Variation in mycorrhizal growth response among a spring wheat mapping population shows potential to breed for symbiotic benefit.

All cereal crops engage in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses which can have profound, but sometimes deleterious, effects on plant nutrient acquisition and growth. The mechanisms underlying variable mycorrhizal responsiveness in cereals are not well characterised or understood. Adapting crops to realise mycorrhizal benefits could reduce fertiliser requirements and improve crop nutrition where fertiliser is unavailable. We conducted a phenotype screen in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), using 99 lines of an Avalon × Cadenza doubled-haploid mapping population. Plants were grown with or without a mixed inoculum containing 5 species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Plant growth, nutrition and mycorrhizal colonisation were quantified. Plant growth response to inoculation was remarkably varied among lines, ranging from more than 30% decrease to 80% increase in shoot biomass. Mycorrhizal plants did not suffer decreasing shoot phosphorus concentration with increasing biomass as observed in their non-mycorrhizal counterparts. The extent to which mycorrhizal inoculation was beneficial for individual lines was negatively correlated with shoot biomass in the non-mycorrhizal state but was not correlated with the extent of mycorrhizal colonisation of roots. Highly variable mycorrhizal responsiveness among closely related wheat lines and the identification of several QTL for these traits suggests the potential to breed for improved crop-mycorrhizal symbiosis.

The evolving battle between yellow rust and wheat: implications for global food security.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a global commodity, and its production is a key component underpinning worldwide food security. Yellow rust, also known as stripe rust, is a wheat disease caused by the fungus Puccinia striiformis Westend f. sp. tritici (Pst), and results in yield losses in most wheat growing areas. Recently, the rapid global spread of genetically diverse sexually derived Pst races, which have now largely replaced the previous clonally propagated slowly evolving endemic populations, has resulted in further challenges for the protection of global wheat yields. However, advances in the application of genomics approaches, in both the host and pathogen, combined with classical genetic approaches, pathogen and disease monitoring, provide resources to help increase the rate of genetic gain for yellow rust resistance via wheat breeding while reducing the carbon footprint of the crop. Here we review key elements in the evolving battle between the pathogen and host, with a focus on solutions to help protect future wheat production from this globally important disease.

Complete third nerve palsy as a presenting feature of an interpeduncular lipoma.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial lipomas are rare, benign lesions, of congenital origin commonly found incidentally on imaging studies. METHODS: We describe a case of interpeduncular lipoma in an 18 year-old female presenting with a painful left complete oculomotor (IIIrd) nerve palsy and associated headache, which to the best of our knowledge has not been reported in an adult patient. RESULTS: Following eye patching and steroid treatment, at 6-week follow-up the patient's pain had significantly improved however the complete IIIrd nerve palsy remained. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests improvement will occur regardless with conservative management independent of radiological changes to the lipoma.

Self-efficacy, support and sustainability - a qualitative study of the experience of establishing breastfeeding for first-time Australian mothers following early discharge.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring women receive optimal breastfeeding support is of key importance to the health of mothers and their infants. Early discharge within 24 h of birth is increasingly common across Australia, and the practice of postnatal home visiting varies between settings. The reduction in length of stay without expansion of home visits reduces midwives' ability to support breastfeeding. The impact of early discharge on first-time mothers establishing breastfeeding was unknown. The study aim was to understand the experiences of first-time Australian mothers establishing breastfeeding when discharged from the hospital within 24 h of a normal vaginal birth. METHODS: A qualitative interpretive method was used. Semi-structured interviews with 12 women following early discharge were conducted. Data were audio recorded, professionally transcribed, and subjected to a thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three interconnected themes of 'self-efficacy', 'support' and 'sustainability' were identified. Self-efficacy influenced the women's readiness and motivation to be discharged home early and played a role in how some of the mothers overcame breastfeeding challenges. Social, semi-professional and professional breastfeeding supports were key in women's experiences. Sustainability referred to and describes what women valued in relation to continuation of their breastfeeding journey. CONCLUSION: This study found accessible people-based breastfeeding services in the community are valued following early discharge. Furthermore, there is demand for more evidence-based breastfeeding educational resources, potentially in the form of interactive applications or websites. Additionally, a focus on holistic and individualised breastfeeding assessment and care plans prior to discharge that link women with ongoing breastfeeding services is paramount.

Humor Styles and Empathy in Junior-School Children.

