Creating and Using Learning Objects in Qualitative Research Education

Based upon the lessons learned and the educational materials generated from a doctoral course on qualitative data analysis, a group of doctoral students, their professor, and a linguistics consultant launched an on- going project to create a series of reusable learning objects designed to help other groups of students and professors learn how to analyze qualitative data. The results of the first six months of this project are shared, as the team describes how they have begun to use instructional design and software applications to create a digital learning environment in the form of a series of activities engineered to help analysts learn how to master grounded theory open codin

Can changes in angiogenic biomarkers between the first and second trimesters of pregnancy predict development of pre-eclampsia in a low-risk nulliparous patient population?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if change in maternal angiogenic biomarkers between the first and second trimesters predicts pre-eclampsia in low-risk nulliparous women. DESIGN: A nested case-control study of change in maternal plasma soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1), soluble endoglin (sEng) and placenta growth factor (PlGF). We studied 158 pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and 468 normotensive nonproteinuric controls. SETTING: A multicentre study in 16 academic medical centres in the USA. POPULATION: Low-risk nulliparous women. METHODS: Luminex assays for PlGF, sFlt-1 and sEng performed on maternal EDTA plasma collected at 9-12, 15-18 and 23-26 weeks of gestation. Rate of change of analyte between first and either early or late second trimester was calculated with and without adjustment for baseline clinical characteristics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in PlGF, sFlt-1 and sEng. RESULTS: Rates of change of PlGF, sEng and sFlt-1 between first and either early or late second trimesters were significantly different in women who developed pre-eclampsia, severe pre-eclampsia or early-onset pre-eclampsia compared with women who remained normotensive. Inclusion of clinical characteristics (race, body mass index and blood pressure at entry) increased sensitivity for detecting severe and particularly early-onset pre-eclampsia but not pre-eclampsia overall. Receiver operating characteristics curves for change from first to early second trimester in sEng, PlGF and sFlt-1 with clinical characteristics had areas under the curve of 0.88, 0.84 and 0.86, respectively, and for early-onset pre-eclampsia with sensitivities of 88% (95% CI 64-99), 77% (95% CI 50-93) and 77% (95% CI 50-93) for 80% specificity, respectively. Similar results were seen in the change from first to late second trimester. CONCLUSION: Change in angiogenic biomarkers between first and early second trimester combined with clinical characteristics has strong utility for predicting early-onset pre-eclampsia

Phantoms of the forest: legacy risk effects of a regionally extinct large carnivore

The increased abundance of large carnivores in Europe is a conservation success, but the impact on the behavior and population dynamics of prey species is generally unknown. In Europe, the recolonization of large carnivores often occurs in areas where humans have greatly modified the landscape through forestry or agriculture. Currently, we poorly understand the effects of recolonizing large carnivores on extant prey species in anthropogenic landscapes. Here, we investigated if ungulate prey species showed innate responses to the scent of a regionally exterminated but native large carnivore, and whether the responses were affected by human-induced habitat openness. We experimentally introduced brown bear Ursus arctos scent to artificial feeding sites and used camera traps to document the responses of three sympatric ungulate species. In addition to controls without scent, reindeer scent Rangifer tarandus was used as a noncarnivore, novel control scent. Fallow deer Dama dama strongly avoided areas with bear scent. In the presence of bear scent, all ungulate species generally used open sites more than closed sites, whereas the opposite was observed at sites with reindeer scent or without scent. The opening of forest habitat by human practices, such as forestry and agriculture, creates a larger gradient in habitat openness than available in relatively unaffected closed forest systems, which may create opportunities for prey to alter their habitat selection and reduce predation risk in human-modified systems that do not exist in more natural forest systems. Increased knowledge about antipredator responses in areas subjected to anthropogenic change is important because these responses may affect prey population dynamics, lower trophic levels, and attitudes toward large carnivores. These aspects may be of particular relevance in the light of the increasing wildlife populations across much of Europe

Take-all disease: New insights into an important wheat root pathogen

Take-all disease, caused by the fungal root pathogen Gaeumannomyces tritici, is considered to be the most important root disease of wheat worldwide. Here we review the advances in take-all research over the last 15 years, focusing on the identification of new sources of genetic resistance in wheat relatives and the role of the microbiome in disease development. We also highlight recent breakthroughs in the molecular interactions between G. tritici and wheat, including genome and transcriptome analyses. These new findings will aid the development of novel control strategies against take-all disease. In light of this growing understanding, the G. tritici-wheat interaction could provide a model study system for root-infecting fungal pathogens of cereals

