Effective Screened Potentials of Strongly Coupled Semiclassical Plasma

The pseudopotentials of particle interaction of astrongly coupled semiclassical plasma, taking into account bothquantum-mechanical effects of diffraction at short distances andalso screening field effects at large distances are obtained. Thelimiting cases of potentials are considered.Comment: 15 pages, TeX, 7 figure

Making connections and promoting the profession: social media use by World Federation of Occupational Therapy member organisations

BACKGROUND: World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) member organisations comprise 77 national occupational therapy organisations across the world. Each national organisation interacts with its members and the public using diverse methods. Increasingly, national organisations are broadening their communication methods. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine if and how occupational therapy organisations are using social media for communication, and if so, the types of concerns or barriers they experience and what role they anticipate social media might play in the near future. METHODS: An online survey was developed; 57 of 77 WFOT member organisations responded. FINDINGS: This study identified that WFOT national organisations are using social media, to varying degrees, with or without an individual formally assigned to manage social media. Respondents reported that they used social media to: communicate with members, promote the organisation and promote the profession. Commonly expressed needs included assistance with guide- lines for ethical social media use, developing technical expertise, and recognition of limits of time and competing priorities. Recommendations arising from this research are at the global, national, local and individual levels and incorporate active dissemination and pure diffusion approaches. Taking steps to increase the use of social media could indirectly impact occu- pational therapy practice through enhancing organisations’ abilities to support practitioners to enhance their practice. LIMITATIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Although 57% of WFOT member organisations returned usable responses, there may be some additional perspectives that were not captured. It would be helpful to contact non-responding organisations to explore their social media use and plans. Further research could examine how future initiatives put in place by WFOT impact social media use by member organisations.Published versio

North Atlantic marine biogenic silica accumulation through the early-to-mid Paleogene: implications for ocean circulation and silicate weathering feedback

The Paleogene history of biogenic opal accumulation in the North Atlantic provides insight into both the evolution of deep-water circulation in the Atlantic basin, and weathering responses to major climate shifts. However, existing records are compromised by low temporal resolution and/or stratigraphic discontinuities. In order to address this problem, we present a multi-site, high-resolution record of biogenic silica (bioSiO2) accumulation from Blake Nose (ODP Leg 171B, western North Atlantic) spanning the early Paleocene through late Eocene time interval (~65‒34 Ma). This record represents the longest single-locality history of marine bioSiO2 burial compiled to date and offers a unique perspective into changes in bioSiO2 fluxes through the early-to-mid Paleogene extreme greenhouse interval and subsequent period of long-term cooling. Blake Nose bioSiO2 fluxes display prominent fluctuations that we attribute to variations in sub-thermocline nutrient supply via cyclonic eddies associated with the Gulf Stream. Whereas few constraints are available on the bioSiO2 flux pulses peaking in the early Paleocene and early Eocene, a middle Eocene interval of elevated bioSiO2 flux between ~46 and 42 Ma is proposed to reflect nutrient enrichment due to invigorated overturning circulation following an early onset of Northern Component Water export from the Norwegian-Greenland Sea at ~49 Ma. Comparison of our North Atlantic record against published Pacific bioSiO2 flux records indicates a diminished nutrient supply to the Atlantic between ~42 and 38 Ma, interpreted as a response to weakening of the overturning circulation. Subsequently, a deep-water circulation regime favoring limited bioSiO2 burial in Atlantic and enhanced bioSiO2 burial in the Pacific was established after ~38 Ma, likely in association with a further invigoration of deep-water export from the North Atlantic. We also observe that Blake Nose bioSiO2 fluxes through the middle Eocene cooling interval (~48 to 34 Ma) are consistently higher than background fluxes throughout the late Paleocene‒early Eocene interval of intense greenhouse warmth. This observation is consistent with a temporally variable rather than constant silicate weathering feedback strength model for the Paleogene, which would instead predict that marine bioSiO2 burial should peak during periods of extreme warming

Heritability estimation of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) harvest traits using microsatellite based parentage assignment

