In the spring of 2013, a survey of California (CA) dairies was performed to characterize management practices related to bovine respiratory disease in preweaned calves, compare these practices across ...geographic regions of the state, and determine the principal components that explain the variability in management between herds. The questionnaire consisted of 53 questions divided into 6 sections to assess management practices affecting dairy calves from precalving to weaning. The questionnaire was mailed to 1,523grade A licensed dairies in CA and 224 responses (14.7%) were collected. Survey response rates were similar over the 3 defined regions of CA: northern CA, northern San Joaquin Valley, and the greater southern CA region. The mean size of respondent herds was 1,423 milking cows. Most dairies reported raising preweaned calves on-site (59.7%). In 93.3% of dairies, preweaned calves were raised in some form of individual housing. Nonsaleable milk was the most frequent liquid diet fed to preweaned heifers (75.2%). Several important differences were identified between calf-raising practices in CA and practices reported in recent nationwide studies, including herd sizes, housing practices, and sources of milk fed to heifers. The differences between the CA and nationwide studies may be explained by differences in herd size. Regional differences within CA were also identified. Compared with the 2 other regions, northern CA dairies were found to have smaller herds, less Holstein cattle, calves remained with dams for longer periods of time after calving, were more likely to be certified organic dairies, and raised their own calves more often. Principal component analysis was performed and identified 11 components composed of 28 variables (questions) that explained 66.5% of the variability in the data. The identified components and questions will contribute to developing a risk assessment tool for bovine respiratory disease in preweaned dairy calves.
Tension wood (TW) in hybrid aspen trees forms on the upper side of displaced stems to generate a strain that leads to uplifting of the stem. TW is characterized by increased cambial growth, reduced ...vessel frequency and diameter, and the presence of gelatinous, cellulose-rich (G-)fibers with its microfibrils oriented parallel to the fiber cell axis. Knowledge remains limited about the molecular regulators required for the development of this special xylem tissue with its characteristic morphological, anatomical, and chemical features. In this study, we use transgenic, ethylene-insensitive (ETI) hybrid aspen trees together with time-lapse imaging to show that functional ethylene signaling is required for full uplifting of inclined stems. X-ray diffraction and Raman microspectroscopy of TW in ETI trees indicate that, although G-fibers form, the cellulose microfibril angle in the G-fiber S-layer is decreased, and the chemical composition of S- and G-layers is altered than in wild-type TW. The characteristic asymmetric growth and reduction of vessel density is suppressed during TW formation in ETI trees. A genome-wide transcriptome profiling reveals ethylene-dependent genes in TW, related to cell division, cell wall composition, vessel differentiation, microtubule orientation, and hormone crosstalk. Our results demonstrate that ethylene regulates transcriptional responses related to the amount of G-fiber formation and their properties (chemistry and cellulose microfibril angle) during TW formation. The quantitative and qualitative changes in G-fibers are likely to contribute to uplifting of stems that are displaced from their original position.
This article examines two marine conservation projects from the Republic of Vanuatu, and seeks to contribute to the regional political ecology literature. I question whether Marine Protected Areas ...(MPA) or tabu eria lit. taboo area are the most effective tool for regulating inshore fisheries in the Pacific Islands. Tabu eria – customary/neo-traditional spatial-temporal marine closures – are regularly presented as socio-historically embedded practices that are more likely to succeed as a resource management tool than MPAs, which are often deemed to be an "outside" intervention promoted by western conservationists. The case studies demonstrate that the adoption of MPA rather than tabu does not always question the moral competence of local forms of knowing and doing. On the contrary, the local adoption of an MPA can be a strategic, local appropriation, e.g. to justify territorial claims, resource capture, and/or enhance regulatory sanctions. Examples foreground the analytical limits of 'local' and 'foreign', or a failure to properly address (and locate) human agency. The uncritical valorization of tabu eria as local and authentic shows the same prejudice that its advocates purport to critique. An MPA and tabu equally prioritize and naturalize the essentialist idea of 'the village-as-community’, (re)presenting 'the village' as homogenous and undifferentiated. In short, the reality on-the-ground reiterates that socio-historical specifics matter, and human agency can be difficult to identify. Categories such as MPA, tabu and 'community' obscure more than they reveal and can unintentionally erode, rather than enhance, marine conservation objectives.
Later first marriage and marital success Glenn, Norval D.; Uecker, Jeremy E.; Love, Robert W.B.
Social science research,
09/2010, Letnik:
39, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The research reported here used measures of marital success based on both marital survival and marital quality to assess how well first marriages entered at relatively late ages fare in comparison ...with those entered younger. Analysis of data from five American data sets indicated that the later marriages fare very well in survival but rather poorly in quality. The greatest indicated likelihood of being in an intact marriage of the highest quality is among those who married at ages 22–25, net of the estimated effects of time since first marriage and several variables that might commonly affect age at marriage and marital outcomes. The negative relationship beyond the early to mid-twenties between age at marriage and marital success is likely to be at least partially spurious, and thus it would be premature to conclude that the optimal time for first marriage for most persons is ages 22–25. However, the findings
do suggest that most persons have little or nothing to gain in the way of marital success by deliberately postponing marriage beyond the mid-twenties.
Antimicrobials play a critical role in treating cases of invasive non-typhoidal salmonellosis (iNTS) and other diseases, but efficacy is hindered by resistant pathogens. Selection for phenotypical ...resistance may occur via several mechanisms. The current study aims to identify correlations that would allow indirect selection of increased resistance to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin to improve antimicrobial stewardship. These are medically important antibiotics for treating iNTS, but these resistances persist in non-Typhi Salmonella serotypes even though they are not licensed for use in US food animals. A set of 2875 Salmonella enterica isolates collected from animal sources by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System were stratified in to 10 subpopulations based on serotype and host species. Collateral resistances in each subpopulation were estimated as network models of minimum inhibitory concentration partial correlations. Ceftriaxone sensitivity was correlated with other β-lactam resistances, and less commonly resistances to tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or kanamycin. Azithromycin resistance was frequently correlated with chloramphenicol resistance. Indirect selection for ciprofloxacin resistance via collateral selection appears unlikely. Density of the ACSSuT subgraph resistance aligned well with the phenotypical frequency. The current study identifies several important resistances in iNTS serotypes and further research is needed to identify the causative genetic correlations.
The enterohepatic circulation of bile acids is maintained by Na(+)-dependent transport mechanisms. To better understand these processes, a full-length human ileal Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter cDNA ...was identified using rapid amplification of cDNA ends and genomic cloning techniques. Using Northern blot analysis to determine its tissue expression, we readily detected the ileal Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter mRNA in terminal ileum and kidney. Direct cloning and mapping of the transcriptional start sites confirmed that the kidney cDNA was identical to the ileal Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter. In transiently transfected COS cells, ileal Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter-mediated taurocholate uptake was strictly Na+ dependent and chloride independent. Analysis of the substrate specificity in transfected COS or CHO cells showed that both conjugated and unconjugated bile acids are efficiently transported. When the inhibition constants for other potential substrates such as estrone-3-sulfate were determined, the ileal Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter exhibited a narrower substrate specificity than the related liver Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter. Whereas the multispecific liver Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter may participate in hepatic clearance of organic anion metabolites and xenobiotics, the ileal and renal Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter retains a narrow specificity for reclamation of bile acids.
Congenital dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare tumor with varying clinical presentations that is commonly misdiagnosed. Treatment of congenital DFSP is complicated by delays in diagnosis ...and its propensity for subclinical spread. Of 61 reported cases, 11 (18%) were treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and 46 (75%) were treated with wide local excision (WLE). One case was treated with imatinib, and the remaining 3 did not differentiate between receiving MMS or WLE. In the cases of congenital DFSP treated with MMS the clearance rate was 100% with an average follow-up of 4.3 years. The clearance rate seen with WLE was 89% with an average follow-up period of 1.9 years. The average margins taken during MMS (1.7 cm) were smaller than those taken with WLE (2.8 cm). Fifty percent of cases with available follow-up undergoing WLE required multiple surgeries. Based on superior cure rates with long-term follow-up, smaller surgical margins, and fewer surgical sessions, MMS should be considered as first-line treatment for congenital DFSP.
This pilot study investigated the relationships between stressors, work supports, and burnout among cancer nurses. One hundred and one registered nurses, employed at a major specialist oncology, ...metropolitan Australian hospital, completed self-report questionnaires measuring these constructs and provided responses to open-ended questions. The 50 listed stressors were experienced as sources of stress by more than 50% of the sample; most work support came from peers, rather than supervisor and organizational supports; and the overall level of burnout for the sample was moderate to low. Significant positive correlations were found between Stressors and the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a significant weak positive correlation between Peer Support and Personal Accomplishment (intensity). Findings are discussed in relation to developing strategies for reducing stress and burnout among cancer nurses, and directions for further study are suggested.