61871 research outputs found
Sort by
A Crime Script Analysis of Involuntary Celibate (INCEL) Mass Murderers
No full textInvoluntary Celibates (INCELs) are an increasing concern in academia and policing. Owing to the rise of internet sub-groups, understanding the developmental processes of INCELs is necessary to assist with investigations. The current research used a temporal method, Crime Script Analysis, to map the life histories of INCELs. Results indicated overlaps between INCELs and other forms of extremism and terrorism, while indicating developmental differences in terms of rejection and life histories. This research provides a new approach to understanding INCELs and forms the basis for future research using other temporal methods to better understand the life history of INCELs
Invasion frameworks: A forest pathogen perspective
No full textPurpose of Review
Within the discipline of invasion science, researchers studying different taxonomic groups have developed distinct ways of investigating the phenomenon of biological invasions. While there have been efforts to reconcile these differences, a lack of knowledge of diversity, biogeography and ecology hampers researchers seeking to understand invasive microorganisms, including invasive forest pathogens (IFPs).
Recent Findings
Advances in molecular technologies such as gene and genome sequencing and metagenomics studies have increased the ‘visibility’ of microorganisms, providing opportunities to better integrate forest pathology and invasion science. The two fields have much to gain from closer collaboration.
Summary
We propose a modified version of the Unified Framework for Biological Invasions to accommodate IFPs, recognising the challenges and limitations, and suggest options for tackling these issues. We explore the pathways by which IFPs are transported and in doing so highlight the need for the refinement of current pathway frameworks to better accommodate IFPs. With a clearer understanding of how microorganisms move around and the stages they pass through to become invasive, we hope that forest pathologists will better understand how and why invasions occur and, importantly, where, when, and how invasions can be stopped or mitigated. We call for a broader incorporation of ecological and evolutionary concepts to address the complex challenges of identifying and managing IFPs
Raffinose Family Oligosaccharides: Friend or Foe for Human and Plant Health?
Get PDFRaffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) are widespread across the plant kingdom, and their concentrations are related to the environment, genotype, and harvest time. RFOs are known to carry out many functions in plants and humans. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of RFOs, including their beneficial and anti-nutritional properties. RFOs are considered anti-nutritional factors since they cause flatulence in humans and animals. Flatulence is the single most important factor that deters consumption and utilization of legumes in human and animal diets. In plants, RFOs have been reported to impart tolerance to heat, drought, cold, salinity, and disease resistance besides regulating seed germination, vigor, and longevity. In humans, RFOs have beneficial effects in the large intestine and have shown prebiotic potential by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria reducing pathogens and putrefactive bacteria present in the colon. In addition to their prebiotic potential, RFOs have many other biological functions in humans and animals, such as anti-allergic, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cryoprotection. The wide-ranging applications of RFOs make them useful in food, feed, cosmetics, health, pharmaceuticals, and plant stress tolerance; therefore, we review the composition and diversity of RFOs, describe the metabolism and genetics of RFOs, evaluate their role in plant and human health, with a primary focus in grain legumes
Mapping risk to plant populations from short fire intervals via relationships between maturation period and environmental productivity
No full textShort fire intervals potentially drive declines in plant populations through immaturity risk—when the interval between two fires is too short to allow a plant population to develop the capacity to persist through the second fire. Through quantifying the period of time after fire for obligate-seeding species to become reproductively mature (the juvenile period), the risk of population decline under specific fire intervals can be delineated. Juvenile periods vary across space and time. We developed a model to estimate juvenile period based on environmental productivity that is applicable at a regional scale and over time with changes in climate. We compiled juvenile period data of serotinous obligate-seeder taxa across the breadth of the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR). Environmental productivity models explained up to 76% of the variation in maximum juvenile period length. Juvenile period increased with lower precipitation, lower mean annual temperature and lower gross primary productivity, allowing spatial predictions of minimum tolerable fire intervals to conserve slow-maturing serotinous obligate-seeders across an entire floristic region. Applying juvenile period-productivity relationships to future climate scenarios indicated that for much of the SWAFR, juvenile period length is predicted to increase substantially, indicating high risk of short fire interval impacts with continuation of historic fire intervals. Using a case study of the Stirling Range National Park, we use historic fire interval data to identify locations having experienced short fire interval risk
Ontogenetic shift in diet of a large elapid snake is facilitated by allometric change in skull morphology
Get PDFAs snakes are limbless, gape-limited predators, their skull is the main feeding structure involved in prey handling, manipulation and feeding. Ontogenetic changes in prey type and size are likely to be associated with distinct morphological changes in the skull during growth. We investigated ontogenetic variation in diet from stomach contents of 161 Dugite specimens (Pseudonaja affinis, Elapidae) representing the full range of body size for the species, and skull morphology of 46 specimens (range 0.25–1.64 m snout-vent-length; SVL). We hypothesised that changes in prey type throughout postnatal ontogeny would coincide with distinct changes in skull shape. Dugites demonstrate a distinct size-related shift in diet: the smallest individuals ate autotomised reptile tails and reptiles, medium-sized individuals predominantly ate mammals, and the largest individuals had the most diverse diet, including large reptiles. Morphometric analysis revealed that ~40% of the variation in skull shape was associated with body size (SVL). Through ontogeny, skulls changed from a smooth, bulbous cranium with relatively small trophic bones (upper and lower jaws and their attachments), to more rugose bones (as a likely reflection of muscle attachment) and relatively longer trophic bones that would extend gape. Individual shape variation in trophic bone dimensions was greater in larger adults and this likely reflects natural plasticity of individuals feeding on different prey sizes/types. Rather than a distinct morphological shift with diet, the ontogenetic changes were gradual, but positive allometry of individual trophic bones resulted in disproportionate growth of the skull, reflected in increased gape size and mobility of jaw bones in adults to aid the ingestion of larger prey and improve manipulation and processing ability. These results indicate that allometric scaling is an important mechanism by which snakes can change their dietary niche
Molecular mechanisms, genetic mapping, and genome editing for insect pest resistance in field crops
Get PDFInsect resistance in crops has been a major research objective in several crop improvement programs. However, the use of conventional breeding methods to develop high-yielding cultivars with sustainable and durable insect pest resistance has been largely unsuccessful. The use of molecular markers for identification and deployment of insect resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) can fastrack traditional breeding methods. Till date, several QTLs for insect pest resistance have been identified in field-grown crops, and a few of them have been cloned by positional cloning approaches. Genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, are paving the way to tailor insect pest resistance loci for designing crops for the future. Here, we provide an overview of diverse defense mechanisms exerted by plants in response to insect pest attack, and review recent advances in genomics research and genetic improvements for insect pest resistance in major field crops. Finally, we discuss the scope for genomic breeding strategies to develop more durable insect pest resistant crops
Exploring nursing students' experiences with different teaching pedagogies: A Mixed-Methods study
No full textBackground:
Educational methods continue to evolve to meet the challenge of teaching undergraduate nursing students. Innovative teaching pedagogies require nursing students to be actively involved in their own learning compared with traditional didactical styles.
