The Use Of Social Media In Building Interest In Wellness On A College Campus

The usage of social media networks, such as websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, had become the number one activity on the internet by 2010. The sweeping increase in usage led organizations to explore the marketing possibilities the networks offered. The turning point occurred when organizations began to ask whether it was feasible to use social media networks as a primary marketing strategy and reduce or ultimately replace traditional marketing efforts. A pilot project focused on a marketing plan that was implemented at a student fitness center, using social media networks as the primary marketing strategy

Ascertaining the biochemical function of an essential pectin methylesterase in the gut microbe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron

Pectins are a major dietary nutrient source for the human gut microbiota. The prominent gut microbe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron was recently shown to encode the founding member (BT1017) of a new family of pectin methylesterases essential for the metabolism of the complex pectin rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II). However, biochemical and structural knowledge of this family is lacking. Here, we showed that BT1017 is critical for the metabolism of an RG-II–derived oligosaccharide ΔBT1017oligoB generated by a BT1017 deletion mutant (ΔBT1017) during growth on carbohydrate extract from apple juice. Structural analyses of ΔBT1017oligoB using a combination of enzymatic, mass spectrometric, and NMR approaches revealed that it is a bimethylated nonaoligosaccharide (GlcA-β1,4-(2-O-Me-Xyl-α1,3)-Fuc-α1,4-(GalA-β1,3)-Rha-α1,3-Api-β1,2-(Araf-α1,3)-(GalA-α1,4)-GalA) containing components of the RG-II backbone and its side chains. We showed that the catalytic module of BT1017 adopts an α/β-hydrolase fold, consisting of a central twisted 10-stranded β-sheet sandwiched by several α-helices. This constitutes a new fold for pectin methylesterases, which are predominantly right-handed β-helical proteins. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that the family is dominated by sequences from prominent genera of the human gut microbiota, including Bacteroides and Prevotella. Our re-sults not only highlight the critical role played by this family of enzymes in pectin metabolism but also provide new insights into the molecular basis of the adaptation of B. thetaiotaomicron to the human gut

Structure and Magnetization of Two-Dimensional Vortex Arrays in the Presence of Periodic Pinning

Ground-state properties of a two-dimensional system of superconducting vortices in the presence of a periodic array of strong pinning centers are studied analytically and numerically. The ground states of the vortex system at different filling ratios are found using a simple geometric argument under the assumption that the penetration depth is much smaller than the spacing of the pin lattice. The results of this calculation are confirmed by numerical studies in which simulated annealing is used to locate the ground states of the vortex system. The zero-temperature equilibrium magnetization as a function of the applied field is obtained by numerically calculating the energy of the ground state for a large number of closely spaced filling ratios. The results show interesting commensurability effects such as plateaus in the B-H diagram at simple fractional filling ratios.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figures, submitted for publicatio

Colchicine Does Not Reduce Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Growth in a Mouse Model

Background and Aims. The nacht domain, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is upregulated in human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), but its pathogenic role is unclear. The aims of this study were firstly to examine whether the inflammasome was upregulated in a mouse model of AAA and secondly to test whether the inflammasome inhibitor colchicine limited AAA growth. Methods. AAA was induced in eight-week-old male C57BL6/J mice with topical application of elastase to the infrarenal aorta and oral 3-aminopropionitrile (E-BAPN). For aim one, inflammasome activation, abdominal aortic diameter, and rupture were compared between mice with AAA and sham controls. For aim two, 3 weeks after AAA induction, mice were randomly allocated to receive colchicine (n=28, 0.2 mg/kg/d) or vehicle control (n=29). The primary outcome was the rate of maximum aortic diameter increase measured by ultrasound over 13 weeks. Results. There was upregulation of NLRP3 markers interleukin- (IL-) 1 beta (median, IQR; 15.67, 7.11-22.60 pg/mg protein versus 6.87, 4.54-11.60 pg/mg protein, p=.048) and caspase-1 (109, 83-155 relative luminosity units (RLU) versus 45, 38-65 RLU, p <.001) in AAA samples compared to controls. Aortic diameter increase over 80 days (mean difference, MD, 4.3 mm, 95% CI 3.3, 5.3, p <.001) was significantly greater in mice in which aneurysms were induced compared to sham controls. Colchicine did not significantly limit aortic diameter increase over 80 days (MD -0.1 mm, 95% CI -1.1, 0.86, p=.922). Conclusions. The inflammasome was activated in this mouse model of AAA; however, daily oral administration of colchicine did not limit AAA growth

Influence of measurement on the life-time and the line-width of unstable systems

We investigate the quantum Zeno effect in the case of electron tunneling out of a quantum dot in the presence of continuous monitoring by a detector. It is shown that the Schr\"odinger equation for the whole system can be reduced to Bloch-type rate equations describing the combined time-development of the detector and the measured system. Using these equations we find that continuous measurement of the unstable system does not affect its exponential decay to a reservoir with a constant density of states. The width of the energy distribution of the tunneling electron, however, is not equal to the inverse life-time -- it increases due to the decoherence generated by the detector. We extend the analysis to the case of a reservoir described by an energy dependent density of states, and we show that continuous measurement of such quantum systems affects both the exponential decay rate and the energy distribution. The decay does not always slow down, but might be accelerated. The energy distribution of the tunneling electron may reveal the lines invisible before the measurement.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, comments and references added; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Widespread exposure to Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Uganda might be driven by transmission from Rhipicephalus ticks: evidence from cross-sectional and modelling studies

BACKGROUND: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widespread tick-borne viral infection, present across Africa and Eurasia, which might pose a cryptic public health problem in Uganda. We aimed to understand the magnitude and distribution of CCHF risk in humans, livestock and ticks across Uganda by synthesising epidemiological (cross-sectional) and ecological (modelling) studies. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study at three urban abattoirs receiving cattle from across Uganda. We sampled humans (n=478), livestock (n=419) and ticks (n=1065) and used commercially-available kits to detect human and livestock CCHF virus (CCHFV) antibodies and antigen in tick pools. We developed boosted regression tree models to evaluate the correlates and geographical distribution of expected tick and wildlife hosts, and of human CCHF exposures, drawing on continent-wide data. FINDINGS: The cross-sectional study found CCHFV IgG/IgM seroprevalence in humans of 10·3% (7·8-13·3), with antibody detection positively associated with reported history of tick bite (age-adjusted odds ratio=2·09 (1·09-3·98)). Cattle had a seroprevalence of 69·7% (65·1-73·4). Only one Hyalomma tick (CCHFV-negative) was found. However, CCHFV antigen was detected in Rhipicephalus (5·9% of 304 pools) and Amblyomma (2·9% of 34 pools) species. Modelling predicted high human CCHF risk across much of Uganda, low environmental suitability for Hyalomma, and high suitability for Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma. INTERPRETATION: Our epidemiological and ecological studies provide complementary evidence that CCHF exposure risk is widespread across Uganda. We challenge the idea that Hyalomma ticks are consistently the principal reservoir and vector for CCHFV, and postulate that Rhipicephalus might be important for CCHFV transmission in Uganda, due to high frequency of infected ticks and predicted environmental suitability. FUNDING: UCL Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Pan-African Network on Emerging and Re-Emerging Infections (PANDORA-ID-NET) funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) under the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

Resistance is futile: RNA-sequencing reveals differing responses to bat fungal pathogen in Nearctic Myotis lucifugus and Palearctic Myotis myotis

Resistance and tolerance allow organisms to cope with potentially life-threatening pathogens. Recently introduced pathogens initially induce resistance responses, but natural selection favors the development of tolerance, allowing for a commensal relationship to evolve. Mycosis by Pseudogymnoascus destructans, causing white-nose syndrome (WNS) in Nearctic hibernating bats, has resulted in population declines since 2006. The pathogen, which spread from Europe, has infected species of Palearctic Myotis for a longer period. We compared ecologically relevant responses to the fungal infection in the susceptible Nearctic M. lucifugus and less susceptible Palearctic M. myotis, to uncover factors contributing to survival differences in the two species. Samples were collected from euthermic bats during arousal from hibernation, a naturally occurring phenomenon, during which transcriptional responses are activated. We compared the whole-transcriptome responses in wild bats infected with P. destructans hibernating in their natural habitat. Our results show dramatically different local transcriptional responses to the pathogen between uninfected and infected samples from the two species. Whereas we found 1526 significantly upregulated or downregulated transcripts in infected M. lucifugus, only one transcript was downregulated in M. myotis. The upregulated response pathways in M. lucifugus include immune cell activation and migration, and inflammatory pathways, indicative of an unsuccessful attempt to resist the infection. In contrast, M. myotis appears to tolerate P. destructans infection by not activating a transcriptional response. These host-microbe interactions determine pathology, contributing to WNS susceptibility, or commensalism, promoting tolerance to fungal colonization during hibernation that favors survival.Peer reviewe

Identifying the favored mutation in a positive selective sweep.

Most approaches that capture signatures of selective sweeps in population genomics data do not identify the specific mutation favored by selection. We present iSAFE (for "integrated selection of allele favored by evolution"), a method that enables researchers to accurately pinpoint the favored mutation in a large region (∼5 Mbp) by using a statistic derived solely from population genetics signals. iSAFE does not require knowledge of demography, the phenotype under selection, or functional annotations of mutations

Enhancing firm performance through internal market orientation and employee organizational commitment

Considering the importance of retaining key staff and managing the negative impact of high labor turnover on firm performance, this study investigates the notion of internal market orientation (IMO) as an employee management tool for helping companies retain employees and leverage performance via their organizational commitment. Drawing on data from three different managerial respondents in 275 companies based in China, the findings demonstrate the precedential effect of IMO on corporate performance through employees’ organizational commitment and retention. Inter-departmental relationship and interdepartmental communication, together with ownership types are identified as potential moderating variables, which may vary IMO’s effectiveness in the framework. This study provides scholars and practitioners with empirical evidence of IMO’s contribution to different industries and markets. Building on a western perspective, this study extends the literature in an emerging market context and specifically has implications for managing Chinese employees