Evaluating River Restoration Success Using the California Rapid Assessment Method

Although there has been significant expenditure on stream restoration, no unified monitoring and assessment strategy for these projects exists. This study evaluates California\u27s success at improving stream condition by assessing state-sponsored restoration projects and comparing them to high quality reference sites using the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM). CRAM evaluates stream condition using universal attributes that are each evaluated with specific metrics. Restoration sites were randomly selected from a database of restoration projects in California Regional Water Quality Control Board Region 3, the Central Coast. Reference sites were chosen to characterize the best attainable condition in the region. CRAM scores for restoration sites were significantly lower than for reference sites (p less than 0.001). Discriminant analysis showed that the overall hydrology attribute and specifically the channel stability metric were the most important variables in distinguishing between restoration and reference sites. When fish passage projects were removed from the analysis, the buffer metric was targeted in the discriminant analysis. Physical structure metrics had the largest difference in means between restoration and reference sites. Practitioners have been most successful in restoring landscape and biological aspects of streams. Future restoration efforts should provide adequate buffer and aim to restore fully functioning hydrology and physical attributes. This study shows how CRAM can be used to monitor and assess river restoration projects to improve future efforts. The next steps are to build a dataset of pre- and post-restoration CRAM assessments, and to gather support for standardized monitoring among restoration practitioners and funding agencies

Carmel Lagoon Water Quality and Steelhead Soundings: Fall 2007

ESSP 660 Advanced Watershed Science and Policy is a graduate class taught in the Master of Science in Coastal and Watershed Science & Policy program at California State University Monterey Bay. In 2007, the class was taught in four 4-week modules, each focusing on making a small contribution to a local watershed issue. This report describes the results of one of those 4-week modules – on Carmel Lagoon Water Quality and Ecology. The module was lead instructed by Fred Watson (CSUMB) and Kevan Urquhart (MPWMD). (Document contains 54 pages

Initial Hydraulic modelling and Levee Stability Analysis of the Triple M Ranch Restoration Project

“Advanced Watershed Science and Policy (ESSP 660)” is a graduate class taught in the Master of Science in Coastal and Watershed Science & Policy program at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). In 2007, the class was taught in four 4-week modules, each focusing on a local watershed issue. This report is one outcome of one of those 4-week modules taught in the fall 2007 session. (Document contains 32 pages

The Brain: A Panel

Papers Presented: The Brain\u27s Power on Personality Development by Ashmima Brown, Jamila James, & Cara Clark The Brain\u27s Highway by Mikayla Rolda & Anna Le Abstract: The peripheral nerves, which are made out of fibers or bundles of axons, include all the nerves beyond the brain and the spinal cord. They start from the edges of the central nerves, or spinal cord, and extend outwards to the periphery of the body. The main function of the peripheral nerves is to carry information from the central nervous system to the muscles and to important organs and then relay the sensory information back to the brain. There are three types of nerves in the peripheral nervous system, and the first to be introduced would be the sensory nerves, also known as afferent nerves. These sensory neurons carry information about the visual environment from the eyes to the brain. Another type of peripheral nerves is the motor nerves, also called the efferent nerves. These efferent nerves contain special axons of motor neurons to help control glands and muscles. The third type of peripheral nerves is the autonomic nerves that regulate the internal organs such as heart, intestines, and stomach. Let\u27s Split! How the Effects of a Hemispherectomy of the Right Side of the Brain Compares to the Removal of the Left Side: by Jourdan Lawrence & Brylea Huitt Abstract: The “let’s split” project explores how a hemispherectomy of the left side of the brain affects personality and development, compared to removal of the right side of the brain. As a secondary research project, the project will explain the importance of each side of the brain and the common results of a hemispherectomy on either side. A hemispherectomy is a rare treatment in which a cerebral hemisphere of the brain is removed as a result of frequent seizures or epilepsy. While the prognosis of this treatment is good, it remains a last resort. Young patients are able to improve dramatically after the treatment, however there are some complications. Primarily, as a result of the hemispherectomy, patients always suffer from paralysis on the side of the body opposite from the removed hemisphere. Furthermore, the older the patient is, the less likely the brain can transfer over the information from one side of the brain to the other effectively. By studying these issues, however, this project can discover how the issues correlate with the right or left side of the brain respectively. With this information, neurologists and other healthcare professionals may be able to increase the quality of healthcare delivery for these patients

Clearance of human IgG1-sensitised red blood cells in vivo in humans relates to the in vitro properties of antibodies from alternative cell lines.

