Data user's notes of the radio astronomy experiment aboard the OGO-V spacecraft

General information concerning the low-frequency radiometer, instrument package launching and operation, and scientific objectives of the flight are provided. Calibration curves and correction factors, with general and detailed information on the preflight calibration procedure are included. The data acquisition methods and the format of the data reduction, both on 35 mm film and on incremental computer plots, are described

Eating and Exercise Behaviors, and Motivational Differences Between Kinesiology Majors and Non-Majors

Eating and exercise behaviors have garnered a substantial amount of research attention. Several health risks are known to be lower in individuals who exercise, yet only 35% of college students exercise on a regular basis (Silliman, Rodas-Fortier, & Neyman, 2004). Despite the evidence suggesting healthy eating and exercise habits to reduce chronic disease, college students typically do not meet their own stated goals for exercise and nutrition, or goals set forth by national guidelines (Walace, et al., 2000). Therefore, a college campus is a challenging yet necessary setting for people to overcome barriers and obstacles in their lives that may hinder their exercise or eating behaviors. These behaviors not only affect physical aspects, but also psychosocial aspects. Individuals who exercise on a regular basis report having higher self-esteem as compared to those who do not (Edwards et al., 2005), and an individual’s motivation to establish healthy eating and exercise habits can impact their resulting behavior. Kinesiology is a major that is primarily health and fitness based where healthy nutrition and exercise habits are generally valued by students. As such, it seems that kinesiology majors should be more motivated to exercise and eat a balanced diet when compared to non-kinesiology majors. The purpose of this study was to examine motivational components for eating and exercise behaviors, as well as individuals’ differences in these behaviors between kinesiology and non-kinesiology majors. Participants (N = 330; 58% kinesiology majors) completed psychometrically sound measures designed to assess eating and exercise behaviors and motivation toward these behaviors in the college environment. Participants’ BMI was also calculated. ANOVA was utilized to compare kinesiology majors and non-majors on the study variables. Kinesiology majors reported healthier exercise behaviors and greater motivation to exercise than non-majors (p \u3c .001), however no differences were found between the groups with regard to eating behaviors or eating motivation. Additionally, there were no significant differences found between the groups on BMI. Differences among kinesiology majors on differing degree tracks (i.e., exercise science, physical education, and recreation/sport business) was examined using ANOVA. There were no differences found with regard to eating behaviors, exercise behaviors, eating motivation, or exercise motivation. There was a significant difference between the degree tracks with regard to BMI (p \u3c .01) where exercise science majors had healthier BMIs than physical education or recreation/sport business majors. This study extends previous research by identifying differences between kinesiology majors and non-majors’ eating and exercise behaviors, motivation for such behaviors, and body mass index

Active Video/Arcade Games (Exergaming) and Energy Expenditure in College Students.

Video games have become increasingly popular among young adults. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if interactive video/arcade games, requiring physical activity to play, increase the energy expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) of young adults enough to elicit a training response. Thirteen male and female participants 26.6 ± 5.7 years of age were in the study. Participants were familiarized with equipment and allowed to practice with three games: (1) moving and striking lighted pads, (2) riding a bike to increase the pace of a race car, and (3) boxing against a video simulated opponent. A portable metabolic cart and HR monitor were attached to participants to measure baseline and exercise values. Participants could play any of the three games for 30 minutes while metabolic and HR data were collected. Exercise data were compared to baseline measures, and the 3 games were compared for EE. Paired sample t-tests showed baseline and exercise values differed for HR (t(12) = -18.91, p \u3c 0.01), and EE (t(12) = -15.62, p \u3c 0.01). The boxing game provided the highest VO2 (17.47 ± 4.79 ml·kg·-1min-1). Participants achieved 60% or better of their HR reserve (162.82 ± 10.78 beats·min-1), well within the ACSM guidelines for a training HR. Caloric expenditure during the 30-minute exercise session (226. 07 ± 48.68) is also within the ACSM recommendations for daily physical activity. Thus, interactive video/arcade games that require physical activity to play can be utilized as part of an overall aerobic exercise program

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Bone Mineral Density of Young Adults

