Federal Policy and Latinos in Higher Education

Describes federal legislation and programs that support higher education and assesses Latino participation in these programs. Provides a statistical review of Latino achievement in higher education, including college enrollment and completion rates

Mechanisms of neurodegeneration and neuronal cell loss in the hippocampus in murine scrapie

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are defined by infectivity and by the pathological damage they produce in the central nervous system (CNS), typically involving spongiform degeneration or vacuolation, deposition of abnormal PrP (PrPSc), glial activation and neuronal loss. Much of our understanding of the TSEs has derived from the study of murine scrapie models. The molecular basis of pathological changes is not clear, in particular the relationship between the deposition of PrPSc and neuronal dysfunction. A typical feature of TSE disease is neuronal loss, although the mechanisms leading to this loss are poorly understood. Apoptosis has been proposed as an important mechanism of TSE associated cell death, but which pathways are involved are still to be determined. The main aims of this thesis are to investigate the progression of the characteristic neuropathological changes observed in the TSE infected brain and to analyse the mechanisms involved in neuronal loss. In this study two contrasting scrapie mouse models were used : the ME7/CV model , and the 87V/VM model in which neuronal loss is targeted to different areas of the hippocampus, the CA1, and CA2 respectively. The role of the caspase-dependent pathway of apoptosis in the neuronal loss was investigated. The results of analysis of pro-apoptotic markers of disease in the two scrapie mouse models differed. The results observed in the ME7/CV scrapie mouse model suggest that apoptosis may not be the main mechanism of neuronal loss, whereas the 87V/VM model showed some indication that apoptosis may be involved. Detailed studies in the progression of neurodegenerative changes in the ME7/CV scrapie mouse model revealed that the initial pathological change observed in the hippocampus was the deposition of PrPSc followed by a glial response, spongiform change and subsequent neuronal degeneration. The role of the cytoskeleton and synaptic dysfunction in the neuronal damage observed in the CA1 of the ME7 infected hippocampus was analysed. Cytoskeletal disruption was observed in the post-synaptic dendritic spine, and the apical dendrites of CA1 neurons at 160days, a time point at which neurons are known to be lost. Changes in the expression of the pre-synaptic protein, synaptophysin and the post-synaptic protein PSD-95 were not observed until the terminal stage of disease when the neuronal loss is profound. In conclusion, this research suggests that the mechanisms of neuronal loss may follow different biochemical pathways, which might not necessarily involve an apoptotic mechanism. Cytoskeletal disruption in the post-synaptic dendritic spine plays a major role in the neuronal dysfunction observed in ME7 infected CA1 neurons, although the post synaptic density does not seem to be involved .Pre-synaptic changes and disruption to the innervation of CA1 neurons is not apparent until the end stages of disease. The trigger for this cytoskeletal disruption and the subsequent neuronal loss may be the early deposition of PrPSc in the extracellular space but the precise mechanisms involved are still to be elucidated. The identification of the key events involved in the mechanisms of neruodegeneration in TSE diseases may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies to inhibit the neurodegenerative process

Multiple Comorbid Conditions among Middle-Aged and Elderly Hemophilia Patients: Prevalence Estimates and Implications for Future Care

Introduction. Advances in hemophilia care and treatment have led to increases in the life expectancy among hemophiliacs. As a result, persons with hemophilia are reaching an older age and experiencing various age-related health conditions never seen before in this population. Aim. To determine the prevalence of comorbidities among middle-aged and elderly hemophilia A and hemophilia B patients. Methods. Retrospective chart review among all hemophilia patients, who attended the Gulf States Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Center. Results. All patients had at least one comorbid condition other than hemophilia, and the majority had between 3 and 6 comorbidities. The most common conditions identified were chronic hepatitis C, hypertension, HIV, chronic arthropathy, and overweight/obesity. Conclusions. Since persons with comorbidities are more likely to have poorer health outcomes and require greater care in managing their health needs, caring for aging hemophiliacs is likely to pose various social and economic challenges for both patients and providers

Recent Advances in Cytogenetic Technology for Antenatal Genetic Testing

The examination of human chromosomes has been a part of the physician’s laboratory armamentarium since the correct diploid number of human chromosomes was established and a method was developed for the in vitro growth of peripheral blood leukocytes to yield metaphase chromosomes. The discovery that on ultraviolet microscopy (UV), metaphase chromosomes stained with fluorochrome dyes displayed a characteristic pattern of bright and dull bands unique for a given pair of homologous chromosomes, was a major technological breakthrough in human cytogenetics; for the first time, every chromosome in the karyotype could be unequivocally identified. Although the short storage life of fluorochrome-stained chromosomes and the costs of UV microscopy have limited the usability of fluorescence banding, the introduction of one discriminating procedure quickly led to the development of an array of similar banding techniques for conventional microscopy that yield comparable information. Some of these technical procedures depend on enzyme and/or heat denaturation of the chromosomes, resulting in the characteristic banding patterns seen by the trypsin-Giemsa method, the 5M urea method, and the acid-saline-Giemsa technique. A typical human karyotype prepared from metaphase chromosomes treated with trypsin, stained with Giemsa, and photographed with brightfield photomicrographic techniques is shown in Figure 1. Careful examination of this karyotype reveals that each chromosome in the homologous pair has an array of dark and light bands identical with those of its homolog and that each homologous pair, autosomes number 1 to number 22, has a characteristic, easily identifiable banding pattern

