The edge of the M87 halo and the kinematics of the diffuse light in the Virgo cluster core

We present high resolution FLAMES/VLT spectroscopy of intracluster planetary nebula (ICPN) candidates, targeting three new fields in the Virgo cluster core with surface brightness down to mu_B = 28.5. Based on the projected phase space information we separate the old and 12 newly-confirmed PNs into galaxy and intracluster components. The M87 PNs are confined to the extended stellar envelope of M87, within a projected radius of ~ 160 kpc, while the ICPNs are scattered across the whole surveyed region between M87 and M86. The velocity dispersions determined from the M87 PNs at projected radii of 60 kpc and 144 kpc show that the galaxy's velocity dispersion profile decreases in the outer halo, down to 78 +/- 25 km/s. A Jeans model for the M87 halo stars in the gravitational potential traced by the X-ray emission fits the observed velocity dispersion profile only if the stellar orbits are strongly radially anisotropic (beta ~= 0.4 at r ~= 10 kpc increasing to 0.8 at the outer edge), and if additionally the stellar halo is truncated at ~= 150 kpc average elliptical radius. From the spatial and velocity distribution of the ICPNs we infer that M87 and M86 are falling towards each other and that we may be observing them just before the first close pass. The inferred luminosity-specific PN numbers for the M87 halo and the ICL are in the range of values observed for old (> 10 Gyr) stellar populations (abridged).Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 16 pages, 14 figures and 4 table

Association of Naloxone Coprescription Laws With Naloxone Prescription Dispensing in the United States

Importance: To mitigate the opioid overdose crisis, states have implemented a variety of legal interventions aimed at increasing access to the opioid antagonist naloxone. Recently, Virginia and Vermont mandated the coprescription of naloxone for potentially at-risk patients. Objective: To assess the association between naloxone coprescription legal mandates and naloxone dispensing in retail pharmacies. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a population-based, state-level cohort study. The sample included all prescriptions dispensed for naloxone in the retail pharmacy setting contained in IQVIA\u27s national prescription audit, which represents 90% of all retail pharmacies in the United States. The unit of observation was state-month and the study period was January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2017. Exposures: State legal intervention mandating naloxone coprescription. Main Outcomes and Measures: Number of naloxone prescriptions dispensed. State rates of naloxone prescriptions dispensed per month per 100 000 standard population were calculated. Results: The rate of naloxone dispensing increased after implementation of legal mandates for naloxone coprescription. An estimated 88 naloxone prescriptions per 100 000 were dispensed in Virginia and 111 prescriptions per 100 000 were dispensed in Vermont during the first full month the legal requirement was effective. In comparison, 16 naloxone prescriptions per 100 000 were dispensed in the 10 states (including the District of Columbia) with the highest opioid overdose death rates and 6 prescriptions per 100 000 were dispensed in the 39 remaining states. The number of naloxone prescriptions dispensed was associated with the legal mandate for naloxone coprescription (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 7.75; 95% CI, 1.22-49.35). Implementation of the naloxone coprescription mandate was associated with an estimated 214 additional naloxone prescriptions dispensed per month in the period following the mandates, holding all other variables constant. Among covariates, naloxone access laws (IRR, 1.37; 1.05-1.78), opioid overdose death rates (IRR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04-1.08), the percentage of naloxone prescriptions paid by third-party payers (IRR 1.009; 1.008-1.010), and time (IRR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.05-1.07) were significantly associated with naloxone prescription dispensing. Conclusions and Relevance: These study findings suggest that legally mandated naloxone prescription for those at risk for opioid overdose may be associated with substantial increases in naloxone dispensing and further reduction in opioid-related harm

Depression Awareness Programs for Adolescents: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this DNP project is to determine if receiving school-based depression awareness education affects the depression scores of adolescents between 10 and 19 years of age

The peroxisomal multifunctional protein interacts with cortical microtubules in plant cells

