Complete Genome of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris UC509.9, Host for a Model Lactococcal P335 Bacteriophage

Item does not contain fulltextHere, we report the complete genome of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris UC509.9, an Irish dairy starter. The circular chromosome of L. lactis UC509.9 represents the smallest among those of the sequenced lactococcal strains, while its large complement of eight plasmids appears to be a reflection of its adaptation to the dairy environment

A framework for power analysis using a structural equation modelling procedure

BACKGROUND: This paper demonstrates how structural equation modelling (SEM) can be used as a tool to aid in carrying out power analyses. For many complex multivariate designs that are increasingly being employed, power analyses can be difficult to carry out, because the software available lacks sufficient flexibility. Satorra and Saris developed a method for estimating the power of the likelihood ratio test for structural equation models. Whilst the Satorra and Saris approach is familiar to researchers who use the structural equation modelling approach, it is less well known amongst other researchers. The SEM approach can be equivalent to other multivariate statistical tests, and therefore the Satorra and Saris approach to power analysis can be used. METHODS: The covariance matrix, along with a vector of means, relating to the alternative hypothesis is generated. This represents the hypothesised population effects. A model (representing the null hypothesis) is then tested in a structural equation model, using the population parameters as input. An analysis based on the chi-square of this model can provide estimates of the sample size required for different levels of power to reject the null hypothesis. CONCLUSIONS: The SEM based power analysis approach may prove useful for researchers designing research in the health and medical spheres

Treat-to-target urate-lowering therapy and hospitalisations for gout: results from a nationwide cohort study in England.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between treat-to-target urate-lowering therapy (ULT) and hospitalisations for gout. METHODS: Using linked Clinical Practice Research Datalink and NHS Digital Hospital Episode Statistics data, we described the incidence and timing of hospitalisations for flares in people with index gout diagnoses in England from 2004-2020. Using Cox proportional hazards and propensity models, we investigated associations between ULT initiation, serum urate target attainment, colchicine prophylaxis, and the risk of hospitalisations for gout. RESULTS: Of 292 270 people with incident gout, 7,719 (2.64%) had one or more hospitalisations for gout, with an incidence rate of 4.64 hospitalisations per 1000 person-years (95% CI 4.54-4.73). There was an associated increased risk of hospitalisations within the first 6 months after ULT initiation, when compared with people who did not initiate ULT (adjusted Hazard Ratio (aHR) 4.54; 95% CI 3.70-5.58; p< 0.001). Hospitalisations did not differ significantly between people prescribed vs. not prescribed colchicine prophylaxis in fully-adjusted models. From 12 months after initiation, ULT associated with a reduced risk of hospitalisations (aHR 0.77; 95% CI 0.71-0.83; p< 0.001). In ULT initiators, attainment of a serum urate <360 micromol/l within 12 months of initiation associated with a reduced risk of hospitalisations (aHR 0.57; 95% CI 0.49-0.67; p< 0.001) when compared with people initiating ULT but not attaining this target. CONCLUSION: ULT associates with an increased risk of hospitalisations within the first 6 months of initiation but reduces hospitalisations in the long-term, particularly when serum urate targets are achieved

Sustainability in CALL Learning Environments: A Systemic Functional Grammar Approach

[EN] This research aims to define a sustainable resource in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). In order for a CALL resource to be sustainable it must work within existing educational curricula. This feature is a necessary prerequisite of sustainability because, despite the potential for educational change that digitalization has offered since the nineteen nineties, curricula in traditional educational institutions have not fundamentally changed, even as we move from a pre-digital society towards a digital society. Curricula have failed to incorporate CALL resources because no agreed-upon pedagogical language enables teachers to discuss CALL classroom practices. Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) can help to provide this language and bridge the gap between the needs of the curriculum and the potentiality of CALL-based resources. This paper will outline how SFG principles can be used to create a pedagogical language for CALL and it will give practical examples of how this language can be used to create sustainable resources in classroom contexts.Mcdonald, P. (2014). Sustainability in CALL Learning Environments: A Systemic Functional Grammar Approach. The EuroCALL Review. 22(2):3-18. doi:10.4995/eurocall.2014.3631.SWORD318222Collins, A. & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking education in the age of technology. Columbia: Teachers College.Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold and underused: computers in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.DeVoss, D.N., Eidman-Aadahl, E., & Hicks, T. (2010). Because Digital Writing Matters. CA: John Wiley & Sons.Fries, P.H. (1994). On Theme Rheme and Discourse Goals. In M. Coulthard (ed.). Advances in Written Text Analysis. (pp. 229- 249). New York: Routledge.Gee, Paul, (2011). Reflections On Empirical Evidence On Games and Learning. In T.Sigmund & J.D. Flechter (Eds.), Computer Games and Instruction. (pp. 223-232). Charlotte NC: Information Age PublishingHagood, M. (2008). Intersections of Popular Culture, Identities, and New Literacies. In J. Coiro et al (eds). Handbook of Research into New Literacies. (pp. 377-407). New York: Erlbaum.Halliday, M.A.K. & Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Hodder and Arnold.Hoey, M. (2001). Textual Interaction. Oxon: Routledge.Kennedy, C. (2013). Models Of Change and Innovation. In K. Hyland & C. Wong (Eds.), Innovation and Change In English Language Education. (pp. 13-27). Oxen:Routledge.Kress, G. (2003). LITERACY IN THE NEW MEDIA AGE. doi:10.4324/9780203164754Kress, G. & Van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images. London: Routledge.Liu, J. (2004). Effects of Comic Strips on L2 Learners’ Reading Comprehension. TESOL Quarterly, 38(2), 225. doi:10.2307/3588379Luke, C. (2001). Connectivity, Multimodality and Interdisciplinarity. In Reading Research Quarterly, Vol.38, No.3, 397-403.Tim Marchand. (2013). Speech in written form? A corpus analysis of computer-mediated communication. Linguistic Research, 30(2), 217-242. doi:10.17250/khisli.30.2.201308.004McCloud. S. (1994). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Collins.Mc Donald, J. Haward, J. Dobbin, N. Erskine, G. (2008). Macbeth: The Graphic Novel. Bristol: Classical Comics Ltd.Miller, C.H. (2004). Digital Storytelling. Oxford: Elsevier.Unsworth, L. (2008). Multiliteracies and Metalanguage: Describing Image Text Relations as a Resource for Negotiating Multimodal Texts. In J. Coiro et al. (eds). Handbook of Research into New Literacies. (pp. 377-407). New York: Erlbaum.Royce, T. (2002). Multimodality in the TESOL Classroom: Exploring Visual-Verbal Synergy. TESOL Quarterly, 36(2), 191. doi:10.2307/3588330Rutherford, W. E. (1987). Second Language Grammar and Teaching. New York: Pearson Education.Stempleski, S. (2013). World Link: Developing English Fluency. Singapore: CengageStenglin, M. and Iedema, R. (2001). How to Analyse Visual Images: A Guide for TESOL Teachers. In A. Burns. & C. Coffin. Analyzing English in a Global Context. (pp.194-208) London: Routledge.Selfe, C.L. (2007). Multi-Modal Composition. NJ: Hampton Press

Automated Analysis of Cryptococcal Macrophage Parasitism Using GFP-Tagged Cryptococci

The human fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii cause life-threatening infections of the central nervous system. One of the major characteristics of cryptococcal disease is the ability of the pathogen to parasitise upon phagocytic immune effector cells, a phenomenon that correlates strongly with virulence in rodent models of infection. Despite the importance of phagocyte/Cryptococcus interactions to disease progression, current methods for assaying virulence in the acrophage system are both time consuming and low throughput. Here, we introduce the first stable and fully characterised GFP–expressing derivatives of two widely used cryptococcal strains: C. neoformans serotype A type strain H99 and C. gattii serotype B type strain R265. Both strains show unaltered responses to environmental and host stress conditions and no deficiency in virulence in the macrophage model system. In addition, we report the development of a method to effectively and rapidly investigate macrophage parasitism by flow cytometry, a technique that preserves the accuracy of current approaches but offers a four-fold improvement in speed

Changes in forest cover and carbon stocks of the coastal scarp forests of the Wild Coast, South Africa

Land-use intensification and declines in vegetative cover are considered pervasive threats to forests and biodiversity globally. The small extent and high biodiversity of indigenous forests in South Africa make them particularly important. Yet, relatively little is known about their rates of use and change. From analysis of past aerial photos we quantified rates of forest cover change in the Matiwane forests of the Wild Coast, South Africa, between 1942 and 2007, as well as quantified above- and belowground (to 0.5 m depth) carbon stocks based on a composite allometric equation derived for the area. Rates of forest conversion were spatially variable, with some areas showing no change and others more noticeable changes. Overall, the net reduction was 5.2% (0.08% p.a.) over the 65-year period. However, the rate of reduction has accelerated with time. Some of the reduction was balanced by natural reforestation into formerly cleared areas, but basal area, biomass and carbon stocks are still low in the reforested areas. The total carbon stock was highest in intact forests (311.7 ± 23.7 Mg C ha−1), followed by degraded forests (73.5 ± 12.3 Mg C ha−1) and least in regrowth forests (51.2 ± 6.2 Mg C ha−1). The greatest contribution to total carbon stocks was soil carbon, contributing 54% in intact forests, and 78% and 68% in degraded and regrowth forests, respectively. The Matiwane forests store 4.78 Tg C, with 4.7 Tg C in intact forests, 0.06 Tg C in degraded forests and 0.02 Tg C in regrowth forests. The decrease in carbon stocks within the forests as a result of the conversion of the forest area to agricultural fields was 0.19 Tg C and approximately 0.0003 Tg C was released through harvesting of firewood and building timber