Diet-induced obesity impairs mammary development and lactogenesis in murine mammary gland

We have developed a mouse model of diet-induced obesity that shows numerous abnormalities relating to mammary gland function. Animals ate 40% more calories when offered a high-fat diet and gained weight at three times the rate of controls. They exhibited reduced conception rates, increased peripartum pup mortality, and impaired lactogenesis. The impairment of lactogenesis involved lipid accumulation in the secretory epithelial cells indicative of an absence of copius milk secretion. Expression of mRNAs for -casein, whey acid protein, and -lactalbumin were all decreased immediately postpartum but recovered as lactation was established over 2–3 days. Expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC)- mRNA was also decreased at parturition as was the total enzyme activity, although there was a compensatory increase in the proportion in the active state. By day 10 of lactation, the proportion of ACC in the active state was also decreased in obese animals, indicative of suppression of de novo fatty acid synthesis resulting from the supply of preformed fatty acids in the diet. Although obese animals consumed more calories in the nonpregnant and early pregnant states, they showed a marked depression in fat intake around day 9 of pregnancy before food intake recovered in later pregnancy. Food intake increased dramatically in both lean and obese animals during lactation although total calories consumed were identical in both groups. Thus, despite access to high-energy diets, the obese animals mobilized even more adipose tissue during lactation than their lean counterparts. Obese animals also exhibited marked abnormalities in alveolar development of the mammary gland, which may partially explain the delay in differentiation evident during lactogenesis

Magneto-hydrodynamics of multi-phase flows in heterogeneous systems with large property gradients:Multi-Component multi-phase magnetohydrodynamics

The complex interplay between thermal, hydrodynamic, and electromagnetic, forces governs the evolution of multi-phase systems in high technology applications, such as advanced manufacturing and fusion power plant operation. In this work, a new formulation of the time dependent magnetic induction equation is fully coupled to a set of conservation laws for multi-phase fluid flow, energy transport and chemical species transport that describes melting and solidification state transitions. A finite-volume discretisation of the resulting system of equations is performed, where a novel projection method is formulated to ensure that the magnetic field remains divergence free. The proposed framework is validated by accurately replicating a Hartmann flow profile. Further validation is performed through correctly predicting the experimentally observed trajectory of Argon bubbles rising in a liquid metal under varying applied magnetic fields. Finally, the applicability of the framework to technologically relevant processes is illustrated through the simulation of an electrical arc welding process between dissimilar metals. The proposed framework addresses an urgent need for numerical methods to understand the evolution of multi-phase systems with large electromagnetic property contrast

Modulating troubles affiliating in initial interactions:The role of remedial accounts

Much of the research on affiliation to date has focused on how people do (dis)affiliation. This paper explores the remedial work that follows instances of disaffiliation between interactants who are getting acquainted. Building on an interactional pragmatics analytical approach informed by methods and research in conversation analysis, findings indicate that extended remedial accounts recurrently follow moments of disaffiliation in initial interactions. These remedial accounts enable participants to reposition a prior disaffiliative stance as (ostensibly) affiliative. It appears in initial interactions, then, that remedial accounts play an important role in modulating troubles in affiliating. We propose that the considerable interactional work undertaken by these participants to modulate such troubles reflects a general preference for agreeability in initial interactions, at least amongst (Australian and British) speakers of English

Academic Progress Reports: Leadership Implications for College Basketball Coaches

The Academic Progress Report, commonly referred to as APR, is an evaluation tool established by the NCAA to monitor current academic progress for Division I intercollegiate student-athletes in regard to eligibility, retention, and graduation. APR data collection was initially started with the 2003-04 academic year. The first data report was released in February 2005 for all Division I member institutions. The Academic Progress Report was born out of a need to better calculate graduation rates and is a continuous assessment tool for the NCAA. Under this new system, the APR awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet all minimum academic eligibility standards and who remain at that Division I institution. The Division I Board of Directors approved 925 as the minimum cut off score for all teams. The 925 score out of a possible 1,000 translates to approximately sixty percent on the new Graduation Success Rate (GSR). The GSR is an alternate graduation rate system that was also recently launched by the NCAA. While the existing graduation rate calculation system is still in place, the new GSR accounts for outgoing transfer or incoming transfer student-athletes which the current graduation rate calculation does not. The existing graduation rate system also does not monitor student-athlete eligibility

Use of Plasma Actuators as a Moving-Wake Generator

The work documented in this report tests the concept of using plasma actuators as a simple and easy way to generate a simulated moving-wake and the disturbances associated with it in turbines. This wake is caused by the blades of the upstream stages of the turbine. Two types of devices, one constructed of arrays of NACA 0018 airfoils, and the one constructed of flat plates were studied. The airfoils or plates were equipped with surface mounted dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators, which were used to generate flow disturbances resembling moving-wakes. CTA hot-wire anemometry and flow visualization using a smoke-wire were used to investigate the wake independence at various spacings and downstream locations. The flat plates were found to produce better results than the airfoils in creating large velocity fluctuations in the free-stream flow. Different dielectric materials, plasma actuator locations, leading edge contours, angles of attack and plate spacings were investigated, some with positive results. The magnitudes of the velocity fluctuations were found to be comparable to existing mechanical moving-wake generators, thus proving the feasibility of using plasma actuators as a moving-wake generator

