Evaluating the adaptability of forage species and varieties

Iowa\u27s harsh climate can make forage establishment and maintenance difficult. This project examined which forages might be best adapted to growth and survival in northwest Iowa

Methane bursts as a trigger for intermittent lake-forming climates on post-Noachian Mars

Lakes existed on Mars later than 3.6 billion years ago, according to sedimentary evidence for deltaic deposition. The observed fluviolacustrine deposits suggest that individual lake-forming climates persisted for at least several thousand years (assuming dilute flow). But the lake watersheds’ little-weathered soils indicate a largely dry climate history, with intermittent runoff events. Here we show that these observational constraints, although inconsistent with many previously proposed triggers for lake-forming climates, are consistent with a methane burst scenario. In this scenario, chaotic transitions in mean obliquity drive latitudinal shifts in temperature and ice loading that destabilize methane clathrate. Using numerical simulations, we find that outgassed methane can build up to atmospheric levels sufficient for lake-forming climates, if methane clathrate initially occupies more than 4% of the total volume in which it is thermodynamically stable. Such occupancy fractions are consistent with methane production by water–rock reactions due to hydrothermal circulation on early Mars. We further estimate that photochemical destruction of atmospheric methane curtails the duration of individual lake-forming climates to less than a million years, consistent with observations. We conclude that methane bursts represent a potential pathway for intermittent excursions to a warm, wet climate state on early Mars

Evaluating the adaptability of forage species and varieties

Iowa's harsh climate can make forage establishment and maintenance difficult. This project examined which forages might be best adapted to growth and survival in northwest Iowa.</p

ANHARMONICITY AND FRANCK-CONDON FACTORS IN THE ABSORPTION SPECTRUM OF H2COH_{2}CO

$^{1}$E. V. Doktorov, I.A. Malkin, and V. I. Man’ko, J. Mol. Spectors. 56, 1 (1975); 64, 302 (1977).Author Institution:It is common to fit the intensity distribution in short progressions in the spectra of polyatomic molecules by Franck-Condon factors based on harmonic oscillator wavefunctions for the observed vibrational frequencies. This method is unsatisfactory for the long progression in $\nu_{2}$ (the C-O stretching mode) observed in formaldehyde. The progression can be fitted using wavefunctions for a Morse oscillator. It can also be fitted remarkably well by a formula for harmonic oscillator overlaps given by Doktorov et al:$^{1}$ however, this formula is equivalent to allowing the ratio obtained is not physically meaningful. The reason that this formula works so well will be discussed. The intensity distribution in the whole band is well explained by these Franck-Condon factors and a set of intersities of various false origins. One result of the fit is a value for the intensity Induced vibronically by each of the three antisymmetric normal modes

CALCULATION OF RADIATIVE LIFETIMES OF SYMMETRY FORRIDDEN TRANSITIONS FROM ABSORPTION INTENSITIES

Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, University of ColoradoA modified form of the equation derived by Strickler and Berg for calculating radiative lifetimes is presented which is applicable to symmetry forbidden transitions. Using this equation radiative lifetimes of various vibronic levels of the $^{1}A_{2}$ state of formaldehyde and the $^{1}B_{2u}$ state of benzene are calculated. The lifetimes calculated for the $^{1}A_{2}$ state of formaldehyde are in good agreement with experimental values of Lee and Miller. The lifetimes calculated for the $^{1}B_{2}u$ state of benzene are two to three times longer than the experimental values of several investigators Possible sources of the discrepancies found in the benzene values are discussed

Impact of facilitating continued accessibility to cancer care during COVID-19 lockdown on perceived wellbeing of cancer patients at a rural cancer center in Rwanda.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda, Partners In Health Inshuti Mu Buzima collaborated with the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence (BCCOE) to mitigate disruptions to cancer care by providing patients with free transportation to treatment sites and medication delivery at patients' local health facilities. We assessed the relationship between facilitated access to care and self-reported wellbeing outcomes. This cross-sectional telephone survey included cancer patients enrolled at BCCOE in March 2020. We used linear regression to compare six dimensions of quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and financial toxicity (COST) among patients who did and did not receive facilitated access to care. We also assessed access to cancer care and whether patient wellbeing and its association with facilitated access to care differed by socioeconomic status. Of 214 respondents, 34.6% received facilitated access to care. Facilitated patients were more likely to have breast cancer and be on chemotherapy. Facilitation was significantly associated with more frequent in-person clinical encounters, improved perceived quality of cancer care, and reduced transportation-related barriers. Facilitated patients had significantly better global health status (β = 9.14, 95% CI: 2.3, 16.0, p <0.01) and less financial toxicity (β = 2.62, 95% CI: 0.2,5.0, p = 0.03). However, over half of patients reported missing or delaying appointment. Patient wellbeing was low overall and differed by patient socioeconomic status, with poor patients consistently showing worse outcomes. Socioeconomic status did not modify the association between facilitated access to care and wellbeing indicators. Further, facilitation did not lead to equitable wellbeing outcomes between richer and poorer patients. Facilitated access to care during COVID-19 pandemic was associated with some improvements in access to cancer care and patient wellbeing. However, cancer patients still experienced substantial disruptions to care and reported low overall levels of wellbeing, with socioeconomic disparities persisting despite facilitated access to care. Implementing more robust, equity-minded facilitation and better patient outreach programs during health emergencies may promote better care and strengthen patient care overall and effect better patients' outcomes