Derailing individualized ovarian stimulation

No abstract available

Strain Analysis of Initial Stage Sintering of 316L SS Three Dimensionally Printed (3DP TM) Components

Mechanical Engineerin

Researching a segmented market:reflections on telephone interviewing

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to review the effectiveness of telephone interviewing for capturing data and to consider in particular the challenges faced by telephone interviewers when capturing information about market segments. Design/methodology/approach The platform for this methodological critique was a market segment analysis commissioned by Sport Wales which involved a series of 85 telephone interviews completed during 2010. Two focus groups involving the six interviewers involved in the study were convened to reflect on the researchers’ experiences and the implications for business and management research. Findings There are three principal sets of findings. First, although telephone interviewing is generally a cost-effective data collection method, it is important to consider both the actual costs (i.e. time spent planning and conducting interviews) as well as the opportunity costs (i.e. missed appointments, “chasing participants”). Second, researchers need to be sensitised to and sensitive to the demographic characteristics of telephone interviewees (insofar as these are knowable) because responses are influenced by them. Third, the anonymity of telephone interviews may be more conducive for discussing sensitive issues than face-to-face interactions. Originality/value The present study adds to this modest body of literature on the implementation of telephone interviewing as a research technique of business and management. It provides valuable methodological background detail about the intricate, personal experiences of researchers undertaking this method “at a distance” and without visual cues, and makes explicit the challenges of telephone interviewing for the purposes of data capture

Unifying metastasis--Integrating intravasation, circulation and end organ colonization

Recent technological advances that have enabled the measurement of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in patients have spurred interest in the circulatory phase of metastasis. Techniques that do not solely rely on a blood sample allow substantial biological interrogation beyond simply counting CTCs

Investigating the Bacterial Predator Bdellovibrio’s Ability to Degrade Aspartate

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predatory Gram-negative Deltaproteobacterium that attacks and invades larger Gram-negative bacteria devouring them from within (Sockett, 2004). Enzymatic results obtained in the 1970s suggest that Bdellovibrio relies on its tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and the oxidation of prey cell derived amino acids (Hespell, 1976). However, annotation of the published genome of Bdellovibrio HD100 revealed that it lacked numerous genes involved with the degradation of amino acids (Rendulic, 2004). Thus it is of great interest to determine if Bdellovibrio can degrade amino acids. If it can, new genes related to the degradation of amino acids will be discovered thanks to the unique genome of Bdellovibrio. If not, new research into why Bdellovibrio is so particular about which amino acids it degrades can be started

Novel Molecular Approaches to Identify and Control Plant Parasitic Nematodes

Among the many types of plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs), the root-knot nematodes (RKN), genus Meloidogyne, cause the largest amount of crop loss world-wide. These nematodes are obligate biotrophs, meaning that they rely solely on plants for their food, restricting the nutrients available to their hosts, and decreasing crop yield and production.Traditionally, PPNs have been dealt with by applying nematicides, but over the last few decades these chemicals have been phased out or banned due to their effects on humans and the environment. To avoid overreliance on expensive and dangerous nematicides, and to find a long-term robust solution to RKNs, a new form of control is badly needed. Another problem in controlling RKNs is knowing which species are present in a field via objective and reliable methods to prescribe appropriate management strategies in a timely fashion. Currently, nematology heavily relies on microscopy to identify and quantify nematodes based on morphology; this is a low throughput, labor intensive, and technical skill which takes years to master. Thus, plant pathologists have been developing molecular techniques for faster, easier nematode identification.In this research, we endeavored to 1) develop a time saving and reliable molecular assay for identifying three RKN species: M. chitwoodi, M. fallax, and M. minor; 2) investigate the potential for using ferroptosis, an evolutionarily conserved form of programmed cell death triggered by omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as an alternate form of RKN control; and 3) identify key fatty acid synthesis genes in order to evaluate their impact in the RKN lifecycle when silenced via host-induced gene silencing (HIGS).First, a molecular beacon qPCR assay for M. chitwoodi, M. fallax, and M. minor was developed that could detect the three species in a single multiplexed reaction. This assay was shown to reliably distinguish between these three RKN species. It was also sensitive enough to determine the species of RKN from a single juvenile and had no cross reaction with other economically destructive RKN species (M. incognita, M. javanica, M. arenaria, or M. hapla). In addition to nematode identification, developing nematode control tools was a major component of my research. To test the applicability of ferroptosis as a means of controlling RKNs, we created transgenic tomato plants that produced gamma-linolenic (GLA) and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) in their roots and challenged them with M. incognita. Because no reproducible reduction in RKN hatching was observed, it was concluded that roots producing GLA/DGLA had no measurable effects on M. incognita reproduction. Finally, two putative acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) orthologs were characterized in silico in M. incognita, MiACC1 and MiACC2. In Caenorhabditis elegans, these enzymes are necessary early on in fatty acid synthesis, and their absence causes disruptions in lipid biosynthesis and development. Additionally, previous research showed that knocking-down these genes in a closely related cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii, led to a delayed development phenotype. We attempted to knock these genes down via HIGS by creating Arabidopsis thaliana lines that produced dsRNA targeting both MiACCs. RKNs feeding on these transgenic roots showed a delayed development phenotype. These results are similar to the observations in previous studies that used pesticides or exogenously supplied dsRNA to reduce ACC activity in PPNs and C. elegans. Overall, my research has produced a high throughput, reliable, and technically simple assay for identifying different RKN species, furthered our understanding of the fatty acid pathways in RKNs, and probed the effectiveness of feeding RKNs omega-6 PUFAs as an alternative control method to pesticides

Electronic Instrumentation and Saftey: Education for Medical Technlogies

Tha pi_;rpose of this invostigation was to determine: (1) the P 033ible need for a n. electronic instrm:1antation and safety course designed for medical technologists, (2) the type of medical electronics program practicing medical technologists would like to see implemented in their curricula., (3) concepts which would be included in an electronics course to provide for an effective learning experience for medical tecbnologists in the area of electro-medical instrumentation and safety, (4) whether medical technologists believe a course in medical electronics and electrical saf\u27ety should be a requirement or an elective for a major (BS-~rr) in medical technology, (5) ·what qualifications and/or prof\u27iciency an ins true tor mu s-t command to implement such a progra