Mapping a candidate gene (MdMYB10) for red flesh and foliage colour in apple

BACKGROUND Integrating plant genomics and classical breeding is a challenge for both plant breeders and molecular biologists. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is a tool that can be used to accelerate the development of novel apple varieties such as cultivars that have fruit with anthocyanin through to the core. In addition, determining the inheritance of novel alleles, such as the one responsible for red flesh, adds to our understanding of allelic variation. Our goal was to map candidate anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes in a population segregating for the red flesh phenotypes. RESULTS We have identified the Rni locus, a major genetic determinant of the red foliage and red colour in the core of apple fruit. In a population segregating for the red flesh and foliage phenotype we have determined the inheritance of the Rni locus and DNA polymorphisms of candidate anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes. Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the candidate genes were also located on an apple genetic map. We have shown that the MdMYB10 gene co-segregates with the Rni locus and is on Linkage Group (LG) 09 of the apple genome. CONCLUSION We have performed candidate gene mapping in a fruit tree crop and have provided genetic evidence that red colouration in the fruit core as well as red foliage are both controlled by a single locus named Rni. We have shown that the transcription factor MdMYB10 may be the gene underlying Rni as there were no recombinants between the marker for this gene and the red phenotype in a population of 516 individuals. Associating markers derived from candidate genes with a desirable phenotypic trait has demonstrated the application of genomic tools in a breeding programme of a horticultural crop species.

Systematic differences in membrane acyl composition associated with varying body mass in mammals occur in all phospholipid classes : an analysis of kidney and brain

The acyl composition of membrane phospholipids in kidney and brain of mammals of different body mass was examined. It was hypothesized that reduction in unsaturation index (number of double bonds per 100 acyl chains) of membrane phospholipids with increasing body mass in mammals would be made-up of similar changes in acyl composition across all phospholipid classes and that phospholipid class distribution would be regulated and similar in the same tissues of the different-sized mammals. The results of this study supported both hypotheses. Differences in membrane phospholipid acyl composition (i. e. decreased omega-3 fats, increased monounsaturated fats and decreased unsaturation index with increasing body size) were not restricted to any specific phospholipid molecule or to any specific phospholipid class but were observed in all phospholipid classes. With increase in body mass of mammals both monounsaturates and use of less unsaturated polyunsaturates increases at the expense of the long-chain highly unsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturates, producing decreases in membrane unsaturation. The distribution of membrane phospholipid classes was essentially the same in the different-sized mammals with phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) together constituting similar to 91% and similar to 88% of all phospholipids in kidney and brain, respectively. The lack of sphingomyelin in the mouse tissues and higher levels in larger mammals suggests an increased presence of membrane lipid rafts in larger mammals. The results of this study support the proposal that the physical properties of membranes are likely to be involved in changing metabolic rate.

Measurement of general and specific approaches to physical activity parenting : a systematic review

Background Parents play a significant role in shaping youth physical activity (PA). However, interventions targeting PA parenting have been ineffective. Methodological inconsistencies related to the measurement of parental influences may be a contributing factor. The purpose of this article is to review the extant peer-reviewed literature related to the measurement of general and specific parental influences on youth PA. Methods A systematic review of studies measuring constructs of PA parenting was conducted. Computerized searches were completed using PubMed, MEDLINE, Academic Search Premier, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO. Reference lists of the identified articles were manually reviewed as well as the authors' personal collections. Articles were selected on the basis of strict inclusion criteria and details regarding the measurement protocols were extracted. A total of 117 articles met the inclusionary criteria. Methodological articles that evaluated the validity and reliability of PA parenting measures (n=10) were reviewed separately from parental influence articles (n=107). Results A significant percentage of studies used measures with indeterminate validity and reliability. A significant percentage of articles did not provide sample items, describe the response format, or report the possible range of scores. No studies were located that evaluated sensitivity to change. Conclusion The reporting of measurement properties and the use of valid and reliable measurement scales need to be improved considerably.

Measuring and influencing physical activity with Smartphone technology : a systematic review

Background Rapid developments in technology have encouraged the use of smartphones in physical activity research, although little is known regarding their effectiveness as measurement and intervention tools. Objective This study systematically reviewed evidence on smartphones and their viability for measuring and influencing physical activity. Data Sources Research articles were identified in September 2013 by literature searches in Web of Knowledge, PubMed, PsycINFO, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect. Study Selection The search was restricted using the terms (physical activity OR exercise OR fitness) AND (smartphone* OR mobile phone* OR cell phone*) AND (measurement OR intervention). Reviewed articles were required to be published in international academic peer-reviewed journals, or in full text from international scientific conferences, and focused on measuring physical activity through smartphone processing data and influencing people to be more active through smartphone applications. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods Two reviewers independently performed the selection of articles and examined titles and abstracts to exclude those out of scope. Data on study characteristics, technologies used to objectively measure physical activity, strategies applied to influence activity; and the main study findings were extracted and reported. Results A total of 26 articles (with the first published in 2007) met inclusion criteria. All studies were conducted in highly economically advantaged countries; 12 articles focused on special populations (e.g. obese patients). Studies measured physical activity using native mobile features, and/or an external device linked to an application. Measurement accuracy ranged from 52 to 100 % (n = 10 studies). A total of 17 articles implemented and evaluated an intervention. Smartphone strategies to influence physical activity tended to be ad hoc, rather than theory-based approaches; physical activity profiles, goal setting, real-time feedback, social support networking, and online expert consultation were identified as the most useful strategies to encourage physical activity change. Only five studies assessed physical activity intervention effects; all used step counts as the outcome measure. Four studies (three pre–post and one comparative) reported physical activity increases (12–42 participants, 800–1,104 steps/day, 2 weeks–6 months), and one case-control study reported physical activity maintenance (n = 200 participants; >10,000 steps/day) over 3 months. Limitations Smartphone use is a relatively new field of study in physical activity research, and consequently the evidence base is emerging. Conclusions Few studies identified in this review considered the validity of phone-based assessment of physical activity. Those that did report on measurement properties found average-to-excellent levels of accuracy for different behaviors. The range of novel and engaging intervention strategies used by smartphones, and user perceptions on their usefulness and viability, highlights the potential such technology has for physical activity promotion. However, intervention effects reported in the extant literature are modest at best, and future studies need to utilize randomized controlled trial research designs, larger sample sizes, and longer study periods to better explore the physical activity measurement and intervention capabilities of smartphones.

A systematic review of community-based interventions for emerging zoonotic diseases in Southeast Asia

Background Southeast Asia has been at the epicentre of recent epidemics of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases. Community-based surveillance and control interventions have been heavily promoted but the most effective interventions have not been identified. Objectives This review evaluated evidence for the effectiveness of community-based surveillance interventions at monitoring and identifying emerging infectious disease; the effectiveness of community-based control interventions at reducing rates of emerging infectious disease; and contextual factors that influence intervention effectiveness. Inclusion criteria Participants Communities in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. Types of intervention(s) Non-pharmaceutical, non-vaccine, and community-based surveillance or prevention and control interventions targeting rabies, Nipah virus , dengue, SARS or avian influenza. Types of outcomes Primary outcomes: measures: of infection or disease; secondary outcomes: measures of intervention function. Types of studies Original quantitative studies published in English. Search strategy Databases searched (1980 to 2011): PubMed, CINAHL, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Science Direct, Cochrane database of systematic reviews, WHOLIS, British Development Library, LILACS, World Bank (East Asia), Asian Development Bank. Methodological quality Two independent reviewers critically appraised studies using standard Joanna Briggs Institute instruments. Disagreements were resolved through discussion. Data extraction A customised tool was used to extract quantitative data on intervention(s), populations, study methods, and primary and secondary outcomes; and qualitative contextual information or narrative evidence about interventions. Data synthesis Data was synthesised in a narrative summary with the aid of tables. Meta-analysis was used to statistically pool quantitative results. Results Fifty-seven studies were included. Vector control interventions using copepods, environmental cleanup and education are effective and sustainable at reducing dengue in rural and urban communities, whilst insecticide spraying is effective in urban outbreak situations. Community-based surveillance interventions can effectively identify avian influenza in backyard flocks, but have not been broadly applied. Outbreak control interventions for Nipah virus and SARS are effective but may not be suitable for ongoing control. Canine vaccination and education is more acceptable than culling, but still fails to reach coverage levels required to effectively control rabies. Contextual factors were identified that influence community engagement with, and ultimately effectiveness of, interventions. Conclusion Despite investment in community-based disease control and surveillance in Southeast Asia, published evidence evaluating interventions is limited in quantity and quality. Nonetheless this review identified a number of effective interventions, and several contextual factors influencing effectiveness. Identification of the best programs will require comparative evidence of effectiveness acceptability, cost-effectiveness and sustainability.

Anti-wind-up designs for dynamic positioning of marine vehicles with control allocation

This paper presents a framework for the design of a joint motion controller and a control allocation strategy for dynamic positioning of marine vehicles. The key aspects of the proposed designs are a systematic approach to deal with actuator saturation and to inform the motion controller about saturation. The proposed system uses a mapping that translates the actuator constraint sets into constraint sets at the motion controller level. Hence, while the motion controller addresses the constraints, the control allocation algorithm can solve an unconstrained optimisation problem. The constrained control design is approached using a multivariable anti-wind-up strategy for strictly proper controllers. This is applicable to the implementation of PI and PID type of motion controllers.

The effectiveness of information-sharing interventions as a means to reduce anxiety in families waiting for surgical patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure : a systematic review protocol

Review question/objective What are the most effective information sharing strategies used to reduce anxiety in families of patients undergoing elective surgery? This review seeks to synthesize the best available evidence in relation to the most effective information-sharing intervention to reduce anxiety for families waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure. The specific objectives are to review the effectiveness of evidence of interventions designed to reduce the anxiety of families waiting whilst their loved one undergoes a surgical intervention. A variety of interventions exist and include surgical nurse liaison services, intraoperative reporting either by face-to-face or telephone delivery, informational cards, visual information screens, and intraoperative paging devices for families. Inclusion criteria Types of participants All studies of family members over 18 years of age waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure will be included, including those waiting for both adult and paediatric patients. Studies of families waiting for other patient populations, eg emergency surgery, chemotherapy or intensive care patients will be excluded. Types of intervention(s)/phenomena of interest All information-sharing Interventions for families of patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure will be included, including but not limited to: surgical nurse liaison services, in-person intraoperative reporting, visual information screens, paging devices, informational cards and telephone delivery of intraoperative progress reports. Interventions that take place during the intraoperative phase of care only will be included in the review. Preadmission information sharing interventions will be excluded. Types of outcomes The outcomes of interest include: Primary outcome: the level of anxiety amongst family members or close relatives whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, as measured by a validated instrument (such as the S-Anxiety portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory).4 Secondary outcomes: family satisfaction and other measurements that may be considered indicators of stress and anxiety, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate.

ACE research vignette 036 : SMEs, Growth, and Job Creation: Lessons from Systematic Research

This series of research vignettes is aimed at sharing current and interesting research findings from our team of international Entrepreneurship researchers. This vignette, written by Professor Per Davidsson, summarises some important, stylized facts about small and medium enterprises (SMEs), growth, and job creation. It was specially prepared for “The G20 Agenda for Growth: Opportunities for SMEs Conference” in Melbourne, June 20, 2014. For this reason its format deviates slightly from other vignettes in the series.

The application of luminance mapping to discomfort glare : a modified glare index for green buildings

Unfortunately, there is no reliable method to adequately quantify discomfort glare. One of the world's largest investigations on discomfort glare was conducted in five Green Star office buildings in Brisbane. Luminance mapping via high dynamic range images and Post Occupancy Evaluation surveys were used in the data collection. A new glare index, termed the Unified Glare Probability, was developed to predict discomfort glare within these types of office buildings.

