Study of the spatial variation of the biodegradation rate of the herbicide bentazone with soil depth using contrasting incubation methods

Vertical and horizontal spatial variability in the biodegradation of the herbicide bentazone was compared in sandy-loam soil from an agricultural field using sieved soil and intact soil cores. An initial experiment compared degradation at five depths between 0 and 80 cm using sieved soil. Degradation was shown to follow the first-order kinetics, and time to 50% degradation (DT50), declined progressively with soil depth from 56 d at 0–10 cm to 520 d at 70–80 cm. DT50 was significantly correlated with organic matter, pH and dehydrogenase activity. In a subsequent experiment, degradation rate was compared after 127 d in sieved soil and intact cores from 0 to 10 and 50 to 60 cm depth from 10 locations across a 160 × 90 m portion of the field. Method of incubation significantly affected mean dissipation rate, although there were relatively small differences in the amount of pesticide remaining in intact cores and sieved soil, accounting for between 4.6% and 10.6% of that added. Spatial variability in degradation rate was higher in soil from 0 to 10 cm depth relative to that from 50 and 60 cm depth in both sieved soil and intact core assessments. Patterns of spatial variability measured using cores and sieved soil were similar at 50–60 cm, but not at 0–10 cm depth. This could reflect loss of environmental context following processing of sieved soil. In particular, moisture content, which was controlled in sieved soil, was found to be variable in cores, and was significantly correlated with degradation rate in intact topsoil cores from 0 to 10 cm depth

Total mRNA sequence dataset from Pectobacterium atrosepticum colonising potato or radish roots

Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba) is a gram-negative bacterium that causes blackleg and tuber soft rot of potato but can also asymptomatically colonise other (non-host) plant species. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular processes and responses involved in Pba-host (potato) and Pba-non-host (radish) interactions, under laboratory conditions. To achieve this, we used total mRNA-sequencing to measure the gene expression patterns from all three species: Pba, potato and radish. We employed an end-point dual transcriptome approach. We used hydroponically grown potato (Solanum tuberosum var. Estima) and oil radish (Raphanus sativa var. Bento) roots inoculated with Pba SCRI1039 for 14 days compared to un-inoculated control plants or cultured bacteria. Total RNA was extracted from replicates of the two plant species and the bacterium using a Macherey-Nagel Nucleospin Plant RNA kit. The RNA from the 17 samples was then subjected to total mRNA-sequencing (paired-end) on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000™ sequencing platform. This gave between 39.2-58.1M reads per sample. The high-quality reads obtained were mapped to the corresponding reference genomes using Bowtie2 and the percentages of bacterium and plant transcripts calculated. This dataset constitutes the raw read fastq files and can be used to inform on genes active in plant rhizosphere-microbe interactions.</p

Total mRNA sequence dataset from Pectobacterium atrosepticum colonising potato or radish roots

Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba) is a gram-negative bacterium that causes blackleg and tuber soft rot of potato but can also asymptomatically colonise other (non-host) plant species. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular processes and responses involved in Pba-host (potato) and Pba-non-host (radish) interactions, under laboratory conditions. To achieve this, we used total mRNA-sequencing to measure the gene expression patterns from all three species: Pba, potato and radish. We employed an end-point dual transcriptome approach. We used hydroponically grown potato (Solanum tuberosum var. Estima) and oil radish (Raphanus sativa var. Bento) roots inoculated with Pba SCRI1039 for 14 days compared to un-inoculated control plants or cultured bacteria. Total RNA was extracted from replicates of the two plant species and the bacterium using a Macherey-Nagel Nucleospin Plant RNA kit. The RNA from the 17 samples was then subjected to total mRNA-sequencing (paired-end) on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000™ sequencing platform. This gave between 39.2-58.1M reads per sample. The high-quality reads obtained were mapped to the corresponding reference genomes using Bowtie2 and the percentages of bacterium and plant transcripts calculated. This dataset constitutes the raw read fastq files and can be used to inform on genes active in plant rhizosphere-microbe interactions.</p

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For best results, use the modified Phalen's test (MPT) rather than the traditional Phalen's when you suspect carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)

Engaging the South Texas Latino Community: Utilizing Community Member Feedback to Inform Research on Community Engagement

Background: The UT Health San Antonio Mays Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Core is identifying how South Texas Latino residents navigate cancer-related health needs. Our team explored these from a class and place perspective. Methods: Listening sessions were conducted across South Texas. Sessions lasted 1.5 hours, were in English and Spanish, and recorded. Recordings were transcribed, and a thematic analysis was completed. Results: Seventy-four South Texas residents participated in the sessions. Insurance status and healthcare access were key factors impacting communities’ ability to navigate cancer-related health needs. Analyses were explored from an urban, rural, inland, and border perspective. Urban For inland participants, access to services was a barrier in the context of inconvenient clinic hours, commute time, and distance to facilities. For border participants, access to services was a barrier in the context of lack of diagnostic/treatment services and making travel arrangements to services in inland cities. A shared perspective was the negative impact of healthcare expensiveness, and insurance not covering full costs of treatment/screenings. Rural For inland participants, access to services was a barrier in the context of few or no urgent care and hospital facilities and unreliable ambulance services. For border participants, traveling to Mexico for affordable services is common. A shared perspective was insufficient access to primary, specialty, and cancer care. Conclusion: This study uncovered the nuanced factors associated with the cancer burden for South Texas Latinos. Findings will be used to contextualize how Political Determinants of Health contribute to cancer-related health inequities in South Texas

Hacia una comprensión del texto poético: a propósito de "Oda a la poesía" de Pablo Neruda

Este artículo ofrece una aproximación al sentido inmerso en las diferentes categorías lingüísticas equivalentes, y al descubrimiento de las diversas redes constitutivas del texto poético, en el cual coinciden variados discursos del saber humano. La "Oda a la poesía", como texto de poesía, conduce a la constatación de cómo se construye un poema, una poética y un poeta desde el punto de vista estético. Las observaciones preliminares determinaron la posibilidad de la existencia de isotopías que remitieron a estos campos semánticos. Se propone, entonces, el discurso de esta oda como bi-isotópico y, a manera de isotopía englobante, las equivalencias conducen a la formulación de un tejido significativo cuya estructura convoca la permanencia-la no permanencia del ser; llendo, el poema, más allá de una mera visión histórica de su evolución

Accelerating Cognitive Development Using a Mathematical Thinking Skills Course to Target Metacognitive Processes

Seramai 300 orang pelajar telah mengikuti satu kursus untuk meningkatkan lagi kemahiran pemikiran matematik mereka. Kumpulan ini telah dibandingkan dengan satu kumpulan kawalan melalui ujian awal (pre-test), ujian akhir (post-test) dan temuduga berstruktur. Alat-alat untuk menilai tahap perkembangan kognitif and kebolehan menggunakan kemah iran metakognitif dan strategik telah direka oleh pelapor. Pelajarpelajar yang mengikuti kursus ini telah mendapat keputusan yang lebih tinggi dan signifikan di dalam ujian akhir metakognitif dan kognitif apabila dibanding dengan kumpulan kawalan. Walaupun kemahiran kognitif tidak diajar secara langsung dalam kursus ini, boleh diandaikan bahawa pengajaran kemahiran metakognitif bolehmembantu meningkatkan lagi kemahiran kognitif para pelajar

Spatial, seasonal and climatic predictive models of Rift Valley fever disease across Africa

Understanding the emergence and subsequent spread of human infectious diseases is a critical global challenge, especially for high-impact zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. Global climate and land-use change are likely to alter host and vector distributions, but understanding the impact of these changes on the burden of infectious diseases is difficult. Here, we use a Bayesian spatial model to investigate environmental drivers of one of the most important diseases in Africa, Rift Valley fever (RVF). The model uses a hierarchical approach to determine how environmental drivers vary both spatially and seasonally, and incorporates the effects of key climatic oscillations, to produce a continental risk map of RVF in livestock (as a proxy for human RVF risk). We find RVF risk has a distinct seasonal spatial pattern influenced by climatic variation, with the majority of cases occurring in South Africa and Kenya in the first half of an El Niño year. Irrigation, rainfall and human population density were the main drivers of RVF cases, independent of seasonal, climatic or spatial variation. By accounting more subtly for the patterns in RVF data, we better determine the importance of underlying environmental drivers, and also make space- and time-sensitive predictions to better direct future surveillance resources

Perceived benefits and challenges of coordinated approaches to chronic disease prevention in state health departments

INTRODUCTION: Chronic disease prevention efforts have historically been funded categorically according to disease or risk factor. Federal agencies are now progressively starting to fund combined programs to address common risk. The purpose of this study was to inform transitions to coordinated chronic disease prevention by learning views on perceived benefits and challenges of a coordinated approach to funding. METHODS: A national survey on evidence-based public health was conducted from March through May 2013 among state health department employees working in chronic disease prevention (N = 865). Participants were asked to rank the top 3 benefits and top 3 challenges in coordinating chronic disease approaches from provided lists and could provide additional responses. Descriptive analyses, χ(2) tests, and analysis of variance were conducted. RESULTS: The most common perceived benefits of coordinated approaches to chronic disease prevention were improved health outcomes, common risk factors better addressed, and reduced duplication of program efforts. The most common perceived challenges were funding restrictions, such as disease-specific performance measures; competing priorities; lack of communication across programs; funding might be reduced; agency not structured for program coordination; and loss of disease-specific partner support. Rankings of benefits and challenges were similar across states and participant roles; the perceived challenges “lack of communication across programs” (P = .02) and “funding might be reduced” differed by program area (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Findings can be used by funding agencies and state health departments for planning, training, and technical assistance. The information on perceived challenges demonstrates the need to improve communication across programs, enhance organizational support for coordinated approaches, and create benefits for organizational partners

Structure-based virtual screening, synthesis and biological evaluation of potential FAK-FAT domain inhibitors for treatment of metastatic cancer

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed and activated in several advanced-stage solid cancers. In cancer cells, FAK promotes the progression and metastasis of tumours. In this study, we used structure-based virtual screening to filter a library of more than 210K compounds against the focal adhesion targeting FAK-focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain to identify 25 virtual hit compounds which were screened in the invasive breast cancer line (MDA-MB-231). Most notably, compound I showed low micromolar antiproliferative activity, as well as antimigratory activity. Moreover, examination in a model of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), revealed that, despite not effecting FAK phosphorylation, compound I significantly impairs proliferation whilst impairing focal adhesion growth and turnover leading to reduced migration. Further optimisation and synthesis of analogues of the lead compound I using a four-step synthetic procedure was performed, and analogues were assessed for their antiproliferative activity against three breast cancer (MDA-MB-231, T47D, BT474) cell lines and one pancreatic cancer (MIAPaCa2) cell line. Compound 5f was identified as a promising lead compound with IC50 values in the range of 4.59–5.28 μM in MDA-MB-231, T47D, BT474, and MIAPaCa2. Molecular modelling and pharmacokinetic studies provided more insight into the therapeutic features of this new series