Circular 20

Since fanning in Alaska first began and especially since dairy farming became the primary agricultural industry, there has existed a need for hardy legumes which would survive Alaska winters and produce satisfactory yields of high quality forage. To meet this need hundreds of legume species and strains have been introduced during the past 40 or more years. Almost all have lacked the necessary hardiness or have not been satisfactory agronomically. The release of Alaskland red clover in the spring of 1953 is the first time a hardy legume has been made available to growers in Alaska.Cooperating with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Administratio

Is osteoporosis screening in postmenopausal women effective?

No single study evaluates the effectiveness of osteoporosis screening. However, screening women over the age of 65 years -- or those between 60-64 years with certain risk factors -- is recommended based on available evidence. First, osteoporosis is common, and its prevalence increases with age (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A - prospective cohort studies). Second, low bone mineral density predicts fracture risk (SOR: A - prospective cohort studies). Finally, the likelihood of osteoporotic fracture is reduced with therapy, such as alendronate 10 mg/day or risedronate 5 mg/day plus adequate daily calcium and vitamin D (SOR: A - meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials). Women under 60 years should not be screened (SOR: B--clinical decision rule). There is no evidence to guide decisions about screening interval or at what age to stop screening. The long-term risks of newer medications used for osteoporosis are unknown

Time-varying stability analysis of linear systems with linear matrix inequalities

Aerospace attitude control systems are often modeled as time-varying linear systems. In industry, these systems are analyzed with linear time-invariant (LTI) methods by treating the system as slowly varying. Stability analysis with parameter dependent Lyapunov functions and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) enables the consideration of bounds on system parameters' rates of variation while accounting for time-varying behavior. The LMI criteria are adapted to predict robustness in time-varying systems. In a case study, stability envelopes are created for time-varying uncertain parameters in a spacecraft. The time-of-flight is divided into intervals and analyzed using typical trajectories of time-varying parameters. For the uncertain parameter combinations considered, LMI stability criteria deduce that the system is stable and possesses stability margins that meet or exceed requirements for the time intervals that can be approximated by linear system models

Novel control of cardiac myofilament response to calcium by S-glutathionylation at specific sites of myosin binding protein C

Our previous studies demonstrated a relation between glutathionylation of cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyBP-C) and diastolic dysfunction in a hypertensive mouse model stressed by treatment with salt, deoxycorticosterone acetate, and unilateral nephrectomy. Although these results strongly indicated an important role for S-glutathionylation of myosin binding protein C as a modifier of myofilament function, indirect effects of other post-translational modifications may have occurred. Moreover, we did not determine the sites of thiol modification by glutathionylation. To address these issues, we developed an in vitro method to mimic the in situ S-glutathionylation of myofilament proteins and determined direct functional effects and sites of oxidative modification employing Western blotting and mass spectrometry. We induced glutathionylation in vitro by treatment of isolated myofibrils and detergent extracted fiber bundles (skinned fibers) with oxidized glutathione (GSSG). Immuno-blotting results revealed increased glutathionylation with GSSG treatment of a protein band around 140 kDa. Using tandem mass spectrometry, we identified the 140 kDa band as cMyBP-C and determined the sites of glutathionylation to be at cysteines 655, 479, and 627. Determination of the relation between Ca(2+)-activation of myofibrillar acto-myosin ATPase rate demonstrated an increased Ca(2+)-sensitivity induced by the S-glutathionylation. Force generating skinned fiber bundles also showed an increase in Ca-sensitivity when treated with oxidized glutathione, which was reversed with the reducing agent, dithiothreitol (DTT). Our data demonstrate that a specific and direct effect of S-glutathionylation of myosin binding protein C is a significant increase in myofilament Ca(2+)-sensitivity. Our data also provide new insights into the functional significance of oxidative modification of myosin binding protein C and the potential role of domains not previously considered to be functionally significant as controllers of myofilament Ca(2+)-responsiveness and dynamics

Diffusion-Adoption of Personal Computers and the Internet in Farm Business Decisions: Southeastern Beef and Peanut Farmers

A survey was conducted during 1998 among two targeted segments of southeastern agriculture producers to evaluate questions about the effect of PC and Internet technology on farm operators\u27 business activities and agriculture decision making. Beef cattle producers in Alabama (320) and peanut producers (327) in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida were sampled. 647 questionnaires were mailed. The questionnaire was completed and returned by 241 farmers. The Diffusion-Adoption Model was employed to characterize farmers by stage in the technology adoption process. Farmers who use the Internet were examined for their frequency and nature of Internet use when making farm business decisions

