Grazing in California's Mediterranean Multi-Firescapes

The California landscape is layered and multifunctional, both historically and spatially. Currently, wildfire size, frequency, and intensity are without precedent, at great cost to human health, property, and lives. We review the contemporary firescape, the indigenous landscape that shaped pre-contact California's vegetation, the post-contact landscape that led us to our current situation, and the re-imagined grazing-scape that offers potential relief. Vegetation has been profoundly altered by the loss of Indigenous management, introduction of non-native species, implantation of inappropriate, militarized, forest management from western Europe, and climate change, creating novel ecosystems almost always more susceptible to wildfire than before. Vegetation flourishes during the mild wet winters of a Mediterranean climate and dries to a crisp in hot, completely dry, summers. Livestock grazing can break up continuous fuels, reduce rangeland fuels annually, and suppress brush encroachment, yet it is not promoted by federal or state forestry and fire-fighting agencies. Agencies, especially when it comes to fire, operate largely under a command and control model, while ranchers are a diverse group not generally subject to agency regulations, with a culture of autonomy in decision-making and a unit of production that is mobile. Concerns about potential loss of control have limited prescribed burning despite landowner and manager enthusiasm. Agriculture and active management in general are much neglected as an approach to developing fire-resistant landscape configurations, yet such interventions are essential. Prescribed burning facilitates grazing; grazing facilitates prescribed burning; both can reduce fuels. Leaving nature “to itself” absent recognizing that California's ecosystems have been irrecoverably altered has become a disaster of enormous proportions. We recommend the development of a database of the effects and uses of prescribed fire and grazing in different vegetation types and regions throughout the state, and suggest linking to existing databases when possible. At present, livestock grazing is California's most widespread vegetation management activity, and if purposefully applied to fuel management has great potential to do more.

Allergen fragrance molecules: a potential relief for COVID-19

Background The latest coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, discovered in China and rapidly spread Worldwide. COVID-19 affected millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands worldwide. There are many ongoing studies investigating drug(s) suitable for preventing and/or treating this pandemic; however, there are no specific drugs or vaccines available to treat or prevent SARS-CoV-2 as of today. Methods Fifty-eight fragrance materials, which are classified as allergen fragrance molecules, were selected and used in this study. Docking simulations were carried out using four functional proteins; the Covid19 Main Protase (MPro), Receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike protein, Nucleocapsid, and host Bromodomain protein (BRD2), as target macromolecules. Three different software, AutoDock, AutoDock Vina (Vina), and Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD), running a total of four different docking protocol with optimized energy functions were used. Results were compared with the five molecules reported in the literature as potential drugs against COVID-19. Virtual screening was carried out using Vina, molecules satisfying our cut-off (− 6.5 kcal/mol) binding affinity was confirmed by MVD. Selected molecules were analyzed using the flexible docking protocol of Vina and AutoDock default settings. Results Ten out of 58 allergen fragrance molecules were selected for further docking studies. MPro and BRD2 are potential targets for the tested allergen fragrance molecules, while RBD and Nucleocapsid showed weak binding energies. According to AutoDock results, three molecules, Benzyl Cinnamate, Dihydroambrettolide, and Galaxolide, had good binding affinities to BRD2. While Dihydroambrettolide and Galaxolide showed the potential to bind to MPro, Sclareol and Vertofix had the best calculated binding affinities to this target. When the flexible docking results analyzed, all the molecules tested had better calculated binding affinities as expected. Benzyl Benzoate and Benzyl Salicylate showed good binding affinities to BRD2. In the case of MPro, Sclareol had the lowest binding affinity among all the tested allergen fragrance molecules. Conclusion Allergen fragrance molecules are readily available, cost-efficient, and shown to be safe for human use. Results showed that several of these molecules had comparable binding affinities as the potential drug molecules reported in the literature to target proteins. Thus, these allergen molecules at correct doses could have significant health benefits.

Look to Windward: The Michigan Environmental Protection Act and the Case for Atmospheric Trust Litigation in the Mitten State

Failure to address climate change or even slow the growth of carbon emissions has led to innovation in the methods activists are using to push decisionmakers away from disaster. In the United States, climate activists frustrated by decades of legislative and executive inaction have turned to the courts to force the hand of the state. In their most recent iteration, climate cases have focused on the public trust doctrine, the notion that governments hold their jurisdictions’ natural resources in trust for the public. Plaintiffs have argued that the atmosphere is part of the public trust and that governments have a duty to protect it. These types of lawsuits, known as Atmospheric Trust Litigation, have foundered on the shoals of courts wary of exceeding their powers, whether granted by Article III or state constitutions. The trouble in many cases, including Juliana v. United States, has been standing. Courts balk at declaring that any one actor has the power to affect climate change. Since they usually think one actor can’t fix the climate, redressability is out the window. Even if courts get past redressability, they believe the scale of any potential relief is just beyond the ability of a court to order. The number of lawsuits that have been filed suggests that that reasonable minds can differ, but most judges have found plaintiffs do not have standing before clearing the cases off their dockets. This Note contends that at least one state remains fertile ground for an atmospheric trust lawsuit. Michigan’s 1963 Constitution implies that the atmosphere is within the public trust, and the Michigan Environmental Protection Act, passed to carry out the state’s constitutional duties towards the natural world, does away with most, if not all, of the standing issues that have stymied climate cases across the nation. Motions, briefs, and equitable relief are not the only way to avoid the onset of what could be the greatest calamity in the history of humanity, but in Michigan, at least, Atmospheric Trust Litigation may well be what breaks and rolls back the carbon tide.

