Laboratory leaching tests to study the effects of post-treatment storage periods on CCA leachability and fixation in treated permeable and refractory Malaysian hardwoods

37th Annual Meeting of theInt'l Research Group on wood Protection, 18022 June 2006, Tromso, Norway

Genomic characterization of Gli-activator targets in sonic hedgehog-mediated neural patterning

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) acts as a morphogen to mediate the specification of distinct cell identities in the ventral neural tube through a Gli-mediated (Gli1-3) transcriptional network. Identifying Gli targets in a systematic fashion is central to the understanding of the action of Shh. We examined this issue in differentiating neural progenitors in mouse. An epitope-tagged Gli-activator protein was used to directly isolate cis-regulatory sequences by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). ChIP products were then used to screen custom genomic tiling arrays of putative Hedgehog (Hh) targets predicted from transcriptional profiling studies, surveying 50-150 kb of non-transcribed sequence for each candidate. In addition to identifying expected Gli-target sites, the data predicted a number of unreported direct targets of Shh action. Transgenic analysis of binding regions in Nkx2.2, Nkx2.1 (Titf1) and Rab34 established these as direct Hh targets. These data also facilitated the generation of an algorithm that improved in silico predictions of Hh target genes. Together, these approaches provide significant new insights into both tissue-specific and general transcriptional targets in a crucial Shh-mediated patterning process

KERUING and APITONG: A Timely Review of the Perfect ChoiceWood Species for Crossarms and Brace Arms, including Data on Copper Naphthenate Treatments

Apitong or the wood species more commonly known as Keruing is an important tropical hardwood known for its high strength to weight ratio and its reasonable durability and preservative treatability. This wood has been exported from managed permanent forest estates in Malaysia into the United States for over 4 decades for its widespread use in wooden utility industry brace arms and crossarms, yet currently it is not listed as an approved species by either ANSI or ASTM. Because it has not had any significant failures in its use patterns now for almost four decades, members of the AWPA Utility Users Task Group have asked for a comprehensive and Critical review of the species and its durability or treatability properties, since they have been using it and specifying it in their systems under product acception for years. This paper is meant to be a comprehensive review of both public domain data and privately sponsored studies to yield additional product information, for those using, specifying and treating this tropical, sustainable species from Malaysia

Susceptibility of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat retinal function and ocular blood flow to acute intraocular pressure challenge.

PURPOSE. To consider the hypothesis that streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperglycemia renders rat retinal function and ocular blood flow more susceptible to acute IOP challenge. METHODS. Retinal function (electroretinogram [ERG]) was measured during acute IOP challenge (10-100 mm Hg, increments of 5 mm Hg, 3 minutes per step, vitreal cannulation) in adult Long-Evans rats (6 weeks old; citrate: n ¼ 6, STZ: n ¼ 10) 4 weeks after citrate buffer or STZ (65 mg/kg, blood glucose >15 mM) injection. At each IOP, dim and bright flash (À4.56, À1.72 log cd.s.m À2 ) ERG responses were recorded to measure inner retinal and ON-bipolar cell function, respectively. Ocular blood flow (laser Doppler flowmetry; citrate: n ¼ 6, STZ: n ¼ 10) was also measured during acute IOP challenge. Retinas were isolated for quantitative PCR analysis of nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression (endothelial, eNos; inducible, iNos; neuronal, nNos). CONCLUSIONS. STZ-induced diabetes increased functional susceptibility during acute IOP challenge. This functional vulnerability is associated with a reduced capacity for diabetic eyes to upregulate eNos expression and to autoregulate blood flow in response to stress. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. RESULTS. STZ-induced diabetes increase

Protectors of Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Key Roles for Gratitude and Tragic Optimism in a UK-Based Cohort

