Losing Ground: Wildfire and the Limits of Disaster (Flyer)

What can we learn from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction accounts of recent wildfires in the Western U.S.? LeMenager argues that authors use the extreme fires of our era to think beyond the concept of disaster, toward new timeframes for human accountability and meaning

Regulation of Seat-patch Water Potentials in Anurans

Decades of research on water exchange in frogs have assumed that blood osmotic potential drives water uptake. However, more recent reports have suggested an intermediate control of the water potential partially separate from the osmotic potential of blood. Some reports have speculated that seat-patch may act as a compartment of water exchange between the blood and the environment. Thus, I have studied the water potential of the seat-patch and blood to evaluated their roles in water uptake in frogs. The water potentials of seat-patch and blood were measured for six anuran species, Xenopus laevis, Lithobates pipiens, L. catesbeiana, Anaxyrus boreas, Pseudacris cadaverina and P. hypochondriaca. Seat-patch water potentials were inferred from changes in body mass between frogs and different aquatic environments whose water potentials were manipulated by adjusting the osmolality of sucrose. Rates of water exchange by frogs were plotted against the osmotic potentials of environmental solutions. The x-intercepts of these graphs were taken to be the point at which water exchange is zero. The xintercept marks the point where the water potential of the frog seat-patch is equal to the water potential of the environment. Seat-patch water potentials were compared across species. The osmotic potential of blood was also measured for all species at several levels of body hydration. These water potentials of blood were compared to the seat-patch water potentials. More aquatic species had seat-patch water potentials that were less negative than those of terrestrial species, and those seat-patch water potentials were different from the water potentials of their blood. More terrestrial species had more negative seat-patch water potentials that were similar to their blood water potentials. These findings indicate a physiological mechanism in anurans to control water potential of seat-patches that has not previously been reported in the literature

Evaluation of Statistical and Machine Learning Approaches to Evaluating Creativity in the Alternatives Uses Task

For the last 70 years, divergent thinking tasks have been important for measuring the creative process. Raters typically show high levels of interrater reliability; however, the task can be onerous. We compare alternative methods from human rating. Specifically, we recruited human raters from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and the Loyola Psychology Subject Pool with two different sampling methods (i.e., Top 2 and Snap Shot) In addition, we will use SemDist, a computer algorithm that operationalizes creativity based on semantic distance. Measures from these three methods will be compared for data from approximately four hundred study participants

Picasso, la Suite Vollard

Si l’œuvre peint de Pablo Picasso connaît aujourd’hui une diffusion majeure, son œuvre gravé reste beaucoup plus confidentiel. Le catalogue de l’exposition présentée au Centre d’art la Malmaison à Cannes du 17 novembre 2017 au 29 avril 2018, Picasso, la Suite Vollard, donne l’occasion de s’y initier. Cette exposition s’inscrit au sein d’un événement d’envergure « le projet Picasso-Méditerranée 2017-2019 ». Ce programme international (France, Italie, Espagne, Maroc, etc.) permet de revenir sur..

Efficacy of the 5 Day CO-Synch Estrous Synchronization Protocol with or without the Inclusion of a Controlled Internal Drug Release Device in Beef Cows

To increase utilization of artificial insemination by beef producers, estrous and ovulation synchronization protocols must be re-evaluated in an attempt to reduce labor, cost, number of handlings, or a combination thereof without negatively impacting pregnancy rates. One potential way to reduce cost in these systems is through the strategic removal of hormones, such as the controlled internal drug release device (CIDR), from the protocol. While this concept has been tested in a 7 day synchronization protocol, it has not been evaluated in the newer 5 day synchronization protocols. The objective of this study was to compare TAI and overall breeding season pregnancy rates in primiparous and multiparous cows synchronized with the 5 d CO-Synch protocol with or without the inclusion of a CIDR. We hypothesized that use of a CIDR would improve timed-artificial insemination (TAI) and overall breeding season pregnancy rates. Results from this study indicate that while overall breeding season pregnancy rates are not impacted by removal of a CIDR in a 5 d CO-Synch protocol (90.3%; P = 0.94), TAI conception rates are improved when a CIDR insert is utilized (62.3 vs. 50.7%; P \u3c 0.001). Based on these data, use of a CIDR in the 5 d CO-Synch program is still recommended to optimize pregnancy success in an AI management system

Anselme Boix-Vives

L’ouvrage Anselme Boix-Vives accompagne l’exposition éponyme réalisée au Musée des beaux-arts de Chambéry du 25 novembre 2017 au 11 mars 2018, ce catalogue représente une « reconnaissance de dette » à l’œuvre et à la vie du peintre, né en Espagne en 1899, qui gagnera la Savoie très tôt. Anselme Boix-Vives est un personnage intriguant, jeune berger espagnol vivant dans une grande pauvreté, en 1917 il émigre en France pour y construire une vie meilleure, durement gagnée grâce à un travail achar..

Effect of Monensin, Extruded Urea-Grain, and Slow Release Liquid Supplements on Range Beef Cattle

Animal Scienc

Inhibiting Dhurrin Biosynthesis Effects on Stocker Cattle Daily Gains

Climate change has made resilient crops more valuable in many agricultural production systems. Sorghum is an important resilient grain and forage crop due to its high drought tolerance and ability to thrive in low-N environments. All current commercial sorghum varieties produce the cyanogenic glucoside dhurrin. Cell maceration causes the conversion of dhurrin to hydrogen cyanide (HCN), which is toxic to animals. Toxicity symptoms range from labored breathing and convulsions to death within minutes. The dhurrin biosynthesis pathway was altered to inhibit dhurrin production by a mutation that inactivated CYP79A1, the first enzyme in the pathway. The dhurrin-free phenotype eliminates the risk of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) poisoning in animals; however, agronomic performance and livestock responses when the dhurrin-free is grazed has not been studied. This study focused on the impacts of the cyp79a1 mutation on sorghum forage production and utilization. Over two months, weight gains were compared for stocker calves grazing either a dhurrin-free hybrid and a conventional hybrid (S&W SP4105). Presence or absence of HCN, nutritional quality, and yields were also determined before and throughout the grazing trial. The dhurrin-free hybrid and SP4105 had equivalent biomass yields (kg ha-1) throughout the trial. The dhurrin-free hybrid’s neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were 35 and 20 mg g-1 lower, respectively, when compared to SP4105 on the first sampling date (P-value \u3c 0.1). Rumen degradable protein and total digestible nutrients were higher as well for the dhurrin-free, but the two hybrids were similar by the second sampling date for nutritional quality. Average daily gain was similar between the dhurrin-free hybrid and the conventional sorghum hybrid. Taken together, dhurrin-free sorghum has many beneficial aspects as a forage; no fear of HCN toxicity and competitive weight gains of stocker calves, with excellent biomass yields and forage quality