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The timing and duration of dormancy can be influenced by many environmental cues, such as changes in light and temperature. This study examined the early termination of dormancy in the absence of any major changes in environmental cues. We examined maternal influence on the early termination of dormancy in Daphnia pulex, as well as the effects of early termination of dormancy on life-history traits. In a mesocosm experiment, we found that a substantial proportion of individuals emerged early, prior to experiencing a cold shock, with no significant change in environmental conditions from the maternal environment. We found that siblings from the same ephippium were more likely to emerge at the same time, even after dissection and separation, suggestive of a maternal effect. Additionally, we found that the time to first reproduction was significantly delayed in individuals that emerged early, and that early hatchers also produced fewer dormant embryos in subsequent asexual generations. We suggest that early dormancy termination may be an adaptive strategy influenced by maternal effects to generate variation in developmental timing when the length and harshness of the unfavorable season is unpredictable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the establishment and activities of two major British mining companies, Rio Tinto and Consolidated Gold Fields, in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s. It discusses their investment programs, exploration efforts, and acquisition activities in various mineral deposits. The article also highlights the development of the Mary Kathleen uranium deposit by Rio Tinto and its subsequent search for new sources of income after the contract with the UKAEA was not renewed. It further explores Rio Tinto's diversification efforts and its challenges in negotiating with the Western Australian government for iron ore deposits. The article concludes by mentioning the merger between Rio Tinto and Consolidated Zinc and the discovery of a large hematite deposit, setting the stage for a major mining development. Researchers interested in the history of mining in Australia will find this article valuable for their studies. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Single-cell RNA-seq has emerged as an innovative technology used to study complex tissues and characterize cell types, states, and lineages at a single-cell level. Classification of bulk tumors by their individual cellular constituents has also created new opportunities to generate single-cell atlases for many organs, cancers, and developmental models. Despite the tremendous promise of this technology, recent evidence studying epithelial tissues and diverse carcinomas suggests the methods used for tissue processing, cell disaggregation, and preservation can significantly bias gene expression and alter the observed cell types. To determine whether sarcomas – tumors of mesenchymal origin – are subject to the same technical artifacts, we profiled patient-derived tumor explants (PDXs) propagated from three aggressive subtypes: osteosarcoma (OS), Ewing sarcoma (ES), desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT). Given the rarity of these sarcoma subtypes, we explored whether single-nuclei RNA-seq from more widely available archival frozen specimens could accurately be identified by gene expression signatures linked to tissue phenotype or pathognomonic fusion proteins. Results: We systematically assessed dissociation methods across different sarcoma subtypes. We compared gene expression from single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing of 125,831 whole-cells and nuclei from ES, DSRCT, and OS PDXs. We detected warm dissociation artifacts in single-cell samples and gene length bias in single-nucleus samples. Classic sarcoma gene signatures were observed regardless of the dissociation method. In addition, we showed that dissociation method biases could be computationally corrected. Conclusions: We highlighted transcriptional biases, including warm dissociation and gene-length biases, introduced by the dissociation method for various sarcoma subtypes. This work is the first to characterize how the dissociation methods used for sc/snRNA-seq may affect the interpretation of the molecular features in sarcoma PDXs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disruption of chromatin-regulating genes is associated with many neurocognitive syndromes. While most of these genes are ubiquitously expressed across various celltypes, many chromatin regulators act upon activity regulated genes (ARGs) that play central roles in synaptic development and plasticity. Recent literature suggests a link between ARG expression disruption in neurons with the human phenotypes observed in various neurocognitive syndromes. Advances in chromatin biology have demonstrated how chromatin structure, from nucleosome occupancy to higher-order structures such as topologically associated domains, impacts the kinetics of transcription. This review discusses the dynamics of these various levels of chromatin structure and their influence on the expression of ARGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is unequivocal agreement on the need to support families and to avoid all unnecessary separation, there are ongoing debates across policy and practitioner communities nationally and internationally, around the place of residential care within the range of alternative care services which should be available to children who need them. This paper presents the findings of a review of evidence looking at the function, quality and outcomes of residential care based on 111 papers identified for inclusion using systematic searches. The review identifies