Neurophysiological action of centrally-acting spider toxin polypeptides derived from Hadronyche versuta and Tegenaria agrestis venoms.

Established dogma concerning the action of insecticidal arthropod-derived peptides (e.g., scorpion toxins), was that they acted on the peripheral nervous system and were excluded from the central nervous system (CNS) by barrier systems.

Universal logic with encoded spin qubits in silicon.

Quantum computation features known examples of hardware acceleration for certain problems, but is challenging to realize because of its susceptibility to small errors from noise or imperfect control. The principles of fault tolerance may enable computational acceleration with imperfect hardware, but they place strict requirements on the character and correlation of errors. For many qubit technologies, some challenges to achieving fault tolerance can be traced to correlated errors arising from the need to control qubits by injecting microwave energy matching qubit resonances.

A Flexible Design Platform for Si/SiGe Exchange-Only Qubits with Low Disorder.

Spin-based silicon quantum dots are an attractive qubit technology for quantum information processing with respect to coherence time, control, and engineering. Here we present an exchange-only Si qubit device platform that combines the throughput of CMOS-like wafer processing with the versatility of direct-write lithography. The technology, which we coin "SLEDGE", features dot-shaped gates that are patterned simultaneously on one topographical plane and subsequently connected by vias to interconnect metal lines.

Geographic distribution of Ovavesicula popilliae in the United States and sensitivity of visual diagnosis compared with qPCR detection.

The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is one of the most destructive invasive pests in North America, causing significant economic impact to many fruit crops, turfgrass and the nursery industry. A microsporidian pathogen of Japanese beetle, Ovavesicula popilliae, discovered in 1985, proliferates in the Malpighian tubules of larvae and adults, disrupting waste-removal, mineral filtering, and fluid balance in heavily infected individuals. Most infected larvae do not survive from fall to spring, and egg production by infected females is reduced by 50%.

Leaching of insecticides used in blueberry production and their toxicity to red worm.

Soil columns were collected from a blueberry field, and insecticide solutions were allowed to leach through these columns. Insecticides from four different chemical classes were applied at two different rates: the concentration at which the insecticides wash off blueberries under rainfall conditions and the labeled field rate at which they are sprayed. The soil columns were divided into thirds; top, middle and bottom.

A Case of Lassa Fever Diagnosed at a Community Hospital-Minnesota 2014.

Background: In April 2014, a 46-year-old returning traveler from Liberia was transported by emergency medical services to a community hospital in Minnesota with fever and altered mental status. Twenty-four hours later, he developed gingival bleeding. Blood samples tested positive for Lassa fever RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

Histories of host shifts and cospeciation among free-living parasitoids of Rhagoletis flies.

Host shifts by specialist insects can lead to reproductive isolation between insect populations that use different hosts, promoting diversification. When both a phytophagous insect and its ancestrally associated parasitoid shift to the same novel host plant, they may cospeciate. However, because adult parasitoids are free living, they can also colonize novel host insects and diversify independent of their ancestral host insect.

Rainfastness of insecticides used to control Japanese beetle in blueberries.

Field-based bioassays were used to determine the relative impact of rainfall on the relative toxicity of four insecticides, phosmet, carbaryl, zeta-cypermethrin, or imidacloprid, from different chemical classes on adult Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman, in highbush blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum L. Bioassays were set up 24 h after spraying occurred and Japanese beetle condition was scored as alive, knockdown or immobile 1, 24, and 48 h after bioassay setup. All insecticides were significantly more toxic than the untreated control and zeta-cypermethrin consistently had the greatest toxic effect against the Japanese beetles.

Rainfastness and residual activity of insecticides to control Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: scarabaeidae) in Grapes.

Field-based bioassays and residue profile analysis were used to determine the relative toxicity, rainfastness, and field degradation over time of five insecticides from five insecticide classes on adult Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in grapes, Vitis labrusca L. Bioassays assessed Japanese beetle condition as alive, knockdown, or immobile when exposed for 24 h or 7-d field-aged residues of phosmet, carbaryl, bifenthrin, thiamethoxam, or indoxacarb after 0, 12.7, or 25.

Saving Mothers' Lives: Reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer: 2006-2008. The Eighth Report of the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom.

In the triennium 2006-2008, 261 women in the UK died directly or indirectly related to pregnancy. The overall maternal mortality rate was 11.39 per 100,000 maternities.

Unusual cause of a pulsatile abdominal mass.

A case of pulsation in the abdomen induced by a maladjusted cardiac pacemaker-CRT (cardiac resynchronisation therapy) with an implantable defibrillator is presented. The CRT stimulated the diaphragm causing a repetitive contraction synchronised with the heart beat, giving the picture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The new consultant survey 2005.

Background: Consultants in emergency medicine have to deal with a wide range of problems, many of which they will not have encountered during their training. One way to assess the adequacy of specialist training is to ask recently appointed consultants whether or not they feel adequately prepared for their role.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent out to 60 newly appointed consultants in emergency medicine in January and February 2005 and the results analysed.

Improving the delivery of analgesia to children in pain.

Objectives: To improve the time taken for children arriving to the accident and emergency (A&E) department in pain to receive analgesia. Delivery within 30 minutes of triage was taken as an achievable goal.

Methods: 262 children who had received analgesia in the "minor injuries" area of West Middlesex University Hospital A&E department were studied over a four month period.

Spontaneous carotid artery dissection presenting as migraine--a diagnosis not to be missed.

Two cases are reported in which the diagnosis of a serious condition was delayed as the symptoms had been attributed to migraine. Spontaneous carotid artery dissection is a serious but treatable cause of headache that may be misdiagnosed as recent onset migraine. The importance of correctly identifying this condition is emphasised.

An audit of litigation costs in four accident and emergency departments.

Objective: To carry out an audit of cases of litigation relating to accident and emergency departments to determine the outcome and costs to the hospitals involved.

Methods: The experience of four similar hospitals was examined over a three year period. All cases which required at least an exchange of solicitors' letters were included.

Fatal bronchospasm after oral ingestion of isphagula.

We report the case of a 40-year-old asthmatic who suffered fatal bronchospasm following oral injestion of a laxative containing isphagula.

'Bats below the bridge': is a potentially treatable neurovascular disorder being underdiagnosed in accident and emergency departments?

Basilar artery thrombosis (BATS) is a progressive disorder which may present with fluctuating neurological signs of varying degrees of severity. Unless the diagnosis is considered, the confused young patient may be thought to be under the influence of drugs or to be psychologically ill, and indeed the Munchausen syndrome may be considered. The more elderly patient may be diagnosed simply as having had a cerebrovascular accident.