An efficient and effective RNA extraction protocol for ferns.

Premise: The extraction of high-quality RNA is the critical first step for the analysis of gene expression and gene space. This remains particularly challenging in plants, and especially in ferns, where the disruption of the cell wall and separation of organic compounds from nucleic acids is not trivial.

Methods: We developed a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-based RNA extraction protocol that consistently performs well across a large phylogenetic breadth of ferns-a lineage of plants high in secondary compounds-and in an array of tissue types.

Perceptions of Illness Control, Coherence, and Self-Efficacy Following a Web-Based Lifestyle Program for Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Analysis of Semistructured Interviews.

Background: Evidence suggests that illness perceptions held by people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) impact affective distress and physical health outcomes. In a randomized controlled trial, we developed 2 MS Online Courses-the standard care course and the intervention course (IC). The IC was adapted from an evidence-based lifestyle program.

A logic-based resilience metric for water resource recovery facilities.

This study develops quantifiable metrics to describe the resilience of Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs) under extreme stress events, including those posed by long-term challenges such as climate change and population growth. Resilience is the ability of the WRRFs to withstand adverse events while maintaining compliance or an operational level of service. Existing studies lack standardised resilience measurement methods.

A mobile app for chronic disease self-management for individuals with low health literacy: A multisite randomized controlled clinical trial.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a mobile app designed to improve chronic disease self-management in patients 40 years and older with low health literacy and who had at least one chronic health condition, and to assess the impact of delivering information at different levels of reading difficulty. A randomized controlled trial was completed at two sites. Individuals aged 40 years and older screened for low health literacy who had at least one chronic health condition were randomly assigned to a tailored information multimedia app with text at one of three grade levels.