BACKGROUND: The plant peroxisomal multifunctional protein (MFP) possesses up to four enzymatic activities that are involved in catalyzing different reactions of fatty acid β-oxidation in the peroxisome matrix. In addition to these peroxisomal activities, in vitro assays revealed that rice MFP possesses microtubule- and RNA-binding activities suggesting that this protein also has important functions in the cytosol. RESULTS: We demonstrate that MFP is an authentic microtubule-binding protein, as it localized to the cortical microtubule array in vivo, in addition to its expected targeting to the peroxisome matrix. MFP does not, however, interact with the three mitotic microtubule arrays. Microtubule co-sedimentation assays of truncated versions of MFP revealed that multiple microtubule-binding domains are present on the MFP polypeptide. This indicates that these regions function together to achieve high-affinity binding of the full-length protein. Real-time imaging of a transiently expressed green fluorescent protein-MFP chimera in living plant cells illustrated that a dynamic, spatial interaction exits between peroxisomes and cortical microtubules as peroxisomes move along actin filaments or oscillate at fixed locations. CONCLUSION: Plant MFP is associated with the cortical microtubule array, in addition to its expected localization in the peroxisome. This observation, coupled with apparent interactions that frequently occur between microtubules and peroxisomes in the cell cortex, supports the hypothesis that MFP is concentrated on microtubules in order to facilitate the regulated import of MFP into peroxisomes

UNC System Math Pathways’ Digital Course Enhancement Collaboration to Improve Equity, Instruction, and Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines how faculty members and students evaluated, perceived, and used a digital course content collection developed to support high quality remote instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic. The collections were the result of a multi-institutional, collaborative effort within the University of North Carolina System to support its students and faculty. Using surveys from faculty and demographically identified students enrolled in their classes, the authors evaluate the perceived utility and impact of the open educational resource collections. Faculty members rated the collections highly and typically found utility in at least some of the components of the collections. They found activities, videos and assessments to be the most useful tools. Students generally responded positively to the classes using the collections. While students who identified as minority found the materials useful or beneficial, they did not do so in proportional numbers to non-minority students

Persistence of Supplemented Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis EVC001 in Breastfed Infants.

Attempts to alter intestinal dysbiosis via administration of probiotics have consistently shown that colonization with the administered microbes is transient. This study sought to determine whether provision of an initial course of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis) would lead to persistent colonization of the probiotic organism in breastfed infants. Mothers intending to breastfeed were recruited and provided with lactation support. One group of mothers fed B. infantis EVC001 to their infants from day 7 to day 28 of life (n = 34), and the second group did not administer any probiotic (n = 32). Fecal samples were collected during the first 60 postnatal days in both groups. Fecal samples were assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, quantitative PCR, mass spectrometry, and endotoxin measurement. B. infantis-fed infants had significantly higher populations of fecal Bifidobacteriaceae, in particular B. infantis, while EVC001 was fed, and this difference persisted more than 30 days after EVC001 supplementation ceased. Fecal milk oligosaccharides were significantly lower in B. infantis EVC001-fed infants, demonstrating higher consumption of human milk oligosaccharides by B. infantis EVC001. Concentrations of acetate and lactate were significantly higher and fecal pH was significantly lower in infants fed EVC001, demonstrating alterations in intestinal fermentation. Infants colonized by Bifidobacteriaceae at high levels had 4-fold-lower fecal endotoxin levels, consistent with observed lower levels of Gram-negative Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. IMPORTANCE The gut microbiome in early life plays an important role for long-term health and is shaped in large part by diet. Probiotics may contribute to improvements in health, but they have not been shown to alter the community composition of the gut microbiome. Here, we found that breastfed infants could be stably colonized at high levels by provision of B. infantis EVC001, with significant changes to the overall microbiome composition persisting more than a month later, whether the infants were born vaginally or by caesarean section. This observation is consistent with previous studies demonstrating the capacity of this subspecies to utilize human milk glycans as a nutrient and underscores the importance of pairing a probiotic organism with a specific substrate. Colonization by B. infantis EVC001 resulted in significant changes to fecal microbiome composition and was associated with improvements in fecal biochemistry. The combination of human milk and an infant-associated Bifidobacterium sp. shows, for the first time, that durable changes to the human gut microbiome are possible and are associated with improved gut function

Expansion velocities and core masses of bright planetary nebulae in the Virgo cluster

