Division II College Athletes\u27 Perceptions of Name, Image, & Likeness Compensation: A Mixed Methods Analysis

Prior to July 2021, college athletes were prohibited from earning compensation from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) due to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) rules on amateurism (Sirota, 2021). A landmark Supreme Court ruling allowed college athletes to earn compensation from their NIL starting July, 2021 (Longoria, 2021). Since then, media coverage on NIL compensation has been primarily at the Division I level. The purpose of this study was to understand Division II college athletes’ perceptions of NIL compensation. This study utilized a 15-question mixed methods survey consisting of multiple choice and open-ended questions. Frequency tables were used to illustrate the demographic information of the participants (n = 71). Sixty one percent of the participants were college athletes on women’s sports teams and 39% were on men’s sports teams. Chi-square analysis was used to identify significant differences between male and female sports and pre-NIL ruling/post-NIL ruling groups. The results of the open-ended questions, which were about the issues with NIL compensation, were analyzed using inductive and deductive coding to conduct a thematic analysis of the participants’ responses. The nine themes revealed included athlete image, derail focus, negative effect on team and fairness. The results indicated there were no significant differences in the participants’ responses when compared by gender and by enrollment pre and post-NIL compensation ruling. This was the case despite 20% of the participants being currently involved in NIL compensation opportunities. Implications and recommendations for future research on NIL at the Division II level are explored

Multiple erythroid isoforms of human long-chain acyl-CoA synthetases are produced by switch of the fatty acid gate domains

BACKGROUND: The formation of acyl-CoA by the action of acyl-CoA synthetases plays a crucial role in membrane lipid turnover, including the plasma membrane of erythrocytes. In human, five Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long-chain (ACSL) genes have been identified with as many as 3 different transcript variants for each. RESULTS: Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long-chain member 6 (ACSL6) is responsible for activation of long-chain fatty acids in erythrocytes. Two additional transcript variants were also isolated from brain and testis. We report the expression in reticulocytes of two new variants and of the one isolated from brain. All three represented different spliced variants of a mutually exclusive exon pair. They encode a slightly different short motif which contains a conserved structural domain, the fatty acid Gate domain. The motifs differ in the presence of either the aromatic residue phenylalanine (Phe) or tyrosine (Tyr). Based on homology, two new isoforms for the closely related ACSL1 were predicted and characterized. One represented a switch of the Phe- to the Tyr-Gate domain motif, the other resulted from the exclusion of both. Swapping of this motif also appears to be common in all mammalian ACSL member 1 and 6 homologs. CONCLUSION: We propose that a Phe to Tyr substitution or deletion of the Gate domain, is the structural reason for the conserved alternative splicing that affects these motifs. Our findings support our hypothesis that this region is structurally important to define the activity of these enzymes

Calcium Sets the Physiological Value of the Dominant Time Constant of Saturated Mouse Rod Photoresponse Recovery

Background: The rate-limiting step that determines the dominant time constant (tD) of mammalian rod photoresponse recovery is the deactivation of the active phosphodiesterase (PDE6). Physiologically relevant Ca 2+-dependent mechanisms that would affect the PDE inactivation have not been identified. However, recently it has been shown that tD is modulated by background light in mouse rods. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used ex vivo ERG technique to record pharmacologically isolated photoreceptor responses (fast PIII component). We show a novel static effect of calcium on mouse rod phototransduction: Ca 2+ shortens the dominant time constant (tD) of saturated photoresponse recovery, i.e., when extracellular free Ca 2+ is decreased from 1mMto,25 nM, the tD is reversibly increased,1.5–2-fold. Conclusions: We conclude that the increase in tD during low Ca 2+ treatment is not due to increased [cGMP], increased [Na +] or decreased [ATP] in rod outer segment (ROS). Also it cannot be due to protein translocation mechanisms. We suggest that aCa 2+-dependent mechanism controls the life time of active PDE

Critical Collapse of a Complex Scalar Field with Angular Momentum

We report a new critical solution found at the threshold of axisymmetric gravitational collapse of a complex scalar field with angular momentum. To carry angular momentum the scalar field cannot be axisymmetric; however, its azimuthal dependence is defined so that the resulting stress energy tensor and spacetime metric are axisymmetric. The critical solution found is non-spherical, discretely self-similar with an echoing exponent of 0.42 (+- 4%), and exhibits a scaling exponent of 0.11 (+- 10%) in near critical collapse. Our simulations suggest that the solution is universal (within the imposed symmetry class), modulo a family-dependent constant phase in the complex plane.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Cigarette smoke regulates the expression of TLR4 and IL-8 production by human macrophages

