This study utilized a chicken model of chronic physiological stress mediated by corticosterone (CORT) administration to ascertain how various host metrics are altered upon challenge with
. Necrotic ...enteritis (NE) is a disease of the small intestine of chickens incited by
, which can result in elevated morbidity and mortality. The objective of the current study was to investigate how physiological stress alters host responses and predisposes birds to subclinical NE.
Birds administered CORT exhibited higher densities of
in their intestine, and this corresponded to altered production of intestinal mucus. Characterization of mucus showed that
treatment altered the relative abundance of five glycans. Birds inoculated with
did not exhibit evidence of acute morbidity. However, histopathologic changes were observed in the small intestine of infected birds. Birds administered CORT showed altered gene expression of tight junction proteins (i.e.
and
) and toll-like receptors (i.e.
and
) in the small intestine. Moreover, birds administered CORT exhibited increased expression of
and
-
in the spleen, and
,
,
,
, and
in the thymus. Body weight gain was impaired only in birds that were administered CORT and challenged with
.
CORT administration modulated a number of host functions, which corresponded to increased densities of
in the small intestine and weight gain impairment in chickens. Importantly, results implicate physiological stress as an important predisposing factor to NE, which emphasizes the importance of managing stress to optimize chicken health.
On the use of SRIM for computing radiation damage exposure Stoller, R.E.; Toloczko, M.B.; Was, G.S. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms,
09/2013, Volume:
310
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The SRIM (formerly TRIM) Monte Carlo simulation code is widely used to compute a number of parameters relevant to ion beam implantation and ion beam processing of materials. It also has the ...capability to compute a common radiation damage exposure unit known as atomic displacements per atom (dpa). Since dpa is a standard measure of primary radiation damage production, most researchers who employ ion beams as a tool for inducing radiation damage in materials use SRIM to determine the dpa associated with their irradiations. The use of SRIM for this purpose has been evaluated and comparisons have been made with an internationally-recognized standard definition of dpa, as well as more detailed atomistic simulations of atomic displacement cascades. Differences between the standard and SRIM-based dpa are discussed and recommendations for future usage of SRIM in radiation damage studies are made. In particular, it is recommended that when direct comparisons between ion and neutron data are intended, the Kinchin–Pease option of SRIM should be selected.
Anticipating and managing the impacts of sea‐level rise for nations astride active tectonic margins requires understanding of rates of sea surface elevation change in relation to coastal land ...elevation. Vertical land motion (VLM) can either exacerbate or reduce sea‐level changes with impacts varying significantly along a coastline. Determining rate, pattern, and variability of VLM near coasts leads to a direct improvement of location‐specific relative sea level (RSL) estimates for coastal hazard risk assessment. Here, we utilize vertical velocity field from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, calibrated with campaign and continuous Global Navigation Satellite System data, to determine the VLM for the entire coastline of New Zealand. Guided by available knowledge of the seismic cycle, the VLM data infer secular, interseismic rates of land surface deformation. Using the Framework for Assessing Changes to Sea‐level (FACTS), we build probabilistic RSL projections using the same emissions scenarios employed in IPCC Assessment Report 6 and local VLM data at 8,179 sites, thereby enhancing spatial coverage that was previously limited to four tide gauges. We present ensembles of probability distributions of RSL for each scenario to 2150, and for low confidence sea‐level processes to 2300. Where land subsidence is occurring at rates >2 mm/y VLM makes a significant contribution to RSL projections for all scenarios out to 2150. Our approach can be applied to similar locations across the world and has significant implications for adaptation planning, as timing of threshold exceedance for coastal inundation can be brought forward (or delayed) by decades.
Plain Language Summary
This study outlines an approach for deriving probabilistic projections of relative sea‐level change that account for changes in land surface elevation continuously along a coastline. Previous sea‐level projections that included vertical land movements (VLMs) were restricted to tide gauge locations. To provide spatial‐resolution required by practitioners for effective adaptation planning, we have combined elevations measured using satellite radar data with measurements from land‐based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers to build a continuous VLM database showing land uplift and subsidence (sinking) for the entire coastline of New Zealand. We integrate these data into probabilistic sea‐level projection methodology used in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 6 (AR6) for the range of future climate scenarios. Our approach could be applied to any region of the world where the coastline is affected by VLM due to secular tectonic deformation. Downward land movement >2 mm/y makes a significant contribution in sea‐level projections for all climate scenarios out to the end of this century. This means that adaptation planning decision thresholds, such as those linked to the impacts of coastal flooding and inundation, may be brought forward by decades.
Key Points
Anticipating impacts of sea‐level rise for active tectonic margins requires location‐specific knowledge of vertical land movement (VLM)
VLM from geodetic measurements integrated with IPCC AR6 projections to provide probabilistic RSL estimates for dynamic coastlines
Downward VLM > 2 mm/y makes a significant contribution to RSL projections bringing forward adaptation decision thresholds by decades
Conservation agriculture has been marketed to producers as a sustainable way to increase soil productivity and buffer the effects of anticipated fluctuations in both climate and the price of fuel and ...fertilizer. Despite US Farm Bill financial incentives promoting the use of conservation practices such as no-tillage and cover crops among producers, widescale adoption of cover crops in the US remains low. Implementing no-tillage and cover crop use may take years of consistent management to show measurable soil quality improvement. Conversely, costs associated with cover crop planting and management must be incurred immediately and before the accrual of any benefits. Current research has largely focused on the soil quality benefits of cover crops without considering the short-term implementation costs for producers comparing their current production systems to conservation systems they may adopt. To help fill this knowledge gap, soil properties, cash crop yield, and annual production costs were evaluated in a three-year maize /soybean study comparing a conservation system to a conventional production system in Mississippi from 2016 to 2018. The conventional system included frequent tillage and control of winter weeds with a residual soil herbicide (conv. till + bare). We compared five different levels of conservation systems, including a conservation system with no-tillage and cover crops (no-till + cover). We found a lack of consistent improvement in soil properties such as soil organic matter increase or crop yield in the conservation system over the three-year period. The economic benefits of substituting no-tillage and cover crops for expensive conventional inputs were much greater than the modest soil property improvements observed from 2016 to 2018 crops. Though crop yields varied, the cost of cash crop production in the conservation system (no-till + cover) was 43% less than the cost of the conventional system ($29.67 per Mg of crop yield in the conv. till + bare to $17.04 per Mg of crop yield in the no-till + cover system), highlighting a short-term economic incentive for producers to switch to conservation agriculture. The greatest resource benefit from the conservation system was a reduction in estimated soil loss, as mean soil loss in no-till and cover crop decreased by 86% compared to the conventional system (3.5–25.1 t ha-1). These results demonstrate that conservation agriculture has the potential to decrease overall production cost while decreasing the risk of accelerated soil erosion during expected weather extremes associated with climate change, potentially making both farming operations and agroecosystems more resilient.
Display omitted
•Cover crops and no-tillage did not significantly increase soil organic matter in the short term (3 years).•No-till with cover crops cost less than conventional till left bare.•No-till reduced soil loss more than cover crops.•Cover crops did not fully mitigate soil loss in tilled systems.
This article describes a newly recognized highly malignant neoplastic entity in young bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas, which readily metastasize. Ten bearded ...dragons with histories of anorexia (8), vomiting (3), hyperglycemia (2), and anemia (3) were included in this study. All animals had neoplastic masses in their stomach, with metastasis to the liver. Microscopically, 6 of these neuroendocrine carcinomas were well-differentiated and 4 were poorly differentiated. For further characterization, immunohistochemistry for protein gene product 9.5, neuron-specific enolase, endorphin, chromogranins A and B, synaptophysin, somatostatin, insulin, glucagon, gastrin, pancreatic polypeptide, and vasoactive intestinal peptide was performed on 5 animals. Because only immunolabeling for somatostatin was consistently observed in all neoplasms, a diagnosis of somatostatinoma was made for these 5 bearded dragons. Some neoplasms also exhibited multihormonal expression. Electron microscopy performed on 1 tumor confirmed the presence of neuroendocrine granules within neoplastic cells. Gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas, and specifically somatostatinomas, have not been previously reported in bearded dragons, or other reptiles, and may be underdiagnosed due to inconsistent, ambiguous clinical signs. In humans, pancreatic somatostatinomas are associated with a syndrome of hypersomatostatinemia, which includes hyperglycemia, weight loss, and anemia, as observed in some of these bearded dragons. Somatostatinomas in humans are commonly associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (Von Recklinghausen's disease), caused by a mutation in the tumor suppressor gene NF1, which results in decreased expression of neurofibromin. In all 5 animals examined, neoplasms exhibited decreased neurofibromin expression compared with control tissues, suggesting that decreased functional neurofibromin may play a role in the pathogenesis of somatostatinomas in bearded dragons.
HER2/HER3 dimerization resulting from overexpression of HER2 or neuregulin (NRG1) in cancer leads to HER3-mediated oncogenic activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. Although ...ligand-blocking HER3 antibodies inhibit NRG1-driven tumor growth, they are ineffective against HER2-driven tumor growth because HER2 activates HER3 in a ligand-independent manner. In this study, we describe a novel HER3 monoclonal antibody (LJM716) that can neutralize multiple modes of HER3 activation, making it a superior candidate for clinical translation as a therapeutic candidate. LJM716 was a potent inhibitor of HER3/AKT phosphorylation and proliferation in HER2-amplified and NRG1-expressing cancer cells, and it displayed single-agent efficacy in tumor xenograft models. Combining LJM716 with agents that target HER2 or EGFR produced synergistic antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. In particular, combining LJM716 with trastuzumab produced a more potent inhibition of signaling and cell proliferation than trastuzumab/pertuzumab combinations with similar activity in vivo. To elucidate its mechanism of action, we solved the structure of LJM716 bound to HER3, finding that LJM716 bound to an epitope, within domains 2 and 4, that traps HER3 in an inactive conformation. Taken together, our findings establish that LJM716 possesses a novel mechanism of action that, in combination with HER2- or EGFR-targeted agents, may leverage their clinical efficacy in ErbB-driven cancers.
