Determining Hybridization in Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine from British Columbia

This study was conducted to find wood quality evidence of hybridization between jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) in northeast British Columbia (BC). To determine if wood and fiber traits could be used as distinguishing features among jack pine, lodgepole pine, and their hybrids, differences in morphology and wood and fiber traits were related to the genetic identity of each sample. Thirty samples each of pure lodgepole pine, pure jack pine, and potential hybrids were collected from the Prince George area of BC, the Smoky Lake area of Alberta, and the Fort Nelson region of BC, respectively. Two 10-mm cores (bark to bark) were taken from each tree and analyzed for fiber length and coarseness, microfibril angle (MFA), basic density, earlywood:latewood ratios, and cell dimensions. Needle and cone morphology was used to distinguish among species groups in the field. Based on genetically identified samples, the fiber traits that best differentiated among pure jack pine, lodgepole pine, and hybrids were MFA and cell area

Interactions of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 With the Cell Surface

The present study was concerned with the characterisation of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) UL25 gene product and analysis of the phenotype of the HSV-1 mutant tsl204 which has a temperature sensitive (ts) mutation in the UL25 gene. Previous work by Addison et al. (1984) suggested that tsl204 was unable to penetrate the cell membrane at the non-permissive temperature (NPT). This early defect could be overcome by brief incubation of mutant infected cells at the permissive temperature (PT). Upon further incubation of mutant-infected cells at the NPT, low numbers of intermediate capsids lacking DNA assembled in the nucleus. No full capsids were observed, indicating that tsl204 also had a defect in the production of virus particles. Although the work presented here confirmed that tsl204 has a defect in a step prior to the onset of viral protein synthesis, the data indicated that tsl204 had an uncoating defect at the NPT. A rabbit polyclonal antiserum raised against an oligopeptide representing anamino acid sequence present in the UL25 polypeptide was used to study the synthesis, processing and location of the UL25 gene product. The antiserum recognized a 67,000MW protein in virus-infected cell extracts and in purified virions, suggesting that the UL25 protein was a structural component of the virion. Using immunoprecipitation assays the UL25 gene product was detected at lh r post-infection in virus-infected cells at 3

Dynamic association between perfusion and white matter integrity across time since injury in Veterans with history of TBI.

ObjectiveCerebral blood flow (CBF) plays a critical role in the maintenance of neuronal integrity, and CBF alterations have been linked to deleterious white matter changes. Although both CBF and white matter microstructural alterations have been observed within the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI), the degree to which these pathological changes relate to one another and whether this association is altered by time since injury have not been examined. The current study therefore sought to clarify associations between resting CBF and white matter microstructure post-TBI.Methods37 veterans with history of mild or moderate TBI (mmTBI) underwent neuroimaging and completed health and psychiatric symptom questionnaires. Resting CBF was measured with multiphase pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (MPPCASL), and white matter microstructural integrity was measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The cingulate cortex and cingulum bundle were selected as a priori regions of interest for the ASL and DTI data, respectively, given the known vulnerability of these regions to TBI.ResultsRegression analyses controlling for age, sex, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms revealed a significant time since injury × resting CBF interaction for the left cingulum (p < 0.005). Decreased CBF was significantly associated with reduced cingulum fractional anisotropy (FA) in the chronic phase; however, no such association was observed for participants with less remote TBI.ConclusionsOur results showed that reduced CBF was associated with poorer white matter integrity in those who were further removed from their brain injury. Findings provide preliminary evidence of a possible dynamic association between CBF and white matter microstructure that warrants additional consideration within the context of the negative long-term clinical outcomes frequently observed in those with history of TBI. Additional cross-disciplinary studies integrating multiple imaging modalities (e.g., DTI, ASL) and refined neuropsychiatric assessment are needed to better understand the nature, temporal course, and dynamic association between brain changes and clinical outcomes post-injury

Soil Moisture Regime and Mound Position Effects on Soil Water and Vegetation in a Native Tallgrass Prairie in the Mid-Southern United States of America

