Improvement of Pheromone Trapping in Low Density Populations of \u3ci\u3eChoristoneura Pinus Pinus\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Pheromone baited bucket traps (e.g., Multipher) are popular as a monitoring tool for the jack pine budworm, Choristoneura pinus pinus Freeman (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in Canada. However, there is no evidence to support their use when budworm populations are low. We therefore evaluated the capture rate of bucket traps at two placement heights (2 vs 6 m) in two jack pine forests in 2011, having low (≤5 fifth instars per mfoliated branch length) budworm populations. Compared to wing traps (e.g., Pherocon 1C), the trap design used initially to evaluate efficacy of the C. pinus pheromone, bucket traps caught fewer C. pinus and capture rates of both trap designs did not differ significantly between the two heights tested. Loss of bucket traps at 2 m, due to black bears, suggested that higher placement of traps was warranted to maintain the integrity of the array. However, wing traps are recommended due to their ability to consistently catch more moths when C. pinus populations are low

Calcium Oxalate Crystallization in Urine of Healthy Men and Women: A Comparative Study

This study aimed to compare calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystallization in undiluted urine from healthy men and women with the object of clarifying the difference in stone incidence between the two sexes. Twenty-four hour urine specimens were collected from 37 men and 28 women. Urinary pH, and concentrations of Ca, oxalate and urate were measured, and indices of crystallization determined by Coulter Counter particle analysis following induction of CaOx crystallization by addition of oxalate. The amount of oxalate required to induce crystallization was significantly (p \u3c 0.01) higher in females than in males, as was the overall particle volume deposited after 90 minutes incubation (p \u3c 0 .006). Scanning electron microscopy revealed larger individual crystals in female urine, and a greater degree of crystal aggregation in male urine, although the average overall size of the precipitated crystal particles did not differ between the two sexes. There were no significant differences between men and women with regard to median pH, or Ca and oxalate concentrations, but the median urate concentrations were slightly, but significantly, higher (p \u3c 0.05) in the women\u27s urines than in the men\u27s. It was concluded that the greater risk of CaOx stones in men is related to an increased propensity to nucleate CaOx crystals per se, rather than to a tendency to form larger crystalline particles

Maintained physical activity and physiotherapy in the management of distal upper limb pain – a protocol for a randomised controlled trial (the arm pain trial)

<b>Background</b><p></p> Distal upper limb pain (pain affecting the elbow, forearm, wrist, or hand) can be non-specific, or can arise from specific musculoskeletal disorders. It is clinically important and costly, the best approach to clinical management is unclear. Physiotherapy is the standard treatment and, while awaiting treatment, advice is often given to rest and avoid strenuous activities, but there is no evidence base to support these strategies. This paper describes the protocol of a randomised controlled trial to determine, among patients awaiting physiotherapy for distal arm pain, (a) whether advice to remain active and maintain usual activities results in a long-term reduction in arm pain and disability, compared with advice to rest; and (b) whether immediate physiotherapy results in a long-term reduction in arm pain and disability, compared with physiotherapy delivered after a seven week waiting list period.<p></p> <b>Methods/Design</b><p></p> Between January 2012 and January 2014, new referrals to 14 out-patient physiotherapy departments were screened for potential eligibility. Eligible and consenting patients were randomly allocated to one of the following three groups in equal numbers: 1) advice to remain active, 2) advice to rest, 3) immediate physiotherapy. Patients were and followed up at 6, 13, and 26 weeks post-randomisation by self-complete postal questionnaire and, at six weeks, patients who had not received physiotherapy were offered it at this time. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients free of disability at 26 weeks, as determined by the modified DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) questionnaire.<p></p> We hypothesise (a) that advice to maintain usual activities while awaiting physiotherapy will be superior than advice to rest the arm; and (b) that fast-track physiotherapy will be superior to normal (waiting list) physiotherapy. These hypotheses will be examined using an intention-to-treat analysis.<p></p> <b>Discussion</b><p></p> Results from this trial will contribute to the evidence base underpinning the clinical management of patients with distal upper limb pain, and in particular, will provide guidance on whether they should be advised to rest the arm or remain active within the limits imposed by their symptoms

Learning from Ninjas: young people’s films as a lens for an expanded view of literacy and language

