Temperature Normals, Averages, and Extremes in the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories

Tabulates monthly and annual averages of mean daily temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, also highest and lowest temperatures at eight stations in the Yukon and 34 in (mostly) the arctic islands and Mackenzie District. All the stations have been in operation at least 10 yrs, and some for over 30 yrs. For the latter, temperature averages are classed as normals

RNA signaling in pulmonary arterial hypertension-a double-stranded sword

Recognition of and response to pathogens and tissue injury is driven by the innate immune system via activation of pattern recognition receptors. One of the many patterns recognized is RNA and, while several receptors bind RNA, Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is well placed for initial recognition of RNA molecules due to its localization within the endosome. There is a growing body of work describing a role for TLR3 in maintenance of vascular homeostasis. For example, TLR3 deficiency has been shown to play repair and remodeling roles in the systemic vasculature and in lung parenchyma. A hallmark of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is pulmonary vascular remodeling, yet drivers and triggers of this remodeling remain incompletely understood. Based on its role in the systemic vasculature, our group discovered reduced endothelial TLR3 expression in PAH and revealed a protective role for a TLR3 agonist in rodent models of pulmonary hypertension. This review will provide an overview of RNA signaling in the vasculature and how it relates to PAH pathobiology, including whether targeting double-stranded RNA signaling is a potential treatment option for PAH

Estimation of prediction error variances via Monte Carlo sampling methods using different formulations of the prediction error variance

Calculation of the exact prediction error variance covariance matrix is often computationally too demanding, which limits its application in REML algorithms, the calculation of accuracies of estimated breeding values and the control of variance of response to selection. Alternatively Monte Carlo sampling can be used to calculate approximations of the prediction error variance, which converge to the true values if enough samples are used. However, in practical situations the number of samples, which are computationally feasible, is limited. The objective of this study was to compare the convergence rate of different formulations of the prediction error variance calculated using Monte Carlo sampling. Four of these formulations were published, four were corresponding alternative versions, and two were derived as part of this study. The different formulations had different convergence rates and these were shown to depend on the number of samples and on the level of prediction error variance. Four formulations were competitive and these made use of information on either the variance of the estimated breeding value and on the variance of the true breeding value minus the estimated breeding value or on the covariance between the true and estimated breeding values

Pedestrian Solution of the Two-Dimensional Ising Model

The partition function of the two-dimensional Ising model with zero magnetic field on a square lattice with m x n sites wrapped on a torus is computed within the transfer matrix formalism in an explicit step-by-step approach inspired by Kaufman's work. However, working with two commuting representations of the complex rotation group SO(2n,C) helps us avoid a number of unnecessary complications. We find all eigenvalues of the transfer matrix and therefore the partition function in a straightforward way.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures; eqs. (101) and (102) corrected, files for fig. 2 fixed, minor beautification

Nomenclature of the Proteins of Cow's Milk—Second Revision: Report of the Committee on Milk Protein Nomenclature, Classification, and Methodology of the Manufacturing Section of ADSA for 1963-64

The Nomenclature Committee has given particular attention to genetic polymorphism in the proteins of cow's milk, and has adopted a nomenclature scheme which embraces genetic designations. The β-lactoglobulins are to be referred to as β-lactoglobulins A, B, and C. Three genetic forms of β-casein have been reported to occur either singly or in pairs in the milk of individual cows, and are appropriately referred to as β-caseins A, B, and C. The term αs1-casein has been recommended and refers to those components of the α-casein complex that are precipitated by calcium and stabilized by κ-casein against precipitation by calcium. They constitute the major proportion of the αs-caseins, and have been reported to exist in three genetic forms, A, B, and C. The genetic forms of αs1- and β-caseins can be conveniently identified by their relative mobilities by zonal electrophoresis

Optimal breeding strategies for sheep should consider variation in feed availability

Large pasture growth variation across years requires changes in optimal management between years, making breeding objectives difficult to calculate. We modeled a farm with Merino sheep bred for wool and meat in a Mediterranean environment where feed availability and prices vary widely between years. We calculated profit and economic values for 6 traits by optimizing management across 5 years using dynamic recursive analysis, comparing varying to average pasture growth and prices. Profit decreased for the varying scenario but economic values increased. Economic values for yearling live weight and fibre diameter increased most and were least sensitive to uncertain pasture growth, having least effect on energy requirements. These changes shifted selection response from wool towards meat and reproduction, mostly because reproduction had a higher genetic correlation with yearling weight than wool traits. Therefore, variation in pasture growth should be considered when developing sheep breeding programs

Genetic correlations between body weight change and reproduction traits in Merino ewes depend on age

