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Attention plays an important role in not only the awareness and perception of tinnitus but also its interactions with external sounds. Recent evidence suggests that attention is heightened in the tinnitus brain, likely as a result of relatively local cortical changes specific to deafferentation sites or global changes that help maintain normal cognitive capabilities in individuals with hearing loss. However, most electrophysiological studies have used passive listening paradigms to probe the tinnitus brain and produced mixed results in terms of finding a distinctive biomarker for tinnitus. Here, we designed a selective attention task, in which human adults attended to one of two interleaved tonal (500 Hz and 5 kHz) sequences. In total, 16 tinnitus (5 females) and 13 age- and hearing-matched control (8 females) subjects participated in the study, with the tinnitus subjects matching the tinnitus pitch to 5.4 kHz (range = 1.9–10.8 kHz). Cortical responses were recorded in both passive and attentive listening conditions, producing no differences in P1, N1, and P2 between the tinnitus and control subjects under any conditions. However, a different pattern of results emerged when the difference was examined between the attended and unattended responses. This attention-modulated cortical response was significantly greater in the tinnitus than control subjects: 3.9-times greater for N1 at 5 kHz (95% CI: 2.9 to 5.0, p = 0.007, ηp2 = 0.24) and 3.0 for P2 at 500 Hz (95% CI: 1.9 to 4.5, p = 0.026, ηp2 = 0.17). We interpreted the greater N1 modulation as local neural changes specific to the tinnitus frequency and the greater P2 as global changes to hearing loss. These two cortical measures were used to differentiate between the tinnitus and control subjects, producing 83.3% sensitivity and 76.9% specificity (AUC = 0.81, p = 0.006). These results suggest that the tinnitus brain is more plastic than that of the matched non-tinnitus controls and that the attention-modulated cortical response can be developed as a clinically meaningful biomarker for tinnitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban agriculture is increasingly valued as a strategy for improving quality of life in cities, but urban growers face challenges and often lack coordinated support from governments and the agricultural industry. We surveyed urban growers through an online survey, primarily in the Northeastern United States, to develop a profile of growers and associated organizations, assess the current state of urban agriculture, and determine how universities could help meet their needs. A total of 394 respondents completed the survey and most urban growers were white (non-Hispanic) and younger than 45 years old. Women and men were in almost equal proportion. Urban growers were well-educated, but most did not receive a degree in agriculture. Urban agriculture in our study area was dominated by relatively small non-profit organizations and home and community gardens were the most common types of organizations. Urban agricultural organizations want to improve environmental sustainability and socio-cultural conditions through food access and security, regardless of their tax status. Urban growers face diverse barriers and challenges and the most ubiquitous barriers and challenges reported by respondents were related to availability of land and long-term access in urban areas. Many respondents received low revenue or were operating at a net loss even though they reported diverse income streams. Respondents need a wide range of training, including in traditional agricultural topics as well as financial management and business trainings. Universities can play a key role in promoting urban agriculture by offering training and research. Workforce development is a large priority among universities, so urban growers should regularly be consulted, and the results shared with career and workforce development professionals and researchers in urban areas to identify training and research that meets the needs of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately defining gross tumour volume (GTV) and organs at risk (OAR) is key to successful radiation therapy (RT) treatment outcomes for patients with gynaecological cancers. With improved access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for RT simulation and planning, the optimisation and tailoring of proven diagnostic MRI techniques towards RT specific planning goals is fast evolving. Modifying MRI techniques for radiation oncology (RO) with the priority of anatomy visualisation and spatial location over diagnosis and disease characterisation relies heavily on successful collaboration between radiology and radiation oncology staff. This 'How I Do It' paper describes a qualitative analysis of the adaptation of a diagnostic MRI vaginal opacification technique into an RT specific MRI simulation procedure using aqueous ultrasound gel for improving natural anatomical visualisation of the vaginal canal. This technique is explained and could be introduced in other RO departments for dedicated RT planning scans in MR‐Sim sessions with minimal difficulty. We found 10‐15 cc of aqueous gel delivered vaginally produced optimal MRI planning images for most patients. With this small amount of gel and careful application technique, the full extent of the vaginal vault and cervix can be well visualised on T2 Weighted (T2W) imaging, while tending not to unfold the natural fornices of the collapsed vagina, representing a significant improvement in image quality from the outdated tampon procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although radiation dose escalation improves prostate cancer disease control, it can cause increased toxicity. Genitourinary (GU) symptoms after prostate radiation therapy affect patient health-related quality of life (QoL). We compared patient-reported GU QoL outcomes following 2 alternative urethral sparing stereotactic body radiation therapy regimens. Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC)–26 GU scores were compared between 2 urethral sparing stereotactic body radiation therapy trials. The SPARK trial prescribed a "Monotherapy" dose of 36.25 Gy in 5 fractions to the prostate. The PROMETHEUS trial prescribed 2 phases: a 19- to 21-Gy in 2 fractions "Boost" to the prostate, followed by 46 Gy in 23 fractions or 36 Gy in 12 fractions. The biological effective dose (BED) for urethral toxicity was 123.9 Gy for Monotherapy and 155.8 to 171.2 Gy for Boost. Mixed effects logistic regression models were utilized to estimate the difference in the odds of a minimal clinically important change from baseline EPIC-26 GU score between regimens at each follow-up. 46 Monotherapy and 149 Boost patients completed baseline EPIC-26 scoring. Mean EPIC-26 GU scores revealed statistically superior urinary incontinence outcomes for Monotherapy at 12 months (mean difference, 6.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-12.1; P =.01) and 36 months (mean difference, 9.6; 95% CI, 4.1-15.1; P <.01). Monotherapy also revealed superior mean urinary irritative/obstructive outcomes at 12 months (mean difference, 6.9; 95% CI, 2.0-12.9; P <.01) and 36 months (mean difference, 6.3; 95% CI, 1.9-10.8; P <.01). For both domains and at all time points, the absolute differences were <10%. There were no significant differences in the odds of reporting a minimal clinically important change between regimens at any time point. Even in the presence of urethral sparing, the higher BED delivered in the Boost schedule may have a small adverse effect on GU QoL compared with Monotherapy. However, this did not translate to statistically significant differences in minimal clinically important changes. Whether the higher BED of the boost arm offers an efficacy advantage is being investigated in the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group 18.01 NINJA randomized trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urinary toxicity is common following pelvic radiotherapy and can have a substantial negative effect on survivorship. Due to its prevalence and the increasing number of related clinical trials, localised prostate cancer radiotherapy is a useful illustrative tool to explore urinary toxicity. A good understanding of the interplay between anatomy, radiation-sensitive cell populations, and treatment sequencing is necessary for optimal outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests that the prostatic urethra is a radiation-sensitive structure, not only for stricture development, but also chronic irritative symptoms. Tools now exist not only to identify the urethra, but also to direct radiation dose away from the urethra, with early data suggesting that this reduces moderate-to-severe late urinary toxicity. Coupled with new evidence supporting dominant nodule microboosting and ultrahypofractionation as emerging standards of care, urethral sparing radiotherapy is a powerful tool against radiation induced urinary toxicity while also maximising disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. TB recurrence is the second episode of TB after initial treatment bringing about an additional 7% load in TB burden intensified by 17.7% of multidrug-resistant recurrent cases. It is necessary to curb recurrence so that attempts to deal with active disease can be made more effective. This study aimed to characterize sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with recurrent TB in a high-burden setting. Methodology. A retrospective case-control study was carried out at two hospitals in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. TB patients and controls were included in the study. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected by questionnaire from all subjects. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with TB and TB recurrence respectively. Results. In our study cohort, factors significantly associated with TB were low BMI (OR: 0.961 (CI 0.954–0.968), p < 0.001), female gender (OR: 2.065 (CI 1.922–2.219), p < 0.001), being single/unmarried (OR: 1.214 (CI 1.109–1.328), p = 0.003), middle-income status (OR: 1.935 (CI 1.616–2.323), p < 0.001), smoking (OR: 1.567 (CI 1.435–1.710), p < 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.142 (CI 1.017–1.278), p = 0.023). TB recurrence constituted 11.2% of patients presenting to the hospital. Compared with the first episode of TB, cases with recurrence were more likely to be older (OR: 1.011 (CI 1.004–1.017), p < 0.001), have disease awareness (OR: 1.906 (CI 1.486–2.437), p < 0.001), smear positive (OR: 2.384 (CI 1.650–3.536), p < 0.001), and be drug-resistant (OR: 5.615 (CI 4.265–7.386), p < 0.001). Conclusion. In the present study cohort, low BMI, female gender, being single, middle-income status, being unemployed, smoking, and being diabetic came out to be the sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for TB. Further exploring the TB cases increasing age, drug resistance and smear positivity stood out to be the major sociodemographic and clinical factors of TB recurrence despite high disease awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When classifying objects in 3D LiDAR data, it is important to use efficient collection methods and processing algorithms. This paper considers the resolution needed to classify 3D objects accurately and discusses how this resolution is accomplished for the RedTail RTL-450 LiDAR System. We employ VoxNet, a convolutional neural network, to classify the 3D data and test the accuracy using different data resolution levels. The results show that for our data set, if the neural network is trained using higher resolution data, then the accuracy of the classification is above 97%, even for the very sparse testing set (10% of original test data set point density). When the training is done on lower resolution data sets, the classification accuracy remains good but drops off at around 3% of the original test data set point density. These results have implications for determining flight altitude and speed for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to achieve high accuracy classification. The findings point to the value of high-resolution point clouds for both the training of the convolutional neural network and in data collected from a LiDAR sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of vital signs monitoring in the early recognition of an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) post-hospital discharge is limited. This study investigated whether continuous vital signs monitoring could predict an AECOPD and readmission.Methods: 35 people were recruited at discharge following hospitalisation for an AECOPD. Participants were asked to wear an Equivital LifeMonitor during waking hours for 6 weeks and to complete the Exacerbations of Chronic Pulmonary Disease Tool (EXACT), a 14-item symptom diary, daily. The Equivital LifeMonitor recorded respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), skin temperature (ST) and physical activity (PA) every 15-s. An AECOPD was classified as mild (by EXACT score), moderate (prescribed oral steroids/antibiotics) or severe (hospitalisation).Results: Over the 6-week period, 31 participants provided vital signs and symptom data and 14 participants experienced an exacerbation, of which, 11 had sufficient data to predict an AECOPD. HR and PA were associated with EXACT score (p < 0.001). Three days prior to an exacerbation, RR increased by mean ± SD 2.0 ± 0.2 breaths/min for seven out of 11 exacerbations and HR increased by 8.1 ± 0.7 bpm for nine of these 11 exacerbations.Conclusions: Increased heart rate and reduced physical activity were associated with worsening symptoms. Even with high-resolution data, the variation in vital signs data remains a challenge for predicting AECOPDs. Respiratory rate and heart rate should be further explored as potential predictors of an impending AECOPD.Trial Registration: ISRCTN registry; ISRCTN12855961. Registered 07 November 2018-Retrospectively registered, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN12855961. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bias can result in partiality in historical accounts and confirmation bias results in statements and characterisations being accepted as factual without reliance on critical tests. This paper provides an example of how a qualitative research technique called 'nominal group technique' (NGT) was used in a legal history project to control bias. The observations and conclusions may have a bearing on the part that NGT could play in other areas of legal research and historical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prostatic urethra is an organ at risk for prostate radiotherapy with genitourinary toxicities a common side effect. Many external beam radiation therapy protocols call for urethral sparing, and with modulated radiotherapy techniques, the radiation dose distribution can be controlled so that maximum doses do not fall within the prostatic urethral volume. Whilst traditional diagnostic MRI sequences provide excellent delineation of the prostate, uncertainty often remains as to the true path of the urethra within the gland. This study aims to assess if a high‐resolution isotropic 3D T2 MRI series can reduce inter‐observer variability in urethral delineation for radiotherapy planning. Methods: Five independent observers contoured the prostatic urethra for ten patients on three data sets; a 2 mm axial CT, a diagnostic 3 mm axial T2 TSE MRI and a 0.9 mm isotropic 3D T2 SPACE MRI. The observers were blinded from each other's contours. A Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) score was calculated using the intersection and union of the five observer contours vs an expert reference contour for each data set. Results: The mean DSC of the observer vs reference contours was 0.47 for CT, 0.62 for T2 TSE and 0.78 for T2 SPACE (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The introduction of a 0.9 mm isotropic 3D T2 SPACE MRI for treatment planning provides improved urethral visualisation and can lead to a significant reduction in inter‐observer variation in prostatic urethral contouring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Component‐resolved diagnosis allows detection of IgE sensitization having the advantage of reproducibility and standardization compared to crude extracts. The main disadvantage of the traditional allergen identification methods, 1‐ or 2‐dimensional western blotting and screening of expression cDNA libraries with patients' IgEs, is that the native structure of the protein is not necessarily maintained. Methods: We used a novel immunoprecipitation technique in combination with mass spectrometry to identify new allergens of Aspergillus fumigatus. Magnetic Dynabeads coupled with anti‐human IgE antibodies were used to purify human serum IgE and subsequently allergens from A. fumigatus protein extract. Results: Of the 184 proteins detected by subsequent mass peptide fingerprinting, a subset of 13 were recombinantly expressed and purified. In a panel of 52 A. fumigatus‐sensitized people with asthma, 23 non‐fungal‐sensitized asthmatics and 18 healthy individuals, only the former showed an IgE reaction by immunoblotting and/or ELISA. We discovered 11 proteins not yet described as A. fumigatus allergens, with fructose‐bisphosphate aldolase class II (FBA2) (33%), NAD‐dependent