Relating urban heat island effect to avian diversity in connective matrices of Tacoma

The urban heat island (UHI) effect, experienced disproportionately by neighborhoods of lower wealth and socioeconomic status, is one byproduct of global warming and urbanization known to have several health impacts (Fig.1). Birds are considered strong indicators of the functionality and health of an ecosystem and are an excellent focal group for research which seeks to address potential connections between socioeconomic disparity, UHI, and urban biome health. There has been relatively little study on how birds utilize the urban matrix. Alleyways are one key structural element of the urban environment: often disregarded and underutilized tracts that serve to unite various segments of any city in many ways. I compared avian diversity and abundance in two elements of urban landscapes, alleyways and their associated streets, across different grades of environmental and socioeconomic disparity, UHI measurement, and/or historically redlined zones. This provided insight into the relationship between socioeconomic status, UHI effect, environmental health, and local biodiversity

Using Physical Chemistry To Differentiate Nicotinic from Cholinergic Agonists at the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

The binding of three distinct agonists - acetylcholine (ACh), nicotine, and epibatidine - to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor has been probed using unnatural amino acid mutagenesis. ACh makes a cation−π interaction with Trp α149, while nicotine employs a hydrogen bond to a backbone carbonyl in the same region of the agonist binding site. The nicotine analogue epibatidine achieves its high potency by taking advantage of both the cation−π interaction and the backbone hydrogen bond. A simple structural model that considers only possible interactions with Trp α149 suggests that a novel aromatic C - H···O=C hydrogen bond further augments the binding of epibatidine. These studies illustrate the subtleties and complexities of the interactions between drugs and membrane receptors and establish a paradigm for obtaining detailed structural information

PROGRAM & PROCEEDINGS of the 2022 COLLOQUIUM OF THE STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PARTNERS Female Perspectives on Entrepreneurship and Research How diverse perspectives inspire creativity, drive innovation, and encourage inclusive economic growth

Diverse and varied perspectives are not only central to our institutional mission, but are essential to our society, as we hope to create a more inclusive, more sustainable and ultimately brighter world. Diverse perspectives and collaboration between different institutions, fields and industries must become the norm. This is the program and proceeding of Stony Brook University\u27s colloquium on female perspectives on entrepreneurship and research and how diverse perspectives inspire creativity, drive innovation, and encourage inclusive economic growth. This was a much-needed discussion in January 2022 that\u27s important for the development of entrepreneurship and research worldwide. At Stony Brook University, the entire research community believes that creating an equitable and integrated work environment is an essential part of the success of its innovation and culture. So, this proceeding provides a transcript of the meaningful moderated discussion between 6 expert panelists about female entrepreneurship and research

Chemical-Scale Studies on the Role of a Conserved Aspartate in Preorganizing the Agonist Binding Site of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and related Cys-loop receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate fast synaptic transmission throughout the central and peripheral nervous system. A highly conserved aspartate residue (D89) that is near the agonist binding site but does not directly contact the ligand plays a critical part in receptor function. Here we probe the role of D89 using unnatural amino acid mutagenesis coupled with electrophysiology. Homology modeling implicates several hydrogen bonds involving D89. We find that no single hydrogen bond is essential to proper receptor function. Apparently, the side chain of D89 establishes a redundant network of hydrogen bonds; these bonds preorganize the agonist binding site by positioning a critical tryptophan residue that directly contacts the ligand. Earlier studies of the D89N mutant led to the proposal that a negative charge at this position is essential for receptor function. However, we find that receptors with neutral side chains at position 89 can function well, if the side chain is less perturbing than the amide of asparagine (nitro or keto groups allow function) or if a compensating backbone mutation is introduced to relieve unfavorable electrostatics

Female Perspectives on Entrepreneurship and Research How diverse perspectives inspire creativity, drive innovation, and encourage inclusive economic growth

