HLA-E coding and 3' untranslated region variability determined by next-generation sequencing in two West-African population samples

HLA-E is a non-classical Human Leucocyte Antigen class I gene with immunomodulatory properties. Whereas HLA-E expression usually occurs at low levels, it is widely distributed amongst human tissues, has the ability to bind self and non-self antigens and to interact with NK cells and T lymphocytes, being important for immunosurveillance and also for fighting against infections. HLA-E is usually the most conserved locus among all class I genes. However, most of the previous studies evaluating HLA-E variability sequenced only a few exons or genotyped known polymorphisms. Here we report a strategy to evaluate HLA-E variability by next-generation sequencing (NGS) that might be used to other HLA loci and present the HLA-E haplotype diversity considering the segment encoding the entire HLA-E mRNA (including 5'UTR, introns and the 3'UTR) in two African population samples, Susu from Guinea-Conakry and Lobi from Burkina Faso. Our results indicate that (a) the HLA-E gene is indeed conserved, encoding mainly two different protein molecules; (b) Africans do present several unknown HLA-E alleles presenting synonymous mutations; (c) the HLA-E 3'UTR is quite polymorphic and (d) haplotypes in the HLA-E 3'UTR are in close association with HLA-E coding alleles. NGS has proved to be an important tool on data generation for future studies evaluating variability in non-classical MHC genes.

Epidemiological profile of hepatitis C virus infection in patients from west region of Minas Gerais State, Brazill

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caridean Shrimps Associated with the Slimy Sea Plume (Pseudopterogorigia americana) in Midsummer at Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, West Indies

Fifty-one slimy sea plumes (Pseudopterogorgia americana Gmelin, 1791) were sampled for caridean shrimps at Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, during one week in July 1992. Sam- pling depth ranged from 3-22 m. Nine species were collected: Hippolyte nicholsoni Chace, 1972; Latreutes sp.; Neopontonides chacei Heard, 1986; Perclimenes cf. patae Heard and Spotte, 1991; Periclimenes cf. pauper Holthuis, 1951; Periclimenes sp.; Pseudocoutierea antillensis Chace, 1972; Tozeuma cf. cornutum Milne Edwards, 1881; and Trachycaris rugosa (Bate, 1888). A total of 1,418 specimens (including fragments) was obtained. The number of shrimp species per gorgonian ranged from 1-5; one gorgonian harbored 156 shrimps. The two predominant species, N. chacei and H. nicholsoni, occupy different mean depths (12.6 and 8.2 m, respectively). Sexual dimorphism assessed with Mann-Whitney U-tests was not apparent in the specimens of N. chacei (P > 0.05), but females of H. nicholsoni were significantly larger than males (P < 0.001). Minimum carapace length (CL, the tip of the rostrum to the posterior dorsal margin of the carapace) at which male N. chacei acquire a single appendix masculina spine is 1.25 mm; male H. nicholsoni can acquire a single spine at 0.9 mm CL. Histological sections of male N. chacei showed that shrimp with 0 or 1 spine are least likely to be mature. Female N. chacei can become ovigerous at 1.9 mm CL and female H. nicholsoni at 1.2 mm CL. The taxonomic status of 5 of the 9 species collected is uncertain.

Haliotrema (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalinae) from Ostraciid Fishes in Guadeloupe, West Indies

Six sympatric species of Haliotrema Johnston and Tiegs, 1922 are described from ostraciid fishes in Guadeloupe, West Indies. All have a basic cone-shaped cirrus, but characteristics of that and other terminal genitalia plus those of anchors can differentiate them: H. guadeloupensis sp. n. from Lactophrys triqueter (typehost) and L. bicaudalis; H. torridum sp. n. from L. triqueter (type-host) and Acanthostracion polygonius; H. glandulosum sp. n. from L. triqueter (type-host) and L. bicaudalis; H. minutum sp. n. from A. polygonius; H. lactophrys (MacCallum, 1915) comb. n. from A. polygonius and A. quadricornis which is transferred from the genus Ancyrocephalus Creplin, 1839; and H. kritskyi nom. nov. from A. polygonius. The latter has been given a replacement name for Parahaliotrema brevis. Mizelle and Kritsky, 1969 which would become a junior homonym because it, H. affinis (Mizelle and Kritsky, 1969) comb. n., H. cornutus (M. and K.) comb. n., H. grandis (M. and K.) comb. n., H. pacificus (M. and K.) comb. n., and H. zebrasoma (M. and K.) comb. n. are all transferred from the genus Parahaliotrema Mizelle and Price, 1964. We follow others in considering that genus to be a junior synonym of Haliotrema. We also determined that at least Ancyrocephalus parupenei Yamaguti, 1968 and A. pauu Yamaguti, 1968 do not belong in Ancyrocephalus. However, investigation of H. australe Johnston and Tiegs, 1922 and other species should precede transferring those species to another genus.

