Characterization of Hereford and Two-Breed Rotational Crosses of Hereford With Angus and Simmental Cattle: Carcass Traits of Steers

Calf carcass traits were evaluated for Simmental (S) x Hereford (H) and Angus (A) x H cross cows in two-breed rotations and for straightbred H. Data were grouped into seven dam breed categories: straightbred Hereford (H), F1 S x H cows (SH), S x H cows of low percentage H (SHS), S x H cows of high percentage H (HSH), F1 A x H cows (AH), A x H cows of low percentage H (AHA) and A x H cows of high percentage H (HAH). Straightbred H and crossbred SH, AH, SHS and AHA cows were mated to H bulls, HSH cows were mated to S bulls and HAH cows were mated to A bulls. Calves from S x H dams produced heavier carcasses with less fat, lower quality grade, larger longissimus area and increased estimated cutability compared to calves from H or A x H dams. Some significant intergenerational differences were observed within rotations, particularly within S x H. Calves from HSH cows mated to S bulls produced carcasses with less fat cover, lower quality grade, larger longissimus muscle area and higher estimated cutability compared to calves from SHS dams mated to H bulls. Within both rotations, evaluation of carcass weight per day of age indicated lower postweaning rate of gain for generations in which H was the sire breed. A separate analysis evaluated carcass traits of calves from SHS, HSH, AHA and HAH dam breed groups from the last 3 years of the study when calves were fed under two different postweaning management systems. With Management System One, the concentrate to roughage ratio was increased less rapidly and calves averaged 122 days older at slaughter and carcass weights averaged 128 Ib heavier compared to calves fed under Management System Two. The breed group x postweaning management system interaction effect approached significance only for marbling score, estimated cutability and kidney, pelvic and heart fat

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Assessing debris flows using LIDAR differencing: 18 May 2005 Matata event, New Zealand

The town of Matata in the Eastern Bay of Plenty (New Zealand) experienced an extreme rainfall event on the 18 May 2005. This event triggered widespread landslips and large debris flows in the Awatarariki and Waitepuru catchments behind Matata. The Light Detection and Ranging technology (LIDAR) data sets flown prior to and following this event have been differenced and used in conjunction with a detailed field study to identify the distribution of debris and major sediment pathways which, from the Awatarariki catchment, transported at least 350,000 ± 50,000 m3 of debris. Debris flows were initially confined to stream valleys and controlled by the density and hydraulic thrust of the currents, before emerging onto the Awatarariki debris fan where a complex system of unconfined sediment pathways developed. Here, large boulders, clasts, logs and entire homes were deposited as the flows decelerated. Downstream from the debris fan, the pre-existing coastal foredune topography played a significant role in deflecting the more dilute currents that in filled lagoonal swale systems in both directions. The differenced LIDAR data have revealed several sectors characterised by significant variation in clast size, thickness and volume of debris as well as areas where post-debris flow cleanup and grading operations have resulted in man-made levees, sediment dumps, scoured channels and substantial graded areas. The application of differenced LIDAR data to a debris flow event demonstrates the techniques potential as a precise and powerful tool for hazard mapping and assessment

White Matter Microstructure and Structural Networks in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia Patients After Commencing Clozapine Treatment: A Longitudinal Diffusion Imaging Study

This study investigates changes on white matter microstructure and neural networks after 6 months of switching to clozapine in schizophrenia patients compared to controls, and whether any changes are related to clinical variables. T1 and diffusion-weighted MRI images were acquired at baseline before commencing clozapine and after 6 months of treatment for 22 patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and 23 controls. The Tract-based spatial statistics approach was used to compare changes over time between groups in fractional anisotropy (FA). Changes in structural network organisation weighted by FA and number of streamlines were assessed using graph theory. Patients displayed a significant reduction of FA over time (p<0.05) compared to controls in the genu and body of the corpus callosum and bilaterally in the anterior and superior corona radiata. There was no correlation between FA change in patients and changes in clinical variables or serum level of clozapine. There was no changes in structural network organisation between groups (F(7,280)=2.80;p = 0.187). This longitudinal study demonstrated progressive focal FA abnormalities in key anterior tracts, but preserved brain structural network organisation in patients. The FA reduction was independent of any clinical measures and may reflect progression of the underlying pathophysiology of this malignant form of schizophrenia illness

Trends in autoionization of Rydberg states converging to the 4s threshold in the Kr-Rb⁺-Sr²⁺ isoelectonic sequence: theory and experiment

We have measured the photoabsorption spectra of the Kr-like ions Rb+ and Sr2+ at photon energies corresponding to the excitation of 4s-np resonances using, the dual laser plasma photoabsorption technique. Dramatic changes in the line profiles, with increasing ionization and also proceeding along the Rydberg series of each ion, are observed and explained by the trends in 4s-transition amplitudes computed within a framework of configuration-interaction Pauli-Fock calculations. Total photoionization cross sections show very good agreement with relative absorption data extracted from the measured spectra

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types

Examining parent and child agreement in the diagnosis of adolescent depression

Background: The diagnosis of depression in adolescents relies on identifying the presence of specific core and additional symptoms. Symptoms can be identified using structured or unstructured interviews and a range of questionnaire measures, which are completed by the young person and by a parent or carer. The aim of this research was to examine the inter- and intra-rater reliability of parent report and adolescent self-report of depression symptoms. Method: In a sample of parent-child dyads, where young people aged 13-17 were referred to a mental health service for depression, we examined adolescents’ (n = 46) and parents’ (n = 46) independent responses to the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia in School-Age Children (Kaufman et al., 1997) and the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (Costello & Angold, 1988). Results: In the clinical interview, diagnostic criteria were more often met based on the adolescent’s report, and adolescents endorsed more symptoms of depression than their parents. Tentative results also suggest that parent-child agreement about specific symptoms was low. Comparing different measures of depression revealed that adolescent report on the questionnaire and interview was significantly correlated. However, there was no significant correlation between parent questionnaire and interview report. Conclusion: These results suggest that relying solely on parents to identify depression in their children may result in young people with depression being missed and therefore untreated. Young people themselves should be encouraged and enabled to recognise the symptoms of depression, and have an established pathway to services that offer assessment and treatment

Driver Fusions and Their Implications in the Development and Treatment of Human Cancers.

Gene fusions represent an important class of somatic alterations in cancer. We systematically investigated fusions in 9,624 tumors across 33 cancer types using multiple fusion calling tools. We identified a total of 25,664 fusions, with a 63% validation rate. Integration of gene expression, copy number, and fusion annotation data revealed that fusions involving oncogenes tend to exhibit increased expression, whereas fusions involving tumor suppressors have the opposite effect. For fusions involving kinases, we found 1,275 with an intact kinase domain, the proportion of which varied significantly across cancer types. Our study suggests that fusions drive the development of 16.5% of cancer cases and function as the sole driver in more than 1% of them. Finally, we identified druggable fusions involving genes such as TMPRSS2, RET, FGFR3, ALK, and ESR1 in 6.0% of cases, and we predicted immunogenic peptides, suggesting that fusions may provide leads for targeted drug and immune therapy