The Problem of St. Johnswort: A Noxious Plant in Western Montana

Paper published as Bulletin 4 in the UM Bulletin Forestry Series.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/umforestrybulletin/1001/thumbnail.jp

Traits and Stereotypes of Male Protagonists in high fantasy novels as compared by gender of the author: A content analysis

This paper examines the roles author's gender plays in the physical and personality development of male protagonists in high fantasy literature. Five books by female authors and five books by male authors published between 1990 and 1998 were subjected to latent content analysis in this study. This study concludes that females focus on describing the physical characteristics of males, but male authors focus more on personality development

Evaluation of heterosis and heterosis retention in Bos taurus-Bos indicus crossbred cattle for productivity traits in cows

Reproductive and weight traits were analyzed for Angus (A), Brahman (B), Hereford (H), and Nellore (N) straightbred cows; F1 NA cows; 3/8N 5/8A cows and quarter blood composite cows (BANH) of the four straightbreds in Central Texas. Heterosis was estimated for calf crop born (CCB), calf crop weaned (CCW), and calf survival (CS) by linear contrasts within cow breed groups. F1 NA cows expressed heterosis (P < 0.0001) for CCB (0.22) and CCW (0.20). Except for the 3/8N 5/8Ac cows, which resulted from the mating of NA bulls to 3/4A 1/4N cows, all of the crossbred cow breed types expressed significant heterosis (P < 0.05) when compared to the weighted average of the parental purebreds for CCB. BANHc cows that were the result of mating NA bulls to HB cows expressed heterosis for CCB (0.35) (P < 0.001) and CCW (0.29) (P < 0.05). The 3/8N 5/8Aa females produced by mating 3/4N 1/4A bulls to NA cows expressed heterosis (P < 0.0001) for CCW (0.20). Heterosis for calf survival was near zero for all breed types, but only two breed types of 3/8N 5/8A cows were significantly greater than the weighted average of the parental purebreds. Heterosis for birth weight (BWT) and weaning weight (WWT) was also analyzed by linear contrasts within cow breed groups. The BANHb and BANHc cows produced from mating NA bulls to BH and HB F1 cows, respectively, expressed heterosis for BWT (2.89 + 0.79 (P < 0.001) and 3.38 + 1.51 (P < 0.05)). All cow breed types expressed significant heterosis (P < 0.05) for WWT. The BANH2 cows resulting from the mating of NA bulls to F2 HB or BH cows expressed heterosis (P < 0.0001) for WWT (52.01 kg + 9.88)

Hyperthymic affective temperament and hypertension are independent determinants of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor level

BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has neuroprotective, proangiogenic and myogenic effects and, therefore, possibly acts as a psychosomatic mediator. Here, we measured serum BDNF (seBDNF) level in hypertensive patients (HT) and healthy controls (CONT) and its relation to affective temperaments, depression and anxiety scales, and arterial stiffness parameters. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, affective temperaments, anxiety, and depression were studied with questionnaires (TEMPS-A, HAM-A, and BDI, respectively). SeBDNF level and routine laboratory parameters were measured as well. Arterial stiffness was evaluated with a tonometric method. RESULTS: Allover, 151 HT, and 32 CONT subjects were involved in the study. SeBDNF level was significantly higher in HT compared to CONT (24880 +/- 8279 vs 21202.6 +/- 6045.5 pg/mL, p < 0.05). In the final model of regression analysis, hyperthymic temperament score (Beta = 405.8, p = 0.004) and the presence of hypertension (Beta = 6121.2, p = 0.001) were independent determinants of seBDNF. In interaction analysis, it was found that in HT, a unit increase in hyperthymic score was associated with a 533.3 (95 %CI 241.3-825.3) pg/mL higher seBDNF. This interaction was missing in CONT. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a complex psychosomatic involvement of BDNF in the pathophysiology of hypertension, where hyperthymic affective temperament may have a protective role. BDNF is not likely to have an effect on large arteries

EZH2 modulates angiogenesis in vitro and in a mouse model of limb ischemia

Epigenetic mechanisms may regulate the expression of pro-angiogenic genes, thus affecting reparative angiogenesis in ischemic limbs. The enhancer of zest homolog-2 (EZH2) induces thtrimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3), which represses gene transcription. We explored (i) if EZH2 expression is regulated by hypoxia and ischemia; (ii) the impact of EZH2 on the expression of two pro-angiogenic genes: eNOS and BDNF; (iii) the functional effect of EZH2 inhibition on cultured endothelial cells (ECs); (iv) the therapeutic potential of EZH2 inhibition in a mouse model of limb ischemia (LI). EZH2 expression was increased in cultured ECs exposed to hypoxia (control: normoxia) and in ECs extracted from mouse ischemic limb muscles (control: absence of ischemia). EZH2 increased the H3K27me3 abundance onto regulatory regions of eNOS and BDNF promoters. In vitro RNA silencing or pharmacological inhibition by 3-deazaneplanocin (DZNep) of EZH2 increased eNOS and BDNF mRNA and protein levels and enhanced functional capacities (migration, angiogenesis) of ECs under either normoxia or hypoxia. In mice with experimentally induced LI, DZNep increased angiogenesis in ischaemic muscles, the circulating levels of pro-angiogenic hematopoietic cells and blood flow recovery. Targeting EZH2 for inhibition may open new therapeutic avenues for patients with limb ischemia

The Schrodinger Equation: Origins and Numerical Solutions

The classical laws ofmotion and Newtonian thought met considerable opposition in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a result of several observations that were inexplicable by then current means. Several breakthroughs were made by notable historic figures such as Louis de Broglie, Werner Heisenberg, Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and ofparticular interest, Erwin Schrodinger. The new ideas and innovations ofthese and other individuals helped forge the beginnings of Quantum Mechanics and paved the way for significant understanding. Erwin Schrodinger confronted the problem of electrostatic attraction between the nucleus and electrons within atoms. His approach greatly utilized the developing theory ofwave-particle duality, introduced by Planck and Einstein, and the quantization of energy. The result of Schrodinger’s work was a wave model that fundamentally stated that all possible locations for a particle can be represented by a wave. The Schrodinger Equation establishes a mathematical relation between a particle’s energy and its wavefunction, and is considerably generalized, making it adaptable to various applications. This investigation aims to understand the observations and discoveries leading up to and resulting from the Schrodinger equation, as well as look into some simple solutions of the equation in one dimension. Specifically, five well-known instances of classical mechanical failures are presented followed by a basic approach to solving the single particle systems of a particle in a box and a simple harmonic oscillator. Numerical methods are utilized to solve the Schrodinger equation and discover allowed particle states within various potentials

The impact of the integration of telemedicine in a community psychiatry outpatient program during Covid-19

Our study aims to describe the impact of transitioning to telemedicine care during the Covid-19 pandemic in a community psychiatry program. This was a retrospective study comparing no show rates and hospitalization rates pre and post adoption of telemedicine services, as well as evaluating patient satisfaction with telemedicine services. We found that there was a small but significant decrease in the no show rate following the adoption of telemedicine. We found no significant difference in the monthly hospitalization rate. The majority of patients surveyed liked using telemedicine and most preferred it to in-person visits. Patients identified convenience of telemedicine as a major benefit to this format and lack of privacy as a drawback. Telemedicine is an acceptable form of service delivery among this patient population. It decreased no show rates and did not increase hospitalizations. The use of this service delivery model could enhance the patient experience, but consideration should be given to how and when it is used