Paleocene forests and climates of Antarctica: signals from fossil wood

During the green house world of the Paleocene, Antarctica was covered in extensive forests, even though the continent was situated over the South Pole. Fossil wood is abundant in the marine sequences of Seymour Island, Antarctica. Originating from forests that once grew on a volcanic arc now represented by the Antarctic Peninsula. This research presents a detailed study of the forests and climates of Antarctica primarily using a new assemblage of fossil wood and palynomorphs, directly tied to a sedimentary sequence (K/Pg boundary to Late Paleocene in age) on Seymour Island, which has allowed for a more rigorous interpretation of the composition and structure of the Antarctic Peninsula forests and the climates under which they grew. Tree types identified from fossil wood include: Agathoxylon, Phyllocladoxylon, Protophyllocladoxylon, Podocarpoxylon/Cupressinoxylon, Nothofagoxylon, Weinmannioxylon, Myrceugenelloxylon and Antarctoxylon. Their nearest living relatives (NLR) are found growing in warm to cool temperate Southern Hemisphere forests. Palynomorphs revealed diverse Podocarpaceae including Lagarostrobos franklinii (Phyllocladidites mawsonii) and shrubby angiosperm taxa such as Proteaceae, as well as ferns and mosses. Collective analysis of taxomomy, wood preservation, sedimentology and NLRs indicate that the lowland forests were similar to the cool temperate mixed Nothofagus forests of New Zealand and Thamnic/Implicate forests in Tasmania. Upland floras may have resembled Araucaria – Nothofagus woodlands found in cool temperate Chile today. Coexistence Analysis indicates marginally warm to cool temperate climates with sufficient rainfall for tree growth. Analysis of angiosperm anatomy suggests sufficient water availability. Mean growth ring analysis suggests a trend towards cooler climates from the Early to the Late Paleocene. However, the majority of trees suggest growth under a fluctuating climate. For the first time specific gravity (SG) has been calculated for fossil wood from Antarctica and has provided further insight into the ecology and growth conditions of the trees. Narrow values of SG (0.50 – 0.80) are indicative of a temperate climate in the Paleocene of Antarctica

Enhanced Leak Detection

A key requirement for Veeder-Root’s Enhanced Leak Detection System is that it be able to test in situ for the presence of leaks at gasoline dispensing facilities. Aside from the obvious issues of safety and lost product, this functionality is obligatory for compliance with environmental standards mandated by federal and state oversight bodies, such as the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). The SWRCB demands a testing procedure that includes conditions as close to operational as possible, while still using environmentally safe gases as a test fluid. Although the test parameters (e.g., pressure) are allowed to deviate from operating conditions in order to facilitate the test procedure, a prescribed rescaling of the test thresholds must then be applied to account for the deviation. Whether the test is run at operation conditions or in a slightly different parameter regime, the fact that the testing must be done on the product and return lines after installation at a service station presents significant challenges in devising an effective test strategy

Failed Species, Innominate Forms, and the Vain Search for Species Limits: Cryptic Diversity in Dusky Salamanders (\u3ci\u3eDesmognathus\u3c/i\u3e) of Eastern Tennessee

Cytochrome B sequences and allozymes reveal complex patterns of molecular variation in dusky salamander (Desmognathus) populations in eastern Tennessee. One group of allozymically distinctive populations, which we refer to as the Sinking Creek form (SCF), combines morphological attributes of Desmognathus fuscus with cytB sequences characteristic of Desmognathus carolinensis. This form is abruptly replaced by D. fuscus just north of Johnson City, TN with no evidence of either sympatry or gene exchange. To the south, allozymic markers indicate a broad zone of admixture with populations characterized by distinct cytB sequences and that may or may not be ultimately referable to Desmognathus conanti. A third distinctive group of populations, which we refer to as the Lemon Gap form (LGF), occurs in the foothills of the Great Smoky and southern Bald Mountains and exchanges genes with Desmognathus santeetlah along the escarpment of the Great Smokies, D. carolinensis in the southern Bald Mountains, and populations of a different haplotype clade in the Ridge and Valley. We treat all these as innominate forms that may represent failed species, recognizing that it may never be possible to reconcile species limits with patterns of phylogeny, morphology, and gene exchange in these salamanders. © 2013 The Authors

The Impact of Operation Bushmaster on Medical Student Decision-making in a High-Stress, Operational Environment.

