Establishment and Persistence of Yellow-Flowered Alfalfa No-Till Interseeded into Crested Wheatgrass Stands

Crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn., A. desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult., and related taxa] often exists in near monoculture stands in the northern Great Plains. Introducing locally adapted yellow-flowered alfalfa [Medicago sativa L. subsp. falcata (L.) Arcang.] would complement crested wheatgrass. Our objective was to evaluate effects of seeding date, clethodim {(E) -2-[1-[[(3-chloro-2-propenyl)oxy]imino] propyl]-5-[2-(ethylthio)propyl]-3-hydroxy-2-cyclohexen-1-one} sod suppression, and seeding rate on initial establishment and stand persistence of Falcata, a predominantly yellow-flowered alfalfa, no-till interseeded into crested wheatgrass. Research was initiated in August 2008 at Newcastle, WY; Hettinger, ND; Fruitdale, SD; and Buffalo, SD. Effects of treatment factors on plant frequency during initial establishment were influenced by site environments. Late summer and spring were suitable seeding dates. Clethodim sod suppression increased seedling frequency in most cases. Seedling frequency increased as seeding rate increased from 0.56 to 7.84 kg pure live seed (PLS) ha–1. Specific seeding dates, clethodim sod suppression, and high seeding rates did not greatly improve initial establishment when site environments were poor. Residual effects of seeding date and sod suppression post establishment were not significant at most locations, but seeding rate effects were evident. Initial establishment and persistence of Falcata alfalfa was successful at Newcastle, indicating that interseeding in late summer or spring using low seeding rates (≤3.36 kg PLS ha–1) without clethodim can be effective. Assessing grass canopy cover, soil texture, and management (e.g., haying) is necessary to determine the suitability of crested wheatgrass sites for interseeding

Genetic association of wool quality characteristics in United States Rambouillet sheep

Introduction: Fine wool production is an important source of revenue, accounting for up to 13% of total revenue in extensively managed wool sheep production systems of the United States. The Rambouillet are a predominant breed that excels in wool quality characteristics. Understanding the genetic basis of wool quality characteristics would aid in the development of genomic breeding strategies to facilitate genetic improvement.Methods: Wool characteristics and DNA were collected for rams enrolled in the North Dakota State University and University of Wyoming annual central performance ram tests over a three-year period (2019–2021, N = 313). The relationships of wool quality characteristics including grease fleece weight adjusted 365 days (wt. 365 adj.), clean fleece wt. 365 adj., staple length 365 adj., average fiber diameter, face wool cover, amount of skin wrinkles and belly wool were evaluated through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), Pearson correlation and ANOVA.Results: The GWAS identified four genome-wide significant genetic markers (p-value <1.19e-06) and five chromosome-wide significant markers (p-value <1.13e-05) on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 15, and 19. Significant markers were associated with genes notable for relevant wool biological functions, including the gene ABCC8 which codes for SUR1, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel known to affect hair growth and 60S ribosomal protein L17-like, previously found to be expressed during follicle formation. The strongest Pearson correlation coefficients were identified between clean fleece wt. 365 adj. and grease fleece wt. 365 adj. (r = 0.83) and between clean fleece wt. 365 adj. and staple length 365 adj. (r = 0.53). Additionally, clean fleece wt. 365 adj. was correlated with final body weight (r = 0.35) and scrotal circumference (r = 0.16). Staple length 365 adj. (p-value = 5e-04), average fiber diameter (p-value = .0053) and clean fleece wt. 365 adj. (p-value = .014) were significantly associated with belly wool score.Discussion: The results of this study provide important insight into the relationships between wool quality characteristics and report specific markers that Rambouillet sheep producers may use to help inform selection and breeding decisions for improved wool quality