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a global threat to physical and mental health worldwide. Research has highlighted adverse impacts of COVID-19 on wellbeing but has yet to offer insights as to how wellbeing may be protected. Inspired by developments in wellbeing science and guided by our own theoretical framework (the GENIAL model), we examined the role of various potentially protective factors in a sample of 138 participants from the United Kingdom. Protective factors included physical activity (i.e., a health behaviour that helps to build psychological wellbeing), tragic optimism (optimism in the face of tragedy), gratitude (a prosocial emotion), social support (the perception or experience of being loved, cared for, and valued by others), and nature connectedness (physical and psychological connection to nature). Initial analysis involved the application of one-sample t-tests, which confirmed that wellbeing (measured by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being scale) in the current sample (N = 138; M = 46.08, SD = 9.22) was significantly lower compared to previous samples (d = −0.36 and d = −0.41). Protective factors were observed to account for up to 50% of variance in wellbeing in a hierarchical linear regression that controlled for a range of sociostructural factors including age, gender, and subjective social status, which impact on wellbeing but lie beyond individual control. Gratitude and tragic optimism emerged as significant contributors to the model. Our results identify key psychological attributes that may be harnessed through various positive psychology strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts of hardship and suffering, consistent with an existential positive psychology of suffering

Participant- and disease-related factors as independent predictors of treatment outcomes in the RESTORE-IMI 2 clinical trial: A multivariable regression analysis

BACKGROUND: In the RESTORE-IMI 2 trial, imipenem/cilastatin/relebactam (IMI/REL) was noninferior to piperacillin/tazobactam in treating hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia. This post hoc analysis was conducted to determine independent predictors of efficacy outcomes in the RESTORE-IMI 2 trial, to assist in treatment decision making. METHODS: A stepwise multivariable regression analysis was conducted to identify variables that were independently associated with day 28 all-cause mortality (ACM), favorable clinical response at early follow-up (EFU), and favorable microbiologic response at end of treatment (EOT). The analysis accounted for the number of baseline infecting pathogens and in vitro susceptibility to randomized treatment. RESULTS: Vasopressor use, renal impairment, bacteremia at baseline, and Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores ≥15 were associated with a greater risk of day 28 ACM. A favorable clinical response at EFU was associated with normal renal function, an APACHE II score \u3c15, no vasopressor use, and no bacteremia at baseline. At EOT, a favorable microbiologic response was associated with IMI/REL treatment, normal renal function, no vasopressor use, nonventilated pneumonia at baseline, intensive care unit admission at randomization, monomicrobial infections at baseline, and absence of CONCLUSIONS: This analysis, which accounted for baseline pathogen susceptibility, validated well-recognized patient- and disease-related factors as independent predictors of clinical outcomes. These results lend further support to the noninferiority of IMI/REL to piperacillin/tazobactam and suggests that pathogen eradication may be more likely with IMI/REL. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02493764

Above ground Microbial Decay Test of Biocide Treated and Untreated Wood Exposed to Danish and Humid Tropical Climates

A co-operative study was initiated to compare the aboveground field decay test of untreated and preservative-treated timbers under Nordic (Danish) and a representative humid tropical (Malaysian) environment according to CEN standard method. Matched specimens of untreated and both preservative-impregnated and surface-treated wood were simultaneously exposed at The Danish Technological Institute (DTI) and The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) campuses. The aim was to demonstrate conclusively that accelerated decay of untreated wood in field tests according to CEN methods prevailed under such tropical environments. It could be of considerable use to the Scandinavian and European manufacturers of wood protecting biocides intending to challenge treated test specimens to this tropical condition. Of significance, by the ENV12037 lap-joint method, pine sapwood lap-joints were deteriorated to rating 3 (adopting a 5-point decay/stain rating scale) within 1.5 years at FRIM, while corresponding specimens exposed at DTI showed no signs of deterioration (rating 0). After 37 months (3 years), spruce was starting to decay at FRIM (rating 2) but not at DTI. Specimens vacuum pressure treated according to the Nordic Hazard Class of NTR Class AB were not deteriorated after 3 years’ exposure at either DTI or FRIM. Painted specimens exposed at DTI already showed signs of peeling after 6 months, while initial peelings of the matched coated specimens exposed at FRIM were observed only after 1.5 years. The uniform tropical climate with a constant high relative humidity did not affect the adhesion of the coatings to the wood in the same way as the Danish climate. Indeed, there is a strong indication that the rate of fungal degradation (preferably soft rot decay and basidiomycete attack) is appreciably increased in Malaysian (humid tropical) compared to Danish (Nordic temperate) environments