Regional variations in white-black earnings

An examination of why black Americans' earnings continue to lag whites' and why the problem is especially acute in the southern states. Better understanding of the factors driving regional pay differentials can help explain some of the disparities at the national level and is also applicable to a wide variety of other public policy issues.Wages ; Regional economics ; Discrimination in employment

Use of geographical information systems to identify counties in Georgia with high risk for childhood lead poisoning

Background: For children in Georgia, lead poisoning is a substantial public health problem. Primary risk factors include low socioeconomic status and poor-quality housing built prior to 1978. The Environmental Health Team of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) utilized geographical information system (GIS) technology and census housing data to identify counties in which children have high risk for lead poisoning. The purpose of this research was to update and refine previous maps developed with older technology and on a different geographic scale so that targeted public health interventions can be developed. Methods: Data related to stratified and median housing age data were derived from the 2013 5-year American Community Survey. With ESRI ArcMap 10.2 geographic information software, the data were geospatially linked to the state’s county shapefile for development of spatial maps. Results: A series of spatial maps were developed utilizing housing risk factors of age and occupancy status. Refined spatial maps were developed for: 1) the percentage of homes built prior to 1978 and prior to 1950 per county; 2) owner- and renteroccupied housing stratified by age and color-coded per county; and 3) counties in which children were at high risk for lead poisoning. Conclusions: The data from this research provides information for the DPH Lead and Healthy Homes program of areas in the state where targeted interventions are needed. The updated maps can be used to educate policy makers, healthcare providers, and community leaders in regard to prevention of lead poisoning

Teaching in an EFL Program in Second Life: Student Teachers’ Perspectives and Implications

Educational researchers have paid considerable attention to the use of multi-user vir­tual environments (MUVEs) to support learning across curricula. Among those MUVEs, Second Life (SL) is one of the most popular. This paper reports on a study of student teachers’ experience of teaching English in an experimental EFL (English as a Foreign Language) program in Second Life (SL) with students in China. This study was a collaborative effort of faculty members and graduate students of both a state university in the USA and a provincial university in China. The study took a case study approach to reveal student teachers’ perceptions of their teaching in SL, what they have learned and discusses the implications for teaching in similar EFL programs in SL

Building Resilience in Social-Ecological Food Systems in Vermont

There is an expanding interest in Local Food Systems (LFSs) in Vermont, along with a growing effort to create adaptive governance to facilitate action. In this case study, we investigate how adaptive governance of LFS can provide ideas and act as a catalyst for creating resilience in other social-ecological systems (SESs). By participating in meetings and interviewing stakeholders inside and outside the Vermont LFS network, we found that consumers were highly motivated to participate by supporting environmental issues, the local economy, and interactive communities, as well as building social relationships. Farmers experienced better income and increased respect in the local community. All participants found adequate “safe space” to share new ideas and explore partnerships. Their identities and values were also place-specific, reflecting the working landscape of Vermont. Adaptive governance was built on equal partnerships, where problems were discussed and responsibilities were shared among many stakeholders across geographic areas and multiple sectors. Some skepticism was expressed towards mainstreaming local food production and sales. Challenges remain to more fully include farmers, for-profit players, and low-income consumers in the network. This might limit the resilience and sustainability of the LFS. Because SESs are held together by common culture and identities, the risk of non-adaptive social patterns exemplifies one key challenge for future adaptive management towards resilient and sustainable outcomes. There is a critical need for developing relevant theory and conducting further research on LFSs and their potential roles in local SESs

A frequent PLCγ1 mutation in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma determines functional properties of the malignant cells

