Reproducibility of goniometric measurement of the knee in the in-hospital phase following total knee arthroplasty

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objective of the present study was to assess interobserver reproducibility (in terms of reliability and agreement) of active and passive measurements of knee RoM using a long arm goniometer, performed by trained physical therapists in a clinical setting in total knee arthroplasty patients, within the first four days after surgery.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Test-retest analysis</p> <p>Setting: University hospital departments of orthopaedics and physical therapy</p> <p>Participants: Two experienced physical therapists assessed 30 patients, three days after total knee arthroplasty.</p> <p>Main outcome measure: RoM measurement using a long-arm (50 cm) goniometer</p> <p>Agreement was calculated as the mean difference between observers ± 95% CI of this mean difference. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated as a measure of reliability, based on two-way random effects analysis of variance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The lowest level of agreement was that for measurement of passive flexion with the patient in supine position (mean difference 1.4°; limits of agreement 16.2° to 19° for the difference between the two observers. The highest levels of agreement were found for measurement of passive flexion with the patient in sitting position and for measurement of passive extension (mean difference 2.7°; limits of agreement -6.7 to 12.1 and mean difference 2.2°; limits of agreement -6.2 to 10.6 degrees, respectively). The ability to differentiate between subjects ranged from 0.62 for measurement of passive extension to 0.89 for measurements of active flexion (ICC values).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Interobserver agreement for flexion as well as extension was only fair. When two different observers assess the same patients in the acute phase after total knee arthroplasty using a long arm goniometer, differences in RoM of less than eight degrees cannot be distinguished from measurement error. Reliability was found to be acceptable for comparison on group level, but poor for individual comparisons over time.</p

Insecticidal and oviposition deterrent effects of essential oils and their constituents against the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is an important new invasive pest of stone and berry fruits in North America and current control methods require frequent application of synthetic pesticides. This has created a need for new and environmentally friendly biopesticides for the control of SWD. This paper investigated the potential of nine essential oils from avocado (Persea americana Mill.), neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss), kukui nut (Aleurites moluccana L.), macadamia nut (Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche), spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia Vill.), Grosso lavandin leaf and flower (Lavandula × intermedia cv 'Grosso'), and Provence lavandin leaf and flower (Lavandula × intermedia cv 'Provence') as well as three major monoterpene constituents of lavender essential oils: 1,8-cineole, 3-carene and linalool for their ability to control SWD through fumigation and contact toxicity assays as well as oviposition deterrent activity. Linalool was found to be the most effective monoterpene in fumigation assays (EC50 1.85 µL/L air) and spike lavender floral essential oil was found to be the most effective whole oil (EC50 3.79 µL oil/L air). In contact toxicity assays 1,8-cineole (EC50 0.67%) was the most effective monoterpene while avocado (EC50 0.54%) and spike lavender (EC50 0.69%) oils were the most effective whole oils. No significant oviposition deterrent activity was observed. This report indicates that L. latifolia essential oil and commercially available avocado oil are strong lead candidates for management of SWD. Furthermore the activity of L. latifolia essential oil is likely due to the high content of 1,8-cineole and linalool. This is the first report of significant insecticidal activity by these oils and compounds against SWD.Arts and Sciences, Irving K. Barber School of (Okanagan)Biology, Department of (Okanagan)ReviewedFacult

Cloning, functional characterization and genomic organization of 1,8-cineole synthases from Lavandula

Several members of the genus Lavandula produce valuable essential oils (EOs) that are primarily constituted of the low molecular weight isoprenoids, particularly monoterpenes. We isolated over 8,000 ESTs from the glandular trichomes of L. x intermedia flowers (where bulk of the EO is synthesized) to facilitate the discovery of genes that control the biosynthesis of EO constituents. The expression profile of these ESTs in L. x intermedia and its parents L. angustifolia and L. latifolia was established using microarrays. The resulting data highlighted a differentially expressed, previously uncharacterized cDNA with strong homology to known 1,8-cineole synthase (CINS) genes. The ORF, excluding the transit peptide, of this cDNA was expressed in E. coli, purified by Ni-NTA agarose affinity chromatography and functionally characterized in vitro. The ca. 63 kDa bacterially produced recombinant protein, designated L. x intermedia CINS (LiCINS), converted geranyl diphosphate (the linear monoterpene precursor) primarily to 1,8-cineole with K ( m ) and k ( cat ) values of 5.75 μM and 8.8 × 10-³ s-¹, respectively. The genomic DNA of CINS in the studied Lavandula species had identical exon-intron architecture and coding sequences, except for a single polymorphic nucleotide in the L. angustifolia ortholog which did not alter protein function. Additional nucleotide variations restricted to L. angustifolia introns were also observed, suggesting that LiCINS was most likely inherited from L. latifolia. The LiCINS mRNA levels paralleled the 1,8-cineole content in mature flowers of the three lavender species, and in developmental stages of L. x intermedia inflorescence indicating that the production of 1,8 cineole in Lavandula is most likely controlled through transcriptional regulation of LiCINS. [This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Plant Molecular Biology. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11103-012-9920-3]Arts and Sciences, Irving K. Barber School of (Okanagan)Biology, Department of (Okanagan)ReviewedFacult

Bioextractive Removal of Nitrogen by Oysters in Great Bay Piscataqua River Estuary, New Hampshire, USA