INTRODUCTION: Operation Bushmaster is a high-fidelity military medical field practicum for fourth-year medical students at the Uniformed Services University. During Operation Bushmaster, students treat live-actor and mannequin-based simulated patients in wartime scenarios throughout the five-day practicum. This study explored the impact of participating in Operation Bushmaster on students\u27 decision-making in a high-stress, operational environment, a crucial aspect of their future role as military medical officers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A panel of emergency medicine physician experts used a modified Delphi technique to develop a rubric to evaluate the participants\u27 decision-making abilities under stress. The participants\u27 decision-making was assessed before and after participating in either Operation Bushmaster (control group) or completing asynchronous coursework (experimental group). A paired-samples t-test was conducted to detect any differences between the means of the participants\u27 pre- and posttest scores. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Uniformed Services University #21-13079. RESULTS: A significant difference was detected in the pre- and posttest scores of students who attended Operation Bushmaster (P \u3c .001), while there was no significant difference in the pre- and posttest scores of students who completed online, asynchronous coursework (P = .554). CONCLUSION: Participating in Operation Bushmaster significantly improved the control group participants\u27 medical decision-making under stress. The results of this study confirm the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation-based education for teaching decision-making skills to military medical students

Rapid proteasomal degradation of mutant proteins is the primary mechanism leading to tumorigenesis in patients with missense AIP mutations

CONTEXT The pathogenic effect of AIP mutations (AIPmuts) in pituitary adenomas is incompletely understood. We have identified the primary mechanism of loss of function for missense AIPmuts. OBJECTIVE To analyze the mechanism/speed of protein turnover of wild-type (WT) and missense AIP variants, correlating protein half-life with clinical parameters. DESIGN Half-life and protein-protein interaction experiments and cross-sectional analysis of AIPmut positive patients' data were performed. SETTING Clinical academic research institution. PATIENTS Data was obtained from our cohort of pituitary adenoma patients and literature-reported cases. INTERVENTIONS Protein turnover of endogenous AIP in two cell lines and fifteen AIP variants overexpressed in HEK293 cells was analyzed via cycloheximide chase and proteasome inhibition. GST pull-down and quantitative mass spectrometry identified proteins involved in AIP degradation; results were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and gene knockdown. Relevant clinical data was collected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Half-life of WT and mutant AIP proteins and its correlation with clinical parameters. RESULTS Endogenous AIP half-life was similar in HEK293 and lymphoblastoid cells (43.5 and 32.7h). AIP variants were divided in stable proteins (median 77.7h [IQR 60.7-92.9]), and those with short (27h [21.6-28.7]) or very short (7.7h [5.6-10.5]) half-life; proteasomal inhibition rescued the rapid degradation of mutant proteins. The experimental half-life significantly correlated with age at diagnosis of acromegaly/gigantism (r=0.411, P=0.002). The FBXO3-containing SCF complex was identified as the E3 ubiquitin-ligase recognizing AIP. CONCLUSIONS AIP is a stable protein, driven to ubiquitination by the SCF complex. Enhanced proteasomal degradation is a novel pathogenic mechanism for AIPmuts, with direct implications for the phenotype

Hazards and disasters in the geological and geomorphological record: a key to understanding past and future hazards and disasters

Hazards and disasters have occurred throughout Earth's History and thus the geological record is an important resource for understanding future hazards and disasters. The Earth Science Group (ESG) of the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) carried out a "Hazard and Disaster Event Survey" to identify Earth Science collections in European museums that represent hazards and disasters throughout the geological record, and recent times. The aim is to use the collections within the survey as an educational and research resource that promotes the importance of museum collections for understanding past and future hazard and disaster events. The survey pinpointed a wide variety of hazards (e.g. earthquakes, volcanism, floods, impact events, etc.), representing a vast time span in Earth's history (Proterozoic to Holocene), that are documented in the collections of the participating museums. Each hazard and disaster event has been described in terms of how they are preserved (e.g. fossil record or rock record), spatial scale, impact on life, and geological age. Here we showcase seven examples in detail which include well-known and less-known events from the survey that have contributed to our understanding of hazard and disaster processes and their impact on life. Also we present general conclusions and lessons learnt from the "Hazard and Disaster Event Survey"

DiSSCo Prepare WP7 –D7.3 Assessment tools and direction map to the implementation of common DiSSCo policies

The Distributed System for Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) Research Infrastructure will operate a number of e-services, all of which will have policy requirements for participating institutions. These policies include those related to digital and physical access to specimens, digital image and specimen metadata, and FAIR / Open Data. Previous projects have shown that the policy landscape is complex, and Task 7.3 has developed a policy self-assessment tool that will allow DiSSCo to assess policy alignment across the consortium. This deliverable describes the development of the policy self-assessment tool and provides a walkthrough of the key features. The same technical framework was used to create a digital maturity tool, which was initially proposed by Task 3.1, and this is also described within this document. A set of recommendations are included that outline the future direction for the development of the policy tool.The Distributed System for Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) Research Infrastructure will operate a number´of e-services, all of which will have policy requirements for participating institutions. These policies include those related to digital and physical access to specimens, digital image and specimen metadata, and FAIR / Open Data. Previous projects have shown that the policy landscape is complex, and Task 7.3 has developed a policy self-assessment tool that will allow DiSSCo to assess policy alignment across the consortium. This deliverable describes the development of the policy self-assessment tool and provides a walkthrough of the key features. The same technical framework was used to create a digital maturity tool, which was initially proposed by Task 3.1, and this is also described within this document. A set of recommendations are included that outline the future direction for the development of the policy tool

Words Volume 1 2007-2009

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/words/1000/thumbnail.jp

Survival following Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection; a prospective multinational cohort study assessing the impact of place of care

Background Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SAB) is a common, life-threatening infection with a high mortality. Survival can be improved by implementing quality of care bundles in hospitals. We previously observed marked differences in mortality between hospitals and now assessed whether mortality could serve as a valid and easy to implement quality of care outcome measure. Methods We conducted a prospective observational study between January 2013 and April 2015 on consecutive, adult patients with SAB from 11 tertiary care centers in Germany, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. Factors associated with mortality at 90 days were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression and flexible parametric models. Results 1,851 patients with a median age of 66 years (64% male) were analyzed. Crude 90-day mortality differed significantly between hospitals (range 23% to 39%). Significant variation between centers was observed for methicillin-resistant S. aureus, community-acquisition, infective foci, as well as measures of comorbidities, and severity of disease. In multivariable analysis, factors independently associated with mortality at 90 days were age, nosocomial acquisition, unknown infective focus, pneumonia, Charlson comorbidity index, SOFA score, and study center. The risk of death varied over time differently for each infective focus. Crude mortality differed markedly from adjusted mortality. Discussion We observed significant differences in adjusted mortality between hospitals, suggesting differences in quality of care. However, mortality is strongly influenced by patient mix and thus, crude mortality is not a suitable quality indicator

PenQuest Volume 2, Number 1

Table of Contents for this Volume: Untitled by Janet Collins Untitled by Judy Gozdur Last Hour of Light by Susan Reed Untitled by Judy Godzur Untitled by Rick Wagner Untitled by Carol Groover Untitled by R. Wagner Only in the Portico by Linda Banicki Untitled by Helen Hagadorn Private Place, Pubic Place by David Reed Untitled by Tammy Hutchinson Untitled by Tammy Hutchinson Madison Knights by Susan Reed Untitled by Sissy Crabtree The Price by Sandra Coleman Untitled by Ann Harrington Invasion of Privacy by Mark Touchton Untitled by Bruce Warner Untitled by Tom Schifanella Untitled by Tammy Hutchinson Bloodwork by Laura Jo Last Untitled by David Whitsett Burial Instructions by Bill Slaughter Untitled by S. Trevett PenQuest Interview: Joe Haldeman by David Reed Her Name Came from the Sea by Richard L. Ewart Untitled by V. Williams In the Woodshed by R. E. Mallery Untitled by Modesta Matthews Untitled by David Olson Illumination by E. Allen Tilley Untitled by Joseph Avanzini Everywoman by Laura Jo Last Untitled by Beth Goeckel Believe Me by Donna Kaluzniak Untitled by Judy Gozdur Untitled by Judy Gozdur Unicorn by David Reed Untitled by Susan Reed untitled by Paul Cramer Unititled by Lucinda Halsema The Violin by Richard L. Ewart Untitled by Maria Barry Untitled by Roger Whitt Jr. Haiku by Lori Nasrallah Rhymer’s Revolt by R. E. Mallery Untitled by Valerie William