3,187 research outputs found
Genome hyperevolution and the success of a parasite
The strategy of antigenic variation is to present a constantly changing population phenotype that enhances parasite transmission, through evasion of immunity arising within, or existing between, host animals. Trypanosome antigenic variation occurs through spontaneous switching among members of a silent archive of many hundreds of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) antigen genes. As with such contingency systems in other pathogens, switching appears to be triggered through inherently unstable DNA sequences. The archive occupies subtelomeres, a genome partition that promotes hypermutagenesis and, through telomere position effects, singular expression of VSG. Trypanosome antigenic variation is augmented greatly by the formation of mosaic genes from segments of pseudo-VSG, an example of implicit genetic information. Hypermutation occurs apparently evenly across the whole archive, without direct selection on individual VSG, demonstrating second-order selection of the underlying mechanisms. Coordination of antigenic variation, and thereby transmission, occurs through networking of trypanosome traits expressed at different scales from molecules to host populations
Understanding and Application of Culturally Diverse Issues Within University Settings
This qualitative study focused on exploring the knowledge and beliefs of university faculty, staff and students regarding: the effects of multi-culturalism and immigration on their professional lives; the influence of cultural issues within the university setting; and, finally, the teaching and learning needs of culturally diverse students. The major findings include the limited knowledge base held by all groups in the sample about multi- culturalism and immigration with subsequent little effect on their professionall lives. However, of the three groups, the student group more readily recognized that they have little preparation for the multicultural interactions that will occur in their future professional practices. Although some faculty members included other teaching experiences and strategies to expose students to diversity, they also admitted to a lack of expertise in this area.Cette eĢtude qualitative explore les connaissances et les convictions des professeurs, du personnel universitaire et des eĢtudiants en ce qui a trait aux effets de l'immigration et de la diversiteĢ culturelle sur leur vie professionnelle, aĢ l'influence de la question culturelle dans l'environnement universitaire, ainsi qu'aux besoins lieĢs aĢ l'apprentissage et la formation des eĢtudiants de cultures diverses. Les reĢsultats essentiels indiquent la pieĢtre connaissance qu'ont ces diffeĢrents milieux des questions touchant la diversiteĢ culturelle, ce qui a pour correĢlat une absence apparente d'influence de cette diversiteĢ sur leur vie professionnelle. Toutefois, sur l'ensemble des trois groupes consulteĢs, les eĢtudiants semblent plus prompts aĢ reconnaiĢtre leur absence de formation en la matieĢre: ils se sentent peu preĢpareĢs aux interactions pluriculturelles inheĢrentes aĢ leur vie professionnelle aĢ venir. Bien que quelques professeurs inteĢgrent aĢ leur enseignement des strateĢgies et des expeĢriences varieĢes afin d'exposer les eĢtudiants aĢ la diversiteĢ culturelle, ils reconnaissent eĢgalement un manque de compeĢtence speĢcialiseĢe dans ce domaine
Proteinaceous Pheromone Homologs Identified from the Cloacal Gland Transcriptome of a Male Axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum
Abstract Pheromones play an important role in modifying vertebrate behavior, especially during courtship and mating. Courtship behavior in urodele amphibians often includes female exposure to secretions from the cloacal gland, as well as other scent glands. The first vertebrate proteinaceous pheromone discovered, the decapeptide sodefrin, is a female attracting pheromone secreted by the cloacal gland of male Cynops pyrrhogaster. Other proteinaceous pheromones in salamanders have been shown to elicit responses from females towards conspecific males. The presence and levels of expression of proteinaceous pheromones have not been identified in the family Ambystomatidae, which includes several important research models. The objective of this research was therefore to identify putative proteinaceous pheromones from male axolotls, Ambystoma mexicanum, as well as their relative expression levels. The results indicate that axolotls possess two different forms of sodefrin precursor-like factor (alpha and beta), as well as a putative ortholog of plethodontid modulating factor. The beta form of sodefrin precursor-like factor was amongst the most highly expressed transcripts within the cloacal gland. The ortholog of plethodontid modulating factor was expressed at a level equivalent to the beta sodefrin precursor-like factor. The results are from a single male axolotl; therefore, we are unable to assess how representative our results may be. Nevertheless, the presence of these highly expressed proteinaceous pheromones suggests that male axolotls use multiple chemical cues to attract female conspecifics. Behavioral assays would indicate whether the putative protein pheromones elicit courtship activity from female axolotls
Generic medicines and generic substitution: contrasting perspectives of stakeholders in Ireland.
