Localization of overexpressed c-myc mRNA in polycystic kidneys of the cpk mouse

Localization of overexpressed c-myc mRNA in polycystic kidneys of the cpk mouse. The C57BL/6J-cpk mouse has a form of autosomal-recessive polycystic kidney disease characterized by the rapid growth of large collecting duct cysts and the development of severe renal failure usually by three to four weeks of age. Previous studies had shown higher steady-state levels of proto-oncogene mRNA in these cystic kidneys. It is now shown using nuclear run-on transcription that the c-fos and c-myc proto-oncogenes are transcribed at higher rates in cystic kidneys, and thus that increased transcription, in part, may account for the increased mRNA levels. c-myc mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization in nephron anlagen and elongating tubules of normal and cystic kidneys during late fetal and early neonatal kidney development. Localization of c-myc expression in the normal kidney decreased with age over the three-week postnatal period. By contrast, c-myc mRNA was found in cysts as early as three days of age, with increased levels at two and three weeks, c-myc expression was also elevated in apparently normal, non-dividing proximal tubules in three-week-old cystic animals. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that c-myc expression is linked to the proliferation of cells engaged in the primary cystogenic process, and that expression of this gene in proximal tubule cells of severely azotemic animals reflects the compensatory response of residual tubular epithelial cells to progressive renal dysfunction

Terrane correlation between Antarctica, Mozambique and Sri Lanka; comparisons of geochronology, lithology, structure and metamorphism and possible implications for the geology of southern Africa and Antarctica

Analysis of new lithological, structural, metamorphic and geochronological data from extensive mapping in Mozambique permits recognition of two distinct crustal blocks separated by the Lurio Belt shear zone. Extrapolation of the Mozambique data to adjacent areas in Sri Lanka and Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica permits the recognition of similar crustal blocks and allows the interpretation that the various blocks in Mozambique, Sri Lanka and Antarctica were once part of a mega-nappe, forming part of northern Gondwana, which was thrust-faulted c. 600 km over southern Gondwana during amalgamation of Gondwana at c. 590-550 Ma. The data suggest a deeper level of erosion in southern Africa compared with Antarctica. It is possible that this thrust domain extends, through the Zambezi Belt or Valley, as far west as the Damara Orogen in Namibia with the Naukluft nappes in Namibia, the Makuti Group, the Masoso Suite in the Rushinga area and the Urungwe klippen in northern Zimbabwe, fitting the mega-nappe pattern. Erosional products of the mountain belt are now represented by 700-400 Ma age detrital zircons present in the various sandstone formations of the Transantarctic Mountains, their correlatives in Australia, as well as the Urfjell Group (western Dronning Maud Land) and probably the Natal Group in South Africa

Measuring and optimising the efficiency of community hospital inpatient care for older people: the MoCHA mixed-methods study

Background: Community hospitals are small hospitals providing local inpatient and outpatient services. National surveys report that inpatient rehabilitation for older people is a core function but there are large differences in key performance measures. We have investigated these variations in community hospital ward performance. Objectives: (1) To measure the relative performance of community hospital wards (studies 1 and 2); (2) to identify characteristics of community hospital wards that optimise performance (studies 1 and 3); (3) to develop a web-based interactive toolkit that supports operational changes to optimise ward performance (study 4); (4) to investigate the impact of community hospital wards on secondary care use (study 5); and (5) to investigate associations between short-term community (intermediate care) services and secondary care utilisation (study 5). Methods: Study 1 – we used national data to conduct econometric estimations using stochastic frontier analysis in which a cost function was modelled using significant predictors of community hospital ward costs. Study 2 – a national postal survey was developed to collect data from a larger sample of community hospitals. Study 3 – three ethnographic case studies were performed to provide insight into less tangible aspects of community hospital ward care. Study 4 – a web-based interactive toolkit was developed by integrating the econometrics (study 1) and case study (study 3) findings. Study 5 – regression analyses were conducted using data from the Atlas of Variation Map 61 (rate of emergency admissions to hospital for people aged ≥ 75 years with a length of stay of < 24 hours) and the National Audit of Intermediate Care. Results: Community hospital ward efficiency is comparable with the NHS acute hospital sector (mean cost efficiency 0.83, range 0.72–0.92). The rank order of community hospital ward efficiencies was distinguished to facilitate learning across the sector. On average, if all community hospital wards were operating in line with the highest cost efficiency, savings of 17% (or £47M per year) could be achieved (price year 2013/14) for our sample of 101 wards. Significant economies of scale were found: a 1% rise in output was associated with an average 0.85% increase in costs. We were unable to obtain a larger community hospital sample because of the low response rate to our national survey. The case studies identified how rehabilitation was delivered through collaborative, interdisciplinary working; interprofessional communication; and meaningful patient and family engagement. We also developed insight into patients’ recovery trajectories and care transitions. The web-based interactive toolkit was established [http://mocha. nhsbenchmarking.nhs.uk/ (accessed 9 September 2019)]. The crisis response team type of intermediate care, but not community hospitals, had a statistically significant negative association with emergency admissions. Limitations: The econometric analyses were based on cross-sectional data and were also limited by missing data. The low response rate to our national survey means that we cannot extrapolate reliably from our community hospital sample. Conclusions: The results suggest that significant community hospital ward savings may be realised by improving modifiable performance factors that might be augmented further by economies of scale. Future work: How less efficient hospitals might reduce costs and sustain quality requires further research