Diverse and varied perspectives are not only central to our institutional mission, but are essential to our society, as we hope to create a more inclusive, more sustainable and ultimately brighter world. Diverse perspectives and collaboration between different institutions, fields and industries must become the norm. This is the program and proceeding of Stony Brook University\u27s colloquium on female perspectives on entrepreneurship and research and how diverse perspectives inspire creativity, drive innovation, and encourage inclusive economic growth. This was a much-needed discussion in January 2022 that\u27s important for the development of entrepreneurship and research worldwide. At Stony Brook University, the entire research community believes that creating an equitable and integrated work environment is an essential part of the success of its innovation and culture. So, this proceeding provides a transcript of the meaningful moderated discussion between 6 expert panelists about female entrepreneurship and research

Female Perspectives on Entrepreneurship and Research How diverse perspectives inspire creativity, drive innovation, and encourage inclusive economic growth

Diverse and varied perspectives are not only central to our institutional mission, but are essential to our society, as we hope to create a more inclusive, more sustainable and ultimately brighter world. Diverse perspectives and collaboration between different institutions, fields and industries must become the norm. This is the program and proceeding of Stony Brook University\u27s colloquium on female perspectives on entrepreneurship and research and how diverse perspectives inspire creativity, drive innovation, and encourage inclusive economic growth. This was a much-needed discussion in January 2022 that\u27s important for the development of entrepreneurship and research worldwide. At Stony Brook University, the entire research community believes that creating an equitable and integrated work environment is an essential part of the success of its innovation and culture. So, this proceeding provides a transcript of the meaningful moderated discussion between 6 expert panelists about female entrepreneurship and research

Symptom variability following acute exercise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a perspective on measuring post-exertion malaise

Background: Consensus for an operational definition of post-exertion malaise (PEM) and which symptoms best characterize PEM has not been established and may be due to variability within and between studies. Purpose: Determine the magnitude of the effect of maximal and submaximal physical exertion on multiple myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) symptoms that are associated with PEM and explore variability among two studies in which mood, fatigue, and pain symptoms were measured before and after exercise. Methods: Symptoms were measured before, and 48 and 72 hours after exercise in study 1 (ME/CFS = 13; Controls = 11) and before and 24 hours after exercise in study 2 (ME/CFS = 15, Controls = 15). Between-study variability was examined by comparing Hedges d effect sizes (95% CI) from studies 1 and 2. Within-patient group variability was examined via inspection of dot density plots. Results: In study 1, large increases in general fatigue (Δ = 1.05), reduced motivation (Δ = 0.93), feelings of fatigue (Δ = 0.90), feelings of confusion (Δ = 0.93), and total mood disturbance (Δ = 0.90) were found at 72 hours. In study 2, a large increase in affective/sensory pain (Δ = 0.79) was found at 24 hours. Dot density plots in both studies revealed substantial variability among people with ME/CFS relative to healthy control participants. Conclusions: PEM symptoms are variable among people with ME/CFS and several gaps in the literature need to be addressed before guidelines for measuring PEM in the clinical or research setting can be established

Open-Label Study of Duloxetine for the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background: This study sought to investigate the efficacy of duloxetine for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (DSM-IV). Methods: Twenty individuals were enrolled in a 17-week, open-label trial of duloxetine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Data were collected between March 2007 and September 2012. Study measures assessing obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms, quality of life, depression, and anxiety were administered at baseline and weeks 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17. The primary outcome measures were the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and Clinical Global Improvement scale. Results: For the 12 study completers, pre- and posttreatment analyses revealed significant improvements (P<.05) on clinician- and self-rated measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms and quality of life. Among the 12 completers, more than one-half (n=7) satisfied full medication response criteria. Intention-to-treat analyses (n=20) showed similar improvements (P<.05) on primary and secondary study outcome measures. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that duloxetine may provide a significant reduction in symptoms for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00464698; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00464698?term=NCT00464698&rank=1