River Hydrology, Morphology, and Dynamics in an Intensively Managed, Transient Landscape

Rivers create beautiful patterns and provide drinking water to millions. However an alarming number of rivers in the US and globally are threatened by excess sediment and nutrients. Agricultural rivers draining erodible soils are particularly vulnerable. Rivers of southern Minnesota provide a unique opportunity to study water and sediment dynamics in a naturally vulnerable system. Sediment reduction strategies are needed to ensure biological integrity and adequate water quality. Here, I address the questions: 1) have climate, land use practices, or both affected streamflows in Midwest agricultural rivers?, 2) which streamflows set the rate of river bluff erosion?, and 3) how do sediment supply and transport influence the form and behavior of the lower Minnesota River? Chapter 2 demonstrates, in three agricultural basins, that artificial drainage practices have decreased soil moisture, contributing to increases in streamflow. Chapter 3 quantifies river bluff erosion and identifies erosion by streamflows as the dominant erosion process. Erosion by common floods accomplishes the most cumulative bluff erosion. Bluff erosion contributes sediment to the Minnesota River. Chapter 4 shows how this coarse sediment influences the form and behavior of the Minnesota River. Therefore if flows were reduced, bluff erosion would slow, and the supply sediment to the Minnesota would slow, leading to less streambank erosion. Since streamflows have been increased by agricultural drainage practices, water retention solutions are needed to reduce high flows

Using Technology to Increase Physical Activity in Health Profession Students

Health profession students may need help establishing and maintaining positive health behaviors when they are in college. This study explored the effectiveness of text messaging as an innovative method for promoting an increase in daily physical activity. A convenience sample (N = 134) was recruited from students at a college of Health and Human Services in Michigan. The participants were randomized into an intervention or control group (n = 67 each). The intervention group received daily affective text messages encouraging more physical activity by taking more steps. The control group received only messages reminding them to report their number of steps. All of the participants received a pedometer, completed a demographics and daily habits questionnaire, and completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in their number of daily steps. However, the most inactive participants had a significant increase in steps during the study period. Health profession students’ lifestyle behaviors have consequences, as they become caregivers in our dynamic, demanding health-care system. For those with the greatest need for physical activity, encouraging such activity via text messaging may improve their ability to care for themselves and their clients

Targeted Food Marketing to Youth: Engaging Professionals in an Online Environment

The use of technology provides unique ways to create an engaged online community of learning for professionals that can be integrated into existing and future Extension programming. The Targeted Food Marketing to Youth online professional development course uses strategies and tools to create and support an engaged online community

Sheep Models of F508del and G542X Cystic Fibrosis Mutations Show Cellular Responses to Human Therapeutics

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The F508del and G542X are the most common mutations found in US patients, accounting for 86.4% and 4.6% of all mutations, respectively. The F508del causes deletion of the phenylalanine residue at position 508 and is associated with impaired CFTR protein folding. The G542X is a nonsense mutation that introduces a stop codon into the mRNA, thus preventing normal CFTR protein synthesis. Here, we describe the generation of CFTRF508del/F508del and CFTRG542X/G542X lambs using CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). First, we introduced either F508del or G542X mutations into sheep fetal fibroblasts that were subsequently used as nuclear donors for SCNT. The newborn CF lambs develop pathology similar to CFTR−/− sheep and CF patients. Moreover, tracheal epithelial cells from the CFTRF508del/F508del lambs responded to a human CFTR (hCFTR) potentiator and correctors, and those from CFTRG542X/G542X lambs showed modest restoration of CFTR function following inhibition of nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and aminoglycoside antibiotic treatments. Thus, the phenotype and electrophysiology of these novel models represent an important advance for testing new CF therapeutics and gene therapy to improve the health of patients with this life-limiting disorder

The Power of Environmental Observatories for Advancing Multidisciplinary Research, Outreach, and Decision Support: The Case of the Minnesota River Basin

