Regulation of Cydia pomonella in the Northern German climate

Population control of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is of great importance in ecological fruit-growing. In the work described here we attempted (1) to determine the efficacy of plant protection preparations certified for organic fruit production, and (2) to develop a suitable application strategy. We found that a Granulovirus (Madex3), Bacillus thuringiensis (Xentari) and Neem Azal were able to provide effective control of C. pomonella. The reduced efficacy of Madex 3 as reported e.g. from some Southern German orchards could not be observed in our trials

Purification and Reconstitution of the Glutamate Carrier GltT of the Thermophilic Bacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus

An affinity tag consisting of six adjacent histidine residues followed by an enterokinase cleavage site was genetically engineered at the N-terminus of the glutamate transport protein GltT of the thermophilic bacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus. The fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and shown to transport glutamate. The highest levels of expression were observed in E. coli strain DH5α grown on rich medium. The protein could be purified in a single step by Ni2+-NTA affinity chromatography after solubilization of the cytoplasmic membranes with the detergent Triton X100. Purified GltT was reconstituted in an active state in liposomes prepared from E. coli phospholipids. The protein was reconstituted in detergent-treated preformed liposomes, followed by removal of the detergent with polystyrene beads. Active reconstitution was realized with a wide range of Triton X100 concentrations. Neither the presence of glycerol, phospholipids, nor substrates of the transporter was necessary during the purification and reconstitution procedure to keep the enzyme in an active state. In B. stearothermophilus, GltT translocates glutamate in symport with protons or sodium ions. In membrane vesicles derived from E. coli cells expressing GltT, the Na+ ion dependency seems to be lost, suggesting a role for the lipid environment in the cation specificity. In agreement with the last observation, glutamate transport catalyzed by purified GltT reconstituted in E. coli phospholipid is driven by an electrochemical gradient of H+ but not of Na+.

The Vibrational Spectrum of the hydrated Alanine-Leucine Peptide in the Amide region from IR experiments and First Principles Calculation

We have combined infrared (IR) experiments with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in solution at finite temperature to analyse the vibrational signature of the small floppy peptide Alanine-Leucine. IR spectra computed from first- principles MD simulations exhibit no distinct differences between conformational clusters of alpha-helix/beta-sheet-like folds with different orientations of the bulky leucine side chain. All computed spectra show two prominent bands, in good agreement with the experiment, that are assigned to the stretch vibrations of the carbonyl and carboxyl group, respectively. Variations in band widths and exact maxima are likely due to small fluctuations in the backbone torsion angles

Family treatment of child anxiety: outcomes, limitations and future directions

Anxiety of childhood is a common and serious condition. The past decade has seen an increase in treatment-focussed research, with recent trials tending to give greater attention to parents in the treatment process. This review examines the efficacy of family-based cognitive behaviour therapy and attempts to delineate some of the factors that might have an impact on its efficacy. The choice and timing of outcome measure, age and gender of the child, level of parental anxiety, severity and type of child anxiety and treatment format and content are scrutinised. The main conclusions are necessarily tentative, but it seems likely that Family Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (FCBT) is superior to no treatment, and, for some outcome measures, also superior to Child Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CCBT). Where FCBT is successful, the results are consistently maintained at follow-up. It appears that where a parent is anxious, and this is not addressed, outcomes are less good. However, for children of anxious parents, FCBT is probably more effective than CCBT. What is most clear is that large, well-designed studies, examining these factors alone and in combination, are now needed

School Attendance Problems Among Children with Neurodevelopmental Conditions One year Following the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: The present study investigated school absence among 1,076 5–15 year-old children with neurodevelopmental conditions (intellectual disability and/or autism) approximately one year following the start of COVID-19 in the UK. Methods: Parents completed an online survey indicating whether their child was absent from school during May 2021 and the reason for each absence. Multi-variable regression models investigated child, family and school variables associated with absenteeism and types of absenteeism. Qualitative data were collected on barriers and facilitators of school attendance. Results: During May 2021, 32% of children presented with persistent absence (missing ≥ 10% of school). School refusal and absence due to ill-health were the most frequent types of absence, accounting for 37% and 22% of days missed, respectively. COVID-19 related absence accounted for just 11% of days missed. Child anxiety was associated with overall absenteeism and with days missed because of school refusal. Parent pandemic anxiety and child conduct problems were not associated with school absenteeism. Hyperactivity was associated with lower levels of absenteeism and school refusal but higher levels of school exclusion. A positive parent-teacher relationship was associated with lower levels of absenteeism, school refusal and exclusion. Child unmet need in school was the most frequently reported barrier to attendance while COVID-19 was one of the least frequently reported barriers. Conclusion: COVID-19 had a limited impact on school attendance problems during this period. Findings highlighted the role of child mental health in different types of absence and the likely protective role of a positive parent-teacher relationship

Rhipicephalus exophthalmos sp. nov., a new tick species from southern Africa, and redescription of Rhipicephalus oculatus Neumann, 1901, with which it has hitherto been confused (Acari: lxodida: Ixodidae)

Rhipicephalus exophthalmos sp. nov., a species which has in the past been confused with Rhipicephalus oculatus Neumann, 1901, is described and illustrated from laboratory-reared specimens. Preferred hosts for the adults of this tick are various domestic and wild ungulates and hares. It is widely distributed in Namibia and in the south-eastern Cape Province, South Africa, with only scattered records from elsewhere. The adults of R. oculatus are redescribed and illustrated, and the immature stages are described and illustrated for the first time. All the stages feed virtually exclusively on leporids. It is common in parts of the eastern and southern Cape Province, with few records as yet from other parts of South Africa and Namibia.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute.mn201

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Types and correlates of school absenteeism among students with intellectual disability

Background: It appears that students with intellectual disability (ID) are more frequently absent from school compared with students without ID. The objective of the current study was to estimate the frequency of absence among students with ID and the reasons for absence. Potential reasons included the attendance problems referred to as school refusal, where absence is related to emotional distress; truancy, where absence is concealed from parents; school exclusion, where absence is instigated by the school; and school withdrawal, where absence is initiated by parents. Methods: Study participants were 629 parents (84.6% mothers) of Australian school students (Mage = 11.18 years; 1.8% Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) with an ID. Participants completed a questionnaire battery that included the School Non-Attendance ChecKlist via which parents indicated the reason their child was absent for each day or half-day absence their child had over the past 20 school days. The absence data presented to parents had been retrieved from school records. Results: Across all students, absence occurred on 7.9% of the past 20 school days. In terms of school attendance problems as defined in existing literature, school withdrawal accounted for 11.1% of absences and school refusal for 5.3% of absences. Students were also absent for other reasons, most commonly illness (32.0%) and appointments (24.2%). Of students with more than one absence (n = 217; 34.5%), about half were absent for more than one reason. Students attending mainstream schools had lower attendance than those attending special schools. Conclusions: Students with ID were absent for a range of reasons and often for multiple reasons. There were elevated rates of school withdrawal and school refusal. Understanding the reasons for absenteeism can inform targeted prevention and intervention supports.</p

The association between home learning during COVID‐19 lockdowns and subsequent school attendance among children with neurodevelopmental conditions

Background: Children with neurodevelopmental conditions have high levels of schoolabsence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed for many students. Therelationship between home learning during school closures and subsequent schoolattendance requires attention to better understand the impact of pandemic educationpolicy decisions on this population. This study aims to investigate the associationbetween home learning, hybrid learning and school learning during school closures(in January–March 2021) with subsequent school attendance (in May 2021) in childrenwith neurodevelopmental conditions.Methods: An online survey was completed by 809 parents/carers of 5- to 15-yearoldautistic children and/or children with intellectual disability. Regression modelsexamined the association of learning location during school closures with subsequentschool absence (i.e., total days missed, persistent absence and school refusal).Results: Children who were learning from home during school closures later missed4.6 days of a possible 19. Children in hybrid and school learning missed 2.4 and 1.6school days, respectively. The rates of school absence and persistent absence weresignificantly higher in the home learning group even after adjusting for confounders.Learning location was not associated with subsequent school refusal.Conclusions: Policies for school closures and learning from home during public healthemergencies may exacerbate school attendance problems in this group of vulnerablechildren.Pathways through Adolescenc

Epigenetic dosage identifies two major and functionally distinct β cell subtypes

The mechanisms that specify and stabilize cell subtypes remain poorly understood. Here, we identify two major subtypes of pancreatic β cells based on histone mark heterogeneity (βHI and βLO). βHI cells exhibit ∼4-fold higher levels of H3K27me3, distinct chromatin organization and compaction, and a specific transcriptional pattern. βHI and βLO cells also differ in size, morphology, cytosolic and nuclear ultrastructure, epigenomes, cell surface marker expression, and function, and can be FACS separated into CD24+ and CD24- fractions. Functionally, βHI cells have increased mitochondrial mass, activity, and insulin secretion in vivo and ex vivo. Partial loss of function indicates that H3K27me3 dosage regulates βHI/βLO ratio in vivo, suggesting that control of β cell subtype identity and ratio is at least partially uncoupled. Both subtypes are conserved in humans, with βHI cells enriched in humans with type 2 diabetes. Thus, epigenetic dosage is a novel regulator of cell subtype specification and identifies two functionally distinct β cell subtypes