An estimated 1.5 million people suffer a bone disease-related fracture every year. Most work investigating bone mineral density (BMD) focuses on post-menopausal females but a report from the Surgeon General in 2004 stated that of particular concern are men, racial and ethnic minorities, poor individuals, individuals with disabilities, and individuals living in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to examine the racial/ethnic differences in bone mineral density of young adults and to investigate any correlations with variables suggested to influence BMD. BMD was assessed at a younger age than most studies based on the assumption that osteoporosis is a pediatric disorder that manifests in old age. Whole-body BMD, percent body fat (BF), fat mass (FM), and lean mass (LM) of 103 college-aged Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics (18 – 34 years of age) were measured using a Lunar Prodigy Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Blacks and Whites were taller than Hispanics. Blacks had higher BMD than Whites and Hispanics. Blacks and Whites had higher t-scores than Hispanics. Weight and LM correlated with BMD for all three groups. Height correlated with BMD for Blacks only. FM correlated with BMD for Hispanics only. In conclusion, BMD is suggested to be higher in Blacks than Whites and Hispanics. LM is suggested to be an important component of bone health. It is important to stress resistance training for building and maintaining bone health throughout life

Neighborhood Environment Perceptions and the Likelihood of Smoking and Alcohol Use

Citation: Jitnarin, N., Heinrich, K. M., Haddock, C. K., Hughey, J., Berkel, L., & Poston, W. S. C. (2015). Neighborhood Environment Perceptions and the Likelihood of Smoking and Alcohol Use. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(1), 784-799. doi:10.3390/ijerph120100784Neighborhood characteristics are important correlates for a variety of health outcomes. Among several health risk behaviors, smoking and alcohol use have significant consequences. Perceptions of neighborhood problems are associated with depressive symptoms, lower physical activity, and lower quality of life. However, it is unclear which perceived aspects of neighborhoods might be related to smoking and drinking. We examined whether perceived neighborhood characteristics were associated with smoking and drinking patterns using data from US metropolitan Midwestern area adults. Participants completed surveys including sociodemographic characteristics, neighborhood perceptions, behavioral and psychological health. For men, negative perceptions of neighborhood infrastructures were significant predictors for smoking and binge drinking. Among women, no perceived environmental factors were associated with smoking or drinking. However, education was a significant negative predictor for smoking. As age increased, the likelihood of using cigarettes, heavy and binge drinking in women decreased significantly. Depression was a positive predictor for smoking and heavy drinking in men and women, respectively. These findings indicate that the perceived neighborhood infrastructure was predictive of health behaviors among men, even after adjusting for key confounders. Closer attention may need to be paid to the role of neighborhood environmental characteristics along with individual-level characteristics in influencing unhealthy behaviors

Phylogenetics of Trachylina (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) with new insights on the evolution of some problematical taxa

Some of the most interesting and enigmatic cnidarians are classified within the hydrozoan subclass Trachylina. Despite being relatively depauperate in species richness, the clade contains four taxa typically accorded ordinal status: Actinulida, Limnomedusae, Narcomedusae and Trachymedusae. We bring molecular data (mitochondrial 16S and nuclear small and large subunit ribosomal genes) to bear on the question of phylogenetic relationships within Trachylina. Surprisingly, we find that a diminutive polyp form, Microhydrula limopsicola (classified within Limnomedusae) is actually a previously unknown life stage of a species of Stauromedusae. Our data confirm that the interstitial form Halammohydra sp. (Actinulida) is derived from holopelagic direct developing ancestors, likely within the trachymedusan family Rhopalonematidae. Trachymedusae is shown to be diphyletic, suggesting that the polyp stage has been lost independently at least two times within trachyline evolution. Narcomedusae is supported as a monophyletic group likely also arising from trachymedusan ancestors. Finally, some data, albeit limited, suggest that some trachyline species names refer to cryptic species that have yet to be sorted taxonomicall

A comparison across non-model animals suggests an optimal sequencing depth for de novo transcriptome assembly

Background: The lack of genomic resources can present challenges for studies of non-model organisms. Transcriptome sequencing offers an attractive method to gather information about genes and gene expression without the need for a reference genome. However, it is unclear what sequencing depth is adequate to assemble the transcriptome de novo for these purposes. Results: We assembled transcriptomes of animals from six different phyla (Annelids, Arthropods, Chordates, Cnidarians, Ctenophores, and Molluscs) at regular increments of reads using Velvet/Oases and Trinity to determine how read count affects the assembly. This included an assembly of mouse heart reads because we could compare those against the reference genome that is available. We found qualitative differences in the assemblies of whole-animals versus tissues. With increasing reads, whole-animal assemblies show rapid increase of transcripts and discovery of conserved genes, while single-tissue assemblies show a slower discovery of conserved genes though the assembled transcripts were often longer. A deeper examination of the mouse assemblies shows that with more reads, assembly errors become more frequent but such errors can be mitigated with more stringent assembly parameters. Conclusions: These assembly trends suggest that representative assemblies are generated with as few as 20 million reads for tissue samples and 30 million reads for whole-animals for RNA-level coverage. These depths provide a good balance between coverage and noise. Beyond 60 million reads, the discovery of new genes is low and sequencing errors of highly-expressed genes are likely to accumulate. Finally, siphonophores (polymorphic Cnidarians) are an exception and possibly require alternate assembly strategies

Studies of methods for determination of magnesium deficiency in soils

Thesis (M.S.

Subcellular heterogeneity of ryanodine receptor properties in ventricular myocytes with low T-tubule density

Rationale: In ventricular myocytes of large mammals, not all ryanodine receptor (RyR) clusters are associated with T-tubules (TTs); this fraction increases with cellular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). Objective: To characterize RyR functional properties in relation to TT proximity, at baseline and after MI. Methods: Myocytes were isolated from left ventricle of healthy pigs (CTRL) or from the area adjacent to a myocardial infarction (MI). Ca2+ transients were measured under whole-cell voltage clamp during confocal linescan imaging (fluo-3) and segmented according to proximity of TTs (sites of early Ca2+ release, F>F50 within 20 ms) or their absence (delayed areas). Spontaneous Ca2+ release events during diastole, Ca2+ sparks, reflecting RyR activity and properties, were subsequently assigned to either category. Results: In CTRL, spark frequency was higher in proximity of TTs, but spark duration was significantly shorter. Block of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) prolonged spark duration selectively near TTs, while block of Ca2+ influx via Ca2+ channels did not affect sparks properties. In MI, total spark mass was increased in line with higher SR Ca2+ content. Extremely long sparks (>47.6 ms) occurred more frequently. The fraction of near-TT sparks was reduced; frequency increased mainly in delayed sites. Increased duration was seen in near-TT sparks only; Ca2+ removal by NCX at the membrane was significantly lower in MI. Conclusion: TT proximity modulates RyR cluster properties resulting in intracellular heterogeneity of diastolic spark activity. Remodeling in the area adjacent to MI differentially affects these RyR subpopulations. Reduction of the number of sparks near TTs and reduced local NCX removal limit cellular Ca2+ loss and raise SR Ca2+ content, but may promote Ca2+ waves

BBF RFC 94: Type IIS Assembly for Bacterial Transcriptional Units: A Standardized Assembly Method for Building Bacterial Transcriptional Units Using the Type IIS Restriction Enzymes BsaI and BbsI

This RFC94 describes an assembly standard based on the Type IIS restriction enzymes BsaI and BbsI (also called BpiI). This assembly standard is based upon the Modular Cloning (MoClo) assembly strategy, which was introduced in 2011 by Weber et al. [1] and is based upon Golden Gate cloning [2]. In this RFC, we describe our proposed MoClo standard for generating a library of bacterial DNA parts for generating four-part transcriptional units (promoter : 5’UTR : CDS : 3’UTR). In this work, we define 5’UTRs as including ribosomal binding sites (RBS) and bi-cistronic design elements (BCDs) [3], and 3’UTRs as transcriptional terminators. The 2012-2014 BostonU iGEM teams completed this work and a more compact library has also been created based on this work [4]