California Highway 1 Improvement Project Northern Monterey County, CA

This project focuses on improving traffic flow and safety on a 4-mile segment of California Highway 1 between Moss Landing and Castroville in Monterey County. Improvements include partial widening, signalization, and intersection upgrades

BSP implementation of the 2017 classification of periodontal diseases: a practice retrospective

Introduction The new world classification of periodontal diseases and conditions was developed in 2017. The British Society of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry (BSP) implemented the classification in a series of papers published in the British Dental Journal in January 2019. Aims and objectives This study aimed to investigate if the BSP implementation was workable in general dental practice and to reveal if any lessons were learnt from its regular use two years following its release. Materials and methods This was a cross-sectional, retrospective, non-intervention analysis of a patient population (n = 891) drawn from a complete list of a private dental surgeon. Diagnostic and demographic data were drawn from the patient records, collated and analysed using SPSS Statistics v26. Results Diagnoses derived from the new classification were identified for 92% of subjects, indicating a high level of implementation. In total, 20.9% of subjects were diagnosed with periodontitis, and of these, 57% were unstable, 39% stable and 4% in remission. The mean bleeding on probing score across the cohort was 7.7%. Moreover, 76% of the non-periodontitis patients were diagnosed with 'clinical gingival health', 23% with localised gingivitis and 1% with generalised gingivitis. Conclusion The new classification has been found to be readily implemented in a general practice setting. Use of the new classification allows for close monitoring of periodontal status, and as a result, close monitoring of the effectiveness of pathways of care

The perspectives of scientists and mathematicians on quantitative skills

Mathematics is important in science, and becoming increasingly so. Not surprisingly, the scientific community is calling for graduates with higher standards of quantitative skills (QS), that is, the ability to apply mathematical and statistical thinking and reasoning in the context of science. How are academics addressing this QS challenge? Some see this as an interdisciplinary endeavour, with science and mathematics academics working together to develop the QS of students in undergraduate science programs. We present evidence which suggests that scientists and mathematicians have different attitudes to what is happening in universities currently. This work is a part of the ALTC funded QS in Science project in which 48 interviews were conducted with academics in both teaching and leadership roles from 11 universities in Australia and two in the USA

Modeling prices for sawtimber stumpage in the South-Central United States

The South-Central United States, which includes the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas, represents an important segment of the softwood sawtimber market. By using the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) method to account for the linkage among the four contiguous timber markets, this study examines the dynamics of softwood sawtimber stumpage markets within the region. Based on quarterly data from 1981 to 2014, the findings reveal that both pulpwood and chip-and-saw (CNS) prices have a positive influence on the Texas and Arkansas sawtimber markets. Moreover, Granger-causality tests suggest that unidirectional causality runs from pulpwood and CNS markets to the respective sawtimber market. Compared to the pre-financial crisis period, sawtimber prices in these four states are 9%-17% lower in the recent years.Peer reviewedNatural Resource Ecology and Managemen

An Orphan CpG Island Drives Expression of a let-7 miRNA Precursor with an Important Role in Mouse Development.

Most human genes are associated with promoters embedded in non-methylated, G + C-rich CpG islands (CGIs). Not all CGIs are found at annotated promoters, however, raising the possibility that many serve as promoters for transcripts that do not code for proteins. To test this hypothesis, we searched for novel transcripts in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that originate within orphan CGIs. Among several candidates, we detected a transcript that included three members of the let-7 micro-RNA family: Let-7a-1, let-7f-1, and let-7d. Deletion of the CGI prevented expression of the precursor RNA and depleted the included miRNAs. Mice homozygous for this mutation were sub-viable and showed growth and other defects. The results suggest that despite the identity of their seed sequences, members of the let-7 miRNA family exert distinct functions that cannot be complemented by other members

The Grizzly, October 30, 2008

Sounds of NYC Poet Tracie Morris • Plan to Vote? UC Students Take Note: Polling Location Change • Business Management Students Assist Charitable Causes • Colin Powell Publicly Endorses Obama • Young and Engaged: Planning for Life Beyond UC Years • Hingston of Philadelphia Speaks at UC • Faculty Spotlight on Philosophy Professor Kelly Sorensen • More from Students Studying Abroad: UC in Germany • Opinions: We Will Overcome: Positive Psychology in America; Logical Reason Behind Refusal to Vote; Controversy for the Republicans • Football Quarterback Nick Dye Great Leader for Young Team • Kelly Hosier: Sole, Shy Senior on UC Women\u27s Volleyball Teamhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1773/thumbnail.jp

Systematic techniques for assisting recruitment to trials (START): study protocol for embedded, randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials play a central role in evidence-based practice, but recruitment of participants, and retention of them once in the trial, is challenging. Moreover, there is a dearth of evidence that research teams can use to inform the development of their recruitment and retention strategies. As with other healthcare initiatives, the fairest test of the effectiveness of a recruitment strategy is a trial comparing alternatives, which for recruitment would mean embedding a recruitment trial within an ongoing host trial. Systematic reviews indicate that such studies are rare. Embedded trials are largely delivered in an ad hoc way, with interventions almost always developed in isolation and tested in the context of a single host trial, limiting their ability to contribute to a body of evidence with regard to a single recruitment intervention and to researchers working in different contexts. METHODS/DESIGN: The Systematic Techniques for Assisting Recruitment to Trials (START) program is funded by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (MRC) Methodology Research Programme to support the routine adoption of embedded trials to test standardized recruitment interventions across ongoing host trials. To achieve this aim, the program involves three interrelated work packages: (1) methodology - to develop guidelines for the design, analysis and reporting of embedded recruitment studies; (2) interventions - to develop effective and useful recruitment interventions; and (3) implementation - to recruit host trials and test interventions through embedded studies. DISCUSSION: Successful completion of the START program will provide a model for a platform for the wider trials community to use to evaluate recruitment interventions or, potentially, other types of intervention linked to trial conduct. It will also increase the evidence base for two types of recruitment intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The START protocol covers the methodology for embedded trials. Each embedded trial is registered separately or as a substudy of the host trial

Comparing the effectiveness of a short-term vertical jump vs. weightlifting program on athletic power development

Efficient training of neuromuscular power and the translation of this power to sport-specific tasks is a key objective in the preparation of athletes involved in team-based sports. The purpose of the current study was to compare changes in center of mass (COM) neuromuscular power and performance of sport-specific tasks following short-term (6-week) training adopting either Olympic Style Weightlifting (WL) exercises or vertical jump (VJ) exercises. Twenty six recreationally active males (18-30 years; height: 178.7±8.3 cm; mass: 78.6±12.2 kg) were randomly allocated to either a WL or VJ training group and performance during the countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), depth jump (DJ), 20m sprint and the 5-0-5 agility test assessed pre- and post-training. Despite the WL group demonstrating larger increases in peak power output during the CMJ (WL group: 10% increase, d=0.701; VJ group: 5.78% increase, d=0.328) and SJ (WL group: 12.73% increase, d=0.854; VJ group: 7.27% increase, d=0.382), no significant between-group differences were observed in any outcome measure studied. There was a significant main effect of time observed for the three vertical jumps (CMJ, SJ, DJ), 0-5m and 0-20m sprint times, and the 5-0-5 agility test time, which were all shown to improve following the training (all main effects of time p<0.01). Irrespective of the training approach adopted by coaches or athletes, addition of either WL or VJ training for development of power can improve performance in tasks associated with team-based sports, even in athletes with limited pre-season training periods