School-Based Karate-Do: Supporting The Well-Being of Gay Male Youth

This paper explores how the traditional practice of karate-do can support the overall well-being of gay male youth (GMY). Many GMY are at a heightened risk of mental health issues that are linked to heteronormative attitudes, homophobic discrimination, and hegemonic masculinity found within sport culture. The traditional martial art of karate-do has the potential to be an effective mental health strategy for GMY. However, the commercialization of martial arts has meant the loss of its philosophical values as a traditional practice towards an overall sense of well-being and has become associated and confused with a violent and combative nature. These benefits have been misunderstood by the general public through organizations like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) franchise and the practice of mixed martial arts (MMA) for competition and sport. This paper explores the benefits of a school-based karate-do program as an embodied well-being program for GMY. This paper concludes with a list of recommendations that will help support educators, physical education teachers, and school administrators in the implementation of a school-based karate-do program as an embodied well-being practice for GMY within Canadian schools.The video abstract for this paper is available on YouTube

Variation in the Qualities of Instruction Methods Adopted by Different Kindergartens in Hong Kong

This study examined the learning and teaching approaches used in three kindergartens in Hong Kong, which were assessed as being of “good,” “acceptable,” and “unsatisfactory” quality, respectively, by the regulatory body and that used the same curriculum package. Participants were five kindergarten teachers, their students, and five specialists in pre-primary education, who provided an independent assessment of kindergarten quality. Each teacher was observed for three hours a day over three consecutive days. The specialists discussed videotaped observations of learning activities from each of the kindergartens in a focus group, and rated kindergarten quality. Results indicated that the ratings of the regulatory body and the specialists were consistent and appeared to be informed by the criteria for “developmentally appropriate practices.” The low-quality classroom was teacher-directed, engaged mainly in chalk-and-talk and paper-and-pencil activities, and involved few interactions between the teacher and the children or among children. The children in the other two kindergartens engaged in authentic learning activities, learned in small groups, appeared cognitively engaged, and had many interactions with the teacher and other children. Although the kindergartens claimed to use Montessori, Project, and Unit approaches, the specialists felt that none of them actually implemented their purported approaches with fidelity. The implications of the findings for defining and promoting kindergarten quality are discussed.postprin

Mineral trioxide aggregate repair of lateral root perforation using intentiional replantation and bone grafting

Root perforation is a significant complication during root canal treatment. Root perforation can result in loss of integrity of the root structure and severe periodontal and bone defect. Repair of lateral root perforation presents a clinical challenge to the operator. This report is of root perforation during post space preparation in a right maxillary central incisor that has caused an extensive periodontal lesion. Since the bone lesion was large and unreachable from either a coronal access cavity or buccal surgical flap, a combination of mineral trioxide aggregate sealing, bone grafting, and intentional replantation was used as the method of treatment. The patient’s symptoms ceased and the existing lesions resolved during the 5-year follow-up.published_or_final_versio

A block motion vector estimation using pattern based pixel decimation

Version of RecordPublishe

Properties of beta-propeller phytase expressed in transgenic tobacco

Phytases are enzymes that liberate inorganic phosphates from phytate. In a previous study, a beta-propeller phytase (168phyA) from Bacillus subtilis was introduced into transgenic tobacco, which resulted in certain phenotypic changes. In the study described herein, the recombinant phytase (t168phyA) was purified from transgenic tobacco to near homogeneity by a three-step purification scheme. The biochemical properties and kinetic parameters of t168phyA were compared with those of its counterpart from B. subtilis. t168phyA was glycosylated, and it showed a 4 kDa increase in molecular size in SDS-PAGE (44 kDa vs. 40 kDa). Although its thermostability remained unchanged, its temperature optimum shifted from 60°C to 45-50°C and its pH optimum shifted from pH 5.5 to 6.0. Kinetic data showed that the t168phyA had a lower Kcat, but a higher Km than the native enzyme. Despite these changes, t168phyA remained catalytically active and has a specific activity of 2.3 U/mg protein. These results verify the activity of recombinant Bacillus phytase that is expressed in plants. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.postprin

Point Mutations in Centromeric Histone Induce Post-zygotic Incompatibility and Uniparental Inheritance.

The centromeric histone 3 variant (CENH3, aka CENP-A) is essential for the segregation of sister chromatids during mitosis and meiosis. To better define CENH3 functional constraints, we complemented a null allele in Arabidopsis with a variety of mutant alleles, each inducing a single amino acid change in conserved residues of the histone fold domain. Many of these transgenic missense lines displayed wild-type growth and fertility on self-pollination, but exhibited frequent post-zygotic death and uniparental inheritance when crossed with wild-type plants. The failure of centromeres marked by these missense mutation in the histone fold domain of CENH3 reproduces the genome elimination syndromes described with chimeric CENH3 and CENH3 from diverged species. Additionally, evidence that a single point mutation is sufficient to generate a haploid inducer provide a simple one-step method for the identification of non-transgenic haploid inducers in existing mutagenized collections of crop species. As proof of the extreme simplicity of this approach to create haploid-inducing lines, we performed an in silico search for previously identified point mutations in CENH3 and identified an Arabidopsis line carrying the A86V substitution within the histone fold domain. This A87V non-transgenic line, while fully fertile on self-pollination, produced postzygotic death and uniparental haploids when crossed to wild type

Phosphoproteomic analysis of the non-seed vascular plant model Selaginella moellendorffii.

BACKGROUND: Selaginella (Selaginella moellendorffii) is a lycophyte which diverged from other vascular plants approximately 410 million years ago. As the first reported non-seed vascular plant genome, Selaginella genome data allow comparative analysis of genetic changes that may be associated with land plant evolution. Proteomics investigations on this lycophyte model have not been extensively reported. Phosphorylation represents the most common post-translational modifications and it is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism controlling the functional expression of proteins inside living organisms. RESULTS: In this study, polyethylene glycol fractionation and immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography were employed to isolate phosphopeptides from wild-growing Selaginella. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, 1593 unique phosphopeptides spanning 1104 non-redundant phosphosites with confirmed localization on 716 phosphoproteins were identified. Analysis of the Selaginella dataset revealed features that are consistent with other plant phosphoproteomes, such as the relative proportions of phosphorylated Ser, Thr, and Tyr residues, the highest occurrence of phosphosites in the C-terminal regions of proteins, and the localization of phosphorylation events outside protein domains. In addition, a total of 97 highly conserved phosphosites in evolutionary conserved proteins were identified, indicating the conservation of phosphorylation-dependent regulatory mechanisms in phylogenetically distinct plant species. On the other hand, close examination of proteins involved in photosynthesis revealed phosphorylation events which may be unique to Selaginella evolution. Furthermore, phosphorylation motif analyses identified Pro-directed, acidic, and basic signatures which are recognized by typical protein kinases in plants. A group of Selaginella-specific phosphoproteins were found to be enriched in the Pro-directed motif class. CONCLUSIONS: Our work provides the first large-scale atlas of phosphoproteins in Selaginella which occupies a unique position in the evolution of terrestrial plants. Future research into the functional roles of Selaginella-specific phosphorylation events in photosynthesis and other processes may offer insight into the molecular mechanisms leading to the distinct evolution of lycophytes.published_or_final_versio

Efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty for normal tension glaucoma: 1 year results

BACKGROUND: Normal tension glaucoma (NTG) is commonly treated with anti-glaucoma medications. Recently, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has been demonstrated to lower the intraocular pressure (IOP) and medication use in NTG. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a single session of SLT for NTG at 1 year. METHODS: This prospective cohort study recruited NTG patients taking anti-glaucoma medication. Potential subjects were excluded if they had had previous glaucoma surgery or laser and also if intraocular surgery or additional SLT procedures were performed after the first treatment. All subjects underwent a 1-month washout. A 30% IOP reduction was set as the target IOP. A single session of SLT was performed to 360 degrees of the trabecular meshwork. At 1-month after SLT, medication was resumed to achieve the target IOP. The IOP was measured every 3 months, and the number of medications was recorded at 3, 6, and 12 months. Only the right eye was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In 41 right eyes, the mean pre-study IOP was 14.3 +/- 3.4 mmHg while on 1.5 +/- 0.8 eye drops. The post-washout IOP was 16.2 +/- 2.2 mmHg. A mean of 191.1 +/- 26.3 SLT shots at 1.0 +/- 0.07 mJ were applied. There was significant IOP reduction at all time intervals following SLT when compared to the post-washout IOP (P < 0.0001). The number of medications was significantly reduced at all time intervals following SLT when compared to the pre-study level (P < 0.0001). At 12 months, the mean IOP was 12.2 +/- 2.2 mmHg while on 1.1 +/- 0.9 eye drops. CONCLUSIONS: A single session of SLT for NTG achieved an additional 15% IOP reduction while using 27% less medication at 1 year compared to pre-study levels.Trial registration: The Clinical Trials Register of the University of Hong Kong HKCTR1847The European Clinical Trials Database 2014-003305-15 (August 11, 2014) (https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/).published_or_final_versio

Total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer decreases local recurrence

Conference Theme: Challenges to specialists in the 21st centurypublished_or_final_versio

Laparoscopic colorectal resections with and without routine mechanical bowel preparation: a comparative study

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