The remote sensing of fires and their effects on soil properties in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park

Fires are a common and natural occurrence globally and specifically on the African continent. The Drakensberg Mountains are home to southern Africa’s high-altitude fire-climax grasslands, where fire is the dominant management tool. Fire is used to maintain the grasslands in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park (UDP) World Heritage Site, located on the eastern escarpment of the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg. This study aimed to investigate the spatial and temporal frequency of fires using remote sensing, and to investigate the effect of fire frequency on soil properties in the UDP. Remote sensing offers a set of supportive tools for the management of this sensitive vegetation and specifically to assess the frequency and spatial extent of fires. Field assessments can then be used to assess the impact of fires. Remotely sensed data were used to determine fire frequency and the spatial extent of fires in the UDP. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) active fire detection point data were processed to investigate the temporal resolution of fires. Landsat 5 and 8 imagery were utilised for conducting Normalised Burn Ratios (NBR) to determine the spatial extent of the burn scars of fires. The results from the remotely sensed data were used to select study sites for accessing the effects of fire frequency on soil properties. The remote sensing results showed the main fire season in the UDP was from May to October, and annual burn scars from the available Landsat data for 1998 to 2017 ranged from 22.5% to 57.67% of the UDP. Remote sensing was shown to be an effective tool for monitoring fires in the UDP, with a combination of satellite data producing the best results. Soil properties were highly varied across the UDP. Environmental factors were shown to have a more significant influence on soil properties than fire frequency. This study highlighted the complex nature and diversity of fires and soils across the UDP

Disseminated Mycobacterium avium infection in a cat on long-term ciclosporin therapy and potential latent infection of an in-contact cat

Case summary: An 8-year-old domestic shorthair cat receiving long-term ciclosporin treatment was evaluated for a history of weight loss and hyporexia. The main clinical finding was a cluster of enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes. Cytological examination of fine-needle aspirates showed granulomatous inflammation with abundant acid-fast bacilli. A diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection was confirmed by PCR. The cat’s clinical condition deteriorated rapidly despite appropriate antibiotic treatment and it was euthanased 2 weeks after initial presentation due to development of severe paraparesis and ataxia. Post-mortem examination revealed granulomatous inflammation affecting multiple lymph nodes and other organs with intrahistiocytic acid-fast bacilli consistent with mycobacteria when stained using Ziehl–Neelsen stain. Another cat in the same household was screened for infection using the interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), with the result being consistent with infection by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), which includes MAC; however, it had no grossly detectable disease. Relevance and novel information: This case report is an unusual presentation of disseminated MAC infection in a cat, which remains a rare diagnosis. Clinicians should be aware of unusual and rare presentations of this infection. The clinical findings, progression of disease and histopathology results add to the current clinical database for feline disseminated MAC infections. Another cat in the same household tested positive for NTM by IGRA without any gross disease. This was suggestive of latent MAC infection which, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported in an in-contact cat

Identification of planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) intercepted on aquarium plants in Florida and elucidation of a potential pathway for exotic aquatic and semiaquatic pests

Recent shipments of aquarium plants to pet stores in five Florida counties were found to be infested with an exotic delphacid planthopper. Rearing adult males allowed identification by morphological analysis. Molecular analysis confirmed that it was the same as authoritatively identified reference specimens of the planthopper, Opiconsiva anacharsis (Fennah) (new combination) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), first reported from Florida in 1989 and known to be established only in Broward County. The host plants, Echinodorus spp. Rich. ex Engelm. (Alismatales: Alismataceae), originally from Thailand, were sold in enclosed plastic cylinders that provided a suitable environment for maintaining the planthoppers. Attempts to trace the shipment histories to these stores suggested a circuitous multi-state pathway leading to a Broward County, Florida, business that receives aquatic plants from Southeast Asia. While the infestation of these plants may have occurred in Florida, trade in semiemergent aquatic plants is shown to be a potential pathway for introduction for insect pests

\u3ci\u3eMyzus fataunae\u3c/i\u3e Shinji (Hemiptera: Aphididae), \u3ci\u3ePilea\u3c/i\u3e aphid, new to North America

