Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 254 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Kaur H, Ahmad M, Scaria V
    Interdiscip Sci, 2016 Mar;8(1):95-101.
    PMID: 26298582 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-015-0273-x
    There is emergence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype typhi in pandemic proportions throughout the world, and therefore, there is a necessity to speed up the discovery of novel molecules having different modes of action and also less influenced by the resistance formation that would be used as drug for the treatment of salmonellosis particularly typhoid fever. The PhoP regulon is well studied and has now been shown to be a critical regulator of number of gene expressions which are required for intracellular survival of S. enterica and pathophysiology of disease like typhoid. The evident roles of two-component PhoP-/PhoQ-regulated products in salmonella virulence have motivated attempts to target them therapeutically. Although the discovery process of biologically active compounds for the treatment of typhoid relies on hit-finding procedure, using high-throughput screening technology alone is very expensive, as well as time consuming when performed on large scales. With the recent advancement in combinatorial chemistry and contemporary technique for compounds synthesis, there are more and more compounds available which give ample growth of diverse compound library, but the time and endeavor required to screen these unfocused massive and diverse library have been slightly reduced in the past years. Hence, there is demand to improve the high-quality hits and success rate for high-throughput screening that required focused and biased compound library toward the particular target. Therefore, we still need an advantageous and expedient method to prioritize the molecules that will be utilized for biological screens, which saves time and is also inexpensive. In this concept, in silico methods like machine learning are widely applicable technique used to build computational model for high-throughput virtual screens to prioritize molecules for advance study. Furthermore, in computational analysis, we extended our study to identify the common enriched structural entities among the biologically active compound toward finding out the privileged scaffold.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  2. Lo Presti A, Cella E, Giovanetti M, Lai A, Angeletti S, Zehender G, et al.
    J Med Virol, 2016 Mar;88(3):380-8.
    PMID: 26252523 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.24345
    Nipah virus, member of the Paramyxoviridae family, is classified as a Biosafety Level-4 agent and category C priority pathogen. Nipah virus disease is endemic in south Asia and outbreaks have been reported in Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Bangladesh. Bats of the genus Pteropus appear to be the natural reservoir of this virus. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of Nipah virus, to estimate the date of origin and the spread of the infection. The mean value of Nipah virus N gene evolutionary rate, was 6.5 × 10(-4) substitution/site/year (95% HPD: 2.3 × 10(-4)-1.18 × 10(-3)). The time-scaled phylogenetic analysis showed that the root of the tree originated in 1947 (95% HPD: 1888-1988) as the virus entered in south eastern Asiatic regions. The segregation of sequences in two main clades (I and II) indicating that Nipah virus had two different introductions: one in 1995 (95% HPD: 1985-2002) which correspond to clade I, and the other in 1985 (95% HPD: 1971-1996) which correspond to clade II. The phylogeographic reconstruction indicated that the epidemic followed two different routes spreading to the other locations. The trade of infected pigs may have played a role in the spread of the virus. Bats of the Pteropus genus, that are able to travel to long distances, may have contributed to the spread of the infection. Negatively selected sites, statistically supported, could reflect the stability of the viral N protein.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  3. Global Burden of Disease Pediatrics Collaboration, Kyu HH, Pinho C, Wagner JA, Brown JC, Bertozzi-Villa A, et al.
    JAMA Pediatr, 2016 Mar;170(3):267-87.
    PMID: 26810619 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.4276
    IMPORTANCE: The literature focuses on mortality among children younger than 5 years. Comparable information on nonfatal health outcomes among these children and the fatal and nonfatal burden of diseases and injuries among older children and adolescents is scarce.

    OBJECTIVE: To determine levels and trends in the fatal and nonfatal burden of diseases and injuries among younger children (aged <5 years), older children (aged 5-9 years), and adolescents (aged 10-19 years) between 1990 and 2013 in 188 countries from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 study.

    EVIDENCE REVIEW: Data from vital registration, verbal autopsy studies, maternal and child death surveillance, and other sources covering 14,244 site-years (ie, years of cause of death data by geography) from 1980 through 2013 were used to estimate cause-specific mortality. Data from 35,620 epidemiological sources were used to estimate the prevalence of the diseases and sequelae in the GBD 2013 study. Cause-specific mortality for most causes was estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble Model strategy. For some infectious diseases (eg, HIV infection/AIDS, measles, hepatitis B) where the disease process is complex or the cause of death data were insufficient or unavailable, we used natural history models. For most nonfatal health outcomes, DisMod-MR 2.0, a Bayesian metaregression tool, was used to meta-analyze the epidemiological data to generate prevalence estimates.

    FINDINGS: Of the 7.7 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 7.4-8.1) million deaths among children and adolescents globally in 2013, 6.28 million occurred among younger children, 0.48 million among older children, and 0.97 million among adolescents. In 2013, the leading causes of death were lower respiratory tract infections among younger children (905.059 deaths; 95% UI, 810,304-998,125), diarrheal diseases among older children (38,325 deaths; 95% UI, 30,365-47,678), and road injuries among adolescents (115,186 deaths; 95% UI, 105,185-124,870). Iron deficiency anemia was the leading cause of years lived with disability among children and adolescents, affecting 619 (95% UI, 618-621) million in 2013. Large between-country variations exist in mortality from leading causes among children and adolescents. Countries with rapid declines in all-cause mortality between 1990 and 2013 also experienced large declines in most leading causes of death, whereas countries with the slowest declines had stagnant or increasing trends in the leading causes of death. In 2013, Nigeria had a 12% global share of deaths from lower respiratory tract infections and a 38% global share of deaths from malaria. India had 33% of the world's deaths from neonatal encephalopathy. Half of the world's diarrheal deaths among children and adolescents occurred in just 5 countries: India, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Understanding the levels and trends of the leading causes of death and disability among children and adolescents is critical to guide investment and inform policies. Monitoring these trends over time is also key to understanding where interventions are having an impact. Proven interventions exist to prevent or treat the leading causes of unnecessary death and disability among children and adolescents. The findings presented here show that these are underused and give guidance to policy makers in countries where more attention is needed.

    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  4. Gucciardi DF, Zhang CQ, Ponnusamy V, Si G, Stenling A
    J Sport Exerc Psychol, 2016 Apr;38(2):187-202.
    PMID: 27390084 DOI: 10.1123/jsep.2015-0320
    The aims of this study were to assess the cross-cultural invariance of athletes' self-reports of mental toughness and to introduce and illustrate the application of approximate measurement invariance using Bayesian estimation for sport and exercise psychology scholars. Athletes from Australia (n = 353, Mage = 19.13, SD = 3.27, men = 161), China (n = 254, Mage = 17.82, SD = 2.28, men = 138), and Malaysia (n = 341, Mage = 19.13, SD = 3.27, men = 200) provided a cross-sectional snapshot of their mental toughness. The cross-cultural invariance of the mental toughness inventory in terms of (a) the factor structure (configural invariance), (b) factor loadings (metric invariance), and (c) item intercepts (scalar invariance) was tested using an approximate measurement framework with Bayesian estimation. Results indicated that approximate metric and scalar invariance was established. From a methodological standpoint, this study demonstrated the usefulness and flexibility of Bayesian estimation for single-sample and multigroup analyses of measurement instruments. Substantively, the current findings suggest that the measurement of mental toughness requires cultural adjustments to better capture the contextually salient (emic) aspects of this concept.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem*
  5. Harrisson K, Pavlova A, Gan HM, Lee YP, Austin CM, Sunnucks P
    Heredity (Edinb), 2016 Jun;116(6):506-15.
