Inter-subject correlation of audience facial expressions predicts audience engagement during theatrical performances.

During performances, audiences experience various emotional states, and these are reflected in their ongoing facial expressions. We investigated if audience engagement could be determined by measuring the inter-subject correlation (ISC) of non-invasively recorded audience facial expressions. We filmed the faces of multiple audience members at theatrical performances and determined the intensity of their different facial expressions throughout the performances.

The rhoptry proteome of Eimeria tenella sporozoites.

Proteins derived from the rhoptry secretory organelles are crucial for the invasion and survival of apicomplexan parasites within host cells. The rhoptries are club-shaped organelles that contain two distinct subpopulations of proteins that localise to separate compartments of the organelle. Proteins from the neck region (rhoptry neck proteins, RON) are secreted early in invasion and a subset of these is critical for the formation and function of the moving junction between parasite and host membranes.

Eimeria species parasites as novel vaccine delivery vectors: anti-Campylobacter jejuni protective immunity induced by Eimeria tenella-delivered CjaA.

Vaccination of poultry against coccidiosis caused by the Eimeria species is almost entirely based upon varied formulations of live parasites. The recent development of a series of protocols that support genetic complementation by transfection in Eimeria now provides an opportunity to utilise live anticoccidial vaccines to deliver additional vaccinal antigens. The capacity of Eimeria tenella to express an exogenous antigen and induce an immune response during in vivo infection which is protective against subsequent bacterial challenge has been tested here using the anti-Campylobacter jejuni vaccine candidate CjaA.

Genetic mapping identifies novel highly protective antigens for an apicomplexan parasite.

Apicomplexan parasites are responsible for a myriad of diseases in humans and livestock; yet despite intensive effort, development of effective sub-unit vaccines remains a long-term goal. Antigenic complexity and our inability to identify protective antigens from the pool that induce response are serious challenges in the development of new vaccines. Using a combination of parasite genetics and selective barriers with population-based genetic fingerprinting, we have identified that immunity against the most important apicomplexan parasite of livestock (Eimeria spp.

A genetic linkage map for the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Eimeria maxima and comparison with Eimeria tenella.

Eimeria maxima is one of the seven Eimeria spp. that infect the chicken and cause the disease coccidiosis. The well characterised immunogenicity and genetic diversity associated with E.

Proteomic comparison of four Eimeria tenella life-cycle stages: unsporulated oocyst, sporulated oocyst, sporozoite and second-generation merozoite.

We report the proteomes of four life-cycle stages of the Apicomplexan parasite Eimeria tenella. A total of 1868 proteins were identified, with 630, 699, 845 and 1532 found in early oocysts (unsporulated), late oocysts (sporulated), sporozoites and second-generation merozoites, respectively. A multidimensional protein identification technology shotgun approach identified 812 sporozoites, 1528 merozoites and all of the oocyst proteins, whereas 2-D gel proteomics identified 230 sporozoites and 98 merozoite proteins.

A toolbox facilitating stable transfection of Eimeria species.

Stable transfection of Eimeria species has been difficult to achieve because of the obligate requirement for in vivo amplification and selection of the parasites. Strategies to generate and stabilise populations of transfected Eimeria tenella are described here, together with the identification of optimal parameters for the transfection process. A series of plasmids expressing selectable markers, including a panel of fluorescent reporter genes and a mutant Toxoplasma gondii dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TSm2m3) gene that confers resistance to pyrimethamine, were electroporated into sporozoites of the E.