Using an Adversary Hearing to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Military Program

This study describes the design and implementation of an adversary hearing used to evaluate professional development initiatives in a military environment. The adversary hearing model used in the evaluation was developed to meet the requirements of an environment that differs from other environments in which adversary hearings have been used. The evaluation was conducted to determine whether a professional development program of the U. S. Army, Europe, actually enhanced soldier development and demonstrated consideration by leaders for their followers. Several key issues relate d to program effectiveness were discovered in the process of the adversary hearing that were not evident in a survey evaluation of the program

Assessing the potential for real-time urban flood forecasting based on a worldwide survey on data availability

Copyright © 2014 Taylor & Francis. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Urban Water Journal on 26 June 2013, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1573062X.2013.795237This paper explores the potential for real-time urban flood forecasting based on literature and the results from an online worldwide survey with 176 participants. The survey investigated the use of data in urban flood management as well as the perceived challenges in data acquisition and its principal constraints in urban flood modelling. It was originally assumed that the lack of real-time urban flood forecasting systems is related to the lack of relevant data. Contrary to this assumption, the study found that a significant number of the participants have used some kind of data and that a possible explanation for so few cases is that urban flood managers or modellers (practitioners) may not be aware they have the means to make a pluvial flood forecast. This paper highlights that urban flood practitioners can make a flood forecast with the resources currently available

Evidence That Nasal Insulin Induces Immune Tolerance to Insulin in Adults With Autoimmune Diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Insulin in pancreatic β-cells is a target of autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes. In the NOD mouse model of type 1 diabetes, oral or nasal administration of insulin induces immune tolerance to insulin and protects against autoimmune diabetes. Evidence for tolerance to mucosally administered insulin or other autoantigens is poorly documented in humans. Adults with recent-onset type 1 diabetes in whom the disease process is subacute afford an opportunity to determine whether mucosal insulin induces tolerance to insulin subsequently injected for treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We randomized 52 adults with recent-onset, noninsulin-requiring type 1 diabetes to nasal insulin or placebo for 12 months. Fasting blood glucose and serum C-peptide, glucagon-stimulated serum C-peptide, and serum antibodies to islet antigens were monitored three times monthly for 24 months. An enhanced ELISpot assay was used to measure the T-cell response to human proinsulin. RESULTS: β-Cell function declined by 35% overall, and 23 of 52 participants (44%) progressed to insulin treatment. Metabolic parameters remained similar between nasal insulin and placebo groups, but the insulin antibody response to injected insulin was significantly blunted in a sustained manner in those who had received nasal insulin. In a small cohort, the interferon-γ response of blood T-cells to proinsulin was suppressed after nasal insulin. CONCLUSIONS: Although nasal insulin did not retard loss of residual β-cell function in adults with established type 1 diabetes, evidence that it induced immune tolerance to insulin provides a rationale for its application to prevent diabetes in at-risk individuals

Spatial re-organization of myogenic regulatory sequences temporally controls gene expression

During skeletal muscle differentiation, the activation of some tissue-specific genes occurs immediately while others are delayed. The molecular basis controlling temporal gene regulation is poorly understood. We show that the regulatory sequences, but not other regions of genes expressed at late times of myogenesis, are in close physical proximity in differentiating embryonic tissue and in differentiating culture cells, despite these genes being located on different chromosomes. Formation of these inter-chromosomal interactions requires the lineage-determinant MyoD and functional Brg1, the ATPase subunit of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes. Ectopic expression of myogenin and a specific Mef2 isoform induced myogenic differentiation without activating endogenous MyoD expression. Under these conditions, the regulatory sequences of late gene loci were not in close proximity, and these genes were prematurely activated. The data indicate that the spatial organization of late genes contributes to temporal regulation of myogenic transcription by restricting late gene expression during the early stages of myogenesis. The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research

Cognition and Academic Performance of Division II Football Players During Noncompetitive and Competitive Seasons

Introduction Background: Repetitive head impacts (RHIs) are multiple sub-concussive forces that may result from either a direct or indirect impact to the head or body over a period of time that result with no presence of symptoms immediately following the mechanism. Football players are at an increased risk of repeated head injuries. Athletes who have experienced RHIs are hypothesized to have increased negative effects on their academic tolerance, mental health, and cognition compared to their peers. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the cognition, mental health, and academic tolerance of Division II football players during a non-competitive (2020) and competitive (2021) season. Methods Participants: 30 Division II football players from Concordia University, St. Paul with a mean age of 20.5 +/- 1.22 years and a range of 19 - 23. Tests and Measures: Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) for working memory Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) Demographic survey Personal interview Data Analysis: Qualitative interviews were recorded, transcribed and de-identified then coded and analyzed on NVIVO-12 PASAT and CES-D data were both analyzed on SPSS-28, using a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test Major Themes Effortful Mental Activity: Cognitive exertion associated with prolonged academic demand. Attention: The ability to sustain focus on a given task. Sensitivity to Stimuli: Increased responsiveness or vulnerability to sensory input. Headaches: A painful sensation localized to the head region. Slow Processing: Increased time required to interpret, process, and respond to information or stimuli. Fatigue: Physical or mental exhaustion due to internal or external sources. Memory: The ability to recall past events or facts learned previously. Sleep Difficulty: Inconsistent or frequently interrupted sleeping habits. Conclusion While group cognition scores increased between years, some participants consistently scored below the age and education-based normative mean score. Players continue to complain of cognitive changes and worsening depressive symptoms that are consistent with what is expected from an individual suffering from a concussion though players were not actively concussed at the time of measurement. Clinical Relevance There is a potential for cognition to heal or improve as evidenced by the improvement in group cognitive scores, but the long-term effects are still largely unknown. There may be a neuroprotective effect of exercise, as well as a high learning effect associated with the PASAT that may have impacted results. Depressive symptoms worsened over time which should warrant further study. The potential for academic struggles from RHI for collegiate football players should not be ruled out despite quantitative findings

Optimized method for extraction of exosomes from human primary muscle cells

International audienceSkeletal muscle is increasingly considered an endocrine organ secreting myokines and extracellular vesicles (exosomes and microvesicles), which can affect physiological changes with an impact on different pathological conditions, including regenerative processes, aging, and myopathies. Primary human myoblasts are an essential tool to study the muscle vesicle secretome. Since their differentiation in conditioned media does not induce any signs of cell death or cell stress, artefactual effects from those processes are unlikely. However, adult human primary myoblasts senesce in long-term tissue culture, so a major technical challenge is posed by the need to avoid artefactual effects resulting from pre-senescent changes. Since these cells should be studied within a strictly controlled pre-senescent division count (30 times fewer differentiated myoblasts than what is required for the ultracentrifugation method. In addition, exosomes could still be integrated into recipient cells such as human myotubes or iPSC-derived motor neurons. Modified polymer-based precipitation combined with extra washing steps optimizes exosome yield from a lower number of differentiated myoblasts and less conditioned medium, avoiding senescence and allowing the execution of multiple experiments without exhausting the proliferative capacity of the myoblasts

Randomized Noninferiority Trial of Telephone Delivery of BRCA1/2 Genetic Counseling Compared With In-Person Counseling: 1-Year Follow-Up

The ongoing integration of cancer genomic testing into routine clinical care has led to increased demand for cancer genetic services. To meet this demand, there is an urgent need to enhance the accessibility and reach of such services, while ensuring comparable care delivery outcomes. This randomized trial compared 1-year outcomes for telephone genetic counseling with in-person counseling among women at risk of hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer living in geographically diverse areas

Pharmacological modulation of the ER stress response ameliorates oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy

International audienc