    PMID: 26883183 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2016.8
    Climatic differences across a taxon's range may be associated with specific bioenergetic demands and may result in genetics-based metabolic adaptation, particularly in aquatic ectothermic organisms that rely on heat exchange with the environment to regulate key physiological processes. Extending down the east coast of Australia, the Great Dividing Range (GDR) has a strong influence on climate and the evolutionary history of freshwater fish species. Despite the GDR acting as a strong contemporary barrier to fish movement, many species, and species with shared ancestries, are found on both sides of the GDR, indicative of historical dispersal events. We sequenced complete mitogenomes from the four extant species of the freshwater cod genus Maccullochella, two of which occur on the semi-arid, inland side of the GDR, and two on the mesic coastal side. We constructed a dated phylogeny and explored the relative influences of purifying and positive selection in the evolution of mitogenome divergence among species. Results supported mid- to late-Pleistocene divergence of Maccullochella across the GDR (220-710 thousand years ago), bringing forward previously reported dates. Against a background of pervasive purifying selection, we detected potentially functionally relevant fixed amino acid differences across the GDR. Although many amino acid differences between inland and coastal species may have become fixed under relaxed purifying selection in coastal environments rather than positive selection, there was evidence of episodic positive selection acting on specific codons in the Mary River coastal lineage, which has consistently experienced the warmest and least extreme climate in the genus.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  6. Anantharaman D, Muller DC, Lagiou P, Ahrens W, Holcátová I, Merletti F, et al.
    Int J Epidemiol, 2016 Jun;45(3):752-61.
    PMID: 27197530 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyw069
    BACKGROUND: Although smoking and HPV infection are recognized as important risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer, how their joint exposure impacts on oropharyngeal cancer risk is unclear. Specifically, whether smoking confers any additional risk to HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is not understood.

    METHODS: Using HPV serology as a marker of HPV-related cancer, we examined the interaction between smoking and HPV16 in 459 oropharyngeal (and 1445 oral cavity and laryngeal) cancer patients and 3024 control participants from two large European multi-centre studies. Odds ratios and credible intervals [CrI], adjusted for potential confounders, were estimated using Bayesian logistic regression.

    RESULTS: Both smoking [odds ratio (OR [CrI]: 6.82 [4.52, 10.29]) and HPV seropositivity (OR [CrI]: 235.69 [99.95, 555.74]) were independently associated with oropharyngeal cancer. The joint association of smoking and HPV seropositivity was consistent with that expected on the additive scale (synergy index [CrI]: 1.32 [0.51, 3.45]), suggesting they act as independent risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer.

    CONCLUSIONS: Smoking was consistently associated with increase in oropharyngeal cancer risk in models stratified by HPV16 seropositivity. In addition, we report that the prevalence of oropharyngeal cancer increases with smoking for both HPV16-positive and HPV16-negative persons. The impact of smoking on HPV16-positive oropharyngeal cancer highlights the continued need for smoking cessation programmes for primary prevention of head and neck cancer.

    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  7. Colwell RK, Gotelli NJ, Ashton LA, Beck J, Brehm G, Fayle TM, et al.
    Ecol Lett, 2016 09;19(9):1009-22.
    PMID: 27358193 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12640
    We introduce a novel framework for conceptualising, quantifying and unifying discordant patterns of species richness along geographical gradients. While not itself explicitly mechanistic, this approach offers a path towards understanding mechanisms. In this study, we focused on the diverse patterns of species richness on mountainsides. We conjectured that elevational range midpoints of species may be drawn towards a single midpoint attractor - a unimodal gradient of environmental favourability. The midpoint attractor interacts with geometric constraints imposed by sea level and the mountaintop to produce taxon-specific patterns of species richness. We developed a Bayesian simulation model to estimate the location and strength of the midpoint attractor from species occurrence data sampled along mountainsides. We also constructed midpoint predictor models to test whether environmental variables could directly account for the observed patterns of species range midpoints. We challenged these models with 16 elevational data sets, comprising 4500 species of insects, vertebrates and plants. The midpoint predictor models generally failed to predict the pattern of species midpoints. In contrast, the midpoint attractor model closely reproduced empirical spatial patterns of species richness and range midpoints. Gradients of environmental favourability, subject to geometric constraints, may parsimoniously account for elevational and other patterns of species richness.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  8. Adilah-Amrannudin N, Hamsidi M, Ismail NA, Ismail R, Dom NC, Ahmad AH, et al.
