The arctic circle boundary and the Airy process

We prove that the, appropriately rescaled, boundary of the north polar region in the Aztec diamond converges to the Airy process. The proof uses certain determinantal point processes given by the extended Krawtchouk kernel. We also prove a version of Propp's conjecture concerning the structure of the tiling at the center of the Aztec diamond.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009117904000000937 in the Annals of Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aop/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Improving techniques for the WaxTag® possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) monitoring index

To manage brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) accurate estimates of abundance are essential. Direct counts are not feasible for large populations and index techniques are normally employed. A new index technique for estimating possum abundance is the WaxTag®. They are potentially more effective than traps because they are small, easier to use, very lightweight and, therefore, higher numbers can be set out in the field. Whilst a national monitoring protocol for WaxTag®s has been developed, it is important to determine whether improvements can be made. This study investigated firstly whether luminescent-coloured WaxTag®s were more attractive than the WaxTag® with a ‘flour blaze’ and, secondly, whether raising the WaxTag®s 700 mm above the ground reduced detectability. Possums significantly preferred the flour blaze over luminescence and raising WaxTag®s did not significantly reduce detectability. Accordingly, WaxTag®s could be raised up above ground-dwelling non-target species without reducing statistical precision

Re-Inventing Public Education:The New Role of Knowledge in Education Policy-Making

This article focuses on the changing role of knowledge in education policy making within the knowledge society. Through an examination of key policy texts, the Scottish case of Integrated Children Services provision is used to exemplify this new trend. We discuss the ways in which knowledge is being used in order to re-configure education as part of a range of public services designed to meet individuals' needs. This, we argue, has led to a 'scientization' of education governance where it is only knowledge, closely intertwined with action (expressed as 'measures') that can reveal problems and shape solutions. The article concludes by highlighting the key role of knowledge policy and governance in orienting education policy making through a re-invention of the public role of education

RsmA, RsmC and FlhDC regulate sdhEygfX in Serratia

SdhE is required for the flavinylation and activation of succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate reductase (FRD). In addition, SdhE is conserved in proteobacteria (α, β and γ) and eukaryotes. Although the function of this recently characterized family of proteins has been determined, almost nothing is known about how their genes are regulated. Here, the RsmA (CsrA) and RsmC (HexY) post-transcriptional and post-translational regulators have been identified and shown to repress sdhEygfX expression in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006. Conversely, the flagella master regulator complex, FlhDC, activated sdhEygfX transcription. To investigate the hierarchy of control, we developed a novel approach that utilized endogenous CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR associated) genome-editing by a type I-F system to generate a chromosomal point mutation in flhC. Mutation of flhC alleviated the ability of RsmC to repress sdhEygfX expression, whereas RsmA acted in both an FlhDC-dependent and -independent manner to inhibit sdhEygfX. Mutation of rsmA or rsmC, or overexpression of FlhDC, led to increased prodigiosin, biosurfactant, swimming and swarming. Consistent with the modulation of sdhE by motility regulators, we have demonstrated that SdhE and FRD are required for maximal flagella-dependent swimming. Together, these results demonstrate that regulators of both metabolism and motility (RsmA, RsmC and FlhDC) control the transcription of the sdhEygfX operon.This work was supported by the Marsden Fund, Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) to PCF and a Strategic Grant from the Otago School of Medical Sciences (OSMS) to MB. HGH was supported by a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship, MBM by a Division of Health Sciences Career Development Post-doctoral Fellowship, BN by a Dean's Prestigious Summer Scholarship from the OSMS and PCF was supported by a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship (RSNZ). NRW and GPCS were supported by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), UK awards to the GPCS laboratory. We thank members of the Fineran and Cook laboratories for helpful discussions, Tim Blower for plasmid pTRB32 and for critically reading the manuscript.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the Microbiology Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.00028

Resistance is futile: RNA-sequencing reveals differing responses to bat fungal pathogen in Nearctic Myotis lucifugus and Palearctic Myotis myotis

Resistance and tolerance allow organisms to cope with potentially life-threatening pathogens. Recently introduced pathogens initially induce resistance responses, but natural selection favors the development of tolerance, allowing for a commensal relationship to evolve. Mycosis by Pseudogymnoascus destructans, causing white-nose syndrome (WNS) in Nearctic hibernating bats, has resulted in population declines since 2006. The pathogen, which spread from Europe, has infected species of Palearctic Myotis for a longer period. We compared ecologically relevant responses to the fungal infection in the susceptible Nearctic M. lucifugus and less susceptible Palearctic M. myotis, to uncover factors contributing to survival differences in the two species. Samples were collected from euthermic bats during arousal from hibernation, a naturally occurring phenomenon, during which transcriptional responses are activated. We compared the whole-transcriptome responses in wild bats infected with P. destructans hibernating in their natural habitat. Our results show dramatically different local transcriptional responses to the pathogen between uninfected and infected samples from the two species. Whereas we found 1526 significantly upregulated or downregulated transcripts in infected M. lucifugus, only one transcript was downregulated in M. myotis. The upregulated response pathways in M. lucifugus include immune cell activation and migration, and inflammatory pathways, indicative of an unsuccessful attempt to resist the infection. In contrast, M. myotis appears to tolerate P. destructans infection by not activating a transcriptional response. These host-microbe interactions determine pathology, contributing to WNS susceptibility, or commensalism, promoting tolerance to fungal colonization during hibernation that favors survival.Peer reviewe

Factors associated with self-care activities among adults in the United Kingdom: a systematic review

Background: The Government has promoted self-care. Our aim was to review evidence about who uses self-tests and other self-care activities (over-the-counter medicine, private sector,complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), home blood pressure monitors). Methods: During April 2007, relevant bibliographic databases (Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, PsycINFO,British Nursing Index, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Sociological Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Arthritis and Complementary Medicine Database, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Pain Database) were searched, and potentially relevant studies were reviewed against eligibility criteria. Studies were included if they were published during the last 15 years and identified factors, reasons or characteristics associated with a relevant activity among UK adults. Two independent reviewers used proformas to assess the quality of eligible studies. Results: 206 potentially relevant papers were identified, 157 were excluded, and 49 papers related to 46 studies were included: 37 studies were, or used data from questionnaire surveys, 36 had quality scores of five or more out of 10, and 27 were about CAM. Available evidence suggests that users of CAM and over-the-counter medicine are female, middle-aged, affluent and/or educated with some measure of poor health, and that people who use the private sector are affluent and/or educated. Conclusion: People who engage in these activities are likely to be affluent. Targeted promotion may, therefore, be needed to ensure that use is equitable. People who use some activities also appear to have poorer measures of health than non-users or people attending conventional services. It is, therefore, also important to ensure that self-care is not used as a second choice for people who have not had their needs met by conventional service