Losing Lift and Creating Drag! The Effect of National Mediation Board Execution and Railway Labor Act Court Decisions on the Collective Bargaining Process in the Airline Industry: A Union Perspective

This comment will: (1) contrast the divergent statutory bargaining provisions implemented in the RLA and NLRA, (2) discuss how the NMB\u27s application of the RLA combined with court interpretation of RLA provisions negatively impacts labor unions\u27 leverage in the collective bargaining process, and (3) suggest potential solutions to balance the negotiating dynamic in the airline industry while still serving the legislative purposes enumerated in the RLA

What is the clinical workup for failure to thrive?

The clinical evaluation of failure to thrive (FTT) includes a thorough history and physical examination; observation of parent-child interactions; observation and documentation of the child's feeding patterns; and a home visit by an appropriately trained health care professional (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: C). Further diagnostic testing should be performed as indicated by positive findings from the history and physical exam or if the child's weight has not improved at follow-up (SOR: C)

Advantages of the no-scalpel vasectomy technique

The no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) technique should be used instead of the standard incisional method. (Strength of Recommendation: A, based on systematic reviews, mixed-quality randomized controlled trials [RCTs], cohort studies, and case-control series.) The NSV technique is associated with fewer complications, produces less perioperative and postoperative pain, results in quicker recovery, takes less time to perform, and is as effective as standard incisional vasectomy

Impact of age and race on outcomes of a program to prevent excess weight gain and disordered eating in adolescent girls

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) prevents weight gain and reduces loss-of-control (LOC)-eating in adults. However, IPT was not superior to health-education (HE) for preventing excess weight gain and reducing LOC-eating over 1-year in adolescent girls at risk for excess weight gain and eating disorders. Limited data suggest that older and non-White youth may be especially responsive to IPT. In secondary analyses, we examined if age or race moderated weight and LOC-eating outcomes. The 113 participants (12–17 years; 56.6% White) from the original trial were re-contacted 3 years later for assessment. At baseline and follow-up visits through 3 years, we assessed BMI, adiposity by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and LOC-eating presence. In linear mixed models, baseline age moderated 3-year BMI outcome; older girls in IPT had the lowest 3-year BMI gain compared to younger girls in IPT and all girls in HE, p = 0.04. A similar pattern was observed for adiposity. Race moderated 3-year LOC-eating; non-White girls in IPT were most likely to abstain from LOC-eating at 3 years compared to all other girls, p = 0.04. This hypothesis-generating analysis suggests future studies should determine if IPT is especially efficacious at reducing LOC-eating in older, non-White adolescents

Secondary Lead Poisoning in Golden Eagle and Ferruginous Hawk Chicks consuming Shot Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming

Recreational shooting of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a common activity at Thunder Basin National Grassland (TBNG), Wyoming. The prairie dog carcasses left in the area are scavenged by coyotes (Canis latrans), raptors, and other animals. These scavengers are susceptible to lead (Pb) poisoning if they consume Pb bullet fragments or Pb shot when scavenging the shooter-killed prairie dogs. In 2000, a local rehabilitator noted an increase of Pb poisoning cases in raptors (L.Layton, pers. comm. 3/30/01) from the area. We collected several shooter-killed prairie dog carcasses from TBNG for determining if Pb fragments remained embedded in the tissue that potentially would be consumed by raptors. Radiographs showed fragments consistent with Pb to be present. In 2002, we conducted a more in-depth study to determine if Pb poisoning was occurring in raptors at TBNG by documenting the number of raptors on prairie dogs at colonies where shooting occurred, assaying bullet fragments in shot prairie dogs to determine Pb content, and analyzing blood and feather samples of ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nestlings and feathers from burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) for clinical signs of Pb poisoning. We observed raptors foraging at prairie dog colonies and collected data on the number of shooters shooting at prairie dog colonies. To determine if raptors preferred foraging on shot prairie dogs, we compared raptor use at prairie dog colonies where shooting occurred to raptor use at prairie dog colonies where shooting did not occur. Shooter intensity did not predict raptor use. We also collected prairie dog carcasses and examined them for Pb shot fragments. We detected metal fragments in four of ten prairie dog carcasses. The total weight of the fragments found in each carcass ranged from 10 – 146 mg. Copper was the primary metal detected in 3 of 4 carcasses; but, significant amounts of Pb (20 mg, 28 mg, and 124 mg) were found in the three carcasses. Blood Pb concentrations in ferruginous hawk nestlings were below sub-clinical levels at TBNG and the control site near Rawlins, Wyoming. Analysis of red blood cell delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, hemoglobin levels, and protoporphyrin levels also did not indicate Pb poisoning in ferruginous hawk nestlings. Additionally, blood and feather samples from golden eagle nestlings and feather samples from burrowing owls (juveniles and adults) at TBNG did not indicate Pb poisoning. Although ferruginous hawks and golden eagles (and possibly burrowing owls) scavenge on the carcasses of shot prairie dogs and some carcasses contained Pb-bullet fragments, we did not detect Pb poisoning in any of the birds. Lead poisoning may become important if the availability of alternate food sources decreases or shooter intensity increases

