Determinants of Feedlot Cattle Death Loss Rates

Death loss in feedlot cattle can have significant impacts on feedlot profitability. Not only does death loss result in foregone revenue, but the operation still incurs the costs to date associated with those animals. This study uses pen-level feedlot data from a private feed-lot in the Southern Great Plains. Both company- owned and customer retained ownership cattle are included in the data set. A Tobit model is used to analyze pen characteristics’ influence on death loss in feedlot cattle, including cattle characteristics, source characteristics, management characteristics, and treatment incidence. Results imply that several pen characteristics impact death loss and that cattle source, in terms of both cattle source geographic location and market source type, has a significant influence on death loss rate

Dysfunctional attitudes scale perfectionism: a predictor and partial mediator of acute treatment outcome among clinically depressed adolescents.

The effect of perfectionism on acute treatment outcomes was explored in a randomized controlled trial of 439 clinically depressed adolescents (12-17 years of age) enrolled in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) who received cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), fluoxetine, a combination of CBT and FLX, or pill placebo. Measures included the Children\u27s Depression Rating Scale-Revised, the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Grades 7-9, and the perfectionism subscale from the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS). Predictor results indicate that adolescents with higher versus lower DAS perfectionism scores at baseline, regardless of treatment, continued to demonstrate elevated depression scores across the acute treatment period. In the case of suicidality, DAS perfectionism impeded improvement. Treatment outcomes were partially mediated by the change in DAS perfectionism across the 12-week period

RAG2's non-core domain contributes to the ordered regulation of V(D)J recombination

Variable (diversity) joining [V(D)J] recombination of immune gene loci proceeds in an ordered manner with D to J portions recombining first and then an upstream V joins that recombinant. We present evidence that the non-core domain of recombination activating gene (RAG) protein 2 is involved in the regulation of recombinatorial order. In mice lacking the non-core domain of RAG2 the ordered rearrangement is disturbed and direct V to D rearrangements are 10- to 1000-times increased in tri-partite immune gene loci. Some forms of inter-chromosomal translocations between TCRβ and TCRδ D gene segments are also increased in the core RAG2 animals as compared with their wild-type (WT) counterparts. In addition, the concise use of proper recombination signal sequences (RSSs) appears to be disturbed in the core RAG2 mice as compared with WT RAG2 animals

An exploratory analysis of the impact of family functioning on treatment for depression in adolescents.

This article explores aspects of family environment and parent-child conflict that may predict or moderate response to acute treatments among depressed adolescents (N = 439) randomly assigned to fluoxetine, cognitive behavioral therapy, their combination, or placebo. Outcomes were Week 12 scores on measures of depression and global impairment. Of 20 candidate variables, one predictor emerged: Across treatments, adolescents with mothers who reported less parent-child conflict were more likely to benefit than their counterparts. When family functioning moderated outcome, adolescents who endorsed more negative environments were more likely to benefit from fluoxetine. Similarly, when moderating effects were seen on cognitive behavioral therapy conditions, they were in the direction of being less effective among teens reporting poorer family environments

Ethnic Differences Among Adolescents Beginning Treatment for Depression

Abstract: This study examines ethnic/racial differences at the start of treatment among participants in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). African American and Latino youth were compared to Caucasian youth on symptom presentation and cognitive variables associated with depression. Contrary to hypothesis, there were no significant differences in symptom presentation as measured by the interviewbased items of the Children's Depression Rating Scale -Revised (CDRS-R). However, African American and Latino youth were both rated as demonstrating more severe symptoms on the observational items of the CDRS-R compared to Caucasian youth. In terms of cognitive variables associated with depression, African Americans reported fewer negative cognitive biases compared to Caucasians, but cognitive biases were significantly correlated with depression severity across ethnic groups

Control of star formation by supersonic turbulence

Understanding the formation of stars in galaxies is central to much of modern astrophysics. For several decades it has been thought that stellar birth is primarily controlled by the interplay between gravity and magnetostatic support, modulated by ambipolar diffusion. Recently, however, both observational and numerical work has begun to suggest that support by supersonic turbulence rather than magnetic fields controls star formation. In this review we outline a new theory of star formation relying on the control by turbulence. We demonstrate that although supersonic turbulence can provide global support, it nevertheless produces density enhancements that allow local collapse. Inefficient, isolated star formation is a hallmark of turbulent support, while efficient, clustered star formation occurs in its absence. The consequences of this theory are then explored for both local star formation and galactic scale star formation. (ABSTRACT ABBREVIATED)Comment: Invited review for "Reviews of Modern Physics", 87 pages including 28 figures, in pres

Lymph node fibroblastic reticular cells directly present peripheral tissue antigen under steady-state and inflammatory conditions

Lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) can induce potent, antigen-specific T cell tolerance under steady-state conditions. Although expression of various peripheral tissue–restricted antigens (PTAs) and presentation to naive CD8+ T cells has been demonstrated, the stromal subsets responsible have not been identified. We report that fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs), which reside in the T cell zone of the LN, ectopically express and directly present a model PTA to naive T cells, inducing their proliferation. However, we found that no single LNSC subset was responsible for PTA expression; rather, each subset had its own characteristic antigen display. Studies to date have concentrated on PTA presentation under steady-state conditions; however, because LNs are frequently inflammatory sites, we assessed whether inflammation altered stromal cell–T cell interactions. Strikingly, FRCs showed reduced stimulation of T cells after Toll-like receptor 3 ligation. We also characterize an LNSC subset expressing the highest levels of autoimmune regulator, which responds potently to bystander inflammation by up-regulating PTA expression. Collectively, these data show that diverse stromal cell types have evolved to constitutively express PTAs, and that exposure to viral products alters the interaction between T cells and LNSCs