BACKGROUND: The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 passed into law in July 2013 and legislated for generic substitution in Ireland. The aim of the study was to ascertain the knowledge and perceptions of stakeholders i.e. patients, pharmacists and prescribers, of generic medicines and to generic substitution with the passing of legislation.
METHODS: Three stakeholder specific questionnaires were developed to assess knowledge of and perceptions to generic medicines and generic substitution. Purposive samples of patients, prescribers and pharmacists were analysed. Descriptive quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 762 healthcare professionals and 353 patients were recruited. The study highlighted that over 84 % of patients were familiar with generic medicines and are supportive of the concept of generic substitution. Approximately 74ā% of prescribers and 84ā% of pharmacists were supportive of generic substitution in most cases. The main areas of concern highlighted by the healthcare professionals that might impact on the successful implementation of the policy, were the issue of bioequivalence with generic medicines, the computer software systems used at present in general practitioner (GP) surgeries and the availability of branded generics. The findings from this study identify a high baseline rate of acceptance to generic medicines and generic substitution among patients, prescribers and pharmacists in the Irish setting. The concerns of the main stakeholders provide a valuable insight into the potential difficulties that may arise in its implementation, and the need for on-going reassurance and proactive dissemination of the impact of the generic substitution policy.
CONCLUSION: The existing positive attitude to generic medicines and generic substitution among key stakeholders in Ireland to generic substitution, combined with appropriate support and collaboration should result in the desired increase in rates of prescribing, dispensing and use of generic medicines
Descriptive and Substantive Representation in Congress: Evidence from 80,000 Congressional Inquiries
A vast literature debates the efficacy of descriptive representation in legislatures. Though studies argue it influences how communities are represented through constituency service, they are limited since legislatorsā service activities are unobserved. Using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, we collected 88,000 records of communication between members of the U.S. Congress and federal agencies during the 108thā113th Congresses. These legislative interventions allow us to examine membersā āfollowāthroughā with policy implementation. We find that women, racial/ethnic minorities, and veterans are more likely to work on behalf of constituents with whom they share identities. Including veterans offers leverage in understanding the role of political cleavages and shared experiences. Our findings suggest that shared experiences operate as a critical mechanism for representation, that a lack of political consensus is not necessary for substantive representation, and that the causal relationships identified by experimental work have observable implications in the daily work ofĀ Congress.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150606/1/ajps12443-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150606/2/ajps12443.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150606/3/ajps12443_am.pd
The Lantern Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 1967
ā¢ The Implement ā¢ A Broken Backstop ā¢ City ā¢ My Friend Is ā¢ Meditation on Eight Dead Nurses and a Mad Austin Sniper ā¢ Fact and Fancy ā¢ Valhalla ā¢ A Blandishment ā¢ You Say You Were a Name So Sweet ā¢ Preview Rerun ā¢ To Lynne ā¢ Shards ā¢ The Initial Error ā¢ Daniel ā¢ Gold on Gold ā¢ If Morning Ever Comes ā¢ Third Poem to Tonya ā¢ The Kiss ā¢ Her Soul Was Slippery ā¢ Quietlyhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1090/thumbnail.jp
A prophylactic vaccine for breast cancer?
Cancer vaccines are the Holy Grail for patients and clinicians alike. The possibility that we can be vaccinated against common cancers is very appealing and the socioeconomic consequences are significant. A recent paper from Vincent Tuohy's group, published in the journal Nature Medicine, suggests a new approach for the development of a prophylactic vaccine for breast cancer. Their strategy was to induce mammary gland failure in mice by immunisation with an antibody specific to a milk protein that resulted in autoimmunity during lactation. This also showed some efficacy as a therapeutic vaccine. Can we look forward to the elimination of breast cancer
The First Detections of the Extragalactic Background Light at 3000, 5500, and 8000A (III): Cosmological Implications
(Abridged) We have used HST WFPC2 and ground-based spectroscopy to measure
the integrated extragalactic background light (EBL) at optical wavelengths. We
have also computed the integrated light from individual galaxy counts in the
images used to measure the EBL and in the Hubble Deep Field. We find that the
flux in galaxies as measured by standard galaxy photometry methods has
generally been underestimated by about 50%. Further, we find that the total
flux in individually detected galaxies is a factor of 2 to 3 less than the EBL
at 3000--8000A. We show that a significant fraction of the EBL may come from
normal galaxies at z<4, which are simply undetectable as a result of
K-corrections and cosmological surface brightness dimming. This is consistent
with recent redshift surveys at z<4. In the context of some simple models, we
discuss the constraints placed by the EBL on the evolution of the luminosity
density at z>1. Based on our optical EBL and published UV and IR EBL
measurements, we estimate that the total EBL from 0.1--1000 microns is 100+/-20
nW/m^2/sr. If the total EBL were produced entirely by stellar nucleosynthesis,
then we estimate that the total baryonic mass processed through stars is
Omega_* = 0.0062 (+/- 0.0022) h^{-2}, which corresponds to 0.33+/-0.12 Omega_B
for currently favored values of the baryon density. This estimate is smaller by
roughly 7% if 7 h_{0.7} nW/m^2/sr of the total EBL comes from accretion onto
central black holes. This estimate of Omega_* suggests that the universe has
been enriched to a total metal mass of 0.21(+/-0.13) Z_sun Omega_B. Our
estimate is consistent with other measurements of the cumulative metal mass
fraction of stars, stellar remnants, and the intracluster medium of galaxy
clusters in the local universe.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 20 pages using emulateapj.sty,
version with higher resolution figures available at
http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/~rab/publications.html or at
http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Sept01/Bernstein3/frames.htm
Mid-infrared spectra of PAH emission in Herbig AeBe stars
We present spectra of four Herbig AeBe stars obtained with the Infrared
Spectrograph (IRS). on the Spitzer Space Telescope. All four of the sources
show strong emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with the 6.2
um emission feature shifted to 6.3 um and the strongest C-C skeletal-mode
feature occuring at 7.9 um instead of at 7.7 um as is often seen. Remarkably,
none of the four stars have silicate emission. The strength of the 7.9 um
feature varies with respect to the 11.3 um feature among the sources,
indicating that we have observed PAHs with a range of ionization fractions. The
ionization fraction is higher for systems with hotter and brighter central
stars. Two sources, HD 34282 and HD 169142, show emission features from
aliphatic hydrocarbons at 6.85 and 7.25 um. The spectrum of HD 141569 shows a
previously undetected emission feature at 12.4 um which may be related to the
12.7 um PAH feature. The spectrum of HD 135344, the coolest star in our sample,
shows an unusual profile in the 7-9 um region, with the peak emission to the
red of 8.0 um and no 8.6 um PAH feature.Comment: Accepted by ApJ 23 June, 2005, 8 pages (emulateapj), 5 figures (3 in
color
A simple radionuclide-driven single-ion source
We describe a source capable of producing single barium ions through nuclear
recoils in radioactive decay. The source is fabricated by electroplating 148Gd
onto a silicon {\alpha}-particle detector and vapor depositing a layer of BaF2
over it. 144Sm recoils from the alpha decay of 148Gd are used to dislodge Ba+
ions from the BaF2 layer and emit them in the surrounding environment. The
simultaneous detection of an {\alpha} particle in the substrate detector allows
for tagging of the nuclear decay and of the Ba+ emission. The source is simple,
durable, and can be manipulated and used in different environments. We discuss
the fabrication process, which can be easily adapted to emit most other
chemical species, and the performance of the source
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