An Economic Analysis of Replacing Existing Bermudagrass Stands with Tifton 85 Bermudagrass for Beef Cow-Calf, Stocker and Hay Production

Comparisons of simulated NPV for Coastal and Tifton 85 bermuda-grass using experimental data, current input prices and historical hay and feeder cattle prices indicates that many producers would benefit by adopting this new cultivar. Cow-calf producers would benefit the most followed by stocker/replacement heifer producers and finally hay producers. When risk-aversion is introduced into the model, all cow-calf and stocker producers regardless of the level of risk-aversion should consider adopting T85. Moderately or extremely risk-averse hay producers would consider adopting T85, while those that are slightly risk-averse would be indifferent.Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Evaluation of Hand-to-Hand Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis for Estimating Percent Body Fat in Young Adults

Purposes were to (a) to examine the validity and precision of a hand-to-hand bioelectrical impedance analyzer (HBIA) and (b) to determine the effect of an acute sub-maximal aerobic exercise bout on HBIA percent body fat (%BF) measures. Forty-one young adults (21 women; 20 men) visited the laboratory for body composition assessment on two separate occasions. During the control session, %BF was assessed by HBIA twice, before and immediately after 30 min of rest, and once by air-displacement plethysmography (ADP), using the BOD POD, which was considered the criterion method for comparison. During the exercise session, HBIA %BF measurements were determined prior-to and immediately after 30 minutes of moderate-intensity treadmill exercise. HBIA significantly underestimated %BF in the total sample (mean difference (MD) = 1.4 ± 4.3%) and, when examined by gender, in the women (MD = 2.4 ± 4.1%). The standard errors of estimate (range 4.1-4.3%) also exceeded the recommended range for accuracy (\u3c3.5%). Following exercise, there was minimal, but statistically significant reduction in HBIA-measured %BF pre- to post-exercise for the total sample (19.6 ± 6.0 vs. 19.3 ± 6.0%; p = 0.011). HBIA underestimated %BF when compared to ADP and the individual prediction error exceeded current recommendations when assessing young adults. In addition, performing sub-maximal aerobic exercise prior to the assessment decreased the %BF estimate. When one factors the exercise-induced alterations with the currently observed tendency for HBIA to underestimate %BF, it is apparent that exercise may further reduce the accuracy of this method

Banner News

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/banner_news/1405/thumbnail.jp

Cyclical construction workforce shortage : an evaluation of the current shortage in Western North Carolina

The inadequate supply of skilled construction craft workers is an issue that currently affects the performance of the construction industry. The performance of the construction industry has a significant influence on the growth of the national economy as well as citizens’ wellbeing. The challenges associated with the construction industry’s skilled worker shortage are cyclical. The cyclical nature is a result of the fact that the demand for construction in the U.S. depends on the performance of the overall U.S. economy. The current study evaluates the nature of the current shortage in the western region of North Carolina. Accordingly, the study examines the data collected by the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board, employing a survey that targeted construction firms. The authors have analyzed 46 completed surveys that were collected during the fall of 2018. Among other findings, the study reveals that the demand for laborers and licensed journeymen is higher than other construction positions such as supervisors and estimators. Also, the study shows that entry-level positions such as laborers have higher employee turnover rates compared to more experienced positions. The research could help develop a certified career pathway that provides short-term training and work-based learning opportunities for the raw construction workforce

Three Toxoplasma gondii dense granule proteins are required for induction of Lewis rat macrophage pyroptosis