Development and Assessment of Discrimination Exercises for Faculty Calibration in Preclinical Operative Dentistry

The aims of this study were to identify the level of interexaminer agreement among preclinical operative dentistry faculty members when grading Class II preparations performed by first-year dental students; to develop discrimination exercises for specific preparation components where interexaminer agreement was poor; and to evaluate if the discrimination exercises were able to improve inter- and intraexaminer agreement. In the preliminary phase of this study, 13 components of 32 Class II cavity preparations were assessed by eight course faculty members at one U.S. dental school. Analysis of average interexaminer agreement on these components revealed that six were below 60%. These were proximal contact clearance, retention groove placement, retention groove depth, preparation walls, preparation margins, and preparation toilet/debris. A 30-minute calibration session was subsequently developed to provide discrimination exercises utilizing 3-D models and digital images of various levels of student performance for five of the six components. Immediately following calibration, the course faculty assessed the same 32 preparations (Phase I) followed by a delayed assessment without calibration (Phase II) approximately six months later. The results showed that overall interexaminer reliability improved after calibration. Although there was a decline in interexaminer reliability after an interval of six months (Phase II), the degree of variation among examiners was lower than in the preliminary assessment. These findings support the use of discrimination exercises for preclinical operative dentistry course faculty to increase interexaminer agreement and thereby improve the consistency of faculty-student communication

NATO Code of Best Practice for C2 Assessment

This major revision to the Code of Best Practice (COBP) for C2 Assessment is the product of a NATO Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) sponsored Research Group (SAS-026). It represents over a decade of work by many of the best analysts from the NATO countries. A symposium (SAS-039) was hosted by the NATO Consultation Command Control Agency (NC3A) that provided the venue for a rigorous peer review of the code. This new version of the COBP for C2 assessment builds upon the initial version of the COBP produced by SAS-002. The earlier version focused on the analysis of ground forces at a tactical echelon in mid- to high-intensity conflicts. In developing this new version of the COBP, SAS-026 focused on a changed geopolitical context characterized by a shift from preoccupation with a war involving NATO and the Warsaw Pact to concern for a broad range of smaller military conflicts and Operations Other Than War (OOTW). This version also takes into account the impact of significantly improved information-related capabilities and their implications for reducing the fog and friction traditionally associated with conflict. Significantly reduced levels of fog and friction offer an opportunity for the military to develop new concepts of operations, new organizational forms, and new approaches to C2, as well as to the processes that support it. In addition, SAS-026 was cognizant that NATO operations are likely to include coalitions of the willing that might involve Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations, other partners outside of NATO, international organizations, and NGOs. Cost analyses continue to be excluded because they differ among NATO members, so no single approach would be appropriate. Advances in technology are expected to continue at an increasing rate and spur both sustaining and disruptive innovation in military organizations. It is to be expected that this COBP will need to be periodically revisited in light of these developments.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/msve_books/1012/thumbnail.jp

Adherence to the American Heart Association\u27s Life\u27s Essential 8 in Young African American Women

African American women have the highest burden of cardiovascular disease compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups. The American Heart Association (AHA) developed the Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) to promote ideal cardiovascular health. No known studies have examined adherence to the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 in young African American women. Based on AHA’s definitions of ideal cardiovascular health, we operationalized the LE8 strategies into a quantitative score and assessed young African American women\u27s adherence

Measuring Symmetry in Real-World Scenes Using Derivatives of the Medial Axis Radius Function

Symmetry has been shown to be an important principle that guides the grouping of scene information. Previously, we have described a method for measuring the local, ribbon symmetry content of line-drawings of real-world scenes (Rezanejad, et al., MODVIS 2017), and we demonstrated that this information has important behavioral consequences (Wilder, et al., MODIVS 2017). Here, we describe a continuous, local version of the symmetry measure, that allows for both ribbon and taper symmetry to be captured. Our original method looked at the difference in the radius between successive maximal discs along a symmetric axis. The number of radii differences in a local region that exceeded a threshold, normalized by the number of total differences, was used as the symmetry score at an axis point. We now use the derivative of the radius function along the symmetric axis between two contours, which allows for a continuous method of estimating the score which does not need a threshold. By replacing the first derivative with a second derivative, we can generalize this method to allow pairs of contours which taper with respect to one another, to express high symmetry. Such situations arise, for example, when parallel lines in the 3D world project onto a 2D image. This generalization will allow us to determine the relative importance of taper and ribbon symmetries in natural scenes