Occupational possible selves: patterns among male and female undergraduates

This study uses the possible selves theory (Markus & Nurius, 1986) to examine the differences between 27 undergraduate men and 27 undergraduate women in their perceptions of their future occupational possibilities. Participants rated a list of feminine, masculine, and neutral jobs on how much they feared, expected, and idealized each one. Analysis was done using a within-subjects repeated measures MANOVA test and backward elimination regression analysis. Both men and women were found to fear feminine jobs more than they expected or idealized these jobs (all ps \u3c .001). Women were found to fear masculine jobs more than they expected (p \u3c .001) but not more than they idealized these jobs (p \u3c .060). Occupational self-efficacy and support of the women\u27s movement were also analyzed for their possible influence on fear of masculine jobs, using the Attitudes Toward Feminism and the Women\u27s Movement Scale and the Task-Specific Scale of Occupational Self-Efficacy, but no significant predictors were found

Development of the Continuously Variable Volume Reactor for Flow Injection AnalysisDesign, Capabilities and Testing

A new apparatus for mixing sample and reagent in flow injection analysis is described. The continuously variable volume reactor (CVVR) replaces the conventional mixing coil in a flow injection manifold to provide mixing and dilution. A linear actuator motor allows control of the chamber volume via Lab VIEW software. The chamber volume can be incremented in steps of 1 uL over the range 68-1704 uL. In addition, the chamber has an integral variable-speed stirring unit that is also under computer control. Experiments were performed to evaluate the dispersion characteristics of this new device, evaluate the volume reproducibility, and understand the mixing characteristics. Use of the chamber is shown in the determination of iron (II) in pond water, and in NIST SRM 1643d with excellent results and a detection limit of 3.7 ug/L iron(II). Advantages of the CVVR and future research activities using the device are discussed

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Cross species systems biology discovers glial DDR2, STOM, and KANK2 as therapeutic targets in progressive supranuclear palsy

Abstract Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative parkinsonian disorder characterized by cell-type-specific tau lesions in neurons and glia. Prior work uncovered transcriptome changes in human PSP brains, although their cell-specificity is unknown. Further, systematic data integration and experimental validation platforms to prioritize brain transcriptional perturbations as therapeutic targets in PSP are currently lacking. In this study, we combine bulk tissue (n = 408) and single nucleus RNAseq (n = 34) data from PSP and control brains with transcriptome data from a mouse tauopathy and experimental validations in Drosophila tau models for systematic discovery of high-confidence expression changes in PSP with therapeutic potential. We discover, replicate, and annotate thousands of differentially expressed genes in PSP, many of which reside in glia-enriched co-expression modules and cells. We prioritize DDR2, STOM, and KANK2 as promising therapeutic targets in PSP with striking cross-species validations. We share our findings and data via our interactive application tool PSP RNAseq Atlas ( https://rtools.mayo.edu/PSP_RNAseq_Atlas/ ). Our findings reveal robust glial transcriptome changes in PSP, provide a cross-species systems biology approach, and a tool for therapeutic target discoveries in PSP with potential application in other neurodegenerative diseases

A bat guano deposit in Jamaica recorded agricultural changes and metal exposure over the last >4300 years

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Bats are excellent ecological indicators because they are long-lived, globally distributed, and show predictable responses to environmental stressors. Unaltered bat guano deposits, although rare, can serve as environmental archives to reveal changes in dietary patterns over millennial time scales. We inferred changes in agricultural and industrial practices using a continuous 4300-year-old bat guano deposit from Jamaica. Cadmium, mercury, lead, and zinc increased during the Industrial Revolution, (which began in ca. 1760), a period characterized by elevated emissions of metals to the atmosphere. Beginning in the early 20th century, decreases in 206Pb/207Pb isotopes tracked the history of leaded gasoline use. Metal concentrations in the bat guano deposit exceeded those recorded in two nearby lake sediment cores from Jamaica. Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope profiles in bat guano tracked the agricultural history of Jamaica, specifically the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers, sugarcane, and possibly fungicides. Bat populations are under stress globally, and such intact guano deposits provide potentially critical information on long-term changes in their food source and exposure to metals

Long-term effect of thymectomy plus prednisone versus prednisone alone in patients with non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis: 2-year extension of the MGTX randomised trial

BackgroundThe Thymectomy Trial in Non-Thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis Patients Receiving Prednisone (MGTX) showed that thymectomy combined with prednisone was superior to prednisone alone in improving clinical status as measured by the Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG) score in patients with generalised non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis at 3 years. We investigated the long-term effects of thymectomy up to 5 years on clinical status, medication requirements, and adverse events.MethodsWe did a rater-blinded 2-year extension study at 36 centres in 15 countries for all patients who completed the randomised controlled MGTX and were willing to participate. MGTX patients were aged 18 to 65 years at enrolment, had generalised non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis of less than 5 years' duration, had acetylcholine receptor antibody titres of 1·00 nmol/L or higher (or concentrations of 0·50-0·99 nmol/L if diagnosis was confirmed by positive edrophonium or abnormal repetitive nerve stimulation, or abnormal single fibre electromyography), had Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Clinical Classification Class II-IV disease, and were on optimal anticholinesterase therapy with or without oral corticosteroids. In MGTX, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either thymectomy plus prednisone or prednisone alone. All patients in both groups received oral prednisone at doses titrated up to 100 mg on alternate days until they achieved minimal manifestation status. The primary endpoints of the extension phase were the time-weighted means of the QMG score and alternate-day prednisone dose from month 0 to month 60. Analyses were by intention to treat. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00294658. It is closed to new participants, with follow-up completed.FindingsOf the 111 patients who completed the 3-year MGTX, 68 (61%) entered the extension study between Sept 1, 2009, and Aug 26, 2015 (33 in the prednisone alone group and 35 in the prednisone plus thymectomy group). 50 (74%) patients completed the 60-month assessment, 24 in the prednisone alone group and 26 in the prednisone plus thymectomy group. At 5 years, patients in the thymectomy plus prednisone group had significantly lower time-weighted mean QMG scores (5·47 [SD 3·87] vs 9·34 [5·08]; p=0·0007) and mean alternate-day prednisone doses (24 mg [SD 21] vs 48 mg [29]; p=0·0002) than did those in the prednisone alone group. 14 (42%) of 33 patients in the prednisone group, and 12 (34%) of 35 in the thymectomy plus prednisone group, had at least one adverse event by month 60. No treatment-related deaths were reported during the extension phase.InterpretationAt 5 years, thymectomy plus prednisone continues to confer benefits in patients with generalised non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis compared with prednisone alone. Although caution is appropriate when generalising our findings because of the small sample size of our study, they nevertheless provide further support for the benefits of thymectomy in patients with generalised non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis.FundingNational Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

The transcriptional network that controls growth arrest and differentiation in a human myeloid leukemia cell line

Using deep sequencing (deepCAGE), the FANTOM4 study measured the genome-wide dynamics of transcription-start-site usage in the human monocytic cell line THP-1 throughout a time course of growth arrest and differentiation. Modeling the expression dynamics in terms of predicted cis-regulatory sites, we identified the key transcription regulators, their time-dependent activities and target genes. Systematic siRNA knockdown of 52 transcription factors confirmed the roles of individual factors in the regulatory network. Our results indicate that cellular states are constrained by complex networks involving both positive and negative regulatory interactions among substantial numbers of transcription factors and that no single transcription factor is both necessary and sufficient to drive the differentiation process