Seven Basic Elements for a Successful Native Warm Season Grass Establishment for Forage Production

First, let’s make it clear from the start, there is NO justification for plowing up all of your cool season forages and replacing them with warm season forages. We strongly believe, and can support our belief with practical evidence, that warm season native grasses, produced in DESIGNED AMOUNTS to complement cool season forages, will make money for the beef and dairy producer

A computerised test of perceptual ability for learning endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery and other image guided procedures: Score norms for PicSOr

Background: The aptitude to infer the shape of 3-D structures, such as internal organs from 2-D monitor displays, in image guided endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures varies. We sought both to validate a computer-generated task Pictorial Surface Orientation (PicSOr), which assesses this aptitude, and to identify norm referenced scores. Methods: 400 subjects (339 surgeons and 61 controls) completed the PicSOr test. 50 subjects completed it again one year afterwards. Results: Complete data was available on 396 of 400 subjects (99%). PicSOr demonstrated high test and re-test reliability (r = 0.807, p < 0.000). Surgeons performed better than controls' (surgeons = 0.874 V controls = 0.747, p < 0.000). Some surgeons (n = 22–5.5%) performed atypically on the test. Conclusions: PicSOr has population distribution scores that are negatively skewed. PicSOr quantitatively characterises an aptitude strongly correlated to the learning and performance of image guided medical tasks. Most can do the PicSOr task almost perfectly, but a substantial minority do so atypically, and this is probably relevant to learning and performing endoscopic tasks

The use of gamma-irradiation and ultraviolet-irradiation in the preparation of human melanoma cells for use in autologous whole-cell vaccines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human cancer vaccines incorporating autologous tumor cells carry a risk of implantation and subsequent metastasis of viable tumor cells into the patient who is being treated. Despite the fact that the melanoma cell preparations used in a recent vaccine trial (Mel37) were gamma-irradiated (200 Gy), approximately 25% of the preparations failed quality control release criteria which required that the irradiated cells incorporate ³H-thymidine at no more than 5% the level seen in the non-irradiated cells. We have, therefore, investigated ultraviolet (UV)-irradiation as a possible adjunct to, or replacement for gamma-irradiation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Melanoma cells were gamma- and/or UV-irradiated. ³H-thymidine uptake was used to assess proliferation of the treated and untreated cells. Caspase-3 activity and DNA fragmentation were measured as indicators of apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis was used to assess antigen expression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>UV-irradiation, either alone or in combination with gamma-irradiation, proved to be extremely effective in controlling the proliferation of melanoma cells. In contrast to gamma-irradiation, UV-irradiation was also capable of inducing significant levels of apoptosis. UV-irradiation, but not gamma-irradiation, was associated with the loss of tyrosinase expression. Neither form of radiation affected the expression of gp100, MART-1/MelanA, or S100.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that UV-irradiation may increase the safety of autologous melanoma vaccines, although it may do so at the expense of altering the antigenic profile of the irradiated tumor cells.</p

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Wildflowers of Mammoth Cave National Park

Not only for use in the Mammoth Cave area, this guide is widely useful in a large area, including much of the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. An in-depth field guide to 400 wildflowers found along the trails and roads within the park. Each wildflower is represented by a brilliant full-color photograph and accompanied by identifying characteristic text that specifies the colors, floral and leaf forms, flowering time, native or introduced status, as well as the plant’s folklore and history, its past herbal or medicinal use, and myriad other facts and myths. For those enthusiasts eager to search for new discoveries, the appendix provide tables showing the observed flowering period, a flower hunting planning guide, and an index of flowers by trail. A lasting and memorable introduction to the park’s wildflowers--nearly all of which extend throughout Kentucky and neighboring states--Wildflowers of Mammoth Cave National Park is an indispensable tool for the amateur enthusiast and the professional botanist alike. An avid naturalist, Randy Seymour is the proprietor of Riders Mill Farms, a working farm and wildlife sanctuary in Hart County near Mammoth Cave National Park. Seymour promises to help readers identify more than 400 species of flowers, shown in full-color photos along with detailed descriptions. —Knoxville News Sentinel The book is so informative and beautiful, it teeters dangerously upon gratifying the reader without having to visit the place. —Southern Seenhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_plant_sciences/1006/thumbnail.jp

