A Comparison of Hygromycin and Paromomycin Selection Strategies in the Genetic Transformation of Seven \u3ci\u3eLolium, Festuca, Poa\u3c/i\u3e, and \u3ci\u3eAgrostis\u3c/i\u3e Species

Hygromycin selection for the hpt gene, expressed from the CaMV-35S promoter, has been successful in transgenesis of a limited number of grass species. As an alternative to hpt selection Altpeter et al., (2000) reported successful transformation using paromomycin selection for the nptII gene expressed by the maize ubiquitin promoter. We have tested the utility of a number of selection cassettes using previously sporadically transformable species which nevertheless had very good tissue culture and regeneration protocols

Nylon Mesh as an Improved Support for Bombarded Calli or Cell Suspensions

Using cell suspensions to transform some grass species by particle bombardment has a number of disadvantages including increased somoclonal variation in liquid cell culture and poor performance due to polysaccharide production. The use of calli avoids these problems, but the manipulation of calli through numerous media changes is laborious and time-consuming. We investigated a possible mechanism to facilitate the use of calli in transformation by immobilising calli on mesh

How effective is stretching in maintaining range of movement for children with cerebral palsy?

YesBackground: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common childhood disorder affecting four percent of children born in the UK. It is common for children with CP to have reduced range of movement (ROM) due to spasticity and contractures. Stretching is commonly used in physiotherapy programmes to manage this. Aim: This critical review aims to evaluate the evidence base behind the use of stretching for children with CP. Methods: A systematic literature search of AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library Trials was conducted. Returned searches were assessed against strict criteria according to a predefined PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Study). These studies were then critically appraised to assess the validity, reliability and clinical relevance. Findings: There is evidence supporting the use of stretching in children with CP. However there is also some evidence to suggest very little or no positive change. All of the included studies have methodological limitations, which questions the validity of the results. Conclusions/Recommendations: The research suggests some positive outcomes for the use of stretching in CP, studies that did not find positive outcomes found no adverse effects; however further research in the area is required to validate the effectiveness of stretching to maintain ROM in children with CP

Lumbar posture and trunk muscle activation during static and dynamic seated tasks on a novel dynamic ergonomic chair

peer-reviewedLow back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder and prolonged sitting often aggravates LBP. A novel dynamic ergonomic chair (‘Back App’), which facilitates less hip flexion while sitting on an unstable base has been developed. This study compared lumbar posture and trunk muscle activation on this novel chair with a standard backless office chair. Twelve painfree participants completed a typing task on both chairs. Lumbar posture and trunk muscle activation were collected simultaneously and were analysed using paired t-tests. Sitting on the novel dynamic chair significantly (p 0.05) between chairs. Maintaining lordosis with less muscle activation during prolonged sitting could reduce the fatigue associated with upright sitting postures. Studies with longer sitting durations, and in people with LBP, are required. Practitioner Summary: Sitting on a novel dynamic chair resulted in less lumbar flexion and less back muscle activation than sitting on a standard backless office chair during a typing task among pain-free participants. Facilitating lordotic sitting with less muscle activation may reduce the fatigue and discomfort often associated with lordotic sitting postures.ACCEPTEDpeer-reviewe

The branded and gendered Brazilian body: Material and symbolic constructions in an overlooked context

Since its first conference in 2006, CCT has been growing in size and reach. Some have noted that CCT has become much more European in the recent years, with North American and European countries taking turns to host the event

The antisaccade task as an index of sustained goal activation in working memory: modulation by nicotine

The antisaccade task provides a laboratory analogue of situations in which execution of the correct behavioural response requires the suppression of a more prepotent or habitual response. Errors (failures to inhibit a reflexive prosaccade towards a sudden onset target) are significantly increased in patients with damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and patients with schizophrenia. Recent models of antisaccade performance suggest that errors are more likely to occur when the intention to initiate an antisaccade is insufficiently activated within working memory. Nicotine has been shown to enhance specific working memory processes in healthy adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We explored the effect of nicotine on antisaccade performance in a large sample (N = 44) of young adult smokers. Minimally abstinent participants attended two test sessions and were asked to smoke one of their own cigarettes between baseline and retest during one session only. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Nicotine reduced antisaccade errors and correct antisaccade latencies if delivered before optimum performance levels are achieved, suggesting that nicotine supports the activation of intentions in working memory during task performance. The implications of this research for current theoretical accounts of antisaccade performance, and for interpreting the increased rate of antisaccade errors found in some psychiatric patient groups are discussed

Non-Surgical Interventions for Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Non-surgical interventions for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis remain highly controversial. Despite the publication of numerous reviews no explicit methodological evaluation of papers labeled as, or having a layout of, a systematic review, addressing this subject matter, is available.Analysis and comparison of the content, methodology, and evidence-base from systematic reviews regarding non-surgical interventions for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.Systematic overview of systematic reviews.Articles meeting the minimal criteria for a systematic review, regarding any non-surgical intervention for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, with any outcomes measured, were included. Multiple general and systematic review specific databases, guideline registries, reference lists and websites of institutions were searched. The AMSTAR tool was used to critically appraise the methodology, and the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine and the Joanna Briggs Institute's hierarchies were applied to analyze the levels of evidence from included reviews.From 469 citations, twenty one papers were included for analysis. Five reviews assessed the effectiveness of scoliosis-specific exercise treatments, four assessed manual therapies, five evaluated bracing, four assessed different combinations of interventions, and one evaluated usual physical activity. Two reviews addressed the adverse effects of bracing. Two papers were high quality Cochrane reviews, Three were of moderate, and the remaining sixteen were of low or very low methodological quality. The level of evidence of these reviews ranged from 1 or 1+ to 4, and in some reviews, due to their low methodological quality and/or poor reporting, this could not be established.Higher quality reviews indicate that generally there is insufficient evidence to make a judgment on whether non-surgical interventions in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are effective. Papers labeled as systematic reviews need to be considered in terms of their methodological rigor; otherwise they may be mistakenly regarded as high quality sources of evidence.CRD42013003538, PROSPERO

Materializing digital collecting: an extended view of digital materiality

If digital objects are abundant and ubiquitous, why should consumers pay for, much less collect them? The qualities of digital code present numerous challenges for collecting, yet digital collecting can and does occur. We explore the role of companies in constructing digital consumption objects that encourage and support collecting behaviours, identifying material configuration techniques that materialise these objects as elusive and authentic. Such techniques, we argue, may facilitate those pleasures of collecting otherwise absent in the digital realm. We extend theories of collecting by highlighting the role of objects and the companies that construct them in materialising digital collecting. More broadly, we extend theories of digital materiality by highlighting processes of digital material configuration that occur in the pre-objectification phase of materialisation, acknowledging the role of marketing and design in shaping the qualities exhibited by digital consumption objects and consequently related consumption behaviours and experiences