Spitzer Space Telescope Spectroscopy of Ices toward Low-Mass Embedded Protostars

Sensitive 5-38 μm Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based 3-5 μm spectra of the embedded low-mass protostars B5 IRS1 and HH 46 IRS show deep ice absorption bands superposed on steeply rising mid-infrared continua. The ices likely originate in the circumstellar envelopes. The CO_2 bending mode at 15 μm is a particularly powerful tracer of the ice composition and processing history. Toward these protostars, this band shows little evidence for thermal processing at temperatures above 50 K. Signatures of lower temperature processing are present in the CO and OCN^- bands, however. The observed CO2 profile indicates an intimate mixture with H_(2)O, but not necessarily with CH_(3)OH, in contrast to some high-mass protostars. This is consistent with the low CH_(3)OH abundance derived from the ground-based L-band spectra. The CO_2 : H_(2)O column density ratios are high in both B5 IRS1 and HH 46 IRS (~35%). Clearly, the Spitzer spectra are essential for studying ice evolution in low-mass protostellar environments and for eventually determining the relation between interstellar and solar system ices

Body Mass Index, Neighborhood Fast Food and Restaurant Concentration, and Car Ownership

Eating away from home and particularly fast food consumption have been shown to contribute to weight gain. Increased geographic access to fast food outlets and other restaurants may contribute to higher levels of obesity, especially in individuals who rely largely on the local environment for their food purchases. We examined whether fast food and restaurant concentrations are associated with body mass index and whether car ownership might moderate this association. We linked the 2000 US Census data and information on locations of fast food and other restaurants with the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Study database, which consists of 2,156 adults sampled from 63 neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. Multilevel modeling was used to estimate associations between body mass index (BMI), fast food and restaurant concentration, and car ownership after adjustment for individual-level factors and socioeconomic characteristics of residential neighborhoods. A high concentration of local restaurants is associated with BMI. Car owners have higher BMIs than non-car owners; however, individuals who do not own cars and reside in areas with a high concentration of fast food outlets have higher BMIs than non-car owners who live in areas with no fast food outlets, approximately 12 lb more (p = 0.02) for an individual with a height of 5 ft. 5 in. Higher restaurant density is associated with higher BMI among local residents. The local fast food environment has a stronger association with BMI for local residents who do not have access to cars

Regulation of Ack1 localization and activity by the amino-terminal SAM domain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The mechanisms that regulate the activity of the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Ack1 (activated Cdc42-associated kinase) are poorly understood. The amino-terminal region of Ack1 is predicted to contain a sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain. SAM domains share a common fold and mediate protein-protein interactions in a wide variety of proteins. Here, we addressed the importance of the Ack1 SAM domain in kinase activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used immunofluorescence and Western blotting to show that Ack1 deletion mutants lacking the N-terminus displayed significantly reduced autophosphorylation in cells. A minimal construct comprising the N-terminus and kinase domain (NKD) was autophosphorylated, while the kinase domain alone (KD) was not. When expressed in mammalian cells, NKD localized to the plasma membrane, while KD showed a more diffuse cytosolic localization. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed a stronger interaction between full length Ack1 and NKD than between full length Ack1 and KD, indicating that the N-terminus was important for Ack1 dimerization. Increasing the local concentration of purified Ack1 kinase domain at the surface of lipid vesicles stimulated autophosphorylation and catalytic activity, consistent with a requirement for dimerization and trans-phosphorylation for activity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, the data suggest that the N-terminus of Ack1 promotes membrane localization and dimerization to allow for autophosphorylation.</p

Supplementary information on early-stage floating offshore wind platform designs

This document serves as supplementary information to the authors' review paper on early-stage floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) platform designs. The review paper is the second part in a study on FOWT platform designs, following a review of FOWT platforms which currently have or have previously had a prototype, demonstration, or farm scale project at-sea. The present review covers 86 past and current early-stage platform designs, ranging from early conceptual designs to platforms which have undergone lab tests simulating extreme conditions. In this supplementary information document, more details are provided about all 86 platforms reviewed. For each device, the following is included (if available): (i) a description of the platform and its unique features, (ii) a rough timeline of development, (iii) design goals and constraints, (iv) evolution of the design, (v) lab testing information, and (vi) published dimensions. Two sections are included: one section contains the platforms that are no longer in development (i.e., there has been no new development since 2018), and the other section contains the platforms still in development today. Within each sub-section, platforms designed to hold a single turbine are presented first, then platforms designed to hold multiple turbines, and finally hybrid platforms

Blocking two-component signalling enhances Candida albicans virulence and reveals adaptive mechanisms that counteract sustained SAPK activation

This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council [www.bbsrc.ac.uk] JQ (BB/K016393/1); AJPB (BB/K017365/1). The work was also supported by the Wellcome Trust [www.wellcome.ac.uk], JQ (086048, 097377); AJPB (097377)); LPE (097377). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD