Alterations in human skeletal muscle proteins in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common fatal neurodegenerative disease, resulting in loss of voluntary muscle control, atrophy, paralysis, and eventually death. Although the pathophysiology of ALS is not completely understood, recent research in Dr. Chin's lab has identified alterations in skeletal muscle proteins in ALS mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate alterations in proteins involved in calcium handling (SERCA1 and SERCA2), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (Grp78/BiP, PDI, and CHOP) and protein synthesis (Akt) in human ALS skeletal muscle. The ER chaperone protein Grp78/BiP and Akt, a protein involved in protein synthesis, were higher in ALS compared to CON. The calcium pump SERCA1 was lower in diaphragm compared to quadriceps muscles of ALS cases. These data highlight alterations in skeletal muscle proteins not only between ALS and CON, but also between different muscles in ALS, which are helpful for informing future research study designs

Instrumental Uncertainty as a Determinant of Behavior Under Interval Schedules of Reinforcement

Interval schedules of reinforcement are known to generate habitual behavior, the performance of which is less sensitive to revaluation of the earned reward and to alterations in the action-outcome contingency. Here we report results from experiments using different types of interval schedules of reinforcement in mice to assess the effect of uncertainty, in the time of reward availability, on habit formation. After limited training, lever pressing under fixed interval (FI, low interval uncertainty) or random interval schedules (RI, higher interval uncertainty) was sensitive to devaluation, but with more extended training, performance of animals trained under RI schedules became more habitual, i.e. no longer sensitive to devaluation, whereas performance of those trained under FI schedules remained goal-directed. When the press-reward contingency was reversed by omitting reward after pressing but presenting reward in the absence of pressing, lever pressing in mice previously trained under FI decreased more rapidly than that of mice trained under RI schedules. Further analysis revealed that action-reward contiguity is significantly reduced in lever pressing under RI schedules, whereas action-reward correlation is similar for the different schedules. Thus the extent of goal-directedness could vary as a function of uncertainty about the time of reward availability. We hypothesize that the reduced action-reward contiguity found in behavior generated under high uncertainty is responsible for habit formation

Body mass index is a better indicator of body composition than weight-for-length at age 1 month

Objective: To assess whether body mass index (BMI) provides a better assessment of measured adiposity at age 1 month compared with weight-for-length (WFL). Study design: Participants were healthy term-born infants in the Infant Growth and Microbiome (n = 146) and the Baby Peas (n = 147) studies. Length, weight, and body composition by air displacement plethysmography were measured at 1 month. World Health Organization-based WFL and BMI z-scores were calculated. Within-cohort z-scores of percent fat-Z, fat mass-Z, fat mass/length 2 -Z, fat mass/length 3 -Z, fat-free mass-Z, and fat-free mass/length 2 -Z were calculated. Correlation and multiple linear regression (adjusted for birth weight) analyses tested the associations between body composition outcomes and BMI-Z vs WFL-Z. Quantile regression was used to test the stability of these associations across the distribution of body compositions. Results: The sample was 52% female and 56% African American. Accounting for birth weight, both BMI-Z and WFL-Z were strongly associated with fat mass-Z (coefficients 0.56 and 0.35, respectively), FM/L 2 -Z (0.73 and 0.51), and FM/L 3 -Z (0.79 and 0.58), with stronger associations for BMI-Z compared with WFL-Z (P <.05). Even after accounting statistically for birth weight, BMI-Z was persistently more strongly associated than WFL-Z with body composition outcomes across the distribution of body composition outcomes. Conclusions: We demonstrate in 2 distinct cohorts that BMI is a better indicator of adiposity in early infancy compared with WFL. Our findings support the preferred use of BMI for growth and nutritional status assessment in infancy. © 2018 Elsevier Inc

Evaluating software used in a balanced literacy program

Schools have changed dramatically in the last two decades with the advancements that have been made in technology. One of teachers\u27 main concerns is the appropriate selection of software for classroom use (Hall and Martin, 1999). In our technology driven world, it is essential for future educators to learn all they can about technology. Teachers use software as a supplement or enrichment for curriculum taught in the classroom. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate software for its most effective use in the classroom. There are many different software applications on the market, and it is crucial that teachers know how to provide input when selecting these for their classrooms. T. Oppenheimer (1997) suggests, based on a 1996 poll taken by U.S. teachers, that computer skills and media technology is more essential than the study of European History, biology, chemistry, and physics. This study was designed to create a checklist for teachers to use when evaluating software specifically used in a balanced literacy program. The purpose is to answer the following questions: 1. Can an instrument be developed for the evaluation of software to be used in a balanced literacy program? 2. What are the results of applying such an instrument to selected software? This paper reviews literature related to software evaluation and observation of software used in elementary classrooms. The checklist is comprised of scoring systems of various related checklists and rubrics that deal with evaluating software, and there are a few original questions based on relevant information about children\u27s learning, literacy in the classroom and technology in the classroom. The software was selected due to my previous observations and seminars attended that related to software usage in the classrooms