That's just typical.

This report looks at medication choice for people experiencing severe mental illness with an emphasis on the different experiences of people prescribed typical antipsychotics compared to those who receive atypical antipsychotics

A checklist of forensically important insect taxa on decomposing carcasses and successional patterns related to decomposition and season in Minnesota.

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. August 2019. Major: Entomology. Advisor: Robin Thomson. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 65 pages.Numerous studies in North America have focused on the entomofauna associated with decomposing pig carcasses. However, research is lacking in the upper Midwest region of the United States. This study establishes a reference checklist of forensically important insect taxa throughout stages of decomposition of a carcass and investigates these taxa in relation to both stage of decomposition and season in Minnesota. Eleven pig carcasses (Sus scrofa) were placed in the field at monthly intervals from May 2017 through September 2018 and were examined daily to collect both immature and adult insects. Collections were with aerial net, pitfall traps, and hand collection. Adult specimens were identified and preserved. A portion of calliphorid larvae were also reared to adult in the laboratory for identification and preservation. In total, 64 forensically important insect taxa were recorded, representing 14 families, and including 12 species of Calliphoridae. Phormia regina and Lucilia sericata were consistently abundant through temperate seasons. Calliphoridae dominated the early stages of decomposition, and Coleoptera increased in the later stages of decomposition. The results of this study will serve as a practical tool of geographic reference of forensically important insects for local law enforcement agencies and forensic entomologists investigating cases of unnatural death in Minnesota, and also will serve as a foundation for further succession research in the region

The Effects Of Exercise On Body Vigilance

Body vigilance may serve as an important vulnerability factor for the development and maintenance of anxiety pathology. Increased awareness of body sensations has been proposed to relate to anxiety sensitivity (i.e., fears of anxiety sensations) and contribute to panic attacks. Consistent with contemporary models of anxiety disorders, research suggests that individuals who experience recurrent panic attacks exhibit biases toward threat-relevant cues and interventions that reduce attention to threat-relevant stimuli reduce anxiety and panic symptomology. Physical exercise has been shown to exert anxiolytic and anti-panic effects, presumably in part via exposure-generated reductions in fear of relevant physiological sensations. However, recent research suggests that exposure-based interventions generate reductions in vigilance for threat information, and changes in threat vigilance appear to precede and predict reductions in anxiety symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of regular exercise on body vigilance among individuals with high body vigilance and anxiety sensitivity. Twenty-seven non-exercising participants were randomized to complete 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, resistance training, or rest. Results indicated all conditions demonstrated statistically significant reductions in body vigilance. Results are discussed with regard to their implications in the use of exercise interventions for anxiety and related forms of psychopathology

Moving past the culture bound syndrome : looking for acute social withdrawal outside Japan

The aim of this study was to determine whether acute social withdrawal (also known as hikikomori) is a culture bound syndrome, or if it exists in cultures outside Japan. Surveys in both online and paper form were made available on Internet forums and were sent to Internet addiction clinics and private therapists across country. Questions on the survey assessed demographic information and included exploratory questions on treatment for hikikomori, a place for participants to provide information to the mental health community at large, and feedback from hikikomori participants regarding their lived experiences. The demographic data indicated that acute social withdrawal is present in various countries outside Japan, and the open-ended questions provided information regarding potential treatments, positive and negative ideation toward treatment, and useful data for clinicians that may encounter individuals with acute social withdrawal/hikikomori

Structure, function, evolution and inhibition studies of the organophosphate detoxifying enzyme αE7

Insecticide resistance is a global concern that threatens human health and agricultural productivity. Understanding the molecular basis of resistance will help to manage future insecticide use to ensure that effective, safe and inexpensive pest control is available. In the Australian sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina, a single mutation (Gly137Asp) in the αE7 carboxylesterase gives rise to resistance by converting the enzyme into an organophosphate (OP) hydrolase. This emergence of new activity provides a unique opportunity to investigate the molecular basis for enzyme evolution. In this thesis, I investigated the structure, function, evolution and inhibition of αE7. Chapter two describes the role of structural diversity in the function of wild type αE7. I applied new methods for extracting information about structural diversity from X-ray diffraction data to explore the changes in structure that accompany high affinity OP binding in αE7. In chapter three, I investigated the molecular basis for the evolution of catalytic OP detoxification in the blowfly. I determined the structure of the Gly137Asp variant by X-ray crystallography, which, along with molecular dynamics simulations and enzyme activity assays, revealed the role of Asp137 in the new catalytic mechanism. The new sidechain is disordered, and potentially only displays a fraction of its catalytic potential. Chapter four explores this catalytic potential through the laboratory-directed evolution of αE7 for increased OP hydrolase activity. I performed detailed kinetic and structural analysis of the evolutionary trajectory and characterized the structural changes responsible for the 8000-fold increase in OP hydrolase activity. The analysis unmasked a hidden, catalytically relevant, conformation of the active site. Furthermore, the results revealed the role of conformational diversity in the evolutionary optimization of αE7 and highlight the challenges to satisfying the competing demands of substrate binding and catalysis in the tightly packed environment of an enzyme’s active site. This work establishes that only a fraction of the evolutionary potential of αE7 has been explored in nature. In chapter five, I combined structural knowledge of αE7 with a computational screen to discover new potent and selective inhibitors of αE7. These compounds, based on a boronic acid scaffold, act as synergists to reduce the amount of OP required to kill L. cuprina by up to 16-fold, and abolish resistance. The broad-spectrum potential for the compounds as a new class of synergist was demonstrated by their low toxicity to animals and their ability to potentiate OP insecticides against another common insect pest, the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae. These compounds represent a solution to OP resistance as well as to environmental concerns regarding overuse of OPs, allowing significant reduction of use without compromising efficacy. More broadly, this thesis makes contributions to characterizing structural protein heterogeneity using X-ray diffraction, to understanding the molecular basis of enzyme evolution and to the use of in silico screens for the discovery of enzyme inhibitors. The results from this thesis will assist the of control insect pests and the management of insecticide resistance

Anxiety Sensitivity And Risk-Taking Behaviors

Negative affective states (e.g., anxiety) can have a significant impact on risk-perception and risk-taking behaviors. High trait anxiety has been linked with risk-avoidant decision-making, though little is known regarding the specific facets of anxiety contributing to this negative association. Anxiety sensitivity (AS), or the fear of sensations commonly associated with anxiety due to believing that these sensations can lead to negative consequences, may be particularly relevant to risk decision-making given that risk-taking behaviors generate heightened somatic arousal and produce many of the sensations feared by individuals with high AS. The purpose of this study was to extend previous research by examining the relation between AS and self-reported risk-perception and risk-taking behaviors. A total of 271 participants completed a series of questionnaires that included measures of AS, risk-perception, and risk-taking. The results were consistent with previous research indicating individuals with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity perceived greater risk. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that AS predicted unique variance in risk perception over and above that accounted for by demographic variables and generalized anxiety. Although AS scores were positively correlated with likelihood to engage in ethical and health/safety risky behaviors, AS scores did not predict participants’ risky behaviors over and above neuroticism, anxiety, and demographic variables. The implications of these findings and potential directions for future research are discussed

IDENTIFIKASI VIRUS PENYAKIT JEMBRANA PADA SAPI BALI MENGGUNAKAN POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR) DI PROVINSI KEPULAUAN BANGKA BELITUNG

Bali cattle is one of the typical Indonesian livestock that is widely cultivated because of its high reproductive and adaptation capabilities to the environment. However, behind these advantages, bali cattle have a weakness, namely they are susceptible to the jembrana virus which can cause jembrana disease. This disease will cause a decrease in the immune system of bali cattle so that they are susceptible to other diseases that will lead to the death of the cattle. The method used in the identification of the Jembrana disease virus is the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Reverse Transcription (PCR-RT) technique. Identification do 10 Bali cows in Panca Tunggal Village, South Bangka Regency and 11 Bali cattle in Temberan Village, Pangkalpinang City. The bali cattle serum used for virus identification was centrifuged to obtain buffycoat. The PCR-RT technique is carried out in several stages, namely sampling, buffycoat making, extraction, master mix making, amplification, agar manufacture, electrophoresis and visualization. Based on the test, it was found that A1 and A2 bali cattle from Panca Tunggal Village, South Bangka Regency indicated the presence of the Jembrana virus. So that this Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique can help detect the presence of the Jembrana virus in bali cattles

Laboratory-directed evolution as a tool for anticipating insecticide resistance

The evolution of insecticide resistance provides a eukaryotic model system for studying enzyme evolution. Understanding the molecular basis of insecticide resistance can assist both the development of new methods to combat resistance and the anticipation of future resistance. Three insect species have independently evolved catalytic organophosphate (OP) insecticide resistance through a single active-site mutation (Gly\u3eAsp) in the αE7 enzyme1-3. To explore the evolutionary potential of αE7, we subjected αE7 from the blowfly Lucilia cuprina to nine rounds of mutation and selection, resulting in a \u3e1000-fold increase in OP-hydrolase activity and a kcat / KM \u3e 106 M-1 min-1. Kinetic and structural analysis of the evolutionary trajectory revealed the molecular basis for the increase in catalytic efficiency. Mutations occurring in the early stages of the trajectory enrich the productive side chain conformation of the key aspartic acid residue, while mutations in later stages remodel the binding pocket. Remarkably, mutations appearing in the later rounds yielded larger improvements in catalytic efficiency compared to initial mutations, indicating that the initial Gly\u3eAsp mutation represents only a fraction of the αE7 evolutionary potential. Worryingly, this suggests that the Gly\u3eAsp could be the first of many steps toward efficient OP-insecticide detoxification. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Effects of Varying Sufactant Chain Lenghts on the Magnetic, Optical and Hyperthermia Properties of Ferrofluids

We report studies of the structural, magnetic, magneto-thermal and magneto-optic properties of dextran, oleic acid, lauric acid and myristic acid surfacted Fe3O4 nanoparticles of hydrodynamic sizes ranging from 32 nm to 92 nm. All the samples showed saturation magnetization of ̃50 emu/g, significantly smaller than the bulk value for Fe3O4, together with superparamagnetic behavior. The ac magnetization measurements on the dextran coated nanoparticles showed frequency dependent blocking temperature, consistent with superparamgnetic blocking. The ferrofluid heating rates in a 250 Gauss, 100 kHz ac magnetic field varied with the chain lengths of the surfactants, with higher heating rates for longer chains. DC-magnetic-field-induced light scattering patterns produced by two orthogonal He-Ne laser beams passing through the ferrofluid sample revealed different optical signatures for different surfactants