Effects of the Checks

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people have lost thousands of dollars, and some much more. As a result, the government issued aid in the form of stimulus checks, with the intention to stimulate the economy and compensate for money lost. The government is not adding value to the economy, but merely moving it around, and in many cases simply making it worse. The checks allude to an even bigger issue: that of universal income and welfare checks. Although these things may be helpful to the individual, they are ineffective and harmful to the economy because they haven’t brought people back above the poverty line, haven’t brought people back to work like they were intended to do, and have contributed to the increase of inflation, and therefore should be modified to be more effective. By learning and studying deeper economic concepts, we as an economy will be able to avoid these dangers and downfalls of economic illiteracy and be able to advocate against policies that lead to economic recession. This presentation seeks to help identify what we can do as a society that will change the specific outcomes of unnecessary government aid.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/fsrs2021/1043/thumbnail.jp

Studies on human blood platelets

This project was undertaken to increase the understanding of platelet function, with paticular emphasis on abnormal platelets in diabetes mellitus, and improving the quality of platelet concentrates for transfusion. {1} Potential platelet antagonists, including PGE1, verapamil, insulin and hirudin, were added to platelet concentrates in an attempt to improve the recovery and shelf-life of the concentrate. Each "preservative" caused some improvement in platelet concentrate quality, as measured by functional tests, and radio-immunoassay for the platelet activation marker, B- thromboglobulin. The best results were obtained with the addition of PGE1, which facilitated recovery of all samples to which it was added, suggesting a cheap way of ensuring consistently good platelet concentrates. {2} Various investigations were carried out regarding abnormal platelet function in diabetes mellitus. No significant differences were found in the responses of platelets from diabetics and age-matched controls to the calcium-channel blocking drug, Verapamil, in vitro. Similarly, the capacity of diabetic platelets to produce malondialdehyde, a by-product of thromboxane A2 synthesis, was not significantly different from control platelets. The use of insulin in aggregometry studies showed, surprisingly, that insulin could have a pro-aggregatory effect on platelets from diabetics, but not those from healthy controls. In addition, evidence for the existence of a platelet aggregation-enhancing factor in the plasma of diabetics and older controls was obtained. {3} Extensive tests to investigate the nature of spontaneous platelet aggregation (SPA) in whole blood have established the existence of two types of SPA, (i) ADP-dependent, and (ii) ADP-independent. The results obtained suggest a major role for erythrocytes in the development of inappropriate platelet aggregation

Narratives of recovery in people with coexisting mental health and alcohol misuse difficulties.

Existing literature has examined what recovery means to people with co-occurring difficulties, but does little to examine experiences of recovery as a process. The purpose of this paper is to use a narrative approach to explore the process of recovery as an individual journey in a social context. It focuses on people who use alcohol in order to explore the impact of alcohol’s specific cultural meanings on the recovery journey

Allosteric p97 inhibitors can overcome resistance to ATP-competitive p97 inhibitors for potential anti-cancer therapy

A major challenge of targeted cancer therapy is the selection for drug‐resistant mutations in tumor cells leading to loss of treatment effectiveness. p97/VCP is a central regulator of protein homeostasis and a promising anti‐cancer target because of its vital role in cell growth and survival. One ATP‐competitive p97 inhibitor, CB‐5083, has entered clinical trials. Selective pressure on HCT116 cells treated with CB‐5083 identified 5 different resistant mutants. Identification of p97 inhibitors with different mechanisms of action would offer the potential to overcome this class of resistance mutations. Our results demonstrate that two CB‐5083 resistant p97 mutants, N660K and T688A, were also resistant to several other ATP‐competitive p97 inhibitors, whereas inhibition by two allosteric p97 inhibitors NMS‐873 and UPCDC‐30245 were unaffected by these mutations. We also established a CB‐5083 resistant cell line that harbors a new p97 double mutation (D649A/T688A). While CB‐5083, NMS‐873, and UPCDC‐30245 all effectively inhibited proliferation of the parental HCT116 cell line, NMS‐873 and UPCDC‐30245 were 30‐fold more potent than CB‐5083 in inhibiting the CB‐5083 resistant D649A/T688A double mutant. Our results suggest that allosteric p97 inhibitors are promising alternatives when resistance to ATP‐competitive p97 inhibitors arises during anti‐cancer treatment

