When Straight is the Default Setting

Coming out was never something I pictured myself having to do. Did I plan on being in the closet my entire life? Not exactly. I hardly had a clue that I was gay until I was eighteen. My friends and family sometimes struggle to understand that I am “suddenly” gay, after having dated boys since I was a freshman in high school. Their common misunderstanding is one of many that result from living in a heteronormative culture. [excerpt

More than Birds and Bees

Conversations about sex start as early as middle school, with preteens learning about “the birds and the bees,” sexually transmitted infections, and (hopefully) contraception and safe sex. These conversations continue into high school sex education, which has proven to be crucial in decreasing rates of unwanted pregnancies and STI’s. But something important is missing. These programs never mention, and certainly don’t include, LGBT/Q people. LGBT/Q teens are not taught how to have sex, and how to have safe sex. This leaves us to explore our sexuality on our own terms, which is both awkward and dangerous. If you’re a heterosexually active person who never received comprehensive sex education due to religious or political reasons, you might have experienced this yourself. [excerpt

Pneumonia Caused by Klebsiella spp. in 46 Horses.

BackgroundKlebsiella spp. are implicated as a common cause of bacterial pneumonia in horses, but few reports describe clinical presentation and disease progression.Hypothesis/objectivesTo describe the signalment, clinicopathologic data, radiographic and ultrasonographic findings, antimicrobial susceptibility, outcome, and pathologic lesions associated with Klebsiella spp. pneumonia in horses.AnimalsForty-six horses from which Klebsiella spp. was isolated from the lower respiratory tract.MethodsRetrospective study. Medical records from 1993 to 2013 at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis were reviewed. Exact logistic regression was performed to determine if any variables were associated with survival to hospital discharge.ResultsSurvival in horses <1 year old was 73%. Overall survival in adults was 63%. For adults in which Klebsiella pneumoniae was the primary isolate, survival was 52%. Mechanical ventilation preceded development of pneumonia in 11 horses. Complications occurred in 25/46 horses, with thrombophlebitis and laminitis occurring most frequently. Multi-drug resistance was found in 47% of bacterial isolates. Variables that significantly impacted survival included hemorrhagic nasal discharge, laminitis, and thoracic radiographs with a sharp demarcation between marked caudal pulmonary alveolar infiltration and more normal-appearing caudodorsal lung.Conclusions and clinical importanceKlebsiella spp. should be considered as a differential diagnosis for horses presenting with hemorrhagic pneumonia and for horses developing pneumonia after mechanical ventilation. Multi-drug resistance is common. Prognosis for survival generally is fair, but is guarded for adult horses in which K. pneumoniae is isolated as the primary organism

Role of tyrosine M210 in the initial charge separation of reaction centers of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Femtosecond spectroscopy was used in combination with site-directed mutagenesis to study the influence of tyrosine M210 (YM210) on the primary electron transfer in the reaction center of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The exchange of YM210 to phenylalanine caused the time constant of primary electron transfer to increase from 3.5 f 0.4 ps to 16 f 6 ps while the exchange to leucine increased the time constant even more to 22 f 8 ps. The results suggest that tyrosine M210 is important for the fast rate of the primary electron transfer

Atrial Fibrillation in Eight New World Camelids.

BackgroundThere is limited information on the incidence of clinical signs, concurrent illness and treatment options for atrial fibrillation (AF) in New World Camelids (NWC).ObjectiveDescribe clinical signs and outcome of AF in NWC.AnimalsEight New World Camelids admitted with AF.MethodsA retrospective observational study of camelids diagnosed with AF based on characteristic findings on electrocardiogram (ECG).ResultsAll animals had an irregularly irregular heart rhythm detected on physical examination and 4 cases had obtunded mentation on admission. Three camelids were diagnosed with AF secondary to oleander intoxication, 3 animals had underlying cardiovascular disease, 1 was diagnosed with lone AF and 1 had AF diagnosed on examination for a urethral obstruction. Five of eight animals survived to discharge and nonsurvivors consisted of animals which died or were euthanized as a result of cardiovascular disease (2/8) or extra-cardiac disease unrelated to the AF (1/8).Conclusions and clinical importanceAtrial fibrillation occurs in NWC in association with cardiovascular disease, extra-cardiac disease or as lone AF. Amiodarone and transthoracic cardioversion were attempted in one llama with lone AF, but were unsuccessful. Atrial fibrillation was recorded in 0.1% of admissions

Lipid peroxidation biomarkers for evaluating oxidative stress in equine neuroaxonal dystrophy.