Potential for increased connectivity between differentiated wolverine populations

Information on genetic population structure provides important knowledge for species conservation. Yet, few studies combine extensive genetic data to evaluate the structure and population dynamics of transboundary populations. Here we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), microsatellites and mitochondrial haplotypes to analyze the genetic population structure of wolverines (Gulo gulo) across Fennoscandia using a long-term monitoring dataset of 1708 individuals. Clear population subdivision was detected between the Scandinavian and the eastern Finnish population with a steep cline in the contact zone. While the Scandinavian population showed isolation by distance, large swaths of this population were characterized by high connectivity. Areas with high resistance to gene flow are likely explained by a combination of factors, such as historical isolation and founder effects. From a conservation perspective, promoting gene flow from the population in eastern Finland to the northwest of Scandinavia could augment the less variable Scandinavian population, and increase the demographic resilience of all subpopulations. Overall, the large areas of low resistance to gene flow suggest that transboundary cooperation with aligned actions of harvest and conflict mitigation could improve genetic connectivity across Finland, Sweden, and Norway

Auto-titrating continuous positive airway pressure treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea after acute quadriplegia (COSAQ): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Quadriplegia is a severe, catastrophic injury that predominantly affects people early in life, resulting in lifelong physical disability. Obstructive sleep apnoea is a direct consequence of quadriplegia and is associated with neurocognitive deficits, sleepiness and reduced quality of life. The usual treatment for sleep apnoea is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP); however, this is poorly tolerated in quadriplegia. To encourage patients to use this therapy, we have to demonstrate that the benefits outweigh the inconvenience. We therefore propose a prospective, multinational randomized controlled trial of three months of CPAP for obstructive sleep apnoea after acute quadriplegia. METHODS/DESIGN: Specialist spinal cord injury centres across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada will recruit medically stable individuals who have sustained a (new) traumatic quadriplegia (complete or incomplete second cervical to first thoracic level lesions). Participants will be screened for obstructive sleep apnoea using full, portable sleep studies. Those with an apnoea hypopnoea index greater than 10 per hour will proceed to an initial three-night trial of CPAP. Those who can tolerate CPAP for at least 4 hours on at least one night of the initial trial will be randomized to either usual care or a 3-month period of auto-titrating CPAP. The primary hypothesis is that nocturnal CPAP will improve neuropsychological functioning more than usual care alone. The secondary hypothesis is that the magnitude of improvement of neuropsychological function will be predicted by the severity of baseline sleepiness measures, sleep fragmentation and sleep apnoea. Neuropsychological tests and full polysomnography will be performed at baseline and 3 months with interim measures of sleepiness and symptoms of autonomic dysfunction measured weekly. Spirometry will be performed monthly. Neuropsychological tests will be administered by blinded assessors. Recruitment commenced in July 2009. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial will demonstrate the effect of nocturnal CPAP treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in acute quadriplegia. If CPAP can improve neurocognitive function after injury, it is likely that rehabilitation and subsequent community participation will be substantially improved for this group of predominantly young and severely physically disabled people. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN1260500079965

Identification of a new cocrystal of citric acid and paracetamol of pharmaceutical relevance

Cocrystals have been increasingly recognized as an attractive alternative delivery form for solid drug products. In this work, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction/X-ray crystallography, and differential scanning calorimetry have been used to study the phenomenon of cocrystal formation in stoichiometric mixtures of citric acid with paracetamol. Raman spectroscopy was particularly useful for the characterization of the products and was used to determine the nature of the interactions in the cocrystals. It was observed that little change in the vibrational modes associated with the phenyl groups of the respective reactants took place upon cocrystal formation but changes in intensities of the vibrational modes associated with the amide and the carboxylic acid groups were observed upon cocrystal formation. Several new vibrational bands were identified in the cocrystal which were not manifest in the raw material and could be used as diagnostic features of cocrystal formation. An understanding of the effects of cocrystal formation on the vibrational modes was obtained by the complete assignment of the spectra of the starting materials and of the cocrystal component. The results show that the cocrystals was obtained in a 2:1 molar ratio of paracetamol to citric acid. The asymmetric unit of the crystal contains two paracetamol molecules hydrogen-bonded to the citric acid; one of these acts as a phenolic-OH hydrogen bond donor to the carbonyl of a carboxylic acid arm of citric acid. In contrast, the other phenolic-OH acts as a hydrogen bond acceptor from the quaternary C-OH of citric acid. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry