Preference and Performance of the Water Lily Aphid (Rhopalosiphum Nymphaeae) among Native and Invasive Duckweeds (Lemnaceae)

Water lily aphids, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae, are a polyphagous species of insect that feed on a variety of host plants including members of the Lemnaceae family. Many studies have focused on the relationship between herbivore preference and performance on different host plants, and as such the goal of this study was to determine if there is any relationship between host plant preference and performance of the water lily aphid on three different species of duckweed, including one invasive duckweed. Aphid preference was determined through a series of choice tests, which showed that the aphids preferred Spirodela polyrhiza over Landoltia punctata over Lemna minor. Water lily aphids also initially preferred the species they were reared on, even if it was not an overall preferred species, suggesting that familiarity plays a role in shaping host preference. To determine performance I measured offspring growth, reproduction and survival on all three species of duckweed. Aphids had the lowest performance levels on Lemna minor and the highest on Landoltia punctata and Spirodela polyrhiza. Aphids preferred and performed the best on the least nitrogen rich duckweed

Peer Support and Recovery From Limb Loss in Post-conflict Settings

In this article, the authors describe an unprecedented study on peer support services for landmine survivors and victims of explosive remnants of war based on the strategic approach implemented by Survivor Corps, in which survivors were trained to provide psychosocial assistance to other survivors. The study’s methodology is thoroughly explained and analyzed by the authors

Synthesis, Thermodynamic Behavior, and Enzymatic Properties of Oligonucleotides Containing Nucleoside Analogs.

The focus of this research is on base modified nucleosides. By generating these nucleosides we hope to find information about the role of base-stacking in the stability of the DNA duplex and generate nucleoside analogues that could be used as conversion agents or in ambiguous positions in probes and primers. The target nucleosides included one C-nucleoside 5-(2\u27-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-2-hydroxypyrimidine and four 4-substituted pyrazole nucleosides; 1-(2\u27-deoxy-beta- D-ribofuranosyl)-4-iodopyrazole, 1-(2\u27-deoxy-beta- D-ribofuranosyl)-4-, 1-(2\u27-deoxy-beta- D-ribofuranosyl)-4-propynylpyrazole, and 1-(2\u27-deoxy-beta- D-ribofuranosyl)-4-(2-thiazolyl)pyrazole. The C-nucleoside was of interest because of its potential anti-viral and anti cancer activity and its potential to function as a convertide . There are several potential routes for the synthesis of C-nucleosides. The two routes we attempted were based on a palladium catalyzed Heck type coupling and a Grignard reaction. Neither route was successful. The palladium coupling was hindered mostly by the poorly defined reaction conditions and the complex mix of product produced. It was initially hampered by the difficulty in obtaining the requisite glycals for the reaction. This problem; however, was addressed by generating protected glycals by the treatment of appropriately protected thymidines with hexamethyldisilazane. The Grignard coupling route produced mostly addition of the base to the toluoyl protecting group. In addition both methods may have been hindered by acid lability of the base. The pyrazole nucleosides were easily synthesized by addition of the sodium salt of the base to a p-toluoyl protected 1-chlororibose. The pyrazole nucleosides were then converted to the phosphoramidites and incorporated into oligonucleotides using standard solid phase coupling conditions. Once incorporated into oligonucleotides the relative stabilities of the nucleosides were measured by thermodynamic melting. Overall the thiazolylpyrazole nucleoside was the most stable and the iodopyrazole was the least stable. The propynylpyrazole and the nitropyrazole were similar. All four nucleosides showed a preference for the purines and were lease stable versus dC. The nucleosides were also found to function in PCR reactions. The initial preference for the natural nucleoside incorporated versus each modified nucleoside was a dC; however, this is most likely a result of impure starting materials

Welcome to the Excerpts in Pharmacy Research Journal

The editorial board at Cedarville University School of Pharmacy welcomes you to the inaugural issue of the Excerpts in Pharmacy Research Journal (ISSN 2374-4693)

Model selection and prediction of outcomes in recent onset schizophrenia patients who undergo cognitive training.

Predicting treatment outcomes in psychiatric populations remains a challenge, but is increasingly important in the pursuit of personalized medicine. Patients with schizophrenia have deficits in cognition, and targeted cognitive training (TCT) of auditory processing and working memory has been shown to improve some of these impairments; but little is known about the baseline patient characteristics predictive of cognitive improvement. Here we use a model selection and regression approach called least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to examine predictors of cognitive improvement in response to TCT for patients with recent onset schizophrenia. Forty-three individuals with recent onset schizophrenia randomized to undergo TCT were assessed at baseline on measures of cognition, symptoms, functioning, illness duration, and demographic variables. We carried out 10-fold cross-validation of LASSO for model selection and regression. We followed up on these results using linear models for statistical inference. No individual variable was found to correlate with improvement in global cognition using a Pearson correlation approach, and a linear model including all variables was also found not to be significant. However, the LASSO model identified baseline global cognition, education, and gender in a model predictive of improvement on global cognition following TCT. These findings offer guidelines for personalized approaches to cognitive training for patients with schizophrenia

Management of Traumatic Coracoid Fracture and Anterior Shoulder Instability With a Modified Arthroscopic Latarjet Technique

Abstract: Coracoid fractures are an uncommon injury and typically occur in the setting of high energy trauma. Isolated injury to the coracoid is rare therefore a high suspicion for concomitant shoulder injury should exist. These associated injuries have been shown to be acromioclavicular dislocations, clavicular and acromial fractures, scapular spine fractures, rotator cuff tears, and anterior shoulder dislocations. While the majority of these shoulder injuries respond to non-surgical treatment, there are case reports and literature reviews that present more complicated injuries requiring surgical intervention. Shoulder dislocations with associated coracoid fractures can also manifest glenoid bone loss resulting in continued instability. In this scenario the fractured coracoid can be used to address the glenoid bone loss as well as the continued instability. In regards to technique, others describe an open procedure with screw or anchor fixation. The purpose of this technical note is to describe our technique for treating a displaced Ogawa Type-II coracoid process fracture with concomitant anterior shoulder dislocation using an arthroscopic Latarjet technique utilizing the fractured coracoid.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/merf2020caserpt/1081/thumbnail.jp

The Role of Brodmann Area 47 in Acute Stroke Patients with Language Impairment

A recent study in chronic stroke patients found that left Brodmann area 47 was among the most commonly lesioned area (more commonly than Brodmann area 44/45) in patients with chronic deficits in reading, naming, and repetition. We hypothesized that the same would not be true in acute stroke; that left BA 44 and 45 would be more commonly associated with these acute lexical deficits. We confirmed this hypothesis and speculate that left BA 47 is an area is critical for recovery of lexical production, perhaps because it can assume lexical production when BA 44/45 are damaged when it is spared