A high resolution spatial population database of Somalia for disease risk mapping

The article investigates the possibility of creating a data collection system in an unstable environment like Somalia to estimate the incidence of infectious diseases in order to improve the reconstruction of the health sector.Maqaalku wuxuu baarayaa sidii lagu samayn lahaa nidaam lagu ururiyo daatooyinka meel aan xasillooneen sida Soomaaliya, si loo qiyaaso saamaynta cudurrada laysu gudbiyo, loona hagaajiyo qaybta caafimaadka.L'articolo indaga sulla possibilità di creare un sistema di raccolta dati in un contesto instabile come quello somalo per stimare l'incidenza di malattie infettive al fine di una migliore ricostruzione del settore sanitario

Efeito do diluidor e da temperatura de congelação sobre o sêmen congelado de ovino da raça Santa Inês.

Objetivou-se verificar a influência do tipo de diluidor e da temperatura sobre motilidade do sêmen ovino. A coleta do sêmen foi efetuada uma vez por semana em cinco ovinos da raça Santa Inês, após feito um pool dos ejaculados e avaliado quanto ao volume, à motilidade, vigor, concentração e diluído no Leite e Tris. As amostras foram envasadas em palhetas de 0,25 ml e congeladas em três temperaturas (- 79o C, -90o C, -120o C) no equipamento TK 3000. Quando atingida a primeira temperatura, um grupo de palhetas foi transferido para o botijão criogênico e assim sucessivamente, para às demais temperaturas testadas. Após 30 dias, as palhetas foram descongeladas e o sêmen avaliado pelo método CASA. Procedeu-se a ANOVA para testar o efeito da temperatura de congelação sobre os diluidores. Para o diluidor leite, a motilidade progressiva e a percentagem de espermatozóide rápidos diferiu significativamente para temperatura de -79o C em relação às de -90o C e -120o C. No diluidor Tris não houve diferença significativa entre as temperaturas de congelação, entretanto foi significativo e superior ao diluidor a base leite em todas as temperaturas testadas. O diluidor Tris e a temperatura de congelação de -79o C mostraram ser o protocolo de congelação mais apropriado para sêmen de carneiros Santa Inês, entretanto estudos utilizando a inseminação artificial precisam ser conduzidos para validar sua qualidade. Abstract:: This study aimed to verify the influence of the temperature and the extender type on the motility of ram semen. The semen was collected a time per week in five ?Santa Inês? ram, after it was made one pool of the ejaculated and evaluated how much to the volume, motility, vigor, concentration and diluted with Milk and Tris.The samples were stored in straw of 0,25 mL to be frozen in three temperatures (-79°C,-90°C,-120°C) employing the TK 3000 equipment. When reached the first temperature, a group of straws was transferred to the cryogenic container and thus successively, for the the others tested temperatures. After 30 days, the straws had been thawed and the semen evaluated for the CASA method. It was used the ANOVA to test the effect of the temperature of freezing on the extenders. For the Milk, the progressive motility and the fast spermatozoid percentage for the temperature of -79°C differed significantly when compared to the temperatures of -90°C and -120°C. In the extender Tris did not have significant difference between the temperatures of freezing, however it was significant and superior to the extender milk in all tested temperatures. The extender Tris and the freezing temperature of -79°C showed to be the more appropriate freezing protocol for ?Santa Inês? ram semen. However more studies using the artificial insemination need to be lead to validate its quality

Spatiotemporal patterns of population in mainland China, 1990 to 2010

According to UN forecasts, global population will increase to over 8 billion by 2025, with much of this anticipated population growth expected in urban areas. In China, the scale of urbanization has, and continues to be, unprecedented in terms of magnitude and rate of change. Since the late 1970s, the percentage of Chinese living in urban areas increased from ~18% to over 50%. To quantify these patterns spatially we use time-invariant or temporally-explicit data, including census data for 1990, 2000, and 2010 in an ensemble prediction model. Resulting multi-temporal, gridded population datasets are unique in terms of granularity and extent, providing fine-scale (~100 m) patterns of population distribution for mainland China. For consistency purposes, the Tibet Autonomous Region, Taiwan, and the islands in the South China Sea were excluded. The statistical model and considerations for temporally comparable maps are described, along with the resulting datasets. Final, mainland China population maps for 1990, 2000, and 2010 are freely available as products from the WorldPop Project website and the WorldPop Dataverse Repository

Efeito da concentração espermática sobre sêmen congelado de carneiros da raça Santa Inês.