A risk assessment / risk management perspective on mercury contaminated sediments in mining affected Pinchi Lake, BC

The Pinchi Mine, located on the merciferous Pinchi Fault region of BC, produced metallic mercury from 1940 to 1944 (historical operation) and from 1968 to 1975 (modern operation). Between 2010 and 2012, the mine underwent decommissioning and reclamation to ensure that the terrestrial areas affected by the mine do not pose unacceptable risks to ecological resources. The historical operations included placement of roasted ores (calcines) in Pinchi Lake adjacent to the site, resulting in highly elevated mercury concentrations in nearshore sediments (subsurface calcines). This source, as well as aerial deposition of elemental Hg during the roasting process during both operations, broadly elevated sediment mercury concentrations throughout the lake. In 1997, inorganic and methylmercury concentrations were measured in pore water and sediment at different depths in sediment cores and showed that subsurface calcine sediment was a significant contributor of inorganic mercury to the lake, notwithstanding slow burial by cleaner sediments. In 2001, a sediment quality triad (chemistry, toxicity, benthos) study showed no correlation between sediment inorganic mercury concentration, toxicity or benthic community structure. However, benthic organisms living in subsurface calcine sediment were elevated in total and methylmercury concentrations relative to benthos elsewhere in the lake. This paper reviews and integrates historical sediment investigations using a risk assessment and risk management framework to guide further investigations and support long-term decision-making regarding Pinchi Lake sediment.Non UBCUnreviewedOthe

Temporal changes of fish mercury concentrations in mining-affected Pinchi Lake, BC

The Pinchi Mine produced metallic mercury from 1940 to 1944 (historical) and from 1968 to 1975 (modern operation). From 2010 – 2012, the mine underwent decommissioning and reclamation to ensure that terrestrial areas affected by the mine do not pose unacceptable risks to ecological resources. Historical operations included placement of roasted ores (calcines) in the lake opposite the old mill. This resulted in highly elevated mercury concentrations in nearshore sediments. This source, as well as broad aerial deposition of elemental mercury during the roasting process in both operations, increased the mercury load to sediments throughout the lake. Prior to 2000, there were limited data on mercury in fish from Pinchi Lake. Detailed fish mercury studies were conducted in 2000, 2006 and 2011, focusing on mercury-size relationships of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), whitefish (Coregonus sp.) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). While fish mercury concentrations have declined by nearly an order of magnitude from their peak in 1974, the rate of decrease in mercury concentrations has slowed since 2000. The focus of temporal comparisons is based on length-standardized fish size, because of the positive correlation between mercury concentration and size. Overall, mercury concentration in fish have declined from their peaks in the late 1970s (>5 ppm), but remain elevated in Pinchi relative to nearby Stuart and Tezzeron lakes in lake trout (0.53 ppm), whitefish (0.25 ppm) and rainbow trout (0.18 ppm). Given the longevity and size of lake trout and slow burial rate of historically contaminated sediments, the timeframe for recovery of the lake to ‘regional’ fish mercury concentrations is unknown. Risk assessments have evaluated potential implications of fish consumption on local wildlife species (eagle, grebe, otter), as well as on human health. Continued monitoring of fish mercury concentrations is part of the risk management plan for the site.Non UBCUnreviewedOthe

Strategy for wildlife ecological risk assessment at Teck Cominco’s Kimberley operations, BC

The overall objective of this predictive wildlife ecological risk assessment (ERA) is to assess contaminant-related risks after implementation of Teck Cominco's closure plan for its Kimberley Operations. The first stage of the wildlife ERA, problem formulation (PF), was conducted to identify the most likely sources of potential risks for the site to help focus subsequent ERA investigations. This paper summarizes key findings of the PF and presents an overview of the main components of the wildlife ERA. A separate paper (Mann et al., 2004) addresses potential risks to the aquatic environment.Non UBCUnreviewedOthe