Meridional Survey of the Central Pacific Reveals Iodide Accumulation in Equatorial Surface Waters and Benthic Sources in the Abyssal Plain

The distributions of iodate and iodide were measured along the GEOTRACES GP15 meridional transect at 152°W from the shelf of Alaska to Papeete, Tahiti. The transect included oxygenated waters near the shelf of Alaska, the full water column in the central basin in the North Pacific Basin, the upper water column spanning across seasonally mixed regimes in the north, oligotrophic regimes in the central gyre, and the equatorial upwelling. Iodide concentrations are highest in the permanently stratified tropical mixed layers, which reflect accumulation due to light-dependent biological processes, and decline rapidly below the euphotic zone. Vertical mixing coefficients (Kz), derived from complementary 7Be data, enabled iodide oxidation rates to be estimated at two stations. Iodide half-lives of 3–4 years show the importance of seasonal mixing processes in explaining north-south differences in the transect, and also contribute to the decrease in iodide concentrations with depth below the mixed layer. These estimated half-lives are consistent with a recent global iodine model. No evidence was found for significant inputs of iodine from the Alaskan continental margin, but there is a significant enrichment of iodide in bottom waters overlying deep sea sediments from the interior of the basin

Attachment, Social Support, and Perceived Mental Health of Adult Dog Walkers: What Does Age Have to Do With It?

In part of a larger pilot study of dog walking as a physical activity intervention we assessed levels of attachment, social supports, and perceived mental health of 75 dog owners, identified through a tertiary- care veterinary hospital. Owners completed the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey, mental health component of the Short-Form-12 (SF-12) Health Survey, and the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS). Of particular interest was that younger owners had stronger attachments to their dogs (r = -.488;p \u3c.001) and less social support (r = .269;p =.021). Our study suggests the importance of companion animals for social support, particularly for those without close friends/relatives. For younger owners, our study reveals vulnerabilities in support networks that may warrant referrals to human helping professionals. We suggest the use of Carstensen\u27s Socioemotional Selectivity Theory as an interpretive framework to underscore the importance of including companion animals as part of the human social convoy, especially in terms of providing affectionate and interactional social support

ΔFosB Regulates Gene Expression and Cognitive Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer\u27s Disease.

Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline and 5- to 10-fold increased seizure incidence. How seizures contribute to cognitive decline in AD or other disorders is unclear. We show that spontaneous seizures increase expression of ΔFosB, a highly stable Fos-family transcription factor, in the hippocampus of an AD mouse model. ΔFosB suppressed expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos, which is critical for plasticity and cognition, by binding its promoter and triggering histone deacetylation. Acute histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition or inhibition of ΔFosB activity restored c-Fos induction and improved cognition in AD mice. Administration of seizure-inducing agents to nontransgenic mice also resulted in ΔFosB-mediated suppression of c-Fos, suggesting that this mechanism is not confined to AD mice. These results explain observations that c-Fos expression increases after acute neuronal activity but decreases with chronic activity. Moreover, these results indicate a general mechanism by which seizures contribute to persistent cognitive deficits, even during seizure-free periods