Objetivou-se verificar o efeito da concentração final dos espermatozóide de ovinos sobre os parâmetros de motilidade do sêmen congelado. Foram coletados seis ejaculados de cinco carneiros Santa Inês, uma vez por semana feito um pool e avaliado o volume, motilidade, vigor, concentração espermática e, fracionado em três alíquotas para testar diluições diferentes (1000x106, 800x106, 600x106 espermatozóides por mL). As amostras foram envasadas em palhetas de 0,25 mL, congeladas no equipamento TK 3000 e conservadas no botijão criogênico. Decorridos 30 dias foram descongeladas e, o sêmen avaliado pelo método CASA. Procedeu-se a ANOVA para testar o resultado da concentração de espermatozóides sobre os parâmetros de motilidade. A concentração de 600 x 106 sptz/ mL para as variáveis percentagens de espermatozóides móveis, motilidade progressiva, percentagem de espermatozóides de velocidade rápida e média mostrou-se superior a de 800 x 106 sptz /mL e 1000 x 106 sptz /ml. Para a variável velocidade média da trajetória do espermatozóide rápido (VAPR) não foi observada diferença significativa entre as concentrações testadas. Neste estudo, a concentração de 600 x 106 sptz/ ml apresentou a melhor preservação dos parâmetros de motilidade após a congelação, tornandose adequada para o uso na inseminação artificial. No entanto necessita-se de mais estudos in vivo para avaliar a eficiência desta técnica

Metagenome skimming of insect specimen pools: potential for comparative genomics

Metagenomic analyses are challenging in metazoans, but high-copy number and repeat regions can be assembled from lowcoverage sequencing by “genome skimming,” which is applied here as a new way of characterizing metagenomes obtained in an ecological or taxonomic context. Illumina shotgun sequencing on two pools of Coleoptera (beetles) of approximately 200 species each were assembled into tens of thousands of scaffolds. Repeated low-coverage sequencing recovered similar scaffold sets consistently, although approximately 70% of scaffolds could not be identified against existing genome databases. Identifiable scaffolds included mitochondrial DNA, conserved sequences with hits to expressed sequence tag and protein databases, and knownrepeatelementsof high and low complexity, includingnumerous copies ofrRNAandhistone genes.Assemblies of histones captured a diversity of gene order and primary sequence in Coleoptera. Scaffolds with similarity to multiple sites in available coleopteran genome sequences for Dendroctonus and Tribolium revealed high specificity of scaffolds to either of these genomes, in particular for high-copy number repeats. Numerous “clusters” of scaffolds mapped to the same genomic site revealed intraand/or intergenomic variation within a metagenome pool. In addition to effect of taxonomic composition of the metagenomes, the number of mapped scaffolds also revealed structural differences between the two reference genomes, although the significance of this striking finding remains unclear. Finally, apparently exogenous sequences were recovered, including potential food plants, fungal pathogens, and bacterial symbionts. The “metagenome skimming” approach is useful for capturing the genomic diversity of poorly studied, species-rich lineages and opens new prospects in environmental genomic

Clade-level Spatial Modelling of HPAI H5N1 Dynamics in the Mekong Region Reveals New Patterns and Associations with Agro-Ecological Factors.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus has been circulating in Asia since 2003 and diversified into several genetic lineages, or clades. Although the spatial distribution of its outbreaks was extensively studied, differences in clades were never previously taken into account. We developed models to quantify associations over time and space between different HPAI H5N1 viruses from clade 1, 2.3.4 and 2.3.2 and agro-ecological factors. We found that the distribution of clades in the Mekong region from 2004 to 2013 was strongly regionalised, defining specific epidemiological zones, or epizones. Clade 1 became entrenched in the Mekong Delta and was not supplanted by newer clades, in association with a relatively higher presence of domestic ducks. In contrast, two new clades were introduced (2.3.4 and 2.3.2) in northern Viet Nam and were associated with higher chicken density and more intensive chicken production systems. We suggest that differences in poultry production systems in these different epizones may explain these associations, along with differences in introduction pressure from neighbouring countries. The different distribution patterns found at the clade level would not be otherwise apparent through analysis treating all outbreaks equally, which requires improved linking of disease outbreak records and genetic sequence data

The mitogenome of Hydropsyche pellucidula (Hydropsychidae): first gene arrangement in the insect order Trichoptera

