A METAGENOMIC STUDY OF THE TICK MIDGUT

A Metagenomic Study of the Tick Midgut Daniel Yuan, B.S. Supervisory Professor : Steven J. Norris, Ph.D. Southern tick–associated rash illness (STARI) or Master’s disease is a Lyme-like illness that occurs following bites by Amblyomma americanum, the lone-star tick. Clinical symptoms include a bull’s eye rash similar to the erythema migrans lesions of Lyme disease, as well as fever and joint pains. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and related spirochetes. However, B. burgdorferi has not been detected in STARI patients, or in ticks in the South Central U.S. The causative agent of STARI has not been identified, although it was once thought to be caused by another Borrelia species, Borrelia lonestari. Furthermore, while adult A. americanum have up to a 5.6% Borrelia lonestari infection rate, the prevalence of all Borrelia species in Texas ticks as a whole is not known. Previous studies indicate that 6%-30% of Northern Ixodes scapularis ticks are infected by Borrelia burgdorferi while only 10% of Northern A. americanum and I. scapularis ticks are infected by Borrelia species. The first specific aim of this project was to determine the bacterial community that inhabits the midgut of Texas and Northeastern ticks by using high throughput metagenomic sequencing to sequence bacterial 16S rDNA. Through the use of massively parallel 454 sequencing, we were able to individually sequence hundreds of thousands of 16S rDNA regions of the bacterial flora from 133 ticks from the New York, Missouri and Texas. The presence of previously confirmed endosymbionts, specifically the Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella spp., that are commonly found in ticks were confirmed, as well as some highly prevalent genera that were previously undocumented. Furthermore, multiple pathogenic genera sequences were often found in the same tick, suggesting the possibility of co-infection of multiple pathogenic species. The second specific aim was to use Borrelia specific primers to screen 344 individual ticks from Missouri, Texas and the Northeast to determine the prevalence of Borrelia species in ticks. To screen for Borrelia species, two housekeeping genes, uvrA and recG, were selected as well as the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer. Ticks from Missouri, Texas and New York were screened. None of the Missouri or Texas ticks tested positive for Borrelia spp. The rate of I. scapularis infection by B.burgdorferi is dependent on tick feeding activity as well as reservoir availability. B. burgdorferi is endemic in the Northeast, sometimes reported as highly present in over 50% of all I. scapularis ticks. 11.6% of all New York ticks were positive for a species of Borrelia, however only 6.9% of all New York ticks were positive for B. burgdorferi. Despite being significantly lower than 50%, the results still fall in line with previous reports of about the prevalence of B. burgdorferi. 1.5% of all Texas ticks were positive for a Borrelia species, specifically B. lonestari. While this study was unable to identify the causative agent for STARI, 454 sequencing was able to provide a tremendous insight into the bacterial flora and possible pathogenic species of both the I. scapularis and the A. americanum tick.

Tibial Plateau angles with and without cranial cruciate ligament rupture: comparison between different dog populations and a wolf population.

The tibial plateau angles (TPA) of dogs with and without cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) injuries were evaluated and further compared to the TPAs of dogs from a previous population and of wolves. Similar TPA measurements were found in all groups, suggesting that any possible changes in breeding practises, breed preferences, nutrition or other factors have not significantly influenced the TPA over time. Moreover, a difference was not found in the TPA between any group and the group affected with CrCL injury, suggesting that the TPA is not a clinically relevant predisposing factor in the development of canine CrCL rupture.

Recovery of large carnivores in Europe's modern human-dominated landscapes.

The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using a data set on the past and current status of brown bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third of mainland Europe hosts at least one large carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance in most cases in 21st-century records. The reasons for this overall conservation success include protective legislation, supportive public opinion, and a variety of practices making coexistence between large carnivores and people possible. The European situation reveals that large carnivores and people can share the same landscape.

Statistical Learning, Syllable Processing, and Speech Production in Healthy Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Preschool Children: A Mismatch Negativity Study

OBJECTIVES The objectives of the present study were to investigate temporal/spectral sound-feature processing in preschool children (4 to 7 years old) with peripheral hearing loss compared with age-matched controls. The results verified the presence of statistical learning, which was diminished in children with hearing impairments (HIs), and elucidated possible perceptual mediators of speech production. DESIGN Perception and production of the syllables /ba/, /da/, /ta/, and /na/ were recorded in 13 children with normal hearing and 13 children with HI. Perception was assessed physiologically through event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded by EEG in a multifeature mismatch negativity paradigm and behaviorally through a discrimination task. Temporal and spectral features of the ERPs during speech perception were analyzed, and speech production was quantitatively evaluated using speech motor maximum performance tasks. RESULTS Proximal to stimulus onset, children with HI displayed a difference in map topography, indicating diminished statistical learning. In later ERP components, children with HI exhibited reduced amplitudes in the N2 and early parts of the late disciminative negativity components specifically, which are associated with temporal and spectral control mechanisms. Abnormalities of speech perception were only subtly reflected in speech production, as the lone difference found in speech production studies was a mild delay in regulating speech intensity. CONCLUSIONS In addition to previously reported deficits of sound-feature discriminations, the present study results reflect diminished statistical learning in children with HI, which plays an early and important, but so far neglected, role in phonological processing. Furthermore, the lack of corresponding behavioral abnormalities in speech production implies that impaired perceptual capacities do not necessarily translate into productive deficits.

