Digital Commons Network^™

Culture-Independent Meta-Pangenomics Enabled By Long-Read Metagenomics Reveals Associations With Pediatric Undernutrition, Jeremiah J Minich, Nicholas Allsing, M Omar Din, Michael J Tisza, Kenneth Maleta, Daniel Mcdonald, Nolan Hartwick, Allen Mamerto, Caitriona Brennan, Lauren Hansen, Justin Shaffer, Emily R Murray, Tiffany Duong, Rob Knight, Kevin Stephenson, Mark J Manary, Todd P Michael

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The human gut microbiome is linked to child malnutrition, yet traditional microbiome approaches lack resolution. We hypothesized that complete metagenome-assembled genomes (cMAGs), recovered through long-read (LR) DNA sequencing, would enable pangenome and microbial genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses to identify microbial genetic associations with child linear growth. LR methods produced 44-64× more cMAGs per gigabase pair (Gbp) than short-read methods, with PacBio (PB) yielding the most accurate and cost-effective assemblies. In a Malawian longitudinal pediatric cohort, we generated 986 cMAGs (839 circular) from 47 samples and applied this database to an expanded set of 210 samples. Machine learning identified species …

Genetic And Embryonic Transcriptome Analyses Reveal The Molecular And Developmental Basis Of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome, Na Chen, Xi Cheng, Sen Zhao, Hengqiang Zhao, Chenglu Qin, Yaru Zhang, Xijuan Lin, Qing Li, Yuan Wang, Jia Kang, Jing Yu, Jianbin Guo, Qianqian Gao, Jiali Duan, Yuchen Niu, Jianzhong Su, Zhihong Wu, Terry Jianguo Zhang, Wanlu Liu, Pengfei Liu, Shan Deng, Nan Wu, Lan Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKHS) is characterised by aplasia of the uterus, cervix and upper part of the vagina. The genetic aetiology remains incompletely understood.

Methods: We performed gene-level and gene set-level burden analyses based on exome sequencing/genome sequencing data from 727 probands with MRKHS and 2504 female control individuals. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on human and mouse embryonic metanephros at different developmental stages. Genetic and transcriptomic data were integrated to prioritise suboptimal genetic signals, identify relevant cell types and determine key developmental stages. Potential digenic inheritance was assessed and prioritised using coexpression patterns from scRNA-seq data.

Results: We …

Come, Heavy Sleep: Motive And Metaphor In Britten’S Nocturnal, Opus 70, Stephen Goss

Soundboard Scholar

"The prevailing melancholy [of Britten’s Nocturnal] is as natural to the guitar’s sonorities as it is appropriate in a tribute to John Dowland."

—Peter Evans, The Music of Benjamin Britten.

Such summary remarks characterise what little has been written about Britten’s Nocturnal outside the guitar world. The reader’s reaction might be one of passive agreement or mild irritation, but there is rarely dialogue because discourse is limited: Nocturnal after John Dowland is often passed over by Britten scholars with scant discussion or no mention at all. In fact, little has been added to Evans’ reliable commentary, written only three …

What Are The Barriers And Facilitators To The Acceptance Of Information And Communication Technology-Based Interventions For Improving Resilience And Mental Health Of Healthcare Workers: A Scoping Review Protocol, Elisabete Alves, Ricardo Rodrigues, César Fonseca, Manuel Lopes, Inês Faria, Nina Dalkner, Paul Barach, Frans Folkvord, Jim Ingebretsen Carlson, Eva Reininghaus, Michele Wessa, Yvonne Prinzellner, Vanessa Leung, Eva Turk, Lara Guedes De Pinho

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare workers (HCWs) report overwhelming demands and experience crisis levels of burnout and unique challenges that further impair their mental health. Promotion of mental health among HCWs using information and communication technology (ICT) has received little empirical research attention and interventions for improving mental health resilience in HCWs are not well established.

DESIGN: Scoping review to map existing evidence and identify gaps for future research regarding the main barriers and facilitators of the acceptance of ICT-based interventions for improving resilience and mental health among HCWs working in all healthcare settings.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This protocol was developed in accordance …

State-Level Progress And Setbacks In Influenza Vaccination Among Adults ≥65: A Fifteen-Season Analysis From 2009/10 To 2023/24, Luigi Russo, Sara Farina, Raffaele Angelo Macri, William Alan Pentecost, Alessandra Maio, Leonardo Villani, Vittorio Maio, Stefania Boccia, Walter Ricciardi

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Influenza is a contagious respiratory infection with substantial health and economic consequences worldwide. Annual vaccination is the most effective preventive strategy; however, coverage among older adults remains suboptimal and varies considerably across the United States. This study aimed to examine state-level trends in influenza vaccination coverage among adults aged ≥65 years across fifteen influenza seasons (2009/10-2023/24).

