Mouse ribonuclease III. cDNA structure, expression analysis, and chromosomal location

BACKGROUND: Members of the ribonuclease III superfamily of double-stranded(ds)-RNA-specific endoribonucleases participate in diverse RNA maturation and decay pathways in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. A human RNase III orthologue has been implicated in ribosomal RNA maturation. To better understand the structure and mechanism of mammalian RNase III and its involvement in RNA metabolism we determined the cDNA structure, chromosomal location, and expression patterns of mouse RNase III. RESULTS: The predicted mouse RNase III polypeptide contains 1373 amino acids (~160 kDa). The polypeptide exhibits a single C-terminal dsRNA-binding motif (dsRBM), tandem catalytic domains, a proline-rich region (PRR) and an RS domain. Northern analysis and RT-PCR reveal that the transcript (4487 nt) is expressed in all tissues examined, including extraembryonic tissues and the midgestation embryo. Northern analysis indicates the presence of an additional, shorter form of the transcript in testicular tissue. Fluorescent in situ hybridization demonstrates that the mouse RNase III gene maps to chromosome 15, region B, and that the human RNase III gene maps to a syntenic location on chromosome 5p13-p14. CONCLUSIONS: The broad transcript expression pattern indicates a conserved cellular role(s) for mouse RNase III. The putative polypeptide is highly similar to human RNase III (99% amino acid sequence identity for the two catalytic domains and dsRBM), but is distinct from other eukaryotic orthologues, including Dicer, which is involved in RNA interference. The mouse RNase III gene has a chromosomal location distinct from the Dicer gene

FEMA's Integration of Preparedness and Development of Robust Regional Offices

In October 2006, Congress enacted major legislation to reform the function and organization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in response to the recognized failures in preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA) focused national preparedness responsibilities within FEMA and directed additional resources and responsibilities to FEMA's ten regional offices. Directed by Congress, in October 2008 a National Academy Panel began an independent assessment of FEMA's integration of preparedness functions and progress in development of robust regional offices.Main FindingsOver the past three years, FEMA has taken significant steps in an effort to integrate preparedness and develop more robust regional offices. These efforts, undertaken by both the previous and current Administrations, are documented throughout this report and should be recognized and applauded. However, FEMA has yet to define specific goals and outcomes that would permit it, Congress or the public to determine when preparedness has been fully integrated into all aspects of FEMA's work and whether the development and ongoing operation of robust regional offices has been achieved. In the absence of well-defined, measurable outcome indicators, the National Academy Panel relied upon the assessments of FEMA leaders and staff, documentation provided by FEMA, and a review of secondary sources material to inform its findings and recommendations. Based upon this evidence, the Panel has concluded that, while progress has been made: (1) preparedness is not fully integrated across FEMA, (2) FEMA's regional offices do not yet have the capacity required to ensure the nation is fully prepared, (3) stakeholders are not yet full partners with FEMA in national preparedness, and (4) FEMA has ineffective internal business practices, particularly with regard to human resource management. The Panel made seven recommendations for FEMA:Establish a cross-organizational process, with participation from internal and external stakeholders, to develop a shared understanding of preparedness integrationEstablish a robust set of outcome metrics and standards for preparedness integration, as well as a system to monitor and evaluate progress on an ongoing basisWork to eliminate organizational barriers that are adversely impacting the full integration of preparedness across the agencyContinue to build regional office capacity and monitor implementation consistent with the Administrator's recent policy guidanceUndertake steps to improve the ongoing working relationship between headquarters and the regions in accord with Panel-identified principlesTake steps to improve stakeholder engagement and relationships at all levels in accord with Panel-identified principles; andStrengthen internal business practices, especially in the area of human capital planning

Paralegal Students’ and Paralegal Instructors’ Perceptions of Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Paralegal Course Effectiveness: A Comparative Study

To improve online learning pedagogy within the field of paralegal education, this study investigated how paralegal students and paralegal instructors perceived the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses.  This study intended to inform paralegal instructors and course developers how to better design, deliver, and evaluate effective online course instruction in the field of paralegal studies.Survey results were analyzed using independent samples t-test and correlational analysis, and indicated that overall, paralegal students and paralegal instructors positively perceived synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses.  Paralegal instructors reported statistically significant higher perceptions than paralegal students: (1) of instructional design and course content in synchronous online paralegal courses; and (2) of technical assistance, communication, and course content in asynchronous online paralegal courses.  Instructors also reported higher perceptions of the effectiveness of universal design, online instructional design, and course content in synchronous online paralegal courses than in asynchronous online paralegal courses.  Paralegal students reported higher perceptions of asynchronous online paralegal course effectiveness regarding universal design than paralegal instructors.  No statistically significant differences existed between paralegal students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses. 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Detecting short-term change and variation in health-related quality of life: within- and between-person factor structure of the SF-36 health survey.