Purpose: This population-based study examined correlates of three parenting behaviors (positive interactions, consistency, and ineffective parenting) that have been shown to differ in children with ...neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), with and without externalizing behavior problems (EBPs), as compared to children with neither condition. Method: The sample of children aged 4-11 (N = 14,226) was drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Analyses examined the associations of child, parental, and social context factors with parenting behaviors, and whether they differed by child health group. Results: Child age, family functioning, and social support variables were significant predictors of all three parenting behaviors. Significant interaction effects highlight the importance of the child's sex, birth order, and support received from community or social service professionals, and that these factors have differential impacts on parenting behaviors depending on the child's health group. Conclusions: Other Child, parent, and social context factors are associated with parenting behaviors but these associations vary by the child's health group. Parenting behaviors differ for children with NDDs with and without EBPs. These findings offer important implications for practice and research and point to the importance of considering multiple contexts of influence, as well as their interactions, in understanding differences in parenting behaviors.
Implications for Rehabilitation
Our findings have implications for rehabilitation, in particular, for those who provide treatment to children with NDD and behavioral conditions.
For practitioners, these findings point towards the importance of an awareness of the impact that a child's health condition may have on the entire family unit, including parental health, family functioning, and parenting behaviors as well as other child factors.
Our results also suggest that support from community professionals can be beneficial for the parenting behaviors of children with health problems, in particular, children with a NDD.
Our findings are also relevant to other health care professionals dealing with children with NDD and/or behavior problems and highlight the importance of considering several child characteristics together, not just the child's health conditions but also child sex and birth order.
Pressurized tubes of AISI 316 stainless steel irradiated in the P-1 experiment in the EBR-II fast reactor have been measured to determine the dependence of irradiation-induced strains resulting from ...plastic deformation, irradiation creep, void swelling and precipitation. It is shown that the Soderberg relation predicting no axial creep strains in biaxially-loaded tubes is correct for both plastic and creep strains. Swelling strains are shown to be isotropically distributed both for stress-free and stress-affected swelling, while precipitation strains are somewhat anisotropic in their distribution. When corrected for stress-enhancement of swelling, the derived irradiation creep strains appear to be identical for both annealed and 20% cold-worked specimens, and also for tubes strained by rise to power increases in pressure. For relatively small creep strains it is often difficult to separate the creep and non-creep components of deformation.
Background Parenting behaviours influence child well‐being and development. However, much of the research on parenting behaviours and their correlates has focused on caregivers of healthy, typically ...developing children. Relatively less is known about the parenting behaviours of caregivers of children with chronic health conditions.
Objective To examine and compare three parenting behaviours (positive interactions, consistency and ineffective parenting) among caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or externalizing behaviour problems, before and after accounting for child and family socio‐demographic characteristics.
Methods Participants (n= 14 226) were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, a long‐term study of Canadian children that follows their development and well‐being from birth to early adulthood. Children (and their caregivers) were divided into four groups according to the presence of a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD; n= 815), the presence of an externalizing behaviour problem (EBP; n= 1322), the presence of both conditions (BOTH; n= 452) or neither of these conditions (NEITHER; n= 11 376).
Results Caregivers of children in the NEITHER group reported significantly higher positive interaction scores and lower ineffective parenting behaviours than caregivers of children in any of the other three groups. Caregivers of children in the EBP and BOTH groups reported similar levels of consistency, but significantly lower levels than caregivers of NDD or NEITHER children. These associations largely remained after accounting for child and family socio‐demographic characteristics, with two exceptions: caregivers' reports of positive interactions were no longer significantly associated with child's NDD and BOTH conditions.
Conclusions Parenting children with multiple health conditions can be associated with less positive, less consistent and more ineffective parenting behaviours. Understanding the factors that are associated with the challenges of caring for these children may require additional research attention.
Brucellosis is a worldwide zoonotic infectious disease that has a significant economic impact on animal production and human public health. We characterized the gene expression profile of B. ...abortus-infected monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from naïve cattle naturally resistant (R) or susceptible (S) to brucellosis using a cDNA microarray technology. Our data indicate that (1) B. abortus induced a slightly increased genome activation in R MDMs and a down-regulated transcriptome in S MDMs, during the onset of infection, (2) R MDMs had the ability to mount a type 1 immune response against B. abortus infection which was impaired in S cells, and (3) the host cell activity was not altered after 12h post-B. abortus infection in R MDMs while the cell cycle was largely arrested in infected S MDMs at 12h p.i. These results contribute to an improved understanding of how host responses may be manipulated to prevent infection by brucellae.
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