Genetic diversity of United States Rambouillet, Katahdin and Dorper sheep

Background Managing genetic diversity is critically important for maintaining species fitness. Excessive homozygosity caused by the loss of genetic diversity can have detrimental effects on the reproduction and production performance of a breed. Analysis of genetic diversity can facilitate the identification of signatures of selection which may contribute to the specific characteristics regarding the health, production and physical appearance of a breed or population. In this study, breeds with well-characterized traits such as fine wool production (Rambouillet, N = 745), parasite resistance (Katahdin, N = 581) and environmental hardiness (Dorper, N = 265) were evaluated for inbreeding, effective population size (Ne), runs of homozygosity (ROH) and Wright’s fixation index ( FST) outlier approach to identify differential signatures of selection at 36,113 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Results Katahdin sheep had the largest current Ne at the most recent generation estimated with both the GONe and NeEstimator software. The most highly conserved ROH Island was identified in Rambouillet with a signature of selection on chromosome 6 containing 202 SNPs called in an ROH in 50 to 94% of the individuals. This region contained the DCAF16, LCORL and NCAPG genes that have been previously reported to be under selection and have biological roles related to milk production and growth traits. The outlier regions identified through the FST comparisons of Katahdin with Rambouillet and Dorper contained genes with known roles in milk production and mastitis resistance or susceptibility, and the FST comparisons of Rambouillet with Katahdin and Dorper identified genes related to wool growth, suggesting these traits have been under natural or artificial selection pressure in these populations. Genes involved in the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways were identified in all FST breed comparisons, which indicates the presence of allelic diversity between these breeds in genomic regions controlling cytokine signaling mechanisms. Conclusions In this paper, we describe signatures of selection within diverse and economically important U.S. sheep breeds. The genes contained within these signatures are proposed for further study to understand their relevance to biological traits and improve understanding of breed diversity

The SLUGGS Survey: stellar kinematics, kinemetry and trends at large radii in 25 early-type galaxies

Due to longer dynamical time-scales, the outskirts of early-type galaxies retain the footprint of their formation and assembly. Under the popular two-phase galaxy formation scenario, an initial in situ phase of star formation is followed by minor merging and accretion of ex situ stars leading to the expectation of observable transitions in the kinematics and stellar populations on large scales. However, observing the faint galactic outskirts is challenging, often leaving the transition unexplored. The large-scale, spatially resolved stellar kinematic data from the SAGES Legacy Unifying Galaxies and GlobularS (SLUGGS) survey are ideal for detecting kinematic transitions. We present kinematic maps out to 2.6 effective radii on average, kinemetry profiles, measurement of kinematic twists and misalignments, and the average outer intrinsic shape of 25 SLUGGS galaxies. We find good overall agreement in the kinematic maps and kinemetry radial profiles with literature. We are able to confirm significant radial modulations in rotational versus pressure support of galaxies with radius so that the central and outer rotational properties may be quite different. We also test the suggestion that galaxies may be more triaxial in their outskirts and find that while fast rotating galaxies were already shown to be axisymmetric in their inner regions, we are unable to rule out triaxiality in their outskirts.We compare our derived outer kinematic information to model predictions from a two-phase galaxy formation scenario. We find that the theoretical range of local outer angular momentum agrees well with our observations, but that radial modulations are much smaller than predicted

Non-Invasive Mapping of the Gastrointestinal Microbiota Identifies Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background: Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is challenging to diagnose because of the non-specificity of symptoms; an unequivocal diagnosis can only be made using colonoscopy, which clinicians are reluctant to recommend for children. Diagnosis of pediatric IBD is therefore frequently delayed, leading to inappropriate treatment plans and poor outcomes. We investigated the use of 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples and new analytical methods to assess differences in the microbiota of children with IBD and other gastrointestinal disorders. Methodology/Principal Findings: We applied synthetic learning in microbial ecology (SLiME) analysis to 16S sequencing data obtained from i) published surveys of microbiota diversity in IBD and ii) fecal samples from 91 children and young adults who were treated in the gastroenterology program of Children’s Hospital (Boston, USA). The developed method accurately distinguished control samples from those of patients with IBD; the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) value was 0.83 (corresponding to 80.3% sensitivity and 69.7% specificity at a set threshold). The accuracy was maintained among data sets collected by different sampling and sequencing methods. The method identified taxa associated with disease states and distinguished patients with Crohn’s disease from those with ulcerative colitis with reasonable accuracy. The findings were validated using samples from an additional group of 68 patients; the validation test identified patients with IBD with an AUC value of 0.84 (e.g. 92% sensitivity, 58.5% specificity). Conclusions/Significance: Microbiome-based diagnostics can distinguish pediatric patients with IBD from patients with similar symptoms. Although this test can not replace endoscopy and histological examination as diagnostic tools, classification based on microbial diversity is an effective complementary technique for IBD detection in pediatric patients.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Award NSERC PGS D)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (1-R21-A1084032-01A1

Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Deployed US Male Marines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Combat exposure has been reported as one of the strongest risk factors for postdeployment posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military service members. Determining the impact of specific deployment-related exposures on the risk of developing PTSD has not been fully explored. Our study objective was to explore the relationship between specific combat exposures and other life experiences with postdeployment PTSD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study consisted of male Marines who completed a Recruit Assessment Program (RAP) survey during recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California as well as a follow-up survey several years after recruit training. Study participants included those Marines who deployed to the current operations in Iraq or Afghanistan between the baseline and follow-up surveys. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine which significant exposures and experiences were associated with postdeployment PTSD.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 706 study participants, 10.8% screened positive for postdeployment PTSD. Those who reported feeling in great danger of death (odds ratio [OR] = 4.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.46-8.73), were shot or seriously injured (OR = 3.51, 95% CI: 1.58-7.77), saw someone wounded or killed (OR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.08-5.67), and baseline (before recruit training) prior violence exposures (OR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.46-6.10) were at increased odds for reporting PTSD symptoms. Number of deployments, number of close friends or relatives reported at follow-up, and enlisted pay grade were also significantly associated with postdeployment PTSD.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Combat exposures, specifically the threat of death, serious injury, and witnessing injury or death are significant risk factors for screening positive for postdeployment PTSD among male Marines as well as violence exposures prior to entering the Marine Corps, which are independent of future combat exposures. A thorough history of lifetime violence exposures should be pursued when considering a clinical diagnosis of PTSD.</p

Physiological Adaptations to Progressive Endurance Exercise Training in Adult and Aged Rats: Insights from the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC)

While regular physical activity is a cornerstone of health, wellness, and vitality, the impact of endurance exercise training on molecular signaling within and across tissues remains to be delineated. The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) was established to characterize molecular networks underlying the adaptive response to exercise. Here, we describe the endurance exercise training studies undertaken by the Preclinical Animal Sites Studies component of MoTrPAC, in which we sought to develop and implement a standardized endurance exercise protocol in a large cohort of rats. To this end, Adult (6-mo) and Aged (18-mo) female (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;151) and male (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;143) Fischer 344 rats were subjected to progressive treadmill training (5 d/wk, ∼70%-75% VO2max) for 1, 2, 4, or 8 wk; sedentary rats were studied as the control group. A total of 18 solid tissues, as well as blood, plasma, and feces, were collected to establish a publicly accessible biorepository and for extensive omics-based analyses by MoTrPAC. Treadmill training was highly effective, with robust improvements in skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity in as little as 1-2 wk and improvements in maximum run speed and maximal oxygen uptake by 4-8 wk. For body mass and composition, notable age- and sex-dependent responses were observed. This work in mature, treadmill-trained rats represents the most comprehensive and publicly accessible tissue biorepository, to date, and provides an unprecedented resource for studying temporal-, sex-, and age-specific responses to endurance exercise training in a preclinical rat model

Genetic Networks of Liver Metabolism Revealed by Integration of Metabolic and Transcriptional Profiling

Although numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing disease-related phenotypes have been detected through gene mapping and positional cloning, identification of the individual gene(s) and molecular pathways leading to those phenotypes is often elusive. One way to improve understanding of genetic architecture is to classify phenotypes in greater depth by including transcriptional and metabolic profiling. In the current study, we have generated and analyzed mRNA expression and metabolic profiles in liver samples obtained in an F2 intercross between the diabetes-resistant C57BL/6 leptinob/ob and the diabetes-susceptible BTBR leptinob/ob mouse strains. This cross, which segregates for genotype and physiological traits, was previously used to identify several diabetes-related QTL. Our current investigation includes microarray analysis of over 40,000 probe sets, plus quantitative mass spectrometry-based measurements of sixty-seven intermediary metabolites in three different classes (amino acids, organic acids, and acyl-carnitines). We show that liver metabolites map to distinct genetic regions, thereby indicating that tissue metabolites are heritable. We also demonstrate that genomic analysis can be integrated with liver mRNA expression and metabolite profiling data to construct causal networks for control of specific metabolic processes in liver. As a proof of principle of the practical significance of this integrative approach, we illustrate the construction of a specific causal network that links gene expression and metabolic changes in the context of glutamate metabolism, and demonstrate its validity by showing that genes in the network respond to changes in glutamine and glutamate availability. Thus, the methods described here have the potential to reveal regulatory networks that contribute to chronic, complex, and highly prevalent diseases and conditions such as obesity and diabetes

Market Exchange and the Rule of Law:Confidence in predictability

Law and economics is a significant field of analysis in legal studies and in economics, although there have been a number of controversies about how best to understand the relationship between economic relations and the regulatory role of law. Rather than surveying this field and offering a criticism of various theories and engaging in the dispute between different perspectives on the relationship between the two, in this article I take an approach rooted in neither mainstream economics nor in formal legal philosophy. Rather drawing on a recent well-rounded statement of behavioural economics and a synthesis of previous work on the narrative of the rule of law, I seek to explore how and why contemporary capitalism seems to have become so tied up with the rule of law, and what this might tell us more generally about the role of law in market relations. This analysis goes beyond the relatively commonplace observation that capitalism requires property rights, contract law and market institutionalisation to function, to ask ‘what exactly is it about the rule of law that seems so necessary to establishing and maintaining market exchange(s)?