433 research outputs found

    If Community College Students Are So Poor Why Do Only 16.9% Of Them Receive Pell Grants?

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    In this paper the authors attempt to address the discrepancy between the perception of income levels for community college students, and the seemingly low percentage of those students who receive Pell grants. The authors try to solve this paradox using data, published and unpublished, from the U. S. Department of Labor

    Conservation Status of the American Horseshoe Crab, (Limulus Polyphemus): A Regional Assessment

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    Horseshoe crabs have persisted for more than 200 million years, and fossil forms date to 450 million years ago. The American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), one of four extant horseshoe crab species, is found along the Atlantic coastline of North America ranging from Alabama to Maine, USA with another distinct population on the coasts of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo in the Yucatán Peninsula, México. Although the American horseshoe crab tolerates broad environmental conditions, exploitation and habitat loss threaten the species. We assessed the conservation status of the American horseshoe crab by comprehensively reviewing available scientific information on its range, life history, genetic structure, population trends and analyses, major threats, and conservation. We structured the status assessment by six genetically-informed regions and accounted for sub-regional differences in environmental conditions, threats, and management. The transnational regions are Gulf of Maine (USA), Mid-Atlantic (USA), Southeast (USA), Florida Atlantic (USA), Northeast Gulf of México (USA), and Yucatán Peninsula (México). Our conclusion is that the American horseshoe crab species is vulnerable to local extirpation and that the degree and extent of risk vary among and within the regions. The risk is elevated in the Gulf of Maine region due to limited and fragmented habitat. The populations of horseshoe crabs in the Mid-Atlantic region are stable in the Delaware Bay area, and regulatory controls are in place, but the risk is elevated in the New England area as evidenced by continuing declines understood to be caused by over-harvest. The populations of horseshoe crabs in the Southeast region are stable or increasing. The populations of horseshoe crabs in the Florida Atlantic region show mixed trends among areas, and continuing population reductions at the embayment level have poorly understood causes. Within the Northeast Gulf of Mexico, causes of population trends are poorly understood and currently there is no active management of horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crabs within México have conservation protection based on limited and fragmented habitat and geographic isolation from other regions, but elevated risk applies to the horseshoe crabs in the Yucatán Peninsula region until sufficient data can confirm population stability. Future species status throughout its range will depend on the effectiveness of conservation to mitigate habitat loss and manage for sustainable harvest among and within regions

    Conservation Status of the American Horseshoe Crab, (Limulus Polyphemus): A Regional Assessment

    Get PDF
    Horseshoe crabs have persisted for more than 200 million years, and fossil forms date to 450 million years ago. The American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), one of four extant horseshoe crab species, is found along the Atlantic coastline of North America ranging from Alabama to Maine, USA with another distinct population on the coasts of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo in the Yucatán Peninsula, México. Although the American horseshoe crab tolerates broad environmental conditions, exploitation and habitat loss threaten the species. We assessed the conservation status of the American horseshoe crab by comprehensively reviewing available scientific information on its range, life history, genetic structure, population trends and analyses, major threats, and conservation. We structured the status assessment by six genetically-informed regions and accounted for sub-regional differences in environmental conditions, threats, and management. The transnational regions are Gulf of Maine (USA), Mid-Atlantic (USA), Southeast (USA), Florida Atlantic (USA), Northeast Gulf of México (USA), and Yucatán Peninsula (México). Our conclusion is that the American horseshoe crab species is vulnerable to local extirpation and that the degree and extent of risk vary among and within the regions. The risk is elevated in the Gulf of Maine region due to limited and fragmented habitat. The populations of horseshoe crabs in the Mid-Atlantic region are stable in the Delaware Bay area, and regulatory controls are in place, but the risk is elevated in the New England area as evidenced by continuing declines understood to be caused by over-harvest. The populations of horseshoe crabs in the Southeast region are stable or increasing. The populations of horseshoe crabs in the Florida Atlantic region show mixed trends among areas, and continuing population reductions at the embayment level have poorly understood causes. Within the Northeast Gulf of Mexico, causes of population trends are poorly understood and currently there is no active management of horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crabs within México have conservation protection based on limited and fragmented habitat and geographic isolation from other regions, but elevated risk applies to the horseshoe crabs in the Yucatán Peninsula region until sufficient data can confirm population stability. Future species status throughout its range will depend on the effectiveness of conservation to mitigate habitat loss and manage for sustainable harvest among and within regions

    Real-time modelling of surface water flooding hazard and impact at countrywide scales

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    In response to the floods of summer 2007, the subsequent Pitt Review and more recent events, the demand is growing for more robust, accurate and timely forecast and alert information on surface water flooding (SWF) along with impact assessments at local, area and national scales. A major impetus for recent progress has come through the Natural Hazards Partnership (NHP) which aims to deliver coordinated assessments, research and advice on natural hazards for governments and resilience communities across the UK. Under NHP, a real-time Hazard Impact Model (HIM) framework is under development that includes SWF as one of three hazards chosen for initial trialling. In contrast to rainfall-threshold based SWF methods, the NHP HIM prototype approach uses dynamic gridded surface-runoff estimates from the Grid-to-Grid (G2G) hydrological model. G2G is already employed for operational fluvial flood forecasting across England, Wales & Scotland and thus its use for SWF is a natural extension to consider. Novel methodologies for generating dynamic real-time maps and area-wide summaries of forecast SWF impacts have been developed that can employ rainfall forecasts in deterministic and ensemble form. Use is made of national receptor datasets of population, infrastructure, property and transport along with the recent Updated Flood Map for Surface Water (UFMfSW) over England & Wales. The prototype approach is outlined and illustrated through case studies, including some events from summer 2012. Finally, a perspective on future developments and possible operational implementation is given

    Isoniazid-related fatal hepatitis.