Merino sheep in Australia experience periods of variable feed supply. Merino sheep can be bred to be more resilient to this variation by losing less BW when grazing poor quality pasture and gaining more BW when grazing good quality pasture. Therefore, selection on BW change might be economically attractive but correlations with other traits in the breeding objective need to be known. The genetic correlations (rg) between BW, BW change, and reproduction were estimated using records from approximately 7,350 fully pedigreed Merino ewes managed at Katanning in Western Australia. Number of lambs and total weight of lambs born and weaned were measured on approximately 5,300 2-yr-old ewes, approximately 4,900 3-yrold ewes, and approximately 3,600 4-yr-old ewes. On a proportion of these ewes BW change was measured: approximately 1,950 2-yr-old ewes, approximately 1,500 3-yr-old ewes, and approximately 1,100 4-yr-old ewes. The BW measurements were for 3 periods. The first period was during mating period over 42 d on poor pasture. The second period was during pregnancy over 90 d for ewes that got pregnant on poor and medium quality pasture. The third period was during lactation over 130 d for ewes that weaned a lamb on good quality pasture. Genetic correlations between weight change and reproduction were estimated within age classes. Genetic correlations were tested to be significantly greater magnitude than 0 using likelihood ratio tests. Nearly all BW had significant positive genetic correlations with all reproduction traits. In 2-yr-old ewes, BW change during the mating period had a positive genetic correlation with number of lambs weaned (rg = 0.58); BW change during pregnancy had a positive genetic correlation with total weight of lambs born (rg = 0.33) and a negative genetic correlation with number of lambs weaned (rg = -0.49). All other genetic correlations were not significantly greater magnitude than 0 but estimates of genetic correlations for 3-yr-old ewes were generally consistent with these findings. The direction of the genetic correlations mostly coincided with the energy requirements of the ewes and the stage of maturity of the ewes. In conclusion, optimized selection strategies on BW changes to increase resilience will depend on the genetic correlations with reproduction and are dependent on age

The predictive value of the NICE "red traffic lights" in acutely ill children

Objective: Early recognition and treatment of febrile children with serious infections (SI) improves prognosis, however, early detection can be difficult. We aimed to validate the predictive rule-in value of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) most severe alarming signs or symptoms to identify SI in children. Design, Setting and Participants: The 16 most severe ("red") features of the NICE traffic light system were validated in seven different primary care and emergency department settings, including 6,260 children presenting with acute illness. Main Outcome Measures: We focussed on the individual predictive value of single red features for SI and their combinations. Results were presented as positive likelihood ratios, sensitivities and specificities. We categorised "general" and "disease-specific" red features. Changes in pre-test probability versus post-test probability for SI were visualised in Fagan nomograms. Results: Almost all red features had rule-in value for SI, but only four individual red features substantially raised the probability of SI in more than one dataset: "does not wake/stay awake", "reduced skin turgor", "non-blanching rash", and "focal neurological signs". The presence of ≥3 red features improved prediction of SI but still lacked strong rule-in value as likelihood ratios were below 5. Conclusions: The rule-in value of the most severe alarming signs or symptoms of the NICE traffic light system for identifying children with SI was limited, even when multiple red features were present. Our study highlights the importance of assessing the predictive value of alarming signs in clinical guidelines prior to widespread implementation in routine practice

Exploring morphological correlations among H2CO, 12CO, MSX and continuum mappings

There are relatively few H2CO mappings of large-area giant molecular cloud (GMCs). H2CO absorption lines are good tracers for low-temperature molecular clouds towards star formation regions. Thus, the aim of the study was to identify H2CO distributions in ambient molecular clouds. We investigated morphologic relations among 6-cm continuum brightness temperature (CBT) data and H2CO (111-110; Nanshan 25-m radio telescope), 12CO (1--0; 1.2-m CfA telescope) and midcourse space experiment (MSX) data, and considered the impact of background components on foreground clouds. We report simultaneous 6-cm H2CO absorption lines and H110\alpha radio recombination line observations and give several large-area mappings at 4.8 GHz toward W49 (50'\times50'), W3 (70'\times90'), DR21/W75 (60'\times90') and NGC2024/NGC2023 (50'\times100') GMCs. By superimposing H2CO and 12CO contours onto the MSX color map, we can compare correlations. The resolution for H2CO, 12CO and MSX data was about 10', 8' and 18.3", respectively. Comparison of H2CO and 12CO contours, 8.28-\mu m MSX colorscale and CBT data revealed great morphological correlation in the large area, although there are some discrepancies between 12CO and H2CO peaks in small areas. The NGC2024/NGC2023 GMC is a large area of HII regions with a high CBT, but a H2CO cloud to the north is possible against the cosmic microwave background. A statistical diagram shows that 85.21% of H2CO absorption lines are distributed in the intensity range from -1.0 to 0 Jy and the \Delta V range from 1.206 to 5 km/s.Comment: 18 pages, 22 figures, 5 tables. Accepted to be published in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Vortex dynamics and states of artificially layered superconducting films with correlated defects

Linear resistances and $IV$-characteristics have been measured over a wide range in the parameter space of the mixed phase of multilayered a-TaGe/Ge films. Three films with varying interlayer coupling and correlated defects oriented at an angle $\approx 25$ from the film normal were investigated. Experimental data were analyzed within vortex glass models and a second order phase transition from a resistive vortex liquid to a pinned glass phase. Various vortex phases including changes from three to two dimensional behavior depending on anisotropy have been identified. Careful analysis of $IV$-characteristics in the glass phases revealed a distinctive $T$ and $H$-dependence of the glass exponent $\mu$. The vortex dynamics in the Bose-glass phase does not follow the predicted behavior for excitations of vortex kinks or loops.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, 3 table