    J Am Mosq Control Assoc, 2016 Dec;32(4):265-272.
    PMID: 28206858 DOI: 10.2987/16-6579.1
    This study was performed to establish the genetic variability of Aedes albopictus within Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, by using the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase 5 subunit (ND5) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) marker. A total of 90 samples were collected from 9 localities within an area of the Subang Jaya Municipality. Genetic variability was determined through the amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the ND5 gene. Eight distinct mtDNA haplotypes were identified. The evolutionary relationship of the local haplotypes alongside 28 reference strains was used to construct a phylogram, the analysis of which revealed low genetic differentiation in terms of both nucleotide and haplotype diversity. Bayesian method was used to infer the phylogenetic tree, revealing a unique relationship between local isolates. The study corroborates the reliability of ND5 to identify distinct lineages for polymorphism-based studies and supplements the existing body of knowledge regarding its genetic diversity. This in turn could potentially aid existing vector control strategies to help mitigate the risk and spread of the dengue virus.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  9. Saffian SM, Duffull SB, Roberts RL, Tait RC, Black L, Lund KA, et al.
    Ther Drug Monit, 2016 12;38(6):677-683.
    PMID: 27855133
    BACKGROUND: A previously established Bayesian dosing tool for warfarin was found to produce biased maintenance dose predictions. In this study, we aimed (1) to determine whether the biased warfarin dose predictions previously observed could be replicated in a new cohort of patients from 2 different clinical settings, (2) to explore the influence of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotype on predictive performance of the Bayesian dosing tool, and (3) to determine whether the previous population used to develop the kinetic-pharmacodynamic model underpinning the Bayesian dosing tool was sufficiently different from the test (posterior) population to account for the biased dose predictions.

    METHODS: The warfarin maintenance doses for 140 patients were predicted using the dosing tool and compared with the observed maintenance dose. The impact of genotype was assessed by predicting maintenance doses with prior parameter values known to be altered by genetic variability (eg, EC50 for VKORC1 genotype). The prior population was evaluated by fitting the published kinetic-pharmacodynamic model, which underpins the Bayesian tool, to the observed data using NONMEM and comparing the model parameter estimates with published values.

    RESULTS: The Bayesian tool produced positively biased dose predictions in the new cohort of patients (mean prediction error [95% confidence interval]; 0.32 mg/d [0.14-0.5]). The bias was only observed in patients requiring ≥7 mg/d. The direction and magnitude of the observed bias was not influenced by genotype. The prior model provided a good fit to our data, which suggests that the bias was not caused by different prior and posterior populations.

    CONCLUSIONS: Maintenance doses for patients requiring ≥7 mg/d were overpredicted. The bias was not due to the influence of genotype nor was it related to differences between the prior and posterior populations. There is a need for a more mechanistic model that captures warfarin dose-response relationship at higher warfarin doses.

    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  10. Wong RS, Ismail NA
    PLoS One, 2016;11(3):e0151949.
    PMID: 27007413 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151949
    There are not many studies that attempt to model intensive care unit (ICU) risk of death in developing countries, especially in South East Asia. The aim of this study was to propose and describe application of a Bayesian approach in modeling in-ICU deaths in a Malaysian ICU.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  11. Lokanathan Y, Adura Mohd-Adnan, Sheila Nathan
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1969-1979.
