Quenched Staggered Spectrum at Beta=6.0, 6.2 and 6.4

We give a preliminary report on the hadron spectrum on an ensemble of quenched lattices at $\beta$ values of 6.0, 6.2 and 6.4, using staggered fermions and collaborators Rajan Gupta and Steve Sharpe. Because of the relatively small number of configurations we pay marginally more attention to the question of statistics than in previous analyses. We are unable to discredit quenched QCD.Comment: 4 pages of PostScrip

Optimizing outcomes in ADHD treatment: From clinical targets to novel delivery systems

Our knowledge and understanding of the underlying neurobiology and symptomatic expression of ADHD has advanced dramatically over the past decade. Associated with these advances has been a similar explosion of new treatment options to individualize treatment for our patients.This article will:∙review strategies to measure ADHD symptoms and functional difficulties while seeking to achieve full symptomatic remission throughout the day∙summarize recent findings regarding the management and prioritization of ADHD and comorbid conditions and∙discuss the various pharmacologic treatment options with a focus on recently developed molecules and novel delivery systems</jats:p

Open Cow Replacement Decisions: an Application of Asset Replacement Theory

Beef producers must decide what to do with a cow that fails to conceive during the breeding season. Keeping the open cow results in a years expenses without any revenue. Replacing the open cow with a bred heifer provides immediate revenue although it will take a few years before the heifer reaches peak productivity. A net present value framework is employed to examine this decision. The problem is unique because the open cow and the replacement heifer have different life spans. Finding a common timeframe is impossible since both alternatives will eventually employ replacement heifers if a long enough time frame is considered.Livestock Production/Industries,

Personality, motivation, and training performance of firefighter candidates

The purpose of this research was to investigate the validity of personality for predicting training and job performance in a sample of firefighters, and to determine if motivation could act as a moderator in the personality-performance relationship. Personality and motivation inventories were administered to 109 firefighter candidates from three academy classes. At the termination of each academy, all candidates were assessed on their overall performance. Correlation coefficients were used to measure the relationship between personality inventory scales, motivation inventory scales, and the overall training performance measures. A multiple regression procedure was used to investigate the relationship between personality, motivation, and performance to determine if motivation had a moderation effect on performance. None of the correlations were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. The two highest were sociability (r = 0.13, p = .189) and school success (r = 0.11, p .262). With regard to the multiple regression, for the sample of low thrill-seeker subjects, the r- for the motivation and thrill-seeking variables was .0578 (F = .7665). Adding the combined variable (thrill-seeking x motivation) into the equation provided a Ar2 of .0217 (AF = .5652). For the sample of high thrill-seeker subjects, the r2 for the motivation and thrill-seeking variables was .0513 (F = 1.6226). Adding the product variable (thrill-seeking x motivation) into the equation provided a Ar2 of .0004 (AF = .0215). Although motivation seemed to moderate personality when predicting training performance to a greater extent in the low thrill-seeker sample than it did in the high thrill-seeker sample, the results were not significant. Since the personality and motivation inventories had been previously shown to be related to performance, a possible explanation for the current results is that the measure used in the study was a poor indicator of performance. Future studies should use performance measures specifically designed to measure the objectives of the academy, which should stem from the essential functions of the job as determined by a job analysis

First record of the agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatusGyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), in Puerto Rico

The agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), is reported from Puerto Rico for the first time. It was collected on feral sisal, Agave sisalana Perrine (Agavaceae), in the Guánica Dry Forest Reserve in the southwestern part of the island

Preclinical translation of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem/stromal cells.

Exosomes are nanovesicles secreted by virtually all cells. Exosomes mediate the horizontal transfer of various macromolecules previously believed to be cell-autonomous in nature, including nonsecretory proteins, various classes of RNA, metabolites, and lipid membrane-associated factors. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) appear to be particularly beneficial for enhancing recovery in various models of disease. To date, there have been more than 200 preclinical studies of exosome-based therapies in a number of different animal models. Despite a growing number of studies reporting the therapeutic properties of MSC-derived exosomes, their underlying mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and scalable manufacturing remain largely outstanding questions. Here, we review the global trends associated with preclinical development of MSC-derived exosome-based therapies, including immunogenicity, source of exosomes, isolation methods, biodistribution, and disease categories tested to date. Although the in vivo data assessing the therapeutic properties of MSC-exosomes published to date are promising, several outstanding questions remain to be answered that warrant further preclinical investigation

REPLACING ASSETS UNDER ACCELERATED DEPRECIATION LAWS

The accelerated depreciation laws provide more revenue in earlier years of a new asset due to shielding of taxes. The laws seem designed to encourage farmers to purchase assets more often. This paper exams the optimal purchase period for a beef cattle farm buying replacement cows. While the accelerated depreciation laws do help farms, the optimal asset life is seldom shortened.Farm Management,

Does Magnesium Transport Protein (MgtE) Contribute to the Antibiotic Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa?

poster abstractPseudomonas aeruginosa is an environmental and opportunistic bacterial pathogen that is resistant to antibiotic treatment when it forms biofilms in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis. Biofilms are densely packed communities of bacteria embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Biofilm EPS is a polymeric cluster composed of extracellular DNA, proteins and polysaccharides. Based on previous studies, in a low Mg2+ environment, P. aeruginosa wild-type is less or non-resistant to antibiotics and in a high Mg2+ environment, P. aeruginosa is more resistant to antibiotics. The purpose of this project was to find out if the magnesium transport protein (MgtE) is a contributor to the antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa .This was accomplished by using two different strains of P.aeruginosa; PA14 wild-type and GGA52 mutant (without the magnesium transporting protein). Four antibiotics were used; gentamicin, tobramycin, ciproflaxin and imipenem. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each antibiotic was determined by culturing the bacteria strains on LB agar plates and use Etest strips to observe growth. N-minimal media supplemented with varying magnesium concentration was used to test if Mg2+ increased or reduced the antibiotic resistance at the MIC of P. aeruginosa as well as counting bacterial colonies. The mutant strain (GGA52) is expected to be less resistant than the wild type strain (PA14) because it does not have MgtE. If these predictions are true, then MgtE is an important contributor to the antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa. These results can be helpful in understanding the mechanism of antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis