A combined field, laboratory and numerical study of the forces applied to, and the potential for removal of, bar top vegetation in a braided river

Vegetation can have an important role in controlling channel planform, through its effects on channel roughness, and root-reinforcement of bank and bar materials. Along the Platte River in central Nebraska, USA, The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) has been tasked with managing the planform of the river to benefit endangered species. To investigate the potential use of planned Short Duration High Flow events (SDHFs) to manage bar vegetation, this study combined several approaches to determine whether flows of up to 227 m3s-1 through the central Platte River, could remove cottonwood, Phragmites and reed canarygrass stands of various ages and densities from in-channel bars. First, fieldwork was carried out to measure the uprooting resistance, and resistance to bending for each species. Second, a set of flume experiments was carried out to measure the forces exerted on the three species of interest under different flow conditions. Finally, a numerical study compared drag forces (driving) measured in the flume study, with uprooting forces (resisting) measured in the field, was carried out for each species to determine the likelihood of plant removal by SDHFs. Results showed that plants with more than a year of root growth, likely cannot be removed through drag and local scour alone, even at the 100-year recurrence interval discharge. At most, a few cottonwood seedlings could be removed from bars through drag, scour and undercutting, where rooting depths are still small. The results presented here help us further understand the positive feedbacks that lead to the creation of permanent, vegetated bars rather than mobile braided channels. As such, the findings could help inform management decisions for other braided rivers, and the combined field, flume and modelling techniques used in this study could be applied to other fluvial systems where vegetation and planform dynamics are of interest

Postoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism after Ankle Fusion in a Patient with Hemophilia A: A Case Report

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and subsequent pulmonary embolism (PE) are uncommon postoperative complications of operative procedures for treating injuries of the foot and ankle. Because the disorder of hemophilia A prevents blood clotting and increases bleeding, patients with this condition have been even less likely to develop DVT and PE. We present a 36-year-old man with hemophilia A in whom operative ankle fusion for treating hemophilic arthropathy of the left ankle led to DVT and PE. After decreasing dosage of antihemophilic medication and administering enoxaparin, the symptoms improved and the patient was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 5. At 3-month follow-up with continued dosage, no complications were reported. Surgeons should be aware of possible DVT and PE in patients with hemophilia A and consider multidisciplinary efforts to successfully treat the resultant symptoms

The ventral habenulae of zebrafish develop in prosomere 2 dependent on Tcf7l2 function

BACKGROUND: The conserved habenular neural circuit relays cognitive information from the forebrain into the ventral mid- and hindbrain. In zebrafish, the bilaterally formed habenulae in the dorsal diencephalon are made up of the asymmetric dorsal and symmetric ventral habenular nuclei, which are homologous to the medial and lateral nuclei respectively, in mammals. These structures have been implicated in various behaviors related to the serotonergic/dopaminergic neurotransmitter system. The dorsal habenulae develop adjacent to the medially positioned pineal complex. Their precursors differentiate into two main neuronal subpopulations which differ in size across brain hemispheres as signals from left-sided parapineal cells influence their differentiation program. Unlike the dorsal habenulae and despite their importance, the ventral habenulae have been poorly studied. It is not known which genetic programs underlie their development and why they are formed symmetrically, unlike the dorsal habenulae. A main reason for this lack of knowledge is that the vHb origin has remained elusive to date. RESULTS: To address these questions, we applied long-term 2-photon microscopy time-lapse analysis of habenular neural circuit development combined with depth color coding in a transgenic line, labeling all main components of the network. Additional laser ablations and cell tracking experiments using the photoconvertible PSmOrange system in GFP transgenic fish show that the ventral habenulae develop in prosomere 2, posterior and lateral to the dorsal habenulae in the dorsal thalamus. Mutant analysis demonstrates that the ventral habenular nuclei only develop in the presence of functional Tcf7l2, a downstream modulator of the Wnt signaling cascade. Consistently, photoconverted thalamic tcf7l2(exl/exl) mutant cells do not contribute to habenula formation. CONCLUSIONS: We show in vivo that dorsal and ventral habenulae develop in different regions of prosomere 2. In the process of ventral habenula formation, functional tcf7l2 gene activity is required and in its absence, ventral habenular neurons do not develop. Influenced by signals from parapineal cells, dorsal habenular neurons differentiate at a time at which ventral habenular cells are still on their way towards their final destination. Thus, our finding may provide a simple explanation as to why only neuronal populations of the dorsal habenulae differ in size across brain hemispheres

Hair It Is: Examining the Experiences of Black Women with Natural Hair

Who am I and how do I feel about who I am, are essential questions that help define and construct identity. For Black women and girls, identity is inextricably linked to their relationship to and presentation of their hair. Our research presents findings from an Internet based survey con- ducted with 529 Black women exploring their experiences when wearing their hair in its natural state (not thermally or chemically straightened). These are preliminary findings from the study with reference to the composition of the study participants and how they responded to key ques- tions related to how they perceived when wearing their hair naturally

Student lobbyists' behavior and its perceived influence on state-level public higher education legislation : a case study

