Soil microbial communities from the alimentary canal of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae)

The effect of earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) activity on microbial community composition was investigated in a silt loam soil. Fingerprints were constructed using PCR amplicons of bacterial 16S rDNA separated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Analysis of similarity established that significant differences existed between community fingerprints. Differences were explored using non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA). Microbial communities of earthworm casts separated from soil treatments for both CD DGGE and CI DGGE profiles. Cast communities were determined by the worm\u27s food source. Soils with earthworms and manure separated from all other soil treatments. Major trends observed above also were evident in separate analyses employing PCR amplification of nirK for DGGE, and BIOLOG ECO MicroPlates(TM) for community level physiological profiles (CLPP). Data suggest bacterial communities are modified after ingestion, however resultant changes in the soil bacterial community only occur when earthworms consume a soil manure mixture

Stop Following Me: Stalking on College Campus

This project focuses on the topic of stalking on college and university campuses. The purpose of this project is to aid students and college professionals in the recognizing of potential stalking victims, and inform individuals about potential stalking behaviors. Another goal of this project is to help individuals in protecting themselves from and reporting such behavior, and inform those who may be or know an individual who is experiencing being stalked

Predicting Gambling Situations: The Roles of Impulsivity, Substance Use, and Post-Traumatic Stress

Gambling disorder and symptoms of post-traumatic stress are highly comorbid. Numerous studies suggest that the presence of one (either disordered gambling or post-traumatic stress) substantially increases the odds of later developing the other. However, little is known about the etiological links between these two domains or the nuances of the comorbidity. Past research has suggested that symptoms of post-traumatic stress might be related to unique motivations for and beliefs about gambling. The present work sought to examine whether or not symptoms of post-traumatic stress might also be related to specific situational vulnerabilities to gambling behaviors. Using a large cross-sectional sample of Internet-using adults in the United States who were primarily recreational gamblers (N = 743; 46% men,  = 36.0, SD = 11.1), as well as an inpatient sample of US Armed Forces veterans seeking treatment for gambling disorder (N = 332, 80% men,  = 53.5, SD = 11.5), the present work tested whether or not symptoms of post-traumatic stress were uniquely related to a variety of gambling situations. Results in both samples revealed that even when controlling for potentially confounding variables (eg, substance use and trait impulsivity), symptoms of post-traumatic stress were uniquely related to gambling in response to negative affect, gambling in response to social pressure, and gambling due to a need for excitement. These findings are consistent with recent work suggesting that individuals with post-traumatic stress symptoms are more likely to engage in gambling behaviors for unique reasons that differ from gamblers without such symptoms

Archeological Survey for the Port of Victoria U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Easement Disposal, Port of Victoria, Victoria County, Texas

This report documents the substantive findings and management recommendations of an archeological survey conducted by Integrated Environmental Solutions, LLC (IES) in preparation for an easement disposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District (SWG) within property owned by the Port of Victoria (POV), in Victoria County, Texas. An archeological survey was requested by the USACE as part of the overall National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Categorical Exclusion documentation process, which subsequently required compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Additionally, as the POV is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, the project is subject to the provisions of the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). Although no ground disturbing activities are included in this undertaking, the POV seeks to conduct coordination with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) for the easement disposal areas to facilitate future development of the property. To satisfy USACE-SWG and THC requirements for the easement disposal, IES conducted an archeological inventory of the easement disposal tracts. The proposed easement disposal tracts are located adjacent to the Pickering Basin near the northern terminus of the Victoria Barge Canal, in southern Victoria County, Texas. The project area or Area of Potential Effects (APE) encompasses the proposed easement disposal area, consisting of five tracts totaling 193.34 acres (ac). The goal of this survey was to locate archeological sites that could be adversely affected by the proposed and anticipated development, and to provide an evaluation of the eligibility potential of each identified resource for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). This survey was conducted between 09 and 13 September 2019. All work conformed to 36 Code of Federal Regulations 800.4 and 13 Texas Administrative Code 26, which outlines the regulations for implementing Section 106 of the NHPA and the ACT, respectively, and was conducted under Antiquities Permit No. 9048. During this survey, backhoe trenching was conducted within a 78-ac portion of the APE. Pedestrian transect survey and systematic shovel testing was conducted within a 12-ac portion of the APE. The remaining 103.34-ac portion of the APE has experienced extensive previous disturbance due to the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Victoria Barge Canal and its associated facilities. No archeological sites were encountered within the APE during this survey. No artifacts were collected during this survey. All project-related records will be temporarily stored at the IES McKinney office and permanently curated at the Museum of the Coastal Bend in Victoria, Texas. No further archeological investigation or evaluation of the APE is recommended. However, if any archeological resources are encountered during construction, the operators should stop construction activities, and immediately contact the project environmental representative to initiate coordination with the USACE-SWG Regulatory Archeologist and the THC prior to resuming any construction activities in the vicinity of the inadvertent discovery

Betti graphs and atomization of Puiseux monoids

Let $M$ be a Puiseux monoid, that is, a monoid consisting of nonnegative rationals (under addition). A nonzero element of $M$ is called an atom if its only decomposition as a sum of two elements in $M$ is the trivial decomposition (i.e., one of the summands is $0$), while a nonzero element $b \in M$ is called atomic if it can be expressed as a sum of finitely many atoms allowing repetitions: this formal sum of atoms is called an (additive) factorization of $b$. The monoid $M$ is called atomic if every nonzero element of $M$ is atomic. In this paper, we study factorizations in atomic Puiseux monoids through the lens of their associated Betti graphs. The Betti graph of $b \in M$ is the graph whose vertices are the factorizations of $b$ with edges between factorizations that share at least one atom. Betti graphs have been useful in the literature to understand several factorization invariants in the more general class of atomic monoids.Comment: 14 page

Successful orthotopic liver transplantation in an adult patient with sickle cell disease and review of the literature

Sickle cell disease can lead to hepatic complications ranging from acute hepatic crises to chronic liver disease including intrahepatic cholestasis, and iron overload. Although uncommon, intrahepatic cholestasis may be severe and medical treatment of this complication is often ineffective. We report a case of a 37 year-old male patient with sickle cell anemia, who developed liver failure and underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation. Both pre and post-operatively, he was maintained on red cell transfusions. He remains stable with improved liver function 42 months post transplant. The role for orthotopic liver transplantation is not well defined in patients with sickle cell disease, and the experience remains limited. Although considerable challenges of post-transplant graft complications remain, orthotopic liver transplantation should be considered as a treatment option for sickle cell disease patients with end-stage liver disease who have progressed despite conventional medical therapy. An extended period of red cell transfusion support may lessen the post-operative complications