Observatory‐scale data collection efforts allow unprecedented opportunities for integrative, multidisciplinary investigations in large, complex watersheds, which can affect management decisions and policy. Through the National Science Foundation‐funded REACH (REsilience under Accelerated CHange) project, in collaboration with the Intensively Managed Landscapes‐Critical Zone Observatory, we have collected a series of multidisciplinary data sets throughout the Minnesota River Basin in south‐central Minnesota, USA, a 43,400‐km2 tributary to the Upper Mississippi River. Postglacial incision within the Minnesota River valley created an erosional landscape highly responsive to hydrologic change, allowing for transdisciplinary research into the complex cascade of environmental changes that occur due to hydrology and land use alterations from intensive agricultural management and climate change. Data sets collected include water chemistry and biogeochemical data, geochemical fingerprinting of major sediment sources, high‐resolution monitoring of river bluff erosion, and repeat channel cross‐sectional and bathymetry data following major floods. The data collection efforts led to development of a series of integrative reduced complexity models that provide deeper insight into how water, sediment, and nutrients route and transform through a large channel network and respond to change. These models represent the culmination of efforts to integrate interdisciplinary data sets and science to gain new insights into watershed‐scale processes in order to advance management and decision making. The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesis of the data sets and models, disseminate them to the community for further research, and identify mechanisms used to expand the temporal and spatial extent of short‐term observatory‐scale data collection efforts

Local-regional recurrence in women with small node-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer: results from a prospective multi-institutional study (the APT trial).

PurposeWomen with HER2-positive breast cancer treated prior to effective anti-HER2 therapy have higher rates of local-regional recurrence (LRR) than those with HER2-negative disease. Effective systemic therapy, however, has been shown to decrease LRR. This study examines LRR in women with HER2-positive breast cancer treated on a single-arm prospective multicenter trial of adjuvant trastuzumab (H) and paclitaxel (T).MethodsPatients with HER2-positive tumors ≤ 3.0 cm with negative axillary nodes or micrometastatic disease were eligible. Systemic therapy included weekly T and H for 12 weeks followed by continuation of H to complete 1 year. Radiation therapy (RT) was required following breast-conserving surgery (BCS), but dose and fields were not specified. Disease-free survival (DFS) and LRR-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.ResultsOf the 410 patients enrolled from September 2007 to September 2010, 406 initiated protocol therapy and formed the basis of this analysis. A total of 272 (67%) had hormone receptor-positive tumors. Of 162 patients undergoing mastectomy, local therapy records were unavailable for two. None of the 160 for whom records were available received RT. Among 244 BCS patients, detailed RT records were available for 217 (89%). With a median follow-up of 6.5 years, 7-year DFS was 93.3% (95% CI 90.4-96.2), and LRR-free survival was 98.6% (95% CI 97.4-99.8).ConclusionLRR in this select group of early-stage patients with HER2-positive disease receiving effective anti-HER2 therapy is extremely low. If confirmed in additional studies, future investigational efforts should focus on de-escalating local therapy

UNBOUND

Featured here, are the extraordinary works of our graduating Fanshawe Design class. This accomplishment is truly a celebration of the three years of passion, hard work, and dedication put forth by our students. It is our greatest hope that family, friends and the fashion industry will enjoy the creative endeavors of these emerging designers from the Fashion Design program at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario.https://first.fanshawec.ca/famd_design_fashiondesign_unbound/1001/thumbnail.jp

Adjuvant Paclitaxel and Trastuzumab for Node-Negative, HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

No single standard treatment exists for patients with small, node-negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)–positive breast cancers, because most of these patients have been ineligible for the pivotal trials of adjuvant trastuzumab

Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea after adjuvant paclitaxel–trastuzumab (APT trial)

Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea (CRA) is associated with infertility and menopausal symptoms. Learning how frequently paclitaxel and trastuzumab cause amenorrhea is important. Most other adjuvant breast cancer therapies induce CRA in approximately 50% of all premenopausal recipients [1]