Tips on Collecting and Rearing Immatures of 375 Butterfly and Skipper Taxa

Rearing techniques are discussed for 375 different butterfly and skipper taxa from Utah and beyond

Unpacking the foundational dimensions of work integration social enterprise: the development of an assessment tool

Purpose The aim of this exploratory, mixed methods study was to develop and test a tool that identifies foundational dimensions of work integration social enterprises (WISEs) for use in empirical studies and enterprise self-assessment. Construction of the initial prototype was based upon a review of the literature and prior qualitative research by the authors. Design/methodology/approach A 20-item question pool with a four-point response scale was constructed to explore WISE business and employment practices and strategies for worker growth and development. Three sequential field tests were conducted with the prototype – the first with 5 Canadian WISEs, the second with 14 WISEs in the UK and the third with 6 Canadian WISEs involved in an outcome study in the mental health sector. Each field test included completion of the questionnaire by persons with managerial responsibility within the WISE and evaluative feedback captured through questions on the applicability and interpretability of the items. Findings Testing of the prototype instrument revealed the inherent diversity in the field and the difficulty in creating questions that both embrace that diversity and produce unidimensional variables definable along a spectrum. A number of challenges with question structure were identified and have been modified throughout the iterative testing process. Research limitations/implications This study identified central domains for inclusion in a multi-dimensional WISE assessment tool. Further testing will help further refine scaling and establish psychometric properties. Originality/value This measure will provide a descriptive profile of WISEs across sectors and identify WISE core dimensions for research and organizational development. </jats:sec

Mineral Buffers in Dairy Cow Rations

Dairy Scienc

Dairymen's Opinions That Influence Their Acceptance and Use of Information in the Dhi Records Program

Agricultural Educatio

Life History And Productivity Of Hexagenia Limbata (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae) And Selected Physico-Chemical Parameters In Two Tributaries Of The Wekiva River, Central Florida

Nymphal densities and size frequency distribution of Hexagenia limbata (Serville), a burrowing mayfly, were determined monthly for two years in two tributaries of the Wekiva River, central Florida, along with selected physico-chemical water parameters. Blackwater Creek supported a mean number of 112 (range 0-434) and Rock Springs Run 89 nymphs per m(2) (range 11-258). The mayfly species displayed a univoltine life history with adult emergence peaking in August. Productivity in Blackwater Creek was estimated at 4.688 g per m(2) and in Rock Springs Run at 3.123 g per m(2). Productivity/biomass ratios were estimated at 4.09 and 4.59 in Blackwater Creek and Rock Springs Run, respectively. The nymphal densities in both streams were positively correlated with water pH and negatively correlated with water volume. Apparently, water volume was the overriding abiotic factor in both streams, influencing several measured water parameters and as well as nymphal populations during the study period

Qualitative And Quantitative Studies On Chironomidae (Diptera) And Selected Physico-Chemical Parameters In Two Tributaries Of The Wekiva River, Central Florida

Aquatic midge (Chironomidae: Diptera) larval densities, 24-h adult emergence, and larval and adult dry biomass were estimated monthly for two years in two tributaries of the Wekiva River, central Florida, along with selected physico-chemical water parameters. Twenty-four genera of midges were identified in Blackwater Creek and 26 in Rock Springs Run, with subfamily Chironominae dominating the midge fauna. Larval densities in the former stream ranged from 56 to 757 per m(2), with 24-h periods adult emergence ranging from 0 to 95 per m(2). The latter stream supported 138 to 1277 larvae per m(2) with 0 to 68 emergent adults per m(2) taken during 24-h periods. Mean larval biomass in Rock Springs Run (42 mg per m(2)) was significantly (P \u3c 0.05) higher than in Blackwater Creek (27 mg per m(2)), while mean adult biomass in both habitats was essentially identical (1.1 mg per m(2)). Annual midge productivity estimates (1.12 g dry wt per m(2)) in each stream indicated that both were oligotrophic. Water volume was the overriding abiotic factor noted in both habitats, influencing many of the observed water parameters and altering the midge generic composition, especially in Blackwater Creek

Minimum energy conformations of DNA dimeric subunits: Potential energy calculations for dGpdC, dApdA, dCpdC, dGpdG, and dTpdT