Silver carp accounts for the largest biomass production of any finfish aquaculture species in the world. In spite of its great importance as an aquacultural species, very little is known about the genetic parameters of its commercially important traits. As an initial step towards developing a selective breeding programme, heritability of harvest weight and length was estimated for a silver carp stock maintained in the NFRDMP (North West Fisheries Resource Development and Management Project) hatchery in Bangladesh. Three sets of partial factorial matings were performed (12 sires and 12 dams in each set) to produce full and half-sib families for this study. Offspring from all families produced in a set were reared communally for six months and then weighed and measured upon harvesting. Ten silver carp microsatellite markers were included in two multiplex PCR systems and were used to assign parentage to the individuals. Out of 331 offspring, 96.3% could be assigned to a single family. Statistical analyses to partition the variance components for weight and length data were carried out by the REML (Restricted Maximum Likelihood) method. Heritability for harvest weight was estimated to be 0.67 (confidence interval: 0.42-0.93) and for harvest length 0.51 (confidence interval: 0.29-0.78). Despite the limited sample size, the moderate to high heritability estimates suggest that this population should respond rapidly to selective breeding for increased harvest size. In addition to this first report of quantitative genetic parameters in silver carp, this paper also describes two novel multiplexes of silver carp microsatellite markers for parentage assignment and discusses the effects of the partial factorial mating design in maintaining effective population size in this species

Complications of Common Gynecologic Surgeries among HIV-Infected Women in the United States

Objective. To compare frequencies of complications among HIV-infected and-uninfected women undergoing common gynecological surgical procedures in inpatient settings. Methods. We used 1994–2007 data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, a nationally representative sample of inpatient hospitalizations. Our analysis included discharge records of women aged ≥15 undergoing hysterectomy, oophorectomy, salpingectomy for ectopic pregnancy, bilateral tubal sterilization, or dilation and curettage. Associations between HIV infection status and surgical complications were evaluated in multivariable logistic regression models, adjusting for key covariates. Results. For each surgery, HIV infection was associated with experiencing ≥1 complication. Adjusted ORs ranged from 2.0 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.7, 2.2) for hysterectomy with oophorectomy to 3.1 (95% CI: 2.4, 4.0) for bilateral tubal sterilization with no comorbidity present. HIV infection was positively associated with extended length of stay and infectious complications of all of the surgeries examined. For some surgeries, it was positively associated with transfusion and anemia due to acute blood loss. Among HIV-infected women, the odds of infectious and other complications did not decrease between 1994–2000 and 2001–2007. Conclusion. HIV infection was associated with elevated frequencies of complications of gynecologic surgeries in the US, even in the era of HAART

Late Maastrichtian carbon isotope stratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy of the Newfoundland Margin (Site U1403, IODP Expedition 342)

Earth’s climate during the Maastrichtian (latest Cretaceous) was punctuated by brief warming and cooling episodes, accompanied by perturbations of the global carbon cycle. Superimposed on a long-term cooling trend, the middle Maastrichtian is characterized by deep-sea warming and relatively high values of stable carbon-isotope ratios, followed by strong climatic variability towards the end of the Cretaceous. A lack of knowledge on the timing of climatic change inhibits our understanding of underlying causal mechanisms. We present an integrated stratigraphy from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1403, providing an expanded deep ocean record from the North Atlantic (Expedition 342, Newfoundland Margin). Distinct sedimentary cyclicity suggests that orbital forcing played a major role in depositional processes, which is confirmed by statistical analyses of high resolution elemental data obtained by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning. Astronomical calibration reveals that the investigated interval encompasses seven 405-kyr cycles (Ma4051 to Ma4057) and spans the 2.8 Myr directly preceding the Cretaceous/Paleocene (K/Pg) boundary. A high-resolution carbon-isotope record from bulk carbonates allows us to identify global trends in the late Maastrichtian carbon cycle. Low-amplitude variations (up to 0.4‰) in carbon isotopes at Site U1403 match similar scale variability in records from Tethyan and Pacific open-ocean sites. Comparison between Site U1403 and the hemipelagic restricted basin of the Zumaia section (northern Spain), with its own well-established independent cyclostratigraphic framework, is more complex. Whereas the pre-K/Pg oscillations and the negative values of the Mid-Maastrichtian Event (MME) can be readily discerned in both the Zumaia and U1403 records, patterns diverge during a ~ 1 Myr period in the late Maastrichtian (67.8–66.8 Ma), with Site U1403 more reliably reflecting global carbon cycling. Our new carbon isotope record and cyclostratigraphy offer promise for Site U1403 to serve as a future reference section for high-resolution studies of late Maastrichtian paleoclimatic change

Bioavailability of Echinacea Constituents: Caco-2 Monolayers and Pharmacokinetics and the Alkylamides and Caffeic Acid Conjugates