16 pages, 1 figure, 4 tables, supplementary material https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00661-8Eutrophication is a challenge to coastal waters around the globe. In many places, nutrient reductions from land-based sources have not been sufficient to achieve desired water quality improvements. Bivalve shellfish have shown promise as an in-water strategy to complement land-based nutrient management. A local-scale production model was used to estimate oyster (Crassostrea virginica) harvest and bioextraction of nitrogen (N) in Great Bay Piscataqua River Estuary (GBP), New Hampshire, USA, because a system-scale ecological model was not available. Farm-scale N removal results (0.072 metric tons acre year) were up-scaled to provide a system-wide removal estimate for current (0.61 metric tons year), and potential removal (2.35 metric tons year) at maximum possible expansion of licensed aquaculture areas. Restored reef N removal was included to provide a more complete picture. Nitrogen removal through reef sequestration was ~ 3 times that of aquaculture. Estimated reef-associated denitrification, based on previously reported rates, removed 0.19 metric tons N year. When all oyster processes (aquaculture and reefs) were included, N removal was 0.33% and 0.54% of incoming N for current and expanded acres, respectively. An avoided cost approach, with wastewater treatment as the alternative management measure, was used to estimate the value of the N removed. The maximum economic value for aquaculture-based removal was $105,000 and$405,000 for current and expanded oyster areas, respectively. Combined aquaculture and reef restoration is suggested to maximize N reduction capacity while limiting use conflicts. Comparison of removal based on per oyster N content suggests much lower removal rates than model results, but model harvest estimates are similar to reported harvest. Though results are specific to GBP, the approach is transferable to estuaries that support bivalve aquaculture but do not have complex system-scale hydrodynamic or ecological modelsThe authors would like to thank the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Ecosystem Services Research Program for supporting this project through EPA/NOAA Interagency Agreement DW-13-92331301 and NOAA/EPA Memorandum of Understanding MOA-2011-025/8258With the funding support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S), of the Spanish Research Agency (AEI

Simultaneous flux and current measurement from single plant protoplasts reveals a strong link between K(+) fluxes and current, but no link between Ca(2+) fluxes and current

We present a thorough calibration and verification of a combined non-invasive self-referencing microelectrode-based ion-flux measurement and whole-cell patch clamp system as a novel and powerful tool for the study of ion transport. The system is shown to be capable of revealing the movement of multiple ions across the plasma membrane of a single protoplast at multiple voltages and in complex physiologically relevant solutions. Wheat root protoplasts are patch clamped in the whole-cell configuration and current–voltage relations obtained whilst monitoring net K⁺ and Ca²⁺ flux adjacent to the membrane with ion-selective electrodes. At each voltage; net ion flux (nmol m⁻² sec⁻¹) is converted to an equivalent current density (mA m⁻²) taking into account geometry and electrode efficiency; and compared with the net current density measured with the patch clamp system. Using this technique; it is demonstrated that the K⁺-permeable outwardly rectifying conductance (KORC) is responsible for net outward K⁺ movement across the plasma membrane [1:1 flux-to-current ratio (1.21 ± 0.14 SEM; n = 15)]. Variation in the K⁺ flux-to-current ratio among single protoplasts suggests a heterogeneous distribution of KORC channels on the membrane surface. As a demonstration of the power of the technique we show that despite a significant Ca²⁺ permeability being associated with KORC (analysis of tail current reversal potentials); there is no correlation between Ca²⁺ flux and KORC activity. A very significant observation is that large Ca²⁺ fluxes are electrically silent and probably tightly coupled to compensatory charge movements. This analysis demonstrates that it is mandatory to measure flux and currents simultaneously to investigate properly Ca²⁺ transport mechanisms and selectivity of ion channels in general.Matthew Gilliham, Wendy Sullivan, Mark Tester, Stephen D. Tyerma

Erratum: The Carnegie Supernova Project I. Third Photometry Data Release of Low-redshift Type Ia Supernovae and Other White Dwarf Explosions (2017, AJ, 154, 211)

Errata del artículo mencionado.Este trabajo es una errata del artículo “The Carnegie Supernova Project. I. Third Photometry Data Release of Lowredshift Type Ia Supernovae and Other White Dwarf Explosions” (ver "Documentos relacionados").Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plat

Role of Shellfish Aquaculture in the Reduction of Eutrophication in an Urban Estuary

Land-based management has reduced nutrient discharges; however, many coastal waterbodies remain impaired. Oyster “bioextraction” of nutrients and how oyster aquaculture might complement existing management measures in urban estuaries was examined in Long Island Sound, Connecticut. Eutrophication status, nutrient removal, and ecosystem service values were estimated using eutrophication, circulation, local- and ecosystem-scale models, and an avoided-costs valuation. System-scale modeling estimated that 1.31% and 2.68% of incoming nutrients could be removed by current and expanded production, respectively. Up-scaled local-scale results were similar to system-scale results, suggesting that this up-scaling method could be useful in bodies of water without circulation models. The value of removed nitrogen was estimated using alternative management costs (e.g., wastewater treatment) as representative, showing ecosystem service values of $8.5 and$470 million per year for current and maximum expanded production, respectively. These estimates are conservative; removal by clams in Connecticut, oysters and clams in New York, and denitrification are not included. Optimistically, the calculation of oyster-associated removal from all leases in both states (5% of bottom area) plus denitrification losses showed increases to 10%–30% of annual inputs, which would be higher if clams were included. Results are specific to Long Island Sound, but the approach is transferable to other urban estuaries