Shrub Responses After Fire in an Idaho Ponderosa Pine Community

Buring at 10-15-year intervals has been recommended in the warm, grand fir (Abies grandis)-myrtle pachistima (Pachistima Lochsa River of northern Idaho (Leege 1979). Spring and autumn burning generally promote sprouting of most shrub species in this community and produce valuable browse (Leege and Hickey 1971, Wright 1978). Fire is also a valuable tool in shrub and timber management in the more xeric ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)-common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) communities (Davis et al. 1980). Effects of fire on production and mineral content of shrubs in this community have not been documented

Learning Objects, Learning Objectives and Learning Design.

Educational research and development into e-learning mainly focuses on the inclusion of new technological features without taking into account psycho-pedagogical concerns that are likely to improve a learner's cognitive process in this new educational category. This paper presents an instructional model that combines objectivist and constructivist learning theories. The model is based on the concept of a learning objective which is composed of a set of learning objects. A software tool, called the Instruction Aid System (IAS), has been developed to guide instructors through the development of learning objectives and the execution of the analysis and design phases of the proposed instructional model. Additionally, a blended approach to the learning process in Web-based distance education is also presented. This approach combines various event-based activities: self-paced learning, live e-learning and the use of face-to-face contact in classrooms

Configuration of anchorage holes affects fixation of the acetabular component in cemented total hip replacement - a finite element study

Our survey of current practice among UK orthopaedic surgeons shows wide variations in fixation techniques. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of drilling different configurations of anchorage holes in the acetabulum on implant stability. To avoid variables that could incur during in-vitro testing, we used commercially-available COSMOS finite element analysis package to investigate the stress distributions, deformations, and strains on the cement mantle when drilling three large anchorage holes and six smaller ones, with straight and rounded cement pegs. The results, which are in line with our in-vitro studies on simulated reconstructed acetabulae, indicate better stability of the acetabular component when three larger holes than six smaller holes are drilled and when the necks of the anchorage holes are rounded. The longevity of total hip replacements could be improved by drilling three large anchorage holes, rather than many smaller ones, as initially proposed by Charnley

Genome-Wide Discovery of Somatic Regulatory Variants in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive cancer originating from mature B-cells. Prognosis is strongly associated with molecular subgroup, although the driver mutations that distinguish the two main subgroups remain poorly defined. Through an integrative analysis of whole genomes, exomes, and transcriptomes, we have uncovered genes and non-coding loci that are commonly mutated in DLBCL. Our analysis has identified novel cis-regulatory sites, and implicates recurrent mutations in the 3′ UTR of NFKBIZ as a novel mechanism of oncogene deregulation and NF-κB pathway activation in the activated B-cell (ABC) subgroup. Small amplifications associated with over-expression of FCGR2B (the Fcγ receptor protein IIB), primarily in the germinal centre B-cell (GCB) subgroup, correlate with poor patient outcomes suggestive of a novel oncogene. These results expand the list of subgroup driver mutations that may facilitate implementation of improved diagnostic assays and could offer new avenues for the development of targeted therapeutics.&nbsp

Can parasites adapt to pollutants? A multigenerational experiment with a Daphnia x Metschnikowia model system exposed to the fungicide tebuconazole

There is increasing evidence about negative effects of fungicides on non-target organisms, including parasitic species, which are key elements in food webs. Previous experiments showed that environmentally relevant concentrations of fungicide tebuconazole are toxic to the microparasite Metschnikowia bicuspidata, a yeast species that infects the planktonic crustacean Daphnia spp. However, due to their short-term nature, this and other experimental studies were not able to test if parasites could potentially adapt to these contaminants. Here, we tested if M. bicuspidata parasite can adapt to tebuconazole selective pressure. Infected D. magna lineages were reared under control conditions (no tebuconazole) and environmentally realistic tebuconazole concentrations, for four generations, and their performance was compared in a follow-up reciprocal assay. Additionally, we assessed whether the observed effects were transient (phenotypic) or permanent (genetic), by reassessing parasite fitness after the removal of selective pressure. Parasite fitness was negatively affected throughout the multigenerational exposure to the fungicide: prevalence of infection and spore load decreased, whereas host longevity increased, in comparison to control (naive) parasite lineages. In a follow-up reciprocal assay, tebuconazole-conditioned (TEB) lineages performed worse than naive parasite lineages, both in treatments without and with tebuconazole, confirming the cumulative negative effect of tebuconazole. The underperformance of TEB lineages was rapidly reversed after removing the influence of the selective pressure (tebuconazole), demonstrating that the costs of prolonged exposure to tebuconazole were phenotypic and transient. The microparasitic yeast M. bicuspidata did not reveal potential for rapid evolution to an anthropogenic selective pressure; instead, the long-term exposure to tebuconazole was hazardous to this non-target species. These findings highlight the potential environmental risks of azole fungicides on non-target parasit- This work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund (programmes COMPETE2020 and PT2020) and by National Funds (Portuguese Science Foundation - FCT, I.P.), through the strategic programmes UID/AMB/50017/2013 and UID/BIA/04050/2019 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569), as well as by the research projects FunG-Eye (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029505) and EcoAgriFood (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000009). Part of the work presented here was developed during the PhD of Ana P. Cuco, who was supported by FCT (PhD grant SFRH/BD/81661/2011). JW was supported by Beethoven Life-1 grant from the German Science Foundation and Polish National Science Center (WO 1587/9-1). Nelson Abrantes is the recipient of an individual postdoctoral research contract (CEECIND/01653/2017)