The line-of-sight velocities and [OIII] 5007 AA expansion velocities are measured for 11 planetary nebulae (PNs) in the Virgo cluster core, at 15 Mpc distance, with the FLAMES spectrograph on the ESO VLT. These PNs are located about halfway between the two giant ellipticals M87 and M86. From the [OIII] 5007 AA line profile widths, the average half-width at half maximum expansion velocity for this sample of 11 PNs is v_HWHM = 16.5 km/s (RMS=2.6 km/s). We use the PN subsample bound to M87 to remove the distance uncertainties, and the resulting [OIII] 5007 AA luminosities to derive the central star masses. We find these masses to be at least 0.6 M_sun and obtain PN observable life times t_PN < 2000 yrs, which imply that the bright PNs detected in the Virgo cluster core are compact, high density nebulae. We finally discuss several scenarios for explaining the high central star masses in these bright M87 halo PNs.Comment: In press on Astrophysical Journal Letters, 12 pages, 3 figure

Non-invasive Eye Tracking Methods for New World and Old World Monkeys

Eye-tracking methods measure what humans and other animals visually attend to in the environment. In nonhuman primates, eye tracking can be used to test hypotheses about how primates process social information. This information can further our understanding of primate behavior as well as offer unique translational potential to explore causes of or treatments for altered social processing as seen in people with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. However, previous methods for collecting eye-tracking data in nonhuman primates required some form of head restraint, which limits the opportunities for research with respect to the number of or kinds of primates that can undergo an eye-tracking study. We developed a novel, noninvasive method for collecting eye tracking data that can be used both in animals that are difficult to restrain without sedation as well as animals that are of different ages and sizes as the box size can be adjusted. Using a transport box modified with a viewing window, we collected eye-tracking data in both New (Callicebus cupreus) and Old World monkeys (Macaca mulatta) across multiple developmental time points. These monkeys had the option to move around the box and avert their eyes from the screen, yet, they demonstrated a natural interest in viewing species-specific imagery with no previous habituation to the eye-tracking paradigm. Provided with opportunistic data from voluntary viewing of stimuli, we found that juveniles viewed stimuli more than other age groups, videos were viewed more than static photo imagery, and that monkeys increased their viewing time when presented with multiple eye tracking sessions. This noninvasive approach opens new opportunities to integrate eye-tracking studies into nonhuman primate research

Identification of heparin modifications and polysaccharide inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite invasion that have potential for novel drug development

Despite recent successful control efforts, malaria remains a leading global health burden. Alarmingly, resistance to current antimalarials is increasing and the development of new drug families is needed to maintain malaria control. Current antimalarials target the intraerythrocytic developmental stage of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle. However, the invasive extracellular parasite form, the merozoite, is also an attractive target for drug development. We have previously demonstrated that heparin-like molecules, including those with low molecular weights and low anticoagulant activities, are potent and specific inhibitors of merozoite invasion and blood-stage replication. Here we tested a large panel of heparin-like molecules and sulfated polysaccharides together with various modified chemical forms for their inhibitory activity against P. falciparum merozoite invasion. We identified chemical modifications that improve inhibitory activity and identified several additional sulfated polysaccharides with strong inhibitory activity. These studies have important implications for the further development of heparin-like molecules as antimalarial drugs and for understanding merozoite invasion

First and second eye cataract surgery and driver self-regulation among older drivers with bilateral cataract: A prospective cohort study

Background: Driving a car is the most common form of transport among the older population. Common medical conditions such as cataract, increase with age and impact on the ability to drive. To compensate for visual decline, some cataract patients may self-regulate their driving while waiting for cataract surgery. However, little is known about the self-regulation practices of older drivers throughout the cataract surgery process. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of first and second eye cataract surgery on driver self-regulation practices, and to determine which objective measures of vision are associated with driver self-regulation. Methods: Fifty-five older drivers with bilateral cataract aged 55+ years were assessed using the self-reported Driving Habits Questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination and three objective visual measures in the month before cataract surgery, at least one to three months after first eye cataract surgery and at least one month after second eye cataract surgery. Participants' natural driving behaviour in four driving situations was also examined for one week using an in-vehicle monitoring device. Two separate Generalised Estimating Equation logistic models were undertaken to assess the impact of first and second eye cataract surgery on driver-self-regulation status and which changes in visual measures were associated with driver self-regulation status. Results: The odds of being a self-regulator in at least one driving situation significantly decreased by 70% after first eye cataract surgery (OR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.7) and by 90% after second eye surgery (OR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.1-0.4), compared to before first eye surgery. Improvement in contrast sensitivity after cataract surgery was significantly associated with decreased odds of self-regulation (OR: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01-0.4). Conclusions: The findings provide a strong rationale for providing timely first and second eye cataract surgery for older drivers with bilateral cataract, in order to improve their mobility and independence