Активационно-туннельная динамика протяженных систем в периодическом потенциальном рельефе

The dynamics of systems in barrier structures is determined by the rate of fluctuation decay of metastable states in intermediate minima of the potential relief. When the temperature decreases, thermal fluctuations freeze out and are replaced by quantum ones, which leads to a kind of phase transition in the dynamics. The nature of this transition in various systems is analogous to either the second or first kind of transition. The transition temperature depends on the degree of metastability, and can be controlled by an external load. The purpose of this work is to calculate this dependence for an extended system in a tilted periodic relief of the "washboard" type in a wide range of load changes.

Устойчивые к полевым повреждениям структуры кремний-сверхтонкий окисел (42 нм)-поликремний

Results of studies of silicon−silicon-ultrathin oxide (42 A˚ )−polysilicon structures structures stabile resistant to field damage are presented. It was found that the total recharging of localized electronic states and minority charge carriers, concentrated at the substrate-insulator interface, which occurs with a change in the field voltage and is close to the same characteristic of structures with an oxide thickness of 37 A˚ . The current, flowing through SiO2, in the enrichment state of the semiconductor increases with increasing voltage much more strongly than in the state of depletion. Moreover, the asymmetry of current-voltage characteristics in relation to the polarity of the voltage, falling on the insulator in samples with a thickness of 42 A˚ SiO2 is more pronounced than in structures with an oxide of 37 A˚ . An explanation for this asymmetry is possible, if the potential relief in the insulator has a maximum, significantly shifted to the oxide−polysilicon interface, and the potential on the branch from the semiconductor side significantly decreases to the contact with the substrate.

Механизм обусловленного динамической примесной подсистемой аномального поведения пластического течения материалов с высоким кристаллическим рельефом

A model of dynamic interaction of dislocations with an impurity subsystem of crystals with a high potential relief of the crystal lattice (Peierls barriers) is developed. Such materials include metals with body-centered cubic structure, semiconductors, ceramics, and many others. It is shown that the modification of impurity migration barriers near the dislocation core significantly affects the segregation of impurities on the moving dislocation. The presence of a substantially nonequilibrium initial stage of segregation kinetics leading to anomalies of dislocation dynamics and yield strength of materials is substantiated.

The effects of a unique medium chain triglyceride complex on migraine symptoms: A beta pilot study

Purpose: Migraine headaches are among the most common worldwide medical issues, and various drug therapies only offer limited relief. Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil has demonstrated clinical benefits in multiple domains, from enhanced overall energy to increased brain function. This pilot study investigated the potential relief provided from a unique proprietary formulation, including a high concentration MCT-containing blend on migraine frequency, duration, and severity over 30 days. Methods: Fourteen (n=14) chronic migraine sufferers (migraineurs) were prospectively selected to participate in the open-label trial of this patented complex. Participants were instructed to maintain a consistent lifestyle, health factors, and medications while consuming the study compound. Because of the current Corona virus pandemic, the original paper version of the migraine survey was converted to an electronic response form to allow subjects increased safety in rating episodes and symptoms. Results: Overall, the subjects reduced the number of migraine episodes by 39% from the baseline period compared to after 30 days of using the supplement. The average episode duration decreased from 388 minutes to 152 minutes, a 61% reduction. Days/events missed due to migraine severity or complications were reduced from five per month to two per month, a decrease of 60%. A combined measure of specific symptoms also decreased according to subject rating, by an average of 32%. Conclusion: In this beta pilot study, consumption of a high concentration MCT complex produced significant improvements in migraine symptoms in the three significant episode realms of frequency, duration, and lost days due to dysfunction. In addition, migraine symptom surveys can be converted to electronic record keeping, a benefit for both the patient and the clinician. These outcomes have provided further impetus to pursue a rigorous study of specific MCT products to reduce migraine symptoms. A formal confirmatory placebo-controlled trial has been initiated.

Melatonin and Regulation of Immune Function: Impact on Numerous Diseases

: Melatonin is well known as a neuroendocrine hormone that promotes sleep. However, the many other attributes of melatonin are less apparent and not as widely appreciated. The purpose of this review is to summarize the qualities of melatonin relating to immune function. The relevance of melatonin in partially or wholly restoring optimal function, in a series of disorders related to immune dysfunction, is addressed in this report. This includes the potential relief of both autoimmune diseases and many other ailments involving abnormal immune responses, including the overall diminished effectiveness of body defenses occurring with aging. Disease states affecting a wide range of organ systems have been reported as benefitting from melatonin administration and are discussed here. A separate section addresses the potential role of melatonin in the mitigation of age-related neurological diseases, in view of the increasing importance of this area. The likely mechanistic basis of the properties by which melatonin may confer protection by its acting on immune function is also described.

Fluctuational Dynamics of Extended Systems: Activation-Tunnel Frontier

The dynamics of systems in barrier structures is determined by the rate of the fluctuational decay of metastable states in a potential relief. The nature of the decay undergoes a qualitative change with a variation of the temperature. As the temperature decreases, thermal fluctuations freeze out and are replaced by quantum ones, which leads to a kind of phase transition in the dynamics. The transition temperature depends on the degree of metastability and can be controlled by an external load. This dependence is calculated for an extended nanosystem in an inclined periodic relief of the "washboard" type in a wide range of load changes. The obtained dependence generalizes the previously known results and can serve as the phase diagram of various dynamics mechanisms.