BackgroundEquine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting genetically predisposed foals maintained on an α-tocopherol (α-TOH) deficient diet. Currently no antemortem diagnostic test for eNAD/EDM is available.HypothesisBecause α-TOH deficiency is associated with increased lipid peroxidation, it was hypothesized that F2 -isoprostanes (F2 IsoP), F4 -neuroprostanes (F4 NP) and oxysterols derived from free radical oxidation would be increased in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neural tissue of eNAD/EDM affected horses and could serve as potential biomarkers for disease.AnimalsIsoprostane Study A: 14 Quarter horse foals (10 healthy foals and 4 eNAD/EDM affected foals) at 1 and 6 months of age. Isoprostane Study B: 17 eNAD/EDM affected and 10 unaffected horses ≥ 1-4 years of age. Oxysterol study: eNAD/EDM affected (n = 14, serum; n = 11, CSF; n = 10, spinal cord [SC]) and unaffected horses 1-4 years of age (n = 12, serum; n = 10, CSF; n = 7, SC).ProceduresCerebrospinal fluid [F2 IsoP] and [F4 NP] were assessed using gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Serum, CSF, and cervical SC [oxysterols] were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Results were compared with respective α-TOH concentrations.ResultsSpinal cord [7-ketocholesterol], [7-hydroxycholesterol], and [7-keto-27-hydrocholesterol] were higher in eNAD/EDM horses whereas [24-ketocholesterol] was lower. No significant difference was found in CSF [F2 IsoP] and [F4 NP], serum [oxysterols] and CSF [oxysterols] between eNAD/EDM affected and unaffected horses. No correlation was found between [F2 IsoP], [F4 NP], or [oxysterols] and respective [α-TOH].Conclusions and clinical importanceIn the SC, targeted markers of cholesterol oxidation were significantly increased in horses with eNAD/EDM

Spartan Daily, December 9, 2014

Volume 143, Issue 40https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/1540/thumbnail.jp

Work in progress: a novel method of creating an academic content repository

This paper outlines a project aimed at addressing the issue of the scalability of online academic support. This project is being run during the Autumn semester at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Toowoomba Australia, in conjunction with the Australian Digital Futures Institute. The study attached to the project will use Design-Based Research to evaluate the effectiveness of a simple, but innovative academic content and metadata creation tool referred to as Academic Assist. Academic Assist has been recently developed at USQ as a plug-in block for the moodle-based Learning Management System employed at USQ for its several hundred online subjects. The pilot project and associated study now extends over nine subjects, including three consecutive subjects in computer engineering; and covers faculties of Engineering, Education, Business, Science and Arts. Some preliminary results are presented here. Complete results of the study including acceptance surveys, expert reviews and usage statistics will be presented at FIE 2009

Exploring children’s perceptions of the perceived seriousness of disruptive classroom behaviours

Children’s reports of the perceived seriousness of disruptive classroom behaviours were examined from their own perspective and from their perceptions of their peers’ beliefs about the same behaviour. Two hundred and 76 (116 female and 161 male, Mage = 11.00 years, SDage = 1.29) children recruited from a primary and a secondary school in the UK completed measures of the perceived seriousness of disruptive classroom behaviours from their own perspective and also their beliefs about their peers’ perceptions, social desirability, and social behaviour. A three factor structure of disruptive classroom behaviours emerged encompassing: Imprudent behaviours, negative behaviours, and expressed emotions. Children judged the disruptive classroom behaviours as more serious compared to how they thought their peers would judge the same behaviour. Gender and age differences also emerged. The findings support the conclusion that children regard disruptive classroom behaviours as more serious than they believe their peers do