The persistence of the drug trade in Colombia: The political, social, and economic dimensions of new illicit business paradigms in Colombia

With the demise of the Colombian cartels in the late 1980s, a new business paradigm has emerged in Colombia and other Latin American countries. Throughout the last several decades, numerous political, social, and economic factors have aided in the emergence and growth of this new illicit venture. Internally, illicit ventures are shaped by the state’s increased dependence on the illicit drug trade, a shift in societal acceptance of the ventures, the nature of Colombian culture, and a lack of opportunity in the legal economy. Externally, these ventures are shaped by increased foreign political pressure from the United States as well as economic globalization. These factors have aided in the emergence and development of these ventures, resulting in the ventures being increasingly more integrated economically, socially, and politically. I argue that these external and internal factors of Colombia’s environment have shaped new illicit business paradigms that, in practice, share many similarities to legal business paradigms. These ventures are similar to legal businesses in countries that are characterized by these particular external and internal factors

Do Coping Mechanisms Affect the Quality of Life in Adolescences Who Have Experienced Trauma?

The objective of this secondary analysis was to examine whether positive reframing moderates life satisfaction in children who have experienced victimization in the past year. Previous studies found that children who are frequent targets of peers’ bullying are at risk for a variety of adjustment problems including depression, loneliness, and anxiety (Boulton & Underwood, 1992; Graham & Juvonen, 1998; Hawker & Boulton, 2000). Moreover, coping plays a direct role on the adjustment of children and may be used as a moderator in the effect of a stressor on the life satisfaction of an individual (MacCann, Lipnevich, Burrus, & Roberts, 2012). Following this research, the experimenters conducted a secondary analysis on Dr. Wendy Kliewer’s Project CARE data. The results indicate that, although victimization is a significant predictor of life satisfaction, positive reframing does not effectively moderate the relationship between victimization and life satisfaction. The lack of self-report victimization and life satisfaction heavily contributes to the statistical insignificance of this test. However, with a more robust sample size, the data will aide in establishing effective coping mechanisms.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1064/thumbnail.jp

Increasing the appeal of plant-based foods through describing the consumption experience: a data-driven procedure

Global meat consumption is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases emissions and environmental degradation, therefore, shifting diets to plant-based products will help to protect planetary health. However, omnivorous consumers often perceive plant-based products as less tasty and appealing than their meat-based counterparts. Previous research has shown that presenting plant-based dishes in terms of the rewarding aspects of consumption (i.e., with consumption and reward descriptions) can make them more appealing. Here, we report three online studies (using the research platform Prolific) to illustrate and test a systematic, data-driven procedure for generating such consumption and reward descriptions. In Study 1 (N = 653), we asked participants to rate the extent to which various sensory, context, and hedonic features were viewed as positive or negative in relation to 20 savoury dishes. In Study 2 (N = 246), we selected the most positive features from Study 1 and asked participants to rate the fit of these features in relation to 12 novel plant-based dishes. In Study 3 (N = 1,204), we used the features with the highest “fit” scores from Study 2 to examine whether descriptions that incorporated them could increase the appeal and intention to order the same 12 plant-based dishes. As predicted, consumption and reward descriptions led to significantly higher dish appeal and order intentions compared to control descriptions. Consequently, consumption and reward descriptions may help to increase the consumption of plant-based foods, reducing the demand for animal-based products and the associated greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts

The valine and lysine residues in the conserved FxVTxK motif are important for the function of phylogenetically distant plant cellulose synthases

Cellulose synthases (CESAs) synthesize the β-1,4-glucan chains that coalesce to form cellulose microfibrils in plant cell walls. In addition to a large cytosolic (catalytic) domain, CESAs have eight predicted transmembrane helices (TMHs). However, analogous to the structure of BcsA, a bacterial cellulose synthase, predicted TMH5 in CESA may instead be an interfacial helix. This would place the conserved FxVTxK motif in the plant cell cytosol where it could function as a substrate-gating loop as occurs in BcsA. To define the functional importance of the CESA region containing FxVTxK, we tested five parallel mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana CESA1 and Physcomitrella patens CESA5 in complementation assays of the relevant cesa mutants. In both organisms, the substitution of the valine or lysine residues in FxVTxK severely affected CESA function. In Arabidopsis roots, both changes were correlated with lower cellulose anisotropy, as revealed by Pontamine Fast Scarlet. Analysis of hypocotyl inner cell wall layers by atomic force microscopy showed that two altered versions of Atcesa1 could rescue cell wall phenotypes observed in the mutant background line. Overall, the data show that the FxVTxK motif is functionally important in two phylogenetically distant plant CESAs. The results show that Physcomitrella provides an efficient model for assessing the effects of engineered CESA mutations affecting primary cell wall synthesis and that diverse testing systems can lead to nuanced insights into CESA structure/function relationships. Although CESA membrane topology needs to be experimentally determined, the results support the possibility that the FxVTxK region functions similarly in CESA and BcsA

