Scaling up from greenhouse resistance to fitness in the field for a host of an emerging forest disease.

Forest systems are increasingly threatened by emergent, exotic diseases, yet management strategies for forest trees may be hindered by long generation times and scant background knowledge. We tested whether nursery disease resistance and growth traits have predictive value for the conservation of Notholithocarpus densiflorus, the host most susceptible to sudden oak death. We established three experimental populations to assess nursery growth and resistance to Phytophthora ramorum, and correlations between nursery-derived breeding values with seedling survival in a field disease trial. Estimates of nursery traits' heritability were low to moderate, with lowest estimates for resistance traits. Within the field trial, survival likelihood was increased in larger seedlings and decreased with the development of disease symptoms. The seed-parent family wide likelihood of survival was likewise correlated with family predictors for size and resistance to disease in 2nd year laboratory assays, though not resistance in 1st year leaf assays. We identified traits and seedling families with increased survivorship in planted tanoaks, and a framework to further identify seed parents favored for restoration. The additive genetic variation and seedling disease dynamics we describe hold promise to refine current disease models and expand the understanding of evolutionary dynamics of emergent infectious diseases in highly susceptible hosts

Leading the Leaders: Embedded Educational Leadership Initiatives at the University of Windsor

This project explored the impact and scope of embedded educational leadership initiatives (EELIs) at the University of Windsor. EELIs are programs through which individual members of the campus community autonomously and often collaboratively develop and pursue educational improvement projects within their own contexts. Such initiatives are quite common at Canadian universities, and can include, for example, small grants schemes, teaching chairs, and peer observation of teaching networks. They serve many needs at universities, and are widely believed to be an effective approach to improving teaching and learning, driving innovation, building leadership capacity, and communicating the value institutions place on quality teaching. There has been comparatively little empirical research on the outcomes of these programs, and infrastructure for their evaluation for improvement of productivity or strategic alignment tends to be limited. Moreover, despite their strong potential, without a coordinated approach, it is hard to capitalize on the expertise created over time, to bring groups together to address joint concerns through collaborative initiatives, or to establish mechanisms to identify and further support projects whose expansion or duplication would be of benefit to other units on campus.https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ctlreports/1002/thumbnail.jp

Physician Attitudes Toward the Ethics of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): Cost, Safety, and Resource Allocation

Background: In the United States, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a substantial public health issue. There is evidence that the use of antiretroviral medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be a safe and effective primary prevention strategy to reduce new cases of HIV infection. Provider practice behavior as it relates to prescribing PrEP and the potential impact on specific vulnerable populations needs increased attention. Few studies have evaluated the attitudes of physicians towards ethical issues related to prescribing PrEP. Methods: The purpose of the present literature review was to evaluate provider attitudes toward the ethics of prescribing PrEP for individuals at risk of acquiring HIV infection. Searches of the PubMed and Cochrane databases were conducted. Three reviewers independently assessed the relevance of articles and discarded those not directly related to the attitudes of physicians toward ethics of the cost, safety, and resource allocation of PrEP. A total of twenty-one articles were included in the review. Results: Provider attitudes and perceptions focused on three areas: resource allocation, cost, and safety or effectiveness of PrEP. Providers who were hesitant in prescribing PrEP were concerned with the availability of resources, patient adherence, risk of drug resistance, and toxicity. In the studies reviewed, few providers had prescribed PrEP; however, prescribing practices trended upward with time and awareness. Conclusions: Realization of the benefits of PrEP will require a utilitarian ethical approach to identifying the populations that will benefit most, monitoring for adverse effects, addressing costs, and educating and training providers to prescribe PrEP responsibly. Ensuring that PrEP fulfills its potential as part of a combination regimen for HIV prevention requires identification of additional evidence, education, support services, and resources that are needed, as well as the regulatory framework and cost scenarios for access to PrEP. Key words: HIV, pre-exposure prophylaxis, ethics, utilitarianism, PrEP, physicia

Germinating the 2050 Cis-Lunar Econosphere

No abstract availabl

Identifying social distress: a cross-sectional survey of social outcomes 12 to 36 months after colorectal cancer diagnosis

Purpose: To establish the prevalence and determinants of poor social outcomes after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients and Methods: All 12- to 36-month survivors of CRC (International Classification of Diseases [10th revision] codes C18 to C20) diagnosed in 2010 or 2011 and treated in the English National Health Service were identified and sent a questionnaire from their treating cancer hospital. This included the Social Difficulties Inventory, a 16-item scale of social distress (SD) comprising everyday living, money matters, and self and others subscales, plus five single items. Sociodemographic and clinical data were also collected. Analyses using descriptive statistics, 2 tests, and logistic regression models were conducted. Results: Response rate was 63.3% (21,802 of 34,467). Of the 21,802 participants, 17,830 (81.8%) completed all SD items; 2,688 (15.1%) of these 17,830 respondents were classified as experiencing SD (everyday living, 19.5%; money matters, 15.6%; self and others, 18.1%). Multivariable analysis demonstrated having three long-term conditions was the strongest predictor of SD (odds ratio [OR], 6.64; 95% CI, 5.67 to 7.77 compared with no long-term conditions), followed by unemployment (OR, 5.11; 95% CI, 4.21 to 6.20 compared with being employed), having recurrent or nontreatable disease (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 2.49 to 3.04 compared with being in remission), and having a stoma (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.86 to 2.36 compared with no stoma). Additional predictors of SD were young age (< 55 years), living in a more deprived area, nonwhite ethnicity, having advanced-stage disease, having undergone radiotherapy, and being a carer. Conclusion: Although it is reassuring a majority do not experience social difficulties, a minority reported significant SD 12 to 36 months after diagnosis of CRC. The identified clinical and social risk factors are easy to establish and should be used to target support

