Evaluating the effects of turf-replacement programs in Los Angeles

Water utilities incentivize turf replacement to promote water conservation, but the effects of such programs have received limited evaluations. In 2014, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) undertook an unprecedented investment to incentive turf replacement throughout Southern California in response to a serious Statewide drought. MWD devoted $350 million to the program, resulting in more than 46,000 rebate payments (25,000 in Los Angeles County) to remove 15.3 million square meters of turf. The program implementation provided a unique opportunity to address research gaps on turf replacement implementation. We analyzed socioeconomic and spatial trends of program participants and assessed landscape changes from turf replacement using a random sample of properties (4% of LA County participants in 2014–16). Specifically, we used a novel and cost-effective approach Google Earth Street View to characterize landscapes in front yards and created a typology of land cover types. Results showed: post-replacement landscapes had a diversity of land cover types – diverse yards with several land cover types, as well as more homogenous yards with a single land cover such as woodchips, bare soil, gravel, and artificial turf. Analysis also indicated some evidence of “neighborhood adoption” effects. We describe the need for longitudinal studies to understand long-term effects of turf replacement and associated water use, and suggest that water utilities should also evaluate results in backyards, which requires site visits. This study provides a novel contribution that can be replicated over space and time to further knowledge of turf replacement program implementations and evaluation

Marine nematode taxonomy in the DNA age: the present and future of molecular tools to access their biodiversity

Molecular taxonomy is one of the most promising yet challenging fields of biology. Molecular markers such as nuclear and mitochondrial genes are being used in a variety of studies surveying marine nematode taxa. Sequences from more than 600 species have been deposited to date in online databases. These barcode sequences are assigned to 150 nominal species from 104 genera. There are 41 species assigned to Enoplea and 109 species to Chromadorea. Morphology-based surveys are greatly limited by processing speed, while barcoding approaches for nematodes are hampered by difficulties in matching sequence data with morphology-based taxonomy. DNA barcoding is a promising approach because some genes contain variable regions that are useful to discriminate species boundaries, discover cryptic species, quantify biodiversity and analyse phylogeny. We advocate a combination of several approaches in studies of molecular taxonomy, DNA barcoding and conventional taxonomy as a necessary step to enhance the knowledge of biodiversity of marine nematodes

Gyne and drone production in bombus atratus (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

For over a decade, our research group has studied the biology of the native bumblebee, Bombus atratus, to investigate the feasibility of using it to pollinate crops such as tomato, strawberry, blackberry and peppers. Traditionally, captive breeding has depended on the use of captured wild queens to initiate the colonies. The goal of the current work is to investigate conditions required to produce new queens and drones in captivity. In this study, 31 colonies were evaluated under either greenhouse or open field conditions over a 15 month period. A total of 1492 drones (D) and 737 gynes (G, i.e., virgin queens) were produced by all colonies, with 16 colonies producing both drones and gynes (D&G), 11 producing only drones (D) and 4 producing neither. Some of the D&G colonies had more than one sexual phase, but no colonies produced exclusively gynes. More drones and fewer gynes were produced per colony under greenhouse conditions with the highest number of drones produced by D&G colonies. The numbers of immature stages per cell declined in colonies as increasingly more resources were allocated to the production of gynes and the maintenance of increased nest temperature

L'engagement de l'infirmière dans le respect des choix des personnes confrontées au cancer du poumon: travail de Bachelor

