Search Results (20)

In wet subtropical environments, perennial groundcovers are common in horticultural plantations to protect the soil from erosion. However, there has been little investigation into whether seeding annual cover crops into the perennial groundcovers provides additional soil services including carbon and nutrient cycling in these systems. To investigate this, farmer participatory field trials were conducted in commercial avocado, macadamia, and coffee plantations in the wet Australian subtropics. Cover crops were direct-seeded into existing inter-row groundcovers in winter (cool season cover crops), and into the same plots the following summer (warm season cover crops). Inter-row biomass was quantified at the end of winter and summer in the control (no cover crop) and cover crops treatments. Soil carbon and nutrient cycling parameters including hot water extractable carbon, water soluble carbon, autoclavable citrate-extractable protein and soil enzyme activities were quantified every two months from early spring (September) 2021 to late autumn (May) 2022. Seeded cover crops produced 500 to 800 kg ha⁻¹ more total inter-row biomass over winter at the avocado coffee sites, and 3000 kg ha⁻¹ biomass in summer at the coffee site. However, they had no effect on biomass production in either season at the macadamia site. Soil functional parameters changed with season (i.e., time of sampling), with few significant effects of cover crop treatments on soil function parameters across the three sits. Growing a highly productive annual summer cover crop at the coffee site led to suppression and death of perennial groundcovers, exposing bare soil in the inter-row by 3 weeks after termination of the summer cover crop. Annual cover crops seeded into existing perennial groundcovers in tree crop systems had few significant impacts on soil biological function over the 12-month period, and their integration needs careful management to avoid investment losses and exacerbating the risk of soil erosion on sloping lands in the wet subtropics. Full article

Sea level rise is an escalating threat to saltmarsh ecosystems as increased inundation can lead to decreased biomass, lowered productivity, and plant death. Another potential stressor is elevated nitrogen often brought into coastal regions via freshwater diversions. Nitrogen has a controversial impact on belowground biomass, potentially affecting saltmarsh stability. In this study, we examined the effects of inundation and nitrogen on common saltmarsh plants (Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens) placed within two marsh organs (a collection of PVC pipes at different levels, the varied elevation levels expose the plants to different inundation amounts) located in the Pascagoula River, Mississippi, USA, with six rows and eight replicates in each row. We randomly fertilized four replicates in each row with 25 g/m² of NH4⁺-N every two-three weeks during the growing season in 2021 and 2022. We concurrently collected vegetative traits such as plant height and leaf count to better understand strategies saltmarshes utilize to maximize survival or growth. We harvested half of the vegetation in Year 1 and the remaining in Year 2 to evaluate the impact of inundation and nitrogen on above- and belowground biomass at different temporal scales. We developed Bayesian models that show inundation had a largely positive impact on S. alterniflora and a mostly negative impact S. patens, suggesting that S. alterniflora will adapt better to increasing inundation than S. patens. Additionally, fertilized plants from both species had higher aboveground biomass than non-fertilized plants for both years, with nitrogen addition only showing impact on belowground biomass in the long term. Our results highlight the importance of long-term study to facilitate more-informed restoration and conservation efforts in coastal wetlands while accounting for climate change and sea level rise. Full article

Coronary arteries may vary in quantity, point of origin, or course. These variations fall under the category of anatomical variants/anomalies of the coronary arteries, representing congenital abnormalities of the coronary vascular system. Generally, they are benign, asymptomatic, and identified inadvertently during coronary angiography conducted for alternative indications. However, in some cases, the anomaly’s characteristics or its interaction with surrounding structures may cause hemodynamic disturbances. These disturbances can lead to turbulent blood flow, which in turn poses an increased likelihood for the development of atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia. If symptomatic, potential manifestations include chest pain, arrhythmias, syncope, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. Given the potential for life-threatening complications in certain cases, the early and accurate diagnosis of coronary artery anomalies is of paramount importance. The most common diagnostic procedures used for the evaluation of coronary vessels are coronary angiography and multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography. MDCT angiography is a non-invasive, dependable, safe, and sensitive method for the detailed visualization of coronary anatomy. It offers high-resolution imaging that enables precise assessment of congenital coronary variations, aiding in both clinical decision-making and long-term patient management. We conducted a narrative review to analyze and integrate the body of literature on coronary artery varieties and anomalies. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive, albeit non-exhaustive, overview of essential concepts and findings related to their definition, classification, and detection with MDCT angiography. By integrating current knowledge in MDCT imaging, we seek to contribute to a better understanding of the clinical implications of coronary artery variations and their role in cardiovascular health. Full article

More than three decades ago, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that individuals who are not competent (alternatively referred to by the Court as insane) at the time of their scheduled execution cannot be put to death. Despite the years that have passed since the Court’s decision and the literal life-or-death stakes involved, competency for execution (CFE) remains underexplored in the psychological, psychiatric, and legal literature. A number of important legal and ethical issues that arise when a person on death row maintains they are not competent to be executed are still unresolved even after the landmark Supreme Court cases such as Ford v. Wainwright (1986), Panetti v. Quarterman (2007), and Madison v. Alabama (2019). In this first-of-its-kind descriptive study, we analyzed the demographic and case characteristics of the 28 successful Ford claimants—individuals in the United States who have been found to be incompetent to be executed and compared them to the general death row population and homicide cases nationwide. Our findings reveal some similarities but also some differences between these claimants and the general death row population and homicide cases: the successful Ford claimants are exclusively male (in keeping with the general prison population on death row), relatively older, and underrepresented among White and Latinx inmates (i.e., Black claimants are more successful than their White and Latinx counterparts at evading execution). Nearly all (96%) suffer from schizophrenia, with 79% experiencing psychiatric comorbidity, yet only 54% received any significant treatment before or after the criminal offense. The claimants’ cases also involve a higher proportion of child victims, male family members, and female non-family member victims, as well as more multiple-victim cases (not indiscriminate) and fewer intraracial homicides. Fewer victims are male, and more are female. However, the cases do not align with typical male-on-male violent crimes or femicide patterns, such as those involving sexual or domestic violence. Additionally, systematic psycho-legal deficiencies are prevalent, including a low rate of mental health evidence (61%) presented at trials and some cases lacking psychiatric involvement in CFE evaluations. Temporal influence and drastic state variations on CFE evaluation are also noted. Although the small sample size limits generalizability, this small-scale descriptive study offers a number of important insights into the complexities of CFE decisions and lays the groundwork for future research and policy development. Full article

To evaluate the acute and chronic 28-day repeated-dose oral toxicity of Guixiong Yimu San (GYS) in mice and rats, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the stachydrine hydrochloride in GYS as the quality control. In the acute toxicity trial, the mice were administered orally at a dose rate of 30.0 g GYS/kg body weight (BW) three times a day. The general behavior, side effects, and death rate were noticed for 14 days following treatment. In the subacute toxicity trial, the rats were administered orally at a dose rates of30.0, 15.0, and 7.5 g GYS/kg BW once a day for 28 days. The rats were monitored every day for clinical signs and deaths; changes in body weight and relative organ weights (ROW) were recorded every week, hematological, biochemical, and pathological parameters were also examined at the end of treatment. The results showed that the level of stachydrine hydrochloride in GYS was 2.272 mg/g. In the acute toxicity trial, the maximum-tolerated dose of GYS was more than 90.0 g/kg BW, and no adverse effects or mortalities were noticed during the 14 days in the mice. At the given dose, there were no death or toxicity signs all through the 28-day subacute toxicity trial.The oral administration of GYS at a dose rate of 30.0 g/kg/day BW had no substantial effects on BW, ROW, blood hematology, gross pathology, histopathology, and biochemistry (except glucose), so 30.0 g/kg BW/day was determined as the no-observed-adverse-effect dosage. Full article

