An Analysis of materials suitable for use as a pitfall trap in a desert environment

The purpose of this study is to identify a type of pitfall trap container that can withstand the temperature extremes of the Mojave Desert in which the terrestrial, or above ground, drift fence with pitfall traps will be utilized for trapping reptiles. A pitfall trap is a container, such as a plastic bucket with a plastic lid, that is buried in the ground up to the lip of the bucket and used to catch small ground dwelling fauna that fall into the trap. Many different pitfall trap materials have been utilized in the trapping of small ground-dwelling fauna. Plastic has been the most common material used in pitfall trap containers, or buckets, in many different climates around the world. However, plastic is probably a very inefficient material for pitfall trap containers utilized in a desert environment due to extremely dry conditions and extreme temperature fluctuations. Pitfall trap containers have been used for trapping small ground-dwelling fauna in many regions of the world. Plastic pitfall trap containers have been a common trapping method utilized for trapping small ground-dwelling fauna. Plastic buckets and other containers are used in reptile surveys in order for scientists to survey the health and well being of individual reptiles. Reptiles are examined, weighed and measured

Opportunities for Meeting Educational Needs of Aging Adults: Listening to Limited-Resource Older Homeowners

We present descriptive findings from a North Carolina study of 30 limited-resource older homeowners who want to age in place, and we relate those findings to opportunities for outreach education. We grouped the findings from extensive participant interviews into five key areas. For two of those areas—health conditions and financial situation—critical educational content is needed. In addition, by understanding issues and attitudes related to the other key areas—neighborhood, family, and church/religion—Extension and other outreach professionals can develop and market educational programs that better address older adults\u27 needs

Estimation of additive and dominance effects of a mutant glutathione S-transferase gene on anthocyanin content in muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia)

The skin color of muscadine grapes (Vitis rotundifolia) is typically classified as black or bronze. A glutathione S-transferase, VrunGST4, has been identified as a candidate gene for berry skin color in muscadine grapes. A molecular marker was developed within VrunGST4 to distinguish between muscadine genotypes (cultivars and selections) with bronze (T:T), heterozygote black (C:T), and homozygote black (C:C) berries. The objectives of this study were to determine whether there was a correlation between berry skin color and total anthocyanin content and to calculate additive and dominance effects of VrunGST4 in determining total anthocyanins in the berries of two biparental F1 muscadine populations with the intragenic VrunGST4 marker. No correlation was found between the berry skin color measurements of hue and lightness and anthocyanin content of black-fruited genotypes in either population. However, there was a slight correlation (r = 0.64) between anthocyanin content and chroma in one of the populations. There was no difference in total anthocyanin content of homozygote black (C:C) and heterozygote black (C:T) genotypes in either population, indicating that VrunGST4 had completely dominant gene action. The total anthocyanin content of the berry skins from black-fruited genotypes in one population was approximately four times greater than black-fruited genotypes in our other population. This finding suggests that other genetic loci may contribute to variation in total anthocyanin content in black-fruited muscadine grapes

A bacterial sulfonolipid triggers multicellular development in the closest living relatives of animals

Bacterially-produced small molecules exert profound influences on animal health, morphogenesis, and evolution through poorly understood mechanisms. In one of the closest living relatives of animals, the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta, we find that rosette colony development is induced by the prey bacterium Algoriphagus machipongonensis and its close relatives in the Bacteroidetes phylum. Here we show that a rosette inducing factor (RIF-1) produced by A. machipongonensis belongs to the small class of sulfonolipids, obscure relatives of the better known sphingolipids that play important roles in signal transmission in plants, animals, and fungi. RIF-1 has extraordinary potency (femtomolar, or $10^{−15}$ M) and S. rosetta can respond to it over a broad dynamic range—nine orders of magnitude. This study provides a prototypical example of bacterial sulfonolipids triggering eukaryotic morphogenesis and suggests molecular mechanisms through which bacteria may have contributed to the evolution of animals

Sequential and Batch Processing Methods of the EBP Learning Algorithm

Placental abnormalities can cause Pregnancy-Associated Disorders, including preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and placental insufficiency, resulting in complications for both the mother and fetus. Trophoblast cells within the labyrinthine layer of the placenta facilitate the exchange of nutrients, gases, and waste between mother and fetus; therefore, the development of this cell layer is critical for fetal development. As trophoblast cells differentiate, it is assumed their metabolism changes with their energy requirements. We hypothesize that proper regulation of trophoblast metabolism is a key component of normal placental development; therefore, we examined the role of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK, PRKAA1/2), a sensor of cellular energy status. Our previous studies have shown that AMPK knockdown alters both trophoblast differentiation and nutrient transport. In this study, AMPKα1/2 shRNA was used to investigate the metabolic effects of AMPK knockdown on SM10 placental labyrinthine progenitor cells before and after differentiation. Extracellular flux analysis confirmed that AMPK knockdown was sufficient to reduce trophoblast glycolysis, mitochondrial respiration, and ATP coupling efficiency. A reduction in AMPK in differentiated trophoblasts also resulted in increased mitochondrial volume. These data indicate that a reduction in AMPK disrupts cellular metabolism in both progenitors and differentiated placental trophoblasts. This disruption correlates to abortive trophoblast differentiation that may contribute to the development of Pregnancy-Associated Disorders

