Thresholds of barrier island change: A case study of Parramore Island, Virginia Eastern Shore

The barrier islands and backbarrier marshes and bays of Virginia’s Eastern Shore are one of the largest undeveloped barrier-island systems in the US, and are currently threatened by sea-level rise, storms, and changing sediment supply. This research presents insights into the evolutionary and developmental history of Parramore Island, one of the largest – and commonly assumed to be most stable – of these islands. Stratigraphic (vibracores, auger cores), geospatial (historical maps, aerial imagery, t- sheets, LiDAR), and chronological (optically stimulated luminescence [OSL], radiocarbon) data reveal that Parramore has alternated between periods of landward migration and seaward progradation several times during the past 1000 years. Radiocarbon dates, stratigraphic data, and historical maps illustrate that Parramore Island was three discrete islands experiencing overwash-driven retrogradation as recently as 977 ± 144 BP. Dates provided by OSL analyses indicate the progradational ridges overlying and seaward of these washovers are only 140 – 560 years old. This confirms that the progradational beach and dune ridge system forming the core of Parramore Island is much younger than those on similar barriers elsewhere along the Mid-Atlantic coast. Over the last ca. 200 years, individual proto-barrier islands prograded, forcing inlet closure and development of a shallow beach ridge and swale system landward of central and southern Parramore. Remnants of higher ridges are subaerially exposed and vegetated in the form of Little Beach, Revels Island, smaller ridges along the western edge of Parramore, and dissected ridges in the form of so-called “Pimpled Mounds” west of the modern foredune. Lower ridges and swales have been inundated by rising sea level and are covered by thin (m), young (commonlyold) marsh that has migrated upland into the interior of the barrier island. These data indicate that Parramore has only existed in its present form for ca. 200 years. Moreover, a recent shift to rapid erosion – and consequent perceived “rotation” of the island – along much of its length (at an island-average rate ~12 m/yr since 1980), suggest that the apparent robustness and stability of Parramore are ephemeral features of a rapidly changing barrier island. The modern island may be undergoing a transition from erosion to a period of landward parallel-retreat, potentially due to a decrease in sediment supply reaching the island from sand trapping at the more northern Fishing Point. If so, Parramore may become the most southerly barrier in the Virginia Eastern Shore’s characteristic “Arc of Erosion”

Electron-Impact Spectroscopy

A spectrometer has been devised for determining electronic energy levels of molecules by inelastic scattering of low-energy electrons. It permits the detection of optically forbidden electronic transitions as clearly as optically allowed ones in a routine manner. The spectrometer has been used to obtain excitation spectra for helium, argon, hydrogen and ethylene. For the first three of these substances, the spectra agree with previous experiments. For ethylene, in addition to optically allowed transitions, two forbidden ones occur at about 4-6 and 6-5eV. Variation of peak heights with incident electron beam energy suggest that the first corresponds to a triplet state but that the second does not

“We have to improve our culture about this”: Family planning decision-making among women and men living in Florence, Italy

The male condom is the most widely used family planning method in Italy and Southern Europe. Most family planning research is focused on women and, therefore, could be missing significant gender differences in behavior, as male partners play a critical role in decision-making and pregnancy prevention. This study aimed to explore attitudes toward contraceptive methods, including decision-making and desired improvements related to family planning in Italy. Semi- structured interviews with 42 men and women aged 18–50 years (29.1±7.9) living in or near Florence, Italy, were conducted between May and June 2019. Techniques from thematic analysis allowed for a constant comparative approach to contextualize data and identify emergent themes. HyperRESEARCH assisted in data management and analysis. Data resulted in three emerging themes: (1) Family planning decision-making dynamics; (2) Outside sources that influence family planning decision-making; and (3) Desired improvements to family planning. Participants engaged in most forms of family planning methods; however, participants also had knowledge gaps and misinformation about hormonal contraceptive methods\u27 efficacy and long-term health effects. Participants clarified that family, general doctors, and other important persons (i.e., intimate partners) were the primary source of information about family planning methods. Findings offer practical recommendations to guide social marketing and behavior change interventions to increase family planning access among women and men in Italy. Improved messaging strategies could address concerns and knowledge gaps, improving family planning decision-making among couples

Probiotic administration in congenital heart disease: a pilot study.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of probiotic Bifidobacterium longum ssp. infantis on the fecal microbiota and plasma cytokines in neonates with congenital heart disease.Study designSixteen infants with congenital heart disease were randomly assigned to receive either B. infantis (4.2 × 10(9) colony-forming units two times daily) or placebo for 8 weeks. Stool specimens from enrolled infants and from six term infants without heart disease were analyzed for microbial composition. Plasma cytokines were analyzed weekly in the infants with heart disease.ResultsHealthy control infants had increased total bacteria, total Bacteroidetes and total bifidobacteria compared to the infants with heart disease, but there were no significant differences between the placebo and probiotic groups. Plasma interleukin (IL)10, interferon (IFN)γ and IL1β levels were transiently higher in the probiotic group.ConclusionCongenital heart disease in infants is associated with dysbiosis. Probiotic B. infantis did not significantly alter the fecal microbiota. Alterations in plasma cytokines were found to be inconsistent

Bacillus spp. Probiotic Strains as a Potential Tool for Limiting the Use of Antibiotics, and Improving the Growth and Health of Pigs and Chickens

The pressure to increasingly optimize the breeding of livestock monogastric animals resulted in antimicrobials often being misused in an attempt to improve growth performance and counteract diseases in these animals, leading to an increase in the problem of antibiotic resistance. To tackle this problem, the use of probiotics, also known as direct in-feed microbials (DFM), seems to be one of the most promising strategies. Among probiotics, the interest in Bacillus strains has been intensively increased in recent decades in pigs and poultry. The aim of the present review was to evaluate the effectiveness of Bacillus strains as probiotics and as a potential strategy for reducing the misuse of antibiotics in monogastric animals. Thus, the potential modes of action, and the effects on the performance and health of pigs (weaning pigs, lactation and gestation sows) and broilers are discussed. These searches yielded 131 articles (published before January 2021). The present review showed that Bacillus strains could favor growth in terms of the average daily gain (ADG) of post-weaning piglets and broilers, and reduce the incidence of post-weaning diarrhea in pigs by 30% and mortality in broilers by 6–8%. The benefits of Bacillus strains on these parameters showed results comparable to the benefit obtained by the use of antibiotics. Furthermore, the use of Bacillus strains gives promising results in enhancing the local adaptative immune response and in reducing the oxidative stress of broilers. Fewer data were available regarding the effect on sows. Discordant effects have been reported regarding the effect on body weight (BW) and feed intake while a number of studies have supported the hypothesis that feeding probiotics to sows could benefit their reproductive performance, namely the BW and ADG of the litters. Taken all the above-mentioned facts together, this review confirmed the effectiveness of Bacillus strains as probiotics in young pigs and broilers, favoring their health and contributing to a reduction in the misuse of direct in-feed antibiotics. The continuous development and research regarding probiotics will support a decrease in the misuse of antibiotics in livestock production in order to endorse a more sustainable rearing system in the near future

Gaseous Electronics

Contains reports on two research projects.Joint Services Electronics Programs (U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, and U. S. Air Force) under Contract DA 28-043-AMC-02536(E

Effects of telmisartan and ramipril on adiponectin and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes

<b>Background:</b> Adiponectin is secreted by adipose tissue and may play a role in cardiovascular disease. We examined adiponectin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Telmisartan vs. Ramipril in Renal Endothelial Dysfunction (TRENDY) study. <b>Methods</b> A total of 87 patients were assessed at baseline and following 9 weeks treatment with the angiotensin-receptor blocker telmisartan (final dose, 80 mg; n = 45) or the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril (final dose, 10 mg; n = 42). Adiponectin levels were measured in plasma by radioimmunoassay. <b>Results:</b> Adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with systolic (SBP; r = -0.240, P < 0.05) and diastolic (DBP; r = -0.227, P < 0.05) blood pressure at baseline and following treatment with telmisartan or ramipril (SBP: r = -0.228, P < 0.05; DBP: r = -0.286, P < 0.05). Changes in adiponectin levels were related to changes in SBP (r = -0.357, P < 0.01) and DBP (r = -0.286, P < 0.01). There was a significant increase in adiponectin levels in the telmisartan (0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27 to 1.10) <sup>µ</sup>g/ml, P < 0.01) but not in the ramipril group (0.17 (95% CI, -0.56 to 0.90) <sup>µ</sup>g/ml, P = 0.67). Blood pressure reduction in the telmisartan group (DeltaSBP: -13.5 (95% CI, -17.0 to -10.0) mm Hg; ΔDBP: -7.6 (95% CI, -9.8 to -5.3) mm Hg, each P < 0.001) was significantly (P less than or equal to 0.01 for SBP and P < 0.01 for DBP) greater than in the ramipril group (ΔSBP: -6.1 (95% CI, -6.2 to -2.0) mm Hg; ΔDBP: -2.7 (95% CI, -5.0 to -0.5) mm Hg; P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). <b>Conclusion:</b> Adiponectin is correlated with blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes. Whether increased adiponectin contributes to the blood pressure–lowering effect of telmisartan needs further study