Introduction: The aim of this retrospective monocentric study was to assess the safety and efficacy of spontaneous soft-tissue hematoma transarterial embolization (TAE) and to evaluate predictive factors for early mortality (≤30 days) after TAE for spontaneous soft-tissue hematoma (SSTH). Materials and methods: Between January 2010 and March 2022, all patients referred to our hospital for spontaneous soft-tissue hematoma and treated by emergency TAE were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were patients: ≥18-year-old, with active bleeding shown on preoperative multidetector row computed tomography, with spontaneous soft-tissue hematoma, and treated by TAE. Exclusion criteria were patients with soft-tissue hematomas of traumatic, iatrogenic, or tumoral origin. Clinical, biological, and imaging records were reviewed. Imaging data included delimitation of hematoma volume and presence of fluid level. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to check for associations with early mortality. Results: Fifty-six patients were included. Median age was 75.5 [9–83] ([Q1–Q3] years and 23 (41.1%) were males. Fifty-one patients (91.1%) received antiplatelet agent and/or anticoagulant therapy. All 56 patients had active bleeding shown on a preoperative CT scan. Thirty-seven (66.0%) hematomas involved the retroperitoneum. Median hemoglobin level was 7.6 [4.4–8.2] g/dL. Gelatine sponge was used in 32/56 (57.1%) procedures. Clinical success was obtained in 48/56 (85.7%) patients and early mortality occurred in 15/56 (26.8%) patients. In univariate and multivariate analysis, retroperitoneal location and volume of hematoma were associated with early mortality. Conclusion: Retroperitoneal location and volume of hematoma seem to be risk factors for early death in the context of TAE for spontaneous soft-tissue hematoma. Larger multicenter studies are necessary to identify others predictive factors for early mortality and to anticipate which patients may benefit from an interventional strategy with TAE. Full article

Molecular genetic markers of various PCD (programmed cell death) variants during xylo- and phloemogenesis have been identified for the first time in Scots pine under lingonberry pine forest conditions in Northwest Russia (middle taiga subzone). PCD is a genetically determined process. Gene profiles of serine and cysteine proteases (endopeptidases), endonucleases, and metacaspases families are often considered markers of the final xylogenesis stage. In the present study, we examined the gene expression profiles of the BFN (bifunctional endonuclease) family—BFN, BFN1, BFN2, BFN3, and peptidase (cysteine endopeptidase, CEP and metacaspase, MC5) in the radial row, in addition to the vascular phloem and cambium (F1), differentiating xylem (F2), sapwood (SW), and transition zone during the active cambial growth period of uneven-aged pine trees (25-, 63- and 164-cambial age (c.a.) years old). We have shown that the expression patterns of the PCD-related genes did not depend on the cambial age but were largely determined by plant tissue type. In the radial row F1-F2-SW, we studied the activities of enzymes, including sucrose in metabolism (sucrose synthase, three forms of invertase); antioxidant system (AOS) enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase); and peroxidase andpolyphenol oxidase, which belonged to AOS enzymes and were involved in the synthesis of phenolic components of cell walls. The activity of the enzymes indicated that the trunk tissues of pine trees had varying metabolic status. Molecular genetic PCD regulation mechanisms during xylem vascular and mechanical element formation and parenchyma cells’ PCD during the formation of Scots pine heartwood were discussed. Full article

Artemisia annua (A. annua) has been used as a medicinal plant in the treatment of several infectious and non-infectious diseases in the forms of tea and press juice since ancient times. The aim of this study was to evaluate the aqueous extract of A. annua (AAE) as an antimicrobial agent in vitro and to evaluate its chemopreventive efficacy in vivo in a small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) animal model. The dried powder of AAE was prepared using the Soxhlet extraction system from the leaves of Artemisia annua. The in vitro activity of AAE was determined against Candida albicans (C. albicans), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using the agar well diffusion method and propidium iodide (PI)-stained microbial death under a confocal microscope. The pretreatment of mice with AAE was initiated two weeks before the first dose of benzo[a]pyrene and continued for 21 weeks. The chemopreventive potential of the extract was evaluated by flow cytometry and biochemical and histopathological analyses of the tissues and serum accordingly, after sacrificing the mice. The data revealed the antimicrobial potential of AAE against all the species investigated, as it showed growth-inhibitory activity by MIC, as well as confocal microscopy. The pretreatment of AAE exhibited significant protection in carcinogen-modulated, average body weight (ABW), and relative organ weight (ROW) cancer biomarkers in the serum and antioxidants in the lungs. The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of the tissues revealed that AAE prevented malignancy in the lungs. AAE also induced apoptosis and decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the lung cells analyzed by flow cytometry. The current findings demonstrated the use of AAE as an alternative medicine in the treatment of infectious disease and the chemoprevention of lung cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first study that summarizes the chemopreventive potential of AAE in a lung cancer model in vivo. However, further investigations are suggested to understand the role of AAE to potentiate the therapeutic index of the commercially available drugs that show multiple drug resistance against microbial growth and high toxicity during cancer chemotherapy. Full article

