Abundant variation in microsatellites of the parasitic nematode Trichostrongylus tenuis and linkage to a tandem repeat

An understanding of how genes move between and within populations of parasitic nematodes is important in combating the evolution and spread of anthelmintic resistance. Much has been learned by studying mitochondrial DNA markers, but autosomal markers such as microsatellites have been applied to only a few nematode species, despite their many advantages for studying gene flow in eukaryotes. Here, we describe the isolation of 307 microsatellites from Trichostrongylus tenuis, an intestinal nematode of red grouse. High levels of variation were revealed at sixteen microsatellite loci (including three sex-lined loci) in 111 male T. tenuis nematodes collected from four hosts at a single grouse estate in Scotland (average He = 0.708; mean number of alleles = 12.2). A population genetic analysis detected no deviation from panmixia either between (F(ST) = 0.00) or within hosts (F(IS) = 0.015). We discuss the feasibility of developing microsatellites in parasitic nematodes and the problem of null alleles. We also describe a novel 146-bp repeat element, TteREP1, which is linked to two-thirds of the microsatellites sequenced and is associated with marker development failure. The sequence of TteREP1 is related to the TcREP-class of repeats found in several other trichostrongyloid species including Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Haemonchus contortus

Growing Up Black: Coming of Age and the Afterlife of Slavery in Contemporary African American Literature

This thesis reads contemporary African American coming of age literature through what Saidiya Hartman terms the ‘afterlife of slavery.’ By bringing together age, genre, and the afterlife of slavery, I argue that the ways in which Black subjects have been and continue to be excluded from the category of the human is due to their exclusion from age-based subject positions, thus showing that age is far from a biological fact but is deeply political. Age-based politics plays out in the generic demands of coming of age narratives, which, I argue, are predicated on whiteness. The coming of age genre, then, scripts and judges the successful journey to adulthood by the standards of normative whiteness: characters complete their coming of age when they reproduce a heterosexual family, find stable work, or gain the material markers of adulthood, therefore transitioning between age-based subject positions. Taking an intertextual and comparative approach, the African American texts I read contest and rewrite this narrative by proposing models of coming of age which do not depend on access to, and transition between, age-based subject positions. Rather, these authors show that coming of age is achieved once their protagonists express and define their own subject position, therefore exercising agency in a culture which seeks to overdetermine their identity. Growing up Black concludes by arguing that the nebulous nature of the coming of age genre allows the contemporary writers in this thesis to offer models of coming of age outside of normative, white expectations for coming of age. By decoupling coming of age from the movement between age-based subject positions from which Black people are often excluded, these texts stake a claim for Black futurity

Demo: An Interoperability Development and Performance Diagnosis Environment

Interoperability is key to widespread adoption of sensor network technology, but interoperable systems have traditionally been difficult to develop and test. We demonstrate an interoperable system development and performance diagnosis environment in which different systems, different software, and different hardware can be simulated in a single network configuration. This allows both development, verification, and performance diagnosis of interoperable systems. Estimating the performance is important since even when systems interoperate, the performance can be sub-optimal, as shown in our companion paper that has been conditionally accepted for SenSys 2011

Discrete trajectories of resolving and persistent pain in people with rheumatoid arthritis despite undergoing treatment for inflammation: results from three UK cohorts

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an example of human chronic inflammatory pain. Modern treatments suppress inflammation, yet pain remains a major problem for many people with RA. We hypothesised that discrete RA subgroups might display favourable or unfavourable pain trajectories when receiving treatment, and that baseline characteristics will predict trajectory allocation.Growth Mixture Modelling was used to identify discrete trajectories of SF36-Bodily Pain scores during 3 years in 3 RA cohorts (Early RA Network (ERAN); n=683, British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register Biologics (n=7090) and Non-Biologics (n=1720) cohorts. Logistic regression compared baseline predictor variables between trajectories. The role of inflammation was examined in a subgroup analysis of people with normal levels of inflammatory markers after 3 years.Mean SF36-Bodily Pain scores in each cohort improved but remained throughout 3y follow up >1 SD worse than the UK general population average. Discrete Persistent Pain (59% to 79% of cohort participants) and Resolving Pain (19% to 27%) trajectories were identified in each cohort. In ERAN, a third trajectory displaying persistently Low Pain (23%) was also identified. In people with normal levels of inflammatory markers after 3 years, 65% of them were found to follow a Persistent Pain trajectory. When trajectories were compared, greater disability (aORs 2.3-2.5 per unit baseline Health Assessment Questionnaire score) and smoking history (aORs 1.6-1.8) were risk factors for Persistent Pain trajectories in each cohort.In conclusion, distinct trajectories indicate patient subgroups with very different pain prognosis during RA treatment. Inflammation does not fully explain the pain trajectories, and non-inflammatory factors as well as acute phase response predict which trajectory an individual will follow. Targeted treatments additional to those which suppress inflammation might reduce the long term burden of arthritis pain

