Rebuttal in Defense of the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement

This article rebuts certain assertions made by Mr. Thomas Schlosser in a recent article entitled Dewatering Trust Responsibility: The New Klamath River Hydroelectric and Restoration Agreements. The Klamath hydroelectric dams are not causing degrading fish disease conditions in the Klamath Basin. Dewatering Trust Responsibility overlooks the effects of water diversions for agriculture, pollution from pesticides and industrial operations and habitat degradation from timbering, ranching and other human activities on current Basin conditions. Under the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license, PacifiCorp is taking extensive measures to protect aquatic resources in the Basin prior to dam removal. The abeyance in the Clean Water Act certification process is necessary to allow the study of anticipated impacts of dam removal and water quality measures that could be implemented during the interim period prior to potential dam removal

Towards predicting post-editing productivity

Machine translation (MT) quality is generally measured via automatic metrics, producing scores that have no meaning for translators who are required to post-edit MT output or for project managers who have to plan and budget for transla- tion projects. This paper investigates correlations between two such automatic metrics (general text matcher and translation edit rate) and post-editing productivity. For the purposes of this paper, productivity is measured via processing speed and cognitive measures of effort using eye tracking as a tool. Processing speed, average fixation time and count are found to correlate well with the scores for groups of segments. Segments with high GTM and TER scores require substantially less time and cognitive effort than medium or low-scoring segments. Future research involving score thresholds and confidence estimation is suggested

Interstitial water patterns: A factor influencing the distributions of some lotic aquatic vascular macrophytes

The distributions of 9 species of aquatic vascular macrophytes were examined in relation to interstitial water patterns (based on temperature) in the beds of three northern Michigan (U.S.A.) streams. Ranunculus septentrionalis Poir., Caltha palustris L. and Nasturtium officinale R.Br. were associated with areas of groundwater discharge. Sparganium chlorocarpum Rydb., Veronica catenata Penn., Potamogeton filiformis Pers. and P. richardsonii (Benn.) Rydb. occurred most often at the downstream end of a hyporheic zone (corresponding to the foot of a riffle) where interstitial water was of surface origin. Sagittaria latifolia Willd. occurred where interstitial temperatures were cool; the water origin was not determined. Potamogeton gramineus L. occurred most often where interstitial temperatures were warm, primarily at the upstream ends and middles of hyporheic zones (heads of riffles) in areas of surface-water infiltration. Complex patterns of interstitial water movement and related physicochemical complexity combined with differences in plant requirements, in part, may determine observed local distributions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27221/1/0000225.pd

What is the prevalence, and what are the clinical correlates, of insulin resistance in young people presenting for mental health care? A cross-sectional study

Objectives: To report the distribution and predictors of insulin resistance (IR) in young people presenting to primary care-based mental health services. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Headspace-linked clinics operated by the Brain and Mind Centre of the University of Sydney. Participants: 768 young people (66% female, mean age 19.7±3.5, range 12–30 years). Main outcome measures: IR was estimated using the updated homeostatic model assessment (HOMA2-IR). Height and weight were collected from direct measurement or self-report for body mass index (BMI). Results: For BMI, 20.6% of the cohort were overweight and 10.2% were obese. However,6.9 mmol/L). By contrast, 9.9% had a HOMA2-IR score \u3e2.0 (suggesting development of IR) and 11.7% (n=90) had a score between 1.5 and 2. Further, there was a positive correlation between BMI and HOMA2-IR (r=0.44, p Conclusions: Emerging IR is evident in a significant subgroup of young people presenting to primary care based mental health services. While the major modifiable risk factor is BMI, a large proportion of the variance is not accounted for by other demographic, clinical or treatment factors. Given the early emergence of IR, secondary prevention interventions may need to commence prior to the development of full-threshold or major mood or psychotic disorders

Nonalcoholic and Alcoholic Beverage Intakes by Adults across 5 Upper-Middle- and High-Income Countries.

BACKGROUND: Despite considerable public health interest in sugary drink consumption, there has been little comparison of intake across countries. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the consumption frequency and amounts of commonly consumed beverages among adults in 5 upper-middle- and high-income countries, and examine differences in consumption between population subgroups. METHODS: Adults aged 18-65 y completed online surveys in December 2017 in Australia (n = 3264), Canada (n = 2745), Mexico (n = 3152), the United Kingdom (n = 3221), and the USA (n = 4015) as part of the International Food Policy Study. The frequency of consuming beverages from 22 categories in the past 7 d was estimated using the Beverage Frequency Questionnaire. Regression models were used to examine differences in the likelihood of any consumption and in the amounts consumed of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), sugary drinks (SSBs and 100% juice), diet, and alcoholic beverages between countries and across sociodemographic subgroups. RESULTS: The prevalence of reported SSB consumption in the past 7 d ranged from 47% (United Kingdom) to 81% (Mexico), and that of sugary drinks ranged from 62% (United Kingdom) to 87% (Mexico). Rates of consumption of diet drinks ranged from 26% (Mexico) to 37% (United Kingdom), whereas alcoholic drink consumption rates ranged from 45% (USA) to 52% (Canada). Respondents in Mexico were more likely to consume SSBs and sugary drinks, and in greater amounts, than those in other countries. Respondents in the United Kingdom were more likely to consume diet drinks than those in Australia, Canada, and Mexico, and greater amounts of diet drinks were consumed in the United Kingdom and the USA. Across countries, younger respondents and males were more likely to consume greater amounts of SSBs and sugary drinks. CONCLUSIONS: Most adult respondents across all countries consumed SSBs and sugary drinks, with greater consumption in Mexico and the USA. Consumption varied greatly across countries, but patterns of association among subpopulations were relatively similar.The first two waves of the International Food Policy Study were funded by a population health intervention research operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Additional support was provided by a CIHR – Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Applied Public Health Chair held by David Hammond. JA receives funding from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. GS is supported by a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship (102035) from the National Heart Foundation of Australia. He is also a researcher within National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centres for Research Excellence entitled Reducing Salt Intake Using Food Policy Interventions (APP1117300) and a Centre of Research Excellence in Food Retail Environments for Health (RE-FRESH) (APP1152968) (Australia). He has also received other funding from the NHMRC, Australian Research Council (ARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Data described in the manuscript, code book, and analytic code will be made available upon request pending application and approval by DH

