Detection and characterisation of Complement protein activity in bovine milk by bactericidal sequestration assay

Susan Maye is in receipt of a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship. Financial support by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is gratefully acknowledged.Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2015 (Institute of Food Research and the Hannah Research Institute)peer-reviewedWhile the Complement protein system in human milk is well characterised, there is little information on its presence and activity in bovine milk. Complement forms part of the innate immune system, hence the importance of its contribution during milk ingestion to the overall defences of the neonate. A bactericidal sequestration assay, featuring a Complement sensitive strain, Escherichia coli 0111, originally used to characterise Complement activity in human milk was successfully applied to freshly drawn bovine milk samples, thus, providing an opportunity to compare Complement activities in both human and bovine milks. Although not identical in response, the levels of Complement activity in bovine milk were found to be closely comparable with that of human milk. Differential counts of Esch. coli 0111 after 2 h incubation were 6·20 and 6·06 log CFU/ml, for raw bovine and human milks, respectively – the lower value representing a stronger Complement response. Exposing bovine milk to a range of thermal treatments e.g. 42, 45, 65, 72, 85 or 95 °C for 10 min, progressively inhibited Complement activity by increasing temperature, thus confirming the heat labile nature of this immune protein system. Low level Complement activity was found, however, in 65 and 72 °C heat treated samples and in retailed pasteurised milk which highlights the outer limit to which high temperature, short time (HTST) industrial thermal processes should be applied if retention of activity is a priority. Concentration of Complement in the fat phase was evident following cream separation, and this was also reflected in the further loss of activity recorded in low fat variants of retailed pasteurised milk. Laboratory-based churning of the cream during simulated buttermaking generated an aqueous (buttermilk) phase with higher levels of Complement activity than the fat phase, thus pointing to a likely association with the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) layer.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

MAPPING THE MANOSPHERE: A SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS OF THE MANOSPHERE ON REDDIT

The manosphere network is a dispersed collection of online spaces that proliferate an anti-feminist ideology that in some cases has been associated with violence. This thesis aims to observe the manosphere network structure as it exists on Reddit by using a mixed method research design of digital ethnography and social network analysis (SNA). This research identified a unifying anti-feminist framework and found that informal social divisions within the network faded over time, which indicates that both moderate and extreme manosphere subgroups are now sharing common online spaces. It also found that platform algorithms helped with network resilience by acting as gatekeepers of information that suggested related content and shielded unrelated content to users that helped to grow the network in size and interconnectivity.Civilian, Department of Homeland SecurityApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

Interparental conflict and emotional insecurity: coparenting and parent-child relationships as mediating family processes

The relationship between exposure to destructive styles of interparental conflict and child maladjustment and psychological problems has long been documented . Marital conflict is thought to affect children by two pathways: directly, by threatening or enhancing their emotional security, or indirectly, by spilling over into coparenting and parenting practices. The present study examined both of these pathways. Participants were 74 nuclear families with infants aged 6 to 14 months. Participants engaged in two interactions: a marital discussion with their infant present and a play interaction. Results indicated a significant link between conflict expressions and emotional insecurity. Furthermore, conflict expressions were also significantly related to coparenting and parenting behaviors. While parent-child processes were linked with emotional insecurity, coparenting behaviors were not. While no mediation was observed for parenting behaviors in the relationship between conflict expression and emotional insecurity, there were trends in the anticipated directions. Results of this study highlight the importance of disseminating to clinicians and the community the significance of managing interparental conflict in appropriate, well-modulated ways. Moreover, emphasis should be placed upon the use of effective coparenting and parenting strategies, especially when destructive marital conflict exists in the home

Opportunities and Challenges in The Use of an External Interprofessional Reviewing Body in a Curricular Review Process in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Curriculum