We previously produced a recombinant version of the human anti-RhD antibody Fog-1 in the rat myeloma cell line, YB2/0. When human, autologous RhD-positive red blood cells (RBC) were sensitised with this IgG1 antibody and re-injected, they were cleared much more rapidly from the circulation than had been seen earlier with the original human-mouse heterohybridoma-produced Fog-1. Since the IgG have the same amino acid sequence, this disparity is likely to be due to alternative glycosylation that results from the rat and mouse cell lines. By comparing the in vitro properties of YB2/0-produced Fog-1 IgG1 and the same antibody produced in the mouse myeloma cell line NS0, we now have a unique opportunity to pinpoint the cause of the difference in ability to clear RBC in vivo. Using transfected cell lines that express single human FcγR, we showed that IgG1 made in YB2/0 and NS0 cell lines bound equally well to receptors of the FcγRI and FcγRII classes but that the YB2/0 antibody was superior in FcγRIII binding. When measuring complexed IgG binding, the difference was 45-fold for FcγRIIIa 158F, 20-fold for FcγRIIIa 158V and approximately 40-fold for FcγRIIIb. The dissimilarity was greater at 100-fold in monomeric IgG binding assays with FcγRIIIa. When used to sensitise RBC, the YB2/0 IgG1 generated 100-fold greater human NK cell antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and had a 103-fold advantage over the NS0 antibody in activating NK cells, as detected by CD54 levels. In assays of monocyte activation and macrophage adherence/phagocytosis, where FcγRI plays major roles, RBC sensitised with the two antibodies produced much more similar results. Thus, the alternative glycosylation profiles of the Fog-1 antibodies affect only FcγRIII binding and FcγRIII-mediated functions. Relating this to the in vivo studies confirms the importance of FcγRIII in RBC clearance.The work was supported by funding from the Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge through income that was derived from commercial exploitation of patented antibodies. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0109463

Tangled terminology: what's in a name?

Ann Clark and colleagues from the SLI in Scotland SIG Committee look at the use of terminology to describe the needs of children they supportcaslpub3239pu

Simulations of the Milky Way's central molecular zone -- I. Gas dynamics

We use hydrodynamical simulations to study the Milky Way's central molecular zone (CMZ). The simulations include a non-equilibrium chemical network, the gas self-gravity, star formation and supernova feedback. We resolve the structure of the interstellar medium at sub-parsec resolution while also capturing the interaction between the CMZ and the bar-driven large-scale flow out to R\sim 5\kpc. Our main findings are as follows: (1) The distinction between inner ($R\lesssim120$~pc) and outer ($120\lesssim R\lesssim450$~pc) CMZ that is sometimes proposed in the literature is unnecessary. Instead, the CMZ is best described as single structure, namely a star-forming ring with outer radius $R\simeq 200$~pc which includes the 1.3$^\circ$ complex and which is directly interacting with the dust lanes that mediate the bar-driven inflow. (2) This accretion can induce a significant tilt of the CMZ out of the plane. A tilted CMZ might provide an alternative explanation to the $\infty$-shaped structure identified in Herschel data by Molinari et al. 2011. (3) The bar in our simulation efficiently drives an inflow from the Galactic disc ($R\simeq 3$~kpc) down to the CMZ ($R\simeq200$~pc) of the order of $1\rm\,M_\odot\,yr^{-1}$, consistent with observational determinations. (4) Supernova feedback can drive an inflow from the CMZ inwards towards the circumnuclear disc of the order of $\sim0.03\,\rm M_\odot\,yr^{-1}$. (5) We give a new interpretation for the 3D placement of the 20 and 50 km s$^{-1}$ clouds, according to which they are close ($R\lesssim30$~pc) to the Galactic centre, but are also connected to the larger-scale streams at $R\gtrsim100$~pc.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Movies of the simulations can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwnzfO-xLxzRDz9XsexfPo