Prairie mounds are unique soil surface features that will become increasingly scarce as native tallgrass prairies are continually lost. This study aimed to evaluate (i) whether the soil moisture regime (SMR), mound position, and soil depth affect soil volumetric water content (VWC) and (ii) whether the SMR and mound position affect vegetation over time. Soil VWC was measured continuously from April 2017 to June 2018, and vegetation was sampled in June and August 2017 and in May and August 2018. Maximum VWC for selected rainfall events was ~ 2.5 times greater at 10 cm in the aquic inter-mound than the udic mound position at 30 cm. Soil dry-down rates were four times greater in the udic soil at 10 cm than the aquic soil at 30 cm. Aboveground plant biomass was numerically largest (8489 kg ha−1) at the aquic summit in August 2018 and smallest (1280 kg ha−1) at the aquic inter-mound in May 2018. Results clearly demonstrate the effects that prairie mound topography and differing SMRs have on soil water dynamics and prairie vegetation and suggest that management efforts need to account for mound topography and SMR in order to be most successful

Analysis of Care Coordination for Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Parent\u27s Perspective

Introduction. Care coordination involves organizing patient care activities and sharing information among all of the participants concerned with a patient\u27s care to achieve improved outcomes, a recent national focus. Compared to the national average, a higher percentage of Vermont children are cared for in an office that meets medical home criteria. However, there is limited research on medical home and care coordination for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in the state of Vermont. Objectives. The goal of this study was to assess family perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes about how well care coordination is working for Vermont families with CSHCN. Methods. A paper and an electronic anonymous survey was developed for Vermont families with CSHCN. The surveys were then distributed by Vermont Family Network and the UVMMC Department of Pediatrics. Focus group interviews were also conducted at Vermont Family Network to provide family insight to explain the quantitative data. Results. 30 participants responded to the survey; only 20 completed it. The overall composite satisfaction score is 54%. This score takes into account 4 questions regarding care coordination satisfaction. Each question was formatted into a numerical value ranging from zero to five, with an overall score of 20 equating to 100% satisfaction. Discussion. Findings indicate that families with CSHCN are not satisfied with the level of care coordination currently provided. Respondents reported many barriers regarding care coordination, including lack of communication among health care providers, insurance coverage, and lack of support during transitional periods in care. Recommended improvements were identified.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1251/thumbnail.jp

Land cover and vegetation data from an ecological survey of `key habitat' landscapes in England, 1992-1993

Since 1978, a series of national surveys (Countryside Survey, CS) have been carried out by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) (formerly the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, ITE) to gather data on the natural environment in Great Britain (GB). As the sampling framework for these surveys is not optimised to yield data on rarer or more localised habitats, a survey was commissioned by the then Department of the Environment (DOE, now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, DEFRA) in the 1990s to carry out additional survey work in English landscapes which contained semi-natural habitats that were perceived to be under threat, or which represented areas of concern to the ministry. The landscapes were lowland heath, chalk and limestone (calcareous) grasslands, coasts and uplands. The information recorded allowed an assessment of the extent and quality of a range of habitats defined during the project, which can now be translated into standard UK broad and priority habitat classes. The survey, known as the "Key Habitat Survey", followed a design which was a series of gridded, stratified, randomly selected 1 km squares taken as representative of each of the four landscape types in England, determined from statistical land classification and geological data ("spatial masks"). The definitions of the landscapes are given in the descriptions of the spatial masks, along with definitions of the surveyed habitats. A total of 213 of the 1 km2 square sample sites were surveyed in the summers of 1992 and 1993, with information being collected on vegetation species, land cover, landscape features and land use, applying standardised repeatable methods. The database contributes additional information and value to the long-term monitoring data gathered by the Countryside Survey and provides a valuable baseline against which future ecological changes may be compared, offering the potential for a repeat survey. The data were analysed and described in a series of contract reports and are summarised in the present paper, showing for example that valuable habitats were restricted in all landscapes, with the majority located within protected areas of countryside according to different UK designations. The dataset provides major potential for analyses, beyond those already published, for example in relation to climate change, agri-environment policies and land management. Precise locations of the plots are restricted, largely for reasons of landowner confidentiality. However, the representative nature of the dataset makes it highly valuable for evaluating the status of ecological elements within the associated landscapes surveyed. Both land cover data and vegetation plot data were collected during the surveys in 1992 and 1993 and are available via the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.5285/7aefe6aa-0760-4b6d-9473-fad8b960abd4. The spatial masks are also available from https://doi.org/10.5285/dc583be3-3649-4df6-b67e-b0f40b4ec895