Upon invasion of Lewis rat macrophages, Toxoplasma rapidly induces programmed cell death (pyroptosis), which prevents Toxoplasma replication, possibly explaining the resistance of the Lewis rat to Toxoplasma Using a chemical mutagenesis screen, we identified Toxoplasma mutants that no longer induced pyroptosis. Whole-genome sequencing led to the identification of three Toxoplasma parasitophorous vacuole-localized dense granule proteins, GRA35, GRA42, and GRA43, that are individually required for induction of Lewis rat macrophage pyroptosis. Macrophage infection with Δgra35, Δgra42, and Δgra43 parasites led to greatly reduced cell death rates and enhanced parasite replication. Lewis rat macrophages infected with parasites containing a single, double, or triple deletion of these GRAs showed similar levels of cell viability, suggesting that the three GRAs function in the same pathway. Deletion of GRA42 or GRA43 resulted in GRA35 (and other GRAs) being retained inside the parasitophorous vacuole instead of being localized to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. Despite having greatly enhanced replication in Lewis rat macrophages in vitro, Δgra35, Δgra42, and Δgra43 parasites did not establish a chronic infection in Lewis rats. Toxoplasma did not induce F344 rat macrophage pyroptosis, but F344 rats infected with Δgra35, Δgra42, and Δgra43 parasites had reduced cyst numbers. Thus, these GRAs determined parasite in vivo fitness in F344 rats. Overall, our data suggest that these three Toxoplasma dense granule proteins play a critical role in establishing a chronic infection in vivo, independently of their role in mediating macrophage pyroptosis, likely due to their importance in regulating protein localization to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane.IMPORTANCE Inflammasomes are major components of the innate immune system and are responsible for detecting various microbial and environmental danger signals. Upon invasion of Lewis rat macrophages, the parasite rapidly activates the NLRP1 inflammasome, resulting in pyroptosis and elimination of the parasite's replication niche. The work reported here revealed that Toxoplasma GRA35, GRA42, and GRA43 are required for induction of Lewis rat macrophage pyroptosis. GRA42 and GRA43 mediate the correct localization of other GRAs, including GRA35, to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. These three GRAs were also found to be important for parasite in vivo fitness in a Toxoplasma-susceptible rat strain, independently of their role in NLRP1 inflammasome activation, suggesting that they perform other important functions. Thus, this study identified three GRAs that mediate the induction of Lewis rat macrophage pyroptosis and are required for pathogenesis of the parasite

Landscape - wildfire interactions in southern Europe: implications for landscape management

ReviewEvery year approximately half a million hectares of land are burned by wildfires in southern Europe, causing large ecological and socio-economic impacts. Climate and land use changes in the last decades have increased fire risk and danger. In this paper we review the available scientific knowledge on the relationships between landscape and wildfires in the Mediterranean region, with a focus on its application for defining landscape management guidelines and policies that could be adopted in order to promote landscapes with lower fire hazard. The main findings are that (1) socio-economic drivers have favoured land cover changes contributing to increasing fire hazard in the last decades, (2) large wildfires are becoming more frequent, (3) increased fire frequency is promoting homogeneous landscapes covered by fire-prone shrublands; (4) landscape planning to reduce fuel loads may be successful only if fire weather conditions are not extreme. The challenges to address these problems and the policy and landscape management responses that should be adopted are discussed, along with major knowledge gapsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mundos mesclados, espaços segregados: cultura material, mestiçagem e segmentação no sítio Aldeia em Santarém (PA)

This article discusses the processes of cultural exchange between Portuguese, Portuguese-Brazilian, Amerindians, and mestizos based on the analysis of the material culture from households of Santarém (PA), occupied during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,. Although these social groups manipulated material culture aiming to express different values, related to hierarchy, social segmentation, and affirmation of identities, ambiguity also characterizes these assemblages. This material ambiguity informs about the mixtures of both practices and cultural references that brought about the building of a mestizo society.Com base na análise da cultura material proveniente de unidades domésticas do núcleo urbano de Santarém (PA), ocupadas nos séculos XVIII e XIX, o presente artigo discute os processos de trocas culturais entre portugueses, luso-brasileiros, indígenas e mestiços. Embora esses grupos sociais tenham manipulado a cultura material visando expressar diferentes valores, relacionados à hierarquia, segmentação social e afirmação de identidades, a ambigüidade é uma característica das amostras analisadas, informando sobre as misturas de práticas e de referenciais culturais que levaram à construção de uma sociedade mestiça