    Protein antigen-i parasit ikan C. irritans berpotensi tinggi digunakan sebagai calon dalam pembangunan vaksin komersial terhadap C. irritans. Walau bagaimanapun, kewujudan variasi pada antigen-i serotip C. irritans yang berbeza mempengaruhi tahap perlindungan yang bakal diberikan terhadap varians C. irritans yang berbeza apabila antigen-i digunakan sebagai vaksin. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk membandingkan jujukan pelbagai antigen-i pencilan C. irritans di Malaysia berbanding antigen-i pencilan C. irritans yang pernah dilaporkan. Perbandingan filogenetik dijalankan untuk meramalkan potensi protein tersebut dalam usaha membangunkan calon serodiagnostik dan pemvaksinan terhadap pencilan C. irritans yang berlainan. Penjajaran jujukan berbilang bagi jujukan asid amino antigen-i dilakukan dengan perisian CLUSTALX dan analisis filogenetik antigen-i dilakukan menggunakan kaedah parsimoni maksimum (MP) dan kaedah Bayes. Sembilan transkrip unik (TU) C. irritans yang mempunyai padanan signifikan dengan antigen-i di pangkalan data protein NCBI didapati mempunyai peratus kesamaan antara 41% hingga 71%. Kedua-dua pohon MP dan Bayesian yang dijana menunjukkan varians antigen-i cn56 and cn57 terkelompok bersama dalam satu kumpulan manakala varians antigen-i yang lain terbahagi kepada dua kumpulan berasingan dan pengkelompokan ini disokong oleh kehadiran asid amino yang terpulihara dalam kumpulan masing-masing. Kajian lanjutan boleh dilakukan untuk mengenal pasti varians antigen-i yang sesuai sebagai calon serodiagnosis dan juga dapat memberi perlindungan silang terhadap pelbagai pencilan C. irritans di serata dunia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  12. Kamarul Rahim Kamarudin, ‘Aisyah Mohamed Rehan, Ridzwan Hashim, Usup G, Maryam Mohamed Rehan
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1079-1087.
    This study aimed to resolve the taxonomic status of a morphologically undetermined sea cucumber species of order Apodida
    from Malaysia (GenBank accession no.: FJ223867) using partial 16S mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences and subsequently
    to determine the validity of morphological taxonomy of Holothuria species into its current subgenera. The undetermined
    species clustered with all taxa of Holothuria in previous study. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony and
    Bayesian methods suggest that the undetermined species was genetically closer to Holothuria (Lessonothuria) pardalis and
    Holothuria (Acanthotrapeza) coluber; and its position in both phylogenetic trees further suggests its status as a Holothuria
    taxon. Subgenera of Holothuria, Merthensiothuria and Metriatyla are monophyletic with strong bootstrap supports and
    posterior probabilities of clades, thus strengthening their morphological taxonomies. Nonetheless, the non-monophyly of
    subgenera of Halodeima, Microthele and Platyperona suggests a requirement for their taxonomic revisions using integrative
    taxonomy. The status of Holothuria (Halodeima) edulis subgroups in the maximum parsimony and Bayesian trees is
    indistinct and further taxonomic revisions are necessary. In terms of sister relationship, both phylogenetic trees suggest
    that subgenus Holothuria is a sister taxon of subgenus Roweothuria while the other sister relationships were unclear due
    to the undetermined species, paraphyly and polyphyly of a number of subgenera. Further studies with more specimens of
    genus Holothuria from broader geographical locations and various mtDNA genes along with morphological approaches
    may facilitate to provide better insights into the molecular phylogeny of subgenera of Holothuria.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  13. Nurul Ashikeen Ab Razak, Mustafa Abdul Rahman, Tuen AA
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1089-1095.
    Family Scolopacidae includes the sandpipers, shanks, snipes, godwits and curlews. Systematic classifications of shorebirds
    at the higher level have been successfully resolved. Nevertheless, the phylogeny of shorebirds in the familial level is still
    poorly understood. Thus, this phylogenetic study on Scolopacidae was conducted upon the framework provided by the first
    sequence-based species-level phylogeny within the shorebirds to determine the phylogenetic relationships among family
    members of Scolopacidae in West Borneo, Sarawak using combined gene markers, mtDNA Cytochrome Oxidise I (COI)
    and nucDNA Recombinant Activating Gene 1 (RAG1). A total of 1,342 base pair (bp) were inferred from both COI and RAG1
    gene from 45 sequences constituted of 15 species Scolopacidae sampled from Sarawak namely Xenus cinereus, Actitis
    hypoleucos, Tringa totanus, Tringa glareola, Tringa stagnatilis, Heteroscelus brevipes, Calidris alba, Calidris ruficollis,
    Calidris ferruginea, Calidris tenuirostris, Calidris alpina, Gallinago stenura, Gallinago megala, Numenius arquata, and
    Numenius phaeopus. The phylogenetic tree was constructed with Charadrius mongulus derived as an outgroup. The
    Bayesian Inference (BI) tree constructed supported grouping of species into several lineages of Numeniinae, Calidrinae,
    Scolopacinae and Tringinae. The groupings of species into several lineages correlate with morphological features that
    contribute to their adaptation and ability of the species to fit to their ecosystems.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  14. Bechteler J, Schäfer-Verwimp A, Lee GE, Feldberg K, Pérez-Escobar OA, Pócs T, et al.
