Screening of Irish Fruit and Vegetable Germplasm for Novel Anti-tumour and Pesticidal Compounds

Conference paperPhytochemicals are a rich source of novel therapeutic and insecticidal agents (McLaughlin and Chang, 1999). Considerable research effort has been directed at screening exotic and medicinal plants in the search for novel products. However, plants which have traditional food uses have been little explored. In addition the range, type and level of individual bioactive compounds can vary significantly between different species, different cultivars of the same species and different tissue types of the plant (Reilly, in press) Therefore, the objective of this study was to screen a range of fruits and vegetables which can be grown in Ireland for novel bioactive compounds for use in food production and as bio-pesticides.The author wishes to acknowledge the financial support from the Dublin Institute of Technology through an ABBEST fellowshi

Integrating archaeology and ancient DNA analysis to address invasive species colonization in the Gulf of Alaska

The intentional and unintentional movement of plants and animals by humans has transformed ecosystems and landscapes globally. Assessing when and how a species was introduced are central to managing these transformed landscapes, particularly in island environments. In the Gulf of Alaska, there is considerable interest in the history of mammal introductions and rehabilitating Gulf of Alaska island environments by eradicating mammals classified as invasive species. The Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) is of concern because it affects vegetation and seabirds on Gulf of Alaska islands. This animal is assumed to have been introduced by historic settlers; however, ground squirrel remains in the prehistoric archaeological record of Chirikof Island, Alaska, challenge this timeline and suggest they colonized the islands long ago. We used 3 lines of evidence to address this problem: direct radiocarbon dating of archaeological squirrel remains; evidence of prehistoric human use of squirrels; and ancient DNA analysis of dated squirrel remains. Chirikof squirrels dated to at least 2000 years ago, and cut marks on squirrel bones suggested prehistoric use by people. Ancient squirrels also shared a mitochondrial haplotype with modern Chirikof squirrels. These results suggest that squirrels have been on Chirikof longer than previously assumed and that the current population of squirrels is closely related to the ancient population. Thus, it appears ground squirrels are not a recent, human‐mediated introduction and may have colonized the island via a natural dispersal event or an ancient human translocation.We thank T. Rick, D. Grayson, R. Fleischer, M. Hawkins, A. West, and C. Mikeska for their contributions to this research. We also thank 3 reviewers and the editors of Conservation Biology who greatly improved this paper. This work was funded by the National Geographic Society, the University of Maine, the Smithsonian Institution, and Boston University. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (National Geographic Society; University of Maine; Smithsonian Institution; Boston University)Published versio

3D Monte Carlo radiation transfer modelling of photodynamic therapy

We acknowledge the support of the UK Engineering and Physics Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding through a studentship for C L Campbell as well as the Alfred Stewart Trust.The effects of ageing and skin type on Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for different treatment methods have been theoretically investigated. A multilayered Monte Carlo Radiation Transfer model is presented where both daylight activated PDT and conventional PDT are compared. It was found that light penetrates deeper through older skin with a lighter complexion, which translates into a deeper effective treatment depth. The effect of ageing was found to be larger for darker skin types. The investigation further strengthens the usage of daylight as a potential light source for PDT where effective treatment depths of about 2 mm can be achieved.Publisher PD

A comparison of theoretical line intensity ratios for Ni XII with extreme ultraviolet observations from the JET tokamak

Recent R-matrix calculations of electron impact excitation rates in Ni XII are used to derive the emission line ratios R1 = I (154.17 Å)/I (152.15 Å), R2 = I (152.95 Å)/I (152.15 Å) and R3 = I (160.55 Å)/I (152.15 Å). This is the first time (to our knowledge) that theoretical emission line ratios have been calculated for this ion. The ratios are found to be insensitive to changes in the adopted electron density (Ne) when Ne >= 5 × 10^11 cm−3, typical of laboratory plasmas. However, they do vary with electron temperature (Te), with for example R1 and R3 changing by factors of 1.3 and 1.8, respectively, between Te = 10^5 and 10^6 K. A comparison of the theoretical line ratios with measurements from the Joint European Torus (JET) tokamak reveals very good agreement between theory and observation for R1, with an average discrepancy of only 7%. Agreement between the calculated and experimental ratios for R2 and R3 is less satisfactory, with average differences of 30 and 33%, respectively. These probably arise from errors in the JET instrument calibration curve. However, the discrepancies are smaller than the uncertainties in the R2 and R3 measurements. Our results, in particular for R1, provide experimental support for the accuracy of the Ni XII line ratio calculations, and hence for the atomic data adopted in their derivation

