Development of a genotype-matched Newcastle disease DNA vaccine candidate adjuvanted with IL-28b for the control of targeted velogenic strains of Newcastle disease virus in Africa.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is an extremely contagious and deadly virus that affects numerous bird species, posing serious threats to poultry production on a global scale. In addition to implementing biosecurity practices in farming systems, vaccination remains the most effective means of controlling Newcastle disease (ND). However, while existing commercial vaccines provide some level of protection, the effectiveness of these vaccines can be questionable, particularly in field settings where the complexity of vaccination program implementation poses significant challenges, especially against virulent genotypes of NDV.

Aging increases lightness of grass-fed beef.

Grass-fed beef is becoming increasingly popular and is expected to be a $14 billion industry by 2024. Even so, grass-fed beef is typically darker in appearance than that of conventional grain-fed beef. Aging has been shown to improve lean color (*, *) of dark-cutting beef however little work has focused on aging as it relates to improving the lean color of grass-fed beef.

Determinants of antimicrobial resistance in biosolids: A systematic review, database, and meta-analysis.

Biosolids can provide a nutrient rich soil amendment, particularly for poor soils and semi-arid or drought-prone areas. However, there are concerns that sludge and biosolids could be a source of propagation and exposure to AMR determinants such as antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). To inform risk assessment efforts, a systematic literature review was performed to build a comprehensive spreadsheet database of ARB and ARG concentrations in biosolids (and some sludges specified as intended for land application), along with 69 other quantitative and qualitative meta-data fields from 68 published studies describing sampling information and processing methods that can be used for modeling purposes.

In vitro proteolysis mirrors intact muscle maturation in beef carcasses.

An in vitro assay was developed to study protease activity during the maturation of beef postmortem. Myofibrils were purified from the semitendinosus and used as a sentinel for assessing the activity of endogenous proteases in longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and the extensor carpi radialis (ER) over time postmortem in beef carcasses. Samples were collected from each muscle at 0, 1, 2, 7, and 14 d of aging and snap frozen.

Global Genotype by Environment Prediction Competition Reveals That Diverse Modeling Strategies Can Deliver Satisfactory Maize Yield Estimates.

Predicting phenotypes from a combination of genetic and environmental factors is a grand challenge of modern biology. Slight improvements in this area have the potential to save lives, improve food and fuel security, permit better care of the planet, and create other positive outcomes. In 2022 and 2023 the first open-to-the-public Genomes to Fields (G2F) initiative Genotype by Environment (GxE) prediction competition was held using a large dataset including genomic variation, phenotype and weather measurements and field management notes, gathered by the project over nine years.

Type IV pili-associated secretion of a biofilm matrix protein from that forms intermolecular isopeptide bonds.

is a Gram-positive anaerobic spore-forming bacterial pathogen of humans and animals. also produces type IV pili (T4P) and has two complete sets of T4P-associated genes, one of which has been shown to produce surface pili needed for cell adherence. One hypothesis about the role of the other set of T4P genes is that they could comprise a system analogous to the type II secretion systems (TTSS) found in Gram-negative bacteria, which is used to export folded proteins from the periplasm through the outer membrane to the extracellular environment.

Automating life science labs at the single-cell level through precise ultrasonic liquid sample ejection: PULSE.

Laboratory automation technologies have revolutionized biomedical research. However, the availability of automation solutions at the single-cell level remains scarce, primarily owing to the inherent challenges of handling cells with such small dimensions in a precise, biocompatible manner. Here, we present a single-cell-level laboratory automation solution that configures various experiments onto standardized, microscale test-tube matrices via our precise ultrasonic liquid sample ejection technology, known as PULSE.

Evidence of horizontal gene transfer and environmental selection impacting antibiotic resistance evolution in soil-dwelling Listeria.

Soil is an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and understanding how corresponding environmental changes influence their emergence, evolution, and spread is crucial. The soil-dwelling bacterial genus Listeria, including L. monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, serves as a key model for establishing this understanding.

The amino acid transporter UmamiT20 confers susceptibility.

• Induction of SWEET sugar transporters by bacterial pathogens via transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors is necessary for successful blight infection of rice, cassava and cotton, - likely providing sugars for bacterial propagation. • Here, we show that infection of by the necrotrophic fungus causes increased accumulation of amino acid transporter UmamiT20 mRNA in leaves. UmamiT20 protein accumulates in leaf veins surrounding the lesions after infection.

How do malfunctioning onsite wastewater systems influence water quality? Assessing treatment of nutrient and Escherichia coli in central North Carolina.

Onsite wastewater systems (OWSs) can be significant sources of nutrients and E. coli to water resources, potentially resulting in water quality degradation especially during times of malfunction. An OWS is considered malfunctioning when septic tank effluent is discharged into drainfield trenches during periods when there is insufficient separation to groundwater (<30 cm), when wastewater upwells to the surface, or when backup of wastewater into the tank or home occurs.

Polarizable AMOEBA force field predicts thin and dense hydration layer around monosaccharides.

Polarizable force fields crucially enhance the modeling of macromolecules in polar media. Here, we present new parameters to model six common monosaccharides with the polarizable AMOEBA force field. These parameters yield a thinner, but denser, hydration layer than that previously reported.

Transport chirality generated by a tunable tilt of Weyl nodes in a van der Waals topological magnet.