Water Rights and Land Values in the West-Central Plains

Irrigation is vital to the economic activity of the west-central Great Plains. The crops grown, the distribution of center-pivot irrigation systems, and the basic transportation infrastructure is the same in northwest Kansas, northeast Colorado, and southwest Nebraska. But buyers of agricultural land face a different price for irrigated cropland in each of the states, even when the production characteristics of the land are similar. After accounting for factors like productivity and local property tax differences, we argue that it is the difference in water marketing rights between the three states that explains the price difference. The link between land values and water marketing rights is statistically developed by using Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression techniques. After adjusting for differences in property taxes, the analysis reveals that the implicit value of full water-marketing rights in the region is approximately $1,026 per acre. This valuation is within the range of estimates provided by other comparable studies across the country.

Review of Laws and Societies in the Canadian Prairie West, 1670-1940 Edited by Louis A. Knafla and Jonathan Swainger

For all intents and purposes, the settlement of the Canadian prairie was the founding of a new society using materials brought to the new land along with those close at hand. Of course, preexisting aboriginal society had to be supplanted in the course of this founding. In both the supplanting and the founding, the rule of law as we currently know it was a principal means and end of the settlement process.

Antibodies to Influenza and West Nile Viruses in Horses in Mexico

INFLUENZA A virus (IAV) (family Orthomyxoviridae) is a highly infectious respiratory pathogen of birds and mammals, including human beings and horses (Palese and Shaw 2007). The virus is classified into different subtypes based on the antigenic properties of the haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins. Sixteen HA subtypes (H1 to H16) and nine NA subtypes (N1 to N9) have been identified (Fouchier and others 2005). Two subtypes, H3N8 and H7N7, have been isolated from horses. The H7N7 subtype was first isolated from a horse in Czechoslovakia in 1956 (Prague/56) (Sovinova and others 1958), and the H3N8 subtype was first isolated from a horse in Miami, USA, in 1963 (Waddell and others 1963). The H7N7 subtype has not been isolated from horses for three decades and is presumed to be extinct (Webster 1993). The H3N8 subtype is currently a common cause of disease in horses worldwide. In horses, influenza is characterized by an abrupt onset of pyrexia, depression, coughing and nasal discharge, and is often complicated by secondary bacteria infections that can lead to pneumonia and death (Hannant and Mumford 1996). Although H3N8 is a major cause of morbidity in horses throughout the world, information on the seroprevalence of IAV in horses and other domestic animals in Mexico is limited.

A Silent Enzootic of an Orthopoxvirus in Ghana, West Africa: Evidence for Multi-Species Involvement in the Absence of Widespread Human Disease

Human monkeypox has never been reported in Ghana, but rodents captured in forested areas of southern Ghana were the source of the monkeypox virus introduced into the United States in 2003. Subsequent to the outbreak in the United States, 204 animals were collected from two commercial trapping sites in Ghana. Animal tissues were examined for the presence of orthopoxvirus (OPXV) DNA using a real-time polymerase chain reaction, and sera were assayed for antibodies against OPXV. Animals from five genera (Cricetomys , Graphiurus , Funiscirus, and Heliosciurus ) had antibodies against OPXV, and three genera (Cricetomys , Graphiurus , and Xerus) had evidence of OPXV DNA in tissues. Additionally, 172 persons living near the trapping sites were interviewed regarding risk factors for OPXV exposure, and their sera were analyzed. Fifty-three percent had IgG against OPXV; none had IgM. Our findings suggest that several species of forest-dwelling rodents from Ghana are susceptible to naturally occurring OPXV infection, and that persons living near forests may have low-level or indirect exposure to OPXV-infected animals, possibly resulting in sub-clinical infections.

Taking an Endemically Infected Bovine Tb Area Through to Livestock Clearance. A Case Study of West Taupo, New Zealand

The Pest Management Strategy for Bovine Tuberculosis (Tb) in New Zealand aims to achieve efficient freedom from Tb by 2013 and to eradicate the disease from livestock and wildlife. The West Taupo area, in the central North Island of New Zealand, was chronically infected with Tb in both domestic livestock herds (cattle and deer) and within wildlife populations (brushtail possum, ferret, feral deer and pigs). Through the development and implementation of a technically innovative management plan, this area is now approaching Tb free status. The case study / management plan reported here discusses the operational techniques and strategies that were implemented to achieve Tb clearance in the livestock herds and the possibilities of eradication from wildlife species. It particularly identifies the variations in control strategies that are required as population densities reduce and the challenges of maintaining strong effective control at low densities of some wildlife species, whilst not needing to control other species that were initially clinically diagnosed with Tb control. Use of diagnostic tools and education as an area moves through the cycle towards Tb freedom are as essential as the physical control activities. The use of intensive monitoring of both livestock and wildlife species as trend and performance indicators and the need to educate farmers, hunters and other land use groups become increasingly important.