An allelic series of spontaneous Rorb mutant mice exhibit a gait phenotype, changes in retina morphology and behavior, and gene expression signatures associated with the unfolded protein response.

The Retinoid-related orphan receptor beta (RORβ) gene encodes a developmental transcription factor and has 2 predominant isoforms created through alternative first exon usage; one specific to the retina and another present more broadly in the central nervous system, particularly regions involved in sensory processing. RORβ belongs to the nuclear receptor family and plays important roles in cell fate specification in the retina and cortical layer formation. In mice, loss of RORβ causes disorganized retina layers, postnatal degeneration, and production of immature cone photoreceptors. Hyperflexion or high-stepping of rear limbs caused by reduced presynaptic inhibition by Rorb-expressing inhibitory interneurons of the spinal cord is evident in RORβ-deficient mice. RORβ variants in patients are associated with susceptibility to various neurodevelopmental conditions, primarily generalized epilepsies, but including intellectual disability, bipolar, and autism spectrum disorders. The mechanisms by which RORβ variants confer susceptibility to these neurodevelopmental disorders are unknown but may involve aberrant neural circuit formation and hyperexcitability during development. Here we report an allelic series in 5 strains of spontaneous Rorb mutant mice with a high-stepping gait phenotype. We show retinal abnormalities in a subset of these mutants and demonstrate significant differences in various behavioral phenotypes related to cognition. Gene expression analyses in all 5 mutants reveal a shared over-representation of the unfolded protein response and pathways related to endoplasmic reticulum stress, suggesting a possible mechanism of susceptibility relevant to patients

Economic evaluation of the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in Hong Kong.

Background Rotavirus is a common cause of severe gastroenteritis in young children in Hong Kong (HK) with a high economic burden. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of introducing rotavirus vaccination into the HK Government's Childhood Immunisation Programme (CIP) and to include the potential protective effect of the vaccine against seizures. Methods A decision-support model was customised to estimate the potential impact, cost-effectiveness and benefit-risk of rotavirus vaccination in children below 5 years over the period 2020-2029 in HK. Two doses of Rotarix® and three doses of RotaTeq® were each compared to no vaccination. Rotavirus treatment costs were calculated from a governmental health sector perspective (i.e., costs of public sector treatment) and an overall health sector perspective (both governmental and patient, i.e., costs of public sector treatment, private sector treatment, transport and diapers). We ran probabilistic and deterministic uncertainty analyses. Results Introduction of rotavirus vaccination in HK could prevent 49,000 (95% uncertainty interval: ~44,000-54,000) hospitalisations of rotavirus gastroenteritis and seizures and result in ~50 (95% uncertainty interval: ~25-85) intussusception hospitalisations, over the period 2020-2029 (a benefit-risk ratio of ~1000:1), compared to a scenario with no public or private sector vaccine use. The discounted vaccination cost would be US$51-57 million over the period 2020-2029 based on per-course prices of US$72 (Rotarix®) or US$78 (RotaTeq®), but this would be offset by discounted treatment cost savings of US$70 million (government) and US$127 million (governmental and patient health sector). There was a greater than 94% probability that the vaccine could be cost-saving irrespective of the vaccine product or perspective considered. All deterministic 'what-if' scenarios were cost-saving from an overall health sector perspective (governmental and patient). Conclusions Rotavirus vaccination is likely to be cost-saving and have a favourable benefit-risk profile in HK. Based on the assumptions made, our analysis supports its introduction into CIP