definitional ambiguity in the use of the terms 'residential' and 'institutional' care in the literature, which, alongside the different cultural, social and economic contexts, makes generalizing challenging. However, we found insufficient evidence to substantiate claims that residential care is inherently unsuitable. We identify research gaps in the literature, including in relation to quality, children's perspectives and factors that impact upon the suitability of residential care for different children, before discussing implications of the findings for research, policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkey reoviruses have been implicated in multiple disease syndromes resulting in significant economic losses to the turkey industry. It has been known for decades that turkey enteric reovirus (TERV) is involved in poult enteritis complex, but turkey arthritis reovirus (TARV), the causative agent of tenosynovitis in turkeys, emerged in 2011. In 2019, we isolated reovirus from several cases of hepatitis in turkeys and tentatively named it turkey hepatitis reovirus (THRV). The comparative pathogenesis of these viruses, and correlation with their genetic make-up (if any), is not known. In this study, we inoculated nine groups of 1-week-old turkey poults with two THRV, five TARV and two TERV via oral route. A tenth group served as a negative control. A subset of birds from each group was euthanised at 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post-inoculation (dpi). Tissues were collected for histology and real-time RT–PCR. All nine viruses were found to be enterotropic; the virus gene copy number in the intestine reached a peak at 5 dpi followed by a sharp decline at 7 dpi. All viruses caused a significant decline in body weight gain of birds as compared to the negative control group. Both TARV and THRV strains replicated in tendons and produced histologic lesions consistent with tenosynovitis. Hepatic lesions were produced by THRV only and the virus was re-isolated from liver and spleen of inoculated birds fulfilling Koch's postulates. The results of this study should be helpful in facilitating diagnosis and designing future mitigation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species across the tree of life can switch between asexual and sexual reproduction. In facultatively sexual species, the ability to switch between reproductive modes is often environmentally dependent and subject to local adaptation. However, the ecological and evolutionary factors that influence the maintenance and turnover of polymorphism associated with facultative sex remain unclear. We studied the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of reproductive investment in the facultatively sexual model species, Daphnia pulex. We found that patterns of clonal diversity, but not genetic diversity varied among ponds consistent with the predicted relationship between ephemerality and clonal structure. Reconstruction of a multi-year pedigree demonstrated the coexistence of clones that differ in their investment into male production. Mapping of quantitative variation in male production using lab-generated and field-collected individuals identified multiple putative quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying this trait, and we identified a plausible candidate gene. The evolutionary history of these QTL suggests that they are relatively young, and male limitation in this system is a rapidly evolving trait. Our work highlights the dynamic nature of the genetic structure and composition of facultative sex across space and time and suggests that quantitative genetic variation in reproductive strategy can undergo rapid evolutionary turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is an aggressive, usually incurable sarcoma subtype that predominantly occurs in post-pubertal young males. Recent evidence suggests that the androgen receptor (AR) can promote tumor progression in DSRCTs. However, the mechanism of AR-induced oncogenic stimulation remains undetermined. Herein, we demonstrate that enzalutamide and AR-directed antisense oligonucleotides (AR-ASO) block 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced DSRCT cell proliferation and reduce xenograft tumor burden. Gene expression analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) were performed to elucidate how AR signaling regulates cellular epigenetic programs. Remarkably, ChIP-seq revealed novel DSRCT-specific AR DNA binding sites adjacent to key oncogenic regulators, including WT1 (the C-terminal partner of the pathognomonic fusion protein) and FOXF1. Additionally, AR occupied enhancer sites that regulate the Wnt pathway, neural differentiation, and embryonic organ development, implicating AR in dysfunctional cell lineage commitment. Our findings have direct clinical implications given the widespread availability of FDA-approved androgen-targeted agents used for prostate cancer. Androgen receptor can promote tumour progression in desmoplastic small round cell tumour (DSRCT), an aggressive paediatric malignancy that predominantly affects young males. Here, the authors show that DSRCT is an AR-driven malignancy and sensitive to androgen deprivation therapy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

XX female and XY male therian mammals equalize X-linked gene expression through the mitotically-stable transcriptional inactivation of one of the two X chromosomes in female somatic cells. Here, we describe an essential function of the X-linked homolog of an ancestral X-Y gene pair, Kdm5c-Kdm5d, in the expression of Xist lncRNA, which is required for stable X-inactivation. Ablation of Kdm5c function in females results in a significant reduction in Xist RNA expression. Kdm5c encodes a demethylase that enhances Xist expression by converting histone H3K4me2/3 modifications into H3K4me1. Ectopic expression of mouse and human KDM5C, but not the Y-linked homolog KDM5D, induces Xist in male mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Similarly, marsupial (opossum) Kdm5c but not Kdm5d also upregulates Xist in male mESCs, despite marsupials lacking Xist, suggesting that the KDM5C function that activates Xist in eutherians is strongly conserved and predates the divergence of eutherian and metatherian mammals. In support, prototherian (platypus) Kdm5c also induces Xist in male mESCs. Together, our data suggest that eutherian mammals co-opted the ancestral demethylase KDM5C during sex chromosome evolution to upregulate Xist for the female-specific induction of X-inactivation. Here the authors show eutherian mammals co-opted the histone demethylase KDM5C during sex-chromosome evolution to induce X-chromosome inactivation by upregulating Xist expression selectively in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a highly aggressive soft tissue sarcoma that is characterized by the EWSR1-WT1 fusion protein. Patients present with hundreds of tumor implants in their abdominal cavity at various sites. To determine the genetic relatedness among these sites, exome and RNA sequencing were performed on 22 DSRCT specimens from 14 patients, four of whom had specimens from various tissue sites. Multi-site tumors from individual DSRCT patients had a shared origin and were highly related. Other than the EWSR1-WT1 fusion, very few secondary cancer gene mutations were shared among the sites. Among these, ARID1A, was recurrently mutated, which corroborates findings by others in DSRCT patients. Knocking out ARID1A in JN-DSRCT cells using CRISPR/CAS9 resulted in significantly lower cell proliferation and increased drug sensitivity. The transcriptome data were integrated using network analysis and drug target database information to identify potential therapeutic opportunities in EWSR1-WT1-associated pathways, such as PI3K and mTOR pathways. Treatment of JN-DSRCT cells with the PI3K inhibitor alpelisib and mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus reduced cell proliferation. In addition, the low mutation burden was associated with an immune-cold state in DSRCT. Together, these data reveal multiple genomic and immune features of DSRCT and suggest therapeutic opportunities in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We created a recombinant live pichinde virus-vectored bivalent codon optimized subunit vaccine that expresses immunogenic Sigma C and Sigma B proteins of turkey arthritis reovirus. The vaccine virus could be transmitted horizontally immunizing the non-vaccinated pen mates. The vaccine was tested for efficacy against homologous (TARV SKM121) and heterologous (TARV O'Neil) virus challenge. Immunized poults produced serum neutralizing antibodies capable of neutralizing both viruses. The vaccinated and control birds showed similar body weights indicating no adverse effect on feed efficiency. Comparison of virus gene copy numbers in intestine and histologic lesion scores in tendons of vaccinated and non-vaccinated birds showed a decrease in the replication of challenge viruses in the intestine and tendons of vaccinated birds. These results indicate the potential usefulness of this vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

360° virtual reality (VR) video has emerged as an innovative technology with exciting potential for facilitating immersive learning experiences in health sciences training areas such as resuscitation. 360° VR using virtual reality headsets offers a portable and standardized way to provide 3-dimensional (3D) videos in a convenient and flexible way to healthcare providers across many different geographic locales. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of VR headsets and 360° video for pediatric and neonatal resuscitation training. A phenomenological approach was adopted to explore healthcare providers' experiences of VR headsets and 360° video. Thirty-six (N = 36) healthcare providers (physicians, registered nurses and respiratory therapists) and learners trained in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and/or the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) program viewed 360° video(s) relevant to their training using Oculus Go Goggles and provided feedback via focus groups or interviews. Participant experiences were analyzed using a thematic analysis technique based on descriptive phenomenology. The key reported benefits of 360° video included enhanced experience of immersion in resuscitation scenarios, a strong sense of presence, and a greater level of interest. The main educational value reported included use for self-learning and supplementing traditional teaching methods and resources. Suggestions for enhancements and future use included improving visual and audio quality, interactivity, and realistic features. A high level of acceptance of VR headsets and 360° video was reported by healthcare providers with key suggestions for enhancing use of this simulation technology in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 69-year-old man was admitted with recurrent fungal bloodstream infection on a background of abdominal aneurysm, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Investigations revealed a para-aortic mass, previously thought to be lymphoma, which was culture positive for Candida glabrata on biopsy. Diagnosis and management involved multidisciplinary teamwork, diagnostic uncertainty and significant risk taking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Deleuze's 'Postscript on Control Societies', our initial focus in this article will be on the role of institutions within societies of control, an analysis which brings Deleuze into the orbit of Ervin Goffman's famous ethnographic work on total institutions. This cross-comparative analysis of Deleuze and Goffman (also montaged with Foucault's important work on disciplinary institutions) will allow us to show how institutions of control function by sequencing 'dividuals' across institutional domains in a continual process of totalization. Inspired by James Williams's recent work on the 'process philosophy of signs', we then argue that a critique of totalizing institutions can be positively articulated as a process-oriented challenge to algorithmic technologies and as a counter-sequencing of institutional control. We conclude with some reflections on the emergent modes of resistance that challenge both institutional and technological control, and we will proffer criteria for assessing such practices in relation to the two-sided nature of critique they enact, both processual and counter-sequential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With millions of children worldwide living in alternative care settings, this article applies the learning from implementation science to advance the sector's thinking around what needs to be in place to ensure consistently high-quality residential care. Building on the quality indicators identified by Farmer et al. (2017), an international review of the residential care literature (Porter et al., 2020) and focusing on smaller residential care settings, the article discusses how the eight implementation drivers within active implementation (Fixsen et al., 2005; 2019) can encourage a more nuanced, multi-dimensional understanding of what is needed to enable quality in residential child care. Greater attention to value-based recruitment of staff; the coaching of staff; the collection, analysis and use of meaningful data; and feedback loops from the practice level to engaged and adaptive leadership all emerge as areas for further attention. The article concludes by asserting that implementation science can constructively challenge the planning and delivery of residential care and, importantly, do so in a manner that recognises the different contexts, settings and environments in which residential care is provided to children and young people internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Scottish Children's Hearings System makes life-changing decisions regarding the care and protection of children up to 18 years of age referred due to a need for support – because of offending behaviour or a risk to their physical or emotional safety. In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 crisis, Hearings underwent one of the most significant changes since their inception: proceedings shifted to an online conferencing platform ("virtual hearings"), and some procedural modifications were introduced. In June 2020, we used an online survey to gather more than 270 responses from professionals, volunteers, young people, and families who had experience of virtual hearings. These responses highlight that while there are reasonable justifications for the use of virtual hearings, including the duty to ensure orders are appropriately reviewed and renewed, concerns related to children and young people's right to participation, privacy and representation bring into question the extent to which children's rights are realised in virtual Children's Hearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and young people have a right for their views to be heard and considered in decisions affecting their welfare. Fulfilment of this right may be evidenced through views being represented in documents related to the decision. This article reports findings of a study which examined the records of 160 children who were looked after in Scotland from 2013 to 2017. This included 1,200 individual Hearings, which made a total of 2,003 contact decisions. Data on contact decisions, views, and recommendations were extracted and analysed. Clear wishes of children are recorded in relation to just 12 per cent of contact decisions, and there is no recording of views in 64 per cent of contact decisions. Where the child is aged over twelve years, these figures rise to clear views being recorded in 22 per cent of contact decisions, with no recording of views in 42 per cent of contact decisions. These findings are concerning in relation to the value placed on the views of children and young people in decisions affecting their lives. There are implications for the information available to decision makers, social work practice and for policy and research relating to engagement and participation of children and young people in decisions affecting their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

David Curtis was a pioneer in the identification of excitatory and inhibitory transmitters released at synapses in the central nervous system. He made major contributions to the identification of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and glycine as inhibitory transmitters released at inhibitory synapses. His work laid the foundation for the subsequent acceptance that L-glutamate was the major excitatory transmitter. David's scientific work led to him receiving many accolades and honours, including Fellowships of the Australian Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society and a Companion of the Order of Australia. This memoir is the story of the life and research of David Curtis. He helped identify some of the major neurotransmitters that are released at synapses in the central nervous system. It is also an historical account of the development of neuroscience research in Australia, in which David Curtis played a major role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone H3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me) is