International audienceWe describe the mitochondrial genome of Hydropsyche pellucidula Curtis 1834, which is first described for the suborder Annulipalpia and the first in the order Trichoptera to show a non-canonical gene order. The mitogenome was obtained by de novo assembly of shotgun sequenced total genomic DNA using Illumina Miseq technology, which produced an average coverage of 115× and a minimum coverage of 48×. The mitochondrial genome includes 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs and 22 tRNAs. The genome is characterized by a rearrangement in the relative position of protein-coding and ribosomal genes. This mitogenome sequence will be useful for studying the family Hydropsychidae, which is commonly used for freshwater pollution biomonitoring

Diffusion of Subsidized ACTs in Accredited Drug Shops in Tanzania: Determinants of Stocking and Characteristics of Early and Late Adopters.

Many households in sub-Saharan Africa utilize the private sector as a primary source of treatment for malaria episodes. Expanding access to effective treatment in private drug shops may help reduce incidence of severe disease and mortality. This research leveraged a longitudinal survey of stocking of subsidized artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), an effective anti-malarial, in Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets (ADDOs) in two regions of Tanzania. This provided a unique opportunity to explore shop and market level determinants of product diffusion in a developing country retail market. 356 ADDOs in the Rukwa and Mtwara regions of Tanzania were surveyed at seven points between Feb 2011 and May 2012. Shop level audits were used to measure the availability of subsidized ACTs at each shop. Data on market and shop level factors were collected during the survey and also extracted from GIS layers. Regression and network based methodologies were used. Shops classified as early and late adopters, following Rogers' model of product diffusion, were compared. The Bass model of product diffusion was applied to determine whether shops stocked ACTs out of a need to imitate market competitors or a desire to satisfy customer needs. Following the introduction of a subsidy for ACTs, stocking increased from 12% to nearly 80% over the seven survey rounds. Stocking was influenced by higher numbers of proximal shops and clinics, larger customer traffic and the presence of a licensed pharmacist. Early adopters were characterized by a larger percentage of customers seeking care for malaria, a larger catchment and sourcing from specific wholesalers/suppliers. The Bass model of product diffusion indicated that shops were adopting products in response to competitor behavior, rather than customer demand. Decisions to stock new pharmaceutical products in Tanzanian ADDOs are influenced by a combination of factors related to both market competition and customer demand, but are particularly influenced by the behavior of competing shops. Efforts to expand access to new pharmaceutical products in developing country markets could benefit from initial targeting of high profile shops in competitive markets and wholesale suppliers to encourage faster product diffusion across all drug retailers

Mapping and modelling the geographical distribution and environmental limits of podoconiosis in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND Ethiopia is assumed to have the highest burden of podoconiosis globally, but the geographical distribution and environmental limits and correlates are yet to be fully investigated. In this paper we use data from a nationwide survey to address these issues. METHODOLOGY Our analyses are based on data arising from the integrated mapping of podoconiosis and lymphatic filariasis (LF) conducted in 2013, supplemented by data from an earlier mapping of LF in western Ethiopia in 2008-2010. The integrated mapping used woreda (district) health offices' reports of podoconiosis and LF to guide selection of survey sites. A suite of environmental and climatic data and boosted regression tree (BRT) modelling was used to investigate environmental limits and predict the probability of podoconiosis occurrence. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Data were available for 141,238 individuals from 1,442 communities in 775 districts from all nine regional states and two city administrations of Ethiopia. In 41.9% of surveyed districts no cases of podoconiosis were identified, with all districts in Affar, Dire Dawa, Somali and Gambella regional states lacking the disease. The disease was most common, with lymphoedema positivity rate exceeding 5%, in the central highlands of Ethiopia, in Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples regional states. BRT modelling indicated that the probability of podoconiosis occurrence increased with increasing altitude, precipitation and silt fraction of soil and decreased with population density and clay content. Based on the BRT model, we estimate that in 2010, 34.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 20.2-51.7) million people (i.e. 43.8%; 95% CI: 25.3-64.8% of Ethiopia's national population) lived in areas environmentally suitable for the occurrence of podoconiosis. CONCLUSIONS Podoconiosis is more widespread in Ethiopia than previously estimated, but occurs in distinct geographical regions that are tied to identifiable environmental factors. The resultant maps can be used to guide programme planning and implementation and estimate disease burden in Ethiopia. This work provides a framework with which the geographical limits of podoconiosis could be delineated at a continental scale