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The worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, the disease has spread worldwide. As it is currently spreading in the United States, policy makers, public health officials and citizens are racing to understand the impact of this virus on the United States healthcare system. They fear a rapid influx of patients overwhelming the healthcare system and leading to unnecessary fatalities. Most countries and states in America have introduced mitigation strategies, such as using social distancing to decrease the rate of newly infected people. This is what is usually meant by flattening the curve. In this paper, we use queueing theoretic methods to analyze the time evolution of the number of people hospitalized due to the coronavirus. Given that the rate of new infections varies over time as the pandemic evolves, we model the number of coronavirus patients as a dynamical system based on the theory of infinite server queues with time inhomogeneous Poisson arrival rates. With this model we are able to quantify how flattening the curve affects the peak demand for hospital resources. This allows us to characterize how aggressive societal policy needs to be to avoid overwhelming the capacity of healthcare system. We also demonstrate how curve flattening impacts the elapsed lag between the times of the peak rate of hospitalizations and the peak demand for the hospital resources. Finally, we present empirical evidence from Italy and the United States that supports the insights from our model analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity incentive, as an institutional arrangement for the coordination of the interests of shareholders and managers, has been widely implemented by public companies in developed capital markets throughout Europe and America. However, does it work and/or when might it be more effective in emerging market economies such as China? We aimed to understand the effects of equity incentive plans implemented by listed companies in China and the potential influence of the general characteristics of contracts on the effectiveness of equity incentive plans. Based on behavioral decision theory, this paper adopts a multivariate linear regression model to analyze the 1695 equity incentive plans implemented in Chinese listed companies between 2010 and 2018 with their two-year lagged performance data. The empirical results show that the operational performance of companies after implementing equity incentive plans shows a trend of polarization. In the 95% confidence interval, the effect of restrictive stock incentive and exercise-constrained variables is not significant, while the validity period has a significant positive correlation and incentive intensity has a significantly negative correlation with the company's operational performance. Furthermore, the negative effects mentioned above become more obvious with a longer plan implementation period. Based on these conclusions, we suggest that companies could adopt equity incentive plans with a relatively longer validity period and more reasonable incentive intensity. Additionally, it would be better for companies to select non-restricted stocks as incentive tools if there is no obvious preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageratina adenophora originating from central America has flooded forests, pastures, and farmland in more than 40 tropical and subtropical countries, causing huge ecological disasters and economic losses. In this paper, we intended to use a complex inoculum composed of Pseudomonas putita and Clostridium thermocellum to in-situ compost A. adenophora debris and then to compare the phytotoxicity of extracts from uncomposted and composted A. adenophora (UCA and CA respectively) to barley seed germination and young seedling growth. A field experiment was finally conducted to reveal the effects of UCA and CA on barley nutrients uptake, yield, grain quality, soil enzyme activities, microbial biomass and biodiversity. In-situ composting sharply decreased 4,7-dimethyl-1-(propan-2-ylidene)-1,4,4a,8a-tetrahydronaphthalene- 2,6(1H,7H)-dione(DTD) and 6-hydroxy-5-isopropyl-3,8-dimethyl-4a,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydronaphthal en-2(1 H)-one(HHO) from 2096.3 and 743.7 mg kg-1 in uncomposted A. adenophora to 194.4 and 68.19 mg kg-1 in composted A. adenophora. UCAE showed negative influences on seed germination performances (except lower rates on germination percentage). The mechanism may be the inhibition of bio-macromolecules hydrolysis (including proteins, starch, and phytin) in endosperms and their hydrolysates for forming new plants. CAE promoted seed germination and seedling growth, increased chlorophyll levels in leaves, and stimulated dehydrogenase and nitrate reductase activities in plants, while UCAE got opposite performance. Compared with chemical fertilizers, application of CA in combination with chemical fertilizers significantly improved plant nutrient uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), yield, grain quality, quantity of 16S rDNA sequences, richness and diversity of bacterial communities in contrast to UCA which behaved otherwise. Taken together, the use of the microbial agent to in-situ compost A. adenophora may be an effective approach for agricultural use of A. adenophora debris as a plant-friendly organic fertilizer, being undoubtedly worth advocating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent paper showed that, whereas we expect pain to rise with age due to accumulated injury, physical wear and tear, and disease, the elderly in America report less pain than those in midlife. Further exploration revealed this pattern was confined to the less educated. The authors called this the 'mystery of American pain' since pain appears to rise with age in other countries irrespective of education. Revisiting this issue with the same cross-sectional data we show that what matters in explaining pain through to age 65 is whether one is working or not. The incidence of pain across the life-course is nearly identical for workers in America and elsewhere, but it is greater for non-working Americans than it is for non-workers elsewhere. As in other countries, pain is hump-shaped in age among those Americans out of work but rises a little over the life-course for those in work. Furthermore, these patterns are apparent within educational groups. We show that, if one ascribes age-specific employment rates from other OECD countries to Americans, the age profile of pain in the United States is more similar to that found elsewhere in the OECD. This is because employment rates are lower in the United States than elsewhere between ages 30 and 60: the simulation reduces the pain contribution of these non-workers to overall pain in America, so it looks somewhat similar to pain elsewhere. We conclude that what matters in explaining pain over the life-course is whether one is working or not and once that is accounted for, the patterns are consistent across the United States and the rest of the OECD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasive black tiger shrimp has caused serious ecological problems in the America. However, since it can be directly eaten or made into feed, it may be beneficial to other countries. In order to ensure ecological security, it is necessary to control the invasion of the black tiger shrimp through international cooperation. Common control modes of the black tiger shrimp include the introducing natural enemy mode, making feed mode and the "bringing to the table" mode. In order to derive the applicable scope of various control modes of the black tiger shrimp and provide suggestions for the security and sustainability of the ecological supply chain of the America and cooperative country, this article constructs three differential game models and compares and analyzes the equilibrium results obtained by the models. Finally, the study shows that the higher the price of feed and the price of black tiger shrimp, the greater the degree of control of the black tiger shrimp. If the price of the black tiger shrimp and the reputation of the America for controlling the black tiger shrimp are lower, the America can gain more benefits under the feed production mode. Otherwise, the America prefers to sell the black tiger shrimp directly, thus directly "bringing to the table". Compared with the feed production or "bringing to the table" mode, cooperative country prefer to control the black tiger shrimp flooding through the natural enemy introduction mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birth-death models play a key role in phylodynamic analysis for their interpretation in terms of key epidemiological parameters. In particular, models with piecewise-constant rates varying at different epochs in time, to which we refer as episodic birth-death-sampling (EBDS) models, are valuable for their reflection of changing transmission dynamics over time. A challenge, however, that persists with current time-varying model inference procedures is their lack of computational efficiency. This limitation hinders the full utilization of these models in large-scale phylodynamic analyses, especially when dealing with high-dimensional parameter vectors that exhibit strong correlations. We present here a linear-time algorithm to compute the gradient of the birth-death model sampling density with respect to all time-varying parameters, and we implement this algorithm within a gradient-based Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) sampler to alleviate the computational burden of conducting inference under a wide variety of structures of, as well as priors for, EBDS processes. We assess this approach using three different real world data examples, including the HIV epidemic in Odesa, Ukraine, seasonal influenza A/H3N2 virus dynamics in New York state, America, and Ebola outbreak in West Africa. HMC sampling exhibits a substantial efficiency boost, delivering a 10- to 200-fold increase in minimum effective sample size per unit-time, in comparison to a Metropolis-Hastings-based approach. Additionally, we show the robustness of our implementation in both allowing for flexible prior choices and in modeling the transmission dynamics of various pathogens by accurately capturing the changing trend of viral effective reproductive number. Author summary: Epidemic control and forecasting relies on accurate quantification of transmission and recovery dynamics. This quantification is achievable through the analysis of phylogenetic relationships among pathogen strains obtained from infected individuals. As a key analytical tool for such inference, we concentrate on the study of the episodic birth-death-sampling (EBDS) models. These models define a probability distribution on time-calibrated phylogenies that enable estimation of time-varying rates of pathogens' transmission, recovery, and sampling. Advances in sequencing technology, however, have led to an increasing amount of genetic data collected from these pathogens. Consequently, the traditional computational methods for analyzing these large-scale data under EBDS models have become inadequate due to their high computational load. We aimed to break this computational bottleneck by developing a new approach, based on the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo sampling, that considerably accelerates inference of all rate parameters compared to the traditional random-walk Metropolis-Hasting method. Our method greatly improves the ability to explore the complex distributions that arise when we want to understand disease dynamics at a more granular temporal resolution. This advancement delivers value to public health as it helps rapid data-driven decision-making during outbreaks and enhances our understanding of the spread of infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partisan animosity has been on the rise in America. Partisan animosity involves blame, wherein political partisans blame outparty members for their beliefs and actions. Here, we examine whether a historicist thinking intervention—drawn from research on blame mitigation—can reduce partisan animosity. The intervention consisted of three components: (1) a narrative about the idiosyncratic development of one political opponent paired with (2) a message about how unique life experiences shape everyone's political beliefs and (3) a suggestion that outparty members can be changed by future formative experiences. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that the intervention reduced cold feelings—measured via Feeling Thermometer—towards the outparty for both Democrats and Republicans. Experiments 3 and 4 focused on more specific emotional changes. Experiment 3 showed that, for Democrats, the intervention increased compassion. Experiment 4 showed that, for Republicans, the intervention reduced disgust, disapproval, anger, and contempt, but had no impact on compassion. For Democrats, but not for Republicans, reductions in animosity were mediated by reduced perceptions of control of self-formation, the mediator identified in prior work on historicist thinking and blame mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycetomas are endemic diseases in tropical and sub-tropical countries of Africa, Asia and America, mainly affecting rural populations living below the poverty line. We report a particular case of a mycetoma associated with pregnancy whose evolution was good, but at the cost of significant financial expenses. This was a 39-year-old woman who developed a fungal mycetoma due to Madurella mycetomatis from the ingunocrural region. The patient had to develop several previous pregnancies on this site of mycetoma, the outcome of which was favorable. The last pregnancy was accompanied by an aggravation of the mycetoma in the form of polyfistulized inflammatory swelling of the right inguino-crural region emitting black grains. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the region showed invasion of the adductor muscles at the level of the root of the thigh on its antero-internal side with no sign of pelvic extension or underlying bone lesion. The patient was treated by surgery associated with antifungal treatment. The evolution was favorable for pregnancy and mycetoma. Author summary: Mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease that occurs mainly in the tropics, where it essentially affects people living in the poorest communities. The health, social and economic consequences are numerous. Our observation describes some aspects related to the difficulty of managing mycetoma, particularly in the case of association with pregnancy, with several changes of course, sometimes worsening, sometimes improving and whose cost of care is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable variability in the status of fish populations around the world and a poor understanding of how specific management characteristics affect populations. Overfishing is a major problem in many fisheries, but in some regions the recent tendency has been to exploit stocks at levels below their maximum sustainable yield. In Western North American groundfish fisheries, the status of individual stocks and management systems among regions are highly variable. In this paper, we show the current status of groundfish stocks from Alaska, British Columbia, and the U.S. West Coast, and quantify the influence on stock status of six management tactics often hypothesized to affect groundfish. These tactics are: the use of harvest control rules with estimated biological reference points; seasonal closures; marine reserves; bycatch constraints; individual quotas (i.e., ‘catch shares’); and gear type. Despite the high commercial value of many groundfish and consequent incentives for maintaining stocks at their most productive levels, most stocks were managed extremely conservatively, with current exploitation rates at only 40% of management targets and biomass 33% above target biomass on average. Catches rarely exceeded TACs but on occasion were far below TACs (mean catch:TAC ratio of 57%); approximately $150 million of potential landed value was foregone annually by underutilizing TACs. The use of individual quotas, marine reserves, and harvest control rules with estimated limit reference points had little overall effect on stock status. More valuable fisheries were maintained closer to management targets and were less variable over time than stocks with lower catches or ex-vessel prices. Together these results suggest there is no single effective management measure for meeting conservation objectives; if scientifically established quotas are set and enforced, a variety of means can be used to ensure that exploitation rates and biomass levels are near to or more conservative than management targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods to determine blood-meal sources of hematophagous Triatominae bugs (Chagas disease vectors) are serological or based on PCR employing species-specific primers or heteroduplex analysis, but these are expensive, inaccurate, or problematic when the insect has fed on more than one species. To solve those problems, we developed a technique based on HRM analysis of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome B (Cyt b). This technique recognized 14 species involved in several ecoepidemiological cycles of the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi and it was suitable with DNA extracted from intestinal content and feces 30 days after feeding, revealing a resolution power that can display mixed feedings. Field samples were analyzed showing blood meal sources corresponding to domestic, peridomiciliary and sylvatic cycles. The technique only requires a single pair of primers that amplify the Cyt b gene in vertebrates and no other standardization, making it quick, easy, relatively inexpensive, and highly accurate. Author Summary: Chagas disease is one of the most important tropical diseases in America. This disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted through the feces of blood-sucking insects known as triatomines. Different species of insects have different habits and food sources that confer variable degrees of epidemiological importance. In this paper, we propose the use of High Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis of cytochrome b (cyt b) gene PCR products to identify blood-food sources in triatomines. This tool can effectively differentiate blood-meal sources of insects collected from the field. Such data allows for targeted investigations of insect species that are likely to be involved in the transmission of the parasite to humans in different regions. This knowledge is very important because it allows establishing and designing vector control and surveillance strategies according to each geographical area and to stop the transmission of the parasite to human populations by insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of personal non-pharmaceutical interventions as a public health strategy requires a high level of compliance from individuals in private social settings. Strategies to increase compliance in these hard-to-reach settings depend upon a comprehensive understanding of the patterns and predictors of protective social behavior. Social cognitive models of protective behavior emphasize the contribution of individual-level factors while social-ecological models emphasize the contribution of environmental factors. This study draws on 28 waves of survey data from the Understanding Coronavirus in America survey to measure patterns of adherence to two protective social behaviors–private social-distancing behavior and private masking behavior–during the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess the role individual and environmental factors play in predicting adherence. Results show that patterns of adherence fall into three categories marked by high, moderate, and low levels of adherence, with just under half of respondents exhibiting a high level of adherence. Health beliefs emerge as the single strongest predictor of adherence. All other environmental and individual-level predictors have relatively poor predictive power or primarily indirect effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is still one of the primary pathogens of humans causing tuberculosis (TB) disease. Mtb embraces nine well-defined phylogenetic lineages with biological and geographical disparities. The lineage L4 is the most globally widespread of all lineages and was introduced to America with European colonization. Taking advantage of many genome projects available in public repositories, we undertake an evolutionary and comparative genomic analysis of 522 L4 Latin American Mtb genomes. Initially, we performed careful quality control of public read datasets and applied several thresholds to filter out low-quality data. Using a genome de novo assembly strategy and phylogenomic methods, we spotted novel south American clades that have not been revealed yet. Additionally, we describe genomic deletion profiles of these strains from an evolutionary perspective and report Mycobacterium tuberculosis L4 sublineages signature-like gene deletions, some of the novel. One is a specific deletion of 6.5 kbp that is only present in sublineage 4.1.2.1. This deletion affects a complex group of 10 genes with putative products annotated, among others, as a lipoprotein, transmembrane protein, and toxin/antitoxin system proteins. The second novel deletion spans for 4.9 kbp and specific of a particular clade of the 4.8 sublineage and affects 7 genes. The last novel deletion affects 4 genes, extends for 4.8 kbp., and is specific to some strains within the 4.1.2.1 sublineage that are present in Colombia, Peru and Brasil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent resettled refugees across the United States have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through socio-economic stressors in households, disproportionate morbidity and mortality in immigrant communities, and social isolation and loss of learning due to school closures and the shift to online learning. The Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America [SALaMA] investigates the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents who come from–or who have parents who came from–the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] region and settled in the U.S. There is a gap in understanding of the experiences during the pandemic of MENA-background adolescents in the U.S. The objective of this study was to describe the perspective of educators and other school-affiliated service providers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and wellbeing of adolescent resettled refugees and access to and quality of education and support services for adolescent resettled refugees. The researchers collected data using in-depth interviews with key informants in Chicago, Illinois; Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Detroit Metropolitan Area [DMA], Michigan, Key informants were school administrators, managers of English language learning services and programs, teachers, therapists, staff of non-governmental organizations and/ or community-based organizations, and case workers. Data analysis was conducted utilizing directed content analysis to develop an initial codebook and identify key themes in the data. Findings revealed a number of pathways through which the pandemic impacted adolescent refugees and immigrants' mental health and wellbeing, with online programming impacting students' engagement, motivation and social isolation in terms of peer and provider relationships. Specific dynamics in refugee adolescents' households increased stressors and reduced engagement through online learning, and access to space and resources needed to support learning during school closures were limited. Service providers emphasized multiple and overlapping impacts on service quality and access, resulting in reduced social supports and mental health prevention and response approaches. Due to the long-term impacts of school closures in the first two years of the pandemic, and ongoing disruption, these data both provide a snapshot of the impacts of the pandemic at a specific moment, as well as insights into ways forward in terms of adapting services and engaging students within restrictions and limitations due to the pandemic. These findings emphasize the need for educators and mental health service providers to rebuild and strengthen relationships with students and families. These findings indicate the need to consider, support and expand social support and mental health services, specifically for refugee adolescent students, in the context of learning and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

