Label- and amplification-free electrochemical detection of bacterial ribosomal RNA

Current approaches to molecular diagnostics rely heavily on PCR amplification and optical detection methods which have restrictions when applied to point of care (POC) applications. Herein we describe the development of a label-free and amplification-free method of pathogen detection applied to Escherichia coli which overcomes the bottleneck of complex sample preparation and has the potential to be implemented as a rapid, cost effective test suitable for point of care use. Ribosomal RNA is naturally amplified in bacterial cells, which makes it a promising target for sensitive detection without the necessity for prior in vitro amplification. Using fluorescent microarray methods with rRNA targets from a range of pathogens, an optimal probe was selected from a pool of probe candidates identified in silico. The specificity of probes was investigated on DNA microarray using fluorescently labeled 16S rRNA target. The probe yielding highest specificity performance was evaluated in terms of sensitivity and a LOD of 20 pM was achieved on fluorescent glass microarray. This probe was transferred to an EIS end point format and specificity which correlated to microarray data was demonstrated. Excellent sensitivity was facilitated by the use of uncharged PNA probes and large 16S rRNA target and investigations resulted in an LOD of 50 pM. An alternative kinetic EIS assay format was demonstrated with which rRNA could be detected in a species specific manner within 10-40 min at room temperature without wash steps

Confinement, chiral symmetry, and the lattice

Two crucial properties of QCD, confinement and chiral symmetry breaking, cannot be understood within the context of conventional Feynman perturbation theory. Non-perturbative phenomena enter the theory in a fundamental way at both the classical and quantum level. Over the years a coherent qualitative picture of the interplay between chiral symmetry, quantum mechanical anomalies, and the lattice has emerged and is reviewed here.Comment: 126 pages, 36 figures. Revision corrects additional typos and renumbers equations to be more consistent with the published versio

Tandem amplification of SCCmec can drive high level methicillin resistance in MRSA

Hospital-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains typically express high-level, homogeneous (HoR) beta-lactam resistance, whereas community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) more commonly express low-level heterogeneous (HeR) resistance. Expression of the HoR phenotype typically requires both increased expression of the mecA gene, carried on the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element (SCCmec), and additional mutational event(s) elsewhere on the chromosome. Here the oxacillin concentration in a chemostat culture of the CA-MRSA strain USA300 was increased from 8 mu g/ml to 130 mu g/ml over 13 days to isolate highly oxacillin-resistant derivatives. A stable, small-colony variant, designated HoR34, which had become established in the chemostat culture was found to have acquired mutations in gdpP, clpX, guaA, and camS. Closer inspection of the genome sequence data further revealed that reads covering SCCmec were similar to 10 times overrepresented compared to other parts of the chromosome. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) confirmed >10-fold-higher levels of mecA DNA on the HoR34 chromosome, and MinION genome sequencing verified the presence of 10 tandem repeats of the SCCmec element. qPCR further demonstrated that subculture of HoR34 in various concentrations of oxacillin (0 to 100 mu g/ml) was accompanied by accordion-like contraction and amplification of the SCCmec element. Although slower growing than strain USA300, HoR34 outcompeted the parent strain in the presence of subinhibitory oxacillin. These data identify tandem amplification of the SCCmec element as a new mechanism of high-level methicillin resistance in MRSA, which may provide a competitive advantage for MRSA under antibiotic selection

Rhinitis associated with asthma is distinct from rhinitis alone: TARIA‐MeDALL hypothesis

Asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis (AD) are interrelated clinical phenotypes that partly overlap in the human interactome. The concept of “one-airway-one-disease,” coined over 20 years ago, is a simplistic approach of the links between upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases. With new data, it is time to reassess the concept. This article reviews (i) the clinical observations that led to Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), (ii) new insights into polysensitization and multimorbidity, (iii) advances in mHealth for novel phenotype definitions, (iv) confirmation in canonical epidemiologic studies, (v) genomic findings, (vi) treatment approaches, and (vii) novel concepts on the onset of rhinitis and multimorbidity. One recent concept, bringing together upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases with skin, gut, and neuropsychiatric multimorbidities, is the “Epithelial Barrier Hypothesis.” This review determined that the “one-airway-one-disease” concept does not always hold true and that several phenotypes of disease can be defined. These phenotypes include an extreme “allergic” (asthma) phenotype combining asthma, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

What else and Where to from here?

There are various elements that contribute to a reflection on future directions that may arise from this symposium. How these relate to each other and contribute to any reflection may be represented by Figure 1 below. They are: • The examples of good teaching we have heard about and seen; • The notion of support for teaching and how that might best be packaged; • How we might make our teaching more public and whether this is desirable; • Whether embracing Boyer's scholarships (outlined earlier by Denise Kirkpatrick) might assist in the further development of enhancing our teaching; • The thesis of transdisciplinarity (as advocated by Clive Graham) and whether this might be of use; and • The matter of who calls the tune when it comes to teaching and how and if this might be changed (should it need to be)

New South Wales primary school teachers' perceptions of the role of ICT in the primary science curriculum: A rural and regional perspective

A series of interviews was conducted with NSW primary teachers, working within a rural context, to obtain their views about the benefits of using ICT in the delivery of the primary curriculum and specifically primary science. The interviews were also used to determine how these teachers were using ICT and if they had any specific training needs. Some teachers were using ICT creatively in their teaching in science and other curriculum areas. However, despite considerable political pressure to increase ICT use in the classroom, most expressed frustration at the lack of in-service training available to them. Given the costs involved in in-service training in regional New South Wales, with groups of teachers scattered over large distances, this finding is perhaps not surprising. This article proposes a possible cost-effective strategy for in-service training to help overcome some of the problems raised by the participants in this study. The suggested strategy involves the use of action research to develop confidence and self reliance amongst primary teachers in a region where government funded training is always likely to be limited due to its prohibitive cost

An exploratory study of the effect a self-regulated learning environment has on pre-service primary teachers' perceptions of teaching science and technology

The effects of a Self Regulated Learning (SRL) environment on pre-service primary teachers of Science and Technology were investigated in this exploratory study. A representative sample of teachers was interviewed about their experience and how it impacted on them pedagogically, affectively, conceptually and metacognitively. The preliminary results suggest that students' understanding of how to implement activity-based learning was enhanced by the SRL environment. Additionally they claimed to be more confident about their ability to teach. However, conceptual understanding did not appear to improve. These findings will inform a larger study involving SRL that will also address the issue of subject content knowledge and attempt to develop overall teaching competence in primary Science and Technology

New South Wales Primary School Teachers' Perceptions of the Role of ICT in the Primary Science Curriculum - A Rural and Regional Perspective

A series of interviews was conducted with NSW primary teachers, working within a rural context, to obtain their views about the benefits of using ICT in the delivery of the primary curriculum and specifically primary science. The interviews were also used to determine how these teachers were using ICT and if they had any specific training needs. Some teachers were using ICT creatively in their teaching in science and other curriculum areas. However, despite considerable political pressure to increase ICT use in the classroom, most expressed frustration at the lack of in-service training available to them. Given the costs involved in in-service training in regional New South Wales, with groups of teachers scattered over large distances, this finding is perhaps not surprising. This article proposes a possible cost-effective strategy for in-service training to help overcome some of the problems raised by the participants in this study. The suggested strategy involves the use of action research to develop confidence and self reliance amongst primary teachers in a region where government funded training is always likely to be limited due to its prohibitive cost