An Investigation Into the Natural Mineral Lick at Lick Creek

The natural mineral lick at Lick Creek in the Bitterroot National Forest was studied to determine the types and concentrations of minerals found in the licks and what the potential source for the minerals may be. Soil samples were taken from seven different “lick pits” that were formed by elk and deer, as well as three different dig sites. Samples were also collected from the two proposed sources of the minerals, Mazama and Challis volcanic ash. An experiment was performed on the soil and ash samples to determine the amount of dissolved electrolytes in the solution and how that amount may change over time. This was accomplished by adding 30 mL of sample to 120 mL of distilled water in jars. The first test was conducted 10 minutes after the samples were mixed and the second test was conducted 24 hours later. The concentration of electrolytes was measured using a Total Dissolved Solid/Electrical Conductivity meter in units of parts per million. Solutions from one mineral lick soil sample and samples of Mazama and Challis ash were sent to Energy Laboratories for further analysis of the specific mineral composition. The laboratory results indicate that there are notable quantities of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium present in all three samples. The ratios of the minerals from each sample indicate that Mazama ash is the most likely source for the natural mineral lick at Lick Creek. This research brings to light how geological events of the past created an environment that provides a valuable resource to elk and deer in the present, in the form of electrolyte supplementation for proper biological functioning

Effect of initiating drug treatment on the risk of drug-related poisoning death and acquisitive crime among offending heroin users.

BACKGROUND: A recent Cochrane review of randomised trials identified a lack of evidence for interventions provided to drug-using offenders. We use routine data to address whether contact with treatment services reduces heroin users' likelihood of a future acquisitive offence or drug-related poisoning (DRP) death. METHODS: Heroin-users were identified from probation assessments and linked to drug-treatment, mortality and offending records. The study cohort was selected to ensure that the subject was not: in prison, in treatment or had recently left treatment. Subjects were classed as initiators if they attended a triage appointment within two weeks of their assessment; non-initiators otherwise. Initiator and non-initiators were compared over a maximum of one year, with respect to their risk of recorded acquisitive offence or DRP-death. Balance was sought using propensity score matching and missing data were accounted for using multiple imputation. RESULTS: Nine percent of assessments identified for analysis were classed as initiators. Accounting for observed confounding and missing data, there was a reduction in DRPs associated with initiator assessments, however there was uncertainty around this estimate such that a null-effect could not be ruled out (HR: 0.42, 95% CI 0.17-1.04). There was no evidence of a decrease in the recidivism risk, in fact the analysis showed a small increase (HR: 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.18). CONCLUSION: For heroin-using offenders, initial contact with treatment services does not appear to reduce the likelihood of a future acquisitive offence

Bicarbonate-based Purge Solution As A Bleeding Reduction Strategy in Patients on Impella Support

Study: The Impella Catheters require a heparin-containing purge solution to maintain proper pump function by reducing the risk of biomaterial deposition in the purge gaps. A bicarbonate-based purge solution (BBPS) has been proposed as an alternative to a heparin-based purge solution. We review performance in patients supported to date with a BBPS (heparin-induced thrombocytopenia patients were excluded from this analysis). Methods: This review includes patients (n=26) supported using sodium bicarbonate (25 mEq/1L of D5W) in the purge from September 2020 to February 2021. These patients were supported with BBPS post-operatively where heparin in the purge was not desired or were transitioned to BBPS because of bleeding issues. Case data were collected from an internal database to develop the clinical narrative and cross-referenced against Impella Controller data logs to assess purge trends and pump function. Results: All pumps were switched to BBPS in the purge if not started with BBPS (Figure 1A). The average time to initiating BBPS was 1.6 days (excluding n=3 outliers where time to switching was \u3e15 days). The average duration of support with BBPS was 5 days and a maximum duration of 22 days (Figure 1B). Figure 1C shows clinical indications for use. Purge pressure and purge flow remained stable while on BBPS (Figure 1D). In conclusion, this preliminary experience suggests the feasibility of using BBPS to maintain purge patency, ensure pump motor reliability, reduce bleeding risk, and simplify anticoagulation management. Use of a BBPS may be a safe and effective alternative to heparin in the purge for patients in which heparin is contraindicated or not feasible. More patient experience and analysis are needed to evaluate how bicarbonate compares to heparin in the purge for all patients

Bicarbonate Purge Solution to Support Impella Devices for Patients with Clinically Suspected or Confirmed Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia

Study: The Impella catheter is a transvalvular, micro-axial left ventricular assist device that provides temporary mechanical circulatory support and requires a heparin-containing purge solution to reduce the risk of biomaterial deposition in the purge gaps and also maintain proper pump function. For patients with suspected or confirmed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), direct thrombin inhibitors (DTI) have been proposed as an alternative to heparin in the purge, but have been associated with pump failure requiring temporary tPA in the purge solution to normalize pump function. In this report, we review HIT patients supported with a sodium bicarbonate-based purge solution (BBPS). Methods: Patients with suspected or confirmed HIT on Impella support using sodium bicarbonate (25 mEq in 1L D5W solution) in the purge from September 2020 to January 2021 were reviewed. Case data were obtained from Impella Quality (IQ) database for those supported with a BBPS and clinically suspected or confirmed HIT. Purge pressures and purge flows were evaluated from the Automated Impella Controller (AIC). Results: Ten patients were supported with a BBPS during this period. Impella support was begun either with no anticoagulant (n=5), DTI (n=2), or heparin (n=3) and then switched to BBPS. Impella run time using a BBPS ranged from 1-14 days; five pumps had a run time with a BBPS \u3e 10 days (Figure 1). Systemic DTI use was used in five cases along with a BBPS. No purge pathway thrombosis or bleeding events were observed, along with no changes in purge flow or purge pressures observed. In conclusion, preliminary experience suggests the use of BBPS in the setting suspected or confirmed HIT patients supported with an Impella is safe and effective and may provide a useful therapeutic option for heparin intolerant patients. Future work should investigate mechanisms and purge reliability of BBPS in this setting

Parental methyl-enhanced diet and in ovo corticosterone affect first generation Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) development, behaviour and stress response.

Abstract The role of maternal investment in avian offspring has considerable life history implications on production traits and therefore potential for the poultry industry. A first generation (G1) of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were bred from a 2 × 2 factorial design. Parents were fed either a control or methyl-enhanced (HiBET) diet, and their eggs were treated with a vehicle or corticosterone injection during day 5 of incubation. A subset of G1 birds were subjected to an open field trial (OFT) and capture-restraint stress protocol. Significant effects of HiBET diet were found on parental egg and liver weights, G1 hatch, liver and female reproductive tract weights, egg productivity, latency to leave the OFT central zone, male baseline 11-dehydrocorticosterone, and female androstenedione plasma concentrations. In ovo treatment significantly affected latency to return to the OFT, male baseline testosterone and androstenedione, and change in androstenedione plasma concentration. Diet by treatment interactions were significant for G1 liver weight and male baseline plasma concentrations of corticosterone. These novel findings suggest significant positive effects on reproduction, growth, precociousness, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function from enhanced methyl diets, and are important in understanding how in ovo stressors (representing maternal stress), affect the first offspring generation

2006 AAPP Monograph American Series

The African American Professors Program (AAPP) at the University of South Carolina is proud to publish the sixth edition of its annual monograph series. The program recognizes the significance of offering its scholars a venue for engaging actively in research and for publishing papers related thereto. Parallel with the publication of their refereed manuscripts is the opportunity to gain visibility among scholars throughout institutions worldwide. Scholars who have contributed manuscripts for this monograph are to be commended for adding this additional responsibility to their academic workloads. Writing across disciplines adds to the intellectual diversity of these papers. From neophytes, relatively speaking, to an array of very experienced individuals, the chapters have been researched and comprehensively written. Founded in 1997 through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies in the College of Education, AAPP was designed to address the underrepresentation of African American professors on college and university campuses. Its mission is to expand the pool of these professors in critical academic and research areas. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the South Carolina General Assembly, the program recruits doctoral students for disciplines in which African Americans currently are underrepresented among faculty in higher education. The continuation of this monograph series is seen as responding to a window of opportunity to be sensitive to an academic expectation of graduates as they pursue career placement and, at the same time, one that allows for the dissemination of AAPP products to a broader community. The importance of this monograph series has been voiced by one of our 2002 AAPP graduates, Dr. Shundele LaTjuan Dogan, a former Program Officer for the Southern Education Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia, a former Administrative Fellow at Harvard University, and currently a Senior Program Officer with the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, focusing on the Pathways to Success Initiative. Dr. Dogan wrote: One thing in particular that I want to thank you for is having the African American Professors Program scholars publish articles for the monograph. I have to admit that writing the articles seemed like extra work at the time. However, in my recent interview process, organizations have asked me for samples of my writing. Including an article from a published monograph helped to make my portfolio much more impressive. You were \u27right on target\u27 in having us do the monograph series. {AAPP 2003 Monograph, p xi) The African American Professors Program offers this 2006 publication as a contribution to its readership and hopes that you will be inspired by this select group of manuscripts. John McFadden, Ph.D. The Benjamin Elijah Mays Professor Director, African American Professors Program University of South Carolinahttps://scholarcommons.sc.edu/mcfadden_monographs/1008/thumbnail.jp