Survey of Staff and Organization of Private Secondary School Libraries in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State

The teacher-librarian and organization of private secondary school libraries in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State was the focus of the study. A structured questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Copies of questionnaires were administered to staff of six school libraries surveyed. The study revealed that none of the staff were professionally qualified, which resulted in poor and haphazard organization of the resources in all the schools surveyed. Recommendations were made to improve library services, including pr

IMMIGRATION, THE AMERICAN WEST, AND THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: GERMAN FROM RUSSIA, OMAHA INDIAN, AND VIETNAMESE-URBAN VILLAGERS IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

The North American West is a culturally and geographically diverse region that has long been a beacon for successive waves of human immigration and migration. A case in point, the population of Lincoln, Nebraska -- a capital city on the eastern cusp of the Great Plains -- was augmented during the twentieth century by significant influxes of Germans from Russia, Omaha Indians, and Vietnamese. Arriving in clusters beginning in 1876, 1941, and 1975 respectively, these newcomers were generally set in motion by dismal economic, social, or political situations in their sending nations. Seeking better lives, they entered a mainstream milieu dominated by native-born Americans -- most part of a lateral migration from Iowa, Illinois, and Pennsylvania -- who only established their local community in 1867. While this mainstream welcomed their labor, it often eschewed the behaviors and cultural practices ethnic peoples brought with them. Aware but not overly concerned about these prejudices, all three groups constructed or organized distinct urban villages. The physical forms of these enclaves ranged from homogeneous neighborhoods to tight assemblies of relatives, but each suited a shared preference for living among kinspeople. These urban villages also served as stable anchors for unique peoples who were intent on maintaining aspects of their imported cultural identities. Never willing to assimilate to mainstream norms, urban villagers began adapting to their new milieus. While ethnic identity constructions in Lincoln proved remarkably enduring, they were also amazingly flexible. In fact, each subject group constantly negotiated their identities in response to interactions among particular, cosmopolitan, and transnational forces. Particularism refers largely to the beliefs, behaviors, and organizational patterns urban villagers imported from their old milieus. Cosmopolitan influences emanated from outside the ethnic groups and were dictated largely but not exclusively by the mainstream. Transnationalism is best defined as persistent, intense contact across international boundaries. These influences were important as the particularism of dispersed peoples was often reinforced by contact with sending cultures. Adviser: John. R. Wunder

Macrofaunal abundance and composition on the West Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf: Evidence for a sediment `food bank` and similarities to deep-sea habitats

To assess the impact and fate of the summer phytoplankton bloom on Antarctic benthos, we evaluated temporal and spatial patterns in macrofaunal abundance and taxonomic composition along a transect crossing the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) continental shelf As part of the FOODBANCS project, we sampled three sites at 550-625 m depths during five cruises occurring in November 1999, February-March 2000, June 2000, October 2000 and March 2001. We used a combination of megacore and box-core samplers to take 81 samples, and collected over 30,000 macrofaunal individuals, one of the largest sampling efforts on the Antarctic shelf to date. Comparison of the two sampling methodologies (box core and megacore) indicates similar macrofaunal densities, but with significant differences in taxonomic composition, a reflection of the different spatial scales of sampling. Macrorfaunal abundances on the WAP shelf were relatively high compared to other Antarctic shelf settings. At two of the three sampling sites, macrofaunal abundance remained constant throughout the year, which is consistent with the presence of a sediment `food bank`. Differences were observed in taxonomic composition at the site closest to the coast (Station A), driven by higher abundances of subsurface-deposit feeders. A significant temporal response was observed in the ampharetid polychaetes at Station A, with an abundance peak in the late fall post-bloom period; this may have resulted from juvenile recruitment during the summer bloom. Familial composition of macrofaunal polychaetes on the WAP shelf is more closely related to deep-sea abyssal fauna than to other shelf regions, and we hypothesize that this is a result of both local ecological conditions (low temperatures) and a reflection of historical processes such as extinctions on the Antarctic shelf during previous glacial maxima followed by recolonization from the deep sea. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trophic structure on the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf: Detritivory and benthic inertia revealed by delta(13)C and delta(15)N analysis

