Colour-analyzer: a new dual colour model-based imaging tool to quantify plant disease.

Background: Despite major efforts over the last decades, the rising demands of the growing global population makes it of paramount importance to increase crop yields and reduce losses caused by plant pathogens. One way to tackle this is to screen novel resistant genotypes and immunity-inducing agents, which must be conducted in a high-throughput manner.

Results: Colour-analyzer is a free web-based tool that can be used to rapidly measure the formation of lesions on leaves.

Truncated variants of Ca-dependent protein kinases: a conserved regulatory mechanism?

Recent studies suggest that immune-induced alternative splice variants of the Arabidopsis thaliana Ca-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) AtCPK28 may result in signal attenuation. We put forward the hypothesis that expression of alternative truncated variants may be a broadly conserved regulatory mechanism of CDPKs throughout the green lineage.

Smoking cessation counselling training in the pre-clerkship curriculum of Canadian medical schools: A national survey.

Background: Cigarette use is Canada's leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death. The Medical Council of Canada requires that physicians be able to address tobacco-use, however smoking cessation counselling (SCC) training remains largely neglected in the pre-clerkship curricula of many Canadian medical schools.

Methods: Between July and October of 2015, Canada's 17 medical schools were invited to participate in an administrative survey: .

Neuromechanical response to spinal manipulation therapy: effects of a constant rate of force application.

Background: Neuromechanical responses to spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) have been shown to be modulated through the variation of SMT biomechanical parameters: peak force, time to peak force, and preload force. Although rate of force application was modulated by the variation of these parameters, the assumption that neuromuscular responses are modulated by the rate of force application remains to be confirmed. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a constant rate of force application in neuromechanical responses to SMT in healthy adults.

Male crickets adjust their aggressive behavior when a female is present.

Communication in nature often occurs within a broad social network, as signals can be perceived by other individuals beyond the primary intended receiver. Because signals often contain information about the signaller's quality, receivers other than the primary intended receiver may use this information in future interactions with the signaller. As a result, individuals who adjust their behavior depending on who is present may experience a selective advantage.

Correlation of expertise with error detection skills of force application during spinal manipulation learning.

Objective: Most studies on spinal manipulation learning demonstrate the relevance of including motor learning strategies in chiropractic curricula. Two outcomes of practice are the production of movement in an efficient manner and the improved capability of learners to evaluate their own motor performance. The goals of this study were to evaluate if expertise is associated with increased spinal manipulation proficiency and if error detection skills of force application during a high-velocity low-amplitude spinal manipulation are related to expertise.

Test-retest reliability of trunk motor variability measured by large-array surface electromyography.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the trunk muscle activity distribution in asymptomatic participants during muscle fatigue using large-array surface electromyography (EMG).

Methods: Trunk muscle activity distribution was evaluated twice, with 3 to 4 days between them, in 27 asymptomatic volunteers using large-array surface EMG. Motor variability, assessed with 2 different variables (the centroid coordinates of the root mean square map and the dispersion variable), was evaluated during a low back muscle fatigue task.

The role of preload forces in spinal manipulation: experimental investigation of kinematic and electromyographic responses in healthy adults.

Objectives: Previous studies have identified preload forces and an important feature of skillful execution of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) as performed by manual therapists (eg, doctors of chiropractic and osteopathy). It has been suggested that applying a gradual force before the thrust increases the spinal unit stiffness, minimizing displacement during the thrust. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess the vertebral unit biomechanical and neuromuscular responses to a graded increase of preload forces.

Thiophosphate and thiophosphonate analogues of glucose-1-phosphate: synthesis and enzymatic activity with a thymidylyltransferase.

Synthetic methods were investigated for the preparation of O and S-glucosyl thiophosphates and glucosyl 1C-thiophosphonate. Four protected glucosyl thiophosphate compounds were synthesized and characterized as precursors to glucose 1-thiophosphate. The effect of various reaction conditions and the nature of the carbohydrate and thiophosphate protecting groups and how they impact both the yields and α/β diastereoselectivity of the glucosyl thiophosphate products were explored.

The effect of bisphosphonate acidity on the activity of a thymidylyltransferase.

Thymidylyltransferases (thymidine diphospho pyrophosphorylases) are nucleotidylyltransferases that play key roles in the biosynthesis of carbohydrate components within bacterial cell walls and in the biosynthesis of glycosylated natural products. They catalyze the formation of sugar nucleotides concomitant with the release of pyrophosphate. Protein engineering of thymidylyltransferases has been an approach for the production of a variety of non-physiological sugar nucleotides.

[Psychometric properties of a psychological well-being test for people with physical impairments].

Measuring the psychological well-being of people with physical impairments could provide relevant information to occupational therapists. The aim of this study was to verify psychometric properties of a psychological well-being test called Test de personnalité PER (PER). This test was administered to two samples of people with physical impairments.

Information-processing speed and assessment of early response latency among stroke patients.

The development of assessment methods for estimating and predicting amount of functional impairment among stroke patients is important for planning rehabilitation. This study explored the contribution of speed of information processing and response latency in the assessment of 39 stroke patients. Functional impairment was assessed among these patients using the Functional Independence Measure, administered within 72 hours of admission to a rehabilitation center.

Social cost of pathological gambling.

Pathological gambling creates enormous problems for the afflicted individuals, their families, employers, and society, and has numerous disastrous financial consequences. The present study evaluates the financial burdens of pathological gambling by questioning pathological gamblers in treatment in Gamblers Anonymous (n=60; 56 males, 4 females; mean age = 40 years old) about personal debts, loss of productivity at work, illegal activities, medical costs and the presence of other dependencies. Results show that important debts, loss of productivity at work and legal problems are associated with pathological gambling.

Computerized cognitive training with learning disabled students: a pilot study.

The effects of practicing computerized exercises in class by 59 learning disabled students who received an 8-hr. training program, 30 min. per week, were evaluated.