Grassland to Cropland Conversion in the Northern Plains: The Role of Markets and Policy

Crop Production/Industries, Land Economics/Use,

Modeling Accuracy and Variability of Motor Timing in Treated and Untreated Parkinson’s Disease and Healthy Controls

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by difficulty with the timing of movements. Data collected using the synchronization–continuation paradigm, an established motor timing paradigm, have produced varying results but with most studies finding impairment. Some of this inconsistency comes from variation in the medication state tested, in the inter-stimulus intervals (ISI) selected, and in changeable focus on either the synchronization (tapping in time with a tone) or continuation (maintaining the rhythm in the absence of the tone) phase. We sought to re-visit the paradigm by testing across four groups of participants: healthy controls, medication naïve de novo PD patients, and treated PD patients both “on” and “off” dopaminergic medication. Four finger tapping intervals (ISI) were used: 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 ms. Categorical predictors (group, ISI, and phase) were used to predict accuracy and variability using a linear mixed model. Accuracy was defined as the relative error of a tap, and variability as the deviation of the participant’s tap from group predicted relative error. Our primary finding is that the treated PD group (PD patients “on” and “off” dopaminergic therapy) showed a significantly different pattern of accuracy compared to the de novo group and the healthy controls at the 250-ms interval. At this interval, the treated PD patients performed “ahead” of the beat whilst the other groups performed “behind” the beat. We speculate that this “hastening” relates to the clinical phenomenon of motor festination. Across all groups, variability was smallest for both phases at the 500-ms interval, suggesting an innate preference for finger tapping within this range. Tapping variability for the two phases became increasingly divergent at the longer intervals, with worse performance in the continuation phase. The data suggest that patients with PD can be best discriminated from healthy controls on measures of motor timing accuracy, rather than variability

Entanglement and Topology in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics

Cavity materials are a frontier to investigate the role of light-matter interactions on the properties of electronic phases of matter. In this work, we raise a fundamental question: can non-local interactions mediated by cavity photons destabilize a topological electronic phase? We investigate this question by characterizing entanglement, energy spectrum and correlation functions of the topological Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain interacting with an optical cavity mode. Employing density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) and exact diagonalization (ED), we demonstrate the stability of the edge state and establish an area law scaling for the ground state entanglement entropy, despite long-range correlations induced by light-matter interactions. These features are linked to gauge invariance and the scaling of virtual photon excitations entangled with matter, effectively computed in a low-dimensional Krylov subspace of the full Hilbert space. This work provides a framework for characterizing novel equilibrium phenomena in topological cavity materials.Comment: 4.5 pages and 3 figure

Agri-Environmental Policy at the Crossroads: Guideposts on a Changing Landscape

Agri-environmental policy is at a crossroads. Over the past 20 years, a wide range of policies addressing the environmental implications of agricultural production have been implemented at the Federal level. Those policies have played an important role in reducing soil erosion, protecting and restoring wetlands, and creating wildlife habitat. However, emerging agri-environmental issues, evolution of farm income support policies, and limits imposed by trade agreements may point toward a rethinking of agri-environmental policy. This report identifies the types of policy tools available and the design features that have improved the effectiveness of current programs. It provides an indepth analysis of one policy tool that may be an important component of a future policy package-agri-environmental payments. The analysis focuses on issues and tradeoffs that policymakers would face in designing a program of agri-environmental payments.conservation programs, environmental policy, agricultural policy, policy instruments, agricultural program design, soil erosion, nitrogen runoff, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Impact of Chorea on Self-care Activity, Employment, and Health-care Resource Use in Patients with Huntington’s Disease