Summer bloom-derived phytodetritus settles rapidly to the seafloor on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) continental shelf, where it appears to degrade relatively slowly, forming a sediment ""food bank"" for benthic detritivores. We used stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes to examine sources and sinks of particulate organic material (POM) reaching the WAP shelf benthos (550-625 m depths), and to explore trophic linkages among the most abundant benthic megafauna. We measured delta(13)C and delta(15)N values in major megafaunal taxa (n = 26) and potential food sources, including suspended and sinking POM, ice algae, sediment organic carbon, phytodetritus, and macrofaunal polychaetes. The range in delta(13)C values (> 14 parts per thousand) of suspended POM was considerably broader than in sedimentary POC, where little temporal variability in stable isotope signatures was observed. While benthic megafauna also exhibited a broad range of VC values, organic carbon entering the benthic food web appeared to be derived primarily from phytoplankton production, with little input from ice algae. One group of organisms, primarily deposit-feeders, appeared to rely on fresh phytodetritus recovered from the sediments, and sediment organic material that had been reworked by sediment microbes. A second group of animals, including many mobile invertebrate and fish predators, appeared to utilize epibenthic or pelagic food resources such as zooplankton. One surface-deposit-feeding holothurian (Protelpidia murrayi) exhibited seasonal variability in stable isotope values of body tissue, while other surface- and subsurface-deposit-feeders showed no evidence of seasonal variability in food source or trophic position. Detritus from phytoplankton blooms appears to be the primary source of organic material for the detritivorous benthos; however, seasonal variability in the supply of this material is not mirrored in the sediments, and only to a minor degree in the benthic fauna. This pattern suggests substantial inertia in benthic-pelagic coupling, whereby the sediment ecosystem integrates long-term variability in production processes in the water column above. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Potential impacts of polar fronts on sedimentation processes at Abrolhos coral reef (South-West Atlantic Ocean/Brazil)

Several reefs of the world have undergone changes in community due to sedimentation processes. It has been suggested that Abrolhos reefs (Brazil/South-West Atlantic) are subjected to a steady coastal influence, although there is still little information regarding this assumption. In this work, we have analyzed a set of environmental parameters concerning sedimentation characteristics at the Abrolhos reefs, near 18 degrees S-39 degrees W. The analysis included remote sensing, model and in situ data to provide a three-dimensional quantitative description of the processes that influence sediment apportionment to the reefs. Mineralogy and natural radioactivity of sediment trapped at three reef sites in a transect perpendicular to the coastline were used in conjunction with numerical weather prediction model and remote sensing databases. We have observed an increase of around 100% of sediment flux during the summer compared to the winter season. A comparison of regional rainfall regime, sediment plume dynamics and a year-around monitoring of polar fronts trajectories and surface wind showed that the wind-driven resedimentation due to polar front activity is the major contributor to the intensification of sedimentation processes at the offshore area of Abrolhos reefs, despite river runoff from mainland. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporal changes in benthic megafaunal abundance and composition across the West Antarctic Peninsula shelf: Results from video surveys

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf experiences intense seasonal and interannual variability in phytoplankton production and particulate-organic-carbon flux to the seafloor. To explore the response of the megabenthic community to this production variability, we conducted video surveys of epibenthic megafauna at three stations on the WAP shelf in Nov-Dec 1999, Mar 2000, Jun 2000, Oct-Nov 2000, and Feb-Mar 2001. The epibenthic megafauna was dominated (>90%) by elasipod holothurians, irregular urchins and anthozoans, with total abundances ranging from 19 to 152 ind. 1 00 m(-2). The abundance of three of the dominant taxa (Protelpidia murrayi, Peniagone vignomi, and Amphipneustes spp.) varied significantly across seasons (p <0.05), although variations were not tightly correlated with the summer bloom cycle. The irregular urchins in the genus Amphipneustes varied 5-fold in abundance at single stations, with maximum densities (an average of 10.1 ind. 100 m(-2)) attained in Jun 2000. Abundances of the elasipod holothurians P. murrayi (1-121 ind. 100 m(-2)) and P. vignoni (0.7-27.5 ind. 100 m(-2)) fell within the range for elasipod holothurians from other bathyal regions measured using image analysis. The abundance of P. murrayi increased up to 6-fold from a single Jun-Oct recruitment pulse, while changes in the abundance of P. vignoni (over 2-fold higher in Feb-Mar 2001) apparently resulted from immigration during the presence of a 1-2 cm thick carpet of fresh phytocletritus. Based on the ratio of the number of fecal casts per individual, elasipod holothurians increased surface-deposit feeding rates by >= 2-fold while phytocletritus was present at the seafloor. Nonetheless, these surface-deposit feeders appeared to feed and egest sediments throughout the winter, which is consistent with year-round persistence of a labile food bank in surficial sediments on the deep WAP shelf.