Etiology of Severe Non-malaria Febrile Illness in Northern Tanzania: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The syndrome of fever is a commonly presenting complaint among persons seeking healthcare in low-resource areas, yet the public health community has not approached fever in a comprehensive manner. In many areas, malaria is over-diagnosed, and patients without malaria have poor outcomes. We prospectively studied a cohort of 870 pediatric and adult febrile admissions to two hospitals in northern Tanzania over the period of one year using conventional standard diagnostic tests to establish fever etiology. Malaria was the clinical diagnosis for 528 (60.7%), but was the actual cause of fever in only 14 (1.6%). By contrast, bacterial, mycobacterial, and fungal bloodstream infections accounted for 85 (9.8%), 14 (1.6%), and 25 (2.9%) febrile admissions, respectively. Acute bacterial zoonoses were identified among 118 (26.2%) of febrile admissions; 16 (13.6%) had brucellosis, 40 (33.9%) leptospirosis, 24 (20.3%) had Q fever, 36 (30.5%) had spotted fever group rickettsioses, and 2 (1.8%) had typhus group rickettsioses. In addition, 55 (7.9%) participants had a confirmed acute arbovirus infection, all due to chikungunya. No patient had a bacterial zoonosis or an arbovirus infection included in the admission differential diagnosis. Malaria was uncommon and over-diagnosed, whereas invasive infections were underappreciated. Bacterial zoonoses and arbovirus infections were highly prevalent yet overlooked. An integrated approach to the syndrome of fever in resource-limited areas is needed to improve patient outcomes and to rationally target disease control efforts

Association between infection early in life and mental disorders among youth in the community: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objective of this study was to examine the association between infection early in life and mental disorders among youth in the community.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were drawn from the MECA (Methods in Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent psychopathology), a community-based study of 1,285 youth in the United States conducted in 1992. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between parent/caregiver-reported infection early in life and DSM/DISC diagnoses of mental disorders at ages 9-17.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Infection early in life was associated with a significantly increased odds of major depression (OR = 3.9), social phobia (OR = 5.8), overanxious disorder (OR = 6.1), panic disorder (OR = 12.1), and oppositional defiant disorder (OR = 3.7).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings are consistent with and extend previous results by providing new evidence suggesting a link between infection early in life and increased risk of depression and anxiety disorders among youth. These results should be considered preliminary. Replication of these findings with longitudinal epidemiologic data is needed. Possible mechanisms are discussed.</p

Detection of Galaxy Cluster Motions with the Kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

Using high-resolution microwave sky maps made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, we for the first time detect motions of galaxy clusters and groups via microwave background .temperature distortions due to the kinematic Sunyaev.Zel'dovich effect. Galaxy clusters are identified by their constituent luminous galaxies observed by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III. The mean pairwise momentum of clusters is measured. at a statistical. significance of 3.8 sigma, and the signal is consistent with the growth of cosmic structure in the standard model of cosmolog

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmological Parameters from Three Seasons of Data

We present constraints on cosmological and astrophysical parameters from highresolution microwave background maps at 148 GHz and 218 GHz made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in three seasons of observations from 2008 to 2010. A model of primary cosmological and secondary foreground parameters is fit to the map power spectra and lensing deflection power spectrum, including contributions from both the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) effect and the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect, Poisson and correlated anisotropy from unresolved infrared sources, radio sources, and the correlation between the tSZ effect and infrared sources. The power l(sup 2)C(sub l)/2pi of the thermal SZ power spectrum at 148 GHz is measured to be 3.4 +/- 1.4 micro-K(sup 2) at l = 3000, while the corresponding amplitude of the kinematic SZ power spectrum has a 95% confidence level upper limit of 8.6 micro-K(sup 2). Combining ACT power spectra with the WMAP 7-year temperature and polarization power spectra, we find excellent consistency with the LCDM model. We constrain the number of effective relativistic degrees of freedom in the early universe to be N(sub eff) = 2.79 +/- 0.56, in agreement with the canonical value of N(sub eff) = 3.046 for three massless neutrinos. We constrain the sum of the neutrino masses to be sigma(m) is less than 0.39 eV at 95% confidence when combining ACT and WMAP 7-year data with BAO and Hubble constant measurements. We constrain the amount of primordial helium to be Y(sub p) = 0.225 +/- 0.034, and measure no variation in the fine structure constant alpha since recombination, with alpha/alpha(sub 0) = 1.004 +/- 0.005. We also find no evidence for any running of the scalar spectral index, derivative(n(sub s))/derivative(ln k) = 0.004 +/- 0.012