Considering Contemporary Appalachia: Implications for Culturally Competent Counseling

This article contributes to the counselor education literature by exploring and synthesizing research from aligned fields of study to provide a contemporary characterization of Appalachia for counselor educators and counselors wishing to increase their cultural knowledge base. The article includes sections on specific aspects of the Appalachian experience, including contemporary trends related to population demographics, the impact of poverty, and the prevalence of mental health and substance use issues. Implications for counselors are discussed and suggestions for culturally competent counseling approaches are presented

Allosteric HIV-1 integrase inhibitors lead to premature degradation of the viral RNA genome and integrase in target cells

ABSTRACT Recent evidence indicates that inhibition of HIV-1 integrase (IN) binding to the viral RNA genome by allosteric integrase inhibitors (ALLINIs) or through mutations within IN yields aberrant particles in which the viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) are eccentrically localized outside the capsid lattice. These particles are noninfectious and are blocked at an early reverse transcription stage in target cells. However, the basis of this reverse transcription defect is unknown. Here, we show that the viral RNA genome and IN from ALLINI-treated virions are prematurely degraded in target cells, whereas reverse transcriptase remains active and stably associated with the capsid lattice. The aberrantly shaped cores in ALLINI-treated particles can efficiently saturate and be degraded by a restricting TRIM5 protein, indicating that they are still composed of capsid proteins arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Notably, the fates of viral core components follow a similar pattern in cells infected with eccentric particles generated by mutations within IN that inhibit its binding to the viral RNA genome. We propose that IN-RNA interactions allow packaging of both the viral RNA genome and IN within the protective capsid lattice to ensure subsequent reverse transcription and productive infection in target cells. Conversely, disruption of these interactions by ALLINIs or mutations in IN leads to premature degradation of both the viral RNA genome and IN, as well as the spatial separation of reverse transcriptase from the viral genome during early steps of infection. IMPORTANCE Recent evidence indicates that HIV-1 integrase (IN) plays a key role during particle maturation by binding to the viral RNA genome. Inhibition of IN-RNA interactions yields aberrant particles with the viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) eccentrically localized outside the conical capsid lattice. Although these particles contain all of the components necessary for reverse transcription, they are blocked at an early reverse transcription stage in target cells. To explain the basis of this defect, we tracked the fates of multiple viral components in infected cells. Here, we show that the viral RNA genome and IN in eccentric particles are prematurely degraded, whereas reverse transcriptase remains active and stably associated within the capsid lattice. We propose that IN-RNA interactions ensure the packaging of both vRNPs and IN within the protective capsid cores to facilitate subsequent reverse transcription and productive infection in target cells. </jats:p

Koinonia

In This IssuePeople are Hungry to Talk About Deep Things (Reprint from The Embarrassed Believer: Reviving Christian Witness in an Age of Unbelief), Hugh Hewitt The Legacy of Ernest L. Boyer, Sr.: The Boyer Center at Messiah College, Debra L. Elliott Filling the Voids in Christian Leadership Training Today: Connecting Student Development, Stewardship & Nonprofit Education with Emerging Leaders, An Interview with Scott Preissler, The Christian Stewardship Association Reply to an Idealistic Job-Searcher, Dana Alexander In The FieldBeyond the Horizon: Student Affairs Practice in the 21st Century, Dennis A. Sheridan Around CampusAnd God Created . . . Sex, Theresa Hannerman and Sarah Marcum Regular FeaturesPresident\u27s Corner Editor\u27s Disk Annual Conference News from the Regions: Spotlight on the Southeast Book Reviews: The Embarrassed Believer: When Hope and Fear Collide Perspective: The Ultimate Student Service: Prayer?https://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_koinonia/1017/thumbnail.jp

Observations of Binary Stars with the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument. VII. Measures from 2010 September to 2012 February at the WIYN Telescope

We report on speckle observations of binary stars carried out at the WIYN Telescope over the period from September 2010 through February 2012, providing relative astrometry for 2521 observations of 883 objects, 856 of which are double stars and 27 of which are triples. The separations measured span a range of 0.01 to 1.75 arc seconds. Wavelengths of 562 nm, 692 nm, and 880 nm were used, and differential photometry at one or more of these wavelengths is presented in most cases. Sixty-six components were resolved for the first time. We also estimate detection limits at 0.2 and 1.0 arc seconds for high-quality observations in cases where no companion was seen, a total of 176 additional objects. Detection limits vary based on observing conditions and signal-to-noise ratio, but are approximately 4 magnitudes at 0.2 arc seconds and 6 magnitudes at 1.0 arc seconds on average. Analyzing the measurement precision of the data set, we find that the individual separations obtained have linear measurement uncertainties of approximately 2 mas, and photometry is uncertain to approximately 0.1 magnitudes in general. This work provides fundamental, well-calibrated data for future orbit and mass determinations, and we present three first orbits and total mass estimates of nearby K-dwarf systems as examples of this potential

