The NOMA track module on nutrition, human rights and governance: Part 2. A transnational curriculum using a human rights-based approach to foster key competencies in nutrition professionals

Background. In response to the challenge of the global health needs of the 21st century, four academic institutions in Norway, South Africa and Uganda,each offering a Master’s degree in nutrition, collaboratively developed the NOrwegian MAsters (NOMA) track module on nutrition, human rights andgovernance, integrating a human rights-based approach into graduate education in nutrition.Objective. To capture students’ perceptions about the NOMA track module, focusing on the development of key competencies.Methods. Employing a qualitative approach, 20 (91% response rate) in-depth telephonic interviews were conducted with participating students, voicerecorded and transcribed. Through an inductive process, emerging themes were used to compile a code list for content analysis of the transcribed text. Relevant themes were reported according to the professionals’ roles described by the CanMEDS competency framework.Results. Participation in the module enhanced key competencies in the students, e.g. communication skills and the adoption of a holistic approach tointeraction with people or communities. Their role as collaborator was enhanced by their learning to embrace diversity and cultural differences and similarities. Students had to adapt to different cultures and educational systems. They were inspired to contribute in diverse contexts and act as agents for change in the organisations in which they may work or act as leaders or co-ordinators during interaction with community groups and policy makers. Higher education institutions offering transnational modules should support lecturers to manage the inherent diversity in the classroom as a way of enhancing student performance.Conclusion. The development of future transprofessional modules will benefit from the inclusion of desirable key competencies as part of the moduleoutcomes by following a competency by design process

Toward a simulation approach for alkene ring-closing metathesis : scope and limitations of a model for RCM

A published model for revealing solvent effects on the ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of di-Et diallylmalonate 7 has been evaluated over a wider range of conditions, to assess its suitability for new applications. Unfortunately, the model is too flexible and the published rate consts. do not agree with exptl. studies in the literature. However, by fixing the values of important rate consts. and restricting the concn. ranges studied, useful conclusions can be drawn about the relative rates of RCM of different substrates, precatalyst concn. can be simulated accurately and the effect of precatalyst loading can be anticipated. Progress has also been made toward applying the model to precatalyst evaluation, but further modifications to the model are necessary to achieve much broader aims

NO synthase-generated NO acts downstream of auxin in regulating Fe-deficiency-induced root branching that enhances Fe-deficiency tolerance in tomato plants

In response to Fe-deficiency, various dicots increase their root branching which contributes to the enhancement of ferric-chelate reductase activity. Whether this Fe-deficiency-induced response eventually enhances the ability of the plant to tolerate Fe-deficiency or not is still unclear and evidence is also scarce about the signals triggering it. In this study, it was found that the SPAD-chlorophyll meter values of newly developed leaves of four tomato (Solanum lycocarpum) lines, namely line227/1 and Roza and their two reciprocal F1 hybrid lines, were positively correlated with their root branching under Fe-deficient conditions. It indicates that Fe-deficiency-induced root branching is critical for plant tolerance to Fe-deficiency. In another tomato line, Micro-Tom, the increased root branching in Fe-deficient plants was accompanied by the elevation of endogenous auxin and nitric oxide (NO) levels, and was suppressed either by the auxin transport inhibitors NPA and TIBA or the NO scavenger cPTIO. On the other hand, root branching in Fe-sufficient plants was induced either by the auxin analogues NAA and 2,4-D or the NO donors NONOate or SNP. Further, in Fe-deficient plants, NONOate restored the NPA-terminated root branching, but NAA did not affect the cPTIO-terminated root branching. Fe-deficiency-induced root branching was inhibited by the NO-synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME, but was not affected by the nitrate reductase (NR) inhibitor NH4+, tungstate or glycine. Taking all of these findings together, a novel function and signalling pathway of Fe-deficiency-induced root branching is presented where NOS-generated rather than NR-generated NO acts downstream of auxin in regulating this Fe-deficiency-induced response, which enhances the plant tolerance to Fe-deficiency

A Large Hadron Electron Collider at CERN

This document provides a brief overview of the recently published report on the design of the Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC), which comprises its physics programme, accelerator physics, technology and main detector concepts. The LHeC exploits and develops challenging, though principally existing, accelerator and detector technologies. This summary is complemented by brief illustrations of some of the highlights of the physics programme, which relies on a vastly extended kinematic range, luminosity and unprecedented precision in deep inelastic scattering. Illustrations are provided regarding high precision QCD, new physics (Higgs, SUSY) and electron-ion physics. The LHeC is designed to run synchronously with the LHC in the twenties and to achieve an integrated luminosity of O(100) fb$^{-1}$. It will become the cleanest high resolution microscope of mankind and will substantially extend as well as complement the investigation of the physics of the TeV energy scale, which has been enabled by the LHC

X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy Reveals Accumulation and Secretion of Discrete Intracellular Zinc Pools in the Lactating Mouse Mammary Gland

The mammary gland is responsible for the transfer of a tremendous amount of zinc ( approximately 1-3 mg zinc/day) from maternal circulation into milk during lactation to support the growth and development of the offspring. When this process is compromised, severe zinc deficiency compromises neuronal development and immune function and increases infant morbidity and/or mortality. It remains unclear as to how the lactating mammary gland dynamically integrates zinc import from maternal circulation with the enormous amount of zinc that is secreted into milk.Herein we utilized X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) which allowed for the visualization and quantification of the process of zinc transfer through the mammary gland of the lactating mouse. Our data illustrate that a large amount of zinc first accumulates in the mammary gland during lactation. Interestingly, this zinc is not cytosolic, but accumulated in large, discrete sub-cellular compartments. These zinc pools were then redistributed to small intracellular vesicles destined for secretion in a prolactin-responsive manner. Confocal microscopy identified mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus as the sub-cellular compartments which accumulate zinc; however, zinc pools in the Golgi apparatus, but not mitochondria are redistributed to vesicles destined for secretion during lactation.Our data directly implicate the Golgi apparatus in providing a large, mobilizable zinc storage pool to assist in providing for the tremendous amount of zinc that is secreted into milk. Interestingly, our study also provides compelling evidence that mitochondrial zinc pools expand in the mammary gland during lactation which we speculate may play a role in regulating mammary gland function

Cytosolic Superoxide Dismutase (SOD1) Is Critical for Tolerating the Oxidative Stress of Zinc Deficiency in Yeast

Zinc deficiency causes oxidative stress in many organisms including the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previous studies of this yeast indicated that the Tsa1 peroxiredoxin is required for optimal growth in low zinc because of its role in degrading H2O2. In this report, we assessed the importance of other antioxidant genes to zinc-limited growth. Our results indicated that the cytosolic superoxide dismutase Sod1 is also critical for growth under zinc-limiting conditions. We also found that Ccs1, the copper-delivering chaperone required for Sod1 activity is essential for optimal zinc-limited growth. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the important roles these proteins play under this condition. It has been proposed previously that a loss of Sod1 activity due to inefficient metallation is one source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under zinc-limiting conditions. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that both the level and activity of Sod1 is diminished in zinc-deficient cells. However, under conditions in which Sod1 was overexpressed in zinc-limited cells and activity was restored, we observed no decrease in ROS levels. Thus, these data indicate that while Sod1 activity is critical for low zinc growth, diminished Sod1 activity is not a major source of the elevated ROS observed under these conditions

Decision or No Decision: How Do Patient–Physician Interactions End and What Matters?

BACKGROUND: A clearly stated clinical decision can induce a cognitive closure in patients and is an important investment in the end of patient–physician communications. Little is known about how often explicit decisions are made in primary care visits. OBJECTIVE: To use an innovative videotape analysis approach to assess physicians’ propensity to state decisions explicitly, and to examine the factors influencing decision patterns. DESIGN: We coded topics discussed in 395 videotapes of primary care visits, noting the number of instances and the length of discussions on each topic, and how discussions ended. A regression analysis tested the relationship between explicit decisions and visit factors such as the nature of topics under discussion, instances of discussion, the amount of time the patient spoke, and competing demands from other topics. RESULTS: About 77% of topics ended with explicit decisions. Patients spoke for an average of 58 seconds total per topic. Patients spoke more during topics that ended with an explicit decision, (67 seconds), compared with 36 seconds otherwise. The number of instances of a topic was associated with higher odds of having an explicit decision (OR = 1.73, p < 0.01). Increases in the number of topics discussed in visits (OR = 0.95, p < .05), and topics on lifestyle and habits (OR = 0.60, p < .01) were associated with lower odds of explicit decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Although discussions often ended with explicit decisions, there were variations related to the content and dynamics of interactions. We recommend strengthening patients’ voice and developing clinical tools, e.g., an “exit prescription,” to improving decision making

Iron Storage within Dopamine Neurovesicles Revealed by Chemical Nano-Imaging

Altered homeostasis of metal ions is suspected to play a critical role in neurodegeneration. However, the lack of analytical technique with sufficient spatial resolution prevents the investigation of metals distribution in neurons. An original experimental setup was developed to perform chemical element imaging with a 90 nm spatial resolution using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence. This unique spatial resolution, combined to a high brightness, enables chemical element imaging in subcellular compartments. We investigated the distribution of iron in dopamine producing neurons because iron-dopamine compounds are suspected to be formed but have yet never been observed in cells. The study shows that iron accumulates into dopamine neurovesicles. In addition, the inhibition of dopamine synthesis results in a decreased vesicular storage of iron. These results indicate a new physiological role for dopamine in iron buffering within normal dopamine producing cells. This system could be at fault in Parkinson's disease which is characterized by an increased level of iron in the substancia nigra pars compacta and an impaired storage of dopamine due to the disruption of vesicular trafficking. The re-distribution of highly reactive dopamine-iron complexes outside neurovesicles would result in an enhanced death of dopaminergic neurons