Tests for causes of rarity in goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.)

Hydrastis canadensis L. (goldenseal) is becoming more uncommon within the eastern deciduous forest. I performed a series of studies that tested hypotheses about population decline and causes of rarity. First, I assessed the time-trend of a natural H. canadensis population in an Indiana nature preserve which had been censused 26 years prior. We found a negative population trajectory between the two time periods. The second goal of this dissertation was to determine the breeding system of H. canadensis. The breeding system type appears unlikely to be a major factor limiting the distribution or abundance of H. canadensis. My third objective was to assess the response of H. canadensis populations to harvest. I found variation in patch regrowth which suggests timing of harvest may be important. My studies in chapter 5 focused on abiotic microsite factors. I experimentally assessed the role of temperature, humidity, and light gradients in the distribution of H. canadensis. The relatively weak association between environmental variation and plant performance across the forested cove reinforces other studies suggesting that H. canadensis has a relatively broad ecological niche, and its rarity is unlikely due to availability of suitable abiotic habitat conditions. My fifth goal was to understand ecologically relevant aspects of H. canadensis genetics. I determined if H. canadensis contained ecologically important genetic variation (i.e. ecotypic differentiation) at the population level. I conducted a classical reciprocal transplant experiment with four natural populations to test the hypothesis that ramets planted in their home site would have greater survival and performance than alien H. canadensis ramets planted into the same site. This research is the basis of Chapter 6. My final goal was to determine whether H. canadensis range is limited due to high habitat specificity and limited availability of suitable habitat. This study found no evidence of a lack of suitable habitat for H. canadensis. Overall, these studies serve to rule out several possible causes of rarity of H. canadensis, although this research does suggest some role of understory light availability in species decline. This idea, along with other hypotheses, is discussed further in the general conclusions

Behavioral effects of irreversible dopamine receptor inactivation in the preweanling rat: assessment of the receptor reserve hypothesis

EEDQ is an irreversible receptor antagonist that eliminates the dopamine (DA) mediated behaviors of adults rats. In contrast, EEDQ does not seem to affect the DA mediated behaviors of preweanling rat pups. One explanation for this age dependent difference is that rat pups may have a DA receptor reserve, not available to adults, which is sufficient to mediate behavior. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether a Di and D2 receptor reserve exists in preweanling rats. A total of 96, 17-dayold rat pups were injected with EEDQ (7.5 mg/kg) or its vehicle immediately after being trained to approach an anesthetized dam on a straight alley for nipple attachment reward. After 18 hours rat pups were then injected with saline, the D1 agonist SCH 23390 (0.5 mg1kg), or the D2 agonist sulpiride (50 mg/kg). A final testing session occurred 30 min later. This session consisted of an additional 28 trials on the straight alley, in which responding resulted in either reinforcement or extinction. Results of this experiment indicated that EEDQ and SCH 23390 combined to maximally disrupt the extinction responding of the rat pups. Unexpectedly, EEDQ did not potentiate sulpiride\u27s effects. In general, these results indicate that preweanling rat pups do not have a DI or D2 receptor reserve, but age-dependent differences in DA receptor functioning were apparent

Evaluation of the Simple Wetting Method to Reduce Total Cyanogens in Flaxseed

A simple wetting method used to significantly reduce the % total cyanide remaining (TCR) in cassava was evaluated for its applicability to flaxseed. An optimal simple wetting method (SWM) in terms of time, temperature, and exposed surface area (SA) depth was developed for reducing the % TCR in ground flaxseed. The optimal parameters were a treatment time of 12 h, an ambient temperature of approximately 22°C, and an increased exposed SA achieved through spreading the wetted flaxseed mixture out to a thin depth of 0.5 cm. General mixed model analysis confirmed that the variables time and SA were significant factors in minimizing the %TCR in the optimal model. Pairwise comparison showed that the 0.5 cm depth had the greatest effect. The desirable lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) was significantly retained, as determined by HPLC quantification of pre- and post-processing levels

A Workflow Approach To Information Systems Development

How businesses evolve and the technology available to them has changed in response to changing competitive environments. Organizations compete in global markets and must maintain international communication and operations. In the 1990\u27s, continued globalization and increasingly competitive markets will call for rapid responses and innovative thinking. In this turbulent environment, information technology will leverage time and human resources. (The Landmark MIT Study: Management in the 1990\u27s). While technology is available to link organizations around the world, the traditional development models and techniques for such systems are outmoded. Current systems analysis and design techniques needto be improved. According to a survey of senior information systems executives, improving the systems-development process is ranked sixth in the top issues facing North America and Europe. Improving information-services personnel is ranked ninth in North America and eighth in Europe (Sager, 1994). The purpose of this paper is to present a workflow approach of information systems development (WFSAD: Workflow Systems Analysis and Design) that incorporates an emphasis on analyzing business processes to improve processing time and focuses on developing integrated systems throughout and beyond organizational boundaries. A framework for analyzing the impact of the WFSAD approach on the management of information systems personnel is also presented