Cytotoxic G-rich oligodeoxynucleotides: putative protein targets and required sequence motif

It has recently been shown that certain oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) designed as catalytic DNA molecules (DNAzymes) exhibit potent cytotoxicity independent of RNA-cleavage activity in a number of cell lines. These cytotoxic ODNs all featured a 5′ G-rich sequence and induced cell death by a TLR9-independent mechanism. In this study, we examined the sequence and length dependence of ODNs for cytotoxicity. A G-rich sequence at the 5′ terminus of the molecule was necessary for cytotoxicity and the potency of ODNs with active 5′ sequences was length dependent. Cytotoxicity appeared to be generally independent of 3′ sequence composition, although 3′ sequences totally lacking G-nucleotides were mostly inactive. Nucleolin, elongation factor 1-alpha (eEF1A) and vimentin were identified as binding to a cytotoxic ODN (Dz13) using protein pull-down assays and LC-MS/MS. Although these proteins have previously been described to bind G-rich ODNs, the binding of eEF1A correlated with cytotoxicity, whereas binding of nucleolin and vimentin did not. Quiescent non-proliferating cells were resistant to cytotoxicity, indicating cytotoxicity may be cell cycle dependent. Although the exact mechanism of cytotoxicity remains unknown, marked potency of the longer (⩾25 nt) ODNs in particular, indicates the potential of these molecules for treatment of diseases associated with abnormal cell proliferation

Manganese hexacyanomanganate open framework as a high-capacity positive electrode material for sodium-ion batteries

Potential applications of sodium-ion batteries in grid-scale energy storage, portable electronics and electric vehicles have revitalized research interest in these batteries. However, the performance of sodium-ion electrode materials has not been competitive with that of lithium-ion electrode materials. Here we present sodium manganese hexacyanomanganate (Na2MnII[Mn-II(CN)(6)]), an open-framework crystal structure material, as a viable positive electrode for sodium-ion batteries. We demonstrate a high discharge capacity of 209 mAh g(-1) at C/5 (40 mA g(-1)) and excellent capacity retention at high rates in a propylene carbonate electrolyte. We provide chemical and structural evidence for the unprecedented storage of 50% more sodium cations than previously thought possible during electrochemical cycling. These results represent a step forward in the development of sodium-ion batteries.open212

The pig X and Y Chromosomes: structure, sequence, and evolution.

We have generated an improved assembly and gene annotation of the pig X Chromosome, and a first draft assembly of the pig Y Chromosome, by sequencing BAC and fosmid clones from Duroc animals and incorporating information from optical mapping and fiber-FISH. The X Chromosome carries 1033 annotated genes, 690 of which are protein coding. Gene order closely matches that found in primates (including humans) and carnivores (including cats and dogs), which is inferred to be ancestral. Nevertheless, several protein-coding genes present on the human X Chromosome were absent from the pig, and 38 pig-specific X-chromosomal genes were annotated, 22 of which were olfactory receptors. The pig Y-specific Chromosome sequence generated here comprises 30 megabases (Mb). A 15-Mb subset of this sequence was assembled, revealing two clusters of male-specific low copy number genes, separated by an ampliconic region including the HSFY gene family, which together make up most of the short arm. Both clusters contain palindromes with high sequence identity, presumably maintained by gene conversion. Many of the ancestral X-related genes previously reported in at least one mammalian Y Chromosome are represented either as active genes or partial sequences. This sequencing project has allowed us to identify genes--both single copy and amplified--on the pig Y Chromosome, to compare the pig X and Y Chromosomes for homologous sequences, and thereby to reveal mechanisms underlying pig X and Y Chromosome evolution.This work was funded by BBSRC grant BB/F021372/1. The Flow Cytometry and Cytogenetics Core Facilities at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Sanger investigators are funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant number WT098051). K.B., D.C.-S., and J.H. acknowledge support from the Wellcome Trust (WT095908), the BBSRC (BB/I025506/1), and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 222664 (“Quantomics”).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/gr.188839.11