Problématique. Le cancer pulmonaire est une maladie qui peut engendrer des troubles psychosociaux. Ces troubles mènent à une détresse psychologie qu’il peut être difficile de surmonter pour les personnes qui vivent cette expérience de santé. Afin d’atténuer cette souffrance psychologique et leur offrir une meilleure qualité de soins, les compétences de communication de l’infirmière sont primordiales pour accompagner la personne dans le processus de sa maladie et dans la détermination de ses choix. Le but de cette revue littéraire consiste à mettre en évidence le rôle de l’engagement de l’infirmière, à travers la communication, afin que les choix des personnes confrontées au cancer pulmonaire soient respectés, en préservant leur dignité et leur liberté. Le cadre théorique s’appuie sur le paradigme de l’humaindevenant de Rosemarie Rizzo Parse qui invite à pratiquer l’art des soins infirmiers. Cette théoricienne insiste sur l’importance de comprendre comment les personnes se réfèrent à leurs valeurs prioritaires, de manière à ce que la personne exprime sa santé et son devenir selon son expérience. La méthode que nous avons utilisée pour ce travail consiste en la réalisation d’une revue de la littérature. Six articles scientifiques ont été sélectionnés dont quatre qualitatifs et deux revues systématiques issues d’une recherche documentaire entre le 1er avril et le 31 mai 2015 à l’aide de deux moteurs de recherche, Cinahl et PubMed. Résultats. Trois thèmes pertinents sont ressortis tels que : l’apport d’informations et les facteurs influençant la communication, le développement des compétences à travers la formation et la posture de l’infirmière au sein d’une équipe interdisciplinaire. Cette évaluation prend tout son sens et laisse supposer que l’accompagnement en soins de soutien est un moment opportun pour l’infirmière afin de communiquer des informations claires, dont les personnes ont besoin pour déterminer leurs choix et les orienter dans leur démarche. Conclusion. Cette revue se penche sur la trajectoire de la maladie. Elle relève l’insatisfaction des besoins en communication chez les personnes atteintes de cancer et tente de comprendre comment l’infirmière s’engage auprès de la personne en s’appuyant de l’humaindevenant

Marine nematode taxonomy in the DNA age: the present and future of molecular tools to access their biodiversity

Molecular taxonomy is one of the most promising yet challenging fields of biology. Molecular markers such as nuclear and mitochondrial genes are being used in a variety of studies surveying marine nematode taxa. Sequences from more than 600 species have been deposited to date in online databases. These barcode sequences are assigned to 150 nominal species from 104 genera. There are 41 species assigned to Enoplea and 109 species to Chromadorea. Morphology-based surveys are greatly limited by processing speed, while barcoding approaches for nematodes are hampered by difficulties in matching sequence data with morphology-based taxonomy. DNA barcoding is a promising approach because some genes contain variable regions that are useful to discriminate species boundaries, discover cryptic species, quantify biodiversity and analyse phylogeny. We advocate a combination of several approaches in studies of molecular taxonomy, DNA barcoding and conventional taxonomy as a necessary step to enhance the knowledge of biodiversity of marine nematodes

Le bien-être spirituel auprès de personnes atteintes d'un cancer avancé en situation de soins à domicile: travail de Bachelor

Dans le cadre de notre travail de Bachelor en Sciences Infirmiers, nous avons effectué une revue de la littérature. L’objectif est d’explorer l’influence de la spiritualité sur l’acceptation de la mort auprès des personnes atteintes d’un cancer avancé en soins palliatifs. En effet, le cancer est la deuxième cause de mortalité dans le monde après les maladies cardiovasculaires. Il nous a semblé pertinent de retracer les besoins des patients en fin de vie et les stratégies mises en œuvre par les infirmières afin d’y répondre. Il nous a également paru important de décrire spécifiquement les soins spirituels en soins palliatifs. Pour l’élaboration de notre travail de Bachelor, les méthodes d’analyses de la littérature enseignée à la Haute Ecole de Santé de Genève ont été appliquées, à savoir les grilles d’évaluation selon Goulet. Onze articles scientifiques concernant la thématique choisie ont pu alors être retenus et analysés. L’ancrage théorique utilisé pour le travail est la théorie de l’auto-transcendance de Pamela Reed. Les résultats de cette revue de littérature nous ont permis de comprendre qu’il existe une corrélation entre l’acceptation de la maladie et de la mort avec la spiritualité. De plus, ces articles mettent en évidence que les soins spirituels sont souvent influencés par le lieu où les infirmières travaillent et leurs propres croyances

