The History Of Elise Academy

Moore County, established in 1784 by splitting Cumberland County in two, is a large wedge shaped area of 408,960 acres or 639 square miles. Most of the area in the southern portion of the county is sandhills or pine barren, with the remainder of the soil being a loamy clay . . . Early residents were primarily of Scotch descent with German, Irish, and English settlers immigrating to the area during the two succeeding decades after 1750 . . . The academy movement in Moore County, previously traced, came to a close with the establishment of Elise Academy in 1904 in Hemp, a small community in the northwestern portion of the county

Barriers, perceptions, and dietary intakes of women participating in a federal nutrition program: the rural Appalachian experience

Over the last decade, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has been transitioning to electronic benefits (eWIC) in efforts to reduce participation barriers. The North Carolina Appalachian Region was among the last to implement this transition, yet little is known about attitudes, barriers, and perceptions of WIC participation in this region and whether eWIC influenced experiences and barriers to participation in rural areas. The primary aims of this formative study were to 1) explore maternal attitudes, barriers, and perceptions of WIC program participation and shopping experiences in rural Appalachian North Carolina; 2) examine maternal shopping characteristics, perceptions, and experiences among WIC participants using paper benefits (PB) as well as those using eWIC; and 3) examine dietary intake among WIC pregnant women and mothers in this region. The study utilized both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. For aim 1, WIC participants were recruited for focus groups from WIC offices across three rural counties. Data from four semi-structured focus groups were analyzed using content analysis to identify emerging themes related to perceptions, barriers, and experiences related to WIC participation. For aim 2 and 3, two surveys that included items on perceived barriers and experiences, Dietary Screener Questionnaire (DSQ), and Fruit and Vegetable Screener (FV Screener) were administered to pregnant women and mothers enrolled in the WIC program (n=207). The first survey was completed when the WIC program was using PB (Phase 1) and the second survey was administered when the program was fully transitioned to eWIC (Phase 2). WIC participants perceived a lack of variety of WIC-approved foods and social stigma as major barriers to participation and redeeming benefits. No significant differences in maternal shopping characteristics or barriers to full benefit redemption were detected between survey respondents who were using PB versus those using eWIC benefits (p>0.05). However, a greater proportion of participants who were using eWIC reported that they perceived using WIC food benefits to be easy and convenient “always/most of the time” compared to those who were using PB (p<0.05). Dietary intakes of WIC mothers did not differ based on pregnancy status or age of their child(ren). Mean dietary intakes of total FV, whole grains, dietary fiber, and dairy were all below national recommendations. This study contributes to a better understanding of the maternal barriers and perceptions related to WIC participation in rural Appalachian North Carolina and identifies specific areas of need that are necessary for informing future interventions and policy development within this region. Further research is needed to fully characterize the experiences (i.e. psychosocial, economic, geographic, cultural) of WIC mothers and pregnant women in rural Appalachia to enhance the utilization of WIC services in this culturally and geographically unique region

VCU/Monroe Park Fall Festival: Celebrating the Heart of VCU

The “VCU/Monroe Park Fall Festival” seeks to create a unifying comprehensive fall festival tradition for both VCU campuses. Our proposal responds to the VCU2020 strategic plan by creating a festival designed to highlight VCU/community partnerships and promote “One VCU”. Theme V of the strategic plan emphasizes “maintain[ing] VCU as a model for university-community partnerships” and “develop[ing] collaborations between businesses, government agencies, [and] communities …”. Individual units across the university will respond to these initiatives in countless ways, but unless we promote our community partnerships in a unified, centrally located, vibrant and celebratory way, much of what we do will remain invisible to our larger audience

First Steps towards Underdominant Genetic Transformation of Insect Populations

The idea of introducing genetic modifications into wild populations of insects to stop them from spreading diseases is more than 40 years old. Synthetic disease refractory genes have been successfully generated for mosquito vectors of dengue fever and human malaria. Equally important is the development of population transformation systems to drive and maintain disease refractory genes at high frequency in populations. We demonstrate an underdominant population transformation system in Drosophila melanogaster that has the property of being both spatially self-limiting and reversible to the original genetic state. Both population transformation and its reversal can be largely achieved within as few as 5 generations. The described genetic construct {Ud} is composed of two genes; (1) a UAS-RpL14.dsRNA targeting RNAi to a haploinsufficient gene RpL14 and (2) an RNAi insensitive RpL14 rescue. In this proof-of-principle system the UAS-RpL14.dsRNA knock-down gene is placed under the control of an Actin5c-GAL4 driver located on a different chromosome to the {Ud} insert. This configuration would not be effective in wild populations without incorporating the Actin5c-GAL4 driver as part of the {Ud} construct (or replacing the UAS promoter with an appropriate direct promoter). It is however anticipated that the approach that underlies this underdominant system could potentially be applied to a number of species. Figure

