Divorce and adults (2007)

"Information from Human Environmental Sciences Extension.""This guide was originally written by Marilyn Coleman and Marni Morgan, Human Development and Family Studies Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia. Kim Leon, state specialist in Human Development and Family Studies, reviewed and revised this edition.""Focus on families."Revised 4/07/Web

Why do children think they get discomfort related to daily activities?

Children commonly report musculoskeletal discomfort related to different activities such as computer use, playing electronic games, watching TV, reading, and performing physical and hand intensive activities. Discomfort can result in disability and is a strong predictor of future discomfort in adulthood. Adult beliefs regarding discomfort can affect the level of disability and are modifiable. Children's beliefs regarding discomfort could potentially be modified to minimise disability related to musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to describe children's beliefs about why they experience musculoskeletal discomfort, both in general and related to specific activities. Eighty eight school children completed questionnaires on frequency and usual duration of nine activities, whether they had felt discomfort and what they believed was the cause of any discomfort in relation to those activities. The most common activity was TV watching, and most activities were performed for 1 hour or shorter. Bad posture and doing too much of a certain activity were the most common beliefs regarding reasons for discomfort. This study shows that children are developing beliefs that tend to reflect scientific

Lorentz violation and the speed of gravitational waves in brane-worlds

Lorentz violation in a brane-world scenario is presented and used to obtain a relationship between the speed of gravitational waves in the bulk and that on the brane. Lorentz violating effects would manifest themselves in gravitational waves travelling with a greater speed in the bulk than on the brane and this effect is independent of the signature of the extra dimension.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in PL

The Long-Term Effects of Adolescent and Postnatal Ethanol Exposure on the Adult Mouse Brain: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Studies on the effects of alcohol on adolescent and fetal development find developing tissues are particularly sensitive to alcohol toxicity. Since, during adolescence, brain regions associated with cognitive function, decision making, and intelligence mature to adulthood, ethanol exposure during adolescence and early postnatal life may have persistent effects. Long-term effects of alcohol exposure (P7 or P28-37) on the adult brain (P60-P110) were examined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and behavior. On postnatal day seven (P7), the effects of ethanol (2.5 g/kg s.c., two hours apart) which blocks NMDA receptors, was compared to dizocilpine, another NMDA antagonist. Mice receiving P7 ethanol treatment and studied at P82, had a 4% reduction in adult brain volume, reduced numbers of parvalbumin (PV) immunoreactive (IR) cells in the frontal cortex (18-31%), as well as a reduction in cux1 IR layer II pyramidal neurons. Dizocilpine (MK801) administered on P7 also reduced frontal cortical PV interneurons (50%) and layer V pyramidal neurons (42%) in adulthood. Interestingly, P7 ethanol treatment resulted in a 52% increase in adult hippocampal neurogenesis in males, but not in females. Two models of underage drinking were employed: adolescent continuous ethanol (ACE) and adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE). Both showed changes in adult behaviors, regional brain volumes, and cellular architecture. Mice treated with ACE (5g/kg/day, i.g., P28-37) showed adult deficits including: altered neurotransmitter gene expression, a reversal learning deficit in the Morris water maze, olfactory bulb and basal forebrain volume reductions (7.8% and 4.6% respectively), and a 7.5% reduction in numbers of choline-acetyltransferase (ChAT) IR cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain. AIE (5g/kg, i.g., P28-37, 2 days on-2 days off) also caused an adulthood deficit in reversal learning in a different test, the Barnes Maze. AIE also resulted in increased anxiety-like behavior in adults, evidenced by a 43% reduction in time spent in the center of the open field. There were no significant adult regional brain volume reductions at P110 as a result of this treatment. The orbitofrontal cortex, a region critical for reversal learning, showed increased volume. Thus, alcohol exposure during adolescent or postnatal life can cause persistent changes in adult brain

Toll-like receptor signaling and stages of addiction

Athina Markou and her colleagues discovered persistent changes in adult behavior following adolescent exposure to ethanol or nicotine consistent with increased risk for developing addiction. Building on Dr. Markou's important work and that of others in the field, researchers at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies have found that persistent changes in behavior following adolescent stress or alcohol exposure may be linked to induction of immune signaling in brain. This study aims to illuminate the critical interrelationship of the innate immune system (e.g., toll-like receptors [TLRs], high-mobility group box 1 [HMGB1]) in the neurobiology of addiction. This study reviews the relevant research regarding the relationship between the innate immune system and addiction. Emerging evidence indicates that TLRs in brain, particularly those on microglia, respond to endogenous innate immune agonists such as HMGB1 and microRNAs (miRNAs). Multiple TLRs, HMGB1, and miRNAs are induced in the brain by stress, alcohol, and other drugs of abuse and are increased in the postmortem human alcoholic brain. Enhanced TLR-innate immune signaling in brain leads to epigenetic modifications, alterations in synaptic plasticity, and loss of neuronal cell populations, which contribute to cognitive and emotive dysfunctions. Addiction involves progressive stages of drug binges and intoxication, withdrawal-negative affect, and ultimately compulsive drug use and abuse. Toll-like receptor signaling within cortical-limbic circuits is modified by alcohol and stress in a manner consistent with promoting progression through the stages of addiction