Minute aphids belonging to the species Myzus fataunae Shinji (Hemiptera: Aphididae) were found at a nursery in Seminole County, Florida. Morphological and molecular data support this determination. The Florida population only colonized species of Pilea Lindl. in our host range experiments. It did not colonize Fatoua villosa. Nakai. Likewise, it did not colonize tested common Florida species of Urticaceae other than Pilea spp. Myzus fataunae is adventive, and it appears to be established in the United States

Understory 2014

“Art is the struggle to be, in a particular sort of way, virtuous.” —Iris Murdoch Indeed, when we embark on any creative adventure it is with the purpose of conveying a certain truth; an emotion, an idea that brings us together and reminds us of the innate consciousness that dwells within. Understory is emblematic of this; where individuals intent on honing their craft can join others to become a part of something greater, their work immortalized to become a time capsule. Decades from now a volume of Understory may be discovered on a dusty bookshelf in some forgotten corner and the lucky explorer who finds it shall be enlightened by pages of gold. We, as editors of Understory 2014, have worked very hard this year to put together a journal that showcases the very best of the University of Alaska Anchorage undergraduate student work. We hope you enjoy your journey through this issue as much as we have enjoyed ours. Thank you to the English and Art Departments, for the staff and faculty’s unerring support of our club; to Provost Baker, for seeing and believing in the vision of Understory; and to our club’s faculty advisor, Douglass Bourne, for his guidance and tireless assistance. Finally, thank you to the wonderful students who submit such excellent work each year. Without your passion for the arts, we would not be here.Staff / Letter from the Editors / Glass Blower / Writing / Obsolete Evolution / Permafrost / Phoenix / Untitled / Ratio / Tripping / Abiogenesis / My Heart Beats for You / Meeting of the Fingerprint Lines / You Are No Stranger / Nightmare Fuel / Cane-Sugar / Gossamer Strands / Panthera Gold / Butterfly / A Mantis Too Far / Long and Winding Road / Chasing Shadows / Merisunas / Chequer Grove / Modzilla / Beans / Little Red and Mr. Wolf / In Memoriam, Joel Fletcher Armstrong / Glance / Courage / Uranium Waltz / Danger / Journey to the West / Antumbra / Roaring Like a Lion / Pre-boarding / Untitled / How Do You Say a Word / Fishing for Doom/ Contributor

Simvastatin improves the sexual health-related quality of life in men aged 40 years and over with erectile dysfunction : Additional data from the Erectile Dysfunction and Statin trial

© 2014 Trivedi et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.Background: Erectile dysfunction is prevalent in men over 40 years, affecting their quality of life and that of their partners. The aims of this study were:a)To evaluate the internal reliability of the male erectile dysfunction specific quality of life (MED-QoL) scale and explore its factor structure.b)To evaluate the effect of simvastatin on subscales of the MED-QoL in men over forty years with erectile dysfunction. Methods: This is a double blind randomised controlled trial of 40 mg simvastatin or placebo given once daily for six months to men over forty years with untreated erectile dysfunction, who were not at high cardiovascular risk and were not on anti-hypertensive or lipid-lowering medication. 173 eligible men were recruited from 10 general practices in East of England. Data were collected at two points over 30 weeks. We report on the factor structure of MED-QoL, the internal reliability of the scale and the derived subscales, and the effect of simvastatin on MED-QoL subscales. Results: An initial analysis of the MED-QoL items suggested that a number of items should be removed (MED-QoL-R). Exploratory factor analysis identified three subscales within the MED-QoL-R which accounted for 96% of the variance, related to feelings of Control, initiating Intimacy, and Emotional response to erectile dysfunction. The alpha value for the revised scale (MED-Qol-R) was >0.95 and exceeded .82 for each subscale. Regression analysis showed that patients in the placebo group experienced a significantly reduced feeling of Control over erectile dysfunction than those in the statin group. Those in the placebo group had significantly lower Emotional response than those in the statin group at the close of trial, but there was no significant treatment effect on Intimacy. Conclusions: Our revised MED-QoL-R identified three subscales. Secondary analysis showed a significant improvement in sexual health related quality of life, specifically in relation to perception of control and emotional health in men with untreated erectile dysfunction given 40 mg simvastatin for six months. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN66772971.Peer reviewe