Foreground Analysis Using Cross-Correlations of External Templates on the 7-year WMAP data

WMAP data when combined with ancillary data on free-free, synchrotron and dust allow an improved understanding of the spectrum of emission from each of these components. Here we examine the sky variation at intermediate and high latitudes using a cross-correlation technique. In particular, we compare the observed emission in several large partitions of the sky plus 33 selected sky regions to three "standard" templates. The regions are selected using a criterion based on the morphology of these template maps. The synchrotron emission shows evidence of steepening between GHz frequencies and the \emph{WMAP} bands. There are indications of spectral index variations across the sky but the current data are not precise enough to accurately quantify this from region-to-region. The emission correlated with the $H_{\alpha}$ template shows clear evidence of deviation from a free-free spectrum. The emission can be decomposed into a contribution from both free-free and spinning dust in the warm ionised medium of the Galaxy. The derived free-free emissivity corresponds to a mean electron temperature of $\sim 6000$ K, although the value depends critically on the impact of dust absorption on the $H_{\alpha}$ intensity. The WIM spinning dust emission has a peak emission in intensity in the range 40--50 GHz. The anomalous microwave emission associated with dust is detected at high significance in most of the 33 fields studied. The anomalous emission correlates well with the Finkbeiner et al. (1999) model 8 predictions (FDS8) at 94 GHz, and is well described globally by a power-law emission model with an effective spectral index between 20 and 60 GHz of $\beta \approx -2.7$. It is clear that attempts to explain the emission by spinning dust models require multiple components, which presumably relates to a complex mix of emission regions along a given line-of-sight.Comment: 31 pages, 14 figure

A comparative genomics screen identifies a Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 sodM-like gene strongly expressed within host plant nodules

Background We have used the genomic data in the Integrated Microbial Genomes system of the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute to make predictions about rhizobial open reading frames that play a role in nodulation of host plants. The genomic data was screened by searching for ORFs conserved in α-proteobacterial rhizobia, but not conserved in closely-related non-nitrogen-fixing α-proteobacteria. Results Using this approach, we identified many genes known to be involved in nodulation or nitrogen fixation, as well as several new candidate genes. We knocked out selected new genes and assayed for the presence of nodulation phenotypes and/or nodule-specific expression. One of these genes, SMc00911, is strongly expressed by bacterial cells within host plant nodules, but is expressed minimally by free-living bacterial cells. A strain carrying an insertion mutation in SMc00911 is not defective in the symbiosis with host plants, but in contrast to expectations, this mutant strain is able to out-compete the S. meliloti 1021 wild type strain for nodule occupancy in co-inoculation experiments. The SMc00911 ORF is predicted to encode a “SodM-like” (superoxide dismutase-like) protein containing a rhodanese sulfurtransferase domain at the N-terminus and a chromate-resistance superfamily domain at the C-terminus. Several other ORFs (SMb20360, SMc01562, SMc01266, SMc03964, and the SMc01424-22 operon) identified in the screen are expressed at a moderate level by bacteria within nodules, but not by free-living bacteria. Conclusions Based on the analysis of ORFs identified in this study, we conclude that this comparative genomics approach can identify rhizobial genes involved in the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with host plants, although none of the newly identified genes were found to be essential for this process