Many studies have been done over the years to assess the effectiveness of Echinacea as an immunomodulator. We have assessed the potential bioavailability of alkylamides and caffeic acid conjugates using Caco-2 monolayers and compared it to their actualbioavailability in a Phase I clinical trial. The caffeic acid conjugates permeated poorly through the Caco-2 monolayers. Alkylamides were found to diffuse rapidly through Caco-2 monolayers. Differences in diffusion rates for each alkylamide correlated to structural variations, with saturation and N-terminal methylation contributing to decreases in diffusion rates. Alkylamide diffusion is not affected by the presence of other constituents and the results for a synthetic alkylamide were in line with those for alkylamides found in an ethanolic Echinacea preparation. We examined plasma from healthy volunteers for 12 hours after ingestion of Echinacea tablets manufactured from an ethanolic liquid extract. Caffeic acid conjugates could not be identified in any plasma sample at any time after tablet ingestion. Alkylamides were detected in plasma 20 minutes after tablet ingestion and for each alkylamide, pharmacokinetic profiles were devised. The data are consistent with the dosing regimen of one tablet three times daily and supports their usage as the primary markers for quality Echinacea preparations

Modulation of macrophage immune responses by Echinacea

Echinacea preparations are widely used herbal medicines for the prevention of colds and minor infections. There is little evidence for the individual components in Echinacea that contribute to immune regulatory activity. Activity of an ethanolic Echinacea extract and several constituents, including cichoric acid, have been examined using three ‘in vitro’ measures of macrophage immune function – NF -KB, TNF-α and nitric oxide (NO). In cultured macrophages, all components except the monoene alkylamide (AA1) decreased lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated NF-KB levels. 0.2 fraction (EPL AA) were found to significantly decrease TNF-α production under LPS stimulated conditions in macrophages. In macrophages, only the alkylamide mixture isolated from the ethanolic Echinacea extract liquid extract did not respond in the same manner in the assays as the individual alkylamides investigated. While cichoric acid has been shown to affect NF -KB, TNF-α and NO levels, it is unlikely to be relevant in the Echinacea alterations of the immune response ‘in vivo’ due to its non-bioavailability – i.e. no demonstrated absorption across the intestinal barrier and no detectable levels in plasma. These results demonstrate that Echinacea is an effective modulator of macrophage immune responses ‘in vitro’

FISH and DAPI staining of the synaptonemal complex of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) allow orientation of the unpaired region of bivalent 1 observed during early pachytene

Bivalent 1 of the synaptonemal complex (SC) in XY male Oreochromis niloticus shows an unpaired terminal region in early pachytene. This appears to be related to recombination suppression around a sex determination locus. To allow more detailed analysis of this, and unpaired regions in the karyotype of other Oreochromis species, we developed techniques for FISH on SC preparations, combined with DAPI staining. DAPI staining identified presumptive centromeres in SC bivalents, which appeared to correspond to the positions observed in the mitotic karyotype (the kinetochores could only be identified sporadically in silver stained EM SC images). Furthermore, two BAC clones containing Dmo (dmrt4) and OniY227 markers that hybridize to known positions in chromosome pair 1 in mitotic spreads (near the centromere, FLpter 0.25, and the putative sex determination locus, FLpter 0.57, respectively) were used as FISH probes on SCs to verify that the presumptive centromere identified by DAPI staining was located in the expected position. Visualization of both the centromere and FISH signals on bivalent 1 allowed the unpaired region to be positioned at Flpter 0.80 to 1.00, demonstrating that the unpaired region is located in the distal part of the long arm(s). Finally, differences between mitotic and meiotic measurements are discussed

Necessidades de irrigação suplementar em soja nas condições edafoclimáticas do Planalto Médio e Missões, RS.

Este trabalho foi conduzido com a finalidade de estimar as necessidades estocásticas de irrigação suplementar por aspersão na cultura da soja (Glycine max L. Merrill), nas regiões agroecológicas do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, denominadas de Planalto Médio e Missões. As necessidades foram simuladas em relação à combinação entre locais, épocas de semeadura, níveis de manejo da irrigação e entre níveis de ocorrência . As necessidades de irrigação suplementar foram máximas na semeadura de 15 de outubro, e os menores valores foram encontrados na semeadura de 15 de dezembro; as necessidades de irrigação suplementar foram maiores nas condições agroecológicas das Missões quando comparadas com as do Planalto Médio; as lâminas de irrigação suplementar estimadas aumentaram à medida que o nível de risco diminuiu