A New Proper Motion Determination of Leo I

We measure the absolute proper motion of Leo I using a WFPC2/HST data set that spans up to 10 years, to date the longest time baseline utilized for this satellite. The measurement relies on ~ 2300 Leo I stars located near the center of light of the galaxy; the correction to absolute proper motion is based on 174 Gaia EDR3 stars and 10 galaxies. Having generated highly-precise, relative proper motions for all Gaia EDR3 stars in our WFPC2 field of study, our correction to the absolute EDR3 system does not rely on these Gaia stars being Leo I members. This new determination also benefits from a recently improved astrometric calibration of WFPC2. The resulting proper-motion value, (mu_alpha, mu_delta) = (-0.007 +- 0.035, -0.119 +-0.026) mas/yr is in agreement with recent, large-area, Gaia EDR3-based determinations. We discuss all the recent measurements of Leo I's proper motion and adopt a combined, multi-study average of (mu_alpha_3meas, mu_delta_3meas) = (-0.036 +- 0.016, -0.130 +- 0.010) mas/yr. This value of absolute proper motion for Leo I indicates its orbital pole is well aligned with that of the Vast Polar Structure, defined by the majority of the brightest dwarf-spheroidal satellites of the Milky Way.Comment: accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

First-year compliance with the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act

Objectives: We quantitatively evaluated compliance with the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act (NCIAA) by different types of businesses in Nevada and determined whether compliance affected indoor concentrations of benzene and 3-ethenyl pyridine (3-EP), markers of tobacco smoke. Methods: Managers of 181 businesses in Washoe County, Nevada, were interviewed about business characteristics and practices and policies related to smoking. During unannounced visits, compliance data and air samples (n=66) were collected from interviewed businesses and from an additional sample (n = 56) of businesses without knowledge of the study. Results: Overall compliance, as defined by the NCIAA, was low (28.2%). Benzene concentrations were higher in casino restaurants than in other businesses, although most complied with the requirements of the ban. Neither benzene nor 3-EP concentrations differed significantly between compliant and non-compliant businesses. Conclusions: The finding that casino restaurants had poorer air quality despite their compliance with the NCIAA suggests that compliance alone may not be sufficient to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, particularly in buildings with both nonsmoking and smoking areas

Neuronal CTCF Is Necessary for Basal and Experience-Dependent Gene Regulation, Memory Formation, and Genomic Structure of BDNF and Arc

SummaryCCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is an organizer of higher-order chromatin structure and regulates gene expression. Genetic studies have implicated mutations in CTCF in intellectual disabilities. However, the role of CTCF-mediated chromatin structure in learning and memory is unclear. We show that depletion of CTCF in postmitotic neurons, or depletion in the hippocampus of adult mice through viral-mediated knockout, induces deficits in learning and memory. These deficits in learning and memory at the beginning of adulthood are correlated with impaired long-term potentiation and reduced spine density, with no changes in basal synaptic transmission and dendritic morphogenesis and arborization. Cognitive disabilities are associated with downregulation of cadherin and learning-related genes. In addition, CTCF knockdown attenuates fear-conditioning-induced hippocampal gene expression of key learning genes and loss of long-range interactions at the BDNF and Arc loci. This study thus suggests that CTCF-dependent gene expression regulation and genomic organization are regulators of learning and memory

Integrating Dynamic Subsurface Habitat Metrics Into Species Distribution Models

Species distribution models (SDMs) have become key tools for describing and predicting species habitats. In the marine domain, environmental data used in modeling species distributions are often remotely sensed, and as such have limited capacity for interpreting the vertical structure of the water column, or are sampled in situ, offering minimal spatial and temporal coverage. Advances in ocean models have improved our capacity to explore subsurface ocean features, yet there has been limited integration of such features in SDMs. Using output from a data-assimilative configuration of the Regional Ocean Modeling System, we examine the effect of including dynamic subsurface variables in SDMs to describe the habitats of four pelagic predators in the California Current System (swordfish Xiphias gladius, blue sharks Prionace glauca, common thresher sharks Alopias vulpinus, and shortfin mako sharks lsurus oxyrinchus). Species data were obtained from the California Drift Gillnet observer program (1997-2017). We used boosted regression trees to explore the incremental improvement enabled by dynamic subsurface variables that quantify the structure and stability of the water column: isothermal layer depth and bulk buoyancy frequency. The inclusion of these dynamic subsurface variables significantly improved model explanatory power for most species. Model predictive performance also significantly improved, but only for species that had strong affiliations with dynamic variables (swordfish and shortfin mako sharks) rather than static variables (blue sharks and common thresher sharks). Geospatial predictions for all species showed the integration of isothermal layer depth and bulk buoyancy frequency contributed value at the mesoscale level (\u3c 100 km) and varied spatially throughout the study domain. These results highlight the utility of including dynamic subsurface variables in SDM development and support the continuing ecological use of biophysical output from ocean circulation models