Afferents to the midbrain auditory center in the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) histochemistry was used to visualize cells afferent to the bullfrog torus semicircularis. These afferent cells are located in several sensory and nonsensory nuclei. The sensory structures which project to the torus are mainly auditory nuclei, with the major input coming from the ipsilateral superior olive. A very small contralateral projection is also present. In addition, afferents arise from the contralateral, and to a lesser extent ipsilateral, dorsal acoustic nucleus and nucleus caudalis, both primary eighth nerve nuclei. A vestibular input is also apparent in that HRP-positive cells were seen in the magnocellular vestibular nucleus and among elongated bipolar cells at the ventral border of the eighth nerve nuclei. In addition, the torus receives somatosensory input from the contralateral perisolitary band. Afferents from spinal cord cells proved difficult to visualize. Nonsensory areas throughout the brain innervate the torus as well. In the medulla, HRP-positive cells were present bilaterally in both medial and lateral reticular areas. The tegmentum contributes a major input from the superficial isthmal reticular nucleus and a minor input from the tegmental fields. Commissural toral projections are also present. Descending forebrain input arises from the pretectal gray bilaterally, the ventral half of the ipsilateral lateral pretectal nucleus, and, possibly, from the ipsilateral posterior thalamic nucleus. HRP-positive cells were also occasionally seen in the posterior tuberculum, ventral hypothalamus, and caudal suprachiasmatic preoptic area. Finally, a telencephalic projection from the ipsilateral anterior entopeduncular nucleus is present.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50015/1/901980304_ftp.pd

Systematic Conservation Planning in the Face of Climate Change: Bet-Hedging on the Columbia Plateau

Systematic conservation planning efforts typically focus on protecting current patterns of biodiversity. Climate change is poised to shift species distributions, reshuffle communities, and alter ecosystem functioning. In such a dynamic environment, lands selected to protect today's biodiversity may fail to do so in the future. One proposed approach to designing reserve networks that are robust to climate change involves protecting the diversity of abiotic conditions that in part determine species distributions and ecological processes. A set of abiotically diverse areas will likely support a diversity of ecological systems both today and into the future, although those two sets of systems might be dramatically different. Here, we demonstrate a conservation planning approach based on representing unique combinations of abiotic factors. We prioritize sites that represent the diversity of soils, topographies, and current climates of the Columbia Plateau. We then compare these sites to sites prioritized to protect current biodiversity. This comparison highlights places that are important for protecting both today's biodiversity and the diversity of abiotic factors that will likely determine biodiversity patterns in the future. It also highlights places where a reserve network designed solely to protect today's biodiversity would fail to capture the diversity of abiotic conditions and where such a network could be augmented to be more robust to climate-change impacts

Dragonfly Molecular Diagnostic Platform: A Rapid Point-of-Care Solution for Monkeypox and Skin Lesion Pathogens

Introduction: The WHO's declaration of a monkeypox (mpox) clade II outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2022 underscored the global threat posed by this virus. By February 2024, the outbreak had spread to 117 non-endemic countries, resulting in 94,707 reported cases and 181 deaths. Under-detection and misdiagnosis due to atypical presentation drove explosive dissemination, underscoring the urgency for rapid differential point-of-care diagnostic solutions for sensitive routine specimen testing. Methods: To address this need, we adapted the Dragonfly™ Molecular Diagnostic Platform for the differential diagnosis of skin-tropic viruses. Utilising Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP)-based assays, our platform covers a spectrum of viruses including orthopoxviruses genus (OPXV), mpox (clades I and II), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The Dragonfly Platform integrates SmartLid™ technology for sample preparation in under 5 minutes, coupled with lyophilized colorimetric LAMP chemistry (LyoLAMP™). A pilot study performed at North West London Pathology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, analysed 164 clinical samples, including 51 mpox clade II positive cases, to assess Dragonfly's performance compared to gold standard methods like qPCR. Results: Our LAMP-based assays exhibited a limit of detection ranging between 50-500 copies per reaction across all pathogens. The Dragonfly platform demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, with 96.1% (95%CI) sensitivity and 100% (95%CI) specificity for OPXV, and 94.1% (95%CI) sensitivity and 100 (95%CI) specificity for mpox. Additionally, Dragonfly detected 9 VZV, 18 HSV-1, and 7 HSV-2 cases, all confirmed by qPCR. Discussion: Dragonfly's LAMP-based colorimetric approach offers a sample-to-result diagnostic solution for infectious diseases. Its portability and rapid testing (under 40 minutes) without the need for laboratory infrastructure or cold chain requirements make it a valuable tool for on-site diagnostics. The Dragonfly skin test panel, targeting OPXV, mpox, HSV-1, HSV-2, and VZV, supports the differential diagnosis of skin lesions and aids in screening and surveillance of suspected mpox cases. While LAMP-based solutions for mpox detection have emerged, none provide a fast, low-resource sample-to-result solution like Dragonfly. Conclusion: The recent mpox outbreak underscores the critical need for accessible, rapid, point-of-care diagnostics for screening and surveillance. Dragonfly's sample-to-result solution for skin lesions addresses this need, offering accessible diagnostics in the field and aiding in outbreak control efforts