Spin correlations in Ca3Co2O6: A polarised-neutron diffraction and Monte Carlo study

We present polarised-neutron diffraction measurements of the Ising-like spin-chain compound Ca3Co2O6 above and below the magnetic ordering temperature TN. Below TN, a clear evolution from a single-phase spin-density wave (SDW) structure to a mixture of SDW and commensurate antiferromagnet (CAFM) structures is observed on cooling. For a rapidly-cooled sample, the majority phase at low temperature is the SDW, while if the cooling is performed sufficiently slowly, then the SDW and the CAFM structure coexist between 1.5 and 10 K. Above TN, we use Monte Carlo methods to analyse the magnetic diffuse scattering data. We show that both intra- and inter-chain correlations persist above TN, but are essentially decoupled. Intra-chain correlations resemble the ferromagnetic Ising model, while inter-chain correlations resemble the frustrated triangular-lattice antiferromagnet. Using previously-published bulk property measurements and our neutron diffraction data, we obtain values of the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange interactions and the single-ion anisotropy.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

The Journal of Comorbidity affiliates with the Society for Academic Primary Care

No abstract available

Increasing proportion of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and emergence of a MCR-1 producer through a multicentric study among hospital-based and private laboratories in Belgium from September to November 2015

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) strains have been increasingly reported in Belgium. We aimed to determine the proportion of CPE among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from hospitalised patients and community outpatients in Belgium in 2015. For the hospitalised patients, the results were compared to a previous similar survey performed in the same hospitals in 2012. Twenty-four hospital-based and 10 private laboratories collected prospectively 200 non-duplicated Enterobacteriaceae isolates from clinical specimens. All isolates were screened locally by carbapenem disk diffusion using European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing methodology. Putative CPE strains with inhibition zone diameters below the screening breakpoints were referred centrally for confirmation of carbapenemase production. From September to November 2015, we found a proportion of clinical CPE of 0.55% (26/4,705) and of 0.60% (12/1,991) among hospitalised patients and among ambulatory outpatients respectively. Klebsiella pneumoniae (26/38) and OXA-48-like carbapenemase (28/38) were the predominant species and enzyme among CPE. One OXA-48-producing Escherichia coli isolated from a hospital was found carrying plasmid-mediated MCR-1 colistin resistance. Compared with the 2012 survey, we found a significant increased proportion of clinical CPE (0.55% in 2015 vs 0.25% in 2012; p = 0.02) and an increased proportion of hospitals (13/24 in 2015 vs 8/24 in 2012) with at least one CPE detected. The study results confirmed the concerning spread of CPE including a colistin-resistant MCR-1 producer in hospitals and the establishment of CPE in the community in Belgium

Teaching Social Justice Lawyering: Systematically Including Community Legal Education in Law School Clinics

There is a body of literature on clinical legal theory that urges a focus in clinics beyond the single client to an explicit teaching of social justice lawyering. This Article adds to this emerging body of work by discussing the valuable role community legal education plays as a vehicle for teaching skills and values essential to single client representation and social justice lawyering. The Article examines the theoretical underpinnings of clinical legal education, community organizing and community education and how they influenced the authors’ design and implementation of community legal education within their clinics. It then discusses two projects designed to help victims of domestic violence. The first project has been ongoing for several years in a clinic with a long history of incorporating community education into its work. The second project was undertaken for the first time by a clinic teaching community legal education after a long hiatus. Through the discussion of these two projects, the Article evaluates and explains the pedagogical and logistical successes and challenges of incorporating community education into clinical programs and assesses the justice outcomes of their community work, both to the communities served and to their students

Teaching Social Justice Lawyering: Systematically Including Community Legal Education in Law School Clinics

There is a body of literature on clinical legal theory that urges a focus in clinics beyond the single client to an explicit teaching of social justice lawyering. This Article adds to this emerging body of work by discussing the valuable role community legal education plays as a vehicle for teaching skills and values essential to single client representation and social justice lawyering. The Article examines the theoretical underpinnings of clinical legal education, community organizing and community education and how they influenced the authors’ design and implementation of community legal education within their clinics. It then discusses two projects designed to help victims of domestic violence. The first project has been ongoing for several years in a clinic with a long history of incorporating community education into its work. The second project was undertaken for the first time by a clinic teaching community legal education after a long hiatus. Through the discussion of these two projects, the Article evaluates and explains the pedagogical and logistical successes and challenges of incorporating community education into clinical programs and assesses the justice outcomes of their community work, both to the communities served and to their students