extensively regulated by numerous writer and eraser enzymes in mammals. Nine H3K4me enzymes are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders to date, indicating their important roles in the brain. However, interplay among H3K4me enzymes during brain development remains largely unknown. Here, we show functional interactions of a writer-eraser duo, KMT2A and KDM5C, which are responsible for Wiedemann-Steiner Syndrome (WDSTS), and mental retardation X-linked syndromic Claes-Jensen type (MRXSCJ), respectively. Despite opposite enzymatic activities, the two mouse models deficient for either Kmt2a or Kdm5c shared reduced dendritic spines and increased aggression. Double mutation of Kmt2a and Kdm5c clearly reversed dendritic morphology, key behavioral traits including aggression, and partially corrected altered transcriptomes and H3K4me landscapes. Thus, our study uncovers common yet mutually suppressive aspects of the WDSTS and MRXSCJ models and provides a proof of principle for balancing a single writer-eraser pair to ameliorate their associated disorders. Vallianatos et al. study the functional interactions of KMT2A and KDM5C, H3K4me enzymes known to be involved in neurodevelopmental disorders. Using genetic mouse models, neuronal structure analysis, neurobehavior, and epigenomic profiling, they demonstrate a mutually suppressive relationship between KMT2A and KDM5C during neurodevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the author discusses the Russian writers he has known. Also cited are the opinion of author E. M. Forster on the novel as presented in his 1927 book "Aspects of the Novel," the components of a great novel including plot, pattern, fantasy, and prophecy, the analysis of Richard Peace of the book "The Idiot" that focus on the religious topics of Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and some Russian writers like Evgenii Popov, Nikolai Nekrasov, and Dmitrii Grigorovich.

Motivation Genome-wide association studies have revealed that 88% of disease-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reside in noncoding regions. However, noncoding SNPs remain understudied, partly because they are challenging to prioritize for experimental validation. To address this deficiency, we developed the SNP effect matrix pipeline (SEMpl). Results SEMpl estimates transcription factor-binding affinity by observing differences in chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing signal intensity for SNPs within functional transcription factor-binding sites (TFBSs) genome-wide. By cataloging the effects of every possible mutation within the TFBS motif, SEMpl can predict the consequences of SNPs to transcription factor binding. This knowledge can be used to identify potential disease-causing regulatory loci. Availability and implementation SEMpl is available from https://github.com/Boyle-Lab/SEM%5fCPP. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the challenges and benefits of increased legal representation in child welfare hearings, with reference to the Scottish Children's Hearings System. We look at the role and impact of adversarial behaviours within legal environments intended to follow an informal, collaborative approach. We analyse the views of 66 individuals involved in the Hearings System, including reporters, social workers, panel members and lawyers, collected through four focus groups and 12 interviews held in 2015. We place this analysis in the context of previous research. Our findings identify concern about adversarialism, inter-professional tensions and various challenges associated with burgeoning legal representation. Difficulties stem from disparate professional values and perceived threats to the ethos of hearings. We conclude it is difficult, but possible, to incorporate an adversarial element into such forums. Doing so may help to protect rights and potentially improve decision-making for children and families. The article concludes by considering implications for the practice of lawyers and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

John A. Agnew (1872-1939) and his son Rudolph (Dolph) J. Agnew (1896- 1960) were both mining engineers and held senior positions within the British miningfinance house founded by Cecil Rhodes and Charles Rudd - The Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa. They worked for periods in Western Australia and made a major contribution to the development and operation of various gold mining interests from the mid-1920s, as well as broader investments in the mining industry in Australia and New Guinea. Their activities were a precursor to the formation in 1960 by Consolidated Gold Fields of a major company in the Australian mining sector, Consolidated Gold Fields Australia, which later became Renison Goldfields Consolidated. These entities developed interests in a range of Australian companies including The Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, Renison, Associated Minerals Consolidated and Mount Goldsworthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publicly funded screen development agency, Northern Ireland Screen, has been the key institutional actor in the exponential growth of the screen industries in Northern Ireland. The most prominent production to be based in Northern Ireland has been Home Box Office's Game of Thrones, which had much of its eight seasons filmed in the region. Significant amounts of public finance have been offered to the screen industries, with direct funding provided to augment United Kingdom-wide tax breaks. However, there has been a lack of critical analysis of the recipients of this finance, on the precarious nature of many of the jobs that have been created, or on the stated benefits to the economy. This article