Families and Flexibility: Building the 21st Century Workplace

This report details the findings of a survey of working New Yorkers -- conducted by the Comptroller's Office, in partnership with A Better Balance -- designed to provide policymakers with insight into how flexible work arrangements are, or are not, being used by individuals and businesses throughout the city. It is intended to gauge the need for workplace reforms, including but not limited to, legislation establishing the "right to request" FWA's, paid family leave, and advance notification of schedules. The survey, while non-scientific, yielded over 1,100 responses from residents of all five boroughs working in a range of industries, from professional services and education, to health care, retail, and construction between June and August 2015. The results suggest that New Yorkers from all walks of life face an untenable tension between their professional and personal responsibilities, and that a new model of work is needed to ensure that parents can remain in the workforce, families have the flexibility to care for loved ones of all ages, and workers of every stripe have the opportunity to succeed

Segregation of spermatozoa within sperm storage tubules of fowl and turkey hens

In avian species, spermatozoa reside in the oviduct for prolonged periods in specialized structures known as sperm storage tubules, but little is known about the relative distribution of spermatozoa in these tubules after successive inseminations by different males. The staining efficacies of various fluorescent dyes for fowl and turkey spermatozoa were evaluated to investigate one proposed mechanism of sperm competition. Hens were then inseminated at different intervals with stained and unstained spermatozoa to observe the spatial distribution of spermatozoa within the storage tubules. Several novel fluorescent lipophilic tracers that successfully stain mammalian spermatozoa either did not stain fowl or turkey spermatozoa, or greatly impaired sperm motility. In contrast, Hoechst 33342 readily stained sperm nuclei (fowl: 25 nmol l–1; turkey: 77 nmol l–1) within 4 h without inhibiting sperm motility, or affecting fertility or the hatching ability of the eggs. Hens were tandemly inseminated with equal numbers of stained or unstained spermatozoa at 24 h intervals and were killed 24 h after the final insemination to study sperm entry and storage within the tubules. Oviductal mucosa containing sperm storage tubules was removed, and individual tubules were classified as containing stained spermatozoa, unstained spermatozoa, a mixture of stained and unstained spermatozoa, or as not containing spermatozoa. Results from the present study indicate that spermatozoa from two different inseminations generally segregate into different storage tubules in both fowl and turkey hens. Storage tubules containing mixed populations of spermatozoa were found in only 4% of fowl and 12% of turkey storage tubules examined. Thus, the mechanism of last-male precedence does not appear to be due to the stratification of spermatozoa within the tubules

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals

Defining the optimal dose of radiation in leukemic patients with extramedullary lesions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Analysis of the clinical response of extramedullary lesions in leukemic patients treated with radiation therapy (RT) and defining the optimal dose of radiation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty-two extramedullary lesions found in 24 leukemic patients treated with RT were reviewed. The radiation was delivered usually 2 Gy/day, up to a median of 20 Gy (range: 18.0-40.8). The clinical response and symptom palliation effect were analyzed. The factors affecting the response were also included in the analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After a median time of 7.9 weeks, the overall response rate was 76.2%. A complete response (CR) was achieved in 35.7%, a partial response in 40.5%. The symptom was relieved in 85.7% sites. The overall response rate was better in patients whose initial tumor size was smaller than 10 cm²(<it>p = 0.010</it>) or who were treated with more than 25 Gy (<it>p = 0.031</it>). The overall CR rate was also higher in those who had smaller tumors (smaller than 6 cm or 30 cm²) (<it>p = 0.015)</it>, or when the tumor was located in soft tissue (<it>p = 0.029</it>).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Extramedullary lesions in leukemic patients can be successfully treated with RT. The tumor response rate was excellent and symptom relief was achieved in almost all patients. There was a better response to treatment when the tumor was small or it was located in soft tissue. Although, there was no definite correlation between volume reduction and total dose, it seems that higher total dose more of than 25 Gy is needed for better response.</p

Radiation Impairs Perineural Invasion by Modulating the Nerve Microenvironment

Perineural invasion (PNI) by cancer cells is an ominous clinical event that is associated with increased local recurrence and poor prognosis. Although radiation therapy (RT) may be delivered along the course of an invaded nerve, the mechanisms through which radiation may potentially control PNI remain undefined. murine sciatic nerve model was used to study how RT to nerve or cancer affects nerve invasion by cancer.Cancer cell invasion of the DRG was partially dependent on DRG secretion of glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). A single 4 Gy dose of radiation to the DRG alone, cultured with non-radiated cancer cells, significantly inhibited PNI and was associated with decreased GDNF secretion but intact DRG viability. Radiation of cancer cells alone, co-cultured with non-radiated nerves, inhibited PNI through predominantly compromised cancer cell viability. In a murine model of PNI, a single 8 Gy dose of radiation to the sciatic nerve prior to implantation of non-radiated cancer cells resulted in decreased GDNF expression, decreased PNI by imaging and histology, and preservation of sciatic nerve motor function.Radiation may impair PNI through not only direct effects on cancer cell viability, but also an independent interruption of paracrine mechanisms underlying PNI. RT modulation of the nerve microenvironment may decrease PNI, and hold significant therapeutic implications for RT dosing and field design for patients with cancers exhibiting PNI

Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 23

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Postcopulatory Sexual Selection Is Associated with Reduced Variation in Sperm Morphology

The evolutionary role of postcopulatory sexual selection in shaping male reproductive traits, including sperm morphology, is well documented in several taxa. However, previous studies have focused almost exclusively on the influence of sperm competition on variation among species. In this study we tested the hypothesis that intraspecific variation in sperm morphology is driven by the level of postcopulatory sexual selection in passerine birds.Using two proxy measures of sperm competition level, (i) relative testes size and (ii) extrapair paternity level, we found strong evidence that intermale variation in sperm morphology is negatively associated with the degree of postcopulatory sexual selection, independently of phylogeny.Our results show that the role of postcopulatory sexual selection in the evolution of sperm morphology extends to an intraspecific level, reducing the variation towards what might be a species-specific 'optimum' sperm phenotype. This finding suggests that while postcopulatory selection is generally directional (e.g., favouring longer sperm) across avian species, it also acts as a stabilising evolutionary force within species under intense selection, resulting in reduced variation in sperm morphology traits. We discuss some potential evolutionary mechanisms for this pattern

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals