A Draft Regional Guidebook for Applying the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Wet Hardwood Flats on Mineral Soils in the Coastal Plain of Virginia

The hydrogeomorphic (HGM) approach applies functional indices to the assessment of functions by comparing functions across a suite of reference sites that range from severely altered to unaltered. This Draft Regional Guidebook is the result of applying the HGM approach to Hardwood Mineral Flats in the coastal plain of Virginia. In developing the Draft Regional Guidebook, various models from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, as well as, input from a workshop held in Wakefield, Virginia on May 13-14, 1998 were used to provide a template for model development. The workshop was attended by hydrologists, biogeochemists, soil scientists, wildlife biologists, and botanists from the public, private and academic sectors who have extensive knowledge of Hardwood Mineral Flats (Table 1 ). This Draft Regional Guidebook incorporates material from the Regional Guidebook for Applying the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Wet Pine Flats on Mineral Soils in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains by Richard Rheinhardt, Martha Rheinhardt, and Mark Brinson (1999). Excerpted material includes the overview of the HGM approach and the hydrology section (since the approach utilized for pine flats is also appropriate for hardwood flats). Additional input was gained from the Draft Functional Assessment for Deciduous Mineral Flat Wetlands, Version 5 - 1999 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service staff. Valuable suggestions from end-users of other HGM guidebooks regarding the pros and cons of various sampling methods were considered and incorporated into this draft guidebook where possible. An attempt was made to incorporate data that is routinely collected as part of wetlands delineations to reduce duplication of field data and expedite the assessment procedure. The field sampling time for this assessment will depend on the size of the site, and the skill level and number of personnel. The sampling assessment protocol can be conducted by one person (though sampling of microtopography will require the use of a measured stake that can be installed temporarily in the ground). Two people can collect field data on a three- plot site in three to four hours

Role of angiopoietin-like protein 3 in sugar-induced dyslipidemia in rhesus macaques: suppression by fish oil or RNAi.

Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) inhibits lipid clearance and is a promising target for managing cardiovascular disease. Here we investigated the effects of a high-sugar (high-fructose) diet on circulating ANGPTL3 concentrations in rhesus macaques. Plasma ANGPTL3 concentrations increased ∼30% to 40% after 1 and 3 months of a high-fructose diet (both P < 0.001 vs. baseline). During fructose-induced metabolic dysregulation, plasma ANGPTL3 concentrations were positively correlated with circulating indices of insulin resistance [assessed with fasting insulin and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)], hypertriglyceridemia, adiposity (assessed as leptin), and systemic inflammation [C-reactive peptide (CRP)] and negatively correlated with plasma levels of the insulin-sensitizing hormone adropin. Multiple regression analyses identified a strong association between circulating APOC3 and ANGPTL3 concentrations. Higher baseline plasma levels of both ANGPTL3 and APOC3 were associated with an increased risk for fructose-induced insulin resistance. Fish oil previously shown to prevent insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia in this model prevented increases of ANGPTL3 without affecting systemic inflammation (increased plasma CRP and interleukin-6 concentrations). ANGPTL3 RNAi lowered plasma concentrations of ANGPTL3, triglycerides (TGs), VLDL-C, APOC3, and APOE. These decreases were consistent with a reduced risk of atherosclerosis. In summary, dietary sugar-induced increases of circulating ANGPTL3 concentrations after metabolic dysregulation correlated positively with leptin levels, HOMA-IR, and dyslipidemia. Targeting ANGPTL3 expression with RNAi inhibited dyslipidemia by lowering plasma TGs, VLDL-C, APOC3, and APOE levels in rhesus macaques

Targeted “Hotspot” Removal of Derelict Blue Crab Traps (VA, MD)

In the winter of 2019/2020, five commercial watermen spent a cumulative total of 120 removal days on the water and collected 971 derelict blue crab traps which contained 985 blue crabs, 239 fish (oyster toad fish, black sea bass, flounder, pig fish, striped bass, speckled trout, perch, butterfish), 31 diamond back terrapin (a listed “species of concern”), and one duck. A majority of the traps removed were metal as opposed to vinyl coated (83% and 17%, respectively). Bycatch was present in 43% (346) of metal traps and 44% (72) of vinyl coated traps removed. On average, the instantaneous capture rates were similar for both trap types with an average of 1.0 crab captured per trap and 0.25 fish captured per trap. In addition, 10 abandoned eel traps were removed which contained 2 blue crabs, 3 fish, and 1eel

E-letter: Follow-up after arthroplasty of the hip and knee: Are we over-servicing or under-caring?

© 2018 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery. The number of arthroplasties of the hip and knee is predicted to increase rapidly during the next 20 years. Accompanying this is the dilemma of how to follow-up these patients appropriately. Current guidelines recommend long-term follow-up to identify patients with aseptic loosening, which can occur more than a decade postoperatively. The current guidelines and practices of orthopaedic surgeons vary widely. Existing models take up much clinical time and are expensive. Pilot studies using 'virtual' clinics and advanced-practice physiotherapists have shown promise in decreasing the time and costs for orthopaedic surgeons and patients. This review discusses current practices and future trends in the follow-up of patients who have an arthroplasty

Fabrication of Ankle-Foot Orthoses using Selective Laser Sintering Technology

Passive dynamic ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are often prescribed to improve gait performance for those with various neuromuscular disorders. Designs and materials used for AFOs range from simple polypropylene braces to advanced custom carbon fiber dynamic AFOs that passively store and release mechanical energy during gait. AFO designs vary in the shape and length of the foot component as well as the stiffness and length of the tibial component, depending on the desired functional outcomes. However, the current fabrication technology is not ideally suited for refined customization of AFO characteristics to optimize performance, or for rapid lowcost, high volume manufacturing and global distribution. A promising engineering solution for producing customized dynamic AFOs is the application of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), which is a versatile manufacturing technology that provides advantages over traditional methods and has already been successfully used to fabricate prosthetic sockets for lower limb amputees (e.g., Faustini et al., 2006). Thus, the primary objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of using an SLSbased design, analysis and manufacturing framework to produce subject-specific passive dynamic AFOs in a cost-effective manner