**Background:** Chorea is recognized as a prototypic motor feature of Huntington’s disease (HD), but its effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has not been fully explored. This study describes the impact of chorea on HRQoL in patients with HD. **Objective:** To determine the impact of HD-related chorea on employment, self-care activities, activities of daily living, and health-care resource utilization (HCRU). **Methods:** Data were drawn from the Adelphi HD Disease Specific Programme, a real-world point-in-time survey of 144 neurologists and 427 patients in the United States between July and October 2017. HD patients with and without chorea were identified and examined for differences in employment status, reasons for employment changes, self-care activities, and modifications to cope with involuntary movements. Bivariate tests and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment methods were used to determine differences in outcomes between patients with and without chorea. **Results:** HD patients with (n=287) and without (n=140) chorea were identified. Patients with chorea were less likely to be employed full-time (16.7% vs 25.7%; _P_<0.04) and more likely to be on long-term sick leave (17.4% vs 5.0%; _P_<0.01). The onset of motor symptoms in HD-related chorea patients coincided with a change in employment status (42.7% vs 20.8%; _P_<0.01). Among those still working (n=145), more than two-fifths of patients with chorea required changes to their workplace and required these changes more frequently (45% vs 17%; _P_<0.001). HD patients with chorea required aid to help them get around significantly more frequently than those without chorea (55% vs 34%; _P_<0.001). **Discussion:** These results demonstrate that HD patients with chorea experienced greater negative impact to employment, self-care activities, and HCRU than patients without chorea experienced. These patients were more likely to stop working due to motor, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms; require modifications in the home and workplace; and need more assistance from caregivers than patients without chorea. **Conclusions:** Patients with HD-related chorea have greater detriments to emotional, interpersonal, and professional functioning that could be improved by reducing chorea

Impact of Chorea on Self-care Activity, Employment, and Health-care Resource Use in Patients with Huntington’s Disease

**Background:** Chorea is recognized as a prototypic motor feature of Huntington’s disease (HD), but its effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has not been fully explored. This study describes the impact of chorea on HRQoL in patients with HD. **Objective:** To determine the impact of HD-related chorea on employment, self-care activities, activities of daily living, and health-care resource utilization (HCRU). **Methods:** Data were drawn from the Adelphi HD Disease Specific Programme, a real-world point-in-time survey of 144 neurologists and 427 patients in the United States between July and October 2017. HD patients with and without chorea were identified and examined for differences in employment status, reasons for employment changes, self-care activities, and modifications to cope with involuntary movements. Bivariate tests and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment methods were used to determine differences in outcomes between patients with and without chorea. **Results:** HD patients with (n=287) and without (n=140) chorea were identified. Patients with chorea were less likely to be employed full-time (16.7% vs 25.7%; _P_<0.04) and more likely to be on long-term sick leave (17.4% vs 5.0%; _P_<0.01). The onset of motor symptoms in HD-related chorea patients coincided with a change in employment status (42.7% vs 20.8%; _P_<0.01). Among those still working (n=145), more than two-fifths of patients with chorea required changes to their workplace and required these changes more frequently (45% vs 17%; _P_<0.001). HD patients with chorea required aid to help them get around significantly more frequently than those without chorea (55% vs 34%; _P_<0.001). **Discussion:** These results demonstrate that HD patients with chorea experienced greater negative impact to employment, self-care activities, and HCRU than patients without chorea experienced. These patients were more likely to stop working due to motor, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms; require modifications in the home and workplace; and need more assistance from caregivers than patients without chorea. **Conclusions:** Patients with HD-related chorea have greater detriments to emotional, interpersonal, and professional functioning that could be improved by reducing chorea

Predictors of persistence and adherence to deutetrabenazine among patients with Huntington disease or tardive dyskinesia

Introduction Deutetrabenazine is approved for treatment of Huntington disease (HD)-related chorea and tardive dyskinesia (TD) in adults. Factors associated with deutetrabenazine persistence and adherence are not well understood. Methods Claims data from the Symphony Health Solutions Integrated Dataverse (2017-2019) were analyzed to identify real-world predictors of deutetrabenazine persistence and adherence in adults with HD or TD in the United States. Predictive models for persistence and adherence that considered patient demographics, payer type, comorbidities, treatment history, and health care resource use were developed. Results In HD, use of anticonvulsants (HR = 2.00 [95% CI = 1.03, 3.85]; P < .05), lipid-lowering agents (2.22 [1.03, 4.76]; P < .05), and Medicaid versus Medicare insurance (2.27 [1.03, 5.00]; P < .05) predicted persistence, whereas only comorbid anxiety disorders predicted discontinuation (0.46 [0.23, 0.93]; P < .05). Of these patients, 62.5% were adherent at 6 months. Use of 22642 treatments for chronic diseases (OR = 0.18 [95% CI = 0.04, 0.81]; P < .05) and Medicaid versus Medicare insurance (0.27 [0.09, 0.75]; P < .05) was associated with lower odds of adherence. In TD, use of lipid-lowering agents (HR = 4.76 [95% CI = 1.02, 20.00]; P < .05) predicted persistence, while comorbid schizoaffective disorder and/or schizophrenia (0.16 [0.14, 0.69]; P < .05) and sleep-wake disorders (0.18 [0.04, 0.82]; P < .05) predicted discontinuation. Of these patients, 46.7% were adherent at 6 months. Comorbid schizoaffective disorder and/or schizophrenia was associated with lower odds of adherence (OR = 0.26 [0.07, 0.91]; P < .05). Discussion Identifying factors predictive of discontinuation and/or nonadherence to deutetrabenazine may facilitate the development of personalized support programs that seek to improve outcomes in patients with HD or TD