This article examines young people’s films to provide insights about language and literacy practices. It offers a heuristic for thinking about how to approach data that is collectively produced. It tries to make sense of new ways of knowing that locate the research in the field rather than in the academic domain. The authors develop a lens for looking at films made by young people that acknowledge multiple modes and materiality within their meaning-making practices. We make an argument about the cultural politics of research, to consider how the language and literacy practices of young people are positioned. We argue for more consideration of how language and literacy appear entangled within objects and other stuff within young people’s media productions, so as to trouble disciplinary boundaries within and beyond literacy and language studies

Dual Targeting of PDGFRα and FGFR1 Displays Synergistic Efficacy in Malignant Rhabdoid Tumors

© 2016 The Author(s) Subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex are mutated in a significant proportion of human cancers. Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRTs) are lethal pediatric cancers characterized by a deficiency in the SWI/SNF subunit SMARCB1. Here, we employ an integrated molecular profiling and chemical biology approach to demonstrate that the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) PDGFRα and FGFR1 are coactivated in MRT cells and that dual blockade of these receptors has synergistic efficacy. Inhibitor combinations targeting both receptors and the dual inhibitor ponatinib suppress the AKT and ERK1/2 pathways leading to apoptosis. MRT cells that have acquired resistance to the PDGFRα inhibitor pazopanib are susceptible to FGFR inhibitors. We show that PDGFRα levels are regulated by SMARCB1 expression, and assessment of clinical specimens documents the expression of both PDGFRα and FGFR1 in rhabdoid tumor patients. Our findings support a therapeutic approach in cancers with SWI/SNF deficiencies by exploiting RTK coactivation dependencies

Working Title Films and Universal : The Integration of a British Production Company into a Hollywood Studio

Working Title Films is arguably the most successful and well-known production company in Britain today. For over 30 years, it has produced a diverse range of critically and commercially successful British films including romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), family films like Bean (1997) and Nanny McPhee (2005) and dramas including Atonement (2007) and The Theory of Everything (2014). For the majority of its history, however, Working Title has been defined in business terms by its status as a subsidiary of one of two multinational media conglomerates, PolyGram (1992–8) and Universal (1998–present). The transition between the two began when PolyGram, and its film studio, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (PFE), was sold to Seagram, the parent company of Universal. This article examines Working Title’s integration into Universal and the evolving media ecology which shaped the processes of development, green-lighting, production, marketing and distribution at play within and between both companies between 1998 and 2006. In these respects, Working Title’s transition between parent companies is a narrative of both continuity and change. Significantly, three key stages of gatekeeping remained common to both the PFE and Universal eras: development, green-lighting and distribution. The institutional perimeters within which these points of decision-making occurred, however, changed considerably. The article concludes by considering the impact of such structures and processes on the films which Working Title produced, particularly their various representations of Britain and ‘Britishness’

Analyzing musculoskeletal neck pain, measured as present pain and periods of pain, with three different regression models: a cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the literature there are discussions on the choice of outcome and the need for more longitudinal studies of musculoskeletal disorders. The general aim of this longitudinal study was to analyze musculoskeletal neck pain, in a group of young adults. Specific aims were to determine whether psychosocial factors, computer use, high work/study demands, and lifestyle are long-term or short-term factors for musculoskeletal neck pain, and whether these factors are important for developing or ongoing musculoskeletal neck pain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three regression models were used to analyze the different outcomes. Pain at present was analyzed with a marginal logistic model, for number of years with pain a Poisson regression model was used and for developing and ongoing pain a logistic model was used. Presented results are odds ratios and proportion ratios (logistic models) and rate ratios (Poisson model). The material consisted of web-based questionnaires answered by 1204 Swedish university students from a prospective cohort recruited in 2002.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Perceived stress was a risk factor for pain at present (PR = 1.6), for developing pain (PR = 1.7) and for number of years with pain (RR = 1.3). High work/study demands was associated with pain at present (PR = 1.6); and with number of years with pain when the demands negatively affect home life (RR = 1.3). Computer use pattern (number of times/week with a computer session ≥ 4 h, without break) was a risk factor for developing pain (PR = 1.7), but also associated with pain at present (PR = 1.4) and number of years with pain (RR = 1.2). Among life style factors smoking (PR = 1.8) was found to be associated to pain at present. The difference between men and women in prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was confirmed in this study. It was smallest for the outcome ongoing pain (PR = 1.4) compared to pain at present (PR = 2.4) and developing pain (PR = 2.5).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>By using different regression models different aspects of neck pain pattern could be addressed and the risk factors impact on pain pattern was identified. Short-term risk factors were perceived stress, high work/study demands and computer use pattern (break pattern). Those were also long-term risk factors. For developing pain perceived stress and computer use pattern were risk factors.</p

