A Survey of Cross Country Programs and Training Methods in Canadian Colleges and Universities

The purpose of this study was to determine current practices and training methods in cross country programs in selected Canadian colleges and universities. Questionnaires were sent out to forty-six colleges and universities, and 38, or 82.6 percent, were returned. Twelve, or 31.5 percent, of the schools indicated that they had no cross country program. The questionnaire was used to provide general information, reveal policies and practices, determine how athletes were trained and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the cross country programs in these selected Canadian colleges and universities. An analysis of the results of the survey indicated that: 1. Canadian college and university cross country programs were not adequate because of the lack of a year-round track program, competition and interest on the part of the athletes. 2. The best methods of creating interest in cross country were through use of bulletin board material, newspaper publicity and travel involved in competition. 3. The important conditioning phases of running were endurance, interval training and hill training. Most coaches based their training programs on fartlek, interval, pace and hill training. 4. There appeared to be little agreement among the coaches regarding the strongest and weakest features of the cross country and training programs. 5. Similar policies and practices regarding organization of meets and training procedures were evident in a majority of the responses. 6. The information accumulated could well serve as a guide or reference to those cross country coaches who desire to improve and re-evaluate their own cross country programs. 7. Finally, coaches and administrators should continue to be instrumental in the development of cross country programs by increasing the budget, providing better facilities and creating more athletic interest in Canadian colleges and universities

New methods for tightly regulated gene expression and highly efficient chromosomal integration of cloned genes for Methanosarcina species

A highly efficient method for chromosomal integration of cloned DNA into Methanosarcina spp. was developed utilizing the site-specific recombination system from the Streptomyces phage PhiC31. Host strains expressing the PhiC31 integrase gene and carrying an appropriate recombination site can be transformed with non-replicating plasmids carrying the complementary recombination site at efficiencies similar to those obtained with self-replicating vectors. We have also constructed a series of hybrid promoters that combine the highly expressed M. barkeri PmcrB promoter with binding sites for the tetracycline-responsive, bacterial TetR protein. These promoters are tightly regulated by the presence or absence of tetracycline in strains that express the tetRgene. The hybrid promoters can be used in genetic experiments to test gene essentiality by placing a gene of interest under their control. Thus, growth of strains with tetR-regulated essential genes becomes tetracycline-dependent. A series of plasmid vectors that utilize the site-specific recombination system for construction of reporter gene fusions and for tetracycline regulated expression of cloned genes are reported. These vectors were used to test the efficiency of translation at a variety of start codons. Fusions using an ATG start site were the most active, whereas those using GTG and TTG were approximately one half or one fourth as active, respectively. The CTG fusion was 95% less active than the ATG fusion

Beyond the Binary: Differences in Eating Disorder Prevalence by Gender Identity in a Transgender Sample

Abstract Purpose: To investigate whether the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) differs across diverse gender identity groups in a transgender sample. Methods: Secondary analysis of data from Project VOICE, a cross-sectional study of stress and health among 452 transgender adults (ages 18–75 years) residing in Massachusetts. Age-adjusted logistic regression models were fit to compare the prevalence of self-reported lifetime EDs in female-to-male (FTM), male-to-female (MTF), and gender-nonconforming participants assigned male at birth (MBGNC) to gender-nonconforming participants assigned female at birth (FBGNC; referent). Results: The age-adjusted odds of self-reported ED in MTF participants were 0.14 times the odds of self-reported ED in FBGNC participants (p=0.022). In FTM participants, the age-adjusted odds of self-reported ED were 0.46 times the odds of self-reported ED in FBGNC participants, a marginally significant finding (p=0.068). No statistically significant differences in ED prevalence were found for MBGNC individuals. Conclusions: Gender nonconforming individuals assigned a female sex at birth appear to have heightened lifetime risk of EDs relative to MTF participants. Further research into specific biologic and psychosocial ED risk factors and gender-responsive intervention strategies are urgently needed. Training clinical providers and ensuring competency of treatment services beyond the gender binary will be vital to addressing this disparity

Outer-Sphere Contributions to the Electronic Structure of Type Zero Copper Proteins

Bioinorganic canon states that active-site thiolate coordination promotes rapid electron transfer (ET) to and from type 1 copper proteins. In recent work, we have found that copper ET sites in proteins also can be constructed without thiolate ligation (called “type zero” sites). Here we report multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic data together with density functional theory (DFT) and spectroscopy-oriented configuration interaction (SORCI) calculations for type zero Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin variants. Wild-type (type 1) and type zero copper centers experience virtually identical ligand fields. Moreover, O-donor covalency is enhanced in type zero centers relative that in the C112D (type 2) protein. At the same time, N-donor covalency is reduced in a similar fashion to type 1 centers. QM/MM and SORCI calculations show that the electronic structures of type zero and type 2 are intimately linked to the orientation and coordination mode of the carboxylate ligand, which in turn is influenced by outer-sphere hydrogen bonding

Novel linear analysis for a gyrotron oscillator based on a spectral approach

With the aim of gaining a better physical insight into linear regimes in gyrotrons, a new linear model was developed. This model is based on a spectral approach for solving the self-consistent system of equations describing the wave-particle interaction in the cavity of a gyrotron oscillator. Taking into account the wall-losses self-consistently and including the main system inhomogeneities in the cavity geometry and in the magnetic field, the model is appropriate to consider real system parameters. The main advantage of the spectral approach, compared with a time-dependent approach, is the possibility to describe all of the stable and unstable modes, respectively, with negative and positive growth rates. This permits to reveal the existence of a new set of eigenmodes, in addition to the usual eigenmodes issued from cold-cavity modes. The proposed model can be used for studying other instabilities such as, for instance, backward waves potentially excited in gyrotron beam tunnels

Start-up scenario studies in gyrotron oscillator using a novel linear and spectral code

A linear and spectral model has recently been developed [1], describing the self-consistent wave-particle interaction in a gyrotron oscillator. The spectral approach, compared to commonly used time-evolution approaches, has the possibility to describe all of the stable and unstable modes, respectively, with negative and positive growth rates. Moreover, this approach is numerically efficient and thus appropriate for parameter scans or start-up scenario studies. The model has been successfully benchmarked against real experiments for gyrotron cavity interaction, in particular concerning start-up scenario studies. In order to study backward-wave instabilities in smooth-wall beam ducts, the numerical model has been recently extended to include a higher order finite element discretization. The model, its numerical implementation and simulation results for high power gyrotrons as well as first results for smooth-wall beam ducts will be presented

Fast fluorescence techniques for crystallography beamlines

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86817/1/S0021889811016748.pd