METHODS: State-level vaccination coverage data for adults aged ≥65 years were obtained from the CDC FluVaxView platform, which reports annual estimates by influenza season. The analysis covered the 2009/10 through 2023/24 influenza seasons. Joinpoint regression was used to assess temporal trends and estimate …

Distinguished Ornithologist 2024: Mark Peck, Jean Iron, Gerard Binsfeld, John Carley

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

An Unusual Northern Mockingbird Nest In York Region, Ontario, Roy B.H. Smith

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

First Limpkin Sighting In Ontario, Josh Mandell

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

An Unusual Case Of Common Terns Nesting On A Rooftop In Ontario And An Attempt To Relocate The Colony, David J. Moore, Jeffrey N. Costa, Alexis L. Stupich

Ontario Birds

A variety of gull and tern species have adapted to urban environments by nesting on rooftops and other human-made structures. Previous reports of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) breeding on rooftops have generally involved small numbers of nests (≤25). Here, we report an occurrence of an unusually large number of Common Terns nesting on a rooftop in Port Credit, Ontario, in 2013. A complete survey of the roof was conducted on 31 May, when 1,011 Common Tern nests were counted. A similar number of breeding pairs used this roof in 2014, but the site was largely abandoned by 2015, due to …

Table Of Contents, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Cover, Barry Kent Mackay

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

A Review: Tree Swallows As Indicators Of Environmental Contaminants, Kailee Hopkins, Melissa Mckinney, Kim Fernie

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Ontario Bird Records Committee Report For 2023, N. Anthony Kaduck, Nicole M. Richardson, Alvan D. Buckley, Amanda C. Guercio, Kiah R. Jasper, Dan J. Macneal, Michelle A. Martin, David E. Szmyr

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Photographic Confirmation Of Dark-Winged Variant Bonaparte’S Gull In Canada, Mick Dryden

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Cover, Barry Kent Mackay

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

The Travel Journals And Correspondence Of Charles Fothergill 1816–1840, Jeff Harrison

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Ronald J. Pittaway 1947–2023 Extraordinary Birder And Naturalist, Ron Tozer, Daniel Brunton, Rory Mackay

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Possible Cooper’S Hawk X American Goshawk Hybrid In Ontario, Quinten F.R. Wiegersma

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

The Breeding Status Of American White Pelicans In The Canadian Waters Of The Laurentian Great Lakes, David J. Moore, Sara C. Pereira De Souza, Maya Da Silva, D.V. Chip Weseloh

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Changes In Agricultural Land Use And The Effectiveness Of Protected Areas: Impacts On The Occurrence Of Three Grassland Bird Species In The Carden Plain Of Ontario, Alice L. Merondun, Ginny Moore, Ron Reid, Erica Nol

Ontario Birds

We measure changes in occurrence (i.e., presence/absence) of three grassland bird species in the Carden Plain, between 2001 to 2005 and 2015 to 2016, by comparing point count results of the 2001–2005 Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (OBBA) to repeated point counts at the same sites in the more recent period. We examine associations between changes of occurrence and habitat change and protection status of the survey locations for the three most commonly occurring species of Ontario grassland birds (Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus; Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna; and Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis), all of which have experienced population declines in Ontario of …

Cover, Barry Kent Mackay

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Ontario Field Ornithologists

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Ontario Piping Plovers: A Declining Population, Andrea Gress

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Distinguished Ornithologist 2023: Bruce Di Labio, Tom Hince

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

The Waterthrush Saga: An Observation Of A Vocally And Visually Ambiguous Waterthrush In Southwestern Ontario, Michael J. Kirchin, Alessandra A. Kite, Kiah R. Jasper, Samreen Munim

Ontario Birds

No abstract provided.

Predator Exclusion Grids Protect Common Terns From Avian Nest Predators At Presqu’Ile Provincial Park, Lake Ontario, Jennifer M. Arnold, Stephen A. Oswald, Donald J. Tyerman, Michael J. Barker

Ontario Birds

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) breeding populations in inland areas of North America have experienced significant declines, particularly in the Canadian waters of the lower Great Lakes. Once home to two-thirds of the Great Lakes population, Presqu’ile Provincial Park maintained only a small breeding colony of Common Terns from the 1970s to the early 2010s. In 2008, a research program was started to understand the population status of this colony. This involved close collaboration between faculty at Penn State University and Ontario Parks staff, and identified poor reproductive success at this site. Although many factors contributed to this poor reproductive success …