Associations between transcranial Doppler vasospasm and clinical outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: A retrospective observational study

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to examine the relationship between transcranial Doppler cerebral vasospasm (TCD-vasospasm), and clinical outcomes in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, using univariate and multivariate analysis, we examined the association between TCD-vasospasm (defined as Lindegaard ratio \u3e3) and patient\u27s ability to ambulate without assistance, the need for tracheostomy and gastrostomy tube placement, and the likelihood of being discharged home from the hospital. RESULTS: We studied 346 patients with aSAH; median age 55 years (Interquartile range IQR 46,64), median Hunt and Hess 3 [IQR 1-5]. Overall, 68.6% (n=238) had TCD-vasospasm, and 28% (n=97) had delayed cerebral ischemia. At hospital discharge, 54.3% (n=188) were able to walk without assistance, 5.8% (n=20) had received a tracheostomy, and 12% (n=42) had received a gastrostomy tube. Fifty-three percent (n=183) were discharged directly from the hospital to their home. TCD-vasospasm was not associated with ambulation without assistance at discharge (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 0.54, 95% 0.19,1.45), tracheostomy placement (aOR 2.04, 95% 0.23,18.43), gastrostomy tube placement (aOR 0.95, 95% CI 0.28,3.26), discharge to home (aOR 0.36, 95% CI 0.11,1.23). CONCLUSION: This single-center retrospective study finds that TCD-vasospasm is not associated with clinical outcomes such as ambulation without assistance, discharge to home from the hospital, tracheostomy, and gastrostomy feeding tube placement. Routine screening for cerebral vasospasm and its impact on vasospasm diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and their associations with improved clinical outcomes warrant an evaluation in large, prospective, case-controlled, multi-center studies

From mouse to human: cellular morphometric subtype learned from mouse mammary tumors provides prognostic value in human breast cancer

Mouse models of cancer provide a powerful tool for investigating all aspects of cancer biology. In this study, we used our recently developed machine learning approach to identify the cellular morphometric biomarkers (CMB) from digital images of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) micrographs of orthotopic Trp53-null mammary tumors (n = 154) and to discover the corresponding cellular morphometric subtypes (CMS). Of the two CMS identified, CMS-2 was significantly associated with shorter survival (p = 0.0084). We then evaluated the learned CMB and corresponding CMS model in MMTV-Erbb2 transgenic mouse mammary tumors (n = 53) in which CMS-2 was significantly correlated with the presence of metastasis (p = 0.004). We next evaluated the mouse CMB and CMS model on The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer (TCGA-BRCA) cohort (n = 1017). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed significantly shorter overall survival (OS) of CMS-2 patients compared to CMS-1 patients (p = 0.024) and added significant prognostic value in multi-variable analysis of clinical and molecular factors, namely, age, pathological stage, and PAM50 molecular subtype. Thus, application of CMS to digital images of routine workflow H&E preparations can provide unbiased biological stratification to inform patient care.This work was supported by the Department of Defense (DoD)BCRP: BC190820 (J-HM); and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH): R01CA184476 (HC). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is a multi-program national laboratory operated by the University of California for the DOE under contract DE AC02-05CH1123

Concert recording 2016-04-19a

[Track 01]. Canzon duodecimi toni / Giovanni Gabrieli -- [Track 02]. Divertissement. Andante - allegro ; [Track 03]. Allegro vivace ; [Track 04]. Andante / Emile Bernard -- [Track 05]. March for military music in F major, Yorck march WoO 18 / Ludwig van Beethoven -- [Track 06]. Sept danses. Le jeu de la poupée ; [Track 07]. Funérailles de la poupée ; [Track 08]. La présentation des petits amis ; [Track 09]. Variation de Paul ; [Track 10]. Pas de deux entre Sophie et Paul ; [Track 11]. La goûter ; [Track 12]. Danse des filets à papillons / Jean Françaix