Structure-Function Analysis of UDP-Sugar: Polyisoprenyl Phosphate Sugar-1-Phosphate Transferases

The synthesis of lipid-linked glycans is a conserved process in eukaryotes and prokaryotes that is initiated by two major enzyme families: the polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferases (PHPTs) and the polyisoprenyl-phosphate N-acetylaminosugar-1-phosphate transferases (PNPTs). These enzymes contain multiple membrane domains and transfer a sugar-1-phosphate from a nucleotide sugar precursor to a lipid carrier. The prototypic PNPT member used in this study is the E. coli WecA, which initiates the synthesis of O antigen and enterobacterial common antigen in Enterobacteriaceae by transferring N-acetylglucosamine-1-P to undecaprenyl phosphate (Und-P). We investigated the topology and function of the highly conserved VFMGD motif. Our results revealed that this motif faces the cytosol and defines a region in PNPTs that contributes to the active site, likely involved in the binding and/or recognition of the nucleotide moiety of the nucleoside phosphate precursor. The PHPT family member used in this study is the E. coli WcaJ, which transfers glucose-1-P to Und-P to initiate colanic acid synthesis. We provide the first detailed topological analysis of a PHPT member, which is inverted compared to the in silico topological predictions; the N-terminus, C-terminal tail and the large soluble loop all reside in the cytoplasm. We also found that the last membrane domain does not fully span the membrane and is likely ‘pinched in’. We further investigated the role of the N-terminal domain of WcaJ and our data suggest that it likely contributes to the protein folding and/or stability of PHPT family members. Together this work sheds light on the topological and mechanistic differences between these two major enzyme families and will guide further structural studies

A MULTI-STUDY EXAMINATION OF ADHD, EARLY ADVERSITY, AND NEURAL DEVELOPMENT

This integrative dissertation examines neural correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and adversity from a developmental psychopathology framework. In this context, the development of ADHD symptoms is viewed from an equifinality perspective in which both ADHD of unknown or neurobiological origin and ADHD secondary to neglect are considered. The three studies capitalize on advanced neuroimaging techniques, including traditional and novel methods of analyzing electroencephalography (EEG) data as well as the application of structural covariance network analyses to a novel population. Study 1 assessed potential neural correlates of ADHD symptom stability by testing several EEG metrics in early childhood as predictors of ADHD symptom stability in late childhood and early adolescence. While this work did not reveal any significant neural predictors of ADHD symptom stability, it highlighted the importance of family and environmental factors, including parent psychopathology and socioeconomic status, in the maintenance of clinically impairing ADHD symptoms. Study 2 examined the impact of environmental factors on neural correlates of ADHD in early childhood and revealed relative alpha power as a correlate of ADHD symptoms in early childhood independent of family conflict and socioeconomic status. Lastly, Study 3 evaluated the impact of early-life psychosocial deprivation in the form of institutionalization on the development of neural structure and the associated risk for ADHD. The complete body of work expands upon prior research by adding to the understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie the development of ADHD in populations with and without early-life adversity. The dissertation culminates in an integrated discussion of the findings, clinical implications, and limitations of the current body of work, as well as future directions for this program of research.Doctor of Philosoph

How can giving students voice in a third through sixth learning disabled classroom foster active engagement and students control over their learning?

This study looks at the impact on learning classroom where students are encouraged to share their voice. Student questions are used to create units of study that frame what students want to learn. The study takes place in a self-contained Learning Disabled classroom with fifteen students ranging in third through sixth grade. The study is completed during two separate instructional units, one in science and another in social studies using a Questions Curriculum. Student questions about specific topics are used to create subsequent lessons on the topic. During the study student artifacts including worksheets and pictures of bulletin boards are collected. Reflections are recorded in a teacher research journal and at the completion of both of the units of study interviews are given to eleven students in the classroom. The research design is qualitative, specifically teacher research. Data sources are triangulated to arrive at credible and valid findings. The study reveals that providing an outlet for student voice enables students to become more engaged in their learning

ISBS 2018 AUCKLAND CONFERENCE AUT MILLENNIUM TEACHERS DAY

Dr Sarah Kate Millar is coordinating the New Zealand Biomechanics Teachers Day. Teachers will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with leading biomechanics instructors/researcher from across the world. There will be a focus on creating hands-on experiential learning opportunities to achieve science and physical education outcomes. Sarah-Kate Millar is a senior lecturer at AUT (AUT) in the area of sports coaching and in particular skill acquisition. Dr. Kim Hébert-Losier is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Biomechanics and Injury Prevention at the University of Waikato. Dr Laura-Anne M Furlong is a Lecturer in Biomechanics, currently based in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, and the National Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine. Dr Philip Fink is Senior Lecturer in motor control and biomechanics at the School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition at Massey University. Dr Duane Knudson is a Professor in the Department of Health & Human Performance at Texas State University. Suzie Belcher is currently working with Netball New Zealand as part of their national Injury prevention team, NetballSmart

The psychological conditions for employee engagement in organizational change: Test of a change engagement model