Humor is a complex phenomenon. For one individual a joke may be perceived as comical, yet for another, the same joke may be deemed completely inappropriate. The appropriate use of humor is perhaps dependent on how a humorist relates to, understands and can empathize with their audience. Thus, the present research aimed to determine whether empathy is related to junior-school children's use of different humor styles. It has been proposed that four styles of humor exist, two of which are thought to be adaptive (affiliative and self-enhancing) and two of which are thought to be maladaptive (aggressive and self-defeating). However, research exploring the role of humor styles in younger children's development has been limited. To investigate this the Humor Styles Questionnaire for young children (HSQ-Y) and the Thinking and Feeling Questionnaire were administered to 214 UK children aged 9-11 years old. Correlational analyses revealed that self-enhancing humor is associated with cognitive empathy, affective empathy and sympathy, affiliative humor is positively associated with cognitive empathy specifically and aggressive humor is negatively associated with affective empathy and sympathy. Possible explanations for these associations are explored, with a consideration of the direction for future research in this predominantly unexplored field of study.

Impact of an emergency department-run clinical decision unit on access block, ambulance ramping and National Emergency Access Target.

OBJECTIVE: ED access block is an ongoing significant problem and has been associated with excess mortality. Multiple models of care have been studied in an effort to improve access block and other key performance indicators (KPIs) of ED. METHODS: This present study describes the impact of a new model of care using an ED led, consultant run clinical decision unit (CDU) on performance, using a retrospective analysis of data for 9 month periods before and after the introduction of the CDU model of care. Primary outcomes were access block (percentage of patients admitted >8 h), discharge National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) adherence and Queensland Ambulance Service level three escalations. RESULTS: After the implementation of the CDU, access block significantly improved. There was a significant improvement in NEAT adherence. Total ambulance ramping time fell by 58% and ambulance service level three escalations fell from 21 to 5 post-CDU implementation. Overall there was no change to hospital mortality numbers. The percentage of patients that did not wait and 30 day representations showed a small but statistically significant decrease. CONCLUSION: In summary, this ED led, consultant run CDU model of care resulted in significantly improved performance on a range of KPIs, including improvement in access block and NEAT figures. The substantial improvements in ambulance ramping and escalations also indicated that the department was able to cope better with periods of high activity.

Longitudinal associations between younger children's humour styles and psychosocial adjustment.

Whilst a multitude of studies have examined links between different styles of humour and aspects of adjustment, longitudinal research is noticeably lacking. Following a study which identified bidirectional associations between humour styles and psychosocial adjustment in older children, the current research aimed to investigate these associations in younger children. In total, 413 children aged 8-11 years completed the humour styles questionnaire for younger children (HSQ-Y) alongside measures of psychosocial adjustment in both the autumn and the summer over the course of a school year. Findings across the school year suggested that children's adjustment may impact significantly on their use of different styles of humour. Further longitudinal research over a longer time period would now be beneficial to further increase our understanding of the associations between humour styles and adjustment throughout development. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Research has identified associations between children's humour styles and psychosocial adjustment. Research with older children has also identified longitudinal associations. What does this study add? This is the first study to identify longitudinal associations between humour styles and adjustment in younger children. This allows for stronger statements to be made about causal relationships.

Breastfeeding initiation and support: A literature review of what women value and the impact of early discharge.

PROBLEM: Early discharge following birth has become an emerging phenomenon in many countries. It is likely early discharge has an impact on the establishment of breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: To critically appraise the evidence on what women value in relation to breastfeeding initiation and support, and investigate the impact early discharge can have on these values. METHOD: A literature search was conducted for publications since 2005 using the following databases: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, Scopus and PsycINFO; 21 primary articles were selected and included in the review. FINDINGS: There is no standard definition for 'early discharge' worldwide. Due to inconsistent definitions worldwide and minimal literature using a 24h definition, research defining early discharge as up to 72h postpartum is included. Seven key factors in relation to breastfeeding initiation and support following early discharge were identified, namely trust and security, consistent advice, practical breastfeeding support, breastfeeding education, comfortable environment, positive attitudes and emotional support, and individualised care. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest individualised postnatal lengths of stay may be beneficial for the initiation of breastfeeding. Five values were not impacted by early discharge, but rather individual midwives' practice. There is consensus in the literature that early discharge promoted a comfortable environment to support breastfeeding initiation. Wide variations in the definition of early postnatal discharge made it difficult to draw influential conclusions. Therefore, further research is required.

Children's Understanding of Self-Focused Humor Styles.

It has been proposed that four main styles of humor exist, two which are thought to be adaptive (affiliative, self-enhancing) and two which are thought to be maladaptive (aggressive, self-defeating). Whilst the existence of these four humor styles has been supported in older children, it is suggested that for younger children, self-enhancing and self-defeating humor may develop at a later point. To investigate this further, the current research involved five semi-structured paired interviews with children aged eight to eleven years to explore the use and understanding of self-enhancing and self-defeating humor in this age group. Findings indicated that use of both self-enhancing and self-defeating humor were apparent in some children, but not all. It therefore seems appropriate that attempts to investigate humor in this age group should aim to include all four styles of humor. The current research also demonstrated the value of paired interviews when carrying out this sort of research with children.