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe the opportunities and challenges of a curricular review process in an entry-level doctor of physical therapy geriatric curriculum. The curricular review process utilized an external interprofessional reviewing body, in conjunction with an established internal curricular reviewing body, to determine inclusion of Essential Competencies in order to prepare students for best clinical practice in the care of the older adult. Method: The methodology of our curricular review process included both internal and external reviewing bodies but the intent of this article is to highlight how the review process was implemented including an external interprofessional reviewing body. The internal reviewing body involved two faculty members with expertise in geriatrics, the Program Curriculum Committee members, and the faculty members within the entry-level doctor of physical therapy program. The external reviewing body was comprised of the 2012-2014 members of the Faculty Development Collaborative Program in Geriatrics (FDCPG), a national interprofessional learning community representing multiple disciplines involved in the care of older adults. Results: The outcomes of including an external interprofessional reviewing body in the geriatric curricular review process were: the FDCPG justified the need for the review of the Essential Competencies, deemed their role as important in healthcare education, and reported a greater understanding of the role of physical therapists as part of an interprofessional healthcare team. The Program Curriculum Committee created a policy for consideration of other published competencies, including a recommendation for “other necessary consultation” based on our use of an external reviewing body, noting its value. The outcomes of the overall curricular review process included: 53/61 Essential Competencies were identified as already in the curriculum and the remaining 8/61 Essential Competencies were added. Conclusions and Recommendations: The addition of an external interprofessional reviewing body to an already established internal reviewing body within the geriatric curricular review process in an entry-level doctor of physical therapy program produced a curriculum that will hopefully prepare students for best clinical practice in the care of the older adult. This comprehensive curricular review process involved opportunities and challenges yet still can be used across multiple disciplines, across multiple curricular structures, and is in line with the current state of healthcare practice

University of Washington Tacoma Annual Research Report FY2012

Excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service are the foundations of UW Tacoma. In a vigorous university, scholarship takes many forms and individual faculty scholarship follows distinct trajectories throughout their career. Despite this healthy diversity, faculty scholarship shares the core common value of active engagement in one’s intellectual community. Preparation of research proposals is a valued form of scholarship at UWT, providing important opportunities to hone faculty research through peer-based evaluations. The purpose of this report is to catalog the amount and recent trends in UWT research activity as evidenced by proposal writing. In the last five years, UW Tacoma faculty and staff have more than doubled proposal submissions from 20 proposals submitted in Fiscal Year 2008 to 43 proposals in Fiscal Year 2012. So far, 7 proposals have been submitted in the first two months of FY 2013. The average size of the proposals has grown three-fold: from $116K in FY2008 to$372K in FY2012. Non-academic campus units submitted 3-5 proposals per year totaling more than $28M over the last five years. 41 different UW Tacoma faculty have submitted proposals since 2008. In FY2011, 5 faculty submitted proposals for the first time, and in FY2012, 3 faculty submitted proposals for the first time. In addition to the proposals and awards included in this report, many faculty at UWT collaborate as key personnel on proposals initiated by Principal Investigators from other UW departments and campuses. These projects are not included in proposals and awards detailed in this report. Nearly every UWT program has an active award in this category, and this type of work contributes to the research enterprise at UWT by allowing faculty here to participate in large studies and projects across UW campuses. Not only are UW Tacoma faculty submitting more proposals than ever before, but they have been requesting larger budgets and they are successfully competing for those awards as demonstrated by the large increase in award revenue. Award revenue has increased over the last five years as well from$307K in FY 2008 to $1,748K in FY 2012, lead by expanding programs in Education and the creation of the Center for Urban Waters. Nearly every program at UWT has seen increases in proposal submissions and award revenue. In FY 2012, 37% of award revenue came from federal sponsors, 42% of award revenue came from Washington State agencies, and 21% came from other sources

Access to Training for Mature Workers Through One-Stop Career Centers in Massachusetts

The major purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which career centers in Massachusetts are providing mature workers with access to federally funded training. The research is based on two large administrative data sources: The MOSES database made available by the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training (now Division of Career Services and Division of Unemployment) and a customer service database maintained by The Career Place, a career center in Woburn, MA. The MOSES data file provided for this research includes data on user characteristics and service transactions for all career centers in Massachusetts from July 1, 2001 through June 6, 2003 for individuals who were classified as eligible for training. Data from the career center cover all users for a three-year period beginning July 1, 2001