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are present on monocytes and alveolar macrophages that form the first line of defense against inhaled particles. The importance of those cells in the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has well been documented. Cigarette smoke contains high concentration of oxidants which can stimulate immune cells to produce reactive oxygen species, cytokines and chemokines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, we evaluated the effects of cigarette smoke medium (CSM) on TLR4 expression and interleukin (IL)-8 production by human macrophages investigating the involvement of ROS.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>TLR4 surface expression was downregulated on short term exposure (1 h) of CSM. The downregulation could be explained by internalization of the TLR4 and the upregulation by an increase in TLR4 mRNA. IL-8 mRNA and protein were also increased by CSM. CSM stimulation increased intracellular ROS-production and decreased glutathione (GSH) levels. The modulation of TLR4 mRNA and surface receptors expression, IRAK activation, IκB-α degradation, IL-8 mRNA and protein, GSH depletion and ROS production were all prevented by antioxidants such as N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>TLR4 may be involved in the pathogenesis of lung emphysema and oxidative stress and seems to be a crucial contributor in lung inflammation.</p

Eukaryotic Protein Recruitment into the Chlamydia Inclusion: Implications for Survival and Growth

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is an obligate intracellular human pathogen that multiplies within a parasitophorous vacuole called an inclusion. We report that the location of several host-cell proteins present in the cytosol, the nucleus, and membranes was altered during Ct development. The acyl-CoA synthetase enzyme ACSL3 and the soluble acyl-CoA binding protein ACBD6 were mobilized from organelle membranes and the nucleus, respectively, into the lumen of the inclusion. The nuclear protein ZNF23, a pro-apoptosis factor, was also translocated into the inclusion lumen. ZNF23, among other proteins, might be targeted by Ct to inhibit host cell apoptosis, thereby enabling bacterial survival. In contrast, the acyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase LPCAT1, an endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein, was recruited to the inclusion membrane. The coordinated action of ACBD6, ACSL3 and LPCAT1 likely supports remodeling and scavenging of host lipids into bacterial-specific moieties essential to Ct growth. To our knowledge, these are the first identified host proteins known to be intercepted and translocated into the inclusion

Activity of the acyl-CoA synthetase ACSL6 isoforms: role of the fatty acid Gate-domains

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Activation of fatty acids by acyl-CoA synthetase enzymes is required for <it>de novo </it>lipid synthesis, fatty acid catabolism, and remodeling of biological membranes. Human long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase member 6, ASCL6, is a form present in the plasma membrane of cells. Splicing events affecting the amino-terminus and alternative motifs near the ATP-binding site generate different isoforms of ACSL6.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Isoforms with different fatty acid Gate-domain motifs have different activity and the form lacking this domain, isoform 3, showed no detectable activity. Enzymes truncated of the first 40 residues generate acyl-CoAs at a faster rate than the full-length protein. The gating residue, which prevents entry of the fatty acid substrate unless one molecule of ATP has already accessed the catalytic site, was identified as a tyrosine for isoform 1 and a phenylalanine for isoform 2 at position 319. All isoforms, with or without a fatty acid Gate-domain, as well as recombinant protein truncated of the N-terminus, can interact to form enzymatic complexes with identical or different isoforms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The alternative fatty acid Gate-domain motifs are essential determinants for the activity of the human ACSL6 isoforms, which appear to act as homodimeric enzyme as well as in complex with other spliced forms. These findings provide evidence that the diversity of these enzyme species could produce the variety of acyl-CoA synthetase activities that are necessary to generate and repair the hundreds of lipid species present in membranes.</p

Issues in higher education policy : an update on higher education policy issues in 2004 in 11 Western countries

Higher education is a dynamic field. It is, however, also a field where changes don¿t take place overnight. This 2004 update report covers a period of 1.5 years, a period in which some earlier policy initiatives have been implemented and new ones have emerged. It is therefore not surprising to observe that many of the policy issues on the agenda in the previous Update Report (April, 2003) still are a topic of debate today.\ud The main part of the report are the descriptions of the current (2004) higher education debates and policy initiatives for each of the eleven IHEM countries, arranged in four themes educational and research infrastructure, finance, governance and quality. In conclusion, four `overarching¿ policy issues in contemporary European (and Australian) higher education are discussed. These issues are:\ud * The Bologna process and changing degree structures\ud * The changing organisation of research\ud * Financial accountability and responsibility\ud * Interactive governanc