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    To describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of fatal hepatitis due to single-drug isoniazid preventive therapy for tuberculosis, we did a survey of cases from state health departments, published case reports, and reports to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1970 to 1992. Of 108 reported cases, some clinical information was available for 76. A medical review panel judged 39 of these deaths as probably due to isoniazid hepatitis and 23 deaths as possibly due to isoniazid hepatitis. Of the 62 probable and possible cases combined, 50 (81%) were female, 49 (79%) were non-Hispanic black or Hispanic, and 19 (31%) were younger than 35 years. The median duration of isoniazid preventive therapy before symptom onset was 16 weeks. Of the 60 cases with symptom information, 54 (90%) presented with jaundice. Of the 62 cases, 26 (42%) were monitored monthly in accordance with current recommendations, and 6 of the patients were younger than 35 years. We estimate that the rate of fatal isoniazid hepatitis among patients in the public sector was no greater than 4.2 per 100,000 persons beginning therapy and no greater than 7 per 100,000 persons completing therapy. Adherence to isoniazid preventive therapy guidelines apparently reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of fatal hepatitis. Careful patient selection, education, and monitoring are critical for minimizing that risk

    Evidence for multiple colonisations and Wolbachia infections shaping the genetic structure of the widespread butterfly Polyommatus icarus in the British Isles

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    The paradigm of isolation in southern refugia during glacial periods followed by expansions during interglacials, producing limited genetic differentiation in northern areas, dominates European phylogeography. However, the existence of complex structured populations in formerly glaciated areas, and islands connected to mainland areas during glacial maxima, call for alternative explanations. We reconstructed the mtDNA phylogeography of the widespread Polyommatus icarus butterfly with an emphasis on the formerly glaciated and connected British Isles. We found distinct geographical structuring of CO1 haplogroups, with an ancient lineage restricted to the marginal European areas, including Northern Scotland and Outer Hebrides. Population genomic analyses, using ddRADSeq genomic markers, also reveal substantial genetic structuring within Britain. However, there is negligble mito-nuclear concordance consistent with independent demographic histories of mitochondrial vs. nuclear DNA. While mtDNA-Wolbachia associations in northern Britain could account for the geographic structuring of mtDNA across most of the British Isles, for nuclear DNA markers (derived from ddRADseq data) butterflies from France cluster between northern and southern British populations – an observation consistent with a scenario of multiple recolonisation. Taken together our results suggest that contemporary mtDNA structuring in the British Isles (and potentially elsewhere in Europe) largely results from Wolbachia infections, however, nuclear genomic structuring suggests a history of at least two distinct colonisations. This two-stage colonisation scenario has previously been put forth to explain genetic diversity and structuring in other British flora and fauna. Additionally, we also present preliminary evidence for potential Wolbachia-induced feminization in the Outer Hebrides

    Research priorities in the field of posttraumatic pain and disability: Results of a transdisciplinary consensus-generating workshop

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    © Copyright 2016 David M.Walton et al. Background. Chronic or persistent pain and disability following noncatastrophic \u27musculoskeletal\u27 (MSK) trauma is a pervasive public health problem. Recent intervention trials have provided little evidence of benefit from several specific treatments for preventing chronic problems. Such findings may appear to argue against formal targeted intervention for MSK traumas. However, these negative findings may reflect a lack of understanding of the causal mechanisms underlying the transition from acute to chronic pain, rendering informed and objective treatment decisions difficult. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute ofMusculoskeletalHealth and Arthritis (IMHA) has recently identified better understanding of causalmechanisms as one of three priority foci of their most recent strategic plan. Objectives. A 2-day invitation-only active participation workshop was held inMarch 2015 that included 30 academics, clinicians, and consumers with the purpose of identifying consensus research priorities in the field of trauma-relatedMSK pain and disability, prediction, and prevention. Methods. Conversations were recorded, explored thematically, and member-checked for accuracy. Results. From the discussions, 13 themes were generated that ranged from a focus on identifying causal mechanisms and models to challenges with funding and patient engagement. Discussion. Novel priorities included the inclusion of consumer groups in research from the early conceptualization and design stages and interdisciplinary longitudinal studies that include evaluation of integrated phenotypes and mechanisms

    PI16 is expressed by a subset of human memory Treg with enhanced migration to CCL17 and CCL20

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    The peptidase inhibitor PI16 was shown previously by microarray analysis to be over-expressed by CD4-positive/CD25-positive Treg compared with CD4-positive/CD25-negative Th cells. Using a monoclonal antibody to the human PI16 protein, we found that PI16-positive Treg have a memory (CD45RO-positive) phenotype and express higher levels of FOXP3 than PI16-negative Treg. PI16-positive Treg are functional in suppressor assays in vitro with potency similar to PI16-negative Treg. Further phenotyping of the PI16-positive Treg revealed that the chemokine receptors CCR4 and CCR6 are expressed by more of the PI16-positive/CD45RO-positive Treg compared with PI16-negative/CD45RO-positive Treg or Th cells. PI16-positive Treg showed enhanced in vitro migration towards the inflammatory chemokines CCL17 and CCL20, suggesting they can migrate to sites of inflammation. We conclude that PI16 identifies a novel distinct subset of functional memory Treg which can migrate to sites of inflammation and regulate the pro-inflammatory response at those sites.Ian C. Nicholson, Christos Mavrangelos, Daniel R.G. Bird, Suzanne Bresatz-Atkins, Nicola G. Eastaff-Leung, Randall H. Grose, Batjargal Gundsambuu, Danika Hill, Debbrah J. Millard, Timothy J. Sadlon, Sarah To, Heddy Zola, Simon C. Barry, Doreen Krumbiege
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