Veil: Mirror of Identity

The Islamic headscarf has become the subject of heated legal and political debate. France and Germany have legislated against it, and even the UK, long a champion of multiculturalism, has recently restricted the veil proper. Ever since home-grown Islamic terrorism struck Europe, these debates have become even more prominent, impassioned and wide-ranging, with vital global importance. In this concise and beautifully written introduction to the politics of the veil in modern societies, Christian Joppke examines why a piece of clothing could have led to such controversy. He dissects the multiple meanings of the Islamic headscarf, and explores its links with the global rise of Islam, Muslim integration, and the retreat from multiculturalism. He argues that the headscarf functions as a mirror of identity, but one in which national and liberal identities overlap, exposing the paradox that while it may be an affront to liberal values, its suppression is equally illiberal.

Effects, but no interactions, of ubiquitous pesticide and parasite stressors on honey bee (Apis mellifera) lifespan and behaviour in a colony environment

Interactions between pesticides and parasites are believed to be responsible for increased mortality of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the northern hemisphere. Previous efforts have employed experimental approaches using small groups under laboratory conditions to investigate influence of these stressors on honey bee physiology and behaviour, although both the colony level and field conditions play a key role for eusocial honey bees. Here, we challenged honey bee workers under in vivo colony conditions with sublethal doses of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid, the miticide tau-fluvalinate and the endoparasite Nosema ceranae, to investigate potential effects on longevity and behaviour using observation hives. In contrast to previous laboratory studies, our results do not suggest interactions among stressors, but rather lone effects of pesticides and the parasite on mortality and behaviour, respectively. These effects appear to be weak due to different outcomes at the two study sites, thereby suggesting that the role of thiacloprid, tau-fluvalinate and N. ceranae and interactions among them may have been overemphasized. In the future, investigations into the effects of honey bee stressors should prioritize the use of colonies maintained under a variety of environmental conditions in order to obtain more biologically relevant data.

Representing Afghanistan: The United States and Democracy's Imposition

There is an ongoing mission in Afghanistan; a mission driven by external political forces. At its core this mission hopes to establish peace, to protect the populace, and to install democracy. Each of these goals has remained just that, a goal, for the past eight years as the American and international mission in Afghanistan has enjoyed varied levels of commitment. Currently, the stagnant progress in Afghanistan has led the international community to become increasingly concerned about the viability of a future Afghan state. Most of these questions take root in the question over whether or not an Afghan state can function without the auspices of international terrorism. Inevitably, the normative question of what exactly that government should be arises from this base concern. In formulating a response to this question, the consensus of western society has been to install representative democracy. This answer has been a recurring theme in the post Cold War era as states such as Bosnia and Somalia bear witness to the ill effects of external democratic imposition. I hypothesize that the current mold of externally driven state-building is unlikely to result in what western actors seek it to establish: representative democracy. By primarily examining the current situation in Afghanistan, I claim that external installation of representative democracy is modally flawed in that its process mandates choice. Representative democracy by definition constitutes a government reflective of its people, or electorate. Thus, freedom of choice is necessary for a functional representative democracy. From this, one can deduce that because an essential function of democracy is choice, its implementation lies with the presence of choice. State-building is an imposition that eliminates that necessary ingredient. The two stand as polar opposites that cannot effectively collaborate. Security, governing capacity, and development have all been targeted as measurements of success in Afghanistan. The three factors are generally seen as mutually constitutive; so improved security is seen as improving governing capacity. Thus, the recent resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and a deteriorating security environment moving forward has demonstrated the inability of the Afghan government to govern. The primary reason for the Afghan government’s deficiencies is its lack of legitimacy among its constituency. Even the use of the term ‘constituency’ must be qualified because the Afghan government has often oscillated between serving the people within its territorial borders and the international community. The existence of the Afghan state is so dependent on foreign aid and intervention that it has lost policy-making and enforcing power. This is evident by the inability of Afghanistan to engage in basic sovereign state activities as maintaining a national budget, conducting elections, providing for its own national security, and deterring criminality. The Afghan state is nothing more than a shell of a government, and indicative of the failings that external state-building has with establishing democracy.