In the contemporary world of work, organizational change is a constant. For change to be successful, employees need to be positive about implementing organizational change. Change engagement reflects the extent to which employees are enthusiastic about change, and willing to actively involve themselves in promoting and supporting ongoing organizational change. Drawing from Kahn’s engagement theory, the research aimed to assess the influence of change-related meaningful work, psychological safety, and self-efficacy as psychological preconditions for change engagement. The study also aimed to test the indirect associations of the change-related psychological preconditions with proactive work behavior through change engagement. Survey data from a Prolific sample (N = 297) were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations modeling. In support of the validity of the model, the results showed that change-related self-efficacy, psychological safety, and meaningfulness had significant direct effects on change engagement, explaining 88% of the variance. The change-related psychological conditions also had significant indirect effects on proactive work behavior through change engagement. The findings therefore suggest that employees who exhibit higher levels of change-related self-efficacy, psychological safety, and work meaningfulness are more likely to support and promote organizational change, and to proactively engage in innovative work behavior. In practical terms, organizations that create the psychological conditions for change could significantly improve employee motivation to change and to innovate, which in turn would increase the likelihood of successful organizational change, and improved organizational competitiveness. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed

The internationalization of National Biomechanics Day

National Biomechanics Day (NBD) was initiated in 2016 as a nation-wide effort to introduce Biomechanics to high school students throughout the United States. After that initial year, many people around the world joined NBD to promote Biomechanics in their own countries. National Biomechanics Day became international. We describe NBD procedures and events in four of these countries with the intent of demonstrating mechanisms that may enable Biomechanists around the world to successfully join the NBD celebration

Neuropsychological and psychiatric functioning in sheep farmers exposed to low levels of organophosphate pesticides

The study aim was to determine whether low level exposure to organophosphate pesticides (OPs) causes neuropsychological or psychiatric impairment. Methodological weaknesses of earlier studies were addressed by: recruiting participants who had retired on ill health grounds; excluding participants with a history of acute poisoning, medical or psychiatric conditions that might account for ill health; and exploring factors which may render some individuals more vulnerable to the effects of OPs than others. Performance on tests of cognition and mood of 127 exposed sheep farmers (67 working, 60 retired) was compared with 78 unexposed controls (38 working, 40 retired) and published test norms derived from a cross section of several thousand adults in the general population. Over 40% of the exposed cohort reported clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression compared to less than 23% of controls. Exposed subjects performed significantly worse than controls and standardisation samples on tests of memory, response speed, fine motor control, mental flexibility and strategy making, even after controlling for the effects of mood. The pattern was similar for both working and retired groups. The cognitive deficits identified cannot be attributed to mood disorder, malingering, a history of acute exposure or genetic vulnerability in terms of PON1(192) polymorphisms. Results suggest a relationship may exist between low level exposure to organophosphates and impaired neurobehavioural functioning and these findings have implications for working practice and for other occupational groups exposed to OPs such as aviation workers and Gulf War veterans

Uninterested youth? Young people's attitudes towards party politics in Britain

Following the outcome of the 2001 and 2005 General Elections, when the numbers of abstainers outweighed the numbers of Labour voters on both occasions, much attention has focused upon the state of British democracy and how to enthuse the electorate, especially young people. While the government is exploring ways to make the whole process of voting easier, it may be failing to tackle the real problem - that youth appear to find the business of politics uninviting and irrelevant. This paper examines data derived from a nationwide survey of over 700 young people in order to shed light on what lies at the heart of young people's apparent disengagement from formal politics in Britain - political apathy or a sense of political alienation. The findings reveal that they support the democratic process, but are sceptical of the way the British political system is organised and led, and are turned off by politicians and the political parties. However, there is no uniform youth orientation to politics, and the data indicate that views differ according to social class, educational history, and also gender. However both ethnicity and region of the country in which young people live seem to have little influence in structuring political attitudes and behaviour

Just transitions in cities and regions: a global agenda

This report provides a global synthesis of evidence on justice in transitions to low-carbon energy systems and processes of urbanization. While cities are important sites of energy consumption, analysis of urbanisation offers explanations of how social and spatial injustices are created through the building, fuelling, feeding, and funding of cities. We identify how sustainability transitions can reproduce inequalities – and hence become a potential source of injustice – by highlighting the terms on which transitions are contested, how urban poverty is conceived and measured, how and by whom knowledge about urban change is produced, how cities are planned, how divestment and investment are managed, and how infrastructure is financed. Evidence is presented from Africa, the Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, where the authors have been engaged in projects co-produced with regional research partners. A global agenda on just transitions identifies common and distinctive experiences in different social and spatial contexts. We argue that taking the social and spatial character of transitions seriously means questioning assumptions that underpin the management of transitions, including the strategy of mobilising resources for transitions by maintaining economic power at difference scales from the global to the household

'On the Wet Side of the Womb’:The construction of mothers in anti-abortion activism in England and Wales

Across the UK, there has been an increase in anti-abortion activism outside abortion clinics. The activism deployed includes explicitly religious activities such as ‘prayerful witnessing’ and ‘pavement counselling’, which aim to discourage women from entering clinics. This article stems from a wider ethnographic study of public activism over abortion to determine what claims about motherhood are being made within these debates. Two arguments are presented. First, how women’s role as mothers is central and essentialised in anti-abortion discourses, with the body of the mother often disappearing as activists seek to erode the distinction between a foetus and a baby by constructing pregnancy as a foetal environment. Motherhood is constructed as ‘natural’ and sacred, therefore abortion must be damaging because it destroys women’s ‘natural’ position. Second, the article argues that although the activists’ arguments are always religiously framed, their activism takes place in a largely secular context, meaning that they have to find ways of appealing to secular audiences. This leads to a complex interrelationship between secular and religious discourses, where theological viewpoints sit alongside ‘scientific’ claims to buttress activists’ views. This article explores how the presence and absence of mothers within activists’ narratives is due to the tensions between religiously based understandings of motherhood, and the need to appeal to a secular audience