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on March 1, 2010).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisor: Dr. Barbara Townsend and Dr. Joe F. Donaldson.Vita.Ph.D. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.As state budgets have tightened and a college education has more frequently come to be viewed as a private good, public higher education has become increasingly politicized, particularly at the state level and over the past 15 years. This fact has made it necessary for public colleges and universities to actively engage in the state legislative arena. Generally, fulltime professional lobbyists represent public colleges and universities. Students have been largely overlooked as potential partners in lobbying despite assertions that they may be among the best advocates for their institutions. This study examined student involvement in state-level legislative lobbying activity. Specifically, this study explored the lobbying behavior of Associated Students of the University of Missouri (ASUM) student lobbyists and its influence on state-level higher education legislation during the 2009 Missouri Legislative Session. ASUM student lobbyists are registered legislative lobbyists with the state of Missouri. This study sought to do three things. First, it examined ASUM student lobbyists' lobbying behavior. Second, it compared ASUM student lobbyists' lobbying behavior with that of lobbyists from the same multi-campus public four-year institutional system. Third, it examined four participant groups' perceptions about ASUM student lobbyists' influence. A qualitative case study methodology was used with pluralist theory and interest group theory as theoretical frameworks. The 37 participants included 10 ASUM student lobbying team members (eight student lobbyists, the Legislative Director, and the Assistant Legislative Director), 14 state legislators, seven legislative staff members, and six University of Missouri System lobbyists. ASUM student lobbying team members, legislators, and legislative staff members were individually interviewed; ASUM student lobbyists and UM System lobbyists participated in two separate focus group interviews; over 260 hours of observation was conducted at the Missouri State Capitol during the legislative session; and over 200 documents were collected for analysis. The findings revealed that student lobbyists used many of the same lobbying behaviors used by higher education lobbyists as well as some unique ones. The findings also showed that student lobbyists were able to present a unique perspective, one not presented by other higher education lobbyists. The findings also demonstrated that participants perceived ASUM student lobbyists had substantial influence, specifically on issues that directly affected them and on which they mobilized other university students. This study added to what is known about public higher education sector lobbying at the state level as well as what little is known about student involvement in it. This study has important implications for practice and future research. First, students can be effective partners in postsecondary institutional state-level lobbying activity. Second, this study's results may be informative to public higher education institutions in general as they seek to bolster state-level influence. Third, further research about how public colleges and universities can include students in institutional state-level lobbying efforts would be informative.Includes bibliographical reference

Ethnic inequities in 6-8 week baby check coverage in England 2006-2021: a cohort study using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink

Background: Inequities in the coverage of 6-8 week maternal checks, health visitor reviews and infant vaccinations have been reported in England. Ethnic inequities in 6-8 week baby checks have not been studied nationally. Aim: To examine the effect of maternal ethnicity on 6-8 week baby check coverage in England 2006-2021. Design and Setting: Cohort study using electronic health records. Methods: We calculated baby check coverage in 16 ethnic groups, by year and region, and risk ratios using modified Poisson regression. We calculated coverage and timing of baby checks in relation to maternal checks and infant vaccinations by ethnic group. Results: Ethnic inequities in 6-8 week baby check coverage in England varied by year and region. Coverage increased 2006-07 to 2015-16, then stabilised to 80-90% for most groups. Coverage was lowest for Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups 2006-07 to 2011-12. In the West Midlands, coverage was lowest at 59% for four groups: Bangladeshi, Caribbean, African, and Any other Black, African or Caribbean background. In the North West, coverage was lowest for Bangladeshi (65%) and Pakistani (69%) groups. These patterns remained after adjusting for other factors, and persisted over time. Coverage was highest in those whose mothers received a maternal check and those who received at least one dose of 8 week infant vaccinations. Conclusions: Coordinated action at the level of integrated commissioning boards, primary care networks and GP practices is required to better understand the reasons behind these inequities and redress the persistent disparities in 6-8 week baby check coverage

Using the R Package Spatstat to Assess Inhibitory Effects of Microregional Hypoxia on the Infiltration of Cancers of the Head and Neck Region by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes

(1) Background: The immune system has physiological antitumor activity, which is partially mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Tumor hypoxia, which is highly prevalent in cancers of the head and neck region, has been hypothesized to inhibit the infiltration of tumors by CTL. In situ data validating this concept have so far been based solely upon the visual assessment of the distribution of CTL. Here, we have established a set of spatial statistical tools to address this problem mathematically and tested their performance. (2) Patients and Methods: We have analyzed regions of interest (ROI) of 22 specimens of cancers of the head and neck region after 4-plex immunofluorescence staining and whole-slide scanning. Single cell-based segmentation was carried out in QuPath. Specimens were analyzed with the endpoints clustering and interactions between CTL, normoxic, and hypoxic tumor areas, both visually and using spatial statistical tools implemented in the R package Spatstat. (3) Results: Visual assessment suggested clustering of CTL in all instances. The visual analysis also suggested an inhibitory effect between hypoxic tumor areas and CTL in a minority of the whole-slide scans (9 of 22, 41%). Conversely, the objective mathematical analysis in Spatstat demonstrated statistically significant inhibitory interactions between hypoxia and CTL accumulation in a substantially higher number of specimens (16 of 22, 73%). It showed a similar trend in all but one of the remaining samples. (4) Conclusion: Our findings provide non-obvious but statistically rigorous evidence of inhibition of CTL infiltration into hypoxic tumor subregions of cancers of the head and neck. Importantly, these shielded sites may be the origin of tumor recurrences. We provide the methodology for the transfer of our statistical approach to similar questions. We discuss why versions of the Kcross and pcf.cross functions may be the methods of choice among the repertoire of statistical tests in Spatstat for this type of analysis