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Here we describe a reagent system and robotic method for the purification of PCR(a) fragments from other contaminating amplification reaction components. The methods use the MAGNESIL paramagnetic particle chemistry (b) to isolate double stranded DNA fragments from 150bp to 23kbp. Purified fragments are eluted in water ready for downstream applications such as cloning, fluorescent DNA sequencing and microarray printing. This method has been adapted to a number of liquid handling robotic platforms, including the BIOMEK FX and BIOMEK 2000 Laboratory Automation Workstations, in both 96 and 384-well formats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a reagent system and robotic methods or the purification of BIGDYE Terminator sequencing reactions prior to automated fluorescent sequence analysis. The methods use MAGNESIL paramagnetic particles to isolate sequencing extension products from unincorporated dye-labeled terminators and exchanges sequencer loading solution for reaction buffer. Processed samples give usable data that is greater than 98% accurate from primer plus 5-15 bases to over 700 bases. Typical Phred greater than 20 quality scores range from 600 to over 700 bases. This process has been adapted to a number of liquid handling robotic platforms in both 96- and 384-well formats. One method using a single POD Beckman BIOMEK FX can process up to four plates in approximately 40 minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses dietary practices and diet-related beliefs and concerns of adult black men recruited through a twin registry. Emphasis was placed on practices and perceptions related to dietary guidelines for health promotion and disease prevention. Methods and results.

Evaluating sustainability in forest management requires decision makers to consider multiple conflicting definitions in an environment ofrisk, uncertainty, and incomplete or non-quantitative information. Zadeh's fuzzy set theory provides a rigorous, flexible approach to theproblem of defining and evaluating sustainability and comparing alternative scenarios. We discuss how fuzzy set concepts can be used to better manage for goals such as sustainability, equity, and ecosystem health. We then show how a simple tabular technique using fuzzy sets can be used to compare management alternatives, incorporate multiple objectives, and identify knowledge gaps and areas of disagreement. The simplicity and flexibility of this technique provides needed support for more explicit, objective decisions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science BV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of climate-related disasters such as wildfires on healthcare delivery and cancer care is a growing concern. Patients undergoing radiotherapy are particularly vulnerable to treatment interruptions which are known to have a direct impact on survival outcomes. We report results of the first pilot study characterizing the impact of wildfires on radiation oncology clinics and their patients. A survey was sent to 415 California radiation oncologists representing 144 clinics identified using the ASTRO member directory to gather information about clinic and radiation oncologist demographics, wildfires' impacts on the clinic (physical/operational), physicians, staff, and patients between 2017 and 2022, as well as clinics' disaster preparedness efforts. A total of 51 radiation oncologists completed the survey, representing 43 clinics (30% of clinics) in 24 (41%) of California counties. 35 (69%) of respondents self-identified as male, 27 (53%) worked at hospital-affiliated centers, 19 (37%) worked in academic centers, with 49 (96%) practicing in metropolitan areas. A total of 31 clinics were impacted by a wildfire between 2017 and 2020. The two rural clinics (100%) and 29 (59%) of metro practices reported being impacted by wildfires in the last 5 years, with 9 (18%) reporting a clinic closure and 15 (29%) reporting staffing shortages. 28 (55%) of respondents reported impacts on patients including having to evacuate, 27 (53%) having to cancel or reschedule treatments, and 23 (45%) experiencing physical, mental, or financial hardship due to the wildfires. Among the 25 clinics impacted by wildfires, 12 (24%) reported physical/operational impacts including being forced to evacuate patients to another treatment center, transportation interruptions (19, 37%), community and regional evacuations (18, 35%), school closures (18, 35%), and physical/mental health impacts (14, 27%) on staff due to the wildfires. Small clinics (25 staff or less) that experienced a wildfire were twice as likely to experience closures (6 of 16 clinics, 38%) but equally likely to experience staffing shortages (8 of 16, 50 %) as compared to larger practices (7 of 15, 47%). Nearly half of respondents 25 (47%) reported their workplace had a wildfire emergency preparedness plan. The results of this study demonstrate the significant impact wildfires have on patient care in both rural and metropolitan areas. The findings emphasize the importance of emergency preparedness planning to minimize the consequences of such disasters and underscores the need for further research to explore risk factors associated with patient and community vulnerability to climate-related crises. Such research will be essential to informing and developing future emergency preparedness plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this producer survey was to identify and estimate damage caused by bird-livestock interactions in commercial dairies. The interactions between birds and livestock have previously been implicated in causing economic damage while contributing to the environmental dissemination of microorganisms pathogenic to livestock and humans. Very little research exists to help producers understand what bird species use dairies, why they use dairies, or the scope and nature of damage created as a result of bird-livestock interactions. To better characterize these interactions, we surveyed dairy operators within Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin. Survey results suggest that the most common and destructive bird species found on commercial dairies are invasive to North America, and their use of dairies is associated with the loss of cattle feed, increased operating costs, and an increase in dairies self-reporting Salmonella spp. and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis. Cattle feed loss estimates generated from this survey were used to parameterize an input-output (IO) economic model using data from 10 counties in the state of Pennsylvania (Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Somerset). This IO model allowed us to estimate direct, indirect, and induced economic effects of feed loss from bird damage to dairies within these counties. The IO model output suggests that feed loss costs Pennsylvania between $4.11 and $12.08 million (mean $10.6 million) in total economic damage, with approximately 43 to 128 jobs (mean 112) forgone statewide in 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]