Immunochromatographic assays (ICAs) are considered as a suitable diagnostic tool for the detection of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins and especially, ochratoxin A are analytes with more demanding sensitivity ...requirements. To enhance the sensitivity of current immunochromatographic assays for ochratoxin A (OTA), a novel sensitive ICA was developed in this study. In the assay, microspheres enclosing fluorescent europium (III) Eu(III) nanoparticles (EuNPs) were used as a label for OTA monoclonal antibody (OTA-mAb) conjugation. Accordingly, assay was called time-resolved fluorescent immunochromatographic assay (TRFICA). The test strip was composed of three parts: a sample pad, nitrocellulose membrane and an absorbent pad. As for detection, a proper concentration of conjugated microspheres was pipetted into the microtube and sample extract was added to it. Then the strip was inserted into the tube and the fluid flow along the strip. The TRFICA results were obtained in 8 min and read by a portable TRFICA strip reader. The established method allows quantitative determination of OTA with limit of detection as low as 1.0 μg kg−1 in the samples. For validation, spiked samples including wheat, maize, soybean and rice were respectively assayed by TRFICA and a standard high performance liquid chromatography equipped with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD), and good agreement of results was obtained between two methods.
•Developing a time-resolved fluorescent immunochromatographic assay for ochratoxin A.•Using antibody conjugated fluorescent europium nanoparticles as label for detection.•The assay was used for ochratoxin A detection in agro-products.•The assay sensitivity increased compared to gold nanoparticles.•The results were reliable and in accordance with those obtained using HPLC.
Unbalanced walking is increasingly common among older adults; therefore, routinely assessing the balance of older adults is crucial. The traditional method of assessing balance uses scales, requires ...the supervision of a physical therapist (PT), and is time-consuming. The present study, therefore, proposes a deep learning (DL) model architecture that combines a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network model to predict the scores of three scales, namely the Berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go (TUG), and single-leg stance (SLS). The gait data of 15 m of walking were collected from seven inertial measurement units (IMUs) and input into the CNN-LSTM model for evaluation. The BBS and TUG only require the participants to wear two IMUs on the left and right thighs, respectively, for accurate predictions. The mean absolute errors (MAEs) of predicting the scores of the BBS and TUG are 1.2562 and 1.4016 s, respectively; however, the MAE of score predictions of SLS is higher than that of the BBS and TUG, indicating that gait data cannot be used for assessing SLS; moreover, participants only wear one IMU on the right calf for BBS and TUG evaluations, which yield MAEs of 1.4334 and 1.5229 s, respectively. The proposed system can quickly and accurately predict the scores of the BBS and TUG. The proposed model can assist PTs with making clinical decisions.
Brown bowel syndrome (BBS) is a rare condition associated with vitamin E deficiency and defined by prominent lipofuscin deposition in the muscularis propria. Eight unique cases of BBS were ...identified: 5 men and 3 women (mean age=58.6 y). Pertinent comorbidities included bariatric surgery=2, malnourishment=2, Crohn=2, cystic fibrosis=1, alcohol and cocaine abuse=1, and prior small bowel resections=1. Presenting symptoms included abdominal pain=3, bleeding=1, nausea and vomiting=1, and nonresponsiveness=1. Imaging studies were often abnormal: thickened bowel wall=3 (1 with a mass), small bowel obstruction=2, and edematous and dilated bowel wall=2. Most specimens were surgical resections (n=7, autopsy=1): extended right colectomy=2, small bowel only=5 (terminal ileum=3, jejunum=2). Two specimens were grossly described as mahogany, and 1 case contained a perforation. Histologic sections of all cases showed finely granular, brown cytoplasmic pigment in smooth muscle cells on hematoxylin and eosin. This pigment was most conspicuous in the muscularis propria (small bowel>colon), and it was not identified in the mucosa. The pigment was reactive with Fontana-Masson, carbol lipofuscin, Periodic acid-Schiff, and Periodic acid-Schiff with diastase, and electron microscopy was compatible with lipofuscin. The mean clinical follow-up was 208 weeks: 1 patient died of complications of encephalitis, the others were alive and well. BBS is important to recognize because it is linked with malnutrition, specifically vitamin E deficiency, and it can (rarely) clinically simulate malignancy. The diagnosis is based on the identification of the lipofuscin pigment in the cytoplasm of smooth muscle cells, which is most easily seen in the muscularis propria of the small bowel.
This study determines the effect of walking backward on a treadmill on balance, speed of walking and cardiopulmonary fitness for patients with chronic stroke. Subjects with chronic stroke for more ...than six months, whose level of Brunnstrom stage is greater than IV and who are able to walk more than eleven meters with or without assistive devices were recruited. After grouping for a single-blind clinical randomized controlled trial, the subjects were divided into two groups: eight in the control group and eight in the experimental group. All subjects were subjected to 30 min traditional physical therapy, three times a week for four weeks. The experimental group was subjected to an additional 30 min of walking backward on a treadmill. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) were used to determine the functional balance and walking ability. The walking speed was evaluated using a timed 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), and the cardiopulmonary fitness was determined using a 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and a pulmonary function test (PFT). All assessments were made at baseline before training commenced (pre-training) and at the end of the four-week training period (post-training). A paired
-test and an independent
-test were used to determine the effect on balance, speed of walking and cardiopulmonary fitness before and after training. The level of significance α was 0.05. After four weeks of training, the experimental group showed significant differences (
< 0.05) on TUG, BBS, 10MWT, 6MWT, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). This pilot study shows that the 30 min of walking backward on a treadmill three times a week for four weeks increased balance, speed of walking and cardiopulmonary fitness. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials NCT02619110.
Environmental heterogeneity enhances species richness by creating niches and providing refugia. Spatial variation in climate has a particularly strong positive correlation with richness, but is often ...indirectly inferred from proxy variables, such as elevation and related topographic heterogeneity indices, or derived from interpolated coarse‐grain weather station data. Our aim was to develop new remotely sensed metrics of relative temperature and thermal heterogeneity, compare them with proxy measures, and evaluate their performance in predicting species richness patterns. We analyzed Landsat 8's Thermal Infrared Sensor data, calculated two thermal metrics during summer and winter, and compared their seasonal spatial patterns with those of elevation and topographic heterogeneity. We fit generalized least squares models to evaluate each variable's effect in predicting seasonal bird richness using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Generally speaking, neither elevation nor topographic heterogeneity were good proxies for temperature or thermal heterogeneity, respectively. Relative temperature had a non‐linear relationship with elevation that was negatively quadratic in summer, but slightly positively quadratic in winter. Topographic heterogeneity had a stronger positive relationship with thermal heterogeneity in winter than in summer. The magnitude and direction of elevation–temperature and topographic heterogeneity–thermal heterogeneity relationships in each season also varied substantially across ecoregions. Remotely sensed metrics of relative temperature and thermal heterogeneity improved the predictive performance of species richness models, and both thermal variables had significant effects on bird richness that were independent of elevation and topographic heterogeneity. Thermal heterogeneity was positively related to total breeding bird richness, migrant breeding bird richness and resident bird richness, whereas topographic heterogeneity was negatively related to total breeding richness and unrelated to migrant or resident bird richness. Because thermal and topographic heterogeneity had contrasting seasonal patterns and effects on richness, they must be carefully contextualized when guiding conservation priorities.
Objectives:
Alström syndrome (ALMS) and Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) are among the so-called ciliopathies and are associated with the development of multiple systemic abnormalities, including early ...childhood obesity and progressive neurodegeneration. Given the progressive deterioration of patients’ quality of life, in the absence of defined causal treatment, it seems reasonable to identify the metabolic background of these diseases and search for their progression markers. The aim of this study was to find metabolites characteristic to ALMS and BBS, correlating with clinical course parameters, and related to the diseases progression.
Methods:
Untargeted metabolomics of serum samples obtained from ALMS and BBS patients (study group; n = 21) and obese/healthy participants (control group; each of 35 participants; n = 70) was performed using LC-QTOF-MS method at the study onset and after 4 years of follow-up.
Results:
Significant differences in such metabolites as valine, acylcarnitines, sphingomyelins, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylcholines, as well as lysophosphatidylethanolamines and lysophosphatidylcholines were observed when the study group was compared to both control groups. After a follow-up of the study group, mainly changes in the levels of lysophospholipids and phospholipids (including oxidized phospholipids) were noted. In addition, in case of ALMS/BBS patients, correlations were observed between selected phospholipids and glucose metabolism parameters. We also found correlations of several LPEs with patients’ age (
p
< 0.05), but the level of only one of them (hexacosanoic acid) correlated negatively with age in the ALMS/BBS group, but positively in the other groups.
Conclusion:
Patients with ALMS/BBS have altered lipid metabolism compared to controls or obese subjects. As the disease progresses, they show elevated levels of lipid oxidation products, which may suggest increased oxidative stress. Selected lipid metabolites may be considered as potential markers of progression of ALMS and BBS syndromes.
Protected areas are a cornerstone of international conservation. The EU Natura 2000 network is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, but its impact on biodiversity at the ...landscape scale is largely unknown. Here, we use data from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) survey squares across Britain to test whether species abundance and population trends and levels of bird community specialisation are correlated with protected area coverage of BBS survey squares or 5‐km buffers around BBS squares. We compared area coverage by Natura 2000 protection and by the less strict protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest protection alone. The abundance of birds of higher conservation concern and an index of community specialisation were positively correlated with coverage by protected area within survey squares and in a 5‐km buffer around squares. Population trends of species of higher conservation concern were positively correlated with the coverage of squares by Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the coverage of Natura 2000 within a 5‐km buffer around squares. The results suggest that Natura 2000 protection, in particular has positive conservation benefits for birds of higher conservation concern and community specialisation. This highlights the importance of protected areas, especially those with strictest protection, for maintaining biodiversity. Post‐Brexit, the UK should adopt legislation that results in the maintenance and strengthening of the current protected area network, as enforcing protection at a level of that provided by the Nature Directives is essential. As currently around half of Natura 2000 sites are not in favourable condition, even greater conservation benefits might be accrued if protected area management were improved.
We use data from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) survey squares across Britain to test whether species abundance and population trends and levels of bird community specialisation are correlated with protected area coverage of BBS survey squares or 5‐km buffers around BBS squares, particularly that of the EU Natura 2000 network. The abundance of birds of higher conservation concern and community specialisation were positively correlated with Natura 2000 coverage within survey squares or in a 5‐km buffer around squares, with population trends of species of higher conservation concern positively correlated with Natura 2000 coverage within 5km. The results suggest that Natura 2000 protection has positive conservation benefits for birds of higher conservation concern and we recommend that the UK adopts legislation that results in the maintenance and strengthening of the current protected area network, as enforcing protection at a level of that provided by the Nature Directives is essential.
The design of a microstrip bull-eye antenna operating at microwave frequencies and excited by a single uniform circular array of vertical coaxial probes is presented. The array feeder excites higher ...order cylindrical leaky waves with a fast, backward, radially propagating space harmonic, capable of generating twisted Bessel beams in the near-field region. By varying the phasing of the sources, beams with consistent axicon angles and different azimuthal orders can be synthesized, corresponding to different orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) states. A careful design of the feeder allows for obtaining Bessel-like field distributions in the radiative near-field and stable far-field patterns as a function of the azimuth angle, as well as satisfactory matching at the input ports, both in terms of passive scattering coefficients and of active reflection coefficients, for five different OAM states. Numerical full-wave results are reported to validate the proposed design for microwave applications.
•Annual GPP dynamics affecting bird species richness using dynamic habitat indices.•Interannual variation in diversity models highlighting importance of indicators.•Contribution to global, free and ...accessible biodiversity indicators in science.
Bird species richness is highly dependent on the amount of energy available in an ecosystem, with more available energy supporting higher species richness. A good indicator for available energy is Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), which can be estimated from satellite data.
Our question was how temporal dynamics in GPP affect bird species richness. Specifically, we evaluated the potential of the Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs) derived from MODIS GPP data together with environmental and climatic variables to explain annual patterns in bird richness across the conterminous United States. By focusing on annual DHIs, we expand on previous applications of multi-year composite DHIs, and could evaluate lag-effects between changes in GPP and species richness.
We used 8-day GPP data from 2003 to 2013 to calculate annual DHIs, which capture three aspects of vegetation productivity: (1) annual cumulative productivity, (2) annual minimum productivity, and (3) annual seasonality expressed as the coefficient of variation in productivity. For each year from 2003 to 2013, we calculated total bird species richness and richness within six functional guilds, based on North American Breeding Bird Survey data.
The DHIs alone explained up to 53% of the variation in annual bird richness within the different guilds (adjusted deviance-squared D2adj = 0.20–0.52), and up to 75% of the variation (D2adj = 0.28–0.75) when combined with other environmental and climatic variables. Annual DHIs had the highest explanatory power for habitat-based guilds, such as grassland (D2adj = 0.67) and woodland breeding species (D2adj = 0.75). We found some inter-annual variability in the explanatory power of annual DHIs, with a difference of 5–7 percentage points in explained variation among years in DHI-only models, and 3–7 points for models combining DHI, environmental and climatic variables. Our results using lagged year models did not deviate substantially from same-year annual models.
We demonstrate the relevance of annual DHIs for biodiversity science, as effective predictors of temporal variation in species richness patterns. We suggest that the use of annual DHIs can improve conservation planning, by conveying the range of patterns of biodiversity response to global changes, over time.
From July 19–24, 2015, 169 clinicians and basic scientists gathered in the vertiginous heights of Snowmass, Colorado (2502m) for the fourth FASEB summer research conference on the ‘Biology of Cilia ...and Flagella’. Organizers Maureen Barr (Rutgers University), Iain Drummond (Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School), and Jagesh Shah (Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School) assembled a program filled with new data and forward-thinking ideas documenting the ongoing growth of the field. Sixty oral presentations and 77 posters covered novel aspects of cilia structure, ciliogenesis, cilia motility, cilia-mediated signaling, and cilia-related disease. In this report, we summarize the meeting, highlight exciting developments and discuss open questions.
PDF