Reassessing the stable isotope composition assigned to methane flux from natural wetlands in isotope-constrained budgets

Stable isotope ratios in CH4 preserve information about its origin and history, and are commonly used to constrain global CH4 budgets. Wetlands are key contributors to the atmospheric burden of CH4 and typically are assigned a stable carbon isotope composition of ~-60 permil in isotope-weighted stable isotope models despite the considerable range of δ13C(CH4) values (~ -100 to -40 permil) known to occur in these diverse ecosystems. Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) associated with the metabolism of CH4 -producing microorganisms generate much of the natural variation but highly negative and positive δ13C(CH4) values generally result from secondary processes (e.g., diffusive transport or oxidation by soil methanotrophs). Despite these complexities, consistent patterns exist in the isotope composition of wetland CH4 that can be linked conclusively to trophic status and consequently, natural succession or human perturbations that impact nutrient levels. Another challenge for accurate representation of wetlands in carbon cycle models is parameterisation of sporadic CH4 emission events. Abrupt release of large volumes of CH4 -rich bubbles in short periods of time can account for a significant proportion of the annual CH4 flux from a wetland but such events are difficult to detect using conventional methods. New infrared spectroscopy techniques capable of high temporal resolution measurements of CH4 concentration and stable isotope composition can readily quantify short-lived CH4 pulses. Moreover, the isotope data can be used conclusively to determine shifts in the mode of CH4 transport and provide the potential to link initiation of abrupt emission events to forcing by internal or external factors

Microbial carbon mineralization in tropical lowland and montane forest soils of Peru

Climate change is affecting the amount and complexity of plant inputs to tropical forest soils. This is likely to influence the carbon (C) balance of these ecosystems by altering decomposition processes e.g., "positive priming effects" that accelerate soil organic matter mineralization. However, the mechanisms determining the magnitude of priming effects are poorly understood. We investigated potential mechanisms by adding (13)C labeled substrates, as surrogates of plant inputs, to soils from an elevation gradient of tropical lowland and montane forests. We hypothesized that priming effects would increase with elevation due to increasing microbial nitrogen limitation, and that microbial community composition would strongly influence the magnitude of priming effects. Quantifying the sources of respired C (substrate or soil organic matter) in response to substrate addition revealed no consistent patterns in priming effects with elevation. Instead we found that substrate quality (complexity and nitrogen content) was the dominant factor controlling priming effects. For example a nitrogenous substrate induced a large increase in soil organic matter mineralization whilst a complex C substrate caused negligible change. Differences in the functional capacity of specific microbial groups, rather than microbial community composition per se, were responsible for these substrate-driven differences in priming effects. Our findings suggest that the microbial pathways by which plant inputs and soil organic matter are mineralized are determined primarily by the quality of plant inputs and the functional capacity of microbial taxa, rather than the abiotic properties of the soil. Changes in the complexity and stoichiometry of plant inputs to soil in response to climate change may therefore be important in regulating soil C dynamics in tropical forest soils.This study was financed by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant NE/G018278/1 and is a product of the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group consortium (www.andesconservation.org); Patrick Meir was also supported by ARC FT110100457

Narratives of recovery in people with coexisting mental health and alcohol misuse difficulties