    Ecol Evol, 2017 01;7(2):638-653.
    PMID: 28116059 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2656
    The evolutionary history and classification of epiphyllous cryptogams are still poorly known. Leptolejeunea is a largely epiphyllous pantropical liverwort genus with about 25 species characterized by deeply bilobed underleaves, elliptic to narrowly obovate leaf lobes, the presence of ocelli, and vegetative reproduction by cladia. Sequences of three chloroplast regions (rbcL, trnL-F, psbA) and the nuclear ribosomal ITS region were obtained for 66 accessions of Leptolejeunea and six outgroup species to explore the phylogeny, divergence times, and ancestral areas of this genus. The phylogeny was estimated using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference approaches, and divergence times were estimated with a Bayesian relaxed clock method. Leptolejeunea likely originated in Asia or the Neotropics within a time interval from the Early Eocene to the Late Cretaceous (67.9 Ma, 95% highest posterior density [HPD]: 47.9-93.7). Diversification of the crown group initiated in the Eocene or early Oligocene (38.4 Ma, 95% HPD: 27.2-52.6). Most species clades were established in the Miocene. Leptolejeunea epiphylla and L. schiffneri originated in Asia and colonized African islands during the Plio-Pleistocene. Accessions of supposedly pantropical species are placed in different main clades. Several monophyletic morphospecies exhibit considerable sequence variation related to a geographical pattern. The clear geographic structure of the Leptolejeunea crown group points to evolutionary processes including rare long-distance dispersal and subsequent speciation. Leptolejeunea may have benefitted from the large-scale distribution of humid tropical angiosperm forests in the Eocene.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  15. Lopes-Lima M, Froufe E, Do VT, Ghamizi M, Mock KE, Kebapçı Ü, et al.
    Mol Phylogenet Evol, 2017 01;106:174-191.
    PMID: 27621130 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.08.021
    Freshwater mussels of the order Unionida are key elements of freshwater habitats and are responsible for important ecological functions and services. Unfortunately, these bivalves are among the most threatened freshwater taxa in the world. However, conservation planning and management are hindered by taxonomic problems and a lack of detailed ecological data. This highlights the urgent need for advances in the areas of systematics and evolutionary relationships within the Unionida. This study presents the most comprehensive phylogeny to date of the larger Unionida family, i.e., the Unionidae. The phylogeny is based on a combined dataset of 1032bp (COI+28S) of 70 species in 46 genera, with 7 of this genera being sequenced for the first time. The resulting phylogeny divided the Unionidae into 6 supported subfamilies and 18 tribes, three of which are here named for the first time (i.e., Chamberlainiini nomen novum, Cristariini nomen novum and Lanceolariini nomen novum). Molecular analyses were complemented by investigations of selected morphological, anatomical and behavioral characters used in traditional phylogenetic studies. No single morphological, anatomical or behavioral character was diagnostic at the subfamily level and few were useful at the tribe level. However, within subfamilies, many tribes can be recognized based on a subset of these characters. The geographical distribution of each of the subfamilies and tribes is also presented. The present study provides important advances in the systematics of these extraordinary taxa with implications for future ecological and conservation studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  16. Moretti B, Al-Sheikhly OF, Guerrini M, Theng M, Gupta BK, Haba MK, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2017 Jan 27;7:41611.