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Hazardous Alcohol Use Among Persons Living with HIV Across the US in the Current Era of Antiretroviral Treatment

Hazardous alcohol use is associated with detrimental health outcomes among persons living with HIV (PLWH). We examined the prevalence and factors associated with hazardous alcohol use in the current era using several hazardous drinking definitions and binge drinking defined as ≥5 drinks for men versus ≥4 for women. We included 8567 PLWH from 7 U.S. sites from 2013 to 2015. Current hazardous alcohol use was reported by 27% and 34% reported binge drinking. In adjusted analyses, current and past cocaine/crack (odd ratio [OR] 4.1:3.3–5.1, p < 0.001 and OR 1.3:1.1–1.5, p < 0.001 respectively), marijuana (OR 2.5:2.2–2.9, p < 0.001 and OR 1.4:1.2–1.6, p < 0.001), and cigarette use (OR 1.4:1.2–1.6, p < 0.001 and OR 1.3:1.2–1.5, p < 0.001) were associated with increased hazardous alcohol use. The prevalence of hazardous alcohol use remains high in the current era, particularly among younger men. Routine screening and targeted interventions for hazardous alcohol use, potentially bundled with interventions for other drugs, remain a key aspect of HIV care

Chronic neuropsychiatric sequelae of SARS‐CoV‐2: Protocol and methods from the Alzheimer's Association Global Consortium

Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused >3.5 million deaths worldwide and affected >160 million people. At least twice as many have been infected but remained asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. COVID-19 includes central nervous system manifestations mediated by inflammation and cerebrovascular, anoxic, and/or viral neurotoxicity mechanisms. More than one third of patients with COVID-19 develop neurologic problems during the acute phase of the illness, including loss of sense of smell or taste, seizures, and stroke. Damage or functional changes to the brain may result in chronic sequelae. The risk of incident cognitive and neuropsychiatric complications appears independent from the severity of the original pulmonary illness. It behooves the scientific and medical community to attempt to understand the molecular and/or systemic factors linking COVID-19 to neurologic illness, both short and long term. Methods This article describes what is known so far in terms of links among COVID-19, the brain, neurological symptoms, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias. We focus on risk factors and possible molecular, inflammatory, and viral mechanisms underlying neurological injury. We also provide a comprehensive description of the Alzheimer's Association Consortium on Chronic Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (CNS SC2) harmonized methodology to address these questions using a worldwide network of researchers and institutions. Results Successful harmonization of designs and methods was achieved through a consensus process initially fragmented by specific interest groups (epidemiology, clinical assessments, cognitive evaluation, biomarkers, and neuroimaging). Conclusions from subcommittees were presented to the whole group and discussed extensively. Presently data collection is ongoing at 19 sites in 12 countries representing Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Discussion The Alzheimer's Association Global Consortium harmonized methodology is proposed as a model to study long-term neurocognitive sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection

History of clinical transplantation

How transplantation came to be a clinical discipline can be pieced together by perusing two volumes of reminiscences collected by Paul I. Terasaki in 1991-1992 from many of the persons who were directly involved. One volume was devoted to the discovery of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), with particular reference to the human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) that are widely used today for tissue matching.1 The other focused on milestones in the development of clinical transplantation.2 All the contributions described in both volumes can be traced back in one way or other to the demonstration in the mid-1940s by Peter Brian Medawar that the rejection of allografts is an immunological phenomenon.3,4 © 2008 Springer New York