Standard setting anchor statements: a double cross-over trial of two different methods.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. We challenge the philosophical acceptability of the Angoff method, and propose an alternative method of standard setting based on how important it is for candidates to know the material each test item assesses, and how difficult it is for a subgroup of candidates to answer each item.

Host Range Expansion of an Endemic Insect Herbivore is Associated With High Nitrogen and Low Fibre Content in Exotic Pasture Plants.

Endemic moth species of the genus Wiseana spp. (Hepialidae) have become serious pests of introduced pasture plants in New Zealand. The original native host plants of these moths have not been confirmed.

Development of a Yersinia entomophaga bait for control of larvae of the porina moth (Wiseana spp.), a pest of New Zealand improved grassland systems.

Background: Porina is the common name for moths and larvae of the genus Wiseana (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), some of which are significant pasture pests in New Zealand. Because of environmental concerns and the non-target effects of insecticide control measures, biological alternatives for the control of insect pests such as porina are required.

Results: Using a food preference assay and time-lapse photography, a range of low-cost food ingredients were assessed for their palatability to porina larvae.

Impact of Progress testing on the learning experiences of students in medicine, dentistry and dental therapy.

Aims: To investigate the impact of progress testing on the learning experiences of undergraduate students in three programs namely, medicine, dentistry and dental therapy.

Methods: Participants were invited to respond to an online questionnaire to share their perceptions and experiences of progress testing. Responses were recorded anonymously, but data on their program, year of study, age, gender, and ethnicity were also captured on a voluntary basis.

Genetic variation within species and haplotypes of the Wiseana (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) complex and development of non-sequenced based identification tools to aid field studies.

Background: Porina is the common name used to describe moths and caterpillars of the seven endemic species and three haplotypes of Wiseana in New Zealand. Several species have adapted to eating introduced pasture plants; however, a paucity of defining morphological characteristics has meant that porina are grouped as indistinguishable species within a complex. This study aimed to develop non-sequencing identification methods for porina species.

A novel method for non-invasively detecting the severity and location of aortic aneurysms.

The influence of an aortic aneurysm on blood flow waveforms is well established, but how to exploit this link for diagnostic purposes still remains challenging. This work uses a combination of experimental and computational modelling to study how aneurysms of various size affect the waveforms. Experimental studies are carried out on fusiform-type aneurysm models, and a comparison of results with those from a one-dimensional fluid-structure interaction model shows close agreement.

Is the Invasive Species Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (Argentine Stem Weevil) a Threat to New Zealand Natural Grassland Ecosystems?

Listronotus bonariensis (Argentine stem weevil) is a stem-boring weevil that has become a major pasture pest in New Zealand, and cool climate turf grass in Australia. This species is also frequently found in native tussock grassland in New Zealand. Laboratory and field trials were established to determine the risk posed to both seedlings and established plants of three native grass species compared to what happens with a common host of this species, hybrid ryegrass (L.

Regulation of protein-ligand binding affinity by hydrogen bond pairing.

Hydrogen (H)-bonds potentiate diverse cellular functions by facilitating molecular interactions. The mechanism and the extent to which H-bonds regulate molecular interactions are a largely unresolved problem in biology because the H-bonding process continuously competes with bulk water. This interference may significantly alter our understanding of molecular function, for example, in the elucidation of the origin of enzymatic catalytic power.

Non-invasive imaging of tumors by monitoring autotaxin activity using an enzyme-activated near-infrared fluorogenic substrate.

Autotaxin (ATX), an autocrine motility factor that is highly upregulated in metastatic cancer, is a lysophospholipase D enzyme that produces the lipid second messenger lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) from lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). Dysregulation of the lysolipid signaling pathway is central to the pathophysiology of numerous cancers, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory diseases. Consequently, the ATX/LPA pathway has emerged as an important source of biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Alcohol 'pre-loading': a review of the literature.

Aim: To review the international literature concerning pre-loading (PL); this is drinking before going out to pubs and bars.

Method: A literature review conducted in May 2013 using the EBSCO database entering the following search terms 'pre-loading', 'front-loading', 'pre-partying' and 'pre-drinking'. Thereafter, the reference lists were checked for further relevant articles.

An interesting case of acute, severe postoperative hyponatraemia following carotid endarterectomy.

A 62-year-old man with no major comorbidities became acutely hyponatraemic on the second postoperative day following a routine carotid endarterectomy. He developed a headache, became hypertensive and confused, and then had a seizure and required intubation and admission to the intensive care unit. A CT angiogram of his head and carotid arteries was normal, as was a subsequent MRI head.

Home drinking in the UK: trends and causes.

Aims: To explore the trend in the UK to consume alcohol at home rather than at licensed premises.

Methods: A Medline search entering the terms 'home drinking', 'alcohol' and 'adult' covering the period 2000-2011 yielded 48 articles, of which 6 met the criteria to be included in the review. Grey literature including survey and market research data were reviewed.

Impelling and inhibitory forces in aggression: sex-of-target and relationship effects.