Interrelationships between depressive symptoms and positive and negative symptoms of recent onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders:A network analytical approach

Objective: There is a need to better understand the interrelationships between positive and negative symptoms of recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and co-occurring depressive symptoms. Aims were to determine: (1) whether depressive symptoms are best conceptualised as distinct from, or intrinsic to, positive and negative symptoms; and (2) bridging symptoms. Methods: Network analysis was applied to data from 198 individuals with depressive and psychotic symptoms in SSD from the Psychosis Recent Onset GRoningen Survey (PROGR-S). Measures were: Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Results: Positive symptoms were just as likely to be associated with depressive and negative symptoms, and had more strong associations with depressive than negative symptoms. Negative symptoms were more likely to be associated with depressive than positive symptoms, and had more strong associations with depressive than positive symptoms. Suspiciousness and stereotyped thinking bridged between positive and depressive symptoms, and apparent sadness and lassitude between negative and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms might be best conceptualised as intrinsic to positive and negative symptoms pertaining to deficits in motivation and interest in the psychotic phase of SSD. Treatments targeting bridges between depressive and positive symptoms, and depressive and such negative symptoms, might prevent or improve co-occurring depressive symptoms, or vice-versa, in the psychotic phase of SSD

Loss of DNA polymerase zeta enhances spontaneous tumorigenesis.

Mammalian genomes encode at least 15 distinct DNA polymerases, functioning as specialists in DNA replication, DNA repair, recombination, or bypass of DNA damage. Although the DNA polymerase zeta (polzeta) catalytic subunit REV3L is important in defense against genotoxins, little is known of its biological function. This is because REV3L is essential during embryogenesis, unlike other translesion DNA polymerases. Outstanding questions include whether any adult cells are viable in the absence of polzeta and whether polzeta status influences tumorigenesis. REV3L-deficient cells have properties that could influence the development of neoplasia in opposing ways: markedly reduced damage-induced point mutagenesis and extensive chromosome instability. To answer these questions, Rev3L was conditionally deleted from tissues of adult mice using MMTV-Cre. Loss of REV3L was tolerated in epithelial tissues but not in the hematopoietic lineage. Thymic lymphomas in Tp53(-/-) Rev3L conditional mice occurred with decreased latency and higher incidence. The lymphomas were populated predominantly by Rev3L-null T cells, showing that loss of Rev3L can promote tumorigenesis. Remarkably, the tumors were frequently oligoclonal, consistent with accelerated genetic changes in the absence of Rev3L. Mammary tumors could also arise from Rev3L-deleted cells in both Tp53(+/+) and Tp53(+/-) backgrounds. Mammary tumors in Tp53(+/-) mice deleting Rev3L formed months earlier than mammary tumors in Tp53(+/-) control mice. Prominent preneoplastic changes in glandular tissue adjacent to these tumors occurred only in mice deleting Rev3L and were associated with increased tumor multiplicity. Polzeta is the only specialized DNA polymerase yet identified that inhibits spontaneous tumor development

Pellagra: Down Not out If down and out (Part 1)

Pellagra is caused by a dietary deficiency of milk and meat leading to insufficient nicotinamide (vitamin B3), the precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). “Pellagra sine pellagra” was well recognised and may be common as supplementation was never globally implemented and a screening test never developed. Meat and milk intake varies 30-fold globally so there are perhaps 2 billion at risk of deficiency. Such patients will have physical and cognitive stunting, poor conduct and be prone to acute and chronic infections, including TB, and premature ageing, including dementia. Resilience may be poor to NAD-consuming insults whether chemical, microbial or traumatic that conspires to cause brain injury but comes with the opportunity for pre-conception dietary corrections breaking cycles of deprivation and poor educational outcomes. Such individuals may otherwise be subject to discrimination as was the pellagra ridden “Butterfly” caste causing racial and ethic tensions. Poor countries with many having to spend 50-80% of income on food and very little on animal produce cannot develop properly unlike wealthier meat rich empires, past and present. The many benefits of experiments with food programmes and basic income support are because, as Engels curves predict, more is spent on milk and meat enabling demographic, epidemiological, and economic transitions and modernity