Fold change and p-value cutoffs significantly alter microarray interpretations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As context is important to gene expression, so is the preprocessing of microarray to transcriptomics. Microarray data suffers from several normalization and significance problems. Arbitrary fold change (FC) cut-offs of >2 and significance p-values of <0.02 lead data collection to look only at genes which vary wildly amongst other genes. Therefore, questions arise as to whether the biology or the statistical cutoff are more important within the interpretation. In this paper, we reanalyzed a zebrafish (<it>D. rerio</it>) microarray data set using GeneSpring and different differential gene expression cut-offs and found the data interpretation was drastically different. Furthermore, despite the advances in microarray technology, the array captures a large portion of genes known but yet still leaving large voids in the number of genes assayed, such as leptin a pleiotropic hormone directly related to hypoxia-induced angiogenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The data strongly suggests that the number of differentially expressed genes is more up-regulated than down-regulated, with many genes indicating conserved signalling to previously known functions. Recapitulated data from Marques et al. (2008) was similar but surprisingly different with some genes showing unexpected signalling which may be a product of tissue (heart) or that the intended response was transient.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our analyses suggest that based on the chosen statistical or fold change cut-off; microarray analysis can provide essentially more than one answer, implying data interpretation as more of an art than a science, with follow up gene expression studies a must. Furthermore, gene chip annotation and development needs to maintain pace with not only new genomes being sequenced but also novel genes that are crucial to the overall gene chips interpretation.</p

A Guide for Traffic Safety Practitioners: Best Practices for Increasing Seat Belt Use in Rural Communities

Rural motor vehicle occupants are at an increased risk for crash-related deaths compared to their urban counter-parts. One contributing factor is the lower use of seat belts in rural areas compared to urban areas. Seat belts are one of the most important strategies for reducing crash-related injuries and fatalities among road users. Preventing crash-related injuries and fatalities requires programs that promote seat belt use among rural drivers and passengers. Rural traffic safety practitioners can implement best practices, including evidence-based and promising programs, to increase seat belt use in rural areas. The Best Practices Guide for Increasing Seat Belt Use in Rural Communities is designed for rural traffic safety practitioners to plan, implement, and evaluate programs to increase seat belt use in rural communities. The guide describes evidence-based and promising seat belt programs, and shares lessons learned from traffic safety practitioners and experts. It also includes examples of seat belt programs that have been successfully adapted for use in different settings, including rural communities. The guide was informed by a literature review and environmental scan, and discussions with traffic safety practitioners and experts. It contains four modules to help traffic safety practitioners develop, implement, and evaluate rural seat belt programs: understanding seat belt use in rural communities; selecting evidence-based or promising rural seat belt program models; implementing a rural seat belt program; and evaluating a rural seat belt program

Inflammatory and haematological markers in the maternal, umbilical cord and infant circulation in histological chorioamnionitis