    PMID: 28128366 DOI: 10.1038/srep41611
    We investigated the phylogeography of the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) to determine its spatial genetic structure for aiding an adaptive conservation management of the species. Fifty-eight modern and 11 archival (dated 1882-1970) otters sampled from Iraq to Malaysian Borneo were genotyped (mtDNA Cytochrome-b, 10 microsatellite DNA loci). Moreover, 16 Aonyx cinereus (Asian small-clawed otter) and seven Lutra lutra (Eurasian otter) were sequenced to increase information available for phylogenetic reconstructions. As reported in previous studies, we found that L. perspicillata, A. cinereus and A. capensis (African clawless otter) grouped in a clade sister to the genus Lutra, with L. perspicillata and A. cinereus being reciprocally monophyletic. Within L. perspicillata, we uncovered three Evolutionarily Significant Units and proved that L. p. maxwelli is not only endemic to Iraq but also the most recent subspecies. We suggest a revision of the distribution range limits of easternmost L. perspicillata subspecies. We show that smooth-coated otters in Singapore are L. perspicillata x A. cinereus hybrids with A. cinereus mtDNA, the first reported case of hybridization in the wild among otters. This result also provides evidence supporting the inclusion of L. perspicillata and A. cinereus in the genus Amblonyx, thus avoiding the paraphyly of the genus Aonyx.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  17. Vasconcelos TNC, Proença CEB, Ahmad B, Aguilar DS, Aguilar R, Amorim BS, et al.
    Mol Phylogenet Evol, 2017 04;109:113-137.
    PMID: 28069533 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.01.002
    Myrteae (c. 2500 species; 51 genera) is the largest tribe of Myrtaceae and an ecologically important groups of angiosperms in the Neotropics. Systematic relationships in Myrteae are complex, hindering conservation initiatives and jeopardizing evolutionary modelling. A well-supported and robust phylogenetic hypothesis was here targeted towards a comprehensive understanding of the relationships within the tribe. The resultant topology was used as a base for key evolutionary analyses such as age estimation, historical biogeography and diversification rate patterns. One nuclear (ITS) and seven chloroplast (psbA-trnH, matK, ndhF, trnl-trnF, trnQ-rps16, rpl16 and rpl32-trnL) DNA regions for 115 taxa representing 46 out of the 51 genera in the tribe were accessed and analysed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference tools for phylogenetic reconstruction. Dates of diversification events were estimated and contrasted using two distinct fossil sets (macro and pollen) in BEAST. The subsequent dated phylogenies were compared and analysed for biogeographical patterns using BioGeoBEARS and diversification rates using BAMM. Myrteae phylogeny presents strong statistical support for three major clades within the tribe: Australasian group, Myrtus group and Main Neotropical Lineage. Dating results from calibration using macrofossil are an average of 20 million years older and show an early Paleocene origin of Myrteae, against a mid-Eocene one from the pollen fossil calibration. Biogeographic analysis shows the origin of Myrteae in Zealandia in both calibration approaches, followed by a widespread distribution throughout the still-linked Gondwana continents and diversification of Neotropical endemic lineages by later vicariance. Best configuration shift indicates three points of acceleration in diversification rates, all of them occurring in the Main Neotropical Lineage. Based on the reconstructed topology, several new taxonomic placements were recovered, including: the relative position of Myrtus communis, the placement of the Blepharocalyx group, the absence of generic endemism in the Caribbean, and the paraphyletism of the former Pimenta group. Distinct calibration approaches affect biogeography interpretation, increasing the number of necessary long distance dispersal events in the topology with older nodes. It is hypothesised that biological intrinsic factors such as modifications of embryo type and polyploidy might have played a role in accelerating shifts of diversification rates in Neotropical lineages. Future perspectives include formal subtribal classification, standardization of fossil calibration approaches and better links between diversification shifts and trait evolution.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  18. Al-Quraishi MS, Ishak AJ, Ahmad SA, Hasan MK, Al-Qurishi M, Ghapanchizadeh H, et al.
    Med Biol Eng Comput, 2017 May;55(5):747-758.
