Effects of Host Plant Patch Size and Surrounding Plant Type on Insect Population Dynamics

The purpose of the present study was to investigate how plant spatial patterns and insect behavior interact to influence the population dynamics of insects using the plants. The study included three phases: l) field experiments using collards (Brassica oleracea) and the crucifer insect fauna; 2) simulation models representing the population dynamics of an insect herbivore as functions of insect dispersal behavior and host plant patch size; and 3) model-field syntheses integrating model predictions and field variability estimates to choose an appropriate spatial scale for future field experiments or applications. In field experiments on surrounding plant type, collards were planted with 1) other collards; 2) collards treated with a systemic insecticide; 3) broccoli, a related host; and 4) tomatoes, an unrelated host whose odor may repel crucifer pests. In three such experiments, eggs and larvae of the imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae (L.)) were most abundant an collards surrounded by tomatoes. These results were contrary to those from previous experiments with other crucifer pests, but can perhaps be explained by P. rapae\u27s preference for ovipositing on isolated host plants. In three patch size experiments, P. rapae eggs and larvae were more abundant on collards in small patches; in one of these experiments, the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella (Linn.)) was more abundant in large patches. The results for P. rapae were consistent with previous studies showing more oviposition on plants in smaller patches and on plants at the edge of a patch. The simulation models predicted mean level and variability of an insect herbivore population based on interactions between insect behavior and host plant patch size. Features of insect behavior modeled were: 1) an inverse relationship between distance and dispersal; 2) preferences for host vs. nonhost plants, which differ for generalist and for specialist herbivores; and 3) preference of specialists for larger areas of host plants. Aspects of plant pattern studied were size and number of host plant patches in a background of nonhost vegetation. Constant, exponential and logistic growth of insect populations in the nonhost background and in the host patches were used. The models were designed to provide a theoretical framework for studying interactions between insect behavior and plant pattern, not to duplicate the dynamics of the field system. However, for the model-field syntheses, parameters of one model were fit to field data to establish a correspondence between expected differences in population levels predicted by the model and variability estimates obtained in the field experiments. The fitted model was used to construct a graph of differences in population levels versus patch size. Field variability estimates were used to calculate the least difference in population levels, for a given number of replicates and subsamples, that could be detected in field experiments. The least difference was compared with the differences predicted b y the fitted model to determine what patch sizes will produce significant effects of patch size on insect populations. This method was used to assess feasibility of future field experiments and to select appropriate patch sizes. The method can also be used to evaluate crop field size in agroecosystems as a component of pest management

Minority language Twitter: part-of-speech tagging and analysis of Irish Tweets

Noisy user-generated text poses problems for natural language processing. In this paper, we show that this statement also holds true for the Irish language. Irish is regarded as a low-resourced language, with limited annotated corpora available to NLP researchers and linguists to fully analyse the linguistic patterns in language use in social media. We contribute to recent advances in this area of research by reporting on the development of part-of speech annotation scheme and annotated corpus for Irish language tweets. We also report on state-of-the-art tagging results of training and testing three existing POStaggers on our new dataset

Stakeholder Participation in Watershed Management: An Evaluation of the Jordan Lake Stakeholder Project

The Jordan Lake Stakeholder Project (JLSP) was convened by the NC Department of Water Quality (DWQ) to gather public input in response to high levels of nutrients found in Jordan Lake, a reservoir in the central piedmont of North Carolina. The DWQ is a frequent convener of such time- and resource-intensive projects, yet lacks methods for evaluating their successes and benefits. By assessing public involvement in terms of substantive and procedural factors and practical outcomes, I evaluated the success of the JLSP. This evaluation template can be used by environmental regulators to guide future collaborative processes in watershed management

Tapadoir: developing a statistical machine translation engine and associated resources for Irish

Tapadoir (from the Irish ´ tapa ‘fast’ and the nominal suffix -oir ´ ) is a statistical machine translation (SMT) project, funded by the Irish government. This work was commissioned to help government translators meet the translation demands which have arisen from the Irish language’s status as an official EU and national language. The development of this system, which translates English into Irish (a morphologically rich, low-resourced minority language), has produced an interesting set of challenges. These challenges have inspired a creative response to the lack of data and NLP tools available for the Irish language and have also resulted in the development of new resources for the Irish linguistic and NLP community. We show that our SMT system out-performs Google TranslateTM (a widely used general-domain SMT system) as a result of steps we have taken to tailor translation output to the user’s specific needs

Using patient-reported outcome measures to deliver enhanced supportive care to people with lung cancer : feasibility and acceptability of a nurse-led consultation model

Purpose: Developing new supportive/palliative care services for lung cancer should encompass effective ways to promptly identify and address patients’ healthcare needs. We examined whether an in-clinic, nurse-led consultation model, which was driven by use of a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measure, was feasible and acceptable in the identification of unmet needs in patients with lung cancer. Methods: A two-part, repeated-measures, mixed-methods study was conducted. Part 1 employed literature reviews and stakeholder focus group interviews to inform selection of a population-appropriate needs assessment PRO measure. In Part 2, lung cancer nurse specialists (CNS) conducted three consecutive monthly consultations with patients. Recruitment/retention data, PRO data, and exit interview data were analysed. Results: The Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care was the PRO measure selected based on Part 1 data. Twenty patients (response rate: 26%) participated in Part 2; 13 (65%) participated in all three consultations/assessments. The PRO measure helped patients to structure their thinking and prompted them to discuss previously underreported and/or sensitive issues, including such topics as family concerns, or death and dying. Lung CNS highlighted how PRO-measures-driven consultations differed from previous ones, in that their scope was broadened to allow nurses to offer personalised care. Small-to-moderate reductions in all domains of need were noted over time. Conclusions: Nurse-led PRO-measures-driven consultations are acceptable and conditionally feasible to holistically identify and effectively manage patient needs in modern lung cancer care. PRO data should be systematically collected and audited to assist in the provision of supportive care to people with lung cancer

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Pch2 Links Chromosome Axis Remodeling at Future Crossover Sites and Crossover Distribution during Yeast Meiosis

Segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis I depends on appropriately positioned crossovers/chiasmata. Crossover assurance ensures at least one crossover per homolog pair, while interference reduces double crossovers. Here, we have investigated the interplay between chromosome axis morphogenesis and non-random crossover placement. We demonstrate that chromosome axes are structurally modified at future crossover sites as indicated by correspondence between crossover designation marker Zip3 and domains enriched for axis ensemble Hop1/Red1. This association is first detected at the zygotene stage, persists until double Holliday junction resolution, and is controlled by the conserved AAA+ ATPase Pch2. Pch2 further mediates crossover interference, although it is dispensable for crossover formation at normal levels. Thus, interference appears to be superimposed on underlying mechanisms of crossover formation. When recombination-initiating DSBs are reduced, Pch2 is also required for viable spore formation, consistent with further functions in chiasma formation. pch2Δ mutant defects in crossover interference and spore viability at reduced DSB levels are oppositely modulated by temperature, suggesting contributions of two separable pathways to crossover control. Roles of Pch2 in controlling both chromosome axis morphogenesis and crossover placement suggest linkage between these processes. Pch2 is proposed to reorganize chromosome axes into a tiling array of long-range crossover control modules, resulting in chiasma formation at minimum levels and with maximum spacing

Paediatrics: messages from Munich.

The aim of this article is to describe paediatric highlights from the 2014 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Munich, Germany. Abstracts from the seven groups of the ERS Paediatric Assembly (Respiratory Physiology and Sleep, Asthma and Allergy, Cystic Fibrosis, Respiratory Infection and Immunology, Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Respiratory Epidemiology, and Bronchology) are presented in the context of the current literature

High-sensitivity troponin in the evaluation of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome: a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays permit use of lower thresholds for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction, but whether this improves clinical outcomes is unknown. We aimed to determine whether the introduction of a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) assay with a sex-specific 99th centile diagnostic threshold would reduce subsequent myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: In this stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial across ten secondary or tertiary care hospitals in Scotland, we evaluated the implementation of an hs-cTnI assay in consecutive patients who had been admitted to the hospitals' emergency departments with suspected acute coronary syndrome. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they presented with suspected acute coronary syndrome and had paired cardiac troponin measurements from the standard care and trial assays. During a validation phase of 6-12 months, results from the hs-cTnI assay were concealed from the attending clinician, and a contemporary cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assay was used to guide care. Hospitals were randomly allocated to early (n=5 hospitals) or late (n=5 hospitals) implementation, in which the high-sensitivity assay and sex-specific 99th centile diagnostic threshold was introduced immediately after the 6-month validation phase or was deferred for a further 6 months. Patients reclassified by the high-sensitivity assay were defined as those with an increased hs-cTnI concentration in whom cTnI concentrations were below the diagnostic threshold on the contemporary assay. The primary outcome was subsequent myocardial infarction or death from cardiovascular causes at 1 year after initial presentation. Outcomes were compared in patients reclassified by the high-sensitivity assay before and after its implementation by use of an adjusted generalised linear mixed model. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01852123. FINDINGS: Between June 10, 2013, and March 3, 2016, we enrolled 48 282 consecutive patients (61 [SD 17] years, 47% women) of whom 10 360 (21%) patients had cTnI concentrations greater than those of the 99th centile of the normal range of values, who were identified by the contemporary assay or the high-sensitivity assay. The high-sensitivity assay reclassified 1771 (17%) of 10 360 patients with myocardial injury or infarction who were not identified by the contemporary assay. In those reclassified, subsequent myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death within 1 year occurred in 105 (15%) of 720 patients in the validation phase and 131 (12%) of 1051 patients in the implementation phase (adjusted odds ratio for implementation vs validation phase 1·10, 95% CI 0·75 to 1·61; p=0·620). INTERPRETATION: Use of a high-sensitivity assay prompted reclassification of 1771 (17%) of 10 360 patients with myocardial injury or infarction, but was not associated with a lower subsequent incidence of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death at 1 year. Our findings question whether the diagnostic threshold for myocardial infarction should be based on the 99th centile derived from a normal reference population. FUNDING: The British Heart Foundation