Fibroadenoma in vulval ectopic breast tissue in a patient with PTEN Hamartoma Tumour Syndrome

PTEN is a tumour suppressor gene involved in regulating cell division. Pathogenic germline variants in PTEN predispose to benign and malignant growths of numerous organs, including of the breast. In the following report, we describe the first documented case of a fibroadenoma developing in ectopic breast tissue of the vulva in a patient with a germline pathogenic variant in PTEN. This highlights the risk of hyperplasia developing in any breast tissue, including rare ectopic sites, particularly in patients with underlying germline variants in cancer susceptibility genes

Carers' experiences of accessing and navigating mental health care for older people in a rural area in Australia

Author accepted manuscript made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (25 Aug 2015) in accordance with publisher copyright policy. “This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in [Aging and Mental Health] on [25 Aug 2015], available online: http:// www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13607863.2015.1078283”Objectives: Mental health care for older people is primarily delivered in the community and is largely dependent on informal carers. Mental health policy encourages partnerships between carers and service providers to facilitate service access, coordination and positive experience of care. However, carers often lack information and support from services, with the potential for carer burden, and negative impacts on their own health and capacity to fulfil caring tasks. This paper explores rural carers' experiences of accessing care from a range of services for older people with mental health problems. Method: The Pathways Interview Schedule was used to facilitate 9 in-depth care journey interviews with 11 carers of older people with a mental health problem. Interviews explored their journeys to and through mental health, aged care, primary care and social care services. Framework analysis was used to explore carers' experiences and perceptions of care with a focus on access enablers and barriers. Results: Carers had a significant role in navigating services and operationalising care for their relative. Enablers to accessing care included carer knowledge and workers actively involving carers in planning. Barriers included carer mental health literacy, consumer and carer readiness for services, and worker misinterpretation of confidentiality and privacy laws. Conclusion: Carers should be considered key partners in mental health care planning that crosses service sectors. For this to occur, changes are required at the worker level, including increased communication between mental health workers and carers, and the service level, involving training for staff in interpreting confidentiality and privacy policy

Linking GPS Data to GIS Databases in Naturalistic Studies: Examples from Drivers with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

In naturalistic studies, it is vital to give appropriate context when analyzing driving behaviors. Such contextualization can help address the hypotheses that explore a) how drivers perform within specific types of environment (e.g., road types, speed limits, etc.), and b) how often drivers are exposed to such specific environments. In order to perform this contextualization in an automated fashion, we are using Global Positioning System (GPS) data obtained at 1 Hz and merging this with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases maintained by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). In this paper, we demonstrate our methods of doing this based on data from 43 drivers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We also use maps from GIS software to illustrate how information can be displayed at the individual drive or day level, and we provide examples of some of the challenges that still need to be addressed

Synthetic Peptide and Protein Domain Arrays Prepared by the SPOT Technology

The SPOT™ technology for highly parallel synthesis of peptides on flat surfaces in array type format has evolved into a versatile toolbox for a variety of applications in proteomics such as mapping protein-protein interactions and profiling the substrate specificity of enzymes such as kinases and proteases. Originally developed for the synthesis of short overlapping peptide sequences for mapping antibody epitopes this technology has recently been extended to the synthesis of functional protein domains. This opens up a variety of future applications such as target identification and protein expression profiling

Regional responses to the challenge of delivering integrated care to older people with mental health problems in rural Australia

This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (2 May 2017) in accordance with the publisher’s copyright policyObjective: Integrated care has been identified as means of managing the demands on the healthcare budget while improving access to and quality of services. It is particularly pertinent to rural health services, which face limited access to specialist and support services. This paper explores the capacity of three rural communities in South Australia to deliver integrated mental health support for older people. Methods: Thirty-one interviews were conducted with local health and social service providers from mental health, community health, general practice, residential aged care, private practice, NGOs and local government as part of a larger action research project on service integration. Results: Participants highlighted differences in service delivery between the communities related to size of the community and access to services. Three structural barriers to delivery of integrated care were identified. These are as follows: fragmentation of governmental responsibility, the current funding climate, and centralisation and standardisation of service delivery. Conclusion: We conclude that despite a focus upon integrated care in mental health policy, many features of current service delivery undermine the flexibility and informal relationships that typically underpin integration in rural communities