Pulpal and Periapical response after restoration of deep cavities in dogs' teeth with filtek silorane and filtek supreme xt systems.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated, histopathologically, the pulpal and periapical response to a silorane-based resin (Filtek Silorane) and a methacrylate-based nanoparticle resin (Filtek Supreme XT) in deep cavities in dogs, having zinc oxide and eugenol-based cement (ZOE) as a control. METHODS: The tooth/bone blocks were collected after 10 and 90 days and processed for microscopic analysis of the dentin, pulp, and periapical tissues using a score system. Data were analyzed statistically by Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn post-test (α=0.05). RESULTS: At 10 days, the pulp, connective tissue, and periodontal ligament showed normal characteristics. No resorption areas were observed. Both resins caused significantly less (p<0.05) periapical and pulpal inflammatory response than ZOE. At 90 days, for all materials, the connective pulp tissue was healthy and dense, with a normal blood vessel system. The apical and periapical region had normal structure and thickness. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the Filtek Silorane and the Filtek Supreme XT resins caused no adverse pulpal and periapical reactions after restoration of deep dentin cavities in vivo

Premature polyadenylation-mediated loss of stathmin-2 is a hallmark of TDP-43-dependent neurodegeneration.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are associated with loss of nuclear transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43). Here we identify that TDP-43 regulates expression of the neuronal growth-associated factor stathmin-2. Lowered TDP-43 levels, which reduce its binding to sites within the first intron of stathmin-2 pre-messenger RNA, uncover a cryptic polyadenylation site whose utilization produces a truncated, non-functional mRNA. Reduced stathmin-2 expression is found in neurons trans-differentiated from patient fibroblasts expressing an ALS-causing TDP-43 mutation, in motor cortex and spinal motor neurons from patients with sporadic ALS and familial ALS with GGGGCC repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene, and in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived motor neurons depleted of TDP-43. Remarkably, while reduction in TDP-43 is shown to inhibit axonal regeneration of iPSC-derived motor neurons, rescue of stathmin-2 expression restores axonal regenerative capacity. Thus, premature polyadenylation-mediated reduction in stathmin-2 is a hallmark of ALS-FTD that functionally links reduced nuclear TDP-43 function to enhanced neuronal vulnerability

Diffusion-weighted imaging for evaluating inflammatory activity in Crohn's disease: comparison with histopathology, conventional MRI activity scores, and faecal calprotectin

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the extent of enteric diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) signal abnormality reflects inflammatory burden in Crohn's disease (CD), and to compare qualitative and quantitative grading. METHODS: 69 CD patients (35 male, age 16-78) undergoing MR enterography with DWI (MRE-D) and the same-day faecal calprotectin (cohort 1) were supplemented by 29 patients (19 male, age 16-70) undergoing MRE-D and terminal ileal biopsy (cohort 2). Global (cohort 1) and terminal ileal (cohort 2) DWI signal was graded (0 to 3) by 2 radiologists and segmental apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) calculated. Data were compared to calprotectin and a validated MRI activity score [MEGS] (cohort 1), and a histopathological activity score (eAIS) (cohort 2) using nonparametric testing and rank correlation. RESULTS: Patients with normal (grades 0 and 1) DWI signal had lower calprotectin and MEGS than those with abnormal signal (grades 2 and 3) (160 vs. 492 μg/l, p = 0.0004, and 3.3 vs. 21, p  120 μg/l) were 83% and 52%, respectively. There was a negative correlation between ileal MEGS and ADC (r = -0.41, p = 0.017). There was no significant difference in eAIS between qualitative DWI scores (p = 0.42). Mean ADC was not different in those with and without histological inflammation (2077 vs. 1622 × 10(-6)mm(2)/s, p = 0.10) CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative grading of DWI signal has utility in defining the burden of CD activity. Quantitative ADC measurements have poor discriminatory ability for segmental disease activity