Field-Caught Permethrin-Resistant Anopheles gambiae Overexpress CYP6P3, a P450 That Metabolises Pyrethroids

Insects exposed to pesticides undergo strong natural selection and have developed various adaptive mechanisms to survive. Resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae is receiving increasing attention because it threatens the sustainability of malaria vector control programs in sub-Saharan Africa. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms conferring pyrethroid resistance gives insight into the processes of evolution of adaptive traits and facilitates the development of simple monitoring tools and novel strategies to restore the efficacy of insecticides. For this purpose, it is essential to understand which mechanisms are important in wild mosquitoes. Here, our aim was to identify enzymes that may be important in metabolic resistance to pyrethroids by measuring gene expression for over 250 genes potentially involved in metabolic resistance in phenotyped individuals from a highly resistant, wild A. gambiae population from Ghana. A cytochrome P450, CYP6P3, was significantly overexpressed in the survivors, and we show that the translated enzyme metabolises both alpha-cyano and non–alpha-cyano pyrethroids. This is the first study to demonstrate the capacity of a P450 identified in wild A. gambiae to metabolise insecticides. The findings add to the understanding of the genetic basis of insecticide resistance in wild mosquito populations

Study Protocol - Accurate assessment of kidney function in Indigenous Australians: aims and methods of the eGFR Study

Background: There is an overwhelming burden of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease among Indigenous Australians. In this high risk population, it is vital that we are able to measure accurately kidney function. Glomerular filtration rate is the best overall marker of kidney function. However, differences in body build and body composition between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians suggest that creatinine-based estimates of glomerular filtration rate derived for European populations may not be appropriate for Indigenous Australians. The burden of kidney disease is borne disproportionately by Indigenous Australians in central and northern Australia, and there is significant heterogeneity in body build and composition within and amongst these groups. This heterogeneity might differentially affect the accuracy of estimation of glomerular filtration rate between different Indigenous groups. By assessing kidney function in Indigenous Australians from Northern Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, we aim to determine a validated and practical measure of glomerular filtration rate suitable for use in all Indigenous Australians

Job Characteristics and Labour Supply

We document the importance of non-pecuniary aspects in employment relationships by showing that labour supply elasticities differ significantly among individuals' job characteristics. Factor analysis indicates the relevance of four characteristics: autonomy, workload, variety and job security. Using a discrete choice model of family labour supply on the basis of Australian data, we show that income elasticities are significantly higher among individuals with 'good' characteristics (e.g. a securer job) whereas wage elasticities are significantly lower. This result holds for both men and women. Our main hypothesis are derived within the 'new approach to consumer theory proposed by Lancaster.Wir untersuchen den Einfluss von (nicht-monetären) Arbeitsbedingungen auf individuelle Arbeitsangebotsentscheidungen mittels eines diskreten Entscheidungsmodells. Um Arbeitsbedingungen zunächst zu konzeptionalisieren, greifen wir auf den sog. 'Characteristics Approach' zurück. Die Wirkung von verschiedenen Charakteristika eines Jobs wie z.B. der Grad an Autonomie oder die Arbeitsauslastung auf das individuelle Arbeitsangebot lassen sich dadurch sowohl theoretisch als auch empirisch in einem konsistenten Analyserahmen untersuchen. Zum einen zeigen wir, dass man theoretisch einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen einer Verbesserung der Arbeitseigenschaften und der tatsächlich gearbeiteten Arbeitsstundenzahl erwarten würde. Zum anderen weisen unsere Befunde darauf hin, dass sich dieser theoretische Zusammenhang, auch in Form von signifikant unterschiedlichen Arbeitsangebotselastizitäten zwischen solchen Individuen mit guten Arbeitseigenschaften und jenen mit weniger vorteilhaften, niederschlägt

Revisiting sensitivity to risk in the fear of crime

This paper considers the psychology of risk perception in worry about crime. A survey-based study replicates a long-standing finding that perceptions of the likelihood of criminal victimization predict levels of fear of crime. But perceived control and perceived consequence also play two roles: (a) each predicts perceived likelihood; and (b) each moderates the relationship between perceived likelihood and worry about crime. Public perceptions of control and consequence thus drive what Mark Warr defines as ‘sensitivity to risk.’ When individuals perceive crime to be especially serious in its personal impact, and when individuals perceive that they have little personal control over the victimization event occurring, a lower level of perceived likelihood is needed to stimulate worry about crime

Friendship and Delinquency By

b

Flexible Frequency Discrimination Subsystems for Reconfigurable Radio Front Ends

<p/> <p>The required flexibility of the software-defined radio front end may currently be met with better overall performance by employing tunable narrowband circuits rather than pursuing a truly wideband approach. A key component of narrowband transceivers is appropriate filtering to reduce spurious spectral content in the transmitter and limit out-of-band interference in the receiver. In this paper, recent advances in flexible, frequency-selective, circuit components applicable to reconfigurable SDR front ends are reviewed. The paper contains discussion regarding the filtering requirements in the SDR context and the use of intelligent, adaptive control to provide environment-aware frequency discrimination. Wide tuning-range frequency-selective circuit elements are surveyed including bandpass and bandstop filters and narrowband tunable antennas. The suitability of these elements to the mobile wireless SDR environment is discussed.</p

Defined by our hierarchy? How hierarchical positions shape our identifications and well-being at work

© The Author(s) 2014. We explore the influence of hierarchy on workers’ identification and well-being. Specifically, we hypothesize that the accessibility of different identity targets will vary according to the distinct priorities and perspectives found at different hierarchical levels, and that this will have implications for the identification and well-being of workers operating in these different positions. Testing our predictions in a sample of 789 naval personnel we find strong support for our hypotheses. Specifically, we find that individuals in operational positions identify strongly with their career and functional workgroups and that these attachments are important in predicting their affective well-being. In contrast, the identifications and well-being of personnel in mid-level and strategic positions are more strongly tied to career and organizational identities respectively. This research provides new insights into the nature and impact of patterns of identification in the workplace, with important theoretical and practical implications for the affective well-being of workers