2009 Alaska Health Workforce Vacancy Study

Alaska continues to experience health professional shortages. The state has long had a deficient “supply side” characterized by insufficient numbers of key health workers whose recruitment, retention, and training have been impeded by Alaska’s remoteness, harsh climate, rural isolation, low population density, and scarce training resources. Alaska is the only state without a pharmacy school and lacks its own dental and physical therapy schools as well. Health professional shortages can be decreased through the start of new training programs, the expansion of existing programs, and the improvement of the effectiveness of recruitment and retention efforts. However, strategic planning and the execution of such programs require valid and accurate data. To this end, stakeholders such as the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (AMHTA) and Alaskan's For Access to Health Care (ACCESS), along with schools and departments within the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), funded the Alaska Center for Rural Health-Alaska’s AHEC (ACRH) and the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) to conduct a comprehensive health workforce study during winter and spring of 2009. This report highlights employers’ needs for employees to fill budgeted positions. This is different from a needs assessment that would take into account population demographics and disease incidence and prevalence. This health workforce study is an assessment of health manpower shortage based on budgeted staff positions and their vacancies in organizations throughout the state. Respondents included part-time positions, which resulted in our counting full-time equivalent (FTE) rather than individuals (“bodies”). In situations where a position was divided among more than one occupation (e.g., Dental Assistant and Billing Clerk), we asked the respondent to count the position under which they considered the position’s “primary occupation.” This was a point-in-time cross-sectional study. Recently filled vacancies or imminent vacancies were not counted. Positions filled by relief/temporary/locum/contract health workers were counted as vacancies only if these workers were temporarily filling a currently vacant, budgeted position. Due to budget and time constraints, we were not able to conduct a trend analysis that is a comparison of this study’s findings and the prior 2007 study. The key questions this study sought to answer were (1) How many budgeted positions, either full- or part-time, existed in organizations providing health services in Alaska? (2) How many of these budgeted positions were currently vacant? (3) What was the vacancy rate? (4) How many of the organizations that employ these occupations hired new graduates of training programs? (5) How many of the currently vacant budgeted positions (#2) could be filled by new graduates of training programs? (6) What were the mean and maximum length of time, expressed in months, that the vacancies have existed? (7) What were the principal, underlying causes of vacancies? The study was designed in consultation with an advisory group that included AMHTA, ACCESS, and UAA. The study targeted 93 health occupations. The unit of analysis was the employment site by organization type, which allowed for the allocation of positions and vacancies by geographic region. For each employer, we identified the staff person most knowledgeable about hiring and vacancies. In large organizations this meant that one employer might provide information about multiple sites and organization types; smaller employers were responsible for only a single site.Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. Alaskan's for Access to Health Care. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Tanana Valley campus Telemedicine program. University of Alaska Anchorage, Community and Technical College. University of Alaska Anchorage, School of Nursing.Acknowledgements / Executive Summary / Table of Contents / Problem and Rationale / Methodology / Limitations of Study / Findings / Appendix A. List of Health Occupations / Appendix B. Health Workforce Surveys / Appendix C. Cover Letter Accompanying Survey Forms / Appendix D. Confidence Intervals for Positions, Vacancies, Number of Vacancies Filled with New Graduates, and Length of Longest Vacancy in Months / Appendix E. Tables of Samples and Estimates of Positions, Vacancies, Vacancy Rates, Number of Vacancies Filled with New Graduates, Mean and Maximum Length of Longest Vacancy in Months / Appendix F. Tables of Occupations Sorted By Estimates of Positions, Vacancies, Vacancy Rates, Number of Vacancies Filled with New Graduates, Mean and Maximum Length of Longest Vacancy in Month

Concurrent panel session 1: Sustainability in community development and architecture in Las Vegas

Moderator: David Frommer, AIA, UNLV Planning & Construction Scribe: Michael Spurr, UNLV Department of History Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 5 page

Predictors of Nonseroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) are still at risk of severe COVID-19 disease after SARS‑CoV‑2 vaccination, especially when they have limited antibody formation. Our aim was to understand the factors that may limit their humoral response. METHODS. Our data are derived from KTRs who were enrolled in the Dutch Renal Patients COVID-19 Vaccination consortium, using a discovery cohort and 2 external validation cohorts. Included in the discovery (N = 1804) and first validation (N = 288) cohorts were participants who received 2 doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine. The second validation cohort consisted of KTRs who subsequently received a third dose of any SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (N = 1401). All participants had no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A multivariable logistic prediction model was built using stepwise backward regression analysis with nonseroconversion as the outcome. RESULTS. The discovery cohort comprised 836 (46.3%) KTRs, the first validation cohort 124 (43.1%) KTRs, and the second validation cohort 358 (25.6%) KTRs who did not seroconvert. In the final multivariable model‚ 12 factors remained predictive for nonseroconversion: use of mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid (MMF/MPA); chronic lung disease, heart failure, and diabetes; increased age; shorter time after transplantation; lower body mass index; lower kidney function; no alcohol consumption; ≥2 transplantations; and no use of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors or calcineurin inhibitors. The area under the curve was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.79) in the discovery cohort after adjustment for optimism, 0.81 (95% CI, 0.76-0.86) in the first validation cohort, and 0.67 (95% CI, 0.64-0.71) in the second validation cohort. The strongest predictor was the use of MMF/MPA, with a dose-dependent unfavorable effect, which remained after 3 vaccinations. CONCLUSIONS. In a large sample of KTRs, we identify a selection of KTRs at high risk of nonseroconversion after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Modulation of MMF/MPA treatment before vaccination may help to optimize vaccine response in these KTRs. This model contributes to future considerations on alternative vaccination strategies

Proteomics on malignant pleural effusions reveals ERα loss in metastatic breast cancer associates with SGK1–NDRG1 deregulation

Breast cancer (BCa) is a highly heterogeneous disease, with hormone receptor status being a key factor in patient prognostication and treatment decision-making. The majority of primary tumours are positive for oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα), which plays a key role in tumorigenesis and disease progression, and represents the major target for treatment of BCa. However, around one-third of patients with ERα-positive BCa relapse and progress into the metastatic stage, with 20% of metastatic cases characterised by loss of ERα expression after endocrine treatment, known as ERα-conversion. It remains unclear whether ERα-converted cancers are biologically similar to bona fide ERα-negative disease and which signalling cascades compensate for ERα loss and drive tumour progression. To better understand the biological changes that occur in metastatic BCa upon ERα loss, we performed (phospho)proteomics analysis of 47 malignant pleural effusions derived from 37 BCa patients, comparing ERα-positive, ERα-converted and ERα-negative cases. Our data revealed that the loss of ERα-dependency in this metastatic site leads to only a partial switch to an ERα-negative molecular phenotype, with preservation of a luminal-like proteomic landscape. Furthermore, we found evidence for decreased activity of several key kinases, including serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1), in ERα-converted metastases. Loss of SGK1 substrate phosphorylation may compensate for the loss of ERα-dependency in advanced disease and exposes a potential therapeutic vulnerability that may be exploited in treating these patients.</p

The genome sequence of the fish pathogen Aliivibrio salmonicida strain LFI1238 shows extensive evidence of gene decay.

BACKGROUND: The fish pathogen Aliivibrio salmonicida is the causative agent of cold-water vibriosis in marine aquaculture. The Gram-negative bacterium causes tissue degradation, hemolysis and sepsis in vivo. RESULTS: In total, 4 286 protein coding sequences were identified, and the 4.6 Mb genome of A. salmonicida has a six partite architecture with two chromosomes and four plasmids. Sequence analysis revealed a highly fragmented genome structure caused by the insertion of an extensive number of insertion sequence (IS) elements. The IS elements can be related to important evolutionary events such as gene acquisition, gene loss and chromosomal rearrangements. New A. salmonicida functional capabilities that may have been aquired through horizontal DNA transfer include genes involved in iron-acquisition, and protein secretion and play potential roles in pathogenicity. On the other hand, the degeneration of 370 genes and consequent loss of specific functions suggest that A. salmonicida has a reduced metabolic and physiological capacity in comparison to related Vibrionaceae species. CONCLUSION: Most prominent is the loss of several genes involved in the utilisation of the polysaccharide chitin. In particular, the disruption of three extracellular chitinases responsible for enzymatic breakdown of chitin makes A. salmonicida unable to grow on the polymer form of chitin. These, and other losses could restrict the variety of carrier organisms A. salmonicida can attach to, and associate with. Gene acquisition and gene loss may be related to the emergence of A. salmonicida as a fish pathogen