Histamine stimulates the proliferation of small and large cholangiocytes by activation of both IP3/Ca2+ and cAMP-dependent signaling mechanisms

Although large cholangiocytes exert their functions by activation of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), Ca(2+)-dependent signaling regulates the function of small cholangiocytes. Histamine interacts with four receptors, H1-H4HRs. H1HR acts by Gαq activating IP(3)/Ca(2+), whereas H2HR activates Gα(s) stimulating cAMP. We hypothesize that histamine increases biliary growth by activating H1HR on small and H2HR on large cholangiocytes. The expression of H1-H4HRs was evaluated in liver sections, isolated and cultured (normal rat intrahepatic cholangiocyte culture (NRIC)) cholangiocytes. In vivo, normal rats were treated with histamine or H1-H4HR agonists for 1 week. We evaluated: (1) intrahepatic bile duct mass (IBDM); (2) the effects of histamine, H1HR or H2HR agonists on NRIC proliferation, IP(3) and cAMP levels and PKCα and protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation; and (3) PKCα silencing on H1HR-stimulated NRIC proliferation. Small and large cholangiocytes express H1-H4HRs. Histamine and the H1HR agonist increased small IBDM, whereas histamine and the H2HR agonist increased large IBDM. H1HR agonists stimulated IP(3) levels, as well as PKCα phosphorylation and NRIC proliferation, whereas H2HR agonists increased cAMP levels, as well as PKA phosphorylation and NRIC proliferation. The H1HR agonist did not increase proliferation in PKCα siRNA-transfected NRICs. The activation of differential signaling mechanisms targeting small and large cholangiocytes is important for repopulation of the biliary epithelium during pathologies affecting different-sized bile ducts

High-Resolution Surveys Along the Hot Spot–Affected Galapagos Spreading Center: 1. Distribution of Hydrothermal Activity

The spatial density of hydrothermal activity along most mid-ocean ridges is a robust linear function of spreading rate (or magmatic budget), but extreme crustal properties may alter this relationship. In 2005–2006 we tested the effect of thickened crust on hydrothermal activity using high-resolution mapping of plumes overlying the hot spot–affected Galapagos Spreading Center from 95o to 89o42\u27W (~560 km of ridge crest). Plume mapping discovered only two active, high-temperature vent fields, subsequently confirmed by camera tows, though strong plume evidence indicated minor venting from at least six other locations. Total plume incidence (ph), the fraction of ridge crest overlain by significant plumes, was 0.11 ± 0.014, about half that expected for a non–hot spot mid-ocean ridge with a similar magmatic budget. Plume distributions on the Galapagos Spreading Center were uncorrelated with abrupt variations in the depth of the along-axis melt lens, so these variations are apparently not controlled by hydrothermal cooling differences. We also found no statistical difference (for a significance level of 0.05) in plume incidence between where the seismically imaged melt lens is shallow (2 ± 0.56 km, ph = 0.108 ± 0.045) and where it is deep (3.4 ± 0.7 km, ph = 0.121 ± 0.015). The Galapagos Spreading Center thus joins mid-ocean ridges near the Iceland (Reykjanes Ridge), St. Paul-Amsterdam (South East Indian Ridge), and Ascension (Mid- Atlantic Ridge) hot spots as locations of anomalously scarce high-temperature venting. This scarcity implies that convective cooling along hot spot–affected ridge sections occurs primarily by undetected diffuse flow or is permanently or episodically reduced compared to normal mid-ocean ridges

Examination of Fluconazole-Induced Alopecia in an Animal Model and Human Cohort.

Fluconazole-induced alopecia is a significant problem for patients receiving long-term therapy. We evaluated the hair cycle changes of fluconazole in a rat model and investigated potential molecular mechanisms. Plasma and tissue levels of retinoic acid were not found to be causal. Human patients with alopecia attributed to fluconazole also underwent detailed assessment and in both our murine model and human cohort fluconazole induced telogen effluvium. Future work further examining the mechanism of fluconazole-induced alopecia should be undertaken