Planting Pattern and Cultivar Effects on Flax Yields in Northwestern Iowa

In the United States, consumption of flaxseed and flaxseed oil is increasing both by direct consumption and as processed foods. Flaxseeds are high in alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 essential fatty acid, which is important for cardiovascular health. Whole-ground flaxseed in livestock diets can raise the level of these “healthy” fatty acids in meat and eggs. A new facility for organic flaxseed oil processing in Iowa has the potential to attract production to Iowa. Other grain buyers in the Upper Midwest are also increasing their purchase of flaxseed for animal feeds

Profiling Indiana\u27s 4-H Horse and Pony Leaders

This article profiles Indiana\u27s nearly 600 4-H horse and pony leaders, describes their motives for becoming a leader, and documents the understanding these leaders have of running a 4-H club, teaching various aspects of the horse and pony project, and training hippology, horse bowl, and horse judging teams. The majority (\u3e70%) of Indiana\u27s 4-H horse and pony leaders are white, married women between the ages of 31 and 50. Eighty-eight percent volunteer as leaders because they enjoy working with youth. Over half (54%) of the leaders would like to receive additional training on how to conduct showmanship and horsemanship clinics

Attributes of Indiana\u27s 4-H Livestock Judging Program

This article describes the degree of influence Indiana\u27s 4-H livestock judging program had on developing 10 life skills associated with workforce preparedness, profiles 185 alumni of the 4-H judging program, and documents the beneficial attributes of the judging program by listing qualitative responses from former 4-H livestock judges. The majority (\u3e80%) of the respondents were college-educated men between the ages of 21 and 50. According to the alumni, Indiana\u27s 4-H livestock judging program was highly influential in the development of the following skills: the ability to verbally defend a decision, livestock industry knowledge, oral communication, and decision making

Optical Polarization of 52 Radio-Loud QSOs and BL Lac Objects

Polarization measurements are presented for 52 radio-loud QSOs and BL Lac objects. For 9 highly polarized (p >3%) AGN, these are the first published polarization measurements. Of these 9, 7 are highly-polarized QSOs (HPQs), one is a BL Lac object and another is a likely BL Lac object. Polarization variability is confirmed for some of these new and previously known highly-polarized AGN. While 6 of the HPQs have flat radio spectra are almost certainly blazars, PKS 1452-217 is probably a new member of the rare class of radio-loud QSOs that show high polarization by scattering, and is therefore important for testing orientation Unified Schemes. In competition for the highest redshift HPQ are the well-observed QSO PKS 0438-43 at z = 2.85, with maximum p = 4.7%, and PKS 0046-315 at z = 2.72, for which we find p = 13%.Comment: 6 pages. Astronomical Journal, in pres

Cybercrime in the Developing World

This paper attempts to discover the reasons behind the increase in cybercrime in developing nations over the past two decades. It discusses many examples and cases of projects to increase internet access in developing countries and how they enabled cybercrime. This paper examines how nations where many cybercrimes occurred, did not have the necessary resources or neglected to react appropriately. The other primary focus is how cybercrimes are not viewed the same as other crimes in many of these countries and how this perception allows cybercriminals to do as they please with no stigma from their neighbors. It concludes that laws and law enforcement, fund distribution, and ethics of these developing countries need to change to reduce the amount of cybercrime

An Evaluation of Retinal Imaging Technology for 4-H Beef and Sheep Identification

The study reported here evaluated retinal imaging technology as a means of permanent identification of 4-H beef and sheep. The OptiReader» Device was used to capture digital images of 491 beef and 220 sheep during 4-H enrollment. A total of 317 beef and 159 sheep were re-imaged. The on-site visual verification rate was 96.2% for beef and 100% for sheep. A visual verification exercise showed that individuals could identify a pair of retinal images as a match 98.6 % of the time for beef. Retinal imaging is a viable method for enrolling beef and sheep

An unusual finding in a 57-year-old woman with new onset hypertension and a diastolic murmur.

