Some Tools to Analyze Changes of Rhythms in Biological Time Series

The moving window principle applied to the khi-square periodogram allows, through local successive examinations, a comprehensive study of the biological time series. This method puts forward several cases of transition linked to environmental or physiological changes. Furthermore, we applied the Grassberger and Procaccia method (1983) for the analysis of more complex transition problems. The method helps to detect chaotic properties in behavioral activity rhythms.     

Control of Dog Mediated Human Rabies in Haiti: No Time to Spare

The American region has pledged to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by 2015. As part of these efforts, we describe the findings of a desk and field mission review of Haiti’s rabies situation by the end of 2013. While government officials recognize the importance of dog-mediated rabies control, and the national rabies plan adequately contemplates the basic capacities to that effect, regular and sufficient implementation, for example, of dog vaccination, is hampered by limited funding. Compounding insufficient funding and human resources, official surveillance figures do not accurately reflect the risk to the population, as evidenced by the large number of rabid dogs detected by focalized and enhanced surveillance activities conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and the Health and Population Ministry (MSPP) with the technical assistance of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although international support is common, either in the form of on-the-ground technical support or donations of immunobiologicals, it is not comprehensive. In addition, there is limited coordination with MARNDR/MSPP and with other actors at the strategic or operational level due to human resources limitations. Given these findings, the 2015 elimination goal in the region is compromised by the situation in Haiti where control of the disease is not yet in sight despite the best efforts of the resolute national officials. More importantly, dog-mediated rabies is still a threat to the Haitian population.     

Construction of a reference linkage map of Vitis amurensis and genetic mapping of Rpv8, a locus conferring resistance to grapevine downy mildew

Downy mildew, caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola, is one of the major threats to grapevine. All traditional cultivars of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) are susceptible to downy mildew, the control of which requires regular application of fungicides. In contrast, many sources of resistance to P. viticola have been described in the Vitis wild species, among which is V. amurensis Rupr. (Vitaceae), a species originating from East Asia. A genetic linkage map of V. amurensis, based on 122 simple sequence repeat and 6 resistance gene analogue markers, was established using S1 progeny. This map covers 975?cM on 19 linkage groups, which represent 82% of the physical coverage of the V. vinifera reference genetic map. To measure the general level of resistance, the sporulation of P. viticola and the necrosis produced in response to infection, five quantitative and semi-quantitative parameters were scored 6?days post-inoculation on the S1 progeny. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis allowed us to identify on linkage group 14 a major QTL controlling the resistance to downy mildew found in V. amurensis, which explained up to 86.3% of the total phenotypic variance. This QTL was named ??Resistance to Plasmopara viticola 8?? (Rpv8).     

Microbial hitchhikers on intercontinental dust: catching a lift in Chad

Ancient mariners knew that dust whipped up from deserts by strong winds travelled long distances, including over oceans. Satellite remote sensing revealed major dust sources across the Sahara. Indeed, the Bodélé Depression in the Republic of Chad has been called the dustiest place on earth. We analysed desert sand from various locations in Chad and dust that had blown to the Cape Verde Islands. High throughput sequencing techniques combined with classical microbiological methods showed that the samples contained a large variety of microbes well adapted to the harsh desert conditions. The most abundant bacterial groupings in four different phyla included: (a) Firmicutes—Bacillaceae, (b) Actinobacteria—Geodermatophilaceae, Nocardiodaceae and Solirubrobacteraceae, (c) Proteobacteria—Oxalobacteraceae, Rhizobiales and Sphingomonadaceae, and (d) Bacteroidetes—Cytophagaceae. Ascomycota was the overwhelmingly dominant fungal group followed by Basidiomycota and traces of Chytridiomycota, Microsporidia and Glomeromycota. Two freshwater algae (Trebouxiophyceae) were isolated. Most predominant taxa are widely distributed land inhabitants that are common in soil and on the surfaces of plants. Examples include Bradyrhizobium spp. that nodulate and fix nitrogen in Acacia species, the predominant trees of the Sahara as well as Herbaspirillum (Oxalobacteraceae), a group of chemoorganotrophic free-living soil inhabitants that fix nitrogen in association with Gramineae roots. Few pathogenic strains were found, suggesting that African dust is not a large threat to public health.