malate dehydrogenase (31%) and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (27%) being the most prevalent. With respect to these three allergens, native versus denatured protein assays indicated a better recognition of the native proteins. Seven of 11 allergens fulfilled the WHO/IUIS criteria and were accepted as new A. fumigatus allergens. Conclusion: In conclusion, we introduce a straightforward method of allergen identification from complex allergenic sources such as A. fumigatus by immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry, which has the advantage over traditional methods of identifying allergens by maintaining the structure of the proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objectives Methods Results Conclusions The effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on healthy airways are poorly defined.To delineate the effects of ICS on gene expression in healthy airways, without confounding caused by changes in disease‐related genes and disease‐related alterations in ICS responsiveness.Randomized open‐label bronchoscopy study of high‐dose ICS therapy in 30 healthy adult volunteers randomized 2:1 to (i) fluticasone propionate 500 mcg bd daily or (ii) no treatment, for 4 weeks. Laboratory staff were blinded to allocation. Biopsies and brushings were analysed by immunohistochemistry, bulk RNA sequencing, DNA methylation array and metagenomics.ICS induced small between‐group differences in blood and lamina propria eosinophil numbers, but not in other immunopathological features, blood neutrophils, FeNO, FEV1, microbiome or DNA methylation. ICS treatment upregulated 72 genes in brushings and 53 genes in biopsies, and downregulated 82 genes in brushings and 416 genes in biopsies. The most downregulated genes in both tissues were canonical markers of type‐2 inflammation (FCER1A, CPA3, IL33, CLEC10A, SERPINB10 and CCR5), T cell‐mediated adaptive immunity (TARP, TRBC1, TRBC2, PTPN22, TRAC, CD2, CD8A, HLA‐DQB2, CD96, PTPN7), B‐cell immunity (CD20, immunoglobulin heavy and light chains) and innate immunity, including CD48, Hobit, RANTES, Langerin and GFI1. An IL‐17‐dependent gene signature was not upregulated by ICS.In healthy airways, 4‐week ICS exposure reduces gene expression related to both innate and adaptive immunity, and reduces markers of type‐2 inflammation. This implies that homeostasis in health involves tonic type‐2 signalling in the airway mucosa, which is exquisitely sensitive to ICS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tinnitus is a sound heard by 15% of the general population in the absence of any external sound. Because external sounds can sometimes mask tinnitus, tinnitus is assumed to affect the perception of external sounds, leading to hypotheses such as "tinnitus filling in the temporal gap" in animal models and "tinnitus inducing hearing difficulty" in human subjects. Here we compared performance in temporal, spectral, intensive, masking and speech-in-noise perception tasks between 45 human listeners with chronic tinnitus (18 females and 27 males with a range of ages and degrees of hearing loss) and 27 young, normal- hearing listeners without tinnitus (11 females and 16 males). After controlling for age, hearing loss, and stimulus variables, we discovered that, contradictory to the widely held assumption, tinnitus does not interfere with the perception of external sounds in 32 of the 36 measures. We interpret the present result to reflect a bottom-up pathway for the external sound and a separate top-down pathway for tinnitus. We propose that these two perceptual pathways can be independently modulated by attention, which leads to the asymmetrical interaction between external and internal sounds, and several other puzzling tinnitus phenomena such as discrepancy in loudness between tinnitus rating and matching. The present results suggest not only a need for new theories involving attention and central noise in animal tinnitus models but also a shift in focus from treating tinnitus to managing its comorbid conditions when addressing complaints about hearing difficulty in individuals with tinnitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is an emerging evidence base that mindfulness for psychosis is a safe and effective intervention. However, empirical data on the within-session effects of mindfulness meditation was hitherto lacking. Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of taking part in a mindfulness for psychosis group, using a within-session self-report measure of general stress, and symptom-related distress. Method: Users of a secondary mental health service (n = 34), who experienced enduring psychotic symptoms, took part in an 8-week mindfulness for psychosis group in a community setting. Mindfulness meditations were limited to 10 minutes and included explicit reference to psychotic experience arising during the practice. Participants self-rated general stress, and symptom-related distress, before and after each group session using a visual analogue scale. Results: Average ratings of general stress and symptom-related distress decreased from pre- to post-session for all eight sessions, although not all differences were statistically significant. There was no increase in general stress, or symptom-related distress across any session. Conclusions: There was evidence of positive effects and no evidence of any harmful effects arising from people with psychotic symptoms taking part in a mindfulness for psychosis session. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrically evoked frequency-following responses (eFFRs) provide insight in the phase-locking ability of brainstem of cochlear-implant (CI) users. eFFRs can potentially be used to gain insight in the individual differences in the biological limitation on temporal encoding of the electrically stimulated auditory pathway, which can be inherent to the electrical stimulation itself and/or the degenerative processes associated with hearing loss. One of the major challenge of measuring eFFRs in CI users is the process of isolating the stimulation artifact from the neural response, as both the response and the artifact overlap in time and have similar frequency characteristics. Here we introduce a new artifact removal method based on template subtraction that successfully removes the stimulation artifacts from the recordings when CI users are stimulated with pulse trains from 128 to 300 pulses per second in a monopolar configuration. Our results show that, although artifact removal was successful in all CI users, the phase-locking ability of the brainstem to the different pulse rates, as assessed with the eFFR differed substantially across participants. These results show that the eFFR can be measured, free from artifacts, in CI users and that they can be used to gain insight in individual differences in temporal processing of the electrically stimulated auditory pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDRB) boost is a well-established treatment for prostate cancer (PC). We describe the PROstate Multicentre External beam radioTHErapy Using Stereotactic boost (PROMETHEUS) study. Non-surgical stereotactic techniques are used to deliver similar doses to HDRB boost regimens with a dose escalation sub-study.Methods: Eligible patients have intermediate or high risk PC. PROMETHEUS explores the safety, efficacy and feasibility of multiple Australian centres cooperating in the delivery of Prostate Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) technology. A SBRT boost component Target Dose (TD) of 19Gy in two fractions is to be delivered, followed by a subsequent EBRT component of 46Gy in 23 fractions. Once accrual triggers have been met, SBRT doses can be escalated in 1 Gy increments to a maximum of 22Gy in two fractions. Patient safety will also be measured with the rate of both acute and late moderate to severe Gastro-Intestinal (GI) and Genito-Urinary (GU) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) toxicities as well as patient reported quality of life. Efficacy will be assessed via biochemical control after 3 years.Discussion: PROMETHEUS aims to generate evidence for a non-surgical possible future alternative to HDRB boost regimens, and introduce advanced radiotherapy techniques across multiple Australian cancer centres.Trial Registration: The study was retrospectively registered on the ANZCTR (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry) with trial ID: ACTRN12615000223538 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction High rectal doses are associated with increased toxicity. A rectal displacement device ( RDD) reduces rectal dose in prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy ( SBRT). This study investigates any dosimetric difference between two methods of rectal displacement (Rectafix and Space OAR) for prostate SBRT. Methods Rectal dosimetry of 45 men who received SBRT within the PROMETHEUS trial was retrospectively examined, across two radiation therapy centres using the two RDD's. Men received a total dose ( TD) of 19 or 20 Gy in two fractions followed by 46 Gy in 23 fractions. Centre 1 contributed 16 Rectafix and 10 Space OAR patients. Centre 2 contributed 19 Rectafix patients. Rectal dose volume histogram ( DVH) data were recorded as a TD percentage at the following volume intervals; V1%, V2%, V5%, V10% and then 10% increments to V80%. As only one centre employed both RDD's, three sequential rectal dosimetry comparisons were performed; (1) centre 1 Rectafix versus centre 1 Space OAR; (2) centre 1 Rectafix versus centre 2 Rectafix and (3) centre 1+ centre 2 Rectafix versus centre 1 Space OAR. Results In comparison (1) Rectafix demonstrated lower mean doses at 9 out of 11 measured intervals ( P = 0.0012). Comparison (2) demonstrated a moderate difference with centre 2 plans producing slightly lower rectal doses ( P = 0.013). Comparison (3) further demonstrated that Rectafix returned lower mean doses than Space OAR ( P < 0.001). Although all dose levels were in favour of Rectafix, in absolute terms differences were small (2.6-9.0%). Conclusions In well-selected prostate SBRT patients, Rectafix and Space OAR RDD's provide approximately equivalent rectal sparing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the impact of the First World War on the nascent nationalist movement on the Isle of Man, in the British Isles. The attitudes and outlook of Manx nationalists were heavily influenced by the economic and social stresses placed on domestic society by the War, markedly altering and radicalizing the post-war movement. The paper outlines the main events that created the crisis and introduces the key players in the nationalist movement, their motives and backgrounds. The paper argues for the significance of Mona Douglas as a dynamic leader of the changes that transformed Manx nationalism in later generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kitimat Liquefied Natural Gas (KLNG) Plant is proposed for construction adjacent to Bish Creek (Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada). Bish Creek is a corridor for brown bears ( Ursus arctos), and 8 camera traps were deployed along the creek for 1442 trapping days in 2014 to determine baseline activity of brown bears. Brown bear activity varied across weeks, peaking particularly in July and September. Within a 24-h day, bears were commonly photographed during hours 5, 6, and 21 and uncommonly photographed during the 3 hours preceding noon and a 4-h period in the afternoon. However, the time of day that bears were photographed varied across seasons; bears were more commonly photographed during the day in July and at night in September. Understanding this change in activity across seasons will inform management of bear resources and human activities on-site to avoid human-bear interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kitimat Liquefied Natural Gas (KLNG) Plant is proposed for construction adjacent to Bish Creek (Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada). Bish Creek is a corridor for brown bears (Ursus arctox), and 8 camera traps were deployed along the creek for 1442 trapping days in 2014 to determine baseline activity of brown bears. Brown bear activity varied across weeks, peaking particularly in July and September. Within a 24-h day, bears were commonly photographed during hours 5, 6, and 21 and uncommonly photographed during the 3 hours preceding noon and a 4-h period in the afternoon. However, the time of day that bears were photographed varied across seasons; bears were more commonly photographed during the day in July and at night in September. Understanding this change in activity across seasons will inform management of bear resources and human activities on-site to avoid human-bear interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the behaviour of cyclists in Dublin City with specific regard to red light running. A number of specific research questions are raised by this study. These questions address the impact of different infrastructure types on red light running, as well as the behavioural patterns and demographics of offending cyclists. Two data collection methods were used to gather information on cyclists in Dublin City – an observational survey and an online questionnaire. The observational surveys examined cyclist compliance with different traffic signal systems and the impact of on-road and off-road cycle infrastructure. An online questionnaire was used to get direct feedback from cyclists in Dublin City on the reasons (if any) they decide to commit infringement at traffic lights. With the recent growth of cycling in Dublin City (as well as many other international cities) it is vital to accommodate and manage this growing demand by ensuring the safety and road discipline of cyclists. The next few years will be crucial for the continued development of cycling in Dublin, particularly due to the increasing investment by transport planners in cycle infrastructure. It is therefore important to identify now the main factors which influence cyclist's decisions to break red lights in order to guide local traffic authorities in their efforts to reduce such transgressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to describe a surgical technique for the reconstruction of large medial canthal defects involving the lacrimal apparatus following excision of medial canthal tumors. Many different techniques for constructing a neopassage from the lacrimal sac to the nasal sinuses have been investigated and described in the literature. However, there continues to be difficulty with successful functional reconstruction of the lacrimal outflow tract without the long-term use of an indwelling tube. We herein describe a technique utilizing a paramedian forehead flap combined with AlloDerm (LifeCell Corporation, Township of Branchburg, NJ) as the conduit for reconstruction of themedial canthus and lacrimal outflow tract. We present a case series of three patients successfully reconstructed with the above technique and describe their presentation, treatment, and postoperative course. We provide a detailed description of the surgical technique and document the success of the technique in regard to patency and postprocedure function of the lacrimal conduit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri, Hemiptera: Liviidae), is the principal vector of the phloem-limited bacteria strongly associated with huanglongbing (HLB), the world’s most serious disease of citrus. Host plant resistance may provide an environmentally safe and sustainable method of controlling ACP and/or HLB. Two xCitroncirus accessions (hybrids of Poncirus trifoliata and Citrus spp.), that are relatively resistant (UN-3881) or relatively susceptible (Troyer-1459) to ACP adults with regard to adult longevity, were compared in relation to ACP feeding behavior and some structural features of the leaf midrib. The settling (putative feeding/probing) sites of ACP adults on various parts of the leaf were not influenced primarily by plant accession. However, fewer ACP stylet sheaths were found in the midrib and fewer stylet sheath termini reached the vascular bundle (phloem and/or xylem) in UN-3881 compared to Troyer-1459 plants. Furthermore, in midribs of UN-3881 leaves the fibrous ring (sclerenchyma) around the phloem was significantly wider (thicker) compared to that in midribs of Troyer-1459 leaves. Our data indicate that feeding and/or probing by ACP adults into the vascular bundle is less frequent in the more resistant (UN-3881) than in the more susceptible (Troyer-1459) accessions. Our results also suggest that the thickness of the fibrous ring may be a barrier to stylet penetration into the vascular bundle, which is important for successful ACP feeding on the phloem and for transmitting HLB-associated bacteria. These results may help in the development of citrus plants resistant to ACP, which in turn could halt or slow the spread of the HLB-associated bacteria by this vector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Strawberry fruit, a popular and high-value fruit, was tested in urban production. • Productivity and minerals varied among cultivars within a cropping system. • 'Portola' was among the best yielding cultivars in all systems. • The cropping system should be selected before the cultivar. Urban populations may struggle to access health-promoting fresh fruits and vegetables, and urban agriculture approaches are of increasing interest. In this study, we used five cropping systems for urban environments to produce strawberry fruit, a popular and high-value fruit. Two green roof systems, a hydroponic system, an aquaponic system, and a raised bed system were used to grow six strawberry cultivars: 'Albion,' 'Eversweet,' 'Monterey,' 'Portola,' 'San Andreas' and 'Seascape.' We measured total mass of fruit, marketable mass, size, percentage rotted fruit and mineral content. We found productivity and aspects of fruit quality to vary among cultivars within a cropping system and the best performers in one cropping system may not be the best in another. The most consistent result was that 'Portola' was among the best yielding cultivars in all systems, although 'Monterey' had reasonably good production in most systems, good berry size in the green roof pots and raised beds, and good mineral content in the aquaponic system. 'Monterey' and 'Portola' had higher amounts of calcium, silicon and sodium in the aquaponic system than other cultivars. 'San Andreas' had higher amounts of copper, potassium, phosphorus and silicon in the hydroponic system. 'Portola,' 'Seascape' and 'Eversweet' had higher amounts of copper and zinc in the green roof planters and 'Eversweet' also had higher amounts of zinc and calcium in the raised beds. Given the spatial and financial constraints in urban systems and the variability of performance among cultivars, the cropping system should be selected before the cultivar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 150 yr, 70-90% of the lands once cleared for agriculture in New England have returned to forests. Most scientists agree that these forests serve as significant C sinks; however, there is uncertainty as to the rate at which soil organic C (SOC) is being sequestered and in which horizons the SOC is being stored. We compared the paired site and chronosequence approaches to estimate SOC sequestration at decadal to near-century scales to determine if one of these methods may be better at clarifying these uncertainties. Seventeen sites in southern New England were used to determine SOC sequestration rates. Each site consisted of an agricultural field and an adjacent forest having the same soil type; both were once part of the same field (paired site). We tested for the effects of drainage class [welldrained (WD) Typic Dystrudepts vs. moderately well-drained (MWD) Aquic Dystrudepts] and forest type (coniferous vs. deciduous) on SOC sequestration. We sampled soils by master horizon to a depth of 1 m to calculate SOC content and pools. Forest SOC pools averaged 152 Mg C ha-1 and did not differ between MWD and WD or by forest type. Mean agricultural field SOC pools (111 Mg C ha-1) were significantly lower than forest pools (p < 0.01). Sequestration rates, and where the SOC was sequestered, differed between the chronosequence and paired site approaches. The paired site approach showed that 70% of the SOC was being sequestered in the O horizons whereas the chronosequence method suggested most SOC was being sequestered in A horizons. The chronosequence method estimated that these 25- to 86-yr-old aggrading forests sequestered SOC at a rate of 0.56 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. The average paired site sequestration rate (0.84 Mg C ha-1 yr-1) was 50% higher than the chronosequence rate, suggesting that the chronosequence approach may underestimate SOC sequestration. The paired-site rate suggests that C is being sequestered in these soils nearly as quickly (55-82%) as in the overlying forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hibiscus sabdariffa is an important tropical crop and was tested in urban production. • Yield, pests, and nutrients are influenced by genotype and production system. • Local adaptation is most likely to lead to successful cultivation. • H. sabdariffa can be grown in temperate, urban systems. Urban agriculture is expanding but faces economic and environmental challenges. One way to mitigate the impact of climate change on food security in cities with a temperate climate is to grow crops adapted to the hotter temperatures expected by the middle of the twenty-first century. Hibiscus sabdariffa L., commonly called red sorrel or roselle, is a hardy shrub widely grown throughout tropical regions of the world that has high economic value as a food crop. Most studies on H. sabdariffa have been conducted in tropical areas and, to our knowledge, none compared genotypes, their nutrients, and suitability for urban production. Therefore, we grew seven genotypes of H. sabdariffa in three production systems (i.e., green roof, field row, high tunnel) in and near Washington, DC to: 1) determine differences in leaf and flower yield between genotypes and production systems; 2) determine nutritional differences of leaves between genotypes and production systems; and 3) determine susceptibility of genotypes to insect pests. Genotype PI 286316 produced copious flowers, especially in the high tunnel. Production of leaves was highest in the field row, despite this system being most frequently attacked by Popillia japonica Newman. PI 273388, PI 275414, and green hibiscus produced the highest mass of leaves. Most minerals were influenced by the production systems, but most notable is that genotypes differed in amounts of some nutrients regardless of the production system. The locally adapted green hibiscus, which was cultivated in the Washington, DC area for many years, produced a moderate number of flowers, was a top producer of leaves in all systems, was least attacked by P. japonica , and had higher levels of nutrients than some other genotypes. Overall, our work demonstrates that H. sabdariffa , a tropical plant, can be grown in temperate, urban systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractures of the scapula are relatively uncommon. Fractures specific to the scapular body comprise 35-65% of these fractures. Currently, 99% of all isolated scapular body fractures are being treated nonoperatively with an immobilizing sling or brace and some form of manual therapy with an 86% success rate. We present the conservative management of three patients with comminuted fractures involving the scapular body that were managed in chiropractic settings. Residual disabilities in these three patients as measured by a standardized outcome tool were 2%, 5% and 23% after 3 years, 2 years, and 6 years respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), is an important pest of citrus. Research into strategies to control ACP is ongoing at many facilities, including at the USDA-ARS U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory (USHRL) in Fort Pierce, Florida. The USHRL maintains colonies of ACP, but their survival is often threatened by mites which render host plants unsuitable for ACP. Our objective was to identify miticides/ insecticides that could be used to control mite outbreaks with minimal or no adverse affect on ACP. We tested the following 6 miticides in greenhouse trials for their toxicity to each life stage of ACP and also investigated sublethal effects on development and oviposition of ACP: bifenazate (Acramite 50 WS), spirodiclofen (Envidor 2 SC), dicofol (Kelthane MF), pyridaben (Nexter), petroleum oil, and chlorfenapyr (Pylon). The miticides differed in their toxicity when applied directly to ACP. Bifenazate was the only miticide that was not toxic to any life stage of ACP, whereas pyridaben and chlorfenapyr, which are also labeled as insecticides, were toxic to all life stages of ACP. Petroleum oil and dicofol killed adult and nymphal ACP, but were nontoxic to eggs. Spirodiclofen was nontoxic to adults, but reduced nymphal survivorship and killed eggs. The duration of residual activity against adult ACP also was widely variable: dicofol residues were only toxic for up to 10 days, whereas chlorfenapyr residues were still toxic after 36 days. We recommend using dicofol, pyridaben, petroleum oil, and chlorfenapyr to maintain clean plants prior to colonization by ACP and then rotating bifenazate and spirodiclofen, if maintaining adult ACP, or bifenazate, dicofol, and petroleum oil, if maintaining eggs. Bifenazate is the only product safe for maintaining nymphal ACP. Our results are useful for research facilities that wish to maintain colonies of ACP and control mites and may be useful for citrus growers and researchers that wish to kill ACP and mites with a single treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To determine whether pretreatment (baseline) optical coherence tomography (OCT) features can be used as predictors of visual acuity outcome at 12 months in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with intravitreal ranibizumab and to assess whether baseline OCT features can predict a change in visual acuity from baseline to 12 months. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational study. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the serial cross-sectional images of the macula obtained using the Spectralis OCT (HRADOCT; Heidelberg Engineering) in 100 eyes of 94 patients attending a single center and undergoing treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The baseline OCT characteristics and visual acuity were correlated to the final visual acuity (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters) and change in visual acuity after 12 months of monitoring and treatment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to correlate these morphologic features with the final visual acuity and the change in visual acuity. RESULTS: Intact ellipsoid zone (P = .0001) and external limiting membrane in the subfoveal area (P < .0001) at baseline were the only 2 independent good prognostic indicators of final visual acuity at 12months.However, none of the morphologic features at baseline could predict the change in visual acuity by 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that integrity of the outer retinal layers at baseline is crucial for determining final visual acuity at 12 months in eyes undergoing treatment with ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is accepted as the standard treatment for severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis and regurgitation. As novel treatments are introduced for patients at high risk for conventional surgery, it is important to have models that accurately predict procedural risk. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a risk-stratification model to predict in-hospital risk of death for patients undergoing AVR and to compare the model with existing algorithms. METHODS We reviewed data from the Central Cardiac Adult Database, which holds prospectively collected clinical information on all adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals and some private providers in the UK and Ireland. We included all the patients undergoing AVR with or without coronary artery bypass grafting. The study population consists of 55 157 patients undergoing surgery between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2009. The model was built using data from April 2001 to March 2008 and validated using data from patients undergoing surgery from April 2008 to March 2009. The model was compared against the additive and logistic EuroSCORE models and a valve-specific risk-prediction model. RESULTS The final multivariable model includes items describing cardiovascular risk status and procedural factors. Applying the model to the independent validation dataset provided a c-statistic (index of rank correlation) of 0.791, which was substantially better than that achieved by previously developed risk models in Europe, and significantly improved risk prediction in higher-risk patients. CONCLUSIONS We have produced an accurate risk model to predict outcome following AVR surgery. It will be of use for patient selection and informed consent, and of particular interest in defining those patients at high risk who may benefit from novel approaches to AVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian citrus psyllid ( ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama ( Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is an important pest of citrus because it transmits phloem-limited bacteria [ Candidatus Liberibacter spp., notably Ca. L. asiaticus ( LAS)] associated with huanglongbing ( HLB; citrus greening disease), currently considered the world's most serious disease of citrus. Asian citrus psyllid transmits LAS in a persistent manner and, although the rate of LAS transmission by ACP individuals usually is low, HLB can spread rapidly in a citrus grove and the geographic range of the disease is expanding, threatening citrus industries in new areas. Intensive chemical control of ACP is the primary management strategy currently advocated for HLB, but this strategy is costly, unsustainable, and generally ineffective. The scientific community is searching aggressively for solutions to HLB on many fronts, but it could still be years before solutions are found and implemented. Plant resistance to LAS is one area of research being pursued, whereby traits that confer resistance are identified and incorporated into citrus germplasm through conventional or transgenic methods. It remains to be seen if a solution to HLB can be found that specifically targets ACP, but research on ACP has been stepped up in a number of areas, notably on ACP- LAS-plant interactions, on host plant resistance to ACP, and on molecular methods of silencing ACP genes to induce mortality or to block its ability to transmit HLB-causing bacteria. Advancements in these and other research areas may depend greatly on a better understanding of basic ACP biology and vector-pathogen-host plant interactions at the molecular, cellular, and community levels. Here, we present an updated review of ACP and HLB with an emphasis on the problem in Florida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, has spread to citrus growing regions nearly worldwide and transmits phloem‐limited bacteria (Candidatus Liberibacter spp.) that are putatively responsible for citrus greening disease. Host plant resistance may provide the most effective control, but ACP has a broad host range and resistance in Citrus spp. and relatives to ACP has not been widely documented. Very low abundances of ACP were found on two accessions of Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. (hardy‐orange) in a field survey. Therefore, we tested whether 81 accessions of P. trifoliata and ×Citroncirus spp. (hybrids of P. trifoliata and Citrus spp.) from the USDA‐ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates were resistant to ACP by determining whether these accessions influence oviposition and lifespan of adults in no‐choice tests. There was a higher abundance of eggs on the control (Citrus macrophylla Wester [alemow]) than nearly all accessions of P. trifoliata, and zero eggs were laid on 36% of the accessions. Additionally, more eggs were laid on the control than 10 of 34 accessions of ×Citroncirus spp. Lifespan of adults was approximately 2.5 to 5 times longer on 11 of the 17 trifoliates and trifoliate hybrids we tested. Poncirus trifoliata appears to have antixenosis and antibiosis resistance to ACP, but we must next identify the traits that promote resistance to create commercial varieties of citrus that reduce the population of ACP and lower the incidence of citrus greening disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists researching biological control should engage in education because translating research programs into classroom activities is a pathway to increase scientific literacy among students. Classroom activities focused on biological control target all levels of biological organization and can be cross-disciplinary by drawing from subject areas such as ecology, molecular biology, physiology, and chemistry. We evaluate published "how-to" biological-control activities to determine whether they meet National Science Education Standards and use a constructivist pedagogical approach. We also provide an example classroom activity developed from our research that scientists can use as a template to develop their science-education activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grasshoppers generally are considered to be phytophagous. However, increasing evidence shows that many are better classified as omnivorous. The eastern lubber grasshopper Romalea microptera (Beauvois) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) not only consumes plants, but also dead or wounded arthropods in the field. We tested the potential range of arthropod taxa scavenged by R. microptera by offering fresh-killed carcasses to adult females in the laboratory. We predicted that they would eat all arthropods except those that the grasshopper's mandibles could not cut and chemically defended arthropods. We offered grasshoppers 104 arthropod species and life stages, representing 20 orders in five classes (Arachnida, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Insecta, and Malacostraca). The grasshoppers completely consumed the entire body of all individuals of 42% of the arthropod species and life stages, and another 32% were highly consumed. Overall, 96% of the arthropod species and life stages, representing 19 of the 20 total orders, were consumed to some extent, suggesting that R. microptera is an opportunistic carnivore. Chemical defense