Geographic Variation of Cirques on Iceland: Factors Influencing Cirque Morphology

Cirques are one of the most common glacial landforms in alpine settings. They also provide important paleoclimate information (e.g. Meierding 1984; Evans 2006). The purpose of this study is to fill in gaps in the climate record of Iceland by conducting a quantitative analysis of cirques in three regions in Iceland: Tröllaskagi, the East Fjords, and Vestfirðir. Iceland, located in the center of the North Atlantic Ocean, contains many small glaciers, in addition to large ice caps. The glaciers on Iceland are particularly sensitive to variations in oceanic and atmospheric circulation (Andresen et al. 2005; Geirsdóttir et al., 2009; Ólafsdóttir et al. 2010). Iceland thus provides an excellent case study to examine factors influencing glacial landforms such as cirques. (excerpt

Items on a Perceived Environment Tool are Grouped Differently in Low and High Income African American Women

Purpose: Prevalence of physical inactivity is greater in African American (AA) women than any other population sub group. The neighborhood environment is an important influence on physical activity, and accurate measurement of neighborhood perceptions is needed to determine the influence of neighborhood environment on physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the stability of constructs represented by items from the International Prevalence Study (IPS) environmental module among high and low income AA women. Method: African American women (N=387) completed the IPS environmental module questionnaire which measured perception of neighborhood environment. A principle component analysis with varimax rotation was conducted using fifteen of seventeen items from the survey. Factor analysis was conducted separately for high and low income participants. Results: Four factors with eigenvalues ≥ 1.0 were extracted from the 15 item questionnaire for both groups. These four factors accounted for 56.6% of total variance in the high income group, and 53.1% of total variance in the low income group. The four factors for the high income group were Aesthetic Qualities and Social Environment, Neighborhood Safety, Neighborhood Infrastructure, and Destinations and Street Connectivity. The four factors for the low income group were Aesthetic Qualities and Social Environment, Neighborhood Safety, Opportunities to be active and Street Connectivity, and Public Transportation. Conclusion: The factors extracted for high and low income AA women may have been different due to dissimilarities in neighborhood infrastructure, design and quality. Inconsistent grouping of items into factors from the same instrument used to measure perceptions of neighborhood environment underscores the importance of accounting for differences in how high and low income residents perceive their neighborhood when considering physical activity interventions and policies

Fast Food and Supermarket Availability, Neighborhood Income and Health Outcomes in Public Housing Residents.

Purpose: The availability of fast food restaurants (FFRs) and supermarkets varies by neighborhood income level and may influence health outcomes such as body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP). The purpose of this study was to determine whether neighborhood income moderates the association between fast food restaurant or supermarket availability and health outcomes in public housing residents. Method: Number of FFRs and supermarkets on every street segment in neighborhoods surrounding public housing developments (N=12) in Houston, Texas were counted, then aggregated at the neighborhood level. Residents (N=213) completed measures of BMI (kg/m2) and resting BP. Median household income at the census block level for each housing development was obtained from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey. Linear regression models determined whether availability of fast food restaurants and supermarkets predicts BMI or BP after controlling for age and gender, and if neighborhood income moderated these associations. Results: Participants were middle aged (M=43.5±17.1 years) females (n=138) and males (n=75). BP did not differ by gender (M=121.5/74.0±17.5/12.8 mmHg), females were on average obese (MBMI=33.0±8.7kg/ m2) and males were overweight (MBMI=33.0±8.7kg/ m2). Neighborhood income ranged from $9,226 to$57,618. There were (M=.003±.03) FFRs per neighborhood and (M=.001±.008) supermarkets per neighborhood. Bivariate correlations found that neighborhood income was associated with fast food restaurant (r=.205, p.05). Income did not moderate these associations (p\u3e.05). Conclusions: BP changes with age, and BMI varies by gender. After controlling for these variables, fast food restaurant and supermarket availability did not predict BMI or BP in public housing residents, and neighborhood income did not affect the direction of these associations. Actual consumption of the foods sold at these places may have a more direct relationship with health outcomes. Limited variability in the number of FFRs and supermarkets in each neighborhood may have diminished our ability to detect an effect of these neighborhood factors on BMI and BP

The Arabidopsis Synaptotagmin1 is enriched in endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane contact sites and confers cellular resistance to mechanical stresses

