Environmental determinants of landmine detection by dogs: Findings from a large-scale study in Afghanistan

This article’s purpose is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of mine-detection dogs in different environments. The experiments employed a total of 39 dogs in Afghanistan between October 2002 and July 2003. The results are discussed here

Database Design for the Evaluation of On-shore and Off-Shore Storm Characteristics over East Central Florida

Data from multiple sources is needed to investigate lightning characteristics over differing terrain (on-shore vs. off-shore) by comparing natural cloud-to-ground lightning behavior differences depending on the characteristics of attachment mediums. The KSC Lightning Research Database (KLRD) was created to reduce manual data entry time and aid research by combining information from various data sources into a single record for each unique lightning event of interest. The KLRD uses automatic data handling functions to import data from a lightning detection network and identify and record lighting events of interest. Additional automatic functions import data from the NASA Buoy 41009 (located approximately 20 miles off the coast) and the KSC Electric Field Mill network, then match these electric field mill values to the corresponding lightning events. The KLRD calculates distances between each lightning event and the various electric field mills, aids in identifying the location type for each stroke (i.e., on-shore vs. off-shore, etc.), provides statistics on the number of strokes per flash, and produces customizable reports for quick retrieval and logical display of data. Data from February 2014 to date covers 48 unique storm dates with 2295 flashes containing 5700 strokes, of which 2612 are off-shore and 1003 are on-shore. The number of strokes per flash ranges from 1 to 22. The ratio of single to subsequent stroke flashes is 1.29 for off-shore strokes and 2.19 for on-shore strokes

Oxo-aglaiastatin-mediated inhibition of translation initiation

We thank Dr. Elias George (McGill University) for the kind gift of Pgp-1-expressing HeLa cells. RIM was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the Cole Foundation. This research was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FDN-148366) to JP. J.A.P., Jr. is supported by NIH Grant R35 GM118173. Work at the Boston University Center for Molecular Discovery is supported by Grant R24 GM111625. (Cole Foundation; FDN-148366 - Canadian Institutes of Health Research; R35 GM118173 - NIH; R24 GM111625)Published versionSupporting documentatio

Will They Tell? Weapons Reporting by Middle-School Youth

Adding to the body of research that describes students who will bring weapons to school, the current research examined middle-school students’ willingness to report when they know someone has a weapon at school. The sample included 1,957 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders from 27 schools in five states. Overall, a majority of students indicated that they would be willing to report; however, there were significant effects for the conditions of reporting (such as anonymity) and effects for some demographic characteristics. Furthermore, students who perceived adult or parental involvement in their lives were more willing to report. In contrast, students with delinquent involvement (self or peers) were significantly less likely to report the presence of weapons

A Comparison of Neuropathy Quality of Life Tools: Norfolk QOL-DN, PN-QOL-97, and NeuroQOL-28

Aims To explore the effectiveness of the Norfolk QOL-DN (QOL-DN), PN-QOL-97, and NeuroQOL-28 as tools for early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in overweight, obese, and inactive (OOI), prediabetes (PD), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) individuals. Methods Thirty-four adults were divided by A1C [(10 OOI, 13 PD, and 11 T2D] and the sural nerves were tested bilaterally via NC-Stat DPN Check, conducting a sural nerve conduction study (NCS). Participants were individually timed, filling out questionnaires (QOL-DN, NeuroQOL-28, and PN-QOL-97) at a self-selected pace. Data were analyzed and compared to NCS findings to determine the best instrument for early neuropathy detection, usability in screening settings, and application for individuals with OOI, PD, and T2D. Results Abnormal NCS results were obtained from 27 individuals, of which 25 were bilateral and symmetrical. Confirmed DSPN criteria were met for 24, and 1 case met criteria for subclinical neuropathy. Normal NCS findings, reported symptoms, and reduced bilateral sensation were found in 7 cases. The QOL-DN and NeuroQOL-28 significantly predict neuropathy criteria in OOI, PD, and T2D subjects. Analyses revealed the QOL-DN as the quickest for completion (M=5.17; SD=1.83), followed by the NeuroQOL-28 (M=5.58; SD=3.56), and the PN-QOL-97 (M=13.23; SD=3.606). Conclusions The QOL-DN and NeuroQOL-28 are valid early screening measures for DPN detection. Time completion studies revealed that the QOL-DN and NeuroQOL-28 may be used as excellent short screening measures, completed in approximately 6 minutes or less, with reasonable scoring for both. The NeuroQOL-28 is a better fit for immediate feedback, time constraints, or limited staff. Future investigations should evaluate these tools for detection in DPN-prone individuals and in subclinical populations screenings

A Comparison of Screening Tools for the Early Detection of Peripheral Neuropathy in Adults With and Without Type 2 Diabetes

Objective. Examine the effectiveness of the 128 Hz tuning fork, two monofilaments, and Norfolk Quality of Life Diabetic Neuropathy (QOL-DN) questionnaire as tools for the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in overweight, obese, and inactive (OOI) adults or those who have prediabetes (PD) or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Research Design and Methods. Thirty-four adults (mean age 58.4 years +/- 12.1) were divided by glycemia (10 OOI normoglycemic, 13 PD, and 11 T2D). Sural nerves were tested bilaterally with the NC-stat DPNCheck to determine sural nerve amplitude potential (SNAP) and sural nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). All other testing results were compared to SNAP and SNCV. Results. Total 1 g monofilament scores significantly correlated with SNAP values and yielded the highest sensitivity and specificity combinations of tested measures. Total QOL-DN scores negatively correlated with SNAP values, as did QOL-DN symptoms. QOL-DN activities of daily living correlated with the right SNAP, and the QOL-DN small fiber subscore correlated with SNCV. Conclusions. The 1 g monofilament and total QOL-DN are effective, low-cost tools for the early detection of DPN in OOI, PD, and T2D adults. The 128 Hz tuning fork and 10 g monofilament may assist DPN screening as a tandem, but not primary, early DPN detection screening tools

Seeking Northlake:place, technology, and public as enabling constraints for urban transdisciplinary research

This article reviews the urban transdisciplinary research of the Northlake Collective, a multidisciplinary group of graduate students in the University of Washington's Lake Union Laboratory. Through a series of place-based investigations, we explored a small slice of Seattle ultimately seeking to engage the public through an online digital humanities portal. The broader goal of our work and this paper is to address how we, as a team of emerging scholars, understand and investigate ‘cities’ in the current century as both networked at the global scale and dynamic places for everyday interactions and processes. The paradoxes and complexity inherent to understanding the ‘city’ and how to address these concerns led us to develop a framework that might enrich grounded urban theory through the ‘enabling constraints’ of place, technology and public. The productive character of these three concepts, combined with the practical constraints and interrelationships they bring to bear, allowed us to deepen our work and produced the context for our research of Northlake. We propose this tripartite framework for exploring the contemporary city via the structure afforded by transdisciplinary, born-digital collaborations

Subcompartments of the macrophage recycling endosome direct the differential secretion of IL-6 and TNFα

Activated macrophages secrete an array of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), that are temporally secreted for sequential roles in inflammation. We have previously characterized aspects of the intracellular trafficking of membrane-bound TNFα and its delivery to the cell surface at the site of phagocytic cups for secretion (Murray, R.Z., J.G. Kay, D.G. Sangermani, and J.L. Stow. 2005. Science. 310:1492–1495). The trafficking pathway and surface delivery of IL-6, a soluble cytokine, were studied here using approaches such as live cell imaging of fluorescently tagged IL-6 and immunoelectron microscopy. Newly synthesized IL-6 accumulates in the Golgi complex and exits in tubulovesicular carriers either as the sole labeled cargo or together with TNFα, utilizing specific soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins to fuse with the recycling endosome. Within recycling endosomes, we demonstrate the compartmentalization of cargo proteins, wherein IL-6 is dynamically segregated from TNFα and from surface recycling transferrin. Thereafter, these cytokines are independently secreted, with TNFα delivered to phagocytic cups but not IL-6. Therefore, the recycling endosome has a central role in orchestrating the differential secretion of cytokines during inflammation

Rocaglates induce gain-of-function alterations to eIF4A and eIF4F

Rocaglates are a diverse family of biologically active molecules that have gained tremendous interest in recent years due to their promising activities in pre-clinical cancer studies. As a result, this family of compounds has been significantly expanded through the development of efficient synthetic schemes. However, it is unknown whether all of the members of the rocaglate family act through similar mechanisms of action. Here, we present a comprehensive study comparing the biological activities of >200 rocaglates to better understand how the presence of different chemical entities influences their biological activities. Through this, we find that most rocaglates preferentially repress the translation of mRNAs containing purine-rich 5' leaders, but certain rocaglates lack this bias in translation repression. We also uncover an aspect of rocaglate mechanism of action in which the pool of translationally active eIF4F is diminished due to the sequestration of the complex onto RNA.P50 GM067041 - NIGMS NIH HHS; R24 GM111625 - NIGMS NIH HHS; R35 GM118173 - NIGMS NIH HHSPublished versio

Dectin-1 plays a redundant role in the immunomodulatory activities of β-glucan-rich ligands in vivo

Copyright © 2013 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD