The Disease Triangle as a Reusable Learning Object

The disease triangle is a widely used, practical conceptual model for teaching basic plant pathology. The concept is often used as a springboard to introduce students to advanced concepts on how diseases develop and the significance of plant diseases in the environment. This article describes development and recommended usage of an interactive learning object entitled "The Disease Triangle." This object provides three levels of instruction on the disease triangle concept, along with appropriate user activities, including concept mapping, and assessments. Research skills instruction to enhance further application of the concept is also recommended.This project was funded in part by the Ohio Board of Regents grant to Ohio State University Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR

Exercise-induced improvements in liver fat and endothelial function are not sustained 12 months following cessation of exercise supervision in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

AIMS: Supervised exercise reduces liver fat and improves endothelial function, a surrogate of cardiovascular disease risk, in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We hypothesised that after a 16-week supervised exercise program, patients would maintain longer-term improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, liver fat and endothelial function. MATHERIALS AND METHODS: Ten NAFLD patients [5/5 males/females, age 51±13years, BMI 31±3 kg.m(2) (mean±s.d.)] underwent a 16-week supervised moderate-intensity exercise intervention. Biochemical markers, cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak), subcutaneous, visceral and liver fat (measured by magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy respectively) and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were assessed at baseline, after 16 weeks supervised training and 12-months after ending supervision. RESULTS: Despite no significant change in body weight, there were significant improvements in VO2peak [6.5 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) (95% CI 2.8, 10.1); P=0.003], FMD [2.9% (1.5, 4.2); P=0.001], liver transaminases (P0.05) and liver fat [1.4% (-13.0, 15.9); P=0.83] were not significantly different from baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Twelve months following cessation of supervision, exercise-mediated improvements in liver fat and other cardiometabolic variables had reversed with cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline levels. Maintenance of high cardiorespiratory fitness and stability of body weight are critical public health considerations for the treatment of NAFLD.International Journal of Obesity accepted article preview online, 21 July 2016. doi:10.1038/ijo.2016.123

Impact of inactivity and exercise on the vasculature in humans

The effects of inactivity and exercise training on established and novel cardiovascular risk factors are relatively modest and do not account for the impact of inactivity and exercise on vascular risk. We examine evidence that inactivity and exercise have direct effects on both vasculature function and structure in humans. Physical deconditioning is associated with enhanced vasoconstrictor tone and has profound and rapid effects on arterial remodelling in both large and smaller arteries. Evidence for an effect of deconditioning on vasodilator function is less consistent. Studies of the impact of exercise training suggest that both functional and structural remodelling adaptations occur and that the magnitude and time-course of these changes depends upon training duration and intensity and the vessel beds involved. Inactivity and exercise have direct “vascular deconditioning and conditioning” effects which likely modify cardiovascular risk

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods1,2. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome3,4. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins5,6,7. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes8. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies9 provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade

Exercise and cardiovascular risk reduction: Time to update the rationale for exercise?

Although it is generally accepted that the promotion of exercise accords with clinical best practice, the anecdotal experience of many primary care physicians, cardiologists, and exercise physiologists is that, even when exercise prescriptions are adhered to, risk factors often fail to demonstrate marked improvement. Since modification of traditional risk factors fails to fully explain the magnitude of exercise-mediated risk reduction (18), we propose that there are direct effects of exercise on the vascular wall, which confer cardioprotection via a vascular conditioning effect