Reproductive dysfunction in diabetes : behavioral, biochemical and metabolic analyses in female rats.

PsychologyDoctor of Philosophy (PhD

Generation 1.5 Students’ Academic Success: The Interrelationship Between Capital Used and Identity Formation

As the number of people immigrating to the United States increases, so does the number of generation 1.5 students in K-12 education (Kanno & Cromley, 2013). With more generation 1.5 students graduating from U.S. high schools, more are also matriculating into higher education institutions (Harklau & Siegal, 2009; Kanno & Cromley, 2013; Kanno & Harklau, 2012; Roberge, 2009). While some generation 1.5 students are successful in U.S. higher education, others are not, and the percentage of generation 1.5 students who are successful is disproportionately less than the percentage of those students who have a U.S. heritage culture (Kanno & Harklau, 2012). Many studies have occurred regarding generation 1.5 students’ writing discourse. Other inquiries have compared the capital that exists in education versus the capital generation 1.5 students possess. Researchers have also investigated how generation 1.5 students’ identity impacts their academic success. This inquiry complements prior research by using a basic qualitative research paradigm to explore not only what capitals generation 1.5 students employ and how they use these capitals but also how generation 1.5 students’ identity interrelates to their use of capital for academic success. This study found that generation 1.5 students utilized family social capital, peer social capital, navigational capital, linguistic capital, motivational capital, and aspirational capital to be academically successful, and these capitals interrelated to generation 1.5 students’ identity, including their personal, heritage, social, student, linguistic, and writer identities. Additionally, this inquiry includes implications for how educators and administrators can support generation 1.5 students to be academically successful

Calorie restriction in humans inhibits the PI3K/AKT pathway and induces a younger transcription profile

Caloric restriction (CR) and down-regulation of the insulin/IGF pathway are the most robust interventions known to increase longevity in lower organisms. However, little is known about the molecular adaptations induced by CR in humans. Here, we report that long-term CR in humans inhibits the IGF-1/insulin pathway in skeletal muscle, a key metabolic tissue. We also demonstrate that CR induces dramatic changes of the skeletal muscle transcriptional profile that resemble those of younger individuals. Finally, in both rats and humans, CR evoked similar responses in the transcriptional profiles of skeletal muscle. This common signature consisted of three key pathways typically associated with longevity: IGF-1/insulin signaling, mitochondrial biogenesis, and inflammation. Furthermore, our data identify promising pathways for therapeutic targets to combat age-related diseases and promote health in humans.American Federation for Aging ResearchNational Center for Research Resources (U.S.) (Grant UL1 RR024992)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (U.S.) (Grant P30DK056341

Object Relations in the Museum: A Psychosocial Perspective

This article theorises museum engagement from a psychosocial perspective. With the aid of selected concepts from object relations theory, it explains how the museum visitor can establish a personal relation to museum objects, making use of them as an ‘aesthetic third’ to symbolise experience. Since such objects are at the same time cultural resources, interacting with them helps the individual to feel part of a shared culture. The article elaborates an example drawn from a research project that aimed to make museum collections available to people with physical and mental health problems. It draws on the work of the British psychoanalysts Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Bion to explain the salience of the concepts of object use, potential space, containment and reverie within a museum context. It also refers to the work of the contemporary psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas on how objects can become evocative for individuals both by virtue of their intrinsic qualities and by the way they are used to express personal idiom

Physician Compensation from Salary and Quality of Diabetes Care

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between physician-reported percent of total compensation from salary and quality of diabetes care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians (n = 1248) and their patients with diabetes mellitus (n = 4200) enrolled in 10 managed care plans. MEASUREMENTS: We examined the associations between physician-reported percent compensation from salary and processes of care including receipt of dilated eye exams and foot exams, advice to take aspirin, influenza immunizations, and assessments of glycemic control, proteinuria, and lipid profile, intermediate outcomes such as adequate control of hemoglobin A1c, lipid levels, and systolic blood pressure levels, and satisfaction with provider communication and perceived difficulty getting needed care. We used hierarchical logistic regression models to adjust for clustering at the health plan and physician levels, as well as for physician and patient covariates. We adjusted for plan as a fixed effect, meaning we estimated variation between physicians using the variance within a particular health plan only, to minimize confounding by other unmeasured health plan variables. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, patients of physicians who reported higher percent compensation from salary (>90%) were more likely to receive 5 of 7 diabetes process measures and more intensive lipid management and to have an HbA1c<8.0% than patients of physicians who reported lower percent compensation from salary (<10%). However, these associations did not persist after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that salary, as opposed to fee-for-service compensation, is not independently associated with diabetes processes and intermediate outcomes

The \u3cem\u3eChlamydomonas\u3c/em\u3e Genome Reveals the Evolution of Key Animal and Plant Functions

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga whose lineage diverged from land plants over 1 billion years ago. It is a model system for studying chloroplast-based photosynthesis, as well as the structure, assembly, and function of eukaryotic flagella (cilia), which were inherited from the common ancestor of plants and animals, but lost in land plants. We sequenced the ∼120-megabase nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas and performed comparative phylogenomic analyses, identifying genes encoding uncharacterized proteins that are likely associated with the function and biogenesis of chloroplasts or eukaryotic flagella. Analyses of the Chlamydomonas genome advance our understanding of the ancestral eukaryotic cell, reveal previously unknown genes associated with photosynthetic and flagellar functions, and establish links between ciliopathy and the composition and function of flagella

Association of cord blood digitalis-like factor and necrotizing enterocolitis

Endogenous digoxin-like factor (EDLF) has been linked to vasoconstriction, altered membrane transport and apoptosis. Our objective was to determine whether increased EDLF in the cord sera of preterm infants was associated with an increased incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)

Placental endothelial nitric oxide synthase in multiple and single dose betamethasone exposed pregnancies

To compare endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS ) expression and capillary density (CDS) in placentas exposed to single or multiple courses of betamethasone

The Reinforcing Therapist Performance (RTP) experiment: Study protocol for a cluster randomized trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rewarding provider performance has been recommended by the Institute of Medicine as an approach to improve the quality of treatment, yet little empirical research currently exists that has examined the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of such approaches. The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing monetary incentives directly to therapists as a method to improve substance abuse treatment service delivery and subsequent client treatment outcomes.</p> <p>Design</p> <p>Using a cluster randomized design, substance abuse treatment therapists from across 29 sites were assigned by site to either an implementation as usual (IAU) or pay-for-performance (P4P) condition.</p> <p>Participants</p> <p>Substance abuse treatment therapists participating in a large dissemination and implementation initiative funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.</p> <p>Intervention</p> <p>Therapists in both conditions received comprehensive training and ongoing monitoring, coaching, and feedback. However, those in the P4P condition also were given the opportunity to earn monetary incentives for achieving two sets of measurable behaviors related to quality implementation of the treatment.</p> <p>Outcomes</p> <p>Effectiveness outcomes will focus on the impact of the monetary incentives to increase the proportion of adolescents who receive a targeted threshold level of treatment, months that therapists demonstrate monthly competency, and adolescents who are in recovery following treatment. Similarly, cost-effectiveness outcomes will focus on cost per adolescent receiving targeted threshold level of treatment, cost per month of demonstrated competence, and cost per adolescent in recovery.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Trial Registration Number: NCT01016704</p

Antenatal Magnesium and Cerebral Palsy in Preterm Infants

To evaluate the relationship of maternal antenatal magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) with neonatal cranial ultrasound abnormalities and cerebral palsy (CP)