Policy implications of public health workforce development for disaster preparedness in the United States

Public health efforts were initiated in the United States with legislative actions for enhancing food safety and ensuring pure drinking water. Some additional policy initiatives during the early 20th century helped organize and coordinate relief efforts for victims of natural disasters. By 1950's the federal government expanded its role for providing better health and safety to the communities, and its disaster relief activities became more structured. A rise in terrorism related incidents during the late 1990's prompted new proactive policy directions. The traditional policy and program efforts for rescue, recovery, and relief measures changed focus to include disaster preparedness and countermeasures against terrorism.^ The study took a holistic approach by analyzing all major disaster related policies and programs, in regard to their structure, process, and outcome. Study determined that United States has a strong disaster preparedness agenda and appropriate programs are in place with adequate policy support, and the country is prepared to meet all possible security challenges that may arise in the future. The man-made disaster of September 11th gave a major thrust to improve security and enhance preparedness of the country. These new efforts required large additional funding from the federal government. Most existing preparedness programs at the local and national levels are run with federal funds which is insufficient in some cases. This discrepancy arises from the fact that federal funding for disaster preparedness programs at present are not allocated by the level of risks to individual states or according to the risks that can be assigned to critical infrastructures across the country. However, the increased role of the federal government in public health affairs of the states is unusual, and opposed to the spirit of our constitution where sovereignty is equally divided between the federal government and the states. There is also shortage of manpower in public health to engage in disaster preparedness activities, despite some remarkable progress following the September 11th disaster.^ Study found that there was a significant improvement in knowledge and limited number of studies showed improvement of skills, increase in confidence and improvement in message-mapping. Among healthcare and allied healthcare professionals, short-term training on disaster preparedness increased knowledge and improved personal protective equipment use with some limited improvement in confidence and skills. However, due to the heterogeneity of these studies, the results and interpretation of this systematic review may be interpreted with caution.^

Teatro x la identidad : "A propósito de la deuda" y "El piquete" : reflexiones en torno de las representaciones, el pasado reciente y lo político

El artículo consiste en la comparación de dos textos dramáticos y su análisis desde el enfoque de la interrelación del Análisis Automático del Discurso (Escuela Francesa) y conceptos provenientes del encuentro entre el marxismo y el psicoanálisis, a partir de la incorporación de conceptos de este último a la problematización general de las significaciones propias del mundo social que sugiere Louis Althusser en los años '60. En tanto que las obras de Teatro x la Identidad hacen referencia a la construcción de una memoria social, resulta imprescindible dar cuenta del concepto de memoria en tanto "la memoria se refiere a las maneras en que la gente construye un sentido del pasado, y cómo relacionan ese pasado con el presente en el acto de rememorar o recordar" (Jelin, 2002: 248). Es decir que se trata de observar qué sentidos configuran estas obras del pasado dictatorial que buscan representar.

La monumentalización de la ciudad : los sitios de memoria como espacios de intervención experta de los hacedores de ciudad

Este trabajo coloca su foco de atención en la intervención de arquitectos, planificadores, urbanistas y ‘hacedores de ciudad’ en la creación de espacios de memoria sobre la última dictadura militar en la Argentina. A través del análisis de la creación del Parque de la Memoria en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires se mostrará cómo estos espacios se insertan en programas de reforma del espacio urbano que involucran desde dirigentes políticos en campaña electoral hasta la participación de expertos y especialistas en la gestión de la ciudad y cómo la intervención de este universo de agentes – y sus propias representaciones y lógicas de actuación – van a incidir en la manera en que estos espacios de memoria son concebidos, gestados e implementados. Mostraré cómo, dentro de este mundo de relaciones, la memoria y el olvido se vuelven categorías significativas en el marco de sus propias disputas por definir qué es la ciudad, quiénes pertenecen a ella y quiénes son los actores legítimos para intervenir en su definición. A través de esta intervención urbana - la creación del Parque de la Memoria - un área marginal de la ciudad ha sido convertida en un espacio sagrado para conmemorar a las víctimas del Terrorismo de Estado y en un paseo público donde los vecinos de la ciudad realizan diversas actividades recreativas.

Lecturas de la violencia anarquista : una crítica al expansionismo del concepto "terrorismo"

El concepto “terrorismo", de presencia casi cotidiana debido al problema yihadista, suele ser utilizado por politólogos, sociólogos, periodistas e historiadores para cubrir un amplio espectro de acciones directas que poca relación tienen entre sí. De hecho, la violencia anarquista, desde su aparición en el Fin de Siècle europeo, fue caracterizada de esa forma, aunque principalmente por sus detractores. En este trabajo analizaremos el concepto “terrorismo anarquista" enunciando cuáles son sus principales límites a la hora de estudiar la violencia libertaria. Por otro lado, se cuestionarán las equiparaciones realizadas entre la violencia anarquista y la violencia yihadista, y las que se han hecho entre la primera y las acciones directas llevadas a cabo por hackers y movimientos de liberación animal, a los que cierta literatura suele asociar con lo libertario y lo terrorista.

Narrar el terrorismo de Estado. De los hechos a la denuncia pública: el caso de la "noche de los lápices"

En este trabajo se analiza la forma en que fue construido como acontecimiento uno de los casos más conocidos y emblemáticos de la represión durante la última dictadura militar en Argentina: la noche de los lápices. Se indaga en torno al origen del nombre, a los personajes y hechos que lo constituyen como relato, así como también en la forma en que se hizo público. A partir del análisis del caso, es posible reflexionar acerca de los procesos de elaboración social sobre la experiencia dictatorial en tiempos de democracia y de las diferentes narrativas producidas.