subjects the role of Northern Ireland Screen to policy analysis to attempt to fill this scholarly gap. Setting the subject into the context of public support for film and television across the United Kingdom, it is argued that the economic argument for providing direct financial support to the screen industries needs to be viewed in the context of the overall impact on society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: In 2013, the TRAPPED-1 survey reported inconsistent availability of pain and distress management strategies across all 15 Canadian paediatric emergency department (PEDs). The objective of the TRAPPED-2 study was to utilize a procedural pain quality improvement collaborative (QIC) and evaluate the number of newly introduced pain and distress-reducing strategies in Canadian PEDs over a 2-year period. Methods: A QIC was created to increase implementation of new strategies, through collaborative information sharing among PEDs. In 2015, 11 of the 15 Canadian PEDs participated in the TRAPPED QIC. At the end of the year, the TRAPPED-2 survey was electronically sent to a representative member at each of the 15 PEDs. The successful introduction of the chosen strategies by the QIC was assessed as well as the addition of new strategies per site. The number of new strategies introduced in the participating and nonparticipating QIC sites were described. Results: All 15 PEDs (100%) completed the TRAPPED-2 survey. Overall, 10/11 of QIC-participating sites implemented the strategy they had initially identified. All 15 Canadian PEDs implemented some new strategies during the study period; participants in the QIC reported a mean of 5.2 (1-11) new strategies compared to 2.5 (1-4) in the nonactively participating sites. Conclusion: While all PEDs introduced new strategies during the study, QIC-participating sites successfully introduced the majority of their previously identified new strategies in a short time period. Sharing deadlines and information between centres may have contributed to this success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg (S. Heidelberg) is a major foodborne pathogen colonizing poultry. The pathogen is associated with a significant number of foodborne outbreaks through contaminated poultry meat, including turkeys. Recently, multidrugresistant (MDR) strains of S. Heidelberg have emerged as a threat to human public health in the United States. The objective of this study was to determine the cecal colonization, dissemination to internal organs, and the potential for skeletal muscle deposition of an MDR S. Heidelberg isolate from the 2011 ground turkey outbreak in the United States after the experimental oral challenge of poults (young turkeys) and adult turkey hens. In the poult study, two separate experiments using day-old, straight-run, commercial hybrid converter poults were randomly assigned to five challenge groups (0, 10^2, 10^4, 10^6, 10^8 CFU groups; 12 poults/group; N D 60/experiment) and a week after, treatment groups were challenged separately with 0-, 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8- log10 CFU of S. Heidelberg orally. After 14 days post-challenge, the poults were euthanized, and samples were collected to determine MDR S. Heidelberg colonization in the cecum, dissemination to liver and spleen, and deposition in the thigh, drumstick, and breast muscles. A similar experimental design was followed for the adult turkey hens. In two separate experiments, 11-week-old commercial Hybrid Converter turkey hens (4 hens/group; N D 20/experiment) were challenged with MDR S. Heidelberg and on day 16 post-challenge, birds were euthanized and samples were collected to determine Salmonella populations in the samples. The results indicated that, in turkey poults, the recovery of MDR S. Heidelberg was highest in the cecum followed by spleen, liver, thigh, drumstick, and breast. All tested inoculum levels resulted in more than 3.5 log10 CFU/g colonization in the poult cecum. The cecal colonization, dissemination to internal organs, and tissue deposition of MDR S. Heidelberg were high in poults. The pathogen recovery from the cecum of adult turkey hens ranged from 37.5 to 62.5% in the challenge groups. The results signify the importance of controlling MDR S. Heidelberg in turkeys at the farm level to improve the safety of turkey products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time and again we have been told that poststructuralism is in crisis. Poststructuralism, we hear, is ontologically exhausted, epistemologically and normatively confused and politically irrelevant to the contemporary economic and institutional conditions that have already domesticated, assimilated and recuperated it. While there is clearly merit and provocation in such critiques, for us, they underestimate the extent to which poststructuralist concepts can be transformed and made relevant to concerns we may have in our current political conjuncture. In order to counter those who would simply dismiss and depoliticise poststructuralist thought as crisis-ridden or politically outmoded, we will suggest that poststructuralism is a drama that we can productively participate in, here and now. Furthermore, we think this poststructuralist drama should be played out in the rough and tumble of everyday political life. There is what we will call a 'politics of everyday life' to be found in the poststructuralist archive and the poststructuralist archive can be recast, revitalised and even transformed when placed into the light and life of the everyday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The implementation of electronic prescribing and medication administration (EPMA) systems is a priority for hospitals and a potential component of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS).Objectives: To identify software features within EPMA systems that could potentially facilitate AMS and to survey practising UK infection specialist healthcare professionals in order to assign priority to these software features.Methods: A questionnaire was developed using nominal group technique and transmitted via email links through professional networks. The questionnaire collected demographic data, information on priority areas and anticipated impact of EPMA. Responses from different respondent groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U -test.Results: Responses were received from 164 individuals (142 analysable). Respondents were predominantly specialist infection pharmacists (48%) or medical microbiologists (37%). Of the pharmacists, 59% had experience of EPMA in their hospitals compared with 35% of microbiologists. Pharmacists assigned higher priority to indication prompt ( P  <   0.001), allergy checker ( P  =   0.003), treatment protocols ( P  =   0.003), drug-indication mismatch alerts ( P  =   0.031) and prolonged course alerts ( P  =   0.041) and lower priority to a dose checker for adults ( P  =   0.02) and an interaction checker ( P  <   0.05) than microbiologists. A 'soft stop' functionality was rated essential or high priority by 89% of respondents. Potential EPMA software features were expected to have the greatest impact on stewardship, treatment efficacy and patient safety outcomes with lowest impact on Clostridium difficile infection, antimicrobial resistance and drug expenditure.Conclusions: The survey demonstrates key differences in health professionals' opinions of potential healthcare benefits of EPMA, but a consensus of anticipated positive impact on patient safety and AMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the contrasting perspectives of academic prose versus grant writing, and lists strategies grant specialists can use to help researchers break old habits and replace them with techniques better suited to the world of competitive grant proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incursion of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) into the United States during 2014 resulted in an unprecedented foreign animal disease (FAD) event; 232 outbreaks were reported from 21 states. The disease affected 49.6 million birds and resulted in economic losses of $950 million. Minnesota is the largest turkey-producing state, accounting for 18% of U.S. turkey production. Areas with concentrated numbers of turkeys in Minnesota were the epicenter of the outbreak. The first case was presumptively diagnosed in the last week of February 2015 at the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (MVDL) and confirmed as HPAI H5N2 at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories on March 4, 2015. A total of 110 farms were affected in Minnesota, and the MVDL tested >17,000 samples from March to July 2015. Normal service was maintained to other clients of the laboratory during this major FAD event, but challenges were encountered with communications, staff burnout and fatigue, training requirements of volunteer technical staff, test kit validation, and management of specific pathogen–free egg requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkey arthritis reovirus (TARV) causes lameness and tenosynovitis in commercial turkeys and is often associated with gastrocnemius tendon rupture by the marketing age. This study was undertaken to characterize the biomechanical properties of tendons from reovirus-infected turkeys. One-week-old turkey poults were orally inoculated with O’Neil strain of TARV and observed for up to 16 weeks of age. Lameness was first observed at 8 weeks of age, which continued at 12 and 16 weeks. At 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age, samples were collected from legs. Left intertarsal joint with adjacent gastrocnemius tendon was collected and processed for histological examination. The right gastrocnemius tendon’s tensile strength and elasticity modulus were analyzed by stressing each tendon to the point of rupture. At 16 weeks of age, gastrocnemius tendons of TARV-infected turkeys showed significantly reduced (P<0.05) tensile strength and modulus of elasticity as compared to those of noninfected control turkeys. Gastrocnemius tendons revealed lymphocytic tendinitis/tenosynovitis beginning at 4 weeks of age, continuing through 8 and 12 weeks, and progressing to fibrosis from 12 to 16 weeks of age. We propose that tendon fibrosis is one of the key features contributing to reduction in tensile strength and elasticity of gastrocnemius tendons in TARV-infected turkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an autonomous system identification methodology for fixed wing autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) and implementation with a robust control technique. This system identification methodology does not require the user to provide any knowledge of the aerodynamic derivatives of the AAV. Hence, this control methodology is applicable to a wide range of fixed-wing AAVs. Since the system identification process generates errors due to the measurement noise and external disturbances, a robust control methodology, sliding mode control (SMC), is proposed to control the AAV based on the system identification results. To characterize the capability of the control methodology, experiments have been conducted on commercially available fixed-wing aircraft platforms using low-cost sensing equipment. Experimental results demonstrate that the autonomous system identification-based SMC enables the AAV to follow the desired trajectory without prior knowledge of the aerial vehicle or manual tuning of control system parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]