America's unique response to the global COVID-19 pandemic has been both criticized and applauded across political and social spectrums. Compared to other developed nations, U.S. incidence and mortality rates were exceptionally high, due in part to inconsistent policies across local, state, and federal agencies regarding preventive behaviors like mask wearing and social distancing. Furthermore, vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy theories around COVID-19 and vaccine safety have proliferated widely, making herd immunity that much more challenging. What factors of the U.S. culture have contributed to the significant impact of the pandemic? Why have we not responded better to the challenges of COVID-19? Or would many people in the U.S. claim that we have responded perfectly well? To explore these questions, we conducted a qualitative and quantitative study of Florida State University faculty, staff, and students. This study measured their perceptions of the pandemic, their behaviors tied to safety and community, and how these practices were tied to beliefs of individualism and collectivism. We found that collectivist orientations were associated with a greater likelihood of wearing masks consistently, severe interruptions of one's social life caused by the pandemic, greater concern for infecting others, and higher levels of trust in medical professionals for behavioral guidelines surrounding the pandemic. These associations largely persist even after adjusting for political affiliation, which we find is also a strong predictor of COVID-19 beliefs and behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mask-wearing is the simplest yet most effective preventive behavior during COVID-19. However, it has sparked great controversy, particularly in America. Little is known about what psychosocial factors predict people's decision to mask. This research challenges three myths about mask-wearing. First, does mask-wearing provide a false sense of security? Second, is knowledge of COVID-19 a more robust predictor than political ideology of mask-wearing behavior? Third, does resistance to masks reflect anti-authoritarianism or a lack of trust in government? With nationally representative samples across two cultures (N = 1,121), findings reveal a significant positive correlation between mask-wearing and other preventive behaviors. Moreover, knowledge of COVID-19 and trust in government significantly predicted mask-wearing. Implications of the results are also discussed in the cross-cultural context. Critically, findings could provide practical implications for public education and policymaking by uncovering how to more effectively promote compliance with recommended preventive behaviors during our ongoing struggle with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 44 sweeps of the US Census Household Pulse Survey data for the period April 2020 to April 22 we track the evolution of the mental health of just over three million Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find anxiety, depression and worry had two major peaks in 2020 but improved in 2021 and 2022. We show that a variable we construct based on daily inflows of COVID cases by county, aggregated up to state, is positively associated with worse mental health, having conditioned on state fixed effects and seasonality in mental health. However, the size of the effect declines in 2021 and 2022 as vaccination rates rise. For women and college educated men having a vaccine improved mental health. However, being vaccinated worsens mental health among less educated men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telehealth has become a necessity within the medical and allied health professions since the COVID-19 Pandemic generated a rapid uptake worldwide. It is now evident that this health delivery format will remain in use well into the future. However, health education training, most particularly allied health, has been slow to 'catch up' and adapt curriculum to ensure graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement telehealth in the workplace. The aim of this study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of current telehealth curricula in undergraduate and postgraduate allied health education training programs, with a focus on the aims, objectives, content, format, delivery, timeline and assessments. Methods: A systematic search of Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Scopus, ERIC and relevant grey literature was conducted. Students studying allied health degrees through formal education at either postgraduate or undergraduate level were included, while nursing, dentistry and medical students were excluded. The data from the included studies was extracted and tabulated by country, participants, program and content. Results: Of the 4484 studies screened, eleven met the eligibility criteria. All studies were published after 2012, highlighting the recency of research in this area. The studies were conducted in four countries (Australia, United Sates of America, United Kingdom, Norway) and participants were from various allied health professions. Of the included studies, four related to undergraduate programs, four to postgraduate programs and for the remaining three, this was not specified. Curricula were delivered through a combination of online and face-to-face delivery, with assessment tasks, where reported, comprising mainly multiple-choice and written tests. Conclusion: Published reporting of telehealth curricula within allied health programs is limited. Even the minority of programs that do include a telehealth component lack a systematic approach. This indicates that further primary research would be beneficial in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 2015 to 2016 outbreak in America, Zika virus (ZIKV) infected almost 900,000 patients. This international public health emergency was mainly associated with a significant increase in the number of newborns with congenital microcephaly and abnormal neurologic development, known as congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Furthermore, Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), a neuroimmune disorder of adults, has also been associated with ZIKV infection. Currently, the number of ZIKV-infected patients has decreased, and most of the cases recently reported present as a mild and self-limiting febrile illness. However, based on its natural history of a typical example of reemerging pathogen and the lack of specific therapeutic options against ZIKV infection, new outbreaks can occur worldwide, demanding the attention of researchers and government authorities. Here, we discuss the clinical spectrum and immunopathological mechanisms underlying ZIKV-induced neurological manifestations. Several studies have confirmed the tropism of ZIKV for neural progenitor stem cells by demonstrating the presence of ZIKV in the central nervous system (CNS) during fetal development, eliciting a deleterious inflammatory response that compromises neurogenesis and brain formation. Of note, while the neuropathology of CZS can be due to a direct viral neuropathic effect, adults may develop neuroimmune manifestations such as GBS due to poorly understood mechanisms. Antiganglioside autoantibodies have been detected in multiple patients with ZIKV infection–associated GBS, suggesting a molecular mimicry. However, further additional immunopathological mechanisms remain to be uncovered, paving the way for new therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrocomia (Arecaceae) is a genus widely distributed in tropical and subtropical America that has been achieving economic interest due to the great potential of oil production of some of its species. In particular A. aculeata, due to its vocation to supply oil with the same productive capacity as the oil palm (Elaeis guineenses) even in areas with water deficit. Although eight species are recognized in the genus, the taxonomic classification based on morphology and geographic distribution is still controversial. Knowledge about the genetic diversity and population structure of the species is limited, which has limited the understanding of the genetic relationships and the orientation of management, conservation, and genetic improvement activities of species of the genus. In the present study, we analyzed the genomic diversity and population structure of Acrocomia genus, including 172 samples from seven species, with a focus on A. aculeata with 117 samples covering a wide geographical area of occurrence of the species, using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers originated from Genotyping By Sequencing (GBS).The genetic structure of the Acrocomia species were partially congruent with the current taxonomic classification based on morphological characters, recovering the separation of the species A. aculeata, A. totai, A. crispa and A. intumescens as distinct taxonomic groups. However, the species A. media was attributed to the cluster of A. aculeata while A. hassleri and A. glauscescens were grouped together with A. totai. The species that showed the highest and lowest genetic diversity were A. totai and A. media, respectively. When analyzed separately, the species A. aculeata showed a strong genetic structure, forming two genetic groups, the first represented mainly by genotypes from Brazil and the second by accessions from Central and North American countries. Greater genetic diversity was found in Brazil when compared to the other countries. Our results on the genetic diversity of the genus are unprecedented, as is also establishes new insights on the genomic relationships between Acrocomia species. It is also the first study to provide a more global view of the genomic diversity of A. aculeata. We also highlight the applicability of genomic data as a reference for future studies on genetic diversity, taxonomy, evolution and phylogeny of the Acrocomia genus, as well as to support strategies for the conservation, exploration and breeding of Acrocomia species and in particular A. aculeata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diapause is a reversible developmental arrest faced by many organisms in harsh environments. Annual killifish present this mechanism in three possible stages of development. Killifish are freshwater teleosts from Africa and America that live in ephemeral ponds, which dry up in the dry season. The juvenile and adult populations die, and the embryos remain buried in the bottom mud until the next rainy season. Thus, species survival is entirely embryo-dependent, and they are perhaps the most remarkable extremophile organisms among vertebrates. The aim of the present study was to gather information about embryonic diapauses with the use of a "shotgun" proteomics approach in diapause III and prehatching Austrolebias charrua embryos. Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of diapause III. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD025196. We detected a diapause-dependent change in a large group of proteins involved in different functions, such as metabolic pathways and stress tolerance, as well as proteins related to DNA repair and epigenetic modifications. Furthermore, we observed a diapause-associated switch in cytoskeletal proteins. This first glance into global protein expression differences between prehatching and diapause III could provide clues regarding the induction/maintenance of this developmental arrest in A. charrua embryos. There appears to be no single mechanism underlying diapause and the present data expand our knowledge of the molecular basis of diapause regulation. This information will be useful for future comparative approaches among different diapauses in annual killifish and/or other organisms that experience developmental arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) are endemic to alpine areas of sub-Arctic and Arctic northwest America and are an ungulate species of high economic and cultural importance. Populations have historically experienced large fluctuations in size, and studies have linked population declines to decreased productivity as a consequence of late-spring snow cover. However, it is not known how the seasonality of snow accumulation and characteristics such as depth and density may affect Dall's sheep productivity. We examined relationships between snow and climate conditions and summer lamb production in Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska over a 37-year study period. To produce covariates pertaining to the quality of the snowpack, a spatially-explicit snow evolution model was forced with meteorological data from a gridded climate re-analysis from 1980 to 2017 and calibrated with ground-based snow surveys and validated by snow depth data from remote cameras. The best calibrated model produced an RMSE of 0.08 m (bias 0.06 m) for snow depth compared to the remote camera data. Observed lamb-to-ewe ratios from 19 summers of survey data were regressed against seasonally aggregated modelled snow and climate properties from the preceding snow season. We found that a multiple regression model of fall snow depth and fall air temperature explained 41% of the variance in lamb-to-ewe ratios (R2 =.41, F(2,38) = 14.89, p<0.001), with decreased lamb production following deep snow conditions and colder fall temperatures. Our results suggest the early establishment and persistence of challenging snow conditions is more important than snow conditions immediately prior to and during lambing. These findings may help wildlife managers to better anticipate Dall's sheep recruitment dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To propose a novel robust radiogenomics approach to the identification of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using Betti numbers (BNs). Materials and methods: Contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) images of 194 multi-racial NSCLC patients (79 EGFR mutants and 115 wildtypes) were collected from three different countries using 5 manufacturers' scanners with a variety of scanning parameters. Ninety-nine cases obtained from the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in Malaysia were used for training and validation procedures. Forty-one cases collected from the Kyushu University Hospital (KUH) in Japan and fifty-four cases obtained from The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) in America were used for a test procedure. Radiomic features were obtained from BN maps, which represent topologically invariant heterogeneous characteristics of lung cancer on CT images, by applying histogram- and texture-based feature computations. A BN-based signature was determined using support vector machine (SVM) models with the best combination of features that maximized a robustness index (RI) which defined a higher total area under receiver operating characteristics curves (AUCs) and lower difference of AUCs between the training and the validation. The SVM model was built using the signature and optimized in a five-fold cross validation. The BN-based model was compared to conventional original image (OI)- and wavelet-decomposition (WD)-based models with respect to the RI between the validation and the test. Results: The BN-based model showed a higher RI of 1.51 compared with the models based on the OI (RI: 1.33) and the WD (RI: 1.29). Conclusion: The proposed model showed higher robustness than the conventional models in the identification of EGFR mutations among NSCLC patients. The results suggested the robustness of the BN-based approach against variations in image scanner/scanning parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) is an exotic species from tropical America that is widely cultivated in Ethiopia for its edible cormels and leaves. There is a dearth of information on the genetic diversity of Ethiopian cocoyam. In order to evaluate and select cocoyam germplasm for breeding and conservation, genetic diversity of 100 Ethiopian cocoyam accessions (65 green- and 35 purple- cocoyam) were analyzed using 29 morphological traits (16 qualitative and 13 quantitative) and 12 SSR loci. Two classes of qualitative traits were observed. ANOVA revealed significant variation in 11 (84.6%) of the 13 studied quantitative traits. The SSR marker analysis showed high genetic diversity. A total of 36 alleles were detected with a range of 2 to 5 (average of 3.273) alleles per locus. The average observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) values across populations were 0.503 and 0.443, respectively. The analysis of molecular variance showed that the variation among populations, among individuals within populations, and within individuals explained 14%, 18%, and 68% of the total variation, respectively. Cluster analysis grouped the accessions irrespective of the collection sites. A dendrogram based on Nei's standard genetic distance grouped the green cocoyam accessions together while the purple cocoyam accessions occupied a separate position within the dendrogram. Significant variation in quantitative traits and the high level of genetic diversity revealed by the SSR markers suggest that diverse cocoyam accessions, probably with multiple lineage, were introduced multiple times, through multiple routes and probably by multiple agents, an hypothesis that needs futher testing and analyis. The crop, therefore, needs more research efforts commensurate with its economic and social values than it has been accorded thus far. Further study is recommended to clarify the taxonomic status of Ethiopian cocoyam accesions and to trace their evolutionary relationships with Xanthosoma species elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction model mainly focused on specific diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or patients with cancer, or populations of Europe and America, thereby limiting its generalization. This study aimed to develop and validate a 10-year mortality risk score by using data from a population-representative sample of adults. Data were collected from 2,221 Taichung Community Health study participants aged ≥40 years. The baseline period of the study was 2004, and all participants were followed up until death or in 2016. Cox's proportional hazards regression analyses were used to develop the prediction model. A total of 262 deaths were ascertained during the 10-year follow-up. The all-cause mortality prediction model calculated the significant risk factors, namely, age, sex, marital status, physical activity, tobacco use, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and albumin-to-creatinine ratio, among the baseline risk factors. The expanded cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality prediction model consisted of six variables: age, sex, body mass index, heart disease plus heart disease medication use, stroke plus medication use, and ankle–brachial index. The areas under receiver operating curves of the 3-, 5- and 10-year predictive models varied between 0.97, 0.96, and 0.88 for all-cause mortality, and between 0.97, 0.98, and 0.84 for expanded CVD mortality. These mortality prediction models are valid and can be used as tools to identify the increased risk for mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis assessing the correlation between dietary copper supply and broiler performance Methods: Studies that were published prior to January 2019 and reported the dietary copper supply and broiler growth performance were identified using search functions in the Web of Science, Springer, Elsevier, Science Direct, and Taylor & Francis Online databases; the Journal of Dairy Research; and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). We performed stratified analyses on the possible sources of bias, including differences in the study locations and years of publication. The publication bias was assessed with Egger's test method. Results: A total of 12 randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies were eligible for inclusion. The pooled WMDs of the ADG, ADFI and FCR were -0.166 (95% CI: -1.587 to 1.254), -0.844 (95% CI: -1.536 to -0.152) and -0.029 (95% CI: -0.057 to 0.000), respectively. In the Israeli and Indian studies, the ADG and ADFI data in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group; however, in America, a relatively high FCR value was found in the experimental group compared to that in the control group. The analysis of the study period showed that for the 1980s and 2010s, the ADG and ADFI of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group, while, in the 1990s and 2010s, the FCR of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group. The observed values were adjusted for study effects, and a model was used to obtain the copper supplementation under the optimal production performance. The results showed that the adjusted average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed to gain ratio (FCR) presented a quadratic relationship with Cu supplementation (P<0.05). The maximum value of ADG (31.84 g/d) is reached when Cu is added at amount of 158 mg/kg, and the minimum value of FCR (1.53) is reached when Cu is added at amount of 217 mg/kg. No significant publication bias existed in the studies (Egger's test: P value were 0.81, 0.71 and 0.14). Conclusion: From this study, it can be concluded that the traditional copper addition is no longer suitable for modern broiler breeding; the higher copper content may be beneficial for the production performance of broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basidiomata of Phallales have a diversified morphology with adhesive gleba that exudes an odor, usually unpleasant that attracts mainly insects, which disperse the basidiospores. The genus Blumenavia belongs to the family Clathraceae and, based on morphological features, only two species are currently recognized: B. rhacodes and B. angolensis. However, the morphological characters adopted in species delimitations within this genus are inconsistent, and molecular data are scarce. The present study aimed to review and identify informative characters that contribute to the delimitation of Blumenavia species. Exsiccates from America and Africa were analyzed morphologically, and molecularly, using ITS, LSU, ATP6, RPB2 and TEF-1α markers for Maximum Parsimony, Bayesian and Maximum likelihood analyses, and also for coalescent based species delimitations (BP&P), as well as for bPTP, PhyloMap, Topo-phylogenetic and Geophylogenetic reconstructions. According to our studies, seven species can be considered in the genus: B. rhacodes and B. angolensis are maintained, B. usambarensis and B. toribiotalpaensis are reassessed, and three new species are proposed, B. baturitensis Melanda, M.P. Martín & Baseia, sp. nov., B. crucis-hellenicae G. Coelho, Sulzbacher, Grebenc & Cortez, sp. nov., and B. heroica Melanda, Baseia & M.P. Martín, sp. nov. Blumenavia rhacodes is typified by selecting a lectotype and an epitype. Macromorphological characters considered informative to segregate and delimit the species through integrative taxonomy include length of the basidiomata, color, width and presence of grooves on each arm as well as the glebifer position and shape. These must be clearly observed while the basidiomata are still fresh. Since most materials are usually analyzed after dehydration and deposit in collections, field techniques and protocols to describe fugacious characters from fresh specimen are demanded, as well as the use of molecular analysis, in order to better assess recognition and delimitation of species in Blumenavia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal iodine deficiency is related to high neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) values, with the threshold of 5 mIU/L recommended as an indicator of iodine nutrition status. The objective of this study was to analyse possible risk factors for increased TSH that could distort its validity as a marker of iodine status. The clinical relevance of this research question is that if the factors associated with iodine deficiency are known, iodine supplementation can be introduced in risk groups, both during pregnancy and in newborns. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in a sample of 46,622 newborns in 2002–2015 in Spain. Of these, 45,326 had a neonatal TSH value ≥5 mIU/L. The main variable was having TSH ≥5 mIU/L and the secondary variables were: sex, gestational age, day of sample extraction and maternal origin. Associated factors were analysed through a logistic regression model, calculating the odds ratio (OR). Results: The factors associated with this outcome were: male sex (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.20–1.50, p<0.001), originating from an Asian/Oceanic country (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.54–1.20, p = 0.536) or Europe (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.66–0.96, p = 0.285) (including Spain, OR = 1) [p<0.001 for America (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.44–0.68) and p = 0.025 for Africa (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.62–0.97)] and fewer days from birth to sampling (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.77–0.82, p<0.001). Conclusions: The risk of high neonatal TSH without congenital hypothyroidism is higher in males, decreases with a greater number of days from birth to extraction, and is dependent on maternal ethnicity but not on gestational age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (L., 1758) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), is an endemic fly species from the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate zones of America. This saprophagous species relies on its environment where it finds the decomposing matter for the larvae to grow. The polyphagous diet and the macronutrient quality (mainly lipids and proteins) of these larvae make them excellent candidates for various applications such as waste and organic material management, incorporation in animal feed or alternative energy source. Although rearing development in temperate regions requires artificial processes to continuously produce high quality eggs and larvae, few studies have been conducted on the mating and oviposition processes governing H. illucens reproduction. Research conducted in semi-artificial rearing conditions showed that the number of mating varied according to the season. It has been speculated that this behavior could be due to differences in the intensity of sunlight caused by the change of seasons. This study aims at evaluating the influence of sex-ratio, density and nycthemeral cycle on H. illucens reproduction. In order to tackle this issue, an artificial set up for oviposition to collect eggs has been developed. This egg collection system aims at centralize oviposition and simplify eggs collection. Two populations with opposite sex-ratio (male-dominant and female-dominant) were selected. Their respective eggs productions have been evaluated for five breeding densities. Eggs weights varied significantly among the densities for each opposite sex-ratio population and female dominant population produced most eggs weight from 6500 individuals /m3. Finally, four nycthemeral cycles (2, 6, 12 and 18h of daily light) were simulated to evaluate the impact of light duration on reproduction. Early oviposition pic associated with a decrease of the oviposition period are shown when H. illucens are exposed to increasing light duration. These experiments enable improvement of the understanding on artificial reproduction of H. illucens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lance-headed snakes are found in Central and South America, and they account for most snakebites in Brazil. The phylogeny of South American pitvipers has been reviewed, and the presence of natural and non-natural hybrids between different species of Bothrops snakes demonstrates that reproductive isolation of several species is still incomplete. The present study aimed to analyze the biological features, particularly the thrombin-like activity, of venoms from hybrids born in captivity, from the mating of a female Bothrops erythromelas and a male Bothrops neuwiedi, two species whose venoms are known to display ontogenetic variation. Proteolytic activity on azocoll and amidolytic activity on N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide hydrochloride (BAPNA) were lowest when hybrids were 3 months old, and increased over body growth, reaching values similar to those of the father when hybrids were 12 months old. The clotting activity on plasma diminished as hybrids grew; venoms from 3- and 6-months old hybrids showed low clotting activity on fibrinogen (i.e., thrombin-like activity), like the mother venom, and such activity was detected only when hybrids were older than 1 year of age. Altogether, these results point out that venom features in hybrid snakes are genetically controlled during the ontogenetic development. Despite the presence of the thrombin-like enzyme gene(s) in hybrid snakes, they are silenced during the first six months of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), and the corn earworm, H. zea (Boddie), are two of the most important agricultural pests in the world. Diagnosing these two species is difficult—adults can only be separated with a complex dissection, and larvae cannot be identified to species using morphology, necessitating the use of geographic origin for identification in most instances. With the discovery of H. armigera in the New World, identification of immature Helicoverpa based on origin is no longer possible because H. zea also occurs in all of the geographic regions where H. armigera has been discovered. DNA barcoding and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses have been reported in publications to distinguish these species, but these methods both require post-PCR processing (i.e., DNA sequencing or restriction digestion) to complete. We report the first real-time PCR assay to distinguish these pests based on two hydrolysis probes that bind to a segment of the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) amplified using a single primer pair. One probe targets H. armigera, the second probe targets H. zea, and a third probe that targets a conserved segment of 18S rDNA is used as a control of DNA quality. The assay can be completed in 50 minutes when using isolated DNA and is successfully tested on larvae intercepted at ports of entry and adults captured during domestic surveys. We demonstrate that the assay can be run in triplex with no negative effects on sensitivity, can be run using alternative real-time PCR reagents and instruments, and does not cross react with other New World Heliothinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We describe trends in life expectancy at birth (LE) and between-country LE disparities since 1965, in Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods & Findings: LE trends since 1965 are described for three geographical sub-regions: the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. LE disparities are explored using a suite of absolute and relative disparity metrics, with measurement consensus providing confidence to observed differences. LE has increased throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Compared to the Caribbean, LE has increased by an additional 6.6 years in Central America and 4.1 years in South America. Since 1965, average reductions in between-country LE disparities were 14% (absolute disparity) and 23% (relative disparity) in the Caribbean, 55% and 51% in Central America, 55% and 52% in South America. Conclusions: LE in Latin America and the Caribbean is exceeding ‘minimum standard’ international targets, and is improving relative to the world region with the highest human longevity. The Caribbean, which had the highest LE and the lowest between-country LE disparities in Latin America and the Caribbean in 1965-70, had the lowest LE and the highest LE disparities by 2005-10. Caribbean Governments have championed a collaborative solution to the growing burden of non-communicable disease, with 15 territories signing on to the Declaration of Port of Spain, signalling regional commitment to a coordinated public-health response. The persistent LE inequity between Caribbean countries suggests that public health interventions should be tailored to individual countries to be most effective. Between- and within-country disparity monitoring for a range of health metrics should be a priority, first to guide country-level policy initiatives, then to contribute to the assessment of policy success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While cytosine methylation has been widely studied in extant populations, relatively few studies have analyzed methylation in ancient DNA. Most existing studies of epigenetic marks in ancient DNA have inferred patterns of methylation in highly degraded samples using post-mortem damage to cytosines as a proxy for cytosine methylation levels. However, this approach limits the inference of methylation compared with direct bisulfite sequencing, the current gold standard for analyzing cytosine methylation at single nucleotide resolution. In this study, we used direct bisulfite sequencing to assess cytosine methylation in ancient DNA from the skeletal remains of 30 Native Americans ranging in age from approximately 230 to 4500 years before present. Unmethylated cytosines were converted to uracils by treatment with sodium bisulfite, bisulfite products of a CpG-rich retrotransposon were pyrosequenced, and C-to-T ratios were quantified for a single CpG position. We found that cytosine methylation is readily recoverable from most samples, given adequate preservation of endogenous nuclear DNA. In addition, our results indicate that the precision of cytosine methylation estimates is inversely correlated with aDNA preservation, such that samples of low DNA concentration show higher variability in measures of percent methylation than samples of high DNA concentration. In particular, samples in this study with a DNA concentration above 0.015 ng/μL generated the most consistent measures of cytosine methylation. This study presents evidence of cytosine methylation in a large collection of ancient human remains, and indicates that it is possible to analyze epigenetic patterns in ancient populations using direct bisulfite sequencing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), mainly transmitted in urban areas by the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, constitutes a major public health problem. In late 2013, CHIKV emerged on Saint-Martin Island in the Caribbean and spread throughout the region reaching more than 40 countries. Thus far, Ae. aegypti mosquitoes have been implicated as the sole vector in the outbreaks, leading to the hypothesis that CHIKV spread could be limited only to regions where this mosquito species is dominant. Methodology/Principal Findings: We determined the ability of local populations of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus from the Americas and Europe to transmit the CHIKV strain of the Asian genotype isolated from Saint-Martin Island (CHIKV_SM) during the recent epidemic, and an East-Central-South African (ECSA) genotype CHIKV strain isolated from La Réunion Island (CHIKV_LR) as a well-characterized control virus. We also evaluated the effect of temperature on transmission of CHIKV_SM by European Ae. albopictus. We found that (i) Aedes aegypti from Saint-Martin Island transmit CHIKV_SM and CHIKV_LR with similar efficiency, (ii) Ae. aegypti from the Americas display similar transmission efficiency for CHIKV_SM, (iii) American and European populations of the alternative vector species Ae. albopictus were as competent as Ae. aegypti populations with respect to transmission of CHIKV_SM and (iv) exposure of European Ae. albopictus to low temperatures (20°C) significantly reduced the transmission potential for CHIKV_SM. Conclusions/Significance: CHIKV strains belonging to the ECSA genotype could also have initiated local transmission in the new world. Additionally, the ongoing CHIKV outbreak in the Americas could potentially spread throughout Ae. aegypti- and Ae. albopictus-infested regions of the Americas with possible imported cases of CHIKV to Ae. albopictus-infested regions in Europe. Colder temperatures may decrease the local transmission of CHIKV_SM by European Ae. albopictus, potentially explaining the lack of autochthonous transmission of CHIKV_SM in Europe despite the hundreds of imported CHIKV cases returning from the Caribbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic diversity of present American populations results from very complex demographic events involving different types and degrees of admixture. Through the analysis of lineage markers such as mtDNA and Y chromosome it is possible to recover the original Native American haplotypes, which remained identical since the admixture events due to the absence of recombination. However, the decrease in the effective population sizes and the consequent genetic drift effects suffered by these populations during the European colonization resulted in the loss or under-representation of a substantial fraction of the Native American lineages. In this study, we aim to clarify how the diversity and distribution of uniparental lineages vary with the different demographic characteristics (size, degree of isolation) and the different levels of admixture of extant Native groups in Colombia. We present new data resulting from the analyses of mtDNA whole control region, Y chromosome SNP haplogroups and STR haplotypes, and autosomal ancestry