The focus of research, pertaining to the practice of Islam in prisons, has been primarily on Western countries (the US, the UK, and France) where Muslim inmates struggle with discrimination and stigmatization as “religious radicals” or “terrorists”. Far less is known about the relationship Muslim prisoners have with their faith in countries where Islam is the official religion and imposed by the State, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran. Understanding the influence of political, legal, and religious institutions is crucial to exploring Islam in Iranian prisons, as well as the role of other less prominent determining factors. This qualitative study examines the practice and perception of Islam in Iranian prisons. Data were collected through 90 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with prisoners and former prisoners, and analyzed using grounded theory. Results show that practicing Islam rituals and converting from a “sinner” to a “believer” was pervasive among inmates on death row and incarcerated mothers who left their children for a life of confinement. Practicing Islamic rituals, which entail the achievement of privileges, especially memorizing the holy Quran or attending congregational prayers, question the authenticity of faith and religious beliefs in prison; prisoners disparage those who practice rituals as “fake believers” who are merely seeking preferential treatment. While practicing Islam rituals provoked hatred and humor among prisoners, attending the Ashura mourning ceremony and performing self-flagellation are respected and admired practices. Iranian prisoners create a subculture where Islam is not pivotal to constructing or reconstructing their identities, yet religious-based rehabilitation still exists. Full article

This work objective is to generate an HJ-biplot representation for the content analysis obtained by latent Dirichlet assignment (LDA) of the headlines of three Spanish newspapers in their web versions referring to the topic of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) with more than 500 million affected and almost six million deaths to date. The HJ-biplot is used to give an extra analytical boost to the model, it is an easy-to-interpret multivariate technique which does not require in-depth knowledge of statistics, allows capturing the relationship between the topics about the COVID-19 news and the three digital newspapers, and it compares them with LDAvis and heatmap representations, the HJ-biplot provides a better representation and visualization, allowing us to analyze the relationship between each newspaper analyzed (column markers represented by vectors) and the 14 topics obtained from the LDA model (row markers represented by points) represented in the plane with the greatest informative capacity. It is concluded that the newspapers El Mundo and 20 M present greater homogeneity between the topics published during the pandemic, while El País presents topics that are less related to the other two newspapers, highlighting topics such as t_12 (Government_Madrid) and t_13 (Government_millions). Full article

The street homeless, those who spend their nights either in shelters or unofficial camps, whether in tents on a street or in society’s hidden spaces such as beneath an overpass, face multiple challenges beyond finding a safe place to sleep. Of further concern is how official actions can worsen these situations, through day-to-day activities or planned intervention strategies. In this paper we explore how a planned intervention may be negatively perceived—even as a form of “structural violence”—and may prevent Narcan (naloxone) use to stop an overdose related death in the Skid Row of Los Angeles. Data for this study consisted of a combination of Spatial Video Geonarratives (SVGs) and 325 incident reports from the Homeless Health Care Los Angeles Center for Harm Reduction (HHCLA-HRC) between November 2014 and December 2015. Chi-square and simple logistic regression models were used to examine the association between fear-of-arrest and other covariates of interest. Mapping results are presented with different sets of shapefiles created for (1) all Narcan uses, (2) all homeless, (3) all homeless with a worry about being arrested, (4) all Narcan uses where an ambulance attended, (5) and the same as 4 but also with police attendance. In the multivariable model, the estimated adjusted odds of fear-of-arrest is over three times higher among Narcan users ages 30–39 when compared to users under the age of 30. Analyzing the association of calling 9-1-1 on Narcan user demographics, socio-contextual characteristics, and overdose victim demographics, the crude estimated probability of calling 9-1-1 for Narcan users aged 50 and older is nearly three times higher when compared to Narcan users aged 19–29. Conclusion: Results suggest that the fear-of-arrest and calling 9-1-1 during an overdose is still a concern among Narcan users despite protective legislation and access to harm reduction resources. Full article

