BACKGROUND: Since 1997, human-biting ticks submitted to the Department of Defense Human Tick Test Kit Program (HTTKP) of the US Army Public Health Command have been tested for pathogens by PCR. We ...noted differences in the phenology and infection prevalence among Ixodes scapularis ticks submitted from military installations in different geographic regions. The aim of this study was to characterize these observed differences, comparing the phenology and pathogen infection rates of I. scapularis submitted from soldiers at two sites in the upper Midwest (Camp Ripley, MN, and Ft. McCoy, WI) and one site in the northeastern US (Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA). METHODS: From 1997 through 2012, the HTTKP received 1,981 I. scapularis from the three installations and tested them for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Borrelia burgdorferi and the Ehrlichia muris-like (EML) agent using PCR; pathogen presence was confirmed via sequencing or amplification of a second gene target. Pathogen and co-infection prevalence, tick engorgement status, and phenology were compared among installations. RESULTS: Greater rates of A. phagocytophilum and Ba. microti infections were detected in ticks submitted from installations in Minnesota than in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania, and the EML agent was only detected in ticks from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Midwestern ticks were also more likely to be co-infected than those from Pennsylvania. Both adult and nymphal ticks showed evidence of feeding on people, although nymphs were more often submitted engorged. Adult I. scapularis were received more frequently in June from Minnesota than from either of the other sites. Minnesota adult and nymphal peaks overlapped in June, and submissions of adults exceeded nymphs in that month. CONCLUSIONS: There were clear differences in I. scapularis phenology, pathogen prevalence and rates of co-infection among the three military installations. Seasonal and temperature differences between the three sites and length of time a population had been established in each region may contribute to the observed differences. The synchrony of adults and nymphs observed in the upper Midwest has implications for pathogen infection prevalence. The EML agent was only detected in Minnesota and Wisconsin, supporting the previous assertion that this pathogen is currently limited to the upper Midwest.
Apolipoprotein J (apoJ) defines a heterogeneous subclass of human plasma high-density lipoproteins (HDL) having a bimodal distribution of molecular mass of 70-90 kDa (approximately 50%) and 200 kDa ...or larger (approximately 50%). ApoJ-HDL are unstable in stored plasma, and must be evaluated within 24 h. All apoJ-HDL in freshly obtained plasma have alpha 2 electrophoretic mobility and are distinct from a minor subpopulation of apoAI-HDL which electrophorese in the pre beta region. Although apoAI is not associated with the majority of plasma apoJ-HDL, a small fraction of these particles also containing apoAI. There is little variation in the apoJ/apoAI mole ratio of apoJ-HDL immunoaffinity purified from the same individual on different days. In addition, there is a constant ratio among individuals, assessed for five volunteers, of 4.9 +/- 0.6. Purified apoJ added directly to apoJ-depleted plasma can interact with apoAI or with apoAI-containing lipoproteins, as evidenced by the association of apoAI with apoJ that is reisolated by immunoaffinity chromatography. The amount of apoAI associated with apoJ increases linearly with increasing amount of apoJ added, over the range of apoJ concentrations tested. No other known apolipoprotein is associated with apoJ. By two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis, the lipoproteins containing both apoJ and apoAI have approximate molecular masses of 350-400 kDa. Taken together, the results suggest that the interaction between apoJ and apoAI is physiologically important and that lipoproteins which contain both apoJ and apoAI can be produced in the plasma. ApoJ-HDL and apoJ/apoAI-HDL may have different functions and metabolic fates or may represent different stages of apoJ catabolism.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland on September 8, 1964, Surgical Oncology Section Editor for Breast Cancer (2008-2013), Associate Professor and Director of the Breast Cancer Unit at the University of ...Geneva, Switzerland.
Abstract Single antigen bead based assays (SAB) to identify antibodies to HLA are marketed as a qualitative test, however often used as a quantitative test as the results provide mean fluorescence ...intensity (MFI) which is found to correlate with the strength/avidity of the antibody. We studied the between and within laboratory variability in performing the SAB from one manufacturer. Ten samples were tested at four laboratories according to the manufacturer’s suggested protocol. Additionally same samples were tested on four consecutive days in one laboratory. All tests were performed using the same lot of beads and secondary antibody. Results were classified as positive at four different MFI cutoffs: 1000, 5000, 8000 and 10,000. MFI values across and within the laboratory were compared in a pair-wise fashion with Pearson’s correlations. Overall concordance for Class-I was 97% between laboratories and 98% within laboratory at all cutoffs. Pair-wise Pearson correlation between laboratories was 0.989–0.99, while within laboratory it was 0.998–0.999. For Class-II, overall concordance between and within laboratory was 98%. Pair-wise Pearson correlation between laboratories was 0.991–0.997, while within laboratory it was 0.997–0.999. There is good correlation between laboratories and within laboratory using the same manufacturer, same lot and same protocol while performing SAB.
Since the colonial and early Independence eras, violence has been used in Kenya as a strategy to manipulate the electoral process and to ensure victory in the polls. It has been employed, in both ...highly instrumental and more ad hoc ways, by actors at all levels of political agency. This chapter explores Kenya’s legacy of violent electoral politics, reflecting on the causes and motivations that underscore its use, and tracing its manifestations at key historical junctures from the colonial period to the present day. It suggests that Kenya’s susceptibility to violence during election periods is rooted in four interrelated factors: the neo-patrimonial ethnic logic of politics, which creates incentives to utilize violent tactics; the persistent narratives of ethnic territoriality, which serve to legitimize certain forms of violence; weak institutions which both enable and provoke various actors to utilize violence; and the diffusion of armed actors and an embedded culture of violence, which facilitates mobilization during electoral periods.
Antiferromagnets offer much faster dynamics compared to their ferromagnetic counterparts but their order parameter is extremely difficult to detect and control. So far, controlling the Néel order ...parameter electrically is limited to only very few materials where Néel spin-orbit torques are allowed by symmetry. In this work, we show that coupling a thin ferromagnet (permalloy) layer on top of an antiferromagnet (Mn\(_2\)Au) solves a major roadblock -- the controlled reading, writing, and manipulation of antiferromagnetic domains. We confirm by atomistic spin dynamics simulations that the domain wall patterns in the Mn\(_2\)Au are imprinted on the permalloy, therefore allowing for indirect imaging of the Néel order parameter. Our simulations show that the coupled domain wall structures in Mn\(_2\)Au-Py bilayers can be manipulated by either acting on the Néel order parameter via Néel spin-orbit torques or by acting on the magnetisation (the ferromagnetic order parameter) via magnetic fields. In both cases, we predict ultra-high domain wall speeds on the order of 8.5 km/s. Thus, employing a thin ferromagnetic layer has the potential to easily control the Néel order parameter in antiferromagnets even where Néel spin-orbit torques are forbidden by symmetry. The controlled manipulation of the antiferromagnetic order parameter provides a promising basis for the development of high-density storage and efficient computing technologies working in the THz regime.
Background: Clinical trial evidence in controversial areas such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) must be approached with an open mind. Objective: To determine what factors may ...influence practitioners' interpretation of evidence from CAM trials. Research Design: In a mailed survey of 2400 US CAM and conventional medicine practitioners we included 2 hypothetical factorial vignettes of positive and negative research results for CAM clinical trials. Vignettes contained randomly varied journal (Annals of Internal Medicine vs. Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine) and CAM treatment type (acupuncture, massage, glucosamine, meditation, and reiki). Response items also included randomly varied patient circumstances—chronic refractory symptoms and the requesting CAM. Measures: All practitioners rated the effectiveness and their willingness to recommend the therapy for a described patient. We used logistic regression to determine the independent influence of the 4 factors on respondents' effectiveness and legitimacy judgments. Results: A total of 1561 practitioners responded (65%). Relative to Reiki, conventional medicine practitioners were most willing to recommend glucosamine (OR = 3.0; 95% CI 1.6–5.4), than massage (1.9 1.1–3.3), acupuncture (1.3 0.8–2.2), and meditation (1.2 0.7–2.0). CAM practitioners rated acupuncture as effective more than other CAM therapies (OR = 5.8 2.6–12.8 compared with Reiki), and were more willing to recommend acupuncture (OR = 12.3 4.8–31.8). When presented evidence of inefficacy, CAM practitioners were most willing to recommend acupuncture relative to other CAM therapies (OR = 15.5 9.0–26.9). Conclusions: Practitioners' judgments about CAM trial evidence depend on the type of treatments reported. Confirmation bias may play a role in the clinical translation of new evidence from clinical trials.
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