Incorporating anthropogenic influences into fire probability models : effects of human activity and climate change on fire activity in California

The costly interactions between humans and wildfires throughout California demonstrate the need to understand the relationships between them, especially in the face of a changing climate and expanding human communities. Although a number of statistical and process-based wildfire models exist for California, there is enormous uncertainty about the location and number of future fires, with previously published estimates of increases ranging from nine to fifty-three percent by the end of the century. Our goal is to assess the role of climate and anthropogenic influences on the state's fire regimes from 1975 to 2050. We develop an empirical model that integrates estimates of biophysical indicators relevant to plant communities and anthropogenic influences at each forecast time step. Historically, we find that anthropogenic influences account for up to fifty percent of explanatory power in the model. We also find that the total area burned is likely to increase, with burned area expected to increase by 2.2 and 5.0 percent by 2050 under climatic bookends (PCM and GFDL climate models, respectively). Our two climate models show considerable agreement, but due to potential shifts in rainfall patterns, substantial uncertainty remains for the semiarid inland deserts and coastal areas of the south. Given the strength of human-related variables in some regions, however, it is clear that comprehensive projections of future fire activity should include both anthropogenic and biophysical influences. Previous findings of substantially increased numbers of fires and burned area for California may be tied to omitted variable bias from the exclusion of human influences. The omission of anthropogenic variables in our model would overstate the importance of climatic ones by at least 24%. As such, the failure to include anthropogenic effects in many models likely overstates the response of wildfire to climatic change

Ecological Impacts of the 2015/16 El Niño in the Central Equatorial Pacific

The authors thank Cisco Werner (NOAA/NMFS) for proposing this special issue and encouraging our submission. We thank each of the editors, Stephanie Herring, Peter Stott, and Nikos Christidis, for helpful guidance and support throughout the submittal process. We also thank each of the anonymous external reviewers for thoughtful guidance and suggestions to improve the manuscript. REB, TO, RV, AH, and BVA are grateful for support from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. AC acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation for the following awards: OCE 1537338, OCE 1605365, and OCE 1031971. This is PMEL contribution no. 4698. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government. The views expressed in the article are not necessarily those of the U.S. government. (NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program; OCE 1537338 - National Science Foundation; OCE 1605365 - National Science Foundation; OCE 1031971 - National Science Foundation

A role for glycosaminoglycans in the development of collagen fibrils

AbstractExtensive data on the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) composition and the collagen fibril diameter distribution have been collected for a diverse range of connective tissues. It is shown that tissues with the smallest diameter collagen fibrils (mass-average diameter < 60 nm) have high concentrations of hyaluronic acid and that tissues with the largest diameter collagen fibrils (mass-average diameter ∼200 nm) have high concentrations of dermatan sulphate. It is suggested that the lateral growth of fibrils beyond a diameter of about 60 nm is inhibited by the presence of an excess of hyaluronic acid but that this inhibitory effect may be removed by an increasing concentration of chondroitin sulphate and/or dermatan sulphate. It is also postulated that high concentrations of chondroitin sulphate will inhibit fibril growth beyond a mass-average diameter of ∼150 nm. Such an inhibition may in turn be removed by an increasing concentration of dermatan sulphate such that it becomes the dominant GAG present in the tissue

The Plurality of Farmers’ Views on Soil Management Calls for a Policy Mix

While soil degradation is continuing to threaten the global agricultural production system, a common understanding of how to encourage sustainable soil management is missing. With this study, we aim to provide new insights on targeted policies that address the heterogeneity of farmers. We scrutinized the plurality of views on soil management among arable farmers in the Austrian (and European) policy context. To do so, we applied Q methodology, a method that identifies different perspectives on a topic present in a population and analyzes this subjectivity statistically. We interviewed 34 arable land farmers who varied in their farming backgrounds. The results yielded four different viewpoints on soil management held by the interviewed farmers: two rather ecocentric perspectives (Nature Participants, Pleasure Seekers) and two rather anthropocentric perspectives (Traditional Food Providers, Profit Maximizers). Our study shows that farmers’ soil management is influenced by more than economic considerations and suggests that a mix of policy approaches is needed to reach all farmers and avoid adverse effects of excluding farmers. We provide several suggestions for policymakers on how to complement agri-environmental policies: appealing to human-nature relationships, offering training and experimentation services, fostering social networks, and raising the social reputation of farmers

IView: introgression library visualization and query tool

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An introgression library is a family of near-isogenic lines in a common genetic background, each of which carries one or more genomic regions contributed by a donor genome. Near-isogenic lines are powerful genetic resources for the analysis of phenotypic variation and are important for map-base cloning genes underlying mutations and traits. With many thousands of distinct genotypes, querying introgression libraries for lines of interest is an issue. </p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have created IView, a tool to graphically display and query near-isogenic line libraries for specific introgressions. This tool incorporates a web interface for displaying the location and extent of introgressions. Each genetic marker is associated with a position on a reference map. Users can search for introgressions using marker names, or chromosome number and map positions. This search results in a display of lines carrying an introgression at the specified position. Upon selecting one of the lines, color-coded introgressions on all chromosomes of the line are displayed graphically.</p> <p>The source code for IView can be downloaded from <url>http://xrl.us/iview</url>. </p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>IView will be useful for those wanting to make introgression data from their stock of germplasm searchable. </p