Graduate Student Reflections on Mentorship in a Training and Outreach Program for Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Undergraduate (n = 19) and graduate students (n = 8) participated in a two semester training program focused on learning about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how to create individualized communication supports for families of children with ASD. The focus of this paper is on the graduate students’ training and mentoring experiences. Graduate students’ philosophies of mentoring undergraduate students and their final reflections of the experience were analyzed for themes and subthemes. Mentoring philosophies yielded four major themes: role of the mentor, mentoring goals, the mentor-mentee relationship, and learning. Graduate student reflections on their skills gained, what they learned about themselves, their leadership, and the challenges they faced were also categorized into themes. Analyses revealed undergraduate student ratings and qualitative comments regarding graduate student support. Implications and future directions for the development of hands-on training programs allowing graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders to assume mentorship roles will be discussed

Health-related quality of life after treatment for bladder cancer in England

Background Little is known about quality of life after bladder cancer treatment. This common cancer is managed using treatments that can affect urinary, sexual and bowel function. Methods To understand quality of life and inform future care, the Department of Health (England) surveyed adults surviving bladder cancer 1–5 years after diagnosis. Questions related to disease status, co-existing conditions, generic health (EQ-5D), cancer-generic (Social Difficulties Inventory) and cancer-specific outcomes (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Bladder). Results In total, 673 (54%) patients responded; including 500 (74%) men and 539 (80%) with co-existing conditions. Most respondents received endoscopic treatment (60%), while 92 (14%) and 99 (15%) received radical cystectomy or radiotherapy, respectively. Questionnaire completion rates varied (51–97%). Treatment groups reported ≥1 problem using EQ-5D generic domains (59–74%). Usual activities was the most common concern. Urinary frequency was common after endoscopy (34–37%) and radiotherapy (44–50%). Certain populations were more likely to report generic, cancer-generic and cancer-specific problems; notably those with co-existing long-term conditions and those treated with radiotherapy. Conclusion The study demonstrates the importance of assessing patient-reported outcomes in this population. There is a need for larger, more in-depth studies to fully understand the challenges patients with bladder cancer face

WISE/NEOWISE observations of Active Bodies in the Main Belt

We report results based on mid-infrared photometry of 5 active main belt objects (AMBOs) detected by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft. Four of these bodies, P/2010 R2 (La Sagra), 133P/Elst-Pizarro, (596) Scheila, and 176P/LINEAR, showed no signs of activity at the time of the observations, allowing the WISE detections to place firm constraints on their diameters and albedos. Geometric albedos were in the range of a few percent, and on the order of other measured comet nuclei. P/2010 A2 was observed on April 2-3, 2010, three months after its peak activity. Photometry of the coma at 12 and 22 {\mu}m combined with ground-based visible-wavelength measurements provides constraints on the dust particle mass distribution (PMD), dlogn/dlogm, yielding power-law slope values of {\alpha} = -0.5 +/- 0.1. This PMD is considerably more shallow than that found for other comets, in particular inbound particle fluence during the Stardust encounter of comet 81P/Wild 2. It is similar to the PMD seen for 9P/Tempel 1 in the immediate aftermath of the Deep Impact experiment. Upper limits for CO2 & CO production are also provided for each AMBO and compared with revised production numbers for WISE observations of 103P/Hartley 2.Comment: 32 Pages, including 5 Figure

Enhancing permanganate chemiluminescence detection for the determination of glutathione and glutathione disulfide in biological matrices

Acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence enables direct post-column detection of glutathione, but its application to assess the redox state of a wider range of biological fluids and tissues is limited by its sensitivity. Herein we show that the simple on-line addition of an aqueous formaldehyde solution not only enhances the sensitivity of the procedure by two orders of magnitude, but also provides a remarkable improvement in the selectivity of the reagent towards thiols such as glutathione (compared to phenols and amino acids that do not possess a thiol group). This enhanced mode of detection was applied to the determination of glutathione and its corresponding disulfide species in homogenised striatum samples taken from both wild type mice and the R6/1 transgenic mouse model of Huntington\u27s disease, at both 8 and 12 weeks of age. No significant difference was observed between the GSH/GSSG ratios of wild type mice and R6/1 mice at either age group, suggesting that the early disease progression had not significantly altered the intracellular redox environment