in arthropods did not deter feeding by R. microptera, but the hardness of integument did: harder-bodied Hymenoptera and Coleoptera were consumed less than softer-bodied arthropods. Our results confirm that R. microptera is not strictly phytophagous, but readily eats a wide range of arthropod taxa. Carnivory within phytophagous clades may have important physiological, ecological, and evolutionary consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Premise of the Study: Polyploidy in plants can result in genetic isolation, ecological differences among cytotypes, and, ultimately, speciation. Cytotypes should be sympatric only if they are segregated in an ecological niche or through prezygotic isolation. We tested whether sympatric diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid ramets of Solidago altissima L. (Asteraceae) differ in their ecological niche. • Methods: We measured how cytotypes were distributed within habitats, their morphology, and the composition of their communities of herbivorous insects at 10 natural field sites. We also conducted a common garden experiment to confirm whether observed differences in morphology or communities of herbivores were due to cytotype or environmental effects. • Key Results: Diploid ramets often grew in open areas, relatively far from woody plants, and were associated with a high species richness of herbaceous plants, especially grasses. Hexaploids often grew in heavy shading under woody plants where grasses were scarce. Finally, tetraploids usually grew in transition areas between diploids and hexaploids. Hexaploid ramets also were taller than ramets of the other cytotypes and had larger leaves. Two species of insects, the leaf-galling fly Asteromyia carbonifera and the phloem-tapping aphid Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum , were more abundant on hexaploid ramets than on ramets of other cytotypes in the field. When grown in a common garden, however, cytotypes were similar in morphology and communities of herbivores. • Conclusions: We conclude that cytotypes of S. altissima differ in their spatial distribution within habitats and that spatial variation in environmental factors influence plant morphology and communities of herbivorous insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The citrus leaf miner, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is a key pest in most citrus-growing regions worldwide. Adult citrus leafminers oviposit primarily on young elongating flush of Citrus as well as other Rutaceae and some ornamental plants. Larvae feed on the epidermal cell layer of developing leaves and injury to leaves provides a pathway for infection by the bacterium Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Hasse), the causal agent of Asiatic citrus canker. In this study, we quantified abundance of citrus leafminer larvae on progeny of 87 seed parent genotypes of Citrus and Citrus relatives (family Rutaceae) in the field in East--central Florida to identify those that have low abundance of leafminers. Progeny from the 87 parent genotypes varied in abundance of the leafminer. Progeny of 15 parent genotypes had a high mean abundance of more than six leafminers per flush shoot. All but one of these genotypes were in the Citrus genus. Progeny of 16 parent genotypes had zero, or nearly zero, leafminers, but none were from the Citrus genus. However, many of these 16 genotypes were from genera closely related to true citrus (subtribe Citrinae) and are sexually compatible with Citrus. Progeny of two parent genotypes in the subfamily Toddalioideae and Glycosmispentaphylla (Retz.) Corr. also had a low abundance of leafminer. Glycosmis pentaphylla also is a poor host for the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, and has biochemical resistance to the citrus weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.), so this genotype as well as others identified as poor hosts for the leafminer may prove useful in breeding programs aimed at reducing the abundance of multiple insect pests on citrus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. (Fabaceae), from eastern Asia that was first reported in North America in 2000. The influence of temperature on plasticity of life history and morphological traits of the soybean aphid has not been tested despite observable differences in population growth and morphology among isolates in laboratory colonies. Therefore, we used three isolates of the aphid to test whether lifespan, growth rate, fecundity, and morphology were plastic at 16, 24, and 28 °C. Population size of the aphid was influenced by temperature, probably because two reproductive traits, maximum number of offspring in 1 day and total fecundity, were plastic and increased in successive generations at 24 °C. Allmorphological traits were plastic, including lengths of body parts, number of antennal segments and caudal hairs, and color of siphunculi and body, and they were differentially influenced by isolate and temperature. Knowledge about the life history and morphology of the soybean aphid may help identify its capacity for phenotypic plasticity in heterogeneous temperatures and identify how temperature influences its survival, population growth, and diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The term endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) was coined to refer to circulating cells that displayed the ability to display cell surface antigens similar to endothelial cells in vitro, to circulate and lodge in areas of ischemia or vascular injury, and to facilitate the repair of damaged blood vessels or augment development of new vessels as needed by a tissue. More than 10 years after the first report, the term EPC is used to refer to a host of circulating cells that display some or all of the qualities indicated above, however, essentially all of the cells are now known to be members of the hematopoietic lineage. The exception is a rare viable circulating endothelial cell with clonal proliferative potential that displays the ability to spontaneously form inosculating human blood vessels upon implantation into immunodeficient murine host tissues. This paper will review the current lineage relationships among all the cells called EPC and will propose that the term EPC be retired and that each of the circulating cell subsets be referred to according to the terms already existent for each subset. This article is part of a special issue entitled, "Cardiovascular Stem Cells Revisited". [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We review the primary literature to document the incidence of cannibalism among insects that typically are not carnivorous. Most of the cannibalistic species were coleopterans and lepidopterans, and the cannibals often were juveniles that aggregate or that overlap in phenology with the egg stage. Cannibalism can be adaptive by improving growth rate, survivorship, vigor, longevity and fecundity. It also can play an important role in regulating population density and suppressing population outbreaks, stabilizing host plant-insect relationships, and reducing parasitism rates. Cannibalism often was favored by density-dependent factors for herbivores that feed in concealed feeding situations (such as stem borers, leafminers), but also by density-independent factors (such as high ambient temperature) for herbivores that feed in exposed feeding situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which determine whether vomiting at presentation of a febrile illness in immunocompromised children with central venous catheters (CVCs) predicts bacteremia. Result shows that immunocompromised children with CVC, fever and vomiting were more likely to have bacteremia than children who presented without vomiting. Researchers suggest that the finding is useful in identifying children who are at high risk for bacteremia and in identifying initial empiric therapy.

Students in life science classes need an introduction to biomes, including an introduction to the concept, key biotic and abiotic features of biomes, and geographic locations of biomes. In this activity, students in seventh- and eighth-grade science classes used a directed exploratory Internet activity to learn about biomes. The author tested student understanding with pre- and post-activity quizzes, a letter-writing activity, and a competitive trivia game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a science experiment to help middle school students understand ecological concepts in an authentic way through hands-on experience with pea plants and its plant pest pea aphids. A list of materials is provided, along with preparation and safety considerations, specific procedures, and discussion topics.

