Role of Type 4 Phosphodiesterases in Thermoregulation and Salivation in Mice

Type 4 cAMP phosphodiesterases (PDE4s) comprise a family of four isoenzymes, PDE4A to D, that hydrolyze and inactivate the second messenger cAMP. Non/PAN selective PDE4 inhibitors, which inhibit all four subtypes simultaneously, produce many promising therapeutic benefits, such as anti-inflammatory or cognition- and memory-enhancing effects. However, unwanted side effects, principally, nausea, diarrhea, and emesis, have long hampered their clinical and commercial success. Targeting individual PDE4 subtypes has been proposed for developing drugs with an improved safety profile, but which PDE4 subtype(s) is/are actually responsible for nausea and emesis remains ill defined. In mice treated with PAN-selective inhibitors, there is substantial impairment of autonomic nervous system functions, including gastroparesis (retention of food in the stomach), and hypothermia, both of which are associated with nausea and emesis in humans. Selective inactivation of any of the four PDE4 subtypes does not induce gastroparesis in the mice, nor does it change their body temperature, suggesting that these adverse effects are not mediated by a single subtype, but require concurrent inhibition of multiple (at least two) PDE4 subtypes. As mice are anatomically incapable of vomiting, we have identified these effects as novel correlates of nausea in these animals. Importantly, these studies suggest that subtype-selective inactivation of individual subtypes may be free of certain adverse effects and thus have an improved safety profile relative to PAN-selective inhibition

The Evolution of a Social Movement: A Study of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo

This thesis investigates the evolution of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo social movement in Argentina from 1979-2014. The Madres de Plaza de Mayo are a social movement that initiated protests against the military junta that controlled Argentina from 1976-1982. The Madres were the mothers of people the junta had “disappeared” during its regime, and the protests were a demand for information about the missing children. After the fall of the dictatorship, the movement continued its protest for information. During this time, the movement underwent a structural split that coincided with ideological structure. I analyzed both internal and external factors to understand their role in the changing structure and ideology of the movement. I used an historical comparison to evaluate the evolution of the movement over time. I found that the strong collective identity was very important to the Madres continued existence. I also found that the Madres overcame the “free-rider” problem of collective action through the use of selective incentives as well as pursuing a mission of social justice. The Madres’ recent alliance with the Kirchner administration has compromised some of their credibility with the Argentine population. New legal proceedings to prosecute those responsible for the crimes as well as locate the missing grandchildren could have an effect on the future structure of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo

Cold Modelling of an Internally Circulating Fluidized Bed Membrane Reactor

A novel fluidized bed membrane reactor with internal catalyst circulation is being developed for the production of high-purity H2 from an autothermal reformer. In order to provide guidance to pilot reactor testing, a cold model was built to study the influence of reactor configuration on hydrodynamics and catalyst circulation. It was found that catalyst circulation was reproducible, but that parallel non-communicating flow channels could lead to flow instability. Solids circulation was found to be adequate for design of the autothermal reformer

Sensory and repetitive behaviors among children with autism spectrum disorder at home

Atypical sensory and repetitive behaviors are defining features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are thought to be influenced by environmental factors; however, there is a lack of naturalistic research exploring contexts surrounding these behaviors. The current study involved video recording observations of 32 children with ASD (2 – 12 years of age) engaging in sensory and repetitive behaviors during home activities. Behavioral coding was used to determine what activity contexts, sensory modalities, and stimulus characteristics were associated with specific behavior types: hyperresponsive, hyporesponsive, sensory seeking, and repetitive/stereotypic. Results indicated that hyperresponsive behaviors were most associated with activities of daily living and family-initiated stimuli, whereas sensory seeking behaviors were associated with free play activities and child-initiated stimuli. Behaviors associated with multiple sensory modalities simultaneously were common, emphasizing the multi-sensory nature of children’s behaviors in natural contexts. Implications for future research more explicitly considering context are discussed

