Expressions 1980

Expressions contains selected work from the 1980 Creative Writing Contest winners and honorable mentions, Campus Chronicle Photography Contest entrants, and the Commercial Art students at Des Moines Area Community College. Design, typography and layout was done by Journalism students.https://openspace.dmacc.edu/expressions/1002/thumbnail.jp

Type I interferon autoantibodies are associated with systemic immune alterations in patients with COVID-19

Neutralizing autoantibodies against type I interferons (IFNs) have been found in some patients with critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the prevalence of these antibodies, their longitudinal dynamics across the disease severity scale, and their functional effects on circulating leukocytes remain unknown. Here, in 284 patients with COVID-19, we found type I IFN–specific autoantibodies in peripheral blood samples from 19% of patients with critical disease and 6% of patients with severe disease. We found no type I IFN autoantibodies in individuals with moderate disease. Longitudinal profiling of over 600,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells using multiplexed single-cell epitope and transcriptome sequencing from 54 patients with COVID-19 and 26 non–COVID-19 controls revealed a lack of type I IFN–stimulated gene (ISG-I) responses in myeloid cells from patients with critical disease. This was especially evident in dendritic cell populations isolated from patients with critical disease producing type I IFN–specific autoantibodies. Moreover, we found elevated expression of the inhibitory receptor leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor 1 (LAIR1) on the surface of monocytes isolated from patients with critical disease early in the disease course. LAIR1 expression is inversely correlated with ISG-I expression response in patients with COVID-19 but is not expressed in healthy controls. The deficient ISG-I response observed in patients with critical COVID-19 with and without type I IFN–specific autoantibodies supports a unifying model for disease pathogenesis involving ISG-I suppression through convergent mechanisms

Estudio de factibilidad y evaluación financiera en base a títulos negociables aplicados para la construcción de una estación de servicios

Este trabajo es un estudio que permitirá conocer una alternativa de financiamiento, con características y ventajas comparativas, frente a las modalidades tradicionales de intermediación financiera con el objetivo de construir una estación de servicio. El problema se centra en la demanda de combustible en el sector de la ciudad de Guayaquil, vía a la costa, como consecuencia del crecimiento automotriz y negocios en general. Este estudio se apoyará en la investigación de campo mediante encuestas a usuarios de la estación de servicio, y entrevistas a expertos en fiduciarios, empresario. El negocio fiduciario es un negocio jurídico en virtud del cual un inversionista o accionistas llamado fideicomitente transfiere los bienes, materia de este proyecto a otra llamado fiduciario, quien se obliga a la correcta administración de los recursos. Cabe destacar que con la implementación de una titularización se busca tener una herramienta de acceso financiera, que incentive la inversión y amplíe el mercado de valores. Todo inversionista tendrá la potestad de invertir su dinero de una manera confiable y segura en nuestro proyecto ya que estará manejado por una entidad fiduciaria reconocida en el país, que además utilizara una Calificadora de Riegos legalmente establecidas y autorizadas para el efecto. En fin los beneficiarios serán los accionistas, quienes serán promotores del proyecto, los inversionistas, que ganaran su interés más el capital, trabajadores, quienes participaran en la construcción de gasolineras, el estado, cuyo beneficio será el cobro de los impuestos de ley y los consumidores quienes son los que recibirán los servicios de la gasolinera de forma eficiente y eficaz. Según los estudios de mercado, estudio de factibilidad y económico–financiero estamos seguros, que los inversionistas estarán dispuestos a colocar su dinero en la construcción de una estación de servicio, siendo este un proyecto factible, viable y rentable

A Checklist of the Lichens of the Beaver Dam Slope, Washington County, Utah, USA

The lichen flora of the extreme northeastern corner of the Mojave Desert was investigated during the spring of 2009. Collections were made from five sites on the Beaver Dam Slope in Washington Co., Utah, including the privately owned Lytle Ranch Preserve. We have identified 41 lichen-forming fungal species in 23 genera, including 30 saxicolous, 7 terricolous, and 4 corticolous taxa; including, 16 species recorded from Utah for the first time and 10 new records for the Mojave Desert. This study provides a baseline for documenting the distribution of common and sensitive lichen communities along a transition zone between the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau. Key words: Lichens, floristics, Beaver Dam Slope, Mojave Desert

Impacts of feral horses on a desert environment

Abstract Background Free-ranging horses (Equus caballus) in North America are considered to be feral animals since they are descendents of non-native domestic horses introduced to the continent. We conducted a study in a southern California desert to understand how feral horse movements and horse feces impacted this arid ecosystem. We evaluated five parameters susceptible to horse trampling: soil strength, vegetation cover, percent of nonnative vegetation, plant species diversity, and macroinvertebrate abundance. We also tested whether or not plant cover and species diversity were affected by the presence of horse feces. Results Horse trailing resulted in reduced vegetation cover, compacted soils, and in cases of intermediate intensity disturbance, increased plant species diversity. The presence of horse feces did not affect plant cover, but it did increase native plant diversity. Conclusion Adverse impacts, such as soil compaction and increased erosion potential, were limited to established horse trails. In contrast, increased native plant diversity near trails and feces could be viewed as positive outcomes. Extensive trailing can result in a surprisingly large impact area: we estimate that 25 km2 of trails in our study area.</p

Impacts of feral horses on a desert environment

BACKGROUND: Free-ranging horses (Equus caballus) in North America are considered to be feral animals since they are descendents of non-native domestic horses introduced to the continent. We conducted a study in a southern California desert to understand how feral horse movements and horse feces impacted this arid ecosystem. We evaluated five parameters susceptible to horse trampling: soil strength, vegetation cover, percent of nonnative vegetation, plant species diversity, and macroinvertebrate abundance. We also tested whether or not plant cover and species diversity were affected by the presence of horse feces. RESULTS: Horse trailing resulted in reduced vegetation cover, compacted soils, and in cases of intermediate intensity disturbance, increased plant species diversity. The presence of horse feces did not affect plant cover, but it did increase native plant diversity. CONCLUSION: Adverse impacts, such as soil compaction and increased erosion potential, were limited to established horse trails. In contrast, increased native plant diversity near trails and feces could be viewed as positive outcomes. Extensive trailing can result in a surprisingly large impact area: we estimate that < 30 horses used > 25 km(2 )of trails in our study area