Plant traits explain the success of vacuum harvesting as a method of seed collection for the restoration of species-rich grasslands

Grassland restoration is a key measure for re-establishing damaged floral communities. As seed banks are often degraded, methods are needed to overcome dispersal limitation of the remnant vegetation. One approach is to vacuum harvest seeds from donor sites. While this is a cost-effective method, individual species’ traits describing reproduction methods and dispersal mechanisms may affect the success with which seeds are collected and subsequently germinate. We collected seeds using low-cost vacuum harvesters in species-rich meadows in Poland. We predicted the relative success with which seedlings emerged from this collected material with respect to their percentage cover in the donor sites on the basis of individual species’ functional traits. Prolific species that rely on seed as opposed to vegetative reproduction, and those that germinate in late summer/autumn, exhibited the highest level of emergence. To a lesser extent, drought-tolerant or shade-intolerant species were well represented in the collected material. There was also weak evidence that wind-dispersed seeds would have a higher likelihood of being collected by this method. Our results suggest that vacuum harvesting is a valuable method to collect seeds for use in grassland restoration; however, it has limitations. In particular, additional methods may be needed to introduce into grassland restoration sites the propagules of species that vegetatively reproduce or seed early. The overrepresentation of species that produce large numbers of seed may potentially introduce priority effects that could also have unintended long-term implications for the structure of the floral community

Transcriptional analysis of temporal gene expression in germinating Clostridium difficile 630 endospores.

Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of hospital acquired diarrhoea in industrialised countries. Under conditions that are not favourable for growth, the pathogen produces metabolically dormant endospores via asymmetric cell division. These are extremely resistant to both chemical and physical stress and provide the mechanism by which C. difficile can evade the potentially fatal consequences of exposure to heat, oxygen, alcohol, and certain disinfectants. Spores are the primary infective agent and must germinate to allow for vegetative cell growth and toxin production. While spore germination in Bacillus is well understood, little is known about C. difficile germination and outgrowth. Here we use genome-wide transcriptional analysis to elucidate the temporal gene expression patterns in C. difficile 630 endospore germination. We have optimized methods for large scale production and purification of spores. The germination characteristics of purified spores have been characterized and RNA extraction protocols have been optimized. Gene expression was highly dynamic during germination and outgrowth, and was found to involve a large number of genes. Using this genome-wide, microarray approach we have identified 511 genes that are significantly up- or down-regulated during C. difficile germination (p≤0.01). A number of functional groups of genes appeared to be co-regulated. These included transport, protein synthesis and secretion, motility and chemotaxis as well as cell wall biogenesis. These data give insight into how C. difficile re-establishes its metabolism, re-builds the basic structures of the vegetative cell and resumes growth

Sugary Drink FACTS 2014: Some Progress but Much Room for Improvement in Marketing to Youth

This report updates a 2011 report on the same topic. Using the same methods as the last report, researchers examined changes in the nutritional content of sugar-sweetened drinks including sodas, fruit drinks, flavored waters, sports drinks, iced teas, as well as zero-calorie energy drinks and shots. They also analyzed marketing tactics for 23 companies that advertised these products, including amount spent to advertise in all media; child and teen exposure to advertising and brand appearances on TV and visits to beverage company websites, including differences for black and Hispanic youth; advertising on websites popular with children and teens; and marketing in newer media like mobile apps and social media. Researchers also examined changes in advertising of diet beverages, 100% juice, and water

A Multi-Season Study of the Effects of MODIS Sea-Surface Temperatures on Operational WRF Forecasts at NWS Miami, FL

Studies at the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPORT) Center have suggested that the use of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sea-surface temperature (SST) composites in regional weather forecast models can have a significant positive impact on short-term numerical weather prediction in coastal regions. Recent work by LaCasse et al (2007, Monthly Weather Review) highlights lower atmospheric differences in regional numerical simulations over the Florida offshore waters using 2-km SST composites derived from the MODIS instrument aboard the polar-orbiting Aqua and Terra Earth Observing System satellites. To help quantify the value of this impact on NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs), the SPORT Center and the NWS WFO at Miami, FL (MIA) are collaborating on a project to investigate the impact of using the high-resolution MODIS SST fields within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) prediction system. The project's goal is to determine whether more accurate specification of the lower-boundary forcing within WRF will result in improved land/sea fluxes and hence, more accurate evolution of coastal mesoscale circulations and the associated sensible weather elements. The NWS MIA is currently running WRF in real-time to support daily forecast operations, using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Nonhydrostatic Mesoscale Model dynamical core within the NWS Science and Training Resource Center's Environmental Modeling System (EMS) software. Twenty-seven hour forecasts are run dally initialized at 0300, 0900, 1500, and 2100 UTC on a domain with 4-km grid spacing covering the southern half of Florida and adjacent waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. Each model run is initialized using the Local Analysis and Prediction System (LAPS) analyses available in AWIPS. The SSTs are initialized with the NCEP Real-Time Global (RTG) analyses at 1/12deg resolution (approx.9 km); however, the RTG product does not exhibit fine-scale details consistent with its grid resolution. SPORT is conducting parallel WRF EMS runs identical to the operational runs at NWS MIA except for the use of MODIS SST composites in place of the RTG product as the initial and boundary conditions over water, The MODIS SST composites for initializing the SPORT WRF runs are generated on a 2-km grid four times daily at 0400, 0700, 1600, and 1900 UTC, based on the times of the overhead passes of the Aqua and Terra satellites. The incorporation of the MODIS SST data into the SPORT WRF runs is staggered such that SSTs are updated with a new composite every six hours in each of the WRF runs. From mid-February to July 2007, over 500 parallel WRF simulations have been collected for analysis and verification. This paper will present verification results comparing the NWS MIA operational WRF runs to the SPORT experimental runs, and highlight any substantial differences noted in the predicted mesoscale phenomena for specific cases

Evaluation of updated sepsis scoring systems and systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria and their association with sepsis in equine neonates

BackgroundThe original equine sepsis score provided a method of identifying foals with sepsis. New variables associated with sepsis have been evaluated, but the sepsis score has not been updated.ObjectivesTo evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of 2 updated sepsis scores and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria in regard to detecting sepsis in foals.AnimalsTwo-hundred and seventy-three ill foals and 25 healthy control foals.MethodsHistorical, physical examination, and clinicopathologic findings were used to calculate the original sepsis score and 2 updated sepsis scores. SIRS criteria were also evaluated. Sepsis scores and positive SIRS scores were statistically compared to foals with sepsis.ResultsOne-hundred and twenty-six foals were septic and 147 sick-nonseptic. The original and updated sepsis scores were significantly higher in septic foals as compared to sick-nonseptic and healthy foals. The sensitivity and specificity of the updated sepsis scores to predict sepsis were not significantly better than those of the original sepsis score. One-hundred and twenty-seven of 273 (46.5%) foals met the original SIRS criteria and 88/273 (32%) foals met the equine neonatal SIRS criteria. The original SIRS criteria had similar sensitivity and specificity for predicting sepsis as did the 3 sepsis scores in our study.Conclusions and clinical importanceThe updated sepsis scores did not provide improved ability in predicting sepsis. Fulfilling the original SIRS criteria provided similar sensitivity and specificity in predicting sepsis as the modified sepsis score and might serve as a diagnostic aid in identifying foals at risk for sepsis

The WRF Lightning Forecast Algorithm: Sensitivities to Microphysics and Other Physics Schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model

No abstract availabl

Personality and Perceptions about Sport Participation in Collegiate Club Hockey Athletes

Club sports provide opportunities for college students who may not want to or cannot participate in varsity athletics (Rundio & Buning, 2022). Club sports provide college students with physical and social engagements. These engagements can vary from orchestrating meetings, practices, and dates of competition (Lee, Liu, & Bentley, 2024), in addition to a variety of health benefits. College students get to incorporate their physical talents and interests within a recreational environment without the constraints of the pressures from varsity athletics. Rundio & Buning (2022) states that “in one school year, approximately two million students participated in club sports in the USA alone,” (p.3) compared to 430,000 students in varsity athletic programs (Pennington, 2008)

Change in Function, Pain and Quality of Life following Structured Nonoperative Treatment in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review

Title: Change in Function, Pain and Quality of Life following Structured Nonoperative Treatment in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Systematic Review Authors: Lindsay Tetreault1, Mohammed Shamji1, John Rhee2, Heidi Prather3, Jeff Wilson1, Ian B. Andersson4, Anna H. Dembek4, Krystle Pagarigan5, Joseph R. Dettori5, Michael G. Fehlings1 Affiliations: 1. Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto 2. Emory clinic, Atlanta 3. School of Medicine, Washington University at St. Louis 4. School of Physical Therapy, University of Puget Sound 5. Spectrum Research, Tacoma Purpose: To perform a systematic review of the current literature to analyze (1) the change in pain, function, and quality of life resulting from structured nonoperative treatment for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM); (2) the variability of change in function, pain and quality of life after different nonoperative treatments; (3) the differences in outcomes observed among subgroups (i.e baseline severity score, duration of symptoms); and (4) negative outcomes and harms resulting from physical therapy intervention. Materials and Methods: A systematic search was conducted in Embase, the Cochrane Collaboration, and PubMed for research published between January 1, 1950 and February 9, 2015. Articles were included if they evaluated outcomes related to structured nonoperative treatment, including manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, cervical bracing and/or traction. Outcomes of interest include functional status (Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA), Nurick), upper extremity and neck pain, quality of life (Neck Disability Index), and/or surgical intervention. The quality of each study was assessed using the Newcaste-Ottawa Scale and the strength of evidence was rated using guidelines from the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation Working Group. Results: Of the 570 citations, eight met the criteria for inclusion in this review. There is very low evidence implying that structured nonoperative treatment for DCM garners a positive or negative change in pain, function, and quality of life as interpreted by the JOA score. There is also limited evidence from three studies showing that early nonoperative treatment (symptoms \u3c1 year) is associated with positive clinical outcomes. No studies directly compared structured nonoperative treatment types nor explored outcomes based on patient subgroups. The incidence of conversion to surgery ranged from 23-54%; primarily involving cases of mild or moderate myelopathy (JOA≥12). Conclusion: There is a general lack of evidence to discern the role of nonoperative treatment for patients with DCM. In the majority of studies, however, patients did not achieve clinically significant gains in functional status with structured nonoperative treatment. Rates of failed conservative treatment among all included studies were between 23-54%. Clinical Relevance: The role of structured nonoperative treatment for the management of DCM is not well defined, and the typical recommendation for patients with moderate to severe DCM is surgical intervention. References: Fehlings MG, Ibrahim A, Tetreault L, et al. A Global Perspective on the Outcomes of Surgical Decompression in Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Results from the Prospective Multicenter AOSpine International Study on 479 patients. Spine. 2015. Nurick S. The natural history and the results of surgical treatment of the spinal cord disorder associated with cervical spondylosis. Brain : a journal of neurology. 1972;95(1):101-108. Nouri A, Tetreault L, Singh A, Karadimas SK, Fehlings MG. Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Epidemiology, Genetics, and Pathogenesis. Spine. 2015;40(12):E675-693. Key Words: cervical myelopathy, degenerative myelopathy, nonsurgical management, nonoperative, conservative, physical therapy, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, cervical traction, OPLL, spondylotic myelopathy, cervical stenosi