Transplanting Mature Mountain Big Sagebrush Plants Yields High First-Year Survival in Dryland Pasture Restoration

Approximately 10-20% of global dryland ecosystems are severely degraded, an amount that is expected to increase, threatening the environment and ecosystem services that 38% of the global population relies upon. Human activities such as agriculture, livestock grazing, mining and urban development have contributed to the degradation and loss of rangelands worldwide. A need for reestablishing sagebrush in disturbed landscapes across the Western United States, including dryland pastures, has been identified but traditional, primarily seeding-based, restoration methods have largely been unsuccessful. To improve restoration outcomes, there has been increased interest in the planting of containerized greenhouse “tubelings”, but transplanting of mature plants, “wildlings”, remains relatively unexplored. Survival of tubelings vs. wildlings and under what conditions these techniques might be suitable are unclear. Here we tested establishment of mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. vaseyana) from planting tubelings vs. wildlings. Research was conducted in southeastern Idaho where vegetation was dominated by two non-native grasses which are a concern for land managers. Following seedbed preparation and application of herbicide, the study area was drill-seeded with a mix of rangeland grasses and forbs. We then established thirty-six research plots, each of which received one of three sagebrush establishment methods: tubelings vs. wildlings, plus seeding for comparison over the long term. Another six plots were established as controls (no sagebrush). In addition to assessing planting quality and frost heaving at the time of planting, we recorded plant survival the summer and fall after planting, as well as other measures such as percent green leaves present, plant height, physical damage, and reproduction. Survival of wildlings one year after planting was significantly higher than that of tubelings (92% and 17% respectively). Tubeling mortality had a significant association with the poor planting variable (e.g., exposed roots or air pockets in the soil), indicating that quality of planting performed by vegetation crews needs to be more closely examined. The results of this study illustrate that wildlings can yield very high one-year survival rates (especially compared to tubelings) and suggest that, when conditions are appropriate, wildlings may be a more cost-effective method for establishing sagebrush

Developmental profiles of infants with an FMR1 premutation

Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests that a subset of FMR1 premutation carriers is at an increased risk for cognitive, emotional, and medical conditions. However, because the premutation is rarely diagnosed at birth, the early developmental trajectories of children with a premutation are not known. Methods This exploratory study examined the cognitive, communication, and social-behavioral profiles of 26 infants with a premutation who were identified through participation in a newborn screening for fragile X syndrome pilot study. In this study, families whose newborn screened positive for an FMR1 premutation were invited to participate in a longitudinal study of early development. Twenty-six infants with the premutation and 21 matched, screen-negative comparison babies were assessed using validated standardized measures at 6-month intervals starting as young as 3 months of age. The babies were assessed up to seven times over a 4-year period. Results The premutation group was not statistically different from the comparison group on measures of cognitive development, adaptive behavior, temperament, or overall communication. However, the babies with the premutation had a significantly different developmental trajectory on measures of nonverbal communication and hyperresponsivity to sensory experiences. They also were significantly more hyporesponsive at all ages than the comparison group. Cytosine-guanine-guanine repeat length was linearly associated with overall cognitive development. Conclusions These results suggest that infants with a premutation may present with subtle developmental differences as young as 12 months of age that may be early markers of later anxiety, social deficits, or other challenges thought to be experienced by a subset of carriers

Examination of the Potential Association of Stress with Morbidity and Mortality Outcomes in Patient with Heart Failure

OBJECTIVES: The high mortality and morbidity rates associated with heart failure are still not well explained. A few psychosocial factors have been studied and explain some of this risk, but other factors, like stress, remain largely unexplored in heart failure. This study aimed to (1) examine the association of stress with 6-month cardiac event-free survival, (2) examine the relationship of stress with salivary cortisol, and (3) examine the association of salivary cortisol level with 6-month cardiac event-free survival. METHOD: A total of 81 heart failure patients participated. Stress was measured using the brief Perceived Stress Scale. Cortisol was measured from unstimulated whole expectorated saliva. Cox regression analyses were used to determine whether stress predicted event-free survival, and if salivary cortisol predicted event-free survival. Linear and multiple regressions were used to determine the association of stress with salivary cortisol. RESULTS: Stress was not a significant predictor of event-free survival in heart failure (heart rate = 1.06; 95% confidence interval = 0.95-1.81; p = 0.32). Salivary cortisol was a significant predictor of event-free survival in the unadjusted model (heart rate = 2.30; 95% confidence interval = 0.99-5.927; p = 0.05), but not in the adjusted model. Stress (β 1.06; 95% confidence interval = 0.95-1.18; p = 0.32) was not a significant predictor of salivary cortisol level. CONCLUSION: Stress is a complex phenomenon, and our measure of stress may not have captured it well. Alternatively, the physical stressors acting in heart failure produce levels of neurohormonal activation that mask the effects of psychosocial stressors or an indirect association of stress with outcomes that is mediated through another construct. Future studies are needed to investigate stress in patients with heart failure to provide definitive answers

The Iowa Homemaker vol.1, no.7

Table of Contents The Yea and Nay of Newspaper Work for Women by Helen Easter, page 1 Facts About the Feeding of Young Children by Belle Lowe, page 2 An Inventory of Skill for the Honest Homewife by Elizabeth Storm, page 3 Who Waits on Your Table? by Beth Bailey, page 4 My First Flight in the Pursuit of Beauty by Eda Lord Murphy, page 4 A New Cure for the “Run-Down” Housewife by Carrie Plunkett, page 5 A Pattern in Hot Lunch Service for Rural Schools by Grace McIlrath, page 6 The Reason for the Addled Egg by C. H. Plunkett, page 7 Short Cuts in Sewing by Helen Easter, page 1

Improving the efficacy of selenium fertilizers for wheat biofortification

© 2019, The Author(s). Increasing the selenium (Se) concentration of staple crops by fertilization is a valuable pathway to increase Se in the human diet, thus preventing Se deficiency. A pot trial was set up to investigate whether the application of 3.33 µg kg−1 of Se (equivalent to 10 g ha−1) to wheat can be made more efficient by its co-application with macronutrient carriers, either to the soil or to the leaves. In the soil, Se was applied either on its own (selenate only) or as a granular, Se-enriched macronutrient fertilizer supplying nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or sulfur. Selenium was also applied to leaves at head emergence with, or without, 2% w/v N fertilizers. With grain Se concentrations varying from 0.13–0.84 mg kg−1, soil application of selenate-only was 2–15 times more effective than granular Se-enriched macronutrient fertilizers in raising grain Se concentrations. Co-application of foliar Se with an N carrier doubled the Se concentration in wheat grains compared to the application of foliar Se on its own, the majority of which was in the highly bioavailable selenomethionine fraction. Results from this study demonstrate the possibility of improving the efficacy of Se fertilizers, which could enrich crops with Se without additional application costs in the field

Male Circumcision in the General Population of Kisumu, Kenya: Beliefs about Protection, Risk Behaviors, HIV, and STIs

Using a population-based survey we examined the behaviors, beliefs, and HIV/HSV-2 serostatus of men and women in the traditionally non-circumcising community of Kisumu, Kenya prior to establishment of voluntary medical male circumcision services. A total of 749 men and 906 women participated. Circumcision status was not associated with HIV/HSV-2 infection nor increased high risk sexual behaviors. In males, preference for being or becoming circumcised was associated with inconsistent condom use and increased lifetime number of sexual partners. Preference for circumcision was increased with understanding that circumcised men are less likely to become infected with HIV

Biallelic somatic SMARCA4 mutations in small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT).

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) is a rare, aggressive tumor that primarily affects young women. SCCOHT has recently been identified as a monogenic disorder caused by germline and/or somatic SMARCA4 mutations. We describe a 15-year-old Caucasian female with a SCCOHT harboring a previously unreported somatic mutation in the SMARCA4 gene (c.1757delA; p.K586.fs) with loss of heterozygosity. No germline mutation was identified. Subsequent immunohistochemical staining confirmed loss of SMARCA4 protein. These molecular findings will aid with SCCOHT diagnosis through immunohistochemical staining for SMARCA4 and in the future may have implications for the management of this disease.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pbc.25279/abstract