informative insertion-deletion polymorphisms in Colombian individuals from different ethnic and linguistic groups. The results demonstrate that populations presenting a high proportion of non-Native American ancestry have preserved nevertheless a substantial diversity of Native American lineages, for both mtDNA and Y chromosome. We suggest that, by maintaining the effective population sizes high, admixture allowed for a decrease in the effects of genetic drift due to Native population size reduction and thus resulting in an effective preservation of the Native American non-recombining lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpha taxonomy, and specifically the delimitation of species, is becoming increasingly objective and integrative. The use of coalescent-based methods applied to genetic data is providing new tools for the discovery and delimitation of species. Here, we use an integrative approach via a combination of discovery-based multivariate morphological analyses to detect potential new species. These potential species are then used as a priori species in hypothesis-driven validation analyses with genetic data. This research focuses on the harvestmen genus Sclerobunus found throughout the mountainous regions of western North America. Based on our analyses, we conduct a revision of Sclerobunus resulting in synonymy of Cyptobunus with Sclerobunus including transfer of S. cavicolenscomb. nov. and elevation of both subspecies of S. ungulatus: S. ungulatuscomb. nov. and S. madhousensiscomb. nov., stat. nov. The three subspecies of S. robustus are elevated, S. robustus, S. glorietusstat. nov., and S. idahoensisstat. nov. Additionally, five new species of Sclerobunus are described from New Mexico and Colorado, including S. jemezsp. nov., S. klomaxsp. nov., S. skywalkerisp. nov., S. speoventussp. nov., and S. steinmannisp. nov. Several of the newly described species are single-cave endemics, and our findings suggest that further exploration of western North American cave habitats will likely yield additional new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the clinical features, clinical course of granuloma, serologic findings, treatment outcome, and probable infection sources in adult patients with ocular toxocariasis (OT). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we examined 101 adult patients diagnosed clinically and serologically with OT. Serial fundus photographs and spectral domain optical coherence tomography images of all the patients were reviewed. A clinic-based case-control study on pet ownership, occupation, and raw meat ingestion history was performed to investigate the possible infection sources. Results: Among the patients diagnosed clinically and serologically with OT, 69.6% showed elevated immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. Granuloma in OT involved all retinal layers and several vitreoretinal comorbidities were noted depending on the location of granuloma: posterior pole granuloma was associated with epiretinal membrane and retinal nerve fiber layer defects, whereas peripheral granuloma was associated with vitreous opacity. Intraocular migration of granuloma was observed in 15 of 93 patients (16.1%). Treatment with albendazole (400 mg twice a day for 2 weeks) and corticosteroids (oral prednisolone; 0.5–1 mg/kg/day) resulted in comparable outcomes to patients on corticosteroid monotherapy; however, the 6-month recurrence rate in patients treated with combined therapy (17.4%) was significantly lower than that in patients treated with corticosteroid monotherapy (54.5%, P = 0.045). Ingestion of raw cow liver (80.8%) or meat (71.2%) was significantly more common in OT patients than healthy controls. Conclusions: Our study discusses the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies for OT. Evaluation of total IgE, in addition to anti-toxocara antibody, can assist in the serologic diagnosis of OT. Combined albendazole and corticosteroid therapy may reduce intraocular inflammation and recurrence. Migrating feature of granuloma is clinically important and may further suggest the diagnosis of OT. Clinicians need to carefully examine comorbid conditions for OT. OT may be associated with ingestion of uncooked meat, especially raw cow liver, in adult patients. Author Summary: Toxocariasis is one of America's most common neglected infections of poverty and a helminthiasis of global importance. Little is known about the epidemiologic, demographic, and clinical features of ocular toxocariasis (OT) in adult patients, and the treatment regimen for OT has not been standardized. We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining the clinical features, serologic markers, clinical course of granuloma, probable infection sources, and treatment outcome in 101 adult patients diagnosed clinically and serologically with OT. All the patients had unilateral involvement. Ninety-three (92.1%) and 78 (77.2%) of 101 adult patients had retinal granuloma and intraocular inflammation, respectively. In addition to retinal granuloma, retinal nerve fiber layer defect, epiretinal membrane, vitreous opacity, retinal detachment, macular edema, and macular hole were observed in the eyes with OT. Granuloma in OT can involve all retinal layers, and its intraocular migration was observed in 15 patients (16.1%). Among the 101 patients, 69.6% and 11.6% showed elevated immunoglobulin E levels and eosinophilia, respectively. We believe that OT may be associated with ingestion of uncooked meat, especially cow liver, in adult patients. Furthermore, we suggest that combined albendazole and corticosteroid therapy may reduce intraocular inflammation and recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andes virus (ANDV) is the most common causative agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas, and is the only hantavirus associated with human-to-human transmission. Case fatality rates of ANDV-induced HPS are approximately 40%. There are currently no effective vaccines or antivirals against ANDV. Since HPS severity correlates with viral load, we tested small interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against ANDV genes as a potential antiviral strategy. We designed pools of 4 siRNAs targeting each of the ANDV genome segments (S, M, and L), and tested their efficacy in reducing viral replication in vitro. The siRNA pool targeting the S segment reduced viral transcription and replication in Vero-E6 cells more efficiently than those targeting the M and L segments. In contrast, siRNAs targeting the S, M, or L segment were similar in their ability to reduce viral replication in human lung microvascular endothelial cells. Importantly, these siRNAs inhibit ANDV replication even if given after infection. Taken together, our findings indicate that siRNAs targeting the ANDV genome efficiently inhibit ANDV replication, and show promise as a strategy for developing therapeutics against ANDV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue fever is a major public health problem worldwide, caused by any of four virus (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4; Flaviviridae: Flavivirus), transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito. Reducing the levels of infestation by A. aegypti is one of the few current strategies to control dengue fever. Entomological indicators are used by dengue national control program to measure the infestation of A. aegypti, but little is known about predictive power of these indicators to measure dengue risk. In this spatial case-control study, we analyzed the spatial distribution of the risk of dengue and the influence of entomological indicators of A. aegypti in its egg, larva-pupa and adult stages occurring in a mid-size city in the state of São Paulo. The dengue cases were those confirmed by the city's epidemiological surveillance system and the controls were obtained through random selection of points within the perimeter of the inhabited area. The values of the entomological indicators were extrapolated for the entire study area through the geostatistical ordinary kriging technique. For each case and control, the respective indicator values were obtained, according with its geographical coordinates and analyzed by using a generalized additive model. Dengue incidence demonstrated a seasonal behavior, as well as the entomological indicators of all mosquito's evolutionary stages. The infestation did not present a significant variation in intensity and was not a limiting or determining factor of the occurrence of cases in the municipality. The risk maps of the disease from crude and adjusted generalized additive models did not present differences, suggesting that areas with the highest values of entomological indicators were not associated with the incidence of dengue. The inclusion of other variables in the generalized additive models may reveal the modulatory effect for the risk of the disease, which is not found in this study. Author Summary: Dengue is a disease caused by a virus which has four serotypes DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4. In Americas, A. aegypti is acknowledged as the only dengue vector in America. Currently the only strategy to prevent dengue is controlling A. aegypti mosquitoes. The generalized additive model was used to understand the relationship of the indicators of the presence of eggs, larvae-pupae and adult stages of A. aegypti with the occurrence of dengue cases in a medium sized city of São Paulo state, Brazil. Dengue incidence as well as the entomological indicators in all stages of the mosquito showed a seasonal behavior. The infestation level was not a limiting or a determinant factor of the occurrence of cases in the municipality. Risk maps of the disease, from the crude and adjusted by generalized additive models, showed no differences, suggesting that the entomological indicators did not influence the incidence of dengue in the city. The inclusion of other variables in the generalized additive model could reveal the modulating effect on the disease risk, not found in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies was known to humans as a disease thousands of years ago. In America, insectivorous bats are natural reservoirs of rabies virus. The bat species Tadarida brasiliensis and Lasiurus cinereus, with their respective, host-specific rabies virus variants AgV4 and AgV6, are the principal rabies reservoirs in Chile. However, little is known about the roles of bat species in the ecology and geographic distribution of the virus. This contribution aims to address a series of questions regarding the ecology of rabies transmission in Chile. Analyzing records from 1985–2011 at the Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile (ISP) and using ecological niche modeling, we address these questions to help in understanding rabies-bat ecological dynamics in South America. We found ecological niche identity between both hosts and both viral variants, indicating that niches of all actors in the system are undifferentiated, although the viruses do not necessarily occupy the full geographic distributions of their hosts. Bat species and rabies viruses share similar niches, and our models had significant predictive power even across unsampled regions; results thus suggest that outbreaks may occur under consistent, stable, and predictable circumstances. Author Summary: The situation of rabies in America has been changing: rabies in dogs has decreased considerably, but bats are increasingly documented as natural reservoirs of other rabies variants. A significant gap exists in understanding of bat-borne rabies in Latin America. We identified bat species known to be connected with enzootic rabies with different antigenic variants in Chile, and compiled large-scale data sets by which to test for ecological niche differences among virus lineages and bat hosts. Our results begin to characterize important ecological factors affecting rabies distribution; modeling rabies in Chile allows comparisons across different latitudes and diverse landscapes. We found that rabies virus strains are found in similar environments, regardless of the bat host involved. This research improves understanding of bat-borne rabies dynamics, and important step towards preventing and controlling this and other emergent diseases linked to bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously shown that experimental infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is associated with changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Increased glucocorticoid (GC) levels are believed to be protective against the effects of acute stress during infection but result in depletion of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes by apoptosis, driving to thymic atrophy. However, very few data are available concerning prolactin (PRL), another stress-related hormone, which seems to be decreased during T. cruzi infection. Considering the immunomodulatory role of PRL upon the effects caused by GC, we investigated if intrathymic cross-talk between GC and PRL receptors (GR and PRLR, respectively) might influence T. cruzi-induced thymic atrophy. Using an acute experimental model, we observed changes in GR/PRLR cross-activation related with the survival of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes during infection. These alterations were closely related with systemic changes, characterized by a stress hormone imbalance, with progressive GC augmentation simultaneously to PRL reduction. The intrathymic hormone circuitry exhibited an inverse modulation that seemed to counteract the GC-related systemic deleterious effects. During infection, adrenalectomy protected the thymus from the increase in apoptosis ratio without changing PRL levels, whereas an additional inhibition of circulating PRL accelerated the thymic atrophy and led to an increase in corticosterone systemic levels. These results demonstrate that the PRL impairment during infection is not caused by the increase of corticosterone levels, but the opposite seems to occur. Accordingly, metoclopramide (MET)-induced enhancement of PRL secretion protected thymic atrophy in acutely infected animals as well as the abnormal export of immature and potentially autoreactive CD4+CD8+ thymocytes to the periphery. In conclusion, our findings clearly show that Trypanosoma cruzi subverts mouse thymus homeostasis by altering intrathymic and systemic stress-related endocrine circuitries with major consequences upon the normal process of intrathymic T cell development. Author Summary: It is currently estimated that 90 million people in America are exposed to T. cruzi infection, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Despite the mortality and morbidity, this infection is yet considered a neglected disease, due to the lack of effective, safe, and affordable pharmaceuticals for controlling it. T. cruzi leads to immunosuppression of the T cell compartment and to chronic cardiac inflammation, which seems to be associated with the disruption of thymic homeostasis. Thymus atrophy, characteristic of acute infection, is mainly associated with the loss of immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, which in turn is associated with increased corticosterone systemic levels, together with their premature export to the periphery as potential autorreactive cells. Although being deleterious to the thymus, GCs are protective during this infection, for avoiding an exacerbated pro-inflammatory response. Here we demonstrate that the increase of GCs in plasma is related to the impairment of PRL systemic levels. The intrathymic hormonal circuitry is also altered during infection and an imbalance of the cross-talk involving GR and PRL is related with CD4+CD8+ depletion. The partial restoration of PRL levels prevented thymus atrophy of infected mice, thus partially reverting the T. cruzi-induced subversion of the organ, ultimately reestablishing thymus homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most devastating infectious diseases worldwide. Whilst global burden estimates for M. tuberculosis infection (MtTB) are well established, accurate data on the contribution of zoonotic TB (zTB) caused by M. bovis or M. caprae to human TB are scarce. The association of M. bovis infection with extrapulmonary tuberculosis has been suggested repeatedly, though there is little scientific evidence available to support this relationship. The present study aimed to determine globally the occurrence of extrapulmonary TB and the primary site (i.e. primary body location affected) of zTB in comparison with MtTB, based on previously published reports. A systematic literature review was conducted in 32 different bibliographic databases, selecting reports on zTB written in English, French, German, Spanish or Portuguese. Data from 27 reports from Africa, America, Europe and the Western Pacific Region were extracted for analyses. Low income countries, in Africa and South-East Asia, were highly underrepresented in the dataset. The median proportion of extrapulmonary TB cases was significantly increased among zTB in comparison with data from registries of Europe and USA, reporting mainly MtTB cases (47% versus 22% in Europe, 73% versus 30% in the USA). These findings were confirmed by analyses of eight studies reporting on the proportions of extrapulmonary TB in comparable populations of zTB and MtTB cases (median 63% versus 22%). Also, disparities of primary sites of extrapulmonary TB between zTB and MtTB were detected. Our findings, based on global data, confirm the widely suggested association between zTB and extrapulmonary disease. Different disability weights for zTB and MtTB should be considered and we recommend separate burden estimates for the two diseases. Author Summary: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most devastating infectious diseases worldwide. The impact estimation of worldwide human TB is well established; however, that of TB transmitted by cattle, goat or sheep (i.e. zoonotic TB) is not. The affected body sites of human and zoonotic TB are repeatedly suggested to be different, which would influence the severity and impact of the diseases. The present study aimed to determine globally the association of affected body site and zoonotic TB by a systematic literature review. Data from 27 reports from Africa, America, Europe and the Western Pacific Region were included in the analyses. We found that the proportion of extrapulmonary TB was significantly higher in zoonotic TB than in human TB. Also, disparities of the specific body sites of extrapulmonary TB between zoonotic TB and human TB were detected. Our findings, which are based on global data, confirm the widely suggested association between zoonotic TB and extrapulmonary disease. Therefore, different measurements for estimating the impact of the two diseases should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Still today, more than 30 years after the beginning of the process of visceral leishmaniasis' urbanization, there is little knowledge about the risk factors for its occurrence, despite their relevance to the control and understanding of disease dynamics. The present study is the first systematic review with meta-analysis about factors associated with Leishmania infantum infection in humans in the Americas. Methods and Findings: After searching different databases, consultations to the reference lists of articles and to experts in the field, 51 studies were reviewed. Theoretical discussions or meta-analysis of p-values or of effect sizes were used to pool information about each variable. The Q test and the I2 statistic were used to assess heterogeneities among the studies. Male sex was associated with visceral leishmaniasis in studies which used the leishmanin skin test for diagnosis and in those where the outcome was the clinical disease; the opposite occurred when serological diagnosis was applied. Younger individuals were less frequently infected than adults, but were more prone to illness. Although with different levels of evidence and of heterogeneity, the presence of dogs at home, higher dog seropositivity in nearby areas, lower socioeconomic status and highly vegetated areas were associated with L. infantum infection. This was not noticed for the presence of chickens in the house and with nutritional status. Susceptibilities to bias and limitations in the analysis and in the description of results were often identified in the studies analyzed. Conclusions: Results showed the existence of consistent patterns for some of the factors analyzed and should be taken into account in developing more effective and well-targeted control measures. Studies must be conducted in new areas of the continent, with improved methodological quality and prioritizing the investigation of the patterns identified and their causes, as well as variables for which knowledge is poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Isthmus of Panama-the narrow neck of land connecting the northern and southern American landmasses-was an obligatory corridor for the Paleo-Indians as they moved into South America. Archaeological evidence suggests an unbroken link between modern natives and their Paleo-Indian ancestors in some areas of Panama, even if the surviving indigenous groups account for only 12.3% of the total population. To evaluate if modern Panamanians have retained a larger fraction of the native pre-Columbian gene pool in their maternally-inherited mitochondrial genome, DNA samples and historical records were collected from more than 1500 volunteer participants living in the nine provinces and four indigenous territories of the Republic. Due to recent gene-flow, we detected ∼14% African mitochondrial lineages, confirming the demographic impact of the Atlantic slave trade and subsequent African immigration into Panama from Caribbean islands, and a small European (∼2%) component, indicating only a minor influence of colonialism on the maternal side. The majority (∼83%) of Panamanian mtDNAs clustered into native pan-American lineages, mostly represented by haplogroup A2 (51%). These findings reveal an overwhelming native maternal legacy in today's Panama, which is in contrast with the overall concept of personal identity shared by many Panamanians. Moreover, the A2 sub-clades A2ad and A2af (with the previously named 6 bp Huetar deletion), when analyzed at the maximum level of resolution (26 entire mitochondrial genomes), confirm the major role of the Pacific coastal path in the peopling of North, Central and South America, and testify to the antiquity of native mitochondrial genomes in Panama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania and the domestic dogs are the main urban parasite reservoir hosts. In Brazil, indirect fluorescence antibody tests (IFAT) and indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using promastigote extracts are widely used in epidemiological surveys. However, their sensitivity and specificity have often been compromised by the use of complex mixtures of antigens, which reduces their accuracy allowing the maintenance of infected animals that favors transmission to humans. In this context, the use of combinations of defined peptides appears favorable. Therefore, they were tested by combinations of five peptides derived from the previously described Leishmania diagnostic antigens A2, NH, LACK and K39. Methodology/Principal Findings: Combinations of peptides derived A2, NH, LACK and K39 antigens were used in ELISA with sera from 44 human patients and 106 dogs. Improved sensitivities and specificities, close to 100%, were obtained for both sera of patients and dogs. Moreover, high sensitivity and specificity were observed even for canine sera presenting low IFAT anti-Leishmania antibody titers or from asymptomatic animals. Conclusions/Significance: The use of combinations of B cell predicted synthetic peptides derived from antigens A2, NH, LACK and K39 may provide an alternative for improved sensitivities and specificities for immunodiagnostic assays of VL. Author Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in many areas of tropical and subtropical America where it constitutes a significant public health problem. It is usually diagnosed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) using crude Leishmania antigens, but a variety of other immunological methods may also be applied. Although these approaches are useful, historically their sensitivity and specificity have often been compromised by the use of complex mixtures of antigens. In this context, the use of combinations of purified, well-characterized antigens appears preferable and may yield better results. In the present study, combinations of peptides derived from the previously described Leishmania diagnostic antigens A2, NH, LACK and K39 were used in ELISA against sera from 106 dogs and 44 human patients. Improved sensitivities and specificities, close to 100%, for both sera of patients and dogs was observed for ELISA using some combinations of the peptides, including the detection of VL in dogs with low anti-Leishmania antibody titers and asymptomatic infection. So, the use of combinations of B cell predicted synthetic peptides derived from antigens A2, NH, LACK and K39 may provide an alternative for improved sensitivities and specificities for immunodiagnostic assays of VL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plague is still a public health problem in the world and is re-emerging, but no efficient vaccine is available. We previously reported that oral inoculation of a live attenuated Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, the recent ancestor of Yersinia pestis, provided protection against bubonic plague. However, the strain poorly protected against pneumonic plague, the most deadly and contagious form of the disease, and was not genetically defined. Methodology and Principal Findings: The sequenced Y. pseudotuberculosis IP32953 has been irreversibly attenuated by deletion of genes encoding three essential virulence factors. An encapsulated Y. pseudotuberculosis was generated by cloning the Y. pestis F1-encoding caf operon and expressing it in the attenuated strain. The new V674pF1 strain produced the F1 capsule in vitro and in vivo. Oral inoculation of V674pF1 allowed the colonization of the gut without lesions to Peyer's patches and the spleen. Vaccination induced both humoral and cellular components of immunity, at the systemic (IgG and Th1 cells) and the mucosal levels (IgA and Th17 cells). A single oral dose conferred 100% protection against a lethal pneumonic plague challenge (33×LD50 of the fully virulent Y. pestis CO92 strain) and 94% against a high challenge dose (3,300×LD50). Both F1 and other Yersinia antigens were recognized and V674pF1 efficiently protected against a F1-negative Y. pestis. Conclusions and Significance: The encapsulated Y. pseudotuberculosis V674pF1 is an efficient live oral vaccine against pneumonic plague, and could be developed for mass vaccination in tropical endemic areas to control pneumonic plague transmission and mortality. Author Summary: Plague, among the most deadly infections of mankind's history, is present in Africa, Asia and America, and is currently re-emerging, recently causing cases in areas from where it had disappeared for decades. Pneumonic plague, its most deadly and contagious form, is responsible for human-to-human spreading of the infection. Vaccination would be an effective means to control the disease, but no efficient vaccine is currently available. Because live vaccines are potent inducers of protective immunity, our strategy was to use a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, closely related to Y. pestis but genetically more stable, to make it suitable for use as live oral vaccine. We have developed a genetically defined Y. pseudotuberculosis strain strongly attenuated by deletion of virulence factors genes, which was also induced to produce the Y. pestis F1 pseudocapsule. A single oral dose was harmless and provided high- level protection against pneumonic plague. Such a candidate vaccine offers promising perspectives to control pneumonic plague mortality and transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early Holocene two main paleoamerican cultures thrived in Brazil: the Tradição Nordeste in the semi-desertic Serta'o and the Tradição Itaparica in the high plains of the Planalto Central. Here we report on paleodietary singals of a Paleoamerican found in a third Brazilian ecological setting - a riverine shellmound, or sambaqui, located in the Atlantic forest. Most sambaquis are found along the coast. The peoples associated with them subsisted on marine resources. We are reporting a different situation from the oldest recorded riverine sambaqui, called Capelinha. Capelinha is a relatively small sambaqui established along a river 60 km from the Atlantic Ocean coast. It contained the well-preserved remains of a Paleoamerican known as Luzio dated to 9,945±235 years ago; the oldest sambaqui dweller so far. Luzio's bones were remarkably well preserved and allowed for stable isotopic analysis of diet. Although artifacts found at this riverine site show connections with the Atlantic coast, we show that he represents a population that was dependent on inland resources as opposed to marine coastal resources. After comparing Luzio's paleodietary data with that of other extant and prehistoric groups, we discuss where his group could have come from, if terrestrial diet persisted in riverine sambaquis and how Luzio fits within the discussion of the replacement of paleamerican by amerindian morphology. This study adds to the evidence that shows a greater complexity in the prehistory of the colonization of and the adaptations to the New World. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Among the founding mitochondrial haplogroups involved in the peopling of the Americas, haplogroup C1d has been viewed as problematic because of its phylogeny and because of the estimates of its antiquity, apparently being much younger than other founding haplogroups. Several recent analyses, based on data from the entire mitochondrial genome, have contributed to an advance in the resolution of these problems. The aim of our analysis is to compare the conclusions drawn from the available HVR-I and HVR-II data for haplogroup C1d with the ones based on whole mitochondrial genomes. Methodology/Principal Findings: HVR-I and HVR-II sequences defined as belonging to haplogroup C1d by standard criteria were gathered from the literature as well as from population studies carried out in Uruguay. Sequence phylogeny was reconstructed using median-joining networks, geographic distribution of lineages was analyzed and the age of the most recent common ancestor estimated using the ρ-statistic and two different mutation rates. The putative ancestral forms of the haplogroup were found to be more widespread than the derived lineages, and the lineages defined by np 194 were found to be widely distributed and of equivalent age. Conclusions/Significance: The analysis of control region sequences is found to still harbor great potential in tracing microevolutionary phenomena, especially those found to have occurred in more recent times. Based on the geographic distributions of the alleles of np 7697 and np 194, both discussed as possible basal mutations of the C1d phylogeny, we suggest that both alleles were part of the variability of the haplogroup at the time of its entrance. Moreover, based on the mutation rates of the different sites stated to be diagnostic, it is possible that the anomalies found when analyzing the haplogroup are due to paraphyly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the dynamics of the human range expansion across northeastern Eurasia during the late Pleistocene is central to establishing empirical temporal constraints on the colonization of the Americas [1]. Opinions vary widely on how and when the Americas were colonized, with advocates supporting either a pre-[2] or post-[1,3,4,5,6] last glacial maximum (LGM) colonization, via either a land bridge across Beringia [3,4,5], a sea-faring Pacific Rim coastal route [1,3], a trans-Arctic route [4], or a trans-Atlantic oceanic route [5]. Here we analyze a large sample of radiocarbon dates from the northeast Eurasian Upper Paleolithic to identify the origin of this expansion, and estimate the velocity of colonization wave as it moved across northern Eurasia and into the Americas. Methodology/Principal Findings: We use diffusion models [6,7] to quantify these dynamics. Our results show the expansion originated in the Altai region of southern Siberia ∼46kBP , and from there expanded across northern Eurasia at an average velocity of 0.16 km per year. However, the movement of the colonizing wave was not continuous but underwent three distinct phases: 1) an initial expansion from 47-32k calBP; 2) a hiatus from ∼32-16k calBP, and 3) a second expansion after the LGM ∼16k calBP. These results provide archaeological support for the recently proposed three-stage model of the colonization of the Americas [8,9]. Our results falsify the hypothesis of a pre-LGM terrestrial colonization of the Americas and we discuss the importance of these empirical results in the light of alternative models. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate that the radiocarbon record of Upper Paleolithic northeastern Eurasia supports a post-LGM terrestrial colonization of the Americas falsifying the proposed pre-LGM terrestrial colonization of the Americas. We show that this expansion was not a simple process, but proceeded in three phases, consistent with genetic data, largely in response to the variable climatic conditions of late Pleistocene northeast Eurasia. Further, the constraints imposed by the spatiotemporal gradient in the empirical radiocarbon record across this entire region suggests that North America cannot have been colonized much before the existing Clovis radiocarbon record suggests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study of the prehistoric origins and dispersal routes of domesticated plants is often based on the analysis of either archaeobotanical or genetic data. As more data become available, spatially explicit models of crop dispersal can be used to combine different types of evidence. Methodology/Principal Findings: We present a model in which a crop disperses through a landscape that is represented by a conductance matrix. From this matrix, we derive least-cost distances from the geographical origin of the crop and use these to predict the age of archaeological crop remains and the heterozygosity of crop populations. We use measures of the overlap and divergence of dispersal trajectories to predict genetic similarity between crop populations. The conductance matrix is constructed from environmental variables using a number of parameters. Model parameters are determined with multiple-criteria optimization, simultaneously fitting the archaeobotanical and genetic data. The consilience reached by the model is the extent to which it converges around solutions optimal for both archaeobotanical and genetic data. We apply the modelling approach to the dispersal of maize in the Americas. Conclusions/Significance: The approach makes possible the integrative inference of crop dispersal processes, while controlling model complexity and computational requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early diagnosis of dengue can assist patient triage and management and prevent unnecessary treatments and interventions. Commercially available assays that detect the dengue virus protein NS1 in the plasma/serum of patients offers the possibility of early and rapid diagnosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: The sensitivity and specificity of the Pan-E Dengue Early ELISA and the Platelia™ Dengue NS1 Ag assays were compared against a reference diagnosis in 1385 patients in 6 countries in Asia and the Americas. Platelia was more sensitive (66%) than Pan-E (52%) in confirmed dengue cases. Sensitivity varied by geographic region, with both assays generally being more sensitive in patients from SE Asia than the Americas. Both kits were more sensitive for specimens collected within the first few days of illness onset relative to later time points. Pan-E and Platelia were both 100% specific in febrile patients without evidence of acute dengue. In patients with other confirmed diagnoses and healthy blood donors, Platelia was more specific (100%) than Pan-E (90%). For Platelia, when either the NS1 test or the IgM test on the acute sample was positive, the sensitivity versus the reference result was 82% in samples collected in the first four days of fever. NS1 sensitivity was not associated to disease severity (DF or DHF) in the Platelia test, whereas a trend for higher sensitivity in DHF cases was seen in the Pan-E test (however combined with lower overall sensitivity). Conclusions/Significance: Collectively, this multi-country study suggests that the best performing NS1 assay (Platelia) had moderate sensitivity (median 64%, range 34-76%) and high specificity (100%) for the diagnosis of dengue. The poor sensitivity of the evaluated assays in some geographical regions suggests further assessments are needed. The combination of NS1 and IgM detection in samples collected in the first few days of fever increased the overall dengue diagnostic sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]