Monitoring Functional Capability of Individuals with Lower Limb Amputations Using Mobile Phones

To be effective, a prescribed prosthetic device must match the functional requirements and capabilities of each patient. These capabilities are usually assessed by a clinician and reported by the Medicare K-level designation of mobility. However, it is not clear how the K-level designation objectively relates to the use of prostheses outside of a clinical environment. Here, we quantify participant activity using mobile phones and relate activity measured during real world activity to the assigned K-levels. We observe a correlation between K-level and the proportion of moderate to high activity over the course of a week. This relationship suggests that accelerometry-based technologies such as mobile phones can be used to evaluate real world activity for mobility assessment. Quantifying everyday activity promises to improve assessment of real world prosthesis use, leading to a better matching of prostheses to individuals and enabling better evaluations of future prosthetic devices.Max Nader Center for Rehabilitation Technologies and Outcome

Evolutionary distinctiveness of fatty acid and polyketide synthesis in eukaryotes

© 2016 International Society for Microbial Ecology All rights reserved. Fatty acids, which are essential cell membrane constituents and fuel storage molecules, are thought to share a common evolutionary origin with polyketide toxins in eukaryotes. While fatty acids are primary metabolic products, polyketide toxins are secondary metabolites that are involved in ecologically relevant processes, such as chemical defence, and produce the adverse effects of harmful algal blooms. Selection pressures on such compounds may be different, resulting in differing evolutionary histories. Surprisingly, some studies of dinoflagellates have suggested that the same enzymes may catalyse these processes. Here we show the presence and evolutionary distinctiveness of genes encoding six key enzymes essential for fatty acid production in 13 eukaryotic lineages for which no previous sequence data were available (alveolates: dinoflagellates, Vitrella, Chromera; stramenopiles: bolidophytes, chrysophytes, pelagophytes, raphidophytes, dictyochophytes, pinguiophytes, xanthophytes; Rhizaria: chlorarachniophytes, haplosporida; euglenids) and 8 other lineages (apicomplexans, bacillariophytes, synurophytes, cryptophytes, haptophytes, chlorophyceans, prasinophytes, trebouxiophytes). The phylogeny of fatty acid synthase genes reflects the evolutionary history of the organism, indicating selection to maintain conserved functionality. In contrast, polyketide synthase gene families are highly expanded in dinoflagellates and haptophytes, suggesting relaxed constraints in their evolutionary history, while completely absent from some protist lineages. This demonstrates a vast potential for the production of bioactive polyketide compounds in some lineages of microbial eukaryotes, indicating that the evolution of these compounds may have played an important role in their ecological success

Seismicity along the Pacific-North American plate boundary in California and western Nevada, 1980-81

Beginning in 1980, the number and distribution of telemetered, high-gain seismic stations operated in California and western Nevada provided the capability for locating earthquakes of M ≥ 2.0 occurring throughout the broadly-deforming Pacific-North American plate boundary from the Salton Trough to the Mendocino triple junction and as far inland as the western Great Basin. Four networks combine to provide this capability: (1) the 300-station Central California Network operated by the U.S. Geological Survey from Menlo Park, CA; (2) the 200-station Southern California Network operated jointly by the California Institute of Technology (CIT) and the U. S. Geological Survey from Pasadena, CA; (3) the 40-station Western Nevada-Eastern California Network operated by the University of Nevada from Reno, NV; and (4) the 55-station Southern Nevada Network operated by the U.S. Geological Survey from Golden, CO. The distribution of earthquake hypocenters located by this combination of networks for 1980 and 1981 brings into focus detailed seismicity patterns within the broad bands of earthquake activity that have persisted for SO years or more based on locations of M ≥ 3 earthquakes from the regional networks operated by CIT and the University of California, Berkeley, since the early 1930's. The precise focal parameters of M ≥ 2.0 earthquakes afforded by these four telemetered networks provide critical constraints on the kinematics of seismogenic deformation of the western margin of the North American plate adjacent to the San Andreas transform-fault system