Designing a suite of measurements to understand the critical zone

Many scientists have begun to refer to the earth surface environment from the upper canopy to the depths of bedrock as the critical zone (CZ). Identification of the CZ as an integral object worthy of study implicitly posits that the study of the whole earth surface will provide benefits that do not arise when studying the individual parts. To study the CZ, however, requires prioritizing among the measurements that can be made – and we do not generally agree on the priorities. Currently, the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO) is expanding from a small original focus area (0.08 km2 , Shale Hills catchment), to a larger watershed (164 km2 , Shavers Creek watershed) and is grappling with the prioritization. This effort is an expansion from a monolithologic first-order forested catchment to a watershed that encompasses several lithologies (shale, sandstone, limestone) and land use types (forest, agriculture). The goal of the project remains the same: to understand water, energy, gas, solute, and sediment (WEGSS) fluxes that are occurring today in the context of the record of those fluxes over geologic time as recorded in soil profiles, the sedimentary record, and landscape morphology. Given the small size of the Shale Hills catchment, the original design incorporated measurement of as many parameters as possible at high temporal and spatial density. In the larger Shavers Creek watershed, however, we must focus the measurements. We describe a strategy of data collection and modeling based on a geomorphological and land use framework that builds on the hillslope as the basic unit. Interpolation and extrapolation beyond specific sites relies on geophysical surveying, remote sensing, geomorphic analysis, the study of natural integrators such as streams, groundwaters or air, and application of a suite of CZ models. We hypothesize that measurements of a few important variables at strategic locations within a geomorphological framework will allow development of predictive models of CZ behavior. In turn, the measurements and models will reveal how the larger watershed will respond to perturbations both now and into the future

Field-testing of a rapid survey method to assess the prevalence and causes of hearing loss in Gao'an, Jiangxi province, China.

BACKGROUND: The Rapid Assessment of Hearing Loss (RAHL) survey protocol aims to measure the prevalence and causes of hearing loss in a low cost and rapid manner, to inform planning of ear and hearing services. This paper reports on the first field-test of the RAHL in Gao'an County, Jiangxi Province, China. This study aimed to 1) To report on the feasibility of RAHL; 2) report on the estimated prevalence and causes of hearing loss in Gao'an. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted in September-October 2018. Forty-seven clusters in Gao'an County were selected using probability-proportionate-to-size sampling. Within clusters, compact segment sampling was conducted to select 30 people aged 50+. A questionnaire was completed covering sociodemographics, hearing health, and risk factors. Automated pure-tone audiometry was completed for all participants, using smartphone-based audiometry (hearTest), at 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz (kHz). All participants had their ears examined by an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor, using otoscopy, and probable causes of hearing loss assigned. Prevalence estimates were age and sex standardised to the Jiangxi population. Feasibility of a cluster size of 30 was examined by assessing the response rate, and the proportion of clusters completed in 1 day. RESULTS: 1344 of 1421 eligible participants completed the survey (94.6%). 100% of clusters were completed in 1 day. The survey was completed in 4.5 weeks. The prevalence of moderate or greater hearing loss (pure-tone average of 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz of > = 41dBHL in the better ear) was 16.3% (95% CI = 14.3, 18.5) and for any level of hearing loss (pure-tone average of > = 26dBHL in the better ear) the prevalence was 53.2% (95% CI = 49.2, 57.1). The majority of hearing loss was due to acquired sensorineural causes (91.7% left; 92.1% right). Overall 54.0% of the population aged 50+ (108,000 people) are in need of diagnostic audiology services, 3.4% were in need of wax removal (7000 people), and 4.8% were in need of surgical services (9500 people). Hearing aid coverage was 0.4%. CONCLUSION: The RAHL survey protocol is feasible, demonstrated through the number of people examined per day, and the high response rate. The survey was completed in a much shorter period than previous all-age surveys in China. Some remaining challenges included assignment of causes of probable sensorineural loss. The data obtained from this survey can be used to scale-up hearing services in Gao'an

BRG1/SMARCA4 Inactivation Promotes Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Aggressiveness by Altering Chromatin Organization

SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes regulate critical cellular processes including cell cycle control, programmed cell death, differentiation, genomic instability and DNA repair. Inactivation of this class of chromatin remodeling complex has been associated with a variety of malignancies, including lung, ovarian, renal, liver and pediatric cancers. In particular, ~10% of primary human lung non-small lung cancers (NSCLC) display attenuations in the BRG1 ATPase, a core factor in SWI/SNF complexes. To evaluate the role of BRG1 attenuation in NSCLC development, we examined the effect of BRG1 silencing in primary and established human NSCLC cells. BRG1 loss altered cellular morphology and increased tumorigenic potential. Gene expression analyses showed reduced expression of genes known to be associated with progression of human NSCLC. We demonstrated that BRG1 losses in NSCLC cells were associated with variations in chromatin structure, including differences in nucleosome positioning and occupancy surrounding transcriptional start sites of disease-relevant genes. Our results offer direct evidence that BRG1 attenuation contributes to NSCLC aggressiveness by altering nucleosome positioning at a wide range of genes, including key cancer-associated genes