Chirality - a characteristic handedness that distinguishes 'left' from 'right'-is a fundamental property of quantum particles under broken symmetry intimately connected to their spins. Chiral fermions have been identified in Weyl semimetals through their unique electrodynamics arising from 'axial' charge imbalance between pairs of chiral Weyl nodes-the topologically protected 'relativistic' crossings of electronic bands. Chiral magnetotransport phenomena critically depend on the details of electronic band structure.

A Systematic Review of Parent Socialization of Negative Affect in Clinical Child Samples: Relations to Youth Emotion Regulation Abilities.

Emotion-focused parenting practices, known as parent emotion socialization, play a crucial role in shaping youth's emotion regulation (ER) abilities. The impact of parent emotion socialization behaviors (ESB) on youth ER has been studied extensively in community samples. However, research on these relations in clinical samples is more limited, albeit growing.

Long-term effects of cycle time and volume exchange ratio on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) production from food waste digestate by Haloferax mediterranei cultivated in sequencing batch reactors for 450 days.

Food wastedigestatewas fed into a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) forHaloferax mediterranei(HM) to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). This SBR was operated uninterruptedly for 450 days to test its stability, during which the cycle time and volume exchange ratiowere varied to understand their impacts on the PHBV fermentation performance under ranged organic loading rates (OLR). Results showed that 1) PHBV productivity was proportional to OLR of food wastedigestate; 2) substrate and product inhibitions were two limiting factors constraining substrate utilization and PHBV yields; 3) PHBV titer was dependent on the hydraulic retention time of the SBR while a volume exchange ratio lower than 0.

Soil-derived dissolved organic matter and nutrient sources from urban stormwater control measures.

There has been significant investment in stormwater control measures (SCM) to reduce erosion, filter pollutants, and mitigate peak storm flows within urban watersheds. SCMs have variable hydrologic connectivity to downstream waterbodies where SCMs may rapidly export water during storm events but dry up in-between events and these alternating wet/dry cycles influence the biogeochemical processes that occur in SCM soils. While the performance of SCMs has been evaluated for nutrient removal, less is known about the potential for mobilization of nutrients and dissolved organic matter (DOM) that accumulate in SCM soils.

Inertial measurement units worn on the dorsum of the foot and proximal to the ankle can provide valid slip recovery measures.

Background: Slips are a leading cause of injury among older adults. Slip recovery measures are often captured using optoelectronic motion capture (OMC) systems that can be costly and typically require a laboratory setting. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) systems show promise as a lower cost, portable, and wearable form of motion capture.

Rhythms in insect olfactory systems: underlying mechanisms and outstanding questions.

Olfaction is a critical sensory modality for invertebrates, and it mediates a wide range of behaviors and physiological processes. Like most living organisms, insects live in rhythmic environments: the succession of nights and days is accompanied by cyclic variations in light intensity and temperature, as well as in the availability of resources and the activity of predators. Responding to olfactory cues in the proper temporal context is thus highly adaptive and allows for the efficient allocation of energy resources.

Initial Validation of a Survey Instrument to Evaluate Veterinary Student Self-Efficacy for Antimicrobial Selection in the United States.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to human and animal health, and antimicrobial use selects for AMR. Appropriate selection of antimicrobial drugs is an important part of veterinary education, but many veterinary students report that they have knowledge gaps in this area. Students with greater self-efficacy, the belief that one can perform the individual steps that comprise a task, tend to expend more effort and motivation in learning new skills.

A Multicenter Evaluation of a Metacognitive Framework for Antimicrobial Selection Education.

Antimicrobial selection is a complex task for veterinary students there is a need for both assessment tools and novel strategies to promote the proper use of antimicrobials. SODAPOP (Source-Organism-Decided to treat-Antimicrobials-Patient- Option-Plan) is a mnemonic previously designed to aid in developing antimicrobial selection skills by promoting metacognition. To assess the effect of this tool, we enrolled veterinary students ( = 238) from five veterinary teaching institutions in a study that consisted of an online survey that contained a video-based intervention.

Development of a Competency-Based Veterinary Education Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Domain.

A group of veterinary educators with diverse backgrounds and interests from five universities in the northeastern region of the United States convened in December 2020 to address challenges in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in veterinary education. It was elected to develop a DEIJ-specific competency domain to supplement the nine domains previously described in the Competency-Based Veterinary Education framework. The domain that we created provides a detailed but flexible roadmap that can be used to guide curriculum-development initiatives that support learner development in DEIJ and, as a result, enhance their impact in working teams and the communities in which they will live and practice.

Cross-Sectional Survey of Student and Faculty Experiences with Feedback and Assessment of Clinical Competency on Final Year Rotations at American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Member Institutions.

The clinical experiences, feedback, and assessment that veterinary students receive during final year rotations have a significant impact on whether they will achieve entry-level competency at the time of graduation. In this study, a cross-sectional survey was administered to American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) member institutions to collect baseline data about current feedback and assessment practices to identify key target areas for future research and educational interventions. Responses were received from 89 faculty and 155 students distributed across 25 universities.

Development and Use of the Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Assessment Toolkit.

The Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Analyze Working Group of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Council on Outcomes-based Veterinary Education (COVE) has developed a CBVE assessment toolkit. The toolkit is designed to provide curriculum committees and individual instructors with an opportune intersection of the CBVE domains of competence and various assessment techniques. College-wide curriculum committees can use the toolkit to guide programs of assessment in the larger unit, ensuring that assessment methods are aligned with intended learning outcomes throughout the curriculum.