Microglial-derived miRNA let-7 and HMGB1 contribute to ethanol-induced neurotoxicity via TLR7

Abstract Background Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling is emerging as an important component of neurodegeneration. TLR7 senses viral RNA and certain endogenous miRNAs to initiate innate immune responses leading to neurodegeneration. Alcoholism is associated with hippocampal degeneration, with preclinical studies linking ethanol-induced neurodegeneration with central innate immune induction and TLR activation. The endogenous miRNA let-7b binds TLR7 to cause neurodegeneration. Methods TLR7 and other immune markers were assessed in postmortem human hippocampal tissue that was obtained from the New South Wales Tissue Bank. Rat hippocampal-entorhinal cortex (HEC) slice culture was used to assess specific effects of ethanol on TLR7, let-7b, and microvesicles. Results We report here that hippocampal tissue from postmortem human alcoholic brains shows increased expression of TLR7 and increased microglial activation. Using HEC slice culture, we found that ethanol induces TLR7 and let-7b expression. Ethanol caused TLR7-associated neuroimmune gene induction and initiated the release let-7b in microvesicles (MVs), enhancing TLR7-mediated neurotoxicity. Further, ethanol increased let-7b binding to the danger signaling molecule high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in MVs, while reducing let-7 binding to classical chaperone protein argonaute (Ago2). Flow cytometric analysis of MVs from HEC media and analysis of MVs from brain cell culture lines found that microglia were the primary source of let-7b and HMGB1-containing MVs. Conclusions Our results identify that ethanol induces neuroimmune pathology involving the release of let-7b/HMGB1 complexes in microglia-derived microvesicles. This contributes to hippocampal neurodegeneration and may play a role in the pathology of alcoholism

Environmental Cues and Fungi Morphology

Candida albicans, a symbiotic yeast in the human gut, and Neurospora crassa, a filamentous bread mold, are distinct in habitat, morphology, and behavior. However, both fungi are equally susceptible to the ongoing flow of stimuli present within the environment. The objective of our research is to understand how different fungi respond to specific cues found within or outside their natural environment. Four stimuli were tested on C. albicans: estradiol (E2), media morphology, and irradiated and non-radiated plastic microfibers. Three stimuli were tested on N. crassa: plastic non-radiated microfibers, simulated microgravity, and cold shock. C. albicans was tested only on solid agar plates, while N. crassa was tested on both liquid and solid agar media. Specialized minimal media plates containing microfibers were made to test irradiated and non-radiated microfiber exposure. While C. albicans expressed no sensitivity to 0.1nM E2, it displayed three types of morphology when grown on either minimal, Spider, or YEPD media. N. crassa showed no sensitivity towards microfibers, but C. albicans exhibited varying degrees of inhibition for colony formation. Under simulated microgravity, N. crassa did not show significant morphological differences besides a possible increase in the amount of conidia present, however, results are inconclusive

Community social network pattern analysis: Development of a novel methodology using a complex, multi-level health intervention

Community social networks (CSN) include individuals and groups, and those with strong partnerships and relationships are well situated for implementing community-based interventions. However, information on the nature of CSN relationships required for multilevel community-based interventions is not present in the literature. Using data from the multi-level Children’s Healthy Living (CHL) trial to reduce child obesity in nine Pacific communities, this study aimed to develop a methodology based on Social Network Analysis (SNA) to understand how CSN evolved over the course of a two-year trial, as well as the characteristics of CSN most successful in impacting indicators of childhood obesity. The two-year trial was considered in four six-month intervals. Within each interval, implemented activities, as recorded in CHL monthly reports, were coded by activity implementer(s), e.g. government agency, school, or community-based group, as well as for collective efficacy impact of the activity, e.g. to leverage resources from outside the CSN or to facilitate civic engagement. Coded data were used to create CSN maps for the four time intervals, and SNA techniques examined the CSN characteristics. CSN density increased over time, as measured by the number of ties within the network. Schools, community-based groups and large organizations were identified as the primary implementers of the CHL intervention and formed a community implementer backbone. Social leveraging, i.e. linking local groups to people with authority over outside resources, was shown to be a central component in intervention success. It took time to develop strong CSN, and stronger (denser) CSN were more successful in building social cohesion and enacting community change. Findings illustrate a methodology that can be useful for tracking the development and impact of CSN

The Grizzly, March 30, 2017

Ursinus to Begin Offering Summer Courses to Students, Community Members • Students Share Diverse Experiences in UCARE Sponsored Diversity Monologues • Is There Declining Student Interest in the Philadelphia Experience? • Stop Kiss Brings Story of Love and Heartbreak to the Stage • Professor Finds a New Approach to Academics with Brooklyn Institute for Social Research • Opinions: Students Need to Start Contacting Their Representatives; Here\u27s Why I Relay for Life at Ursinus College • The HEART of Ursinus Cardiovascular Research • Ursinus Tennis Coach Reaches 100 Career Victories, Wins Coach of the Year Awardhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1664/thumbnail.jp