Molecular Evidence for Multiple Lineages in the Gorgonian Family Plexauridae (Anthozoa: Octocorallia)

Octocorals are diverse and abundant on many marine hard substrates, and, within this group, members of the family Plexauridae are an important component of tropical reef assemblages, especially in the Caribbean. To understand historical relationships within this large and diverse assemblage, and to test the monophyly of the family and some of its genera, DNA sequences of two mitochondrial loci (msh1 and ND2, ~1,185 bp) were analyzed from 46 species in 21 genera from deep and shallow waters in the tropical western Atlantic and in the tropical western and eastern Pacific (plus 9 taxa in the closely related Gorgoniidae and 1 species of the more distantly related Alcyoniidae). Five strongly supported clades were recovered. Three large clades correspond roughly to the Plexauridae, Paramuriceidae, and Gorgoniidae, and two smaller clades were comprised of taxa previously assigned to several families. Astrogorgia sp. did not group with any of the clades. The mutual relationships among the five clades remain unclear. Several genera previously regarded as unrelated appear to be grouped among the three “families”; e.g. Hypnogorgia sp. (Paramuriceidae) falls within a clade consisting of both Pacific and Atlantic Muricea spp. (Plexauridae), while Swiftia sp., Scleracis sp., and an Atlantic Thesea sp. (all Paramuriceidae) group with the gorgoniids. In several instances, genera containing Atlantic and Pacific species were recovered as monophyletic (Muricea spp., Bebryce spp.). However, in at least three cases (Echinomuricea spp., Thesea spp.,Villogorgia spp.), placement of Atlantic and Pacific species in the same genus may reflect convergence of sclerite morphology. The results indicate a strong need for reexamination of octocoral taxonomy using a combination of molecular, morphological, and chemical evidence

Gene regulation by CcpA and catabolite repression explored by RNA-Seq in Streptococcus mutans

A bacterial transcriptome of the primary etiological agent of human dental caries, Streptococcus mutans, is described here using deep RNA sequencing. Differential expression profiles of the transcriptome in the context of carbohydrate source, and of the presence or absence of the catabolite control protein CcpA, revealed good agreement with previously-published DNA microarrays. In addition, RNA-seq considerably expanded the repertoire of DNA sequences that showed statistically-significant changes in expression as a function of the presence of CcpA and growth carbohydrate. Novel mRNAs and small RNAs were identified, some of which were differentially expressed in conditions tested in this study, suggesting that the function of the S. mutans CcpA protein and the influence of carbohydrate sources has a more substantial impact on gene regulation than previously appreciated. Likewise, the data reveal that the mechanisms underlying prioritization of carbohydrate utilization are more diverse than what is currently understood. Collectively, this study demonstrates the validity of RNA-seq as a potentially more-powerful alternative to DNA microarrays in studying gene regulation in S. mutans because of the capacity of this approach to yield a more precise landscape of transcriptomic changes in response to specific mutations and growth conditions

Effects of Trecadrine, a beta3-adrenergic agonist, on leptin secretion, glucose and lipid metabolism in isolated rat adipocytes

Objective: Leptin, a hormone produced in adipocytes, is a key signal in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. beta-Adrenergic agonists have been shown to inhibit leptin gene expression and leptin secretion. The mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of beta-adrenergic agonists have not been established. In this study, we examined the effects of TrecadrineÒ, a novel beta3-adrenergic agonist, on basal and insulin-stimulated leptin secretion in isolated rat adipocytes. Because insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism is an important regulator of leptin expression and secretion by the adipocytes, the effects of Trecadrine on indices of adipocyte metabolism were also examined. Measurements: Isolated adipocytes were incubated with Trecadrine (10-8-10-4 M) in the absence or presence of insulin (1.6 nM). Leptin secretion, glucose utilization, lactate production, glucose incorporation into CO2 and triglyceride, as well as lipolysis (glycerol release) were determined. Results: Trecadrine induced a concentration-dependent inhibition of basal leptin secretion. Trecadrine also decreased insulin-stimulated leptin secretion; however, the effect was not as pronounced as in the absence of insulin. Treatment of adipocytes with Trecadrine increased basal glucose utilization and produced a further increase in insulin-stimulated glucose utilization. Basal lactate production was also increased by Trecadrine; however, the proportion (percentage) of glucose carbon released as lactate was unaffected. In the presence of insulin, absolute lactate production was unaffected by Trecadrine at 96 h. However, the percentage of glucose carbon released as lactate was significantly decreased by insulin treatment, and was further decreased by the co-treatment with Trecadrine. Trecadrine induced a dose-dependent increase of the absolute amount of glucose incorporated into triglyceride. However, the percentage of glucose utilized that was incorporated into triglyceride was unaffected by Trecadrine. Trecadrine did not modify the proportion of glucose utilized that was oxidized to CO2. Trecadrine increased glycerol release after 96 h of treatment. Glycerol release was negatively correlated with leptin secretion. Conclusions: These results suggest that alterations of glucose metabolism are not directly involved in the effects of beta3-adrenergic agonists to inhibit leptin expression and secretion. The inverse relationship between leptin secretion and the increase of glycerol levels, which is an index of the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinases, suggests that activation of the cAMP signaling pathway mediates the inhibitory effects of Trecadrine on leptin gene expression and secretion