Nosema bombycis is a destructive and specific intracellular parasite of silkworm, which is extremely harmful to the silkworm industry. N. bombycis is considered as a quarantine pathogen of sericulture because of its long incubation period and horizontal and vertical transmission. Herein, two single-chain antibodies targeting N. bombycis hexokinase (NbHK) were cloned and expressed in fusion with the N-terminal of Slmb (a Drosophila melanogaster FBP), which contains the F-box domain. Western blotting demonstrated that Sf9-III cells expressed NSlmb–scFv-7A and NSlmb–scFv-6H, which recognized native NbHK. Subsequently, the NbHK was degraded by host ubiquitination system. When challenged with N. bombycis, the transfected Sf9-III cells exhibited better resistance relative to the controls, demonstrating that NbHK is a prospective target for parasite controls and this approach represents a potential solution for constructing N. bombycis-resistant Bombyx mori.

Rate of seedling emergence, relative growth rate (RGR), and phenological development were compared in several accessions of rigid ryegrass belonging to three distinct resistance classes. The aryloxyphenoxypropionate resistant (AOPP-R) class had a faster and less variable seedling emergence than the sulfonylurea resistant (SU-R) and susceptible (S) classes. However, even the fastest of the AOPP-R accessions was within the range of the S and SU-R classes. No significant differences were detected among the resistant classes in seed dormancy, RGR, and the rate of phenological development. The rate of spike emergence, irrespective of the resistance class, was related to the latitude of the origin of the accessions, suggesting adaptation to the local climates since introduction. Due to considerable variation among weed populations for most biological attributes, the need to include several R and S accessions, in studies similar to the one reported here, is of vital importance. Because of the means and variances of the three resistance classes, at least four accessions from each resistance class would have been required to detect the observed differences between emergence rates of the AOPP-R and S classes with a confidence of 95%.

Many traumatised children in Australia do not receive the type of trauma-focused treatment endorsed by international guidelines and, as such, they suffer from the consequences of intergenerational trauma. Even when trauma-focused treatment is available, there is a group of children who are difficult to engage in treatment and do not want to talk about their traumatic memories. Clinicians are often reluctant to address the trauma, for fear of ‘waking up sleeping dogs’. All children deserve a chance to heal from trauma and I believe we, as a society, have a responsibility to provide children with appropriate services and treatment methods to help them achieve this. This article describes the Sleeping Dogs method, a three-phased trauma-focused treatment method, based on a collaborative use of interventions by therapists, child-protection workers, residential staff, school and the child's network. A Six Test Form is used to analyse the possible reasons why the child is unable to talk about his or her traumatic memories, for which interventions are planned. Case examples with children who can be difficult to engage in trauma-focused treatment are used to illustrate interventions. Clinical experiences show the Sleeping Dogs method has been successfully used internationally, as well as remote communities in Australia.

Previous research has demonstrated that late and sequential applications of glyphosate and glufosinate can have adverse effects on glyphosate- and glufosinate-resistant canola. Similarly, imidazolinone (IMI)-resistant canola may be affected negatively by late applications of imidazolinone herbicides. Field trials were established across the Northern Great Plains region from 2010 to 2012 to examine the response of IMI-resistant canola yield, yield components, and seed quality to late and sequential applications of imazamox. Plots received either a single imazamox application at the two-leaf, six-leaf, bolt, or early bloom stages or sequential applications at the two-leaf followed by six-leaf, two-leaf followed by bolting, and two-leaf followed by early bloom stages; an unsprayed control was included for comparisons. Results indicated that in most site-years there was no effect of imazamox application timing on IMI-resistant canola yield, yield components, or seed quality. These results suggest that late and sequential applications of imazamox to IMI-resistant canola should have little effect on canola production, even if they are made beyond the recommended six-leaf stage. In situations where growers are forced to make late applications (beyond six leaves) to IMI-resistant canola, using solely imazamox appears to minimize adverse effects on seed yield and quality.

In Australia Bt cotton has been planted since 1996, and has greatly improved the control of its key target Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner). There is no strong evidence that genetically modified cotton has been selected for significant physiological resistance to Bt toxin in field populations. There are many possible explanations for the lack of apparent selection that range from high compliance with the resistance management strategy for this technology to a lack of behavioral preference in key traits such as oviposition that could favor survival. To date most experiments that test oviposition of H. armigera on Bt cotton vs. conventional cotton have been done with susceptible moths. We determine the oviposition preference of a field isolated Bt resistant line of H. armigera and a susceptible counterpart when given a choice of non-Bt cotton and Bt-cotton with the same genetic background, and test whether there is any relationship between oviposition site selection (different plant structures) and the survival of the first instar larvae. Within cotton plants, our experiments consistently showed that both resistant and susceptible moths did not choose plants or plant parts that were less toxic in terms of Bt toxin on which to lay eggs. There was one exception in that susceptible moths were more likely to lay eggs on squares of Bt cotton plants than squares of non-Bt cotton. As expected, the mortality of susceptible H. armigera neonates was significantly higher on structures of Bt cotton plants than on those structures of conventional cotton, and survival was greater on flowers than on other structures of Bt cotton. This confirms opportunities for selection for resistance, and demonstrates no advantage in this respect to carrying resistance genes that might overcome the Bt toxins.

Definitions of treatment failure and the labelling of patients as non-responsive typically require treatments to have been offered and failed. For pharmacological treatments, treatment quality is relatively easy to define; this is much more difficult with psychological treatments. This study examined patient recollections of previous therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). A Treatment History Questionnaire was administered to a sample of 57 apparently treatment refractory OCD patients from a specialist national OCD treatment unit and a national charity for OCD sufferers. On average, respondents reported an 8$\frac{1}{2}$ year wait between the obsessional symptoms interfering significantly with their lives and being diagnosed. Forty-three percent recalled having received either cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or behaviour therapy as the first treatment; 31% of the group did not know what type of therapy they had received. The components of therapy that respondents recalled were analysed and contrasted with minimal therapy criteria. These criteria appear not to have been met in most patients who understood that they had received “CBT”. The implications of this study for assessment of treatment integrity and the classification of patients as “treatment resistant” are discussed.

Immune resistance to infestation by the brown ear tick, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann, was induced in rabbits by repeated tick feeding. Antibodies from the rabbits resistant to ticks were purified and used to isolate tick midgut antigens. Purified immunoglobulin G (IgGs) from rabbits immune to tick infestations demonstrated, by immunoblotting, nine protein subunits with molecular weights ranging from 12,000 to 92,000 daltons. Immuno-adsorption studies revealed an aggregated native protein with a molecular weight greater than 500,000 daltons as resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-PAGE of this protein molecule revealed the presence of 14 protein subunits similar to some of those detected by the immunoblots. Their molecular weights ranged from 14,000 to 165,000 daltons. Sera from rabbits immunized with the 500,000 dalton molecule formed a weak precipitating arc in the immunodiffusion test, confirming its immunogenicity. The reproductive potential of ticks fed on rabbits immunized with the purified protein molecule was slightly affected compared to controls. The protein molecule also had the capacity to induce immediate and delayed type skin reactions when injected into rabbits resistant to adult R. appendiculatus, as opposed to control tick-naive rabbits.