Insect bioactive capabilities of Epichloë festucae var lolii AR48 infected Lolium perenne : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

Figures printed with permission from respective publishers.As the modern world expands and develops, new innovative methodologies for more efficient and environmentally friendly agricultural practices are required. Loss of crops through abiotic (e.g. drought) and biotic (e.g. herbivory) stresses has a major effect on the success of an agricultural industry. For animal production pasture crops are a key aspect of animal husbandry and directly affects yield and health. Symbiotic fungi belonging to the genus Epichloë form associations with cool season forage grasses and have been exploited as a new innovative method for insect pest management. Ryegrass infected with the asexual E. festucae var lolii strain AR48 has insect bioactivity against both the stem boring fly (SBF-Ceradontha australis) and cutworm moth caterpillar (CC -Agrotis ipsilion). The bioactive/s targeting both insects is currently unknown. The aim of this thesis was to identify the gene/s and/or bioactive/s present in AR48 infected ryegrass that have bioactivity against the SBF and/or CC. Two approaches were taken; the known insect bioactive secondary metabolite pathways in Epichloë were investigated in AR48 through bioinformatics and mass spectrometry, and the gene ‘makes caterpillars floppy’ (mcf), encoding an insect toxin like protein, was investigated through reverse genetics and insect bioactivity trials. A new indole diterpene compound (IDT) was identified in AR48 infected plant material and this compound was absent in other Epichloë strains that do not have SBF and CC bioactivity. The same mcf gene allele as that present in the E. typhina mcf model, previously identified as having CC bioactivity, is present and predicted to be functional in AR48. The other Epichloë strains also have mcf genes predicted to be functional, however the mcf allele is different to the bioactive E. typhina mcf model. Overall, this project was able to identify a new IDT compound with potential insect bioactivity as well as identify two Epichloë mcf gene alleles that potentially have differing insect bioactivities

A Cluster Randomised Trial Evaluation of the Media Initiative for Children: Respecting Difference Programme

Evaluates trial outcomes of a preschool program designed to raise awareness of diversity issues, increase empathy, and promote inclusive behaviors among children, early childhood practitioners, and parents. Considers implications for further development

The Introduction and Operation of the New Poor Law in Suffolk 1834-70

This thesis examines the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 into Suffolk between the years 1834-71. It looks at the poor law system as it was immediately prior to this time and the increasing difficulties it faced in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It also examines contemporary ideas on population growth, such as those popularised by Malthus, as well as those of Utilitarians and Noetics, all coalescing to bring about the change of 1834. It compares the situation in Suffolk with that in the rest of the country, looking specifically at the Houses of Industry and their adaptability to the new system and the particular impetus given by Dr. James Kay as Assistant Poor Law Commissioner in the county of Suffolk to achieving their conversion to Union workhouses. It examines the power structures surrounding the New Poor Law, particularly the relationship between the local Boards of Guardians and the central Poor Law Commission (and later Board.) It also looks at the power structures within the workhouse. In the early days of the workhouse, relations proved particularly volatile, as few real structures of policy had been included in either the Poor Law Commission’s report or the eventual act. The work goes on to examine how such issues as discipline, medical treatment and education therefore actually worked out in practice

Bridging Play and Social Interaction in Young Children with Language Delays

Children tend to develop skills in specific trajectories that have been heavily researched and theorized. However, some children exhibit delays in their development which then might have effects on other skills and areas of development. This paper will outline the typical developmental stages that children go through in terms of their physical, cognitive, social-emotional, language and play development. It will also detail a child’s development of play skills and how other areas of development, with special focus on social-emotional and language development, contribute to acquisition of play skills and, alternatively, how play development often contributes to progression of development in other areas. The paper will then describe interventions, and specific techniques derived from these interventions, that are used in working with groups of children with language delays where the main goal is to facilitate social interaction and play between children. Finally, implications of the research on child development, developmental delays, and the importance of play for this population will be addressed, ending with the argument that child-directed free play should not be disregarded and instead should be reintegrated back into schools

Clinical Practice Guideline for Venous Thromboembolism

Background: The morbidity associated with venous thromboembolism often goes unrecognized. Identifying patient populations at risk for venous thromboembolism and implementing evidence-based guidelines can decrease the number of untoward effects of this disease. Clinical pathway guidelines are valuable tools needed by nurses in the prevention and treatment of disorders for patients. Education of the guideline can increase knowledge and understanding of what prevention, interventions, and treatment are available for the orthopaedic patient and how to apply this knowledge to everyday patient care.;Objective: To educate orthopaedic nurses on the clinical practice guidelines of thromboembolism.;Method: Incorporate the education of thromboembolism in an orthopaedic class intended for registered nurses studying for the national orthopaedic exam.;Population: Twenty-three registered nurses from the Mid-Ohio Valley employed at Selby General Hospital.;Expected Outcome: To calculate a statistically difference in the scores of a pre test and a post test given to the nurses enrolled in the class on the prevention and treatment of thromboembolism

A patient expectation and satisfaction survey with regards to exercise prescription from their osteopathic manual practitioner

Background: Patient satisfaction is virtually synonymous with health status. There exists little empirical data which examine osteopathic patient expectation and satisfaction with respects to self-care and home exercise interventions. Objective: To examine patient expectation and satisfaction in Ontario with regards to receiving exercise prescription from their Osteopathic Manual Practitioner (OMP) for management and prevention of their chief complaint. Design: A cross-sectional patient expectation and satisfaction survey. Methods: 75 surveys were delivered to 10 osteopathic clinics in the Greater Toronto Area. 45 of those surveys were completed and returned. Microsoft Excel 2010 was used to analyze the descriptive data and GraphPad Prism 6 was used for inferential analysis. Content analysis was used for all free text responses. Results: A high majority of osteopathic patients are satisfied with their treatments (97.8%). The Fisher’s Exact test revealed no significant difference in satisfaction between patients who expected exercise and received it and those who expected exercise but did not receive it (p= 0.14). A significant minority (43.2%) would like to be provided with more home care exercise advice. Other areas of improvement are: follow-up, referral base,take- home tools, and in-office exercise equipment. Conclusions: This study examined patient expectation and satisfaction in Ontario with regards to receiving exercise prescription from their OMP. The results showed that, overall, patients are satisfied with their osteopathic treatments. Patients expected exercise advice from their OMP, and generally, received it. As satisfaction and health outcome are synergistic however, there are several areas in need of improvement.

Implementation Barriers of the PHQ-9 in Primary Care: A Quality Improvement Project

Purpose: The purpose of this research translation project was to mitigate the consequences of under-recognition, and under-treatment of depression through use of an evidence-based depression-screening tool, the PHQ-9, in a primary care setting. Methods: A plan-do-study-act model was utilized for the implementation of this initiative. An informal educational intervention about administration and interpretation of the PHQ-9 first took place at the provider level in a primary care practice. Next, a pre and post-test study design (n=12) was administered to providers, nursing, and ancillary staff. A report was shared at monthly quality meetings with representatives from each practice in the health system. Finally, a system-wide initiative for administration of the PHQ-9 was adopted. A matched pairs t-test was used to analyze the practice-wide educational initiative. Administration of the PHQ-9 was tracked system-wide at quarterly intervals. Results: The change in depression screening between quarters 1 and 4 was 42.5%. The healthcare system achieved 60% of their target goal in one year. The total knowledge rating of the pre test showed a mean score of 10.8 and post intervention 13.8. The matched pairs t-test revealed the post test knowledge scores (t(11) = -6.8, p \u3c.001). Conclusions: The large volume of individuals seen in the primary care setting affords a rich opportunity for identifying depression. Current evaluation suggests that the validated PHQ-9 depression-screening tool was effective in the current primary care setting, allowing for purposeful interventions to improve patient outcomes

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationTo investigate controlled processes, cognitive psychologists often rely on oppositional logic, pitting automatic and controlled processes against one another, measuring speed and accuracy of responding to incongruent stimuli (e.g., RED printed in green ink). These investigations have been critical to understanding cognitive control, but present a limited and mostly pejorative view of automatic processes. Through the studies in this dissertation, we explored a larger and more beneficial role for automatic processes. In the two preliminary experiments, we administered a high-congruency Simon task, with either a warning to encourage control or no warning where automatic and controlled processing were emphasized equally. The results suggested that high spans can exert or withhold control to a greater degree than low spans, based on simple changes to task instructions. The dissertation experiments replicated and extended these findings. The first two experiments were a speed-blocked variation of the Simon task, again with warning or no warning instructions as the only difference between experiments. Next, to see if these Simon task findings generalized, we administered the stop-signal paradigm as a multitasking extension of oppositional logic tasks and again found evidence of those higher in cognitive control having greater flexibility between automatic and controlled aspects of the task. Combined, the experiments suggest those with high levels of control are more flexible in their allocation of cognitive control and automaticity than low spans who rigidly apply both types of processing. High spans' flexibility is discussed as greater tolerance of automatic processing brought about by stronger inhibitory control