The finding of symmetry in intimate partner aggression is now generally accepted, but the convergence of male and female rates in these relationships remains unexplained. From qualitative analysis of male and female focus group discussions, we identified factors believed to influence the expression of aggression toward targets differing in sex and degree of intimacy. These factors were then used to construct a questionnaire in which 355 respondents indicated the applicability of the items to conflicts with a partner, a same-sex friend, and an opposite-sex friend.

A chemical proteomics approach to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling in macrophages.

Prior work using lipid-based affinity matrices has been done to investigate distinct sets of lipid-binding proteins, and one series of experiments has proven successful in mammalian cells for the proteome-wide identification of lipid-binding proteins. However, most lipid-based proteomics screens require scaled up sample preparation, are often composed of multiple cell types, and are not adapted for simultaneous signal transduction studies. Herein we provide a chemical proteomics strategy that uses cleavable lipid "baits" with broad applicability to diverse biological samples.

Fluorogenic phospholipid substrate to detect lysophospholipase D/autotaxin activity.

[reaction: see text] Lysophospholipase D (lysoPLD), also known as autotaxin (ATX), is an important source of the potent mitogen lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Two fluorogenic substrate analogues for lysoPLD were synthesized in nine steps from (S)-PMB-glycerol. The substrates (FS-2 and FS-3) show significant increases in fluorescence when treated with recombinant ATX and have potential applications in screening for this emerging drug target.

Phosphoinositide-containing polymerized liposomes: stable membrane-mimetic vesicles for protein-lipid binding analysis.

Stable phosphoinositide (PIP(n))-containing liposomes were prepared using polydiacetylene photochemistry. Tethered pentacosadiynyl inositol polyphosphate (InsP(n)) analogues of Ins(1,3,4)P(3), Ins(1,4,5)P(3), and Ins(1,3,4,5)P(4) were synthesized, incorporated into vesicles made up of diyne-phosphatidylcholine and -phosphatidylethanolamine, and polymerized by UV irradiation. The polymerized liposome nanoparticles showed markedly increased stability over conventional PIP(n)-containing vesicles as a result of the covalent conjugated ene-yne network in the acyl chains.

Modification of protein sub-nuclear localization by synthetic phosphoinositides: evidence for nuclear phosphoinositide signaling mechanisms.

PtdInsPs are critical signaling molecules that regulate diverse cellular functions. One method to study PtdInsP biology involves using synthetic PtdInsP analogs to activate endogenous PtdInsP-mediated events in living cells. Such methodology has been successfully employed to explore the role of several PtdInsP-biological outcomes in the cytoplasm.

A PHD finger motif in the C terminus of RAG2 modulates recombination activity.

The RAG1 and RAG2 proteins catalyze V(D)J recombination and are essential for generation of the diverse repertoire of antigen receptor genes and effective immune responses. RAG2 is composed of a "core" domain that is required for the recombination reaction and a C-terminal nonessential or "non-core" region. Recent evidence has emerged arguing that the non-core region plays a critical regulatory role in the recombination reaction, and mutations in this region have been identified in patients with immunodeficiencies.

Lysophosphatidic acid production and action: validated targets in cancer?

The completion of the human genome project, the evolution of transcriptional profiling and the emergence of proteomics have focused attention on these areas in the pathophysiology and therapy of cancer. The role of lysophospholipids as potential mediators in cancer pathophysiology, screening and management has taken a major leap forward with the recent cloning of several enzymes involved in the metabolism of lysophospholipids. Lysophospholipids, although small molecules, contain a high "informational" content.

Multivalent mechanism of membrane insertion by the FYVE domain.

Targeting of a wide variety of proteins to membranes involves specific recognition of phospholipid head groups and insertion into lipid bilayers. For example, proteins that contain FYVE domains are recruited to endosomes through interaction with phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns(3)P). However, the structural mechanism of membrane docking and insertion by this domain remains unclear.

Validation of multimedia models assessing exposure to PAHs--the SOLEX study.

Polluted soils have become a public health problem. While population exposure to soil pollutants is generally quantified using multimedia models, their estimations have not been validated, and studies that attempted to do so are scarce. The objective of the SOLEX study was to compare the predictions of pyrene exposure levels (converted into 1 hydroxypyrene) computed by several models with the results of urinary 1-hydropyrene (1-HOP) assays among 110 employees working at three sites polluted during their past use as manufactured gas plants.

Liver albumin synthesis in sepsis in the rat: influence of parenteral nutrition, glutamine and growth hormone.

The effect of sepsis on liver synthesis of albumin remains controversial, with studies in man suggesting that synthesis increases, whereas in animals increased, decreased and unaltered synthesis have been reported. To reconcile these conflicting data, total and relative albumin synthesis was measured in rats 24 h after caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) by immunoprecipitation of albumin following a flooding dose of L-[4-3H]phenylalanine. Following CLP, animals were starved for 18 h and then received intravenous infusions of saline or parenteral nutrition (PN) with or without glutamine for 6 h.