Progress and challenges in the implementation of Electronic Medical Records in Saudi Arabia : a systematic review

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems are being implemented increasingly worldwide. Saudi Arabia is one of the developing countries that commenced implementing such systems in 1988. Whilst EMR uptake has been low in Saudi Arabia until now, a number of hospitals have implemented EMR systems successfully. This paper analyses available studies (n = 28) in the literature regarding EMR implementation in Saudi Arabia to identify the progress of EMR implementation to date and to identify the facilitators and barriers to implementation.

Fashion meets journalism : mapping and evaluating Australian fashion journalism

Fashion journalism can be understood as a complex, inter-dependent set of professional practices that have arisen in a variety of media at the intersection of fashion and journalism. This thesis, Fashion Meets Journalism: Mapping and Evaluating Australian Fashion Journalism, answers the question, 'What is Australian fashion journalism?' in three stages: First, it maps the extent of fashion journalism across media in Australia to locate the field and focus on the sites of fashion journalism; second, it foregrounds practices of the journalism branch, evaluating how and why the field is pitted against other types of journalism when they share an inter-dependent set of professional practices. The opinions of leading industry producers are also sought regarding the matter. Then, considering the current position of fashion journalism, implications for fashion media and journalism are explored in order to improve the visibility of fashion journalism and solidify it as a professional practice.

Systematic integration of human factors in the specification of requirements for new railway technologies

Engineering design processes are necessary to attain the requisite standards of integrity for high-assurance safety-related systems. Additionally, human factors design initiatives can provide critical insights that parameterise their development. Unfortunately, the popular perception of human factors as a “forced marriage” between engineering and psychology often provokes views where the ‘human factor’ is perceived as a threat to systems design. Some popular performance-based standards for developing safety-related systems advocate identifying and managing human factors throughout the system lifecycle. However, they also have a tendency to fall short in their guidance on the application of human factors methods and tools, let alone how the outputs generated can be integrated in to various stages of the design process. This case study describes a project that converged engineering with human factors to develop a safety argument for new low-cost railway level crossing technology for system-wide implementation in Australia. The paper enjoins the perspectives of a software engineer and cognitive psychologist and their involvement in the project over two years of collaborative work to develop a safety argument for low-cost level crossing technology. Safety and reliability requirements were informed by applying human factors analytical tools that supported the evaluation and quantification of human reliability where users interfaced with the technology. The project team was confronted with significant challenges in cross-disciplinary engagement, particularly with the complexities of dealing with incongruences in disciplinary language. They were also encouraged to think ‘outside the box’ as to how users of a system interpreted system states and ehaviour. Importantly, some of these states, while considered safe within the boundary of the constituent systems that implemented safety-related functions, could actually lead the users to engage in deviant behaviour. Psychology explained how user compliance could be eroded to levels that effectively undermined levels of risk reduction afforded by systems. Linking the engineering and psychology disciplines intuitively, overall safety performance was improved by introducing technical requirements and making design decisions that minimized the system states and behaviours that led to user deviancy. As a commentary on the utility of transdisciplinary collaboration for technical specification, the processes used to bridge the two disciplines are conceptualised in a graphical model.

Mapping eQTLs in the Norfolk Island genetic isolate identifies candidate genes for CVD risk traits

