Geophagia has been commonly reported for bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and other ungulates worldwide. The phenomenon is often attributed to the need to supplement animal diets with minerals available in the soil at mineral lick locations. Sodium is the mineral most frequently cited as being the specific component sought, although this has not been found universally. In this study area, bighorn sheep left normal summer-range to make bimonthly 26-km, 2,000-m-elevation round-trip migrations, the apparent purpose of which was to visit mineral licks on normal winter-range. Lick soil and normal summer-range soil were sampled for their available mineral content and summer-range forage was sampled for total mineral content, and comparisons were made to determine the specific components sought at the lick by bighorn sheep consuming soil. It was concluded that bighorn sheep were attracted to the lick by a desire for sodium but that geophagia also supplemented a diet deficient in the trace element selenium. Where sheep are denied access to licks, populations may be limited by mineral deficiency.

Crop residues collected during or after grain harvest are available once per year and must be stored for extended periods. The combination of air, high moisture, and high microbial loads leads to shrinkage during storage and risk of spontaneous ignition. Ensiling is a wet preservation method that could be used to store these residues stably. To economically adapt ensiling to biomass that is harvested after it has senesced, the need for nutrient, moisture, and microbial additions must be determined. We tested the ensiling of senesced wheat straw in sealed columns for 83 d. The straw was inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum and amended with several levels of water and free sugars. The ability to stabilize the straw polysaccharides was strongly influenced by both moisture and free sugars. Without the addition of sugar, the pH increased from 5.2 to as much as 9.1, depending on moisture level, and losses of 22% of the cellulose and 21% of the hemicellulose were observed. By contrast, when sufficient sugars were added and interstitial water was maintained, a final pH of 4.0 was attainable, with correspondingly low (<5%) losses of cellulose and hemicellulose. The results show that ensiling should be considered a promising method for stable storage of wet biorefinery feedstocks.

It is important for a modern quantitative analysis laboratory course to contain gravimetric and volumetric analysis exercises implemented with standard unknowns. By analyzing unknowns, students learn crucial laboratory skills. It is also advantageous to introduce real-world samples and cooperative learning structure into the lab course. A one-semester sophomore course at Idaho State University is divided into two parts: students individually perform traditional unknown analyses, and as groups, they study an aquatic ecosystem simulated by a trout aquarium. Ecosystem analyses include the important chemical components of the nitrogen cycle, dissolved oxygen, and alkalinity. In addition to examining the aquatic system, trout are removed temporarily from the aquarium for analysis of lipid and moisture content using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. For the ecosystem investigation, students also determine costs of analyses and conduct quality-control studies. At the completion of the course, students are well versed in classical methods of analysis as well as educated on the relevance of modern technology, including up-to-date instrumentation and sophisticated multivariate calibration and prediction procedures. Course assessment results are summarized in the paper.

Context: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is placing unparalleled burdens on regional and institutional resources in medical facilities across the globe. This disruption is causing unprecedented downstream effects to traditionally established channels of patient care delivery, including those of essential anatomic pathology services. With Washington state being the initial North American COVID-19 epicenter, the University of Washington in Seattle has been at the forefront of conceptualizing and implementing innovative solutions in order to provide uninterrupted quality patient care amidst this growing crisis. Objective: To conduct a rapid validation study assessing our ability to reliably provide diagnostic Neuropathology services via a whole slide imaging (WSI) platform as part of our departmental COVID-19 planning response. Design: This retrospective study assessed diagnostic concordance of neuropathological diagnoses rendered via WSI as compared to those originally established via traditional histopathology in a cohort of 30 cases encompassing a broad range of neurosurgical and neuromuscular entities. This study included the digitalization of 93 slide preparations, which were independently examined by groups of board-certified neuropathologists and neuropathology fellows. Results: There were no major or minor diagnostic discrepancies identified in either the attending neuropathologist or neuropathology trainee groups for either the neurosurgical or neuromuscular case cohorts. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that accuracy of neuropathological diagnoses and interpretation of ancillary preparations via WSI are not inferior to those generated via traditional microscopy. This study provides a framework for rapid subspecialty validation and deployment of WSI for diagnostic purposes during a pandemic event.

Straw utilization for composites is limited by poor resin and polymer penetration, and excessive resin consumption owing to the straw cuticle, fines, and lignin-hemicellulose matrix. White-rot fungi degrade these components of straw and could, therefore, potentially be used to improve resin penetration and resin binding without the use of physical or chemical pretreatments. Although long treatment times and large footprints the limit use of fungal treatments on a large scale, distributed fungal pretreatments could alleviate land requirements. In this article, we present progress toward the development of a passive fungal straw upgrading system utilizing whiterot fungi.