Conserving biodiversity in production landscapes

Alternative land uses make different contributions to the conservation of biodiversity and have different implementation and management costs. Conservation planning analyses to date have generally assumed that land is either protected or unprotected and that the unprotected portion does not contribute to conservation goals. We develop and apply a new planning approach that explicitly accounts for the contribution of a diverse range of land uses to achieving conservation goals. Using East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) as a case study, we prioritize investments in alternative conservation strategies and account for the relative contribution of land uses ranging from production forest to well-managed protected areas. We employ data on the distribution of mammals and assign species-specific conservation targets to achieve equitable protection by accounting for life history characteristics and home range sizes. The relative sensitivity of each species to forest degradation determines the contribution of each land use to achieving targets. We compare the cost effectiveness of our approach to a plan that considers only the contribution of protected areas to biodiversity conservation, and to a plan that assumes that the cost of conservation is represented by only the opportunity costs of conservation to the timber industry. Our preliminary results will require further development and substantial stakeholder engagement prior to implementation; nonetheless we reveal that, by accounting for the contribution of unprotected land, we can obtain more refined estimates of the costs of conservation. Using traditional planning approaches would overestimate the cost of achieving the conservation targets by an order of magnitude. Our approach reveals not only where to invest, but which strategies to invest in, in order to effectively and efficiently conserve biodiversity. Copyright ESA. All rights reserved

Electromagnetic Reduction of Plasma Density During Atmospheric Reentry and Hypersonic Flights

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76341/1/AIAA-32147-259.pd

Morphology and foraging behavior of Oklahoma's grass-feeding termite: Gnathamitermes tubiformans (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Grass-feeding termites, Gnathamitermes sp., can be considered beneficial in pastureland, where they aerate topsoil, recycle nutrients from grasses and forbs, and excavate and redistribute soil. The primary objective of this report is to illustrate and determine the average physical dimensions of Gnathamitermes tubiformans soldiers by measuring key body parts, including left mandible length, as well as discuss observed foraging behavior. G.Tubiformans soldiers have unique mandibles that can be used for accurate identification. Workers are morphologically similar compared with some other arid-land termite species, thus soldier characteristics are used for identification. The secondary objective is to describe observations of G.Tubiformans foraging behavior. This report also provides detailed line drawings and a watercolor illustration for aid in identification. Termites were collected near Temple, Cotton County, Oklahoma, and measured with high precision microscopy. To ensure accurate identification, fourteen different soldier body measurements were determined. The ability to identify termites that are potentially beneficial or detrimental to forage grass biomass production may aid efforts to enhance livestock production on pastures.Peer reviewedEntomology and Plant PathologyPsycholog

Zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In developing countries, deficiencies of micronutrients are thought to have a major impact on child development; however, a consensus on the specific relationship between dietary zinc intake and cognitive function remains elusive. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in children and adults. A systematic literature search was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases from inception to March 2014. Included studies were those that supplied zinc as supplements or measured dietary zinc intake. A meta-analysis of the extracted data was performed where sufficient data were available. Of all of the potentially relevant papers, 18 studies met the inclusion criteria, 12 of which were randomised controlled trials (RCTs; 11 in children and 1 in adults) and 6 were observational studies (2 in children and 4 in adults). Nine of the 18 studies reported a positive association between zinc intake or status with one or more measure of cognitive function. Meta-analysis of data from the adult’s studies was not possible because of limited number of studies. A meta-analysis of data from the six RCTs conducted in children revealed that there was no significant overall effect of zinc intake on any indices of cognitive function: intelligence, standard mean difference of <0.001 (95% confidence interval (CI) –0.12, 0.13) P=0.95; executive function, standard mean difference of 0.08 (95% CI, –0.06, 022) P=0.26; and motor skills standard mean difference of 0.11 (95% CI –0.17, 0.39) P=0.43. Heterogeneity in the study designs was a major limitation, hence only a small number (n=6) of studies could be included in the meta-analyses. Meta-analysis failed to show a significant effect of zinc supplementation on cognitive functioning in children though, taken as a whole, there were some small indicators of improvement on aspects of executive function and motor development following supplementation but high-quality RCTs are necessary to investigate this further

Financing Direct Democracy: Revisiting the Research on Campaign Spending and Citizen Initiatives

The conventional view in the direct democracy literature is that spending against a measure is more effective than spending in favor of a measure, but the empirical results underlying this conclusion have been questioned by recent research. We argue that the conventional finding is driven by the endogenous nature of campaign spending: initiative proponents spend more when their ballot measure is likely to fail. We address this endogeneity by using an instrumental variables approach to analyze a comprehensive dataset of ballot propositions in California from 1976 to 2004. We find that both support and opposition spending on citizen initiatives have strong, statistically significant, and countervailing effects. We confirm this finding by looking at time series data from early polling on a subset of these measures. Both analyses show that spending in favor of citizen initiatives substantially increases their chances of passage, just as opposition spending decreases this likelihood