The dynamics of root cap sloughing in Arabidopsis is regulated by peptide signalling

The root cap protects the stem cell niche of angiosperm roots from damage. In Arabidopsis, lateral root cap (LRC) cells covering the meristematic zone are regularly lost through programmed cell death, while the outermost layer of the root cap covering the tip is repeatedly sloughed. Efficient coordination with stem cells producing new layers is needed to maintain a constant size of the cap. We present a signalling pair, the peptide IDA-LIKE1 (IDL1) and its receptor HAESA-LIKE2 (HSL2), mediating such communication. Live imaging over several days characterized this process from initial fractures in LRC cell files to full separation of a layer. Enhanced expression of IDL1 in the separating root cap layers resulted in increased frequency of sloughing, balanced with generation of new layers in a HSL2-dependent manner. Transcriptome analyses linked IDL1-HSL2 signalling to the transcription factors BEARSKIN1/2 and genes associated with programmed cell death. Mutations in either IDL1 or HSL2 slowed down cell division, maturation and separation. Thus, IDL1-HSL2 signalling potentiates dynamic regulation of the homeostatic balance between stem cell division and sloughing activity

Protection of rhesus macaques from SIV infection by immunization with different experimental SIV vaccines.

The immunogenicity and efficacy of an inactivated whole SIVmac (32H) preparation adjuvanted with muramyl dipeptide (SIV-MDP) and a gp120-enriched SIVmac (32H) ISCOM preparation (SIV-ISCOM), were compared by immunizing four rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) four times with SIV-MDP and four others in the same way with SIV-ISCOM. Two monkeys immunized with whole inactivated measles virus (MV) adjuvanted with MDP (MV-MDP) and two monkeys immunized with MV-ISCOM served as controls. In the SIV-ISCOM-immunized monkeys higher SIV-specific serum antibody titres were found than in the SIV-MDP-immunized monkeys. In contrast to the MV-immunized monkeys all SIV-MDP- and SIV-ISCOM-immunized monkeys were protected against intravenous challenge 2 weeks after the last immunization with 10 median monkey infectious doses (MID50) of a cell-free SIVmac (32H) challenge stock propagated in the human T-cell line C8166. After 43 weeks the protected monkeys were reboosted and 2 weeks later rechallenged with 10 MID50 of the same virus produced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a rhesus macaque. None of these animals proved to be protected against this challenge. In a parallel experiment in which the same numbers of monkeys were immunized in the same way, the animal

Women have worse cognitive, functional, and psychiatric outcomes at hospital discharge after cardiac arrest

Aim: To examine gender differences among cardiac arrest (CA) survivors’ cognitive, functional, and psychiatric outcomes at discharge. Methods: This is a prospective, observational cohort of 187 CA patients admitted to Columbia University Medical Center, considered for Targeted Temperature Management (TTM), and survived to hospital discharge between September 2015 and July 2017. Patients with sufficient mental status at hospital discharge to engage in the Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), Modified Lawton Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (M-PSMS), Cerebral Performance Category Scale (CPC), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C) were included. Fisher’s exact, Wilcoxon Rank Sum, and regression analysis were utilized. Results: 80 patients (38% women, 44% white, mean age 53 ± 17 years) were included. No significant gender differences were found for age, race, Charlson Comorbidity Index, premorbid CPC or psychiatric diagnoses, arrest related variables, discharge CPC, or PCL-C scores. Women had significantly worse RBANS (64.9 vs 74.8, p = .01), M-PSMS (13.6 vs 10.6, p = .02), and CES-D (22.8 vs 14.3, p = .02) scores. These significant differences were maintained in multivariate models after adjusting for age, initial rhythm, time to return of spontaneous circulation, and TTM. Conclusions: Women have worse cognitive, functional, and psychiatric outcomes at hospital discharge after cardiac arrest than men. Identifying factors contributing to these differences is of great importance in cardiac arrest outcomes research