CLINICAL INTRODUCTION: A 57-year-old woman presented to our clinic with breathlessness brought on while walking uphill. She had been recently diagnosed with systemic hypertension. There was no known family history of cardiac disease, or prior smoking habit. On examination, pulse was 73 bpm and blood pressure 155/73 mm Hg, which was asymmetrical in her arms. Auscultation revealed a readily audible early diastolic murmur in the aortic area and bilateral subclavian bruits. ECG showed sinus rhythm with no abnormality. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated mild-to-moderate aortic regurgitation, and normal left ventricular size and function. The ascending aorta was mildly dilated (41 mm), with para-aortic thickening noted. Owing to the abnormal appearance of the aortic wall, cardiac MRI, and subsequently 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan was performed (figure 1). QUESTION: Which complication of the underlying disease is evident in figure 1, panel C? Aortic aneurysmAortic dissectionAortic thrombusCoronary artery aneurysmCoronary sinus fistula

The Malaria Testing and Treatment Landscape in the Southern Lao People\u27s Democratic Republic (PDR).

BACKGROUND: In the context of national and regional goals to eliminate malaria by 2030, the Center for Malaria Parasitology and Entomology in the Lao PDR is implementing strategies to ensure all malaria cases are detected and appropriately treated with first-line artemisinin combination therapy, artemether-lumefantrine (AL). Timely and relevant evidence to inform policies and strategies is needed to ensure the most effective and efficient use of resources, and to accelerate progress towards elimination goals. A 2015 outlet survey conducted in five provinces of the southern Lao PDR was the first of its kind to study the total market for malaria treatments and diagnostics. The sub-national outlet survey was designed to describe the market and to assess public and private sector readiness and performance for malaria case management. Additionally, key indicators were estimated among private outlets within districts with and without a Public Private Mix (PPM) programme. RESULTS: Over half of anti-malarial stockists were public sector (65.1%). In the private sector, pharmacies most commonly stocked anti-malarials, although anti-malarials were also found in private health facilities, drug stores, general retailers, and itinerant drug vendors. Nearly all anti-malarial stocking public health facilities had AL (99.5%) and 90.8% had confirmatory testing. Fewer than half of anti-malarial stocking private outlets stocked AL (40.8%) and malaria testing (43.5%). Chloroquine has not been a first-line treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria since 2005 and Plasmodium vivax since 2011 yet private sector availability was 77.6% and chloroquine accounted for 62.2% of the total anti-malarial market share. AL and confirmatory testing availability were higher in private outlets in PPM (68.1, 72.6%) versus non-PPM districts (2.5, 12.1%). Chloroquine was available in 63.6% of PPM and 96.7% of non-PPM-district outlets, and was the most commonly distributed anti-malarial among private outlets in both PPM (61.7%) and non-PPM districts (99.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Public sector outlets in the southern Lao PDR are typically equipped to test and appropriately treat malaria. There is need to address widespread private sector availability and distribution of chloroquine. The PPM programme has improved private provider readiness to manage malaria according to national guidelines. However, supporting interventions to address provider and consumer behaviours are needed to further drive uptake

Bovine Gamma Delta T Cells Contribute to Exacerbated IL-17 Production in Response to Co-Infection with Bovine RSV and Mannheimia haemolytica

Citation: McGill, J. L., Rusk, R. A., Guerra-Maupome, M., Briggs, R. E., & Sacco, R. E. (2016). Bovine Gamma Delta T Cells Contribute to Exacerbated IL-17 Production in Response to Co-Infection with Bovine RSV and Mannheimia haemolytica. Plos One, 11(3), 20. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151083Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is a leading cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection in children under five years of age. IL-17 and Th17 responses are increased in children infected with HRSV and have been implicated in both protective and pathogenic roles during infection. Bovine RSV (BRSV) is genetically closely related to HRSV and is a leading cause of severe respiratory infections in young cattle. While BRSV infection in the calf parallels many aspects of human infection with HRSV, IL-17 and Th17 responses have not been studied in the bovine. Here we demonstrate that calves infected with BRSV express significant levels of IL-17, IL-21 and IL-22; and both CD4 T cells and Upsilon delta T cells contribute to this response. In addition to causing significant morbidity from uncomplicated infections, BRSV infection also contributes to the development of bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), a leading cause of morbidity in both beef and dairy cattle. BRDC is caused by a primary viral infection, followed by secondary bacterial pneumonia by pathogens such as Mannheimia haemolytica. Here, we demonstrate that in vivo infection with M. haemolytica results in increased expression of IL-17, IL-21 and IL-22. We have also developed an in vitro model of BRDC and show that co-infection of PBMC with BRSV followed by M. haemolytica leads to significantly exacerbated IL-17 production, which is primarily mediated by IL-17-producing Upsilon delta T cells. Together, our results demonstrate that calves, like humans, mount a robust IL-17 response during RSV infection; and suggest a previously unrecognized role for IL-17 and Upsilon delta T cells in the pathogenesis of BRDC