“Long Past Time”: CEDAW Ratification in the United States

More than 70 years after Eleanor Roosevelt pioneered the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the US has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW or what is known as the global Bill of Rights for Women). The Trump administration is planning measures such as paid parental leave and child care legislation which are supported by the CEDAW. Despite the Trump administration\u27s caution about human rights treaties, we argue that an enlightened self-interest on the part of the administration will draw it towards the CEDAW ratification despite the ratification being past time

The use of strip-seeding for management of two late-season invasive plants

The spread and persistence of weedy plants in rangelands highlight the need for refinement of existing management techniques and development of novel strategies to address invasions. Strip-seeding - the strategic seeding of a portion of an invaded area to reduce costs and enhance success - is an underutilized management approach that holds promise for reducing weed dominance in grassland habitats. A strip-seeding experiment was established in 2011 in a California grassland where portions (between 0-100%) of invaded plots were seeded with native grasses. In 2016, we assessed the height, above-ground biomass and flower production of two late-season invasive plants: field bindweed and prickly lettuce. We found significant reductions in plant height and flower production (for both target invasives), and biomass (for field bindweed) in many of the seeded strips compared to the unseeded strips. Smaller seed applications demonstrated similar or better utility for weed control compared to greater seed applications, suggesting that this approach can be effective while reducing labor and materials cost of typical restoration management approaches. We did not find evidence that seeded strips provided invasion resistance to unseeded strips. This is possibly due to the lag in native species dispersal and establishment into contiguous unseeded strips, and suggests that strip-seeding might not provide invasion resistance to unseeded strips on timescales that are relevant to managers. However, this work does suggest that strip-seeding native species that overlap in phenology with target invasives can reduce late-season weed dominance on rangelands.USDA-NIFA, Rangeland Research Program [CA-D-PLS-2119-CG]; Universidade de Sao Paulo, BrazilOpen access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Effect of rhizome exposure to contrasting abiotic conditions on the performance of the invasive macrophyte Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (Zingiberaceae)

Although invasive species are often better competitors than native species, broad environmental tolerance may also drive invasion success. Tolerance to abiotic heterogeneity in riparian ecosystems tends to favour the establishment of alien clonal species, as well as their dispersion by vegetative fragments. Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig is a rhizomatous emergent macrophyte native to Asia and has invaded Neotropical riparian ecosystems. We assessed the effect of H. coronarium rhizome exposure to distinct abiotic conditions on ramet growth. We exposed rhizomes to different desiccation periods (1–90 days), temperatures (15, 25 and 35 °C), and light regimes (0, 12, 16 h) and then assessed the effect of each of these variables on subsequent clonal growth (aboveground biomass production per plant and per ramet, and number and height of ramets) under ambient conditions. While no rhizome survived desiccation periods longer than 30 days, ramet growth among surviving rhizomes was not affected by the period of desiccation. Biomass production per rhizome, ramet biomass, and ramet height were significantly lower at 35 °C than at 25 °C. Constant darkness increased rhizome survival, but decreased ramet growth. Although rhizome exposure to extremes of each abiotic variable may hinder the invasion success of H. coronarium, the subsequent aboveground biomass production of surviving rhizomes did not decrease strongly in response to any treatment. This resilience may contribute to successful establishment of H. coronarium after dispersal through rhizome fragments and to varying abiotic conditions

Transcription factors of the alternative NF-κB pathway are required for germinal center B-cell development

The NF-κB signaling cascade relays external signals essential for B-cell growth and survival. This cascade is frequently hijacked by cancers that arise from the malignant transformation of germinal center (GC) B cells, underscoring the importance of deciphering the function of NF-κB in these cells. The NF-κB signaling cascade is comprised of two branches, the canonical and alternative NF-κB pathways, mediated by distinct transcription factors. The expression and function of the transcription factors of the alternative pathway, RELB and NF-κB2, in late B-cell development is incompletely understood. Using conditional deletion of relb and nfkb2 in GC B cells, we here report that ablation of both RELB and NF-κB2, but not of the single transcription factors, resulted in the collapse of established GCs. RELB/NF-κB2 deficiency in GC B cells was associated with impaired cell-cycle entry and reduced expression of the cell-surface receptor inducible T-cell costimulator ligand that promotes optimal interactions between B and T cells. Analysis of human tonsillar tissue revealed that plasma cells and their precursors in the GC expressed high levels of NF-κB2 relative to surrounding lymphocytes. Accordingly, deletion of nfkb2 in murine GC B cells resulted in a dramatic reduction of antigen-specific antibody-secreting cells, whereas deletion of relb had no effect. These results demonstrate that the transcription factors of the alternative NF-κB pathway control distinct stages of late B-cell development, which may have implications for B-cell malignancies that aberrantly activate this pathway

VALOR: Cultural considerations when assessing Central American immigrant women in behavioral health settings

The topic of immigration is timely yet polarizing. By definition, to be an immigrant implies being in a state of transition and transformation. The eventual outcome is likely to be influenced by a series of contextual factors starting in the country of origin, continuing during the migration journey, and culminating in receiving communities. The authors use a fictional case example of a Central American immigrant woman to illustrate VALOR, the Spanish word for courage, as an acronym that identifies five key areas for clinical consideration in behavioral health settings: Values, Arrival in the United States, Losses, Obstacles to care, and Resources. VALOR offers guidance for a culturally informed assessment critical for mental health clinicians. Implications for culturally affirming treatment directions including advocacy, community linkage, and attention to trauma and unresolved grief are woven into the discussion

The Impact of Host Diet on Wolbachia Titer in Drosophila

While a number of studies have identified host factors that influence endosymbiont titer, little is known concerning environmental influences on titer. Here we examined nutrient impact on maternally transmitted Wolbachia endosymbionts in Drosophila. We demonstrate that Drosophila reared on sucrose- and yeast-enriched diets exhibit increased and reduced Wolbachia titers in oogenesis, respectively. The yeast-induced Wolbachia depletion is mediated in large part by the somatic TOR and insulin signaling pathways. Disrupting TORC1 with the small molecule rapamycin dramatically increases oocyte Wolbachia titer, whereas hyper-activating somatic TORC1 suppresses oocyte titer. Furthermore, genetic ablation of insulin-producing cells located in the Drosophila brain abolished the yeast impact on oocyte titer. Exposure to yeast-enriched diets altered Wolbachia nucleoid morphology in oogenesis. Furthermore, dietary yeast increased somatic Wolbachia titer overall, though not in the central nervous system. These findings highlight the interactions between Wolbachia and germline cells as strongly nutrient-sensitive, and implicate conserved host signaling pathways by which nutrients influence Wolbachia titer.Florida International University, National Institutes of Health, Minority Access to Research Careers program: (GMS-2T34GM007910), National Science Foundation grant: (MCB-1122252)

ACCURACY OF SPORT ACTION CAMERAS FOR 3D UNDERWATER MOTION ANALYSIS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of sport action cameras for 3D underwater motion analysis. Two cameras (GoPro) were fixed in the swimming pool. The image resolution was set to 1920 x 1080, the view angle was set to 127o and the frame rate was 60 Hz. A Wi-Fi remote was used to start the cameras. A wand calibration method based on radial distortion model was used to calibrate the cameras. The accuracy was evaluated in eight trials of dynamic rigid bar tests (working volume 4?1?1.5m3). The results revealed mean absolute error ranging from 1.23 mm to 1.93 mm. These values of accuracy for underwater analysis can be considered acceptable for the majority of 3D underwater motion analyses, in particular for swimming biomechanics

KINEMATICAL ANALYSIS OF BANDAL AND DOLYO TAEKWONDO KICKS OF A HIGH LEVEL FEMALE ATHLETE

The purpose of this study was to analyze the kinematics of two Taekwondo kicks performed by a high level female athlete. The kicks were compared according to three main factors: a) type of kick (Bandal or Dolyo), b) foot of kick (right or left foot); c) kick starting with the kicking foot in front of the support limb or behind (front or back foot).The DVideo kinematical analysis system was used to reconstruct the 3D coordinates of twelve landmarks. The study was able to identify the main differences between the two most frequently used Taekwondo kicks, showed that the initial condition should be considered when comparing kicks and revealed differences between kicks accomplished with right or left foot of this high level athlete