People with coexisting substance misuse and mental health difficulties are multiply disadvantaged, through trauma, stigma, and fragmented services. This thesis explores the experiences of recovery of this population in order to inform more effective service responses. Paper One is a review of the literature on how people with coexisting substance misuse and mental health difficulties experience recovery. A thematic synthesis of the findings shows that people follow varied paths to recovery, with personal growth, social relationships, mental health and substance misuse services, peer support and material security all playing a role. Paper Two is an empirical paper which explores the recovery narratives of people with coexisting mental health and alcohol misuse difficulties, and the role of mental health and substance misuse services in these narratives. A narrative analysis of ten interviews is undertaken and shared subplots are identified. The recovery journey is presented in terms of three broad phases, and the influence of cultural and community narratives are discussed. The practical and therapeutic value of input from services is explored, and clinical and research implications are highlighted. The third paper is a reflective account of the researcher’s journey in creating this thesis. The personal and professional origins of the thesis are explored, and the influence of the researcher’s epistemological position is discussed. The practical challenges of carrying out the research are noted, along with the decisions which the researcher took in order to meet these challenges

An analysis of yield variation under soil conservation practices

Much attention has been paid to the effects of multiple soil conservation and soil health practices on the mean yield of the subsequent crop. Much less research has focused on the variability of crop yields over time or space. Yield stability reported in standard deviation, mean absolute deviation, or coefficient of variation can be an important measure of risk for producers. Risk reduction has economic value, and understanding the effect of tillage and other soil conservation practices on yield risk is relevant to farm financial management and crop insurance risk assessment. We used data from test plots in a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation, spanning from 2003 to 2011 to assess differences in yield stability over time and space. In this experiment, each plot was randomly assigned to a treatment of no-till with no cover crop (NTNC), no-till with an annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) cover crop (NTCC), or a control group using conventional tillage with no cover crop (CTNC). The statistical analysis made three relevant comparisons: (1) NTCC versus NTNC, (2) NTNC versus CTNC, and (3) NTCC versus CTNC. The analysis also included separating temporal and spatial variation using a time-first approach from the literature, followed by testing for differences between groups. We employed a standard deviation ratio test, Levene’s test, and coefficient of variation t-test. Additionally, analysis of temporal volatility was conducted using ordinary least squares regression and associated t-tests in a method similar to a stock beta, a technique commonly accepted in finance to measure the volatility of an investment. We propose this as a new method in analyzing the temporal volatility in crop yields. We found that no-till reduced average temporal yield variation in corn, and that cover crops reduced average spatial variation in corn. These results were robust over multiple statistical tests. Using the beta coefficient methodology proposed in this paper, we found in both corn and soybeans that NTNC and NTCC had lower temporal yield volatility relative to a benchmark yield from the CTNC group. However, the beta coefficients were, in most cases, not statistically significant. The results of this study suggest that both no-till and cover crops may help reduce yield risk for Midwestern farmers while reducing soil and nutrient loss

Allosteric p97 inhibitors can overcome resistance to ATP-competitive p97 inhibitors for potential anti-cancer therapy

A major challenge of targeted cancer therapy is the selection for drug‐resistant mutations in tumor cells leading to loss of treatment effectiveness. p97/VCP is a central regulator of protein homeostasis and a promising anti‐cancer target because of its vital role in cell growth and survival. One ATP‐competitive p97 inhibitor, CB‐5083, has entered clinical trials. Selective pressure on HCT116 cells treated with CB‐5083 identified 5 different resistant mutants. Identification of p97 inhibitors with different mechanisms of action would offer the potential to overcome this class of resistance mutations. Our results demonstrate that two CB‐5083 resistant p97 mutants, N660K and T688A, were also resistant to several other ATP‐competitive p97 inhibitors, whereas inhibition by two allosteric p97 inhibitors NMS‐873 and UPCDC‐30245 were unaffected by these mutations. We also established a CB‐5083 resistant cell line that harbors a new p97 double mutation (D649A/T688A). While CB‐5083, NMS‐873, and UPCDC‐30245 all effectively inhibited proliferation of the parental HCT116 cell line, NMS‐873 and UPCDC‐30245 were 30‐fold more potent than CB‐5083 in inhibiting the CB‐5083 resistant D649A/T688A double mutant. Our results suggest that allosteric p97 inhibitors are promising alternatives when resistance to ATP‐competitive p97 inhibitors arises during anti‐cancer treatment