The article is a suggest two-class lesson plan about biodiversity and plant richness designed for use with middle school students. The author notes that having students work outside in their backyard helped get the students' attention as well as engage the students in real learning. Topics include an experimental protocol for determining arthropod diversity in an urban habitat, entering data into spreadsheets, and vegetable gardens. Also discussed is the carrying capacity of a habitat and the limiting factors associated with a habitat.

Abstract: The neural substrates underlying speech perception are still not well understood. Previously, we found dissociation of speech and nonspeech processing at the earliest cortical level (AI), using speech and nonspeech complexity dimensions. Acoustic differences between speech and nonspeech stimuli in imaging studies, however, confound the search for linguistic–phonetic regions. Presently, we used sinewave speech (SWsp) and nonspeech (SWnon), which replace speech formants with sinewave tones, in order to match acoustic spectral and temporal complexity while contrasting phonetics. Chord progressions (CP) were used to remove the effects of auditory coherence and object processing. Twelve normal RH volunteers were scanned with fMRI while listening to SWsp, SWnon, CP, and a baseline condition arranged in blocks. Only two brain regions, in bilateral superior temporal sulcus, extending more posteriorly on the left, were found to prefer the SWsp condition after accounting for acoustic modulation and coherence effects. Two regions responded preferentially to the more frequency-modulated stimuli, including one that overlapped the right temporal phonetic area and another in the left angular gyrus far from the phonetic area. These findings are proposed to form the basis for the two subtypes of auditory word deafness. Several brain regions, including auditory and non-auditory areas, preferred the coherent auditory stimuli and are likely involved in auditory object recognition. The design of the current study allowed for separation of acoustic spectrotemporal, object recognition, and phonetic effects resulting in distinct and overlapping components. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Most existing automatic speech recognition systems today do not explicitly use knowledge about human speech production. We show that the incorporation of articulatory knowledge into these systems is a promising direction for speech recognition, with the potential for lower error rates and more robust performance. To this end, we introduce the Hidden-Articulator Markov model (HAMM), a model which directly integrates articulatory information into speech recognition.The HAMM is an extension of the articulatory-feature model introduced by Erler in 1996. We extend the model by using diphone units, developing a new technique for model initialization, and constructing a novel articulatory feature mapping. We also introduce a method to decrease the number of parameters, making the HAMM comparable in size to standard HMMs. We demonstrate that the HAMM can reasonably predict the movement of articulators, which results in a decreased word error rate (WER). The articulatory knowledge also proves useful in noisy acoustic conditions. When combined with a standard model, the HAMM reduces WER 28–35% relative to the standard model alone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Malignancies of head and neck are uncommon among children. The most commond solid tumors to occur in this region are rhabdomyosarcoma, Hodgkin disease, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Two children are described who presented with signs and symptoms consistent with rhabdomyosarcoma, but who were found to hav e benign spindle cell lesions. These rare lesions should bepart of the differential of children with a head and neck mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that crimes reasonably related to an individual's underlying offense should be used in determining a defendant's acceptance of responsibility under Rule 3E1.1. Drafting of the rule by the United States Sentencing Commission; Debate over sentence reductions; Reduction of disparities in judicial sentencing practices.

Hibiscus species (Family: Malvaceae) have long been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of maladies such as abscesses, bilious conditions, cancer, cough, fatigue, gastrointestinal discomfort, fever, veisalgia, cardiovascular disorders, neurosis, scurvy, and urinary tract disorders. Its antioxidants have the capacity to destroy free radicals that damage cells and increase risk of inflammatory conditions such as metabolic syndrome, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. This review synthesizes findings from animal studies and clinical trials to assess effectiveness of hibiscus for treating biomarkers of metabolic syndrome including hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein, obesity, and hypertension. We searched for 12 edible species of hibiscus in the Google Scholar database. Each scientific name of these species, their common names and their edible plant parts were searched in conjunction with fourteen key words associated with metabolic syndrome. A total of 68 articles met all inclusion criteria for this review, including 18 that tested human subjects, 48 that tested other animals, one that tested humans and other animals, and one that did not specify. Hibiscus often improved blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, weight, lipid absorption and oxidation of fatty acids within vital organs around the abdominal cavity. Higher doses led to greater benefits in some cases, especially for body mass of animals, but lower doses were often equally effective. Hibiscus was often equally or more effective than pharmaceuticals in improving some biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, especially blood glucose and insulin sensitivity. Hibiscus shows great promise for improving biomarkers of metabolic syndrome, but there are limitations that need to be addressed by future work, including increasing the number and size of human clinical trials, expanding human trials to include people from a greater diversity of ethnicities, taking into account the health and physical activity of human participants, investigating the influence of growing conditions and extraction/preparation techniques on nutrients in hibiscus, comparing the efficacy of several plant parts and plant products of hibiscus to a reference control group within the same experiment, incorporating rigorous statistical analysis of treatments and investigating the influence of dosage. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kale is a nutrient-dense leafy vegetable associated with wide-ranging health benefits. It is tolerant of drought and temperature fluctuations, and could thus serve an increasingly important role in providing a safe and nutritious food supply during the climate crisis, while kale's ease of cultivation and ability to be grown in a wide range of soils make it a good fit for urban agriculture. In this pilot study we explored potential differences between kale grown at urban versus rural farms. We planted kale seedlings (Darkibor variety) at three urban and four rural farms in and around Baltimore City, Maryland, instructed farmers to cultivate them using their usual growing practices, harvested the kale from fields and points of distribution, and analyzed it for concentrations of carotenoids, vitamins C and K1, ten nutritional elements, and eight non-essential metals. Although sample sizes for some analyses were in some cases too small to produce statistically significant results, we identified potentially meaningful differences in concentrations of several components between urban and rural kale samples. Compared to urban samples, mean concentrations of carotenoids and vitamins were 22–38% higher in rural field samples. By contrast, mean concentrations for eight nutritional elements were higher in urban field samples by as much as 413% for iron. Compared to rural field samples, mean concentrations of nine non-essential metals were higher in urban samples, although lead and cadmium concentrations for all samples were below public health guidelines. Some urban-rural differences were more pronounced than those identified in prior research. For six elements, variance within urban and rural farms was greater than variance between urban and rural farms, suggesting urbanicity may not be the primary driver of some observed differences. For some nutrients, mean concentrations were higher than upper ranges reported in prior estimates, suggesting kale may have the potential to be more nutrient-dense than previously estimated. The nutritive and metals composition of this important crop, and the factors that influence it, merit continued investigation given its growing popularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]