Minimum energy conformations have been calculated for the deoxydinucleoside phosphates dGpdC, dApdA, dCpdC, dGpdG, and dTpdT. In these potential energy calculations the eight diheldral angles and the sugar pucker were flexible parameters. A substantial survey of conformation space was made in which all staggred combination of the dihedral angles ω′,ω, and ψ, in conjunction with C(2′)-endo pucker, were used as starting conformers for the energy minimization. The most important conformations in the C(3′)-endo-puckering domain have ψ = g+; ω′,ω = g−,g−(A-form),g+, g+, and g−,t. With C(2′)-endo-type pucker the most important conformations have ψ = g+; ω′,ω =g-,g-(B-form) and g+,t; and ψ =t; ω′,ω =g-,t(Watson-Crick from) and t,g+ (skewed). Stacked bases are a persistent feature of the low-energy conformations, the g+ conformer being an exception. Freeing the suger pucker allowed this conformation to become low energy, with C(3′)-exo pucker. It also caused other low-energy forms, such and the Waston-Crick conformation, to become more favourable. Conformation flexibility in the sugar pucker and in ψ, as well as the ω′,ω angle pair, is indicated for the dimeric subunits of DNA

Archives, Memory, and Interfaces with the Past

Archival interfaces are criticalnodes in archival systems where archivistsnegotiate and exercise power over theconstitution and representation of archives. Drawing on notions of interfaces from physical,technological, and computer systems, archivalinterfaces are both a metaphor for archivists'roles as intermediaries between documentaryevidence and its readers and a tangible set ofstructures and tools that place archivaldocuments in a context and provide aninterpretative framework. Interfaces in moderninstitutions and technological systems areneither natural nor neutral. In probingarchival interfaces, what may appear as neutraland objective processes are revealed as placeswhere archivists determine what constituteslegitimate evidence of the past and shapesocial memories. The emergence of computerinterfaces as an increasingly common mode ofuser interaction with archives demands thatarchivists confront the interpretative natureof their work and exploit opportunities toplace themselves visibly in the interfaces theyconstruct.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41817/1/10502_2004_Article_5096450.pd

Dynamics of cortical degeneration over a decade in Huntington’s disease

Background: Characterizing changing brain structure in neurodegeneration is fundamental to understanding long-term effects of pathology and ultimately providing therapeutic targets. It is well established that Huntington's disease (HD) gene carriers undergo progressive brain changes during the course of disease, yet the long-term trajectory of cortical atrophy is not well defined. Given that genetic therapies currently tested in HD are primarily expected to target the cortex, understanding atrophy across this region is essential. Methods: Capitalizing on a unique longitudinal dataset with a minimum of 3 and maximum of 7 brain scans from 49 HD gene carriers and 49 age-matched control subjects, we implemented a novel dynamical systems approach to infer patterns of regional neurodegeneration over 10 years. We use Bayesian hierarchical modeling to map participant- and group-level trajectories of atrophy spatially and temporally, additionally relating atrophy to the genetic marker of HD (CAG-repeat length) and motor and cognitive symptoms. Results: We show, for the first time, that neurodegenerative changes exhibit complex temporal dynamics with substantial regional variation around the point of clinical diagnosis. Although widespread group differences were seen across the cortex, the occipital and parietal regions undergo the greatest rate of cortical atrophy. We have established links between atrophy and genetic markers of HD while demonstrating that specific cortical changes predict decline in motor and cognitive performance. Conclusions: HD gene carriers display regional variability in the spatial pattern of cortical atrophy, which relates to genetic factors and motor and cognitive symptoms. Our findings indicate a complex pattern of neuronal loss, which enables greater characterization of HD progression

Fat tissue, aging, and cellular senescence

Fat tissue, frequently the largest organ in humans, is at the nexus of mechanisms involved in longevity and age-related metabolic dysfunction. Fat distribution and function change dramatically throughout life. Obesity is associated with accelerated onset of diseases common in old age, while fat ablation and certain mutations affecting fat increase life span. Fat cells turn over throughout the life span. Fat cell progenitors, preadipocytes, are abundant, closely related to macrophages, and dysdifferentiate in old age, switching into a pro-inflammatory, tissue-remodeling, senescent-like state. Other mesenchymal progenitors also can acquire a pro-inflammatory, adipocyte-like phenotype with aging. We propose a hypothetical model in which cellular stress and preadipocyte overutilization with aging induce cellular senescence, leading to impaired adipogenesis, failure to sequester lipotoxic fatty acids, inflammatory cytokine and chemokine generation, and innate and adaptive immune response activation. These pro-inflammatory processes may amplify each other and have systemic consequences. This model is consistent with recent concepts about cellular senescence as a stress-responsive, adaptive phenotype that develops through multiple stages, including major metabolic and secretory readjustments, which can spread from cell to cell and can occur at any point during life. Senescence could be an alternative cell fate that develops in response to injury or metabolic dysfunction and might occur in nondividing as well as dividing cells. Consistent with this, a senescent-like state can develop in preadipocytes and fat cells from young obese individuals. Senescent, pro-inflammatory cells in fat could have profound clinical consequences because of the large size of the fat organ and its central metabolic role