Evaluation of Limpograss (\u3cem\u3eHemarthria altissima\u3c/em\u3e) Breeding Lines under Different Grazing Managements

Limpograss (Hemarthria altissima (Poir.) Stapf et C.E. Hubb.) is a stoloniferous, warm-season perennial grass from South Africa. It is frequently used to extend the grazing season in poorly drained soils of subtropical regions (Quesenberry et al. 2004). The cold tolerance of limpograss allows it to grow at temperatures below which other commonly used warm-season grasses (e.g. bermudagrass) remain productive. Use of limpograss has helped to reduce forage shortfall during winter, therefore, reducing feeding costs. In the past 30 years, the area planted to limpograss in Florida, USA has grown faster than that of any other forage grass species. It is estimated that over 0.2 million ha are planted to limpograss (Quesenberry et al. 2004). Recent University of Florida research with limpograss has focused on developing new hybrids which incorporate the persistence of the most widely used cultivar ‘Floralta’ with the digestibility of ‘Bigalta’. Preliminary clipping and grazing trials evaluated 50 breeding lines and identified 5 lines (designated 1, 4F, 10, 32 and 34) with superior performance. With an overall program goal of identifying the best limpograsses for cultivar release, the specific objective of this experiment was to investigate the forage productivity and sward canopy characteristics of these 5 breeding lines, compared to Floralta, in response to different grazing management strategies

Effects of concurrent intravenous morphine sulfate and naltrexone hydrochloride on end-tidal carbon dioxide

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Respiratory depression, a potentially fatal side-effect of opioid-overdose, may be reversed by timely administration of an opioid antagonist, such as naloxone or naltrexone. Tampering with a formulation of morphine sulfate and sequestered naltrexone hydrochloride extended release capsules (MS-sNT) releases both the opioid morphine and the antagonist naltrexone. A study in recreational opioid-users indicated that morphine and naltrexone injected in the 25:1 ratio (duplicating the ratio of the formulation) found MS-sNT reduced morphine-induced euphoric effects vs intravenous (IV) morphine alone. In the same study, the effects of morphine + naltrexone on end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO₂), a measure of respiratory-depression, were evaluated and these data are reported here.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Single-center, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study. Non-dependent male opioid users were randomized to receive single IV doses of placebo, 30 mg morphine alone, and 30 mg morphine + 1.2 mg naltrexone. EtCO₂was measured by noninvasive capnography.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant differences in EtCO₂least-squares means across all treatments for maximal effect (E_max) and area under the effect curve (AUE_0-2, AUE_0-8, AUE_0-24) were detected (all p ≤ 0.0011). EtCO₂E_maxvalues for morphine + naltrexone were significantly reduced vs morphine alone (42.9 mm Hg vs 47.1 mm Hg, p < 0.0001) and were not significantly different vs placebo (41.9 mm Hg). Median time to reach maximal effect (TE_max) was delayed for morphine + naltrexone vs morphine alone (5.0 h vs 1.0 h).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results provide preliminary evidence that the naltrexone:morphine ratio within MS-sNT is sufficient to significantly reduce EtCO₂when administered intravenously to non-dependent male recreational opioid-users. Further studies with multiple measures of respiratory-function are warranted to determine if risk of respiratory depression is also reduced by naltrexone in the tampered formulation.</p

The future of human nature: a symposium on the promises and challenges of the revolutions in genomics and computer science, April 10, 11, and 12, 2003

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, a publication series that began publishing in 2006 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. This was the Center's Symposium on the Promises and Challenges of the Revolutions in Genomics and Computer Science took place during April 10, 11, and 12, 2003. Co-organized by Charles DeLisi and Kenneth Lewes; sponsored by Boston University, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.This conference focused on scientific and technological advances in genetics, computer science, and their convergence during the next 35 to 250 years. In particular, it focused on directed evolution, the futures it allows, the shape of society in those futures, and the robustness of human nature against technological change at the level of individuals, groups, and societies. It is taken as a premise that biotechnology and computer science will mature and will reinforce one another. During the period of interest, human cloning, germ-line genetic engineering, and an array of reproductive technologies will become feasible and safe. Early in this period, we can reasonably expect the processing power of a laptop computer to exceed the collective processing power of every human brain on the planet; later in the period human/machine interfaces will begin to emerge. Whether such technologies will take hold is not known. But if they do, human evolution is likely to proceed at a greatly accelerated rate; human nature as we know it may change markedly, if it does not disappear altogether, and new intelligent species may well be created

Object Relations in the Museum: A Psychosocial Perspective

This article theorises museum engagement from a psychosocial perspective. With the aid of selected concepts from object relations theory, it explains how the museum visitor can establish a personal relation to museum objects, making use of them as an ‘aesthetic third’ to symbolise experience. Since such objects are at the same time cultural resources, interacting with them helps the individual to feel part of a shared culture. The article elaborates an example drawn from a research project that aimed to make museum collections available to people with physical and mental health problems. It draws on the work of the British psychoanalysts Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Bion to explain the salience of the concepts of object use, potential space, containment and reverie within a museum context. It also refers to the work of the contemporary psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas on how objects can become evocative for individuals both by virtue of their intrinsic qualities and by the way they are used to express personal idiom