BACKGROUND: The relationship between histological chorioamnionitis and haematological and biochemical markers in mothers and infants at delivery, and in infants postnatally, is incompletely characterised. These markers are widely used in the diagnosis of maternal and neonatal infection. Our objective was to investigate the effects of histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) on haematological and biochemical inflammatory markers in mothers and infants at delivery, and in infants post-delivery. METHODS: Two hundred and forty seven mothers, delivering 325 infants, were recruited at the only tertiary perinatal centre in Western Australia. Placentae were assessed for evidence of HCA using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Maternal high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), procalcitonin, and umbilical cord hsCRP, procalcitonin, white cell count and absolute neutrophil count were measured at delivery. In infants where sepsis was clinically suspected, postnatal CRP, white cell count and absolute neutrophil count were measured up to 48 hours of age. The effect of HCA on maternal, cord and neonatal markers was evaluated by multivariable regression analysis. RESULTS: The median gestational age was 34 weeks and HCA was present in 26 of 247 (10.5%) placentae. Mothers whose pregnancies were complicated by HCA had higher hsCRP (median 26 (range 2-107) versus 5.6 (0-108) mg/L; P&lt;0.001). Histological chorioamnionitis was associated with higher umbilical cord hsCRP (75(th) percentile 2.91 mg/L (range 0-63.9) versus 75(th) percentile 0 mg/L (0-45.6); P&lt;0.001) and procalcitonin (median 0.293 (range 0.05-27.37) versus median 0.064 (range 0.01-5.24) ug/L; P&lt;0.001), with a sustained increase in neonatal absolute neutrophil count (median 4.5 (0.1-26.4)x10(9)/L versus 3.0 (0.1-17.8)x10(9)/L), and CRP up to 48 hours post-partum (median 10 versus 6.5 mg/L) (P&lt;0.05 for each). CONCLUSION: Histological chorioamnionitis is associated with modest systemic inflammation in maternal and cord blood. These systemic changes may increase postnatally, potentially undermining their utility in the diagnosis of early-onset neonatal infection

Renal Transplant Immunosuppression Impairs Natural Killer Cell Function In Vitro and In Vivo

Background: Despite an increasing awareness of the importance of innate immunity, the roles of natural killer (NK) cells in transplant rejection and antiviral and cancer immunity during immunosuppression have not been clearly defined. Methods: To address this issue we have developed a quantitative assay of NK cell function that can be used on clinical samples and have studied the influence of immunosuppression on NK cell function. NK cell degranulation and intracellular interferon (IFN)-c production were determined by flow cytometry of peripheral blood samples. Results: Overnight ex vivo treatment of peripheral blood cells from healthy controls with ciclosporin or tacrolimus inhibited NK cell degranulation and IFN-c production in a dose-dependent manner. A similar impairment of function was seen in NK cells from patients treated in vivo with calcineurin inhibitors. In the early post-transplant period, there was a variable reduction of NK cell counts after treatment with alemtuzumab and basiliximab. Conclusions: The functional inhibition of NK cells in early transplant patients coincides with the period of maximum susceptibility to viral infections. The ability to assay NK cell function in clinical samples allows assessment of the impact of immunosuppressio

Genetic diversity of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

The sustainability of malaria control in Africa is threatened by the rise of insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes, which transmit the disease1. To gain a deeper understanding of how mosquito populations are evolving, here we sequenced the genomes of 765 specimens of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii sampled from 15 locations across Africa, and identified over 50 million single nucleotide polymorphisms within the accessible genome. These data revealed complex population structure and patterns of gene flow, with evidence of ancient expansions, recent bottlenecks, and local variation in effective population size. Strong signals of recent selection were observed in insecticide-resistance genes, with several sweeps spreading over large geographical distances and between species. The design of new tools for mosquito control using gene-drive systems will need to take account of high levels of genetic diversity in natural mosquito populations

A systematic review of evidence for the added benefits to health of exposure to natural environments

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is increasing interest in the potential role of the natural environment in human health and well-being. However, the evidence-base for specific and direct health or well-being benefits of activity within natural compared to more synthetic environments has not been systematically assessed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a systematic review to collate and synthesise the findings of studies that compare measurements of health or well-being in natural and synthetic environments. Effect sizes of the differences between environments were calculated and meta-analysis used to synthesise data from studies measuring similar outcomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-five studies met the review inclusion criteria. Most of these studies were crossover or controlled trials that investigated the effects of short-term exposure to each environment during a walk or run. This included 'natural' environments, such as public parks and green university campuses, and synthetic environments, such as indoor and outdoor built environments. The most common outcome measures were scores of different self-reported emotions. Based on these data, a meta-analysis provided some evidence of a positive benefit of a walk or run in a natural environment in comparison to a synthetic environment. There was also some support for greater attention after exposure to a natural environment but not after adjusting effect sizes for pretest differences. Meta-analysis of data on blood pressure and cortisol concentrations found less evidence of a consistent difference between environments across studies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overall, the studies are suggestive that natural environments may have direct and positive impacts on well-being, but support the need for investment in further research on this question to understand the general significance for public health.</p