Unearthing the myths of global sustainable forest governance

Peer reviewe

Developing Feasible and Effective School-Based Interventions for Children With ASD: A Case Study of the Iterative Development Process

Despite an emphasis on identifying evidence-based practices among researchers and using evidence-based practices among professionals in the field of education, there are still problems with uptake and implementation in real-world settings. This lack of diffusion of practices is evident in educational programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One solution is to use an iterative process to develop interventions in which researchers work in collaboration with the end users to test and refine interventions. However, there are very few guidelines for developing feasible and effective interventions through these iterative processes. This article provides a description of the iterative process used to develop the Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) intervention, a supplemental program designed for public preschool classrooms serving students with ASD, and examples of how data from the sequence of iterative design studies shaped the intervention development. The research team offers guidelines for other researchers looking to engage in intervention development using an iterative process in the context of partnerships with end users, including suggestions for planning and executing an intervention development grant

Ursinus College Alumni Journal, August 1968

A special responsibility • Capp quips cleverly at commencement • Alumni Day \u2768: The happy time; The business of the day; Election winners take office; Two distinguished graduates honored; A salute to individuals & organizations; Picture of a perfect day • Weighing the worth of Ursinus • What is a college? • Alumni award winner recalls Ursinus past • Alumni classes support college in 1967-1968 • Call it animal faith, if you like • All-Ursinus anniversary drive • From the President • Dr. James E. Wagner retires as vice-president • Development department increases staff • Campus clippings: New faculty members; Chapter scholars; Tax tip on the surcharge; Board elects three • Class notebook • Weddings • Births • In memoriamhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/alumnijournal/1092/thumbnail.jp

In Vitro Activity of Non-antibiotic Drugs Against \u3ci\u3eStaphylococcus Aureus\u3c/i\u3e Clinical Strains

Objectives: We hypothesised that one or more of the non-antibiotic candidates selected for this study would demonstrate antibiotic activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Methods: We determined minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) for non-antibiotic drugs (amlodipine, azelastine, ebselen and sertraline) against five clinical S. aureus isolates and one quality control strain using the Microplate Alamar Blue Assay (MABA). Our research group selected clinical isolates obtained from nasal and wound swab cultures of patients with skin and soft-tissue infections who were seen at primary care clinics in the South Texas Ambulatory Research Network (STARNet). Results: Three of the non-antibiotic drugs had identical MICs for all isolates: amlodipine, 64 μg/mL; azelastine, 200 μg/mL; and sertraline, 20 μg/mL. MICs for ebselen were 0.25 μg/mL (SA-29213, A1019 and J1019), 0.5 μg/mL (A32 and B60) and 1 μg/mL (B72). MBCs for amlodipine, azelastine and sertraline were within one dilution of their MICs, indicating bactericidal activity for all test isolates. Ebselen MBCs were one to two dilutions higher in most isolates, also indicating bactericidal activity for all test isolates. Conclusion: In summary, all four non-antibiotics demonstrated in vitro activity to varying degrees against S. aureus clinical isolates. Ebselen was the most potent of the four non-antibiotics tested

Relationships among repetitive behaviors, sensory features, and executive functions in high functioning autism

This study examined the relationship between repetitive behaviors and sensory processing issues in school-aged children with high functioning autism (HFA). Children with HFA (N = 61) were compared to healthy, typical controls (N = 64) to determine the relationship between these behavioral classes and to examine whether executive dysfunction explained any relationship between the variables. Particular types of repetitive behavior (i.e., stereotypy and compulsions) were related to sensory features in autism; however, executive deficits were only correlated with repetitive behavior. This finding suggests that executive dysfunction is not the shared neurocognitive mechanism that accounts for the relationship between restricted, repetitive behaviors and aberrant sensory features in HFA. Group status, younger chronological age, presence of sensory processing issues, and difficulties with behavior regulation predicted the presence of repetitive behaviors in the HFA group