Method:
Students were exposed to three distinct teaching pedagogies: inquiry-based, online, and educator-led during their second year of study. Students' learning preferences were explored using a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected using an online questionnaire, followed by a focus group interview.
Results:
The quantitative data revealed students preferred being taught directly from educators rather than through self-directed and online study. Manifest content analysis of qualitative data revealed four categories that supported student learning and five categories that hindered student learning.
Conclusion:
Students struggled when required to be self-directed in their learning. Students reported feeling uncertain and overwhelmed initially, which highlighted the importance of strong social and academic support to facilitate effective learning
A taxonomic revision of the tube-web spiders of the genus Ariadna (Araneae: Segestriidae) in Tasmania
No full textThe genus Ariadna Audouin, 1826 is revised for Tasmania to include 13 species, ten of which are described as new: Ariadna abbreviata sp. nov., A. alta sp. nov., A. amabilia sp. nov., A. crypticola sp. nov., A. ferrogrisea sp. nov., A. fragilis sp. nov., A. gonzo sp. nov., A. muscosa Hickman, 1929, A. segmentata Simon, 1893, A. subnubilum sp. nov., A. thylacinus sp. nov. and A. tigrina sp. nov.. The species described in this manuscript exhibit high levels of sympatry
Formation kinetics of sol-gel derived LiFePO4 olivine analyzed by reliable non-isothermal approach
No full textThe formation kinetics of LiFePO4 Olivine synthesized through sol-gel route has been studied by non-isothermal approach. LiFePO4 precursors were prepared by mixing lithium dihydrogen phosphate (LiH2PO4) and iron (III) citrate (C6H5FeO7) and subsequently calcined in an Argon atmosphere at temperatures ranged from of 300–900 °C to form LiFePO4 products. Thermal behaviors of calcination process were analyzed by thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) simultaneously, while the mineralogical properties of LiFePO4 were characterized using X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The kinetic parameters were determined by Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW), Kissinger, and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) methods, and the reaction mechanism model was evaluated by Coats–Redfern approach. The results indicated that the reaction model of LiFePO4 formation agreed with the three-dimensional diffusion mechanism. The temperature had an essential role in the synthesis of LiFePO4. The optimum calcination temperature was 700 °C where this condition produced LiFePO4 Olivine with high degree of crystallinity, better lattice parameters and phase purity
Metagenomic sequencing and reverse transcriptase PCR reveal that mobile phones and environmental surfaces are reservoirs of Multidrug-Resistant superbugs and SARS-CoV-2
Get PDFBackground: Mobile phones of healthcare workers (HCWs) can act as fomites in the dissemination of microbes. This study was carried out to investigate microbial contamination of mobile phones of HCWs and environmental samples from the hospital unit using a combination of phenotypic and molecular methods.
Methods: This point prevalence survey was carried out at the Emergency unit of a tertiary care facility. The emergency unit has two zones, a general zone for non-COVID-19 patients and a dedicated COVID-19 zone for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. Swabs were obtained from the mobile phones of HCWs in both zones for bacterial culture and shotgun metagenomic analysis. Metagenomic sequencing of pooled environmental swabs was conducted. RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection was carried out.
Results: Bacteria contamination on culture was detected from 33 (94.2%) mobile phones with a preponderance of Staphylococcus epidermidis (n/N = 18/35), Staphylococcus hominis (n/N = 13/35), and Staphylococcus haemolyticus (n/N = 7/35). Two methicillin-sensitive and three methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and one pan-drug-resistant carbapenemase producer Acinetobacter baumannii were detected. Shotgun metagenomic analysis showed high signature of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mobile phone and environmental samples with preponderance of P. aeruginosa bacteriophages. Malassezia and Aspergillus spp. were the predominant fungi detected. Fourteen mobile phones and one environmental sample harbored protists. P. aeruginosa antimicrobial resistance genes mostly encoding for efflux pump systems were detected. The P. aeruginosa virulent factor genes detected were related to motility, adherence, aggregation, and biofilms. One mobile phone from the COVID-19 zone (n/N = 1/5; 20%) had positive SARS-CoV-2 detection while all other phone and environmental samples were negative.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that mobile phones of HCWs are fomites for potentially pathogenic and highly drug-resistant microbes. The presence of these microbes on the mobile phones and hospital environmental surfaces is a concern as it poses a risk of pathogen transfer to patients and dissemination into the community