More than 1.5 million people suffer from Retinitis Pigmentosa, with many experiencing partial to complete vision loss. Regenerative therapies offer some hope, but their development is challenged by the limited regenerative capacity of mammalian model systems. As a step toward investigating regenerative therapies, we developed a zebrafish model of Retinitis Pigmentosa that displays ongoing regeneration. We used Tol2 transgenesis to express mouse rhodopsin carrying the P23H mutation and an epitope tag in zebrafish rod photoreceptors. Adult and juvenile fish were examined by immunofluorescence, TUNEL and BrdU incorporation assays. P23H transgenic fish expressed the transgene in rods from 3 days post fertilization onward. Rods expressing the mutant rhodopsin formed very small or no outer segments and the mutant protein was delocalized over the entire cell. Adult fish displayed thinning of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) and loss of rod outer segments, but retained a single, sparse row of rods. Adult fish displayed ongoing apoptotic cell death in the ONL and an abundance of proliferating cells, predominantly in the ONL. There was a modest remodeling of bipolar and Müller glial cells. This transgenic fish will provide a useful model system to study rod photoreceptor regeneration and integration. Full article

This article uses religious coping theory to theorize about how and why race and ethnic groups on death row frame religious last statements at the moment of imminent death. Unique data (N = 269) drawn from death row inmates in Texas between December 1982 and April 2016 reveal uniformity in the dominance that black, white, and Hispanic inmates assign to relational forms of expressions that draw them closer to God and expressions that facilitate spiritual intimacy with others, over self-focused expressions that represent efforts to gain control over the imminent death experience or signal a transformed life. There is a hierarchy of preferred religious coping methods that changes for each group following the implementation of a new policy allowing the family and friends of murder victims (co-victims) to witness the execution of inmates. It is concluded that race and ethnic groups differ in the premium they place on preferred religious coping strategies when faced with imminent death, and a change in social context, such as the sudden presence of co-victims at executions, increases the religious content of last statements for all groups. Full article

Glaucoma and other optic neuropathies are characterized by axonal transport deficits. Axonal cargo travels back and forth between the soma and the axon terminus, a mechanism ensuring homeostasis and the viability of a neuron. An example of vital molecules in the axonal cargo are neurotrophic factors (NTFs). Hindered retrograde transport can cause a scarcity of those factors in the retina, which in turn can tilt the fate of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) towards apoptosis. This postulation is one of the most widely recognized theories to explain RGC death in the disease progression of glaucoma and is known as the NTF deprivation theory. For several decades, research has been focused on the use of NTFs as a novel neuroprotective glaucoma treatment. Until now, results in animal models have been promising, but translation to the clinic has been highly disappointing. Are we lacking important knowledge to lever NTF therapies towards the therapeutic armamentarium? Or did we get the wrong end of the stick regarding the NTF deprivation theory? In this review, we will tackle the existing evidence and caveats advocating for and against the target-derived NTF deprivation theory in glaucoma, whilst digging into associated therapy efforts. Full article

Outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) and other highly contagious poultry diseases continue to be a concern for those involved in the poultry industry. In the situation of an outbreak, emergency depopulation of the birds involved is necessary. In this project, two compressed air foam systems (CAFS) were evaluated for mass emergency depopulation of layer hens in a manure belt equipped cage system. In both experiments, a randomized block design was used with multiple commercial layer hens treated with one of three randomly selected depopulation methods: CAFS, CAFS with CO₂ gas, and CO₂ gas. In Experiment 1, a Rowe manufactured CAFS was used, a selection of birds were instrumented, and the time to unconsciousness, brain death, altered terminal cardiac activity and motion cessation were recorded. CAFS with and without CO₂ was faster to unconsciousness, however, the other parameters were not statistically significant. In Experiment 2, a custom Hale based CAFS was used to evaluate the impact of bird age, a selection of birds were instrumented, and the time to motion cessation was recorded. The difference in time to cessation of movement between pullets and spent hens using CAFS was not statistically significant. Both CAFS depopulate caged layers, however, there was no benefit to including CO₂. Full article