BACKGROUND: Development of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) involves human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection and accumulation of somatic mutations. The most frequently mutated gene in ATL (36 % of cases) is phospholipase C gamma1 (PLCG1). PLCG1 is also frequently mutated in other T-cell lymphomas. However, the functional consequences of the PLCG1 mutations in cancer cells have not been characterized. METHODS: We compared the activity of the wild-type PLCγ1 with that of a mutant carrying a hot-spot mutation of PLCγ1 (S345F) observed in ATL, both in cells and in cell-free assays. To analyse the impact of the mutation on cellular properties, we quantified cellular proliferation, aggregation, chemotaxis and apoptosis by live cell-imaging in an S345F+ ATL-derived cell line (KK1) and a KK1 cell line in which we reverted the mutation to the wild-type sequence using CRISPR/Cas9 and homology-directed repair. FINDINGS: The PLCγ1 S345F mutation results in an increase of basal PLC activity in vitro and in different cell types. This higher basal activity is further enhanced by upstream signalling. Reversion of the S345F mutation in the KK1 cell line resulted in reduction of the PLC activity, lower rates of proliferation and aggregation, and a marked reduction in chemotaxis towards CCL22. The PLCγ1-pathway inhibitors ibrutinib and ritonavir reduced both the PLC activity and the tested functions of KK1 cells. INTERPRETATION: Consistent with observations from clinical studies, our data provide direct evidence that activated variants of the PLCγ1 enzyme contribute to the properties of the malignant T-cell clone in ATL. FUNDING: MRC (UK) Project Grant (P028160)

Imaging of polarization-sensitive meta surfaces with quantum entanglement

Quantum entanglement is a key resource that can be exploited for a range of applications such as quantum teleportation, quantum computation, and quantum cryptography. However, efforts to exploit entanglement in imaging systems have so far led to solutions such as ghost imaging, that have since found classical implementations. Here, we demonstrate an optical imaging protocol that relies uniquely on entanglement: Two polarizing patterns imprinted and superimposed on a metasurface are separately imaged only when using entangled photons. Unentangled light is not able to distinguish between the two patterns. Entangled single-photon imaging of functional metasurfaces promises advances towards the use of nanostructured subwavelength thin devices in quantum information protocols and a route to efficient quantum state tomography

Interleukin-18 as an in vivo mediator of monocyte recruitment in rodent models of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Introduction The function of interleukin-18 (IL-18) was investigated in pertinent animal models of rodent rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to determine its proinflammatory and monocyte recruitment properties. Methods We used a modified Boyden chemotaxis system to examine monocyte recruitment to recombinant human (rhu) IL-18 in vitro. Monocyte recruitment to rhuIL-18 was then tested in vivo by using an RA synovial tissue (ST) severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse chimera. We defined monocyte-specific signal-transduction pathways induced by rhuIL-18 with Western blotting analysis and linked this to in vitro monocyte chemotactic activity. Finally, the ability of IL-18 to induce a cytokine cascade during acute joint inflammatory responses was examined by inducing wild-type (Wt) and IL-18 gene-knockout mice with zymosan-induced arthritis (ZIA). Results We found that intragraft injected rhuIL-18 was a robust monocyte recruitment factor to both human ST and regional (inguinal) murine lymph node (LN) tissue. IL-18 gene-knockout mice also showed pronounced reductions in joint inflammation during ZIA compared with Wt mice. Many proinflammatory cytokines were reduced in IL-18 gene-knockout mouse joint homogenates during ZIA, including macrophage inflammatory protein-3α (MIP-3α/CCL20), vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), and IL-17. Signal-transduction experiments revealed that IL-18 signals through p38 and ERK½ in monocytes, and that IL-18-mediated in vitro monocyte chemotaxis can be significantly inhibited by disruption of this pathway. Conclusions Our data suggest that IL-18 may be produced in acute inflammatory responses and support the notion that IL-18 may serve a hierarchic position for initiating joint inflammatory responses.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112330/1/13075_2010_Article_2890.pd

RNA sequencing analysis of human podocytes reveals glucocorticoid regulated gene networks targeting non-immune pathways

Glucocorticoids are steroids that reduce inflammation and are used as immunosuppressive drugs for many diseases. They are also the mainstay for the treatment of minimal change nephropathy (MCN), which is characterised by an absence of inflammation. Their mechanisms of action remain elusive. Evidence suggests that immunomodulatory drugs can directly act on glomerular epithelial cells or ‘podocytes’, the cell type which is the main target of injury in MCN. To understand the nature of glucocorticoid effects on non-immune cell functions, we generated RNA sequencing data from human podocyte cell lines and identified the genes that are significantly regulated in dexamethasone-treated podocytes compared to vehicle-treated cells. The upregulated genes are of functional relevance to cytoskeleton-related processes, whereas the downregulated genes mostly encode pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. We observed a tendency for dexamethasone-upregulated genes to be downregulated in MCN patients. Integrative analysis revealed gene networks composed of critical signaling pathways that are likely targeted by dexamethasone in podocytes