Eimeria acervulina oocysts and its encoded protein. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed peak expression of EAH 00033530 mRNA early (3–6 h) in sporulation followed by downregulation at 12–24 h. The gene for EAH 00033530 was expressed in Escherichia coli as a 70 kDa polyHis fusion protein (rEAH 00033530). Antisera prepared against rEAH 00033530 protein identified in immunoblotting a native 25 kDa E. acervulina protein (Ea25) that was present in oocyst-sporocyst extracts after treatment with the reducing agent DTT. Immunofluorescence staining using anti-rEa25 localized the protein to both E. acervulina oocyst and sporocyst walls, but not to sporozoites. The protein may be produced during in vivo oocyst development because immunostaining of duodenal tissue from E. acervulina -infected chickens revealed oocyst wall expression. As observed by ELISA, rEa25 protein appears to elicit a humoral immune response in chickens infected with non-irradiated or radiation-attenuated E. acervulina oocysts. [Display omitted] • qRT-PCR confirmed upregulation of EAH 00033530 gene during Eimeria acervulina sporulation. • Antisera to recombinant EAH 00033530 recognized E. acervulina oocyst and sporocyst walls. • Antibodies against rEAH 00033530 were found in sera from E. acervulina-infected chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work presented in this letter extends upon state of the art visual object tracking algorithms, the Real-time Compressive Tracker and the Fast Compressive Tracker, increasing the overall tracking accuracy at a minimal computational cost and reduction in frame rate. A template matching processing stage is incorporated in order to increase the robustness of the algorithm while maintaining a frame rate well within the requirements for real time operation. We utilise a weighted multi-frame similarity metric, template matching a bank of the top classifier outputs against the ground truth bounding box and a recently stored target bounding box to select the appropriate target location in the following frame. Unlike the original algorithm, the proposed method utilises more of the available data to make more informed tracking decisions than purely using the highest classifier output. Multiple similarity metrics have been employed in the template matching stage to compare their performance on a range of commonly used publicly available image sequences. The extended algorithm clearly demonstrated an increase in the overall performance while maintaining a high frame-rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators with nanoscopic constrictions. By reducing the size of the center line down to 50 nm, the radio frequency currents are concentrated and the magnetic field in its vicinity is increased. The device characteristics are only slightly modified by the constrictions, with changes in resonance frequency lower than 1% and internal quality factors of the same order of magnitude as the original ones. These devices could enable the achievement of higher couplings to small magnetic samples or even to single molecular spins and have applications in circuit quantum electrodynamics, quantum computing, and electron paramagnetic resonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To determine whether risk of endometrial cancer for women without a germline mutation in a DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene depends on family history of endometrial or colorectal cancer. Methods: We retrospectively followed a cohort of 79,166 women who were recruited to the Colon Cancer Family Registry, after exclusion of women who were relatives of a carrier of a MMR gene mutation. The Kaplan–Meier failure method was used to estimate the cumulative risk of endometrial cancer. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for association between family history of endometrial or colorectal cancer and risk of endometrial cancer. Results: A total of 628 endometrial cancer cases were observed, with mean age at diagnosis of 54.4 (standard deviation: 15.7) years. The cumulative risk of endometrial cancer to age 70years was estimated to be 0.94% (95% CI 0.83–1.05) for women with no family history of endometrial cancer, and 3.80% (95% CI 2.75–4.98) for women with at least one first- or second-degree relative with endometrial cancer. Compared with women without family history, we found an increased risk of endometrial cancer for women with at least one first- or second-degree relative with endometrial cancer (HR 3.66, 95% CI 2.63–5.08), and for women with one first-degree relative with colorectal cancer diagnosed at age <50years (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.15–1.91). Conclusion: An increased risk of endometrial cancer is associated with a family history of endometrial cancer or early-onset colorectal cancer for women without a MMR gene mutation, indicating for potential underlying genetic and environmental factors shared by colorectal and endometrial cancers other than caused by MMR gene mutations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article extends recent efforts to investigate Nietzsche through the lens of Bernard Williams and Williams through the lens of Nietzsche by focusing on their respective conceptions of, and attitudes toward, pessimism. Specifically, the article investigates whether Williams should be regarded as endorsing or manifesting tragic or Dionysian forms of pessimism, which Nietzsche valorizes under the term "pessimism of strength," or whether he is better associated with the schopenhauerian or romantic pessimism, or even the socratic optimism, that Nietzsche rejects. The answer is held to turn on the interpretation of Williams's obscure notion of "confidence." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) is a complex interplay of risk factors, diseases and outcomes. In the last two decades, there has been a steady drift towards definitions depending ever more closely on laboratory abnormalities, which only represent at best possible risk factors for downstream pathology. In the early years of nephrology, especially when the therapeutic agents we had available to combat CKD-MBD were modest, bone and muscle problems were often advanced, and symptomatic, with bone and muscle pain, fractures and myopathy. This 'old style' hyperparathyroidism paradigm has become substantially less common now, and we can forget how symptomatic, and how draining of life-quality, CKD-MBD can be. In this chapter, we explore in the main the most feared complication of all, that of a fracture, which not only are dramatically more common in CKD patients, but also have a much heightened mortality over similar fractures but not in a CKD setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes transcription of mRNA from genes encoding metabolic or structural proteins during excystation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. RNA was harvested from C. parvum oocysts before excystation, and at 5, 10, and 15 min during excystation. Subtractive cDNA libraries were prepared by using mRNA from non-excysted C. parvum oocysts to 'subtract out' mRNA from excysting oocysts. The 'subtracted' cDNA was used to prepare libraries enriched for transcripts possibly involved in excystation. From these libraries, over 1,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were analyzed by DNA sequencing followed by BLAST-N and BLAST-X analysis. While several gene products involved in cell metabolism and cell signaling were consistently recovered, transcription levels, as reflected by the relative number of cDNA sequences (19.2% total), were highly up-regulated in genes coding for structural proteins such as Cp2, CpTSP, CpHC10, and CpSAg. Moreover, of the greater than 1,000 clones analyzed, a high percentage (12.3%) of ESTs detected in excysting oocysts were for hypothetical C. parvum proteins (CpHyP), whose functions are presently unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The public health concern represented by eye injury in Victoria, Australia has been known for a period now approaching 20 years. However, there has been no improvement observed in this public health concern since it was first identified in the 1990s. This study further investigates the epidemiology of eye injury in Victoria, specifically hospital-admitted eye injury. Methods: The Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset was surveyed for eye injury coded by the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision during the period spanning 2001–2005, retrieving all cases of hospital-admitted eye injury in Victoria during the surveyed period. Results: During the period surveyed, the average incidence of eye injury requiring hospital admission in Victoria was 53.6 per 100 000 person-years. Sixty-four per cent of patients were male and 36% were female ( P < 0.001). Male patients were most commonly middle-aged compared with female patients who were most commonly middle-aged to elderly ( P < 0.001). Core patient groups included: elderly women sustaining eye injuries as a result of falls (particularly in residential homes); middle-aged men sustaining eye injuries as a result of assault and in transport-related accidents. Conclusion: The incidence of hospital-admitted eye injury in Victoria has increased since it was first identified as a concern in the 1990s. The design and implementation of an effective preventative strategy to reduce the rate of hospital-admitted eye injury in Victoria presents as a difficult task given that the most common causes are represented by falls, assault and transport-related accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Profilins are actin-binding proteins that in Toxoplasma gondii stimulate innate immunity in mice by binding Toll-like receptors (TLR) on dendritic cells (DC) leading to release of inflammatory cytokines, primarily IL-12 and IFN-γ. The purpose of the present study was to characterize Neospora caninum profilin, termed NcProfilin. Recombinant NcProfilin was purified by affinity chromatography, and used to prepare specific antisera to allow characterization of native NcProfilin antigen in N. caninum tachyzoites. By immunoblotting, recombinant NcProfilin is 22kDa, and is similar in size to the respective 22kDa native protein. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy localized native NcProfilin to the apical end of N. caninum tachyzoites. Incubation of recombinant NcProfilin with spleen cells from BALB/c mice induced release of IFN-γ. Also, injection of BALB/c mice with purified rNcProfilin elicited a strong IFN-γ and IL-12 responses at 6 and 24h after injection indicating that NcProfilin may be an important protein in regulation of cytokine responses to N. caninum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report on our study of the LFV processes μ → eγ, μ → eeē and µN → eN in the context of Little Higgs models. Specifically, we examine the Littlest Higgs with T-parity (LHT) and the Simplest Little Higgs (SLH) as examples of a Product group and Simple group Little Higgs models, respectively. The necessary Feynman rules for both models are obtained in the 't Hooft Feynman Gauge up to the order of v²/f² and predictions for the branching ratios and conversion rates of the LFV processes are calculated to leading order (one-loop level). Comparison with current experimental constraints show that there is some tension and, in order to be within the limits, one requires a higher breaking scale f, alignment of the heavy and light lepton sectors or almost degenerate heavy lepton masses. These constraints are more demanding in the SLH than in the LHT case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the evidence of the development of advanced serrated polyps. It has been found that it is a genetic trait with implications for colorectal cancer and prevention in the wider population. One of the most important seeds for this change has been the recognition of a serrated polyp pathway-type colorectal tumorigenesis associated with somatic BRAF mutation and widespread gene promoter hypermethylation as an alternative to the adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

Abstract: Objective: Familial aggregation, a primary theme in genetic epidemiology, can be estimated from family studies based on an index person. The excess risk due to the presence of affected family members can be classified according to whether disease in the relatives is considered a risk factor for the index person (type I relative risk) or whether the disease status of the index person is considered a risk factor for the relatives (type II relative risk). Study Design and Setting: A meta-analysis of published colorectal cancer studies reporting a measure of familial association was performed and application of multilevel linear regression to model age-specific relative risks presented. Results: The pooled type I relative risk of colorectal cancer given any affected first-degree relative (based on 20 studies) was 2.26 (95% confidence interval CI = 1.86, 2.73) and decreased with the age of the consultand. The pooled type II estimate (based on seven studies) was 2.81 (95% CI = 2.05, 3.85). Conclusion: Type I relative risks are useful in clinical counseling settings when a consultand wants to know his/her disease risk given his or her family history. Type II relative risks can be used to quantify the risk of disease to relatives of an affected individual and then identify subjects eligible for screening. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective--To evaluate the immunologic response of a killed tachyzoite vaccine against Neospora caninum and its effectiveness in preventing fetal loss associated with experimentally induced neosporosis in sheep. Animals--30 Dorset ewes. Procedure--Ewes were randomly allocated to receive vaccination on days 1 and 60 of the study with a killed N caninum tachyzoite preparation in a commercially available adjuvant or a saline-adjuvant mixture. A ram was placed on pasture with the ewes from days 15 to 60. Blood was collected from ewes before primary and booster vaccinations and prior to experimental challenge with N caninum tachyzoite performed on day 90; sera were assessed via Neospora agglutination (NA) and immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) assays. Blood was collected from lambs before they suckled, and sera were tested for antibodies against N caninum. Results--Of the 14 vaccinated ewes that became pregnant, 12 gave birth to live-born lambs; in contrast, 5 of 11 pregnant control ewes gave birth to live-born lambs. Whereas vaccination improved fetal survival in pregnant ewes challenged with N caninum tachyzoites, it did not appear to have any appreciable effect on transmission of N caninum to offspring, as indicated by results of NA and IFA assays. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance--The N caninum tachyzoite vaccine used in this study appeared to provide protection against fetal loss associated with experimentally induced neosporosis in a high proportion of pregnant ewes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the risk of disease is not the same for all germline mutations in a given gene, or if there are other familial modifiers of risk in carriers, then family-history-based estimates of average risk for detected mutations in that gene will depend on how carriers are sampled. Risk may also depend on the site or type of mutation. We studied 51 families with strong histories of breast cancer who attended Australian family cancer clinics and in which a germline mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 had been identified (28 and 23 families, respectively). Breast cancer risk in carriers was estimated under maximum likelihood theory, using information from all family members including those not tested, with adjustment for ascertainment by conditioning on genotype of the proband and family phenotype. The average cumulative risk of breast cancer for mutations in either BRCA1 or BRCA2 was 27% (95% confidence interval 16–43%) to age 50 and 64% (44–83%) to age 70. When grouped, the incidence in carriers was on average 17 (10–30) times that in non-carriers, independent of gene or mutation type (hazard ratios: 11 (4–29) for BRCA1, 23 (12–43) for BRCA2 (P for difference = 0.23); 13 (6–29) for protein-truncating mutations, 30 (9–104) for missense mutations and 30 (10–90) for splice-site mutations). For missense mutations, this was equivalent to a cumulative risk to age 70 of 83% (40–100%) and was due in part, but not totally, to the missense mutations 300 T>G in BRCA1 and 4486 G>T in BRCA2, which were individually found to be associated with high risk (P<0.001). Mutations in the central region of BRCA1 may be associated with a lower risk. The issue of the pathogenicity of specific variants may be addressed analytically providing there are one or more suitably informative families with that mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Having a family history of breast cancer, particularly if it involves early-onset disease, is a risk factor for breast cancer, but little is known about specific causes of this association. Consequently, we studied mothers, sisters, and aunts of an age-stratified sample of 1567 unselected case patients diagnosed with breast cancer before age 60 years, recruited to a population-based, case-controlfamily study, in which case patients, control subjects, and their relatives were administered the same questionnaire. Methods: Extensive BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation testing was carried out for 788 case patients diagnosed before age 40 years, including manual sequencing of DNA from 72 patients with two or more affected relatives. Standardized morbidity ratios, age-specific cumulative risks, and hazard ratios were calculated for groupings of relatives. Results: Cumulative risks of breast cancer to age 50 years in the sisters, mothers, and aunts of the case patients, respectively, were 6, 3, and 2 times the population risk if the case patient was younger than age 40 years at diagnosis but were considerably lower if the case patient was older at diagnosis. When relatives of the case patients with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation were excluded, these risks fell by, at most, 20%. Sisters and aunts, but not mothers, who had an additional first-degree relative with breast cancer were at increased risk, and the risk was greater when that relative was younger at diagnosis. Hazard ratios were 10.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.2 to 26.8) for sisters and 4.2 (95% CI = 2.2 to 8.1) for aunts, if the relative was aged 40 years at diagnosis. Fewer than one-third of the excess of breast cancers in relatives of case patients diagnosed before age 40 years that are attributed to familial factors are BRCA1- or BRCA2-related. Conclusion: Mutations in genes other than BRCA1 and BRCA2 may be associated with a high risk of breast cancer, especially in young women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A round table was conducted at the VIIIth International Coccidiosis Conference on Neospora diagnosis with particular emphasis on strategies to diagnose bovine abortion. The strength and weakness of different assays for Neospora caninum infection and whether these methods have resulted in the overdiagnosis of neosporosis was discussed. It was evident that each diagnostic method, namely histology, immunohistochemistry, molecular detection and serological assays were, under certain circumstances, valuable in assessing the role N. caninum in abortion. Histological, immunohistochemical and molecular detection assays are of outstanding importance for the examination of tissues of aborted foetuses. While histology and immunohistochemistry allow direct assessment of pathomorphological changes caused by infection, molecular detection assays such as PCR are superior because of higher sensitivity and specificity in identifying N. caninum in foetal tissues. Serological tests, such as ELISA, are useful in determining whether an animal has been infected with N. caninum. Seroepidemiological approaches allow one to assess an abortion problem at a herd level and when used in conjunction with certain statistical methods are able to confirm a suspected N. caninum-associated abortion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the DNA extraction from Escherichia coli and Cryptosporidium parvum for polymerase chain reaction use. Ability of matrix methods in DNA extraction; Advantages of molecular biology-based techniques; Use of micromanipulators in DNA extraction from oocysts.

Focuses on a `universal solvent sensor' constructed from a small array of carbon/polymer composite chemiresistors that respond to solvents spanning a wide range of Hildebrand solubility parameters. Pattern recognition data analysis techniques; Characteristics of individual chemiresistors; Nonsuperposition of chemiresistor responses to binary mixtures.

Despite the increase in algorithmic solutions to enhance manual, time-consuming and inaccurate Structural Condition Monitoring assessment, this field currently lacks an effective framework of presenting the output of these algorithms in an understandable and repeatable manner to structural examiners. To solve this issue, a 2D/3D Visual Inspection framework is proposed to allow the creation of a system that detects, visualizes and evaluates structural defects. The resulting system allows structural examiners to conduct a thorough, intelligent structural condition monitoring assessment, who wish to utilize AI technology. This system consists of the Visual Analytics Interface and the 3D Virtual Inspector. The Visual Analytics Interface is an interactive dashboard formed by the following components: the Map, the Graph and the Panel. The 3D Virtual Inspector allowing examiners the exploration of the structural defects with superimposed augmented visualization onto the 3D structure reconstruction. This work presents a case study focused on structural examination of tunnels to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed system. [Display omitted] • A 2D/3D Visual Inspection System framework is introduced. • The system framework stages are data collection, data processing and interface development. • The system consists of a dashboard, a 3D reconstruction and superimposed augmented visualizations. • This framework facilitates fast and repeatable expert visual structural inspections. • Examiners evaluate structural defects using a photorealistic virtual environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel Deep Learning based approach is proposed for insulation fault classification. • Real-world measured Electromagnetic Interference signals are analysed. • Complex Bispectrum is employed to retrieve phase related information from the signals. • The proposed approach successfully classifies the fault signals. This paper presents expert system framework based on Machine Learning (ML) for High-Voltage (HV) asset condition monitoring. The work investigates the classification of insulation faults in HV environment, based on real-world time series signals labelled by condition monitoring experts. Extending on our previous work, the proposed approach exploits the Bispectrum analysis and deep learning for feature extraction and classification. The calculated Bispectrum on time series signals can be deployed as the complex-valued Bispectrum, which contains phase information, or as its real-valued magnitude. This can be approached as an image classification problem which can be implemented in various deep networks including Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Residual Neural Network (ResNet) and their complex-valued version. The employed deep networks performance is compared in terms of their classification accuracy. High classification performance is obtained which produces comparable performance with expert diagnosis. Thus, it can be interpreted as transfer of expert system to an intelligent system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]