Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States. Patients with cirrhosis are more likely to develop HCC. More than 80% of HCC patients are found have preexisting cirrhosis. The prevalence of cirrhosis increased from 0.26% to 0.3.% between 1999 to 2010 and...
Small mountainous watersheds are disproportionate sources of land-derived particulate organic matter (POM) to long-term sinks like lake bottoms and the ocean. As such, these ecosystems are an essential component of the global carbon cycle. The burial of POM in lacustrine and marine sediments contributes to the drawdown of atmospheric CO2...
Improving vegetation management decisions in Pacific Northwest forests requires a better understanding of the interactions between
planted conifers and associated vegetation. A practical index of interspecific competition, and quantitative models predicting conifer performance from such an index are particularly needed. To meet this
need, neighborhood models of interspecific competition were...
Phylogeographic studies of six Pacific Northwest forest-associated
salamanders provide insight into historical and contemporary processes on
population genetic structure. Among Larch Mountain Salamanders (Plethodon
larselli), cytochrome b mitochondrial (mtDNA) sequences (381 bp) and random
amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs; 34 loci) supported separate Management
Units for northern and southern populations (12...
This document presents a new method for improving the market orientation of companies. In that regard, I developed a new Quality Function Deployment application (QFD), which compares customer needs with company competitive advantages, in order to determine those advantages that best satisfy customer wants and needs. The methodology was applied...
Background. Total knee arthroplasty, or replacement, is a common, generally successful, and expensive procedure. Tools to predict outcomes following orthopedic procedures are abundant, yet no commonly used assessment accounts for an individual’s propensity to engage in adaptive health behavior. The 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM) questionnaire is a tool that...
It is good practice to fully understand components of an ecosystem if we hope to preserve its biodiversity. A problem is that we know very little about some organisms and nothing of others. Studies that investigate an organism’s basic biological, ecological and physiological life history variables advance our knowledge of...
Symbiosis is the close and protracted interaction between organisms. The molecular interactions that occur during symbiosis are complex with multiple barriers that must be overcome. Many Gram-negative, host-associated bacteria use a type III secretion system to mediate associations with their eukaryotic hosts. This secretion system is a specialized apparatus for...
Oomycetes are some of the most devastating pathogens, causing upwards of billions of dollars of damage each year to plants. They also diminish ecological diversity and health through the destruction of trees and shrubs. The genome sequence of Pseudoperonospora cubensis, an obligate plant pathogen and causative agent of downy mildew...