BackgroundA major goal of much aging-related research and geriatric medicine is to identify early changes in health and functioning before serious limitations develop. To this end, regular collection of patient-reported outcome measure (PROMs) in a clinical setting may be useful to identify and monitor these changes. However, existing PROMs were not designed for repeated administration and are more commonly used as one-time screening tools; as such, their ability to detect variation and measurement properties when administered repeatedly remain unknown. In this study we evaluated the potential of the RAND SF-36 Health Survey as a repeated-use PROM by examining its measurement properties when modified for administration over multiple occasions.MethodsTo distinguish between-person (i.e., average) from within-person (i.e., occasion) levels, the SF-36 Health Survey was completed by a sample of older adults (N = 122, M age  = 66.28 years) daily for seven consecutive days. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to investigate the factor structure at both levels for two- and eight-factor solutions.ResultsMultilevel CFA models revealed that the correlated eight-factor solution provided better model fit than the two-factor solution at both the between-person and within-person levels. Overall model fit for the SF-36 Health Survey administered daily was not substantially different from standard survey administration, though both were below optimal levels as reported in the literature. However, individual subscales did demonstrate good reliability.ConclusionsMany of the subscales of the modified SF-36 for repeated daily assessment were found to be sufficiently reliable for use in repeated measurement designs incorporating PROMs, though the overall scale may not be optimal. We encourage future work to investigate the utility of the subscales in specific contexts, as well as the measurement properties of other existing PROMs when administered in a repeated measures design. The development and integration of new measures for this purpose may ultimately be necessary

Influence of Richness and Seeding Density on Invasion Resistance in Experimental Tallgrass Prairie Restorations

In recent years, agricultural producers and non-governmental organizations and agencies have restored thousands of hectares of cropland to grassland in the Great Plains of the United States. However, little is known about the relationships between richness and seeding density in these restorations and resistance to invasive plant species. We assessed the effects of richness and seeding density on resistance to invasive and other unseeded plant species in experimental tallgrass prairie plots in central Nebraska. In 2006, twenty-four 55 m × 55 m plots were planted with six replicates in each of four treatments: high richness (97 species typically planted by The Nature Conservancy), at low and high seeding densities, and low richness (15 species representing a typical Conservation Reserve Program mix, CP25), at low and high seeding densities. There was a significant negative relationship between richness and basal cover of unseeded perennial forbs/legumes and unseeded perennial/annual grasses, abundance of bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), and the number of inflorescences removed from smooth brome (Bromus inermis) transplants. Invasion resistance may have been higher in the high richness treatments because of the characteristics of the dominant species in these plots or because of greater interspecific competition for limiting resources among forbs/legumes with neighboring plants belonging to the same functional group. Seeding density was not important in affecting invasion resistance, except in the cover of unseeded grasses. Increasing seed mix richness may be more effective than increasing the seeding density for decreasing invasion by unseeded perennial species, bull thistle, and smooth brome

Responses of predatory invertebrates to seeding density and plantspecies richness in experimental tallgrass prairie restorations

In recent decades, agricultural producers and non-governmental organizations have restored thousandsof hectares of former cropland in the central United States with native grasses and forbs. However,the ability of these grassland restorations to attract predatory invertebrates has not been well docu-mented, even though predators provide an important ecosystem service to agricultural producers bynaturally regulating herbivores. This study assessed the effects of plant richness and seeding density onthe richness and abundance of surface-dwelling (ants, ground beetles, and spiders) and aboveground(ladybird beetles) predatory invertebrates. In the spring of 2006, twenty-four 55 m × 55 m-plots wereplanted to six replicates in each of four treatments: high richness (97 species typically planted by TheNature Conservancy), at low and high seeding densities, and low richness (15 species representing a typ-ical Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Reserve Program mix, CP25), at low and highseeding densities. Ants, ground beetles, and spiders were sampled using pitfall traps and ladybird beetleswere sampled using sweep netting in 2007–2009. The abundance of ants, ground beetles, and spidersshowed no response to seed mix richness or seeding density but there was a significant positive effect ofrichness on ladybird beetle abundance. Seeding density had a significant positive effect on ground beetleand spider species richness and Shannon–Weaver diversity. These results may be related to differencesin the plant species composition and relative amount of grass basal cover among the treatments ratherthan richness

Navigating International, Interdisciplinary, and Indigenous Collaborative Inquiry

This report describes how multiple community constituents came together with university researchers to develop a shared agenda for studying young indigenous people in five international circumpolar communities. The paper focuses on the setup and process of an initial face-to-face methodological planning workshop involving youth and adult community members and academics. Members of Yup’ik, Inupiat, Eveny, Inuit, and Sámi communities from Siberia to Norway participated in the workshop and engaged in negotiations to arrive at shared research interests. This was essential since the ultimate goal of the research is translational and transformative, spurring social action in communities. Describing the beginning stage of this project and the underlying participatory methodology offers insight into how the approach engaged community members with varying degrees of sustained interest and practical success. It, therefore, articulates a methodological approach for international community-based participatory research

Contribution of life course cardiovascular risk factors to racial disparities in dementia incidence.

BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in dementia outcomes persist in the United States. Targeting modifiable risk factors, including cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), is a conceivable way to reduce health disparities. Life course CVRFs are often higher in non-White adults and are associated with risk of dementia, but it is unknown whether they contribute to racial disparities in dementia and cognition. METHODS: Using a pooled cohort of 4,159 White and 939 Black participants aged 65-95 years, we conducted a mediation analysis to estimate the proportional effect of race on dementia that is explained by four CVRFs imputed over the life course (20-49, 50-69, and 70-89 years of age): body mass index, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. RESULTS: Compared to White participants, Black participants had greater risk of dementia (adjusted OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.17-1.60). BMI and fasting glucose over the life course were significant mediators of the effect of race on dementia risk, mediating 39.1% (95% CI: 10.5-67.8%) and 8.2% (95% CI: 0.1-16.2%) of the effect, adjusted for sex and age. All four CVRFs together were also significant mediators of the effect of race on scores on global cognition and processing speed, accounting for approximately 11% of the effect. CONCLUSIONS: We found that CVRFs across the life course partially explain disparities in dementia risk and cognition in late-life. Improved prevention and treatment of CVRFs across the life course may be important to reduce health disparities for dementia

A qualitative analysis of smokers’ perceptions about lung cancer screening

Background In 2013, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) began recommending lung cancer screening for high risk smokers aged 55–80 years using low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan. In light of these updated recommendations, there is a need to understand smokers’ knowledge of and experiences with lung cancer screening in order to inform the design of patient education and tobacco cessation programs. The purpose of this study is to describe results of a qualitative study examining smokers’ perceptions around lung cancer screening tests. Methods In 2009, prior to the release of the updated USPSTF recommendations, we conducted 12 120-min, gender-specific focus groups with 105 current smokers in Charlotte, North Carolina and Cincinnati, Ohio. Focus group facilitators asked participants about their experience with three lung cancer screening tests, including CT scan, chest x-ray, and sputum cytology. Focus group transcripts were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using constant comparative methods. Results Participants were 41–67 years-old, with a mean smoking history of 38.9 pack-years. Overall, 34.3% would meet the USPSTF’s current eligibility criteria for screening. Most participants were unaware of all three lung cancer screening tests. The few participants who had been screened recalled limited information about the test. Nevertheless, many participants expressed a strong desire to pursue lung cancer screening. Using the social ecological model for health promotion, we identified potential barriers to lung cancer screening at the 1) health care system level (cost of procedure, confusion around results), 2) cultural level (fatalistic beliefs, distrust of medical system), and 3) individual level (lack of knowledge, denial of risk, concerns about the procedure). Although this study was conducted prior to the updated USPSTF recommendations, these findings provide a baseline for future studies examining smokers’ perceptions of lung cancer screening. Conclusion We recommend clear and patient-friendly educational tools to improve patient understanding of screening risks and benefits and the use of best practices to help smokers quit. Further qualitative studies are needed to assess changes in smokers’ perceptions as lung cancer screening with CT scan becomes more widely used in community practice

Associations of Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Levels During Young Adulthood With Later Cardiovascular Events.

BackgroundBlood pressure (BP) and cholesterol are major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but effects of exposures during young adulthood on later life CVD risk have not been well quantified.ObjectiveThe authors sought to evaluate the independent associations between young adult exposures to risk factors and later life CVD risk, accounting for later life exposures.MethodsThe authors pooled data from 6 U.S. cohorts with observations spanning the life course from young adulthood to later life, and imputed risk factor trajectories for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, systolic and diastolic BP starting from age 18 years for every participant. Time-weighted average exposures to each risk factor during young (age 18 to 39 years) and later adulthood (age ≥40 years) were calculated and linked to subsequent risks of coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), or stroke.ResultsA total of 36,030 participants were included. During a median follow-up of 17 years, there were 4,570 CHD, 5,119 HF, and 2,862 stroke events. When young and later adult risk factors were considered jointly in the model, young adult LDL ≥100 mg/dl (compared with <100 mg/dl) was associated with a 64% increased risk for CHD, independent of later adult exposures. Similarly, young adult SBP ≥130 mm Hg (compared with <120 mm Hg) was associated with a 37% increased risk for HF, and young adult DBP ≥80 mm Hg (compared with <80 mm Hg) was associated with a 21% increased risk.ConclusionsCumulative young adult exposures to elevated systolic BP, diastolic BP and LDL were associated with increased CVD risks in later life, independent of later adult exposures