The Determination of the Cell Size in Wood by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Techniques

Two nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pulsed field gradient diffusion approaches have been applied to the measurement of the magnitude and the distribution of the tangential dimension of cells in a number of wood samples. The results thus obtained were compared with the results from microscopy. The results from these two approaches agree with each other and they also give excellent agreement with the microscopy results. The results of this work demonstrate that NMR diffusion is an accurate and convenient method for the measurement of cell sizes in wood and in similar porous systems

Crop modelling: towards locally relevant and climate-informed adaptation

A gap between the potential and practical realisation of adaptation exists: adaptation strategies need to be both climate-informed and locally relevant to be viable. Place-based approaches study local and contemporary dynamics of the agricultural system, whereas climate impact modelling simulates climate-crop interactions across temporal and spatial scales. Crop-climate modelling and place-based research on adaptation were strategically reviewed and analysed to identify areas of commonality, differences, and potential learning opportunities to enhance the relevance of both disciplines through interdisciplinary approaches. Crop-modelling studies have projected a 7–15% mean yield change with adaptation compared to a non-adaptation baseline (Nature Climate Change 4:1–5, 2014). Of the 17 types of adaptation strategy identified in this study as place-based adaptations occurring within Central America, only five were represented in crop-climate modelling literature, and these were as follows: fertiliser, irrigation, change in planting date, change in cultivar and area cultivated. The breath and agency of real-life adaptation compared to its representation in modelling studies is a source of error in climate impact simulations. Conversely, adaptation research that omits assessment of future climate variability and impact does not enable to provide sustainable adaptation strategies to local communities so risk maladaptation. Integrated and participatory methods can identify and reduce these sources of uncertainty, for example, stakeholder’s engagement can identify locally relevant adaptation pathways. We propose a research agenda that uses methodological approaches from both the modelling and place-based approaches to work towards climate-informed locally relevant adaptation

The association of heart rate recovery immediately after exercise with coronary artery calcium: the coronary artery risk development in young adults study

We tested whether slower heart rate recovery (HRR) following graded exercise treadmill testing (GXT) was associated with the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC). Participants (n = 2,648) ages 18–30 years at baseline examination underwent GXT, followed by CAC screening 15 years later. Slow HRR was not associated with higher odds of testing positive (yes/no) for CAC at year 15 (OR = 0.99, p = 0.91 per standard deviation change in HRR). Slow HRR in young adulthood is not associated with the presence of CAC at middle age

Overdose prevention centres, safe consumption sites, and drug consumption rooms: A rapid evidence review

This rapid review on overdose prevention centres (OPCs) aims to collate and summarise existing evidence. It describes the impact of OPCs on individuals who use drugs, communities, and public health

Overdose Prevention Centres, Safe Consumption Sites, and Drug Consumption Rooms: A Rapid Evidence Review

This rapid review on overdose prevention centres (OPCs) aims to collate and summarise existing evidence. It describes the impact of OPCs on individuals who use drugs, communities, and public health. This is to support decision making and understanding of service provision for health departments, potential providers, researchers, and elected officials (1). This document also covers some practical matters of running a service including day-to-day matters, costs, and any cost savings from their operation. We conclude with information on evaluation; services should be robustly evaluated

A genome resequencing-based genetic map reveals the recombination landscape of an outbred parasitic nematode in the presence of polyploidy and polyandry

The parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus is an economically and clinically important pathogen of small ruminants, and a model system for understanding the mechanisms and evolution of traits such as anthelmintic resistance. Anthelmintic resistance is widespread and is a major threat to the sustainability of livestock agriculture globally; however, little is known about the genome architecture and parameters such as recombination that will ultimately influence the rate at which resistance may evolve and spread. Here we performed a genetic cross between two divergent strains of H. contortus, and subsequently used whole-genome re-sequencing of a female worm and her brood to identify the distribution of genome-wide variation that characterises these strains. Using a novel bioinformatic approach to identify variants that segregate as expected in a pseudo-testcross, we characterised linkage groups and estimated genetic distances between markers to generate a chromosome-scale F1 genetic map. We exploited this map to reveal the recombination landscape, the first for any parasitic helminth species, demonstrating extensive variation in recombination rate within and between chromosomes. Analyses of these data also revealed the extent of polyandry, whereby at least eight males were found to have contributed to the genetic variation of the progeny analysed. Triploid offspring were also identified, which we hypothesise are the result of nondisjunction during female meiosis or polyspermy. These results expand our knowledge of the genetics of parasitic helminths and the unusual life-history of H. contortus, and enhance ongoing efforts to understand the genetic basis of resistance to the drugs used to control these worms and for related species that infect livestock and humans throughout the world. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of using whole-genome resequencing data to directly construct a genetic map in a single generation cross from a non-inbred non-model organism with a complex lifecycle

Genetic Ancestry-Smoking Interactions and Lung Function in African Americans: A Cohort Study

Background: Smoking tobacco reduces lung function. African Americans have both lower lung function and decreased metabolism of tobacco smoke compared to European Americans. African ancestry is also associated with lower pulmonary function in African Americans. We aimed to determine whether African ancestry modifies the association between smoking and lung function and its rate of decline in African Americans. Methodology/Principal Findings: We evaluated a prospective ongoing cohort of 1,281 African Americans participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study initiated in 1997. We also examined an ongoing prospective cohort initiated in 1985 of 1,223 African Americans in the Coronary Artery Disease in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Pulmonary function and tobacco smoking exposure were measured at baseline and repeatedly over the follow-up period. Individual genetic ancestry proportions were estimated using ancestry informative markers selected to distinguish European and West African ancestry. African Americans with a high proportion of African ancestry had lower baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) per pack-year of smoking (-5.7 ml FEV1/ smoking pack-year) compared with smokers with lower African ancestry (-4.6 ml in FEV1/ smoking pack-year) (interaction P value = 0.17). Longitudinal analyses revealed a suggestive interaction between smoking, and African ancestry on the rate of FEV1 decline in Health ABC and independently replicated in CARDIA. Conclusions/Significance: African American individuals with a high proportion of African ancestry are at greater risk for losing lung function while smoking. © 2012 Aldrich et al

The significance of genome-wide transcriptional regulation in the evolution of stress tolerance.

It is widely recognized that stress plays an important role in directing the adaptive adjustment of an organism to changing environments. However, very little is known about the evolution of mechanisms that promote stress-induced variation. Adaptive transcriptional responses have been implicated in the evolution of tolerance to natural and anthropogenic stressors in the environment. Recent technological advances in transcriptomics provide a mechanistic understanding of biological pathways or processes involved in stress-induced phenotypic change. Furthermore, these studies are (semi) quantitative and provide insight into the reaction norms of identified target genes in response to specific stressors. We argue that plasticity in gene expression reaction norms may be important in the evolution of stress tolerance and adaptation to environmental stress. This review highlights the consequences of transcriptional plasticity of stress responses within a single generation and concludes that gene promoters containing a TATA box are more capable of rapid and variable responses than TATA-less genes. In addition, the consequences of plastic transcriptional responses to stress over multiple generations are discussed. Based on examples from the literature, we show that constitutive over expression of specific stress response genes results in stress adapted phenotypes. However, organisms with an innate capacity to buffer stress display plastic transcriptional responses. Finally, we call for an improved integration of the concept of phenotypic plasticity with studies that focus on the regulation of transcription. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010

The role of Big Data in explaining disaster resilience in supply chains for sustainability

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a theoretical framework to explain resilience in supply chain networks for sustainability using unstructured Big Data, based upon 36,422 items gathered in the form of tweets, news, Facebook, WordPress, Instagram, Google+, and YouTube, and structured data, via responses from 205 managers involved in disaster relief activities in the aftermath of Nepal earthquake in 2015. The paper uses Big Data analysis, followed by a survey which was analyzed using content analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the analysis suggest that swift trust, information sharing and public-private partnership are critical enablers of resilience in supply chain networks. The current study used crosssectional data. However the hypotheses of the study can be tested using longitudinal data to attempt to establish causality. The article advances the literature on resilience in disaster supply chain networks for sustainability in that (i) it suggests the use of Big Data analysis to propose and test particular frameworks in the context of resilient supply chains that enable sustainability; (ii) it argues that swift trust, public private partnerships, and quality information sharing link to resilience in supply chain networks; and (iii) it uses the context of Nepal, at the moment of the disaster relief activities to provide contemporaneous perceptions of the phenomenon as it takes place. Vol 142 (2) pp.1108-111