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects millions of people worldwide and is influenced by numerous factors, including lifestyle and genetics. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) influence gene expression and are good candidates for CVD risk. Founder-effect pedigrees can provide additional power to map genes associated with disease risk. Therefore, we identified eQTLs in the genetic isolate of Norfolk Island (NI) and tested for associations between these and CVD risk factors. We measured genome-wide transcript levels of blood lymphocytes in 330 individuals and used pedigree-based heritability analysis to identify heritable transcripts. eQTLs were identified by genome-wide association testing of these transcripts. Testing for association between CVD risk factors (i.e., blood lipids, blood pressure, and body fat indices) and eQTLs revealed 1,712 heritable transcripts (p < 0.05) with heritability values ranging from 0.18 to 0.84. From these, we identified 200 cis-acting and 70 trans-acting eQTLs (p < 1.84 × 10(-7)) An eQTL-centric analysis of CVD risk traits revealed multiple associations, including 12 previously associated with CVD-related traits. Trait versus eQTL regression modeling identified four CVD risk candidates (NAAA, PAPSS1, NME1, and PRDX1), all of which have known biological roles in disease. In addition, we implicated several genes previously associated with CVD risk traits, including MTHFR and FN3KRP. We have successfully identified a panel of eQTLs in the NI pedigree and used this to implicate several genes in CVD risk. Future studies are required for further assessing the functional importance of these eQTLs and whether the findings here also relate to outbred populations.

Can physical activity prevent physical and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women? A systematic review of the literature

Background Participation in regular physical activity is among the most promising and cost effective strategies to reduce physical and cognitive decline and premature death. However, confusion remains about the amount, frequency, and duration of physical activity that is likely to provide maximum benefit as well as the way in which interventions should be delivered. Aims This paper aimed to review research on the impact of leisure-time and general physical activity levels on physical and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women. In a systematic review of the literature, empirical literature from 2009-2013 is reviewed to explore the potential impact of either commencing or sustaining physical activity on older women’s health. Results All studies found that physical activity was associated with lower rates of cognitive and physical decline and a significant reduction in all-cause mortality. In this review we found that exercise interventions (or lifestyle activities) that improved cardiorespiratory exercise capacity showed the most positive impact on physical health. Conclusions Findings suggest that programs should facilitate and support women to participate in regular exercise by embedding physical activity programs in public health initiatives, by developing home-based exercise programs that require few resources and by creating interventions that can incorporate physical activity within a healthy lifestyle. The review also suggests that clinicians should consider prescribing exercise in a tailored manner for older women to ensure that it is of a high enough intensity to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise.

How to sequence and annotate insect mitochondrial genomes for systematic and comparative genomics research

Over the past decade the mitochondrial (mt) genome has become the most widely used genomic resource available for systematic entomology. While the availability of other types of ‘–omics’ data – in particular transcriptomes – is increasing rapidly, mt genomes are still vastly cheaper to sequence and are far less demanding of high quality templates. Furthermore, almost all other ‘–omics’ approaches also sequence the mt genome, and so it can form a bridge between legacy and contemporary datasets. Mitochondrial genomes have now been sequenced for all insect orders, and in many instances representatives of each major lineage within orders (suborders, series or superfamilies depending on the group). They have also been applied to systematic questions at all taxonomic scales from resolving interordinal relationships (e.g. Cameron et al., 2009; Wan et al., 2012; Wang et al., 2012), through many intraordinal (e.g. Dowton et al., 2009; Timmermans et al., 2010; Zhao et al. 2013a) and family-level studies (e.g. Nelson et al., 2012; Zhao et al., 2013b) to population/biogeographic studies (e.g. Ma et al., 2012). Methodological issues around the use of mt genomes in insect phylogenetic analyses and the empirical results found to date have recently been reviewed by Cameron (2014), yet the technical aspects of sequencing and annotating mt genomes were not covered. Most papers which generate new mt genome report their methods in a simplified form which can be difficult to replicate without specific knowledge of the field. Published studies utilize a sufficiently wide range of approaches, usually without justification for the one chosen, that confusion about commonly used jargon such as ‘long PCR’ and ‘primer walking’ could be a serious barrier to entry. Furthermore, sequenced mt genomes have been annotated (gene locations defined) to wildly varying standards and improving data quality through consistent annotation procedures will benefit all downstream users of these datasets. The aims of this review are therefore to: 1. Describe in detail the various sequencing methods used on insect mt genomes; 2. Explore the strengths/weakness of different approaches; 3. Outline the procedures and software used for insect mt genome annotation, and; 4. Highlight quality control steps used for new annotations, and to improve the re-annotation of previously sequenced mt genomes used in systematic or comparative research.