The future of human nature: a symposium on the promises and challenges of the revolutions in genomics and computer science, April 10, 11, and 12, 2003

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, a publication series that began publishing in 2006 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. This was the Center's Symposium on the Promises and Challenges of the Revolutions in Genomics and Computer Science took place during April 10, 11, and 12, 2003. Co-organized by Charles DeLisi and Kenneth Lewes; sponsored by Boston University, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.This conference focused on scientific and technological advances in genetics, computer science, and their convergence during the next 35 to 250 years. In particular, it focused on directed evolution, the futures it allows, the shape of society in those futures, and the robustness of human nature against technological change at the level of individuals, groups, and societies. It is taken as a premise that biotechnology and computer science will mature and will reinforce one another. During the period of interest, human cloning, germ-line genetic engineering, and an array of reproductive technologies will become feasible and safe. Early in this period, we can reasonably expect the processing power of a laptop computer to exceed the collective processing power of every human brain on the planet; later in the period human/machine interfaces will begin to emerge. Whether such technologies will take hold is not known. But if they do, human evolution is likely to proceed at a greatly accelerated rate; human nature as we know it may change markedly, if it does not disappear altogether, and new intelligent species may well be created

The CSF in neurosarcoidosis contains consistent clonal expansion of CD8 T cells, but not CD4 T cells

The tissue-specific drivers of neurosarcoidosis remain poorly defined. To identify cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specific, antigen-driven T and B cell responses, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of CSF and blood cells from neurosarcoid participants coupled to T and B cell receptor sequencing. In contrast to pulmonary sarcoidosis, which is driven by CD4 T cells, we found CD8 T cell clonal expansion enriched in the neurosarcoid CSF. These CSF-enriched CD8 T cells were composed of two subsets with differential expression of EBI2, CXCR3, and CXCR4. Lastly, our data suggest that IFNγ signaling may distinguish neurosarcoidosis from other neurological disorders

MicroRNA profiling of the bovine alveolar macrophage response to Mycobacterium bovis infection suggests pathogen survival is enhanced by microRNA regulation of endocytosis and lysosome trafficking

peer-reviewedMycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, a major problem for global agriculture, spreads via an airborne route and is taken up by alveolar macrophages (AM) in the lung. Here, we describe the first next-generation sequencing (RNA-seq) approach to temporally profile miRNA expression in primary bovine AMs post-infection with M. bovis. One, six, and forty miRNAs were identified as significantly differentially expressed at 2, 24 and 48 h post-infection, respectively. The differential expression of three miRNAs (bta-miR-142-5p, bta-miR-146a, and bta-miR-423-3p) was confirmed by RT-qPCR. Pathway analysis of the predicted mRNA targets of differentially expressed miRNAs suggests that these miRNAs preferentially target several pathways that are functionally relevant for mycobacterial pathogenesis, including endocytosis and lysosome trafficking, IL-1 signalling and the TGF-β pathway. Over-expression studies using a bovine macrophage cell-line (Bomac) reveal the targeting of two key genes in the innate immune response to M. bovis, IL-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) and TGF-β receptor 2 (TGFBR2), by miR-146. Taken together, our study suggests that miRNAs play a key role in tuning the complex interplay between M. bovis survival strategies and the host immune response

R|S Atlas: Identifying Existing Cohort Study Data Resources to Accelerate Epidemiological Research on the Influence of Religion and Spirituality on Human Health

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have documented significant associations between religion and spirituality (R/S) and health, but relatively few prospective analyses exist that can support causal inferences. To date, there has been no systematic analysis of R/S survey items collected in US cohort studies. We conducted a systematic content analysis of all surveys ever fielded in 20 diverse US cohort studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify all R/S-related items collected from each cohort\u27s baseline survey through 2014. DESIGN: An R|S Ontology was developed from our systematic content analysis to categorise all R/S survey items identified into key conceptual categories. A systematic literature review was completed for each R/S item to identify any cohort publications involving these items through 2018. RESULTS: Our content analysis identified 319 R/S survey items, reflecting 213 unique R/S constructs and 50 R|S Ontology categories. 193 of the 319 extant R/S survey items had been analysed in at least one published paper. Using these data, we created the R|S Atlas (https://atlas.mgh.harvard.edu/), a publicly available, online relational database that allows investigators to identify R/S survey items that have been collected by US cohorts, and to further refine searches by other key data available in cohorts that may be necessary for a given study (eg, race/ethnicity, availability of DNA or geocoded data). CONCLUSIONS: R|S Atlas not only allows researchers to identify available sources of R/S data in cohort studies but will also assist in identifying novel research questions that have yet to be explored within the context of US cohort studies