    PMID: 27484411 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-016-1551-4
    Electromyography (EMG)-based control is the core of prostheses, orthoses, and other rehabilitation devices in recent research. Nonetheless, EMG is difficult to use as a control signal given the complex nature of the signal. To overcome this problem, the researchers employed a pattern recognition technique. EMG pattern recognition mainly involves four stages: signal detection, preprocessing feature extraction, dimensionality reduction, and classification. In particular, the success of any pattern recognition technique depends on the feature extraction stage. In this study, a modified time-domain features set and logarithmic transferred time-domain features (LTD) were evaluated and compared with other traditional time-domain features set (TTD). Three classifiers were employed to assess the two feature sets, namely linear discriminant analysis (LDA), k nearest neighborhood, and Naïve Bayes. Results indicated the superiority of the new time-domain feature set LTD, on conventional time-domain features TTD with the average classification accuracy of 97.23 %. In addition, the LDA classifier outperformed the other two classifiers considered in this study.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  19. Pavlova A, Gan HM, Lee YP, Austin CM, Gilligan DM, Lintermans M, et al.
    Heredity (Edinb), 2017 05;118(5):466-476.
    PMID: 28051058 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2016.120
    Genetic variation in mitochondrial genes could underlie metabolic adaptations because mitochondrially encoded proteins are directly involved in a pathway supplying energy to metabolism. Macquarie perch from river basins exposed to different climates differ in size and growth rate, suggesting potential presence of adaptive metabolic differences. We used complete mitochondrial genome sequences to build a phylogeny, estimate lineage divergence times and identify signatures of purifying and positive selection acting on mitochondrial genes for 25 Macquarie perch from three basins: Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Hawkesbury-Nepean Basin (HNB) and Shoalhaven Basin (SB). Phylogenetic analysis resolved basin-level clades, supporting incipient speciation previously inferred from differentiation in allozymes, microsatellites and mitochondrial control region. The estimated time of lineage divergence suggested an early- to mid-Pleistocene split between SB and the common ancestor of HNB+MDB, followed by mid-to-late Pleistocene splitting between HNB and MDB. These divergence estimates are more recent than previous ones. Our analyses suggested that evolutionary drivers differed between inland MDB and coastal HNB. In the cooler and more climatically variable MDB, mitogenomes evolved under strong purifying selection, whereas in the warmer and more climatically stable HNB, purifying selection was relaxed. Evidence for relaxed selection in the HNB includes elevated transfer RNA and 16S ribosomal RNA polymorphism, presence of potentially mildly deleterious mutations and a codon (ATP6113) displaying signatures of positive selection (ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS) >1, radical change of an amino-acid property and phylogenetic conservation across the Percichthyidae). In addition, the difference could be because of stronger genetic drift in the smaller and historically more subdivided HNB with low per-population effective population sizes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
  20. Kwong QB, Ong AL, Teh CK, Chew FT, Tammi M, Mayes S, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2017 06 06;7(1):2872.
    PMID: 28588233 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02602-6
    Genomic selection (GS) uses genome-wide markers to select individuals with the desired overall combination of breeding traits. A total of 1,218 individuals from a commercial population of Ulu Remis x AVROS (UR x AVROS) were genotyped using the OP200K array. The traits of interest included: shell-to-fruit ratio (S/F, %), mesocarp-to-fruit ratio (M/F, %), kernel-to-fruit ratio (K/F, %), fruit per bunch (F/B, %), oil per bunch (O/B, %) and oil per palm (O/P, kg/palm/year). Genomic heritabilities of these traits were estimated to be in the range of 0.40 to 0.80. GS methods assessed were RR-BLUP, Bayes A (BA), Cπ (BC), Lasso (BL) and Ridge Regression (BRR). All methods resulted in almost equal prediction accuracy. The accuracy achieved ranged from 0.40 to 0.70, correlating with the heritability of traits. By selecting the most important markers, RR-BLUP B has the potential to outperform other methods. The marker density for certain traits can be further reduced based on the linkage disequilibrium (LD). Together with in silico breeding, GS is now being used in oil palm breeding programs to hasten parental palm selection.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bayes Theorem
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links