Research Review: Whole school approaches to sustainability: An international review of whole-school sustainability programs

Education for sustainability is an emerging concept encompassing "a new vision of education that seeks to empower people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future" (UNESCO, 2002). With the development of a number of national whole-school initiatives, including in Australia, this report reviews, documents, and identifies lessons from some of these programs to inform future Sustainable Schools initiatives

The Value of Information Technology-Enabled Diabetes Management

Reviews different technologies used in diabetes disease management, as well as the costs, benefits, and quality implications of technology-enabled diabetes management programs in the United States

The Interactive Effects of Fire and Recreation on Golden Eagles

The shrubsteppe ecosystem of western North America is threatened by multiple, increasing threats that may interact to affect ecosystem dynamics. The focus of my research is to determine whether two threats, wildfire and outdoor recreation may have interactive or additive effects on the diet and nesting ecology of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in southwestern Idaho. Understanding combined effects of these threats will have critical management implications in our changing world

Review of boat wake wave impacts on shoreline erosion and potential solutions for the Chesapeake Bay

[Introduction] The goal of this technical review was to evaluate 1) the potential impacts of boat generated waves on shoreline stability and attendant ecosystem properties, and 2) policy options to minimize any adverse effects. We reviewed available literature, examined relevant data and information from Chesapeake Bay, discussed modeling approaches and highlighted data gaps to further quantify effects on shorelines and ecosystems, and detailed available management and policy actions to minimize potential boat wake impacts. The major findings are: 1) The literature review indicates an unequivocal connection between boat wake energy and shoreline erosion, sediment resuspension and nearshore turbidity. 2) There is not currently enough data to determine the extent (spatially and in magnitude) to which boat wakes are contributing to erosion or turbidity of the Chesapeake Bay 3) Recommended next steps are to identify highly vulnerable waterways and implement management or policy actions to minimize adverse effects

The Perceived Stress Scale for Kids (PeSSKi): Initial development of a brief measure for children aged 7-11 years.

Perceived stress, a known risk factor for poor health, has been extensively assessed in adult populations. Yet an equivalent assessment tool for measurement of global perceived stress in children is lacking. This study aimed to develop and provide initial validation of a scale to measure perceived stress in children aged 7-11 years. Using a two-phase design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with thirteen child-parent dyads for development of items. In a sample of 123 children (age range 7-11 year, Mage = 9 years 7 months, 54.5% male) we administered the resulting Perceived Stress Scale for Kids (PeSSKi). Exploratory factor analysis of the 10-item PeSSKi yielded support for both a one-factor and a two-factor solution (negative, positive item wording). The PeSSKi was associated positively with the Penn-State Worry Questionnaire for Children (r =.748, p<.001) and negatively with the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (r =.381, p<.001) indicating strong convergent/divergent validity respectively. Girls showed higher scores on the PeSSKi than boys with no effects observed by age. Initial psychometrics suggest the PeSSKi provides a robust scale for assessment of perceived stress in children. Further validation is needed across different child populations, over time and with physical measures of stress and health outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

The TRIM-NHL protein NHL-2 is a co-factor in the nuclear and somatic RNAi pathways in C. elegans

Proper regulation of germline gene expression is essential for fertility and maintaining species integrity. In the C. elegans germline, a diverse repertoire of regulatory pathways promote the expression of endogenous germline genes and limit the expression of deleterious transcripts to maintain genome homeostasis. Here we show that the conserved TRIM-NHL protein, NHL-2, plays an essential role in the C. elegans germline, modulating germline chromatin and meiotic chromosome organization. We uncover a role for NHL-2 as a co-factor in both positively (CSR-1) and negatively (HRDE-1) acting germline 22G-small RNA pathways and the somatic nuclear RNAi pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NHL-2 is a bona fide RNA binding protein and, along with RNA-seq data point to a small RNA independent role for NHL-2 in regulating transcripts at the level of RNA stability. Collectively, our data implicate NHL-2 as an essential hub of gene regulatory activity in both the germline and soma

Use of a cAMP BRET Sensor to Characterize a Novel Regulation of cAMP by the Sphingosine 1-Phosphate/G13 Pathway

Regulation of intracellular cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) is integral in mediating cell growth, cell differentiation, and immune responses in hematopoietic cells. To facilitate studies of cAMP regulation we developed a BRET (bioluminescence resonance energy transfer) sensor for cAMP, CAMYEL (cAMP sensor using YFP-Epac-RLuc), which can quantitatively and rapidly monitor intracellular concentrations of cAMP in vivo. This sensor was used to characterize three distinct pathways for modulation of cAMP synthesis stimulated by presumed Gs-dependent receptors for isoproterenol and prostaglandin E2. Whereas two ligands, uridine 5'-diphosphate and complement C5a, appear to use known mechanisms for augmentation of cAMP via Gq/calcium and Gi, the action of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is novel. In these cells, S1P, a biologically active lysophospholipid, greatly enhances increases in intracellular cAMP triggered by the ligands for Gs-coupled receptors while having only a minimal effect by itself. The enhancement of cAMP by S1P is resistant to pertussis toxin and independent of intracellular calcium. Studies with RNAi and chemical perturbations demonstrate that the effect of S1P is mediated by the S1P2 receptor and the heterotrimeric G13 protein. Thus in these macrophage cells, all four major classes of G proteins can regulate intracellular cAMP

Structural requirements for protection by small amino acids against hypoxic injury in kidney proximal tubules1

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154313/1/fsb2004015011.pd

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Improve Diet and Physical Activity Among Adults Who Are Overweight/Obese

Background: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has shown benefit for improving diet, physical activity, and weight among adults who are overweight and obese. However, research to date in this area has primarily evaluated ACT delivered through in-person interventions, which has more limited access relative to online formats. Purpose: The present study evaluated an online guided self-help program that integrated ACT with nutrition education to improve healthy eating and physical activity. Methods: A sample of 79 adults who were overweight/obese were randomized to receive the 8-week ACT on Health program plus weekly phone coaching or to a waitlist. Results: Participants completed 5.5 ACT sessions on average (out of 8) and reported moderately high program satisfaction. Participants in the ACT condition improved significantly more than the waitlist at posttreatment on the primary outcome of healthy eating index (HEI; based on 24-hour recall assessments) and almost all secondary outcomes assessing self-reported eating behaviors, weight, mental health, weight self-stigma, and psychological inflexibility. However, no intervention effects were found for self-reported physical activity. At 8-week follow-up, improvements were maintained for most outcomes in the ACT condition, but not for the HEI. Improvements in psychological inflexibility mediated treatment effects on some outcomes, but not HEI or weight. Conclusions: Overall, delivering ACT through online guided self-help combined with nutrition education appears promising for improving healthy eating, weight, and self-stigma, but results for physical activity and long-term behavior change are unclear, possibly due to limitations in the ACT on Health program

Calcium compartmentation in isolated renal tubules in suspension

Substantial increases of total cell Ca2+ have been observed in suspensions of isolated rabbit proximal tubules subjected to hypoxic injury or treated with exogenous ATP followed by apparent recovery with reoxygenation of the hypoxic tubules or continued incubation of ATP-treated tubules. Ca2+ compartmentation studies using digitonin and metabolic inhibitors were done to clarify the basis for these changes. Digitonin, 40-90 [mu]g/mg tubule protein, rapidly permeabilized the tubule cells and did not impair mitochondrial Ca2+ sequestration. Most of the increases of tubule cell Ca2+ produced by hypoxia and ATP were accounted for by pools which could be rapidly removed by exposure of tubules to EGTA and the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone without concomitant use of digitonin, suggesting that the changes of Ca2+ predominantly reflect sequestration by mitochondria in severely damaged cells or mitochondria already released to the medium from them. The time course of uptake followed by spontaneous release of mitochondrial Ca2+ from tubule cells deliberately permeabilized with digitonin, then incubated for prolonged periods, indicated that the decreases of tubule cell Ca2+ during reoxygenation of hypoxic suspensions and prolonged incubation of ATP-treated tubules were likely to be attributable to loss of Ca2+ from free mitochondria and those in damaged cells rather than to extrusion by intact cells.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27353/1/0000378.pd