Identification of novel rhoptry proteins in Neospora caninum by LC/MS-MS analysis of subcellular fractions

Apicomplexan parasites possess an apical complex that is composed of two secretory organelles recognized as micronemes and rhoptries. Rhoptry contents are secreted into the parasitophorous vacuole during the host cell invasion process. Several rhoptry proteins have been identified in Toxoplasma gondii and seem to be involved in host-pathogen interactions and some of them are considered to be important virulence factors. Only one rhoptry protein, NcROP2, has been identified and extensively characterized in the closely related parasite Neospora caninum, and this has showed immunoprotective properties. Thus, with the aim of increasing knowledge of the rhoptry protein repertoire in N. caninum, a subcellular fractionation of tachyzoites was performed to obtain fractions enriched for this secretory organelle. 2-D SDS-PAGE followed by MS and LC/MS-MS were applied for fraction analysis and 8 potential novel rhoptry components (NcROP1, 5, 8, 30 and NcRON2, 3, 4, 8) and several kinases, proteases and phosphatases proteins were identified with a high homology to those previously found in T. gondii. Their existence in N. caninum tachyzoites suggests their involvement in similar events or pathways that occur in T. gondii. These novel proteins may be considered as targets that could be useful in the future development of immunoprophylactic measures.

Use of multislice computed tomography in disaster victim identification--advantages and limitations

After a mass fatality incident (MFI), all victims have to be rapidly and accurately identified for juridical reasons as well as for the relatives' sake. Since MFIs are often international in scope, Interpol has proposed standard disaster victim identification (DVI) procedures, which have been widely adopted by authorities and forensic experts. This study investigates how postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) can contribute to the DVI process as proposed by Interpol. The Interpol postmortem (PM) form has been analyzed, and a number of items in sections D and E thereof have been postulated to be suitable for documentation by CT data. CT scans have then been performed on forensic cases. Interpretation of the reconstructed images showed that indeed much of the postmortem information required for identification can be gathered from CT data. Further advantages of the proposed approach concern the observer independent documentation, the possibility to reconstruct a variety of images a long time after the event, the possibility to distribute the work by transmitting CT data digitally, and the reduction of time and specialists needed at the disaster site. We conclude that MSCT may be used as a valuable screening tool in DVI in the future.

Fast parallel kriging-based stepwise uncertainty reduction with application to the identification of an excursion set

Stepwise uncertainty reduction (SUR) strategies aim at constructing a sequence of points for evaluating a function  f in such a way that the residual uncertainty about a quantity of interest progressively decreases to zero. Using such strategies in the framework of Gaussian process modeling has been shown to be efficient for estimating the volume of excursion of f above a fixed threshold. However, SUR strategies remain cumbersome to use in practice because of their high computational complexity, and the fact that they deliver a single point at each iteration. In this article we introduce several multipoint sampling criteria, allowing the selection of batches of points at which f can be evaluated in parallel. Such criteria are of particular interest when f is costly to evaluate and several CPUs are simultaneously available. We also manage to drastically reduce the computational cost of these strategies through the use of closed form formulas. We illustrate their performances in various numerical experiments, including a nuclear safety test case. Basic notions about kriging, auxiliary problems, complexity calculations, R code, and data are available online as supplementary materials.

Graphical Model-Based Vertebra Identification from X-Ray Image(s)

Automated identification of vertebrae from X-ray image(s) is an important step for various medical image computing tasks such as 2D/3D rigid and non-rigid registration. In this chapter we present a graphical model-based solution for automated vertebra identification from X-ray image(s). Our solution does not ask for a training process using training data and has the capability to automatically determine the number of vertebrae visible in the image(s). This is achieved by combining a graphical model-based maximum a posterior probability (MAP) estimate with a mean-shift based clustering. Experiments conducted on simulated X-ray images as well as on a low-dose low quality X-ray spinal image of a scoliotic patient verified its performance.

Guidelines for WB3 Part I: Desertification and land degradation: Identification of existing and potential prevention and mitigation strategies

These guidelines are a working instrument for conducting and moderating stakeholder workshops with a participatory approach to initiate a mutual learning process among local and external stakeholders. The overall aim of the workshop is to identify promising (existing and potential) strategies for land and water conservation for the selected study site. DESIRE (Desertification Mitigation and Remediation of Land) is a European Integrated Project. The DESIRE WB 3 methodology was developed by CDE and is based on experiences from Learning for Sustainability (LforS) and WOCAT.

The Quiet Eye and Information Processing: Facilitation of Stimulus Identification and Response Selection

Background: A prerequisite for high performance in motor tasks is the acquisition of egocentric sensory information that must be translated into motor actions. A phenomenon that supports this process is the Quiet Eye (QE) defined as long final fixation before movement initiation. It is assumed that the QE facilitates information processing, particularly regarding movement parameterization. Aims: The question remains whether this facilitation also holds for the information-processing stage of response selection and – related to perception crucial – stage of stimulus identification. Method: In two experiments with sport science students, performance-enhancing effects of experimentally manipulated QE durations were tested as a function of target position predictability and target visibility, thereby selectively manipulating response selection and stimulus identification demands, respectively. Results: The results support the hypothesis of facilitated information processing through long QE durations since in both experiments performance-enhancing effects of long QE durations were found under increased processing demands only. In Experiment 1, QE duration affected performance only if the target position was not predictable and positional information had to be processed over the QE period. In Experiment 2, in a full vs. no target visibility comparison with saccades to the upcoming target position induced by flicker cues, the functionality of a long QE duration depended on the visual stimulus identification period as soon as the interval falls below a certain threshold. Conclusions: The results corroborate earlier findings that QE efficiency depends on demands put on the visuomotor system, thereby furthering the assumption that the phenomenon supports the processes of sensorimotor integration.