Legacy pollutants are declining in Great Skuas (Stercorarius skua) but remain higher in Faroe Islands than in Scotland

To monitor environmental pollutants in Faroese biota, samples from a top predator were analysed and put into a spatial and temporal context. Analysis of 20 Great Skua eggs sampled in 2012 from the Faroe Islands showed >70 % lower concentrations of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) than in samples analysed in 1977. The 2012 Faroese eggs showed higher concentrations than for eggs in Shetland from about the same period (2008). Eggshells were analysed for sub-lethal effects but there were no detectable effects of legacy POP levels on eggshell colour or thickness. A temporal decline in legacy POPs would indicate a reduction in the general pollutant levels present in the environment as has been shown in other areas of the North Atlantic, but there are significant geographic differences in POPs levels likely due to differences in diet resulting in significantly different exposures on a relatively limited spatial scale

The Role Of Physical Design And Informal Communication And Learning In Reducing Stress And Gaining Competency Among New Nurse Graduates

Graduate nurses experience a tremendous amount of stress as they transition from a student to a practicing nurse. Much of this stress can be attributed to a feeling of not having learned enough to function independently. While various formal learning strategies, such as graduate nurse orientation programs, have been implemented to solve this problem, not much attention has been paid to the potential of informal opportunities for learning. This study examined how components of the nursing unit ecosystem, including culture, organizational factors, technology, and particularly the physical layout, influenced communication and opportunities for informal learning, stress, and the gaining of nursing competencies during the formal orienting period. Five different data collection methods were used, including systematic observation of communication and interaction patterns, a survey of organizational climate and opportunities for informal learning, self-recorded blood pressure, competency ratings, and focused interviews. The physical environment, particularly backstage areas and clear sightlines within the nursing station, fostered opportunities for informal communication and on-the-job learning; as well as relationships among nurses that contributed to effective collaboration. A combination of factors was found to influence the GN learning experience including past experiences, unit culture, personal learning style, unit layout, and interaction with staff. The gaining of competencies was not associated with a reduction in stress, suggesting that other factors, particularly staffing levels, had more of an impact on stress than nursing competencies per se. The extent to which other social, organizational, and personal factors interact with staffing levels to produce stress or mitigate its effects deserves further study

Biological Lignocellulose Solubilization: Comparative Evaluation of Biocatalysts and Enhancement Via Cotreatment

Feedstock recalcitrance is the most important barrier impeding cost-effective production of cellulosic biofuels. Pioneer commercial cellulosic ethanol facilities employ thermochemical pretreatment and addition of fungal cellulase, reflecting the main research emphasis in the field. However, it has been suggested that it may be possible to process cellulosic biomass without thermochemical pretreatment using thermophilic, cellulolytic bacteria. To further explore this idea, we examine the ability of various biocatalysts to solubilize autoclaved but otherwise unpretreated cellulosic biomass under controlled but not industrial conditions

Antimicrobial Activity of Securamines From the Bryozoan Securiflustra securifrons

Natural products and their derivatives have served as powerful therapeutics against pathogenic microorganisms and are the mainstay of our currently available treatment options to combat infections. As part of our ongoing search for antimicrobial natural products from marine organisms, one fraction prepared from the Arctic marine bryozoan Securiflustra securifrons was found to be active against the human pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus agalactiae (gr. B). Chemical investigation of the fraction revealed that it contained several variants of the highly modified secondary metabolites known as securamines. The securamines are alkaloids sharing a common isoprene-histamine-tryptamine backbone. In this study, we describe the antimicrobial activities of securamine C, E, and H – J (4, 5, and 1-3) and the attempt to deconvolute the mode of action of 1

Steady-state pharmacokinetics of lamotrigine when converting from a twice-daily immediate-release to a once-daily extended-release formulation in subjects with epilepsy (The COMPASS Study).

PURPOSE: To compare the pharmacokinetics (PK) of lamotrigine (LTG) when converting from twice-daily immediate-release (LTG-IR) to once-daily extended-release (LTG-XR) in subjects with epilepsy. METHODS: An open-label, conversion study was conducted, consisting of a 2-week LTG-IR Baseline Phase, followed by a 2-week LTG-XR Treatment Phase and a 1-week LTG-IR Phase. Forty-four subjects (> or =13 years of age) were enrolled and grouped as metabolically neutral (15), induced (15), or inhibited (14) based on the effects of the concomitant antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on the clearance of LTG. The primary outcome was LTG PK parameters upon conversion. Secondary outcomes included seizure frequency, adverse events, and subject's preference. RESULTS: LTG-XR and LTG-IR regimens were similar with respect to area under curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC (0-24)), apart from the induced group, where the AUC (0-24) of LTG-XR was on average 21% lower than for LTG-IR. A reduction in the LTG Cmax was observed for LTG-XR compared to LTG-IR resulting in a decrease in the peak-to-trough fluctuation in serum LTG concentrations. The steady-state, dose-normalized, trough concentrations for LTG-XR were similar to those of LTG-IR. The median time to peak concentration (Tmax) following administration of LTG-XR ranged from 4 to 6 h, 6 to 10 h, and 9 to 11 h in the induced, neutral, and inhibited groups, respectively. In comparison, the median Tmax following administration of LTG-IR was between 1 and 1.5 h. CONCLUSIONS: Trough concentrations of LTG can be maintained on conversion from twice-daily LTG-IR to once-daily LTG-XR at the same total daily dose

The Effect of the Supplementation of a Diet Low in Calcium and Phosphorus with Either Sheep Milk or Cow Milk on the Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Bone using A Rat Model

This study assessed the effect of cow milk (CM) and sheep milk (SM) consumption on the micro-structure, mechanical function, and mineral composition of rat femora in a male weanling rat model. Male weanling rats were fed a basal diet with a 50% reduction in calcium and phosphorus content (low Ca/P-diet) supplemented with either SM or CM. Rats were fed for 28 days, after which the femora were harvested and stored. The femora were analyzed by μ-CT, three-point bending, and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The addition of either milk to the low Ca/P-diet significantly increased (p < 0.05) trabecular bone volume, trabecular bone surface density, trabecular number, cortical bone volume, and maximum force, when compared to rats that consumed only the low Ca/P-diet. The consumption of either milk resulted in a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in trabecular pattern factor, and cortical bone surface to volume ratio when compared to rats that consumed only the low Ca/P-diet. The results were achieved with a lower consumption of SM compared to that of CM (p < 0.05). This work indicates that SM and CM can help overcome the effects on bone of a restriction in calcium and phosphorus intake

The Iowa Homemaker vol.10, no.3

Iowa State “Mans” the Kitchen by Helen Melton, page 1 At Home in Nippon by Sarah Field, page 2 And Rush That Order, Please! by Bessie Hammer, page 3 Luncheon – Mile High by Mildred Ghrist Day, page 3 Gotta Job? by Julia Bourne, page 4 “P’s” and “Q’s” in China Selection by Ida M. Shilling, page 5 4-H Club by Helen Melton, page 6 State Association by Marcia E. Turner, page 8 Child Health May Day by Anafred Stephenson, page 10 Editorial, page 11 Alumnae News by Dorothy B. Anderson, page 1

Late Quaternary intraplate deformation defined by the Las Chacras Fault Zone, West‐Central Argentina

Several major (up to MW 7.5) earthquakes over the past 320 years have shaken the thick-skinned Sierras Pampeanas region of Argentina, despite exhibiting much lower GPS-shortening rates than across the thin-skinned Precordillera region to its west. Whether geodetic shortening rates indicate an actual long-term shortening gradient, and whether shortening rates translate to higher uplift rates due to steeper faults in the Sierras Pampeanas, remain uncertain due to the limited spatio-temporal coverage and the inherently large error in the vertical component of deformation of GPS measurements. We measure geomorphic offsets and use 10Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating to determine slip rates on the Las Chacras Fault Zone (LCFZ)—an ∼30 km long, NNW-trending, steeply dipping (55–65°E) reverse fault that branches off of the longest, westernmost, thick-skinned Valle Fértil range-front fault in the western Sierras Pampeanas. Average shortening and uplift rates measured on the LCFZ are ∼0.2 and ∼0.3–0.4 mm/yr, respectively. Despite an uplift rate similar to most other faults in the region, the LCFZ shortening rate is lower than faults to its west; this is in agreement with the inferred west-east decrease in shortening rates from GPS data, indicating consistent regional deformation patterns since the Late Pleistocene. The decrease in shortening to the east coincides spatially with the termination of the flat portion of the subducted Nazca plate between 67 and 68°W. From scaling relationships among magnitude, slip rate, and fault length, the LCFZ is capable of generating earthquakes of MW 6.7–7.1.Fil: Rimando, Jeremy. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Schoenbohm, Lindsay. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Ortiz, Gustavo Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Geofísica y Astronomía; ArgentinaFil: Alvarado, Patricia Monica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Geofísica y Astronomía; ArgentinaFil: Venerdini, Agostina Lia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Geofísica y Astronomía; ArgentinaFil: Owen, Lewis. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Seagren, Erin. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Marques Figueiredo, Paula. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Hammer, Sarah. University of Cincinnati; Estados Unido