Eukaryotic endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-plasma membrane (PM) contact sites are evolutionarily conserved microdomains that have important roles in specialized metabolic functions such as ER-PM communication, lipid homeostasis, and Ca2+ influx. Despite recent advances in knowledge about ER-PM contact site components and functions in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and mammals, relatively little is known about the functional significance of these structures in plants. In this report, we characterize the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) phospholipid binding Synaptotagmin1 (SYT1) as a plant ortholog of the mammal extended synaptotagmins and yeast tricalbins families of ER-PM anchors. We propose that SYT1 functions at ER-PM contact sites because it displays a dual ER-PM localization, it is enriched in microtubule-depleted regions at the cell cortex, and it colocalizes with Vesicle-Associated Protein27-1, a known ER-PM marker. Furthermore, biochemical and physiological analyses indicate that SYT1 might function as an electrostatic phospholipid anchor conferring mechanical stability in plant cells. Together, the subcellular localization and functional characterization of SYT1 highlights a putative role of plant ER-PM contact site components in the cellular adaptation to environmental stresses

Integrating Interprofessional Education Through Service-Learning: Continued multidisciplinary collaboration for student-led volunteer healthcare event

SCOPE (Student Community Outreach for Public Education) at University of the Pacific (UOP), Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry sponsored the 25th Annual Senior Smiles Health & Wellness Fair in its clinic, located in San Francisco on April 21th, 2018. More than 105 San Francisco’s senior citizens with limited access to health care attended this event. As a continuation of last year’s Senior Smiles & Wellness which pioneered the launch of Interprofessional education (IPE) activities, SCOPE provided various health screenings to the senior attendees in partnership with Dugoni’s sister schools UOP Audiology and Physical Therapy program as well as Touro College of Pharmacy. This event was designed to be a continued effort of interdisciplinary community-outreach based learning that models UOP\u27s Dental School Helix Curriculum. This event presented a great opportunity for various health education programs to learn from each other, promoting future collaborations among healthcare providers and benefiting a larger audience

High-Density Lipoprotein Metabolism in Human Apolipoprotein B\u3csub\u3e100\u3c/sub\u3e Transgenic/Brown Adipose Tissue Deficient Mice: A Model of Obesity-Induced Hyperinsulinemia

Obese and diabetic humans display decreased plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations and an increased risk for coronary heart disease. However, investigation on HDL metabolism in obesity with a particular emphasis on hepatic ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), the primary factor for HDL formation, has not been well studied. Human apolipoprotein B100 transgenic (hApoBtg) and brown adipose tissue deficient (BATless) mice were crossed to generate hApoBtg/BATless mice. Male and female hApoBtg and hApoBtg/BATless mice were maintained on either a regular rodent chow diet or a diet high in fat and cholesterol until 24 weeks of age. The hApoBtg/BATless mice that were fed a HF/HC diet became obese, developed hepatic steatosis, and had significantly elevated plasma insulin levels compared with their hApoBtg counterparts, but plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL-C, triglycerides, and free fatty acids and lipoprotein distribution between genotypes were not significantly different. Hepatic expression of genes encoding HDL-modifying factors (e.g., scavenger receptor, class B, type I, hepatic lipase, lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase, and phospholipid transfer protein) was either altered significantly or showed a trend of difference between 2 genotypes of mice. Importantly, hepatic protein levels of ABCA1 were significantly lowered by ∼35% in male obese hApoBtg/BATless mice with no difference in mRNA levels compared with hApoBtg counterparts. Despite reduced hepatic ABCA1 protein levels, plasma HDL-C concentrations were not altered in male obese hApoBtg/BATless mice. The result suggests that hepatic ABCA1 may not be a primary contributing factor for perturbations in HDL metabolism in obesity-induced hyperinsulinemia

Unsaturated Fatty Acids Repress the Expression of ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter A1 in HepG2 and FHs 74 Int Cells

Adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) plays a critical role in the formation and metabolism of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). Adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette transporter A1 in the liver and small intestine, in particular, accounts for approximately 90% of plasma HDL cholesterol. Therefore, any alterations in the hepatic and intestinal expression of ABCA1 could have a large impact on HDL biogenesis. We tested the hypothesis that ABCA1 expression is regulated differentially by different types of fatty acids in the liver and small intestine. Human hepatoma HepG2 and human small intestine epithelial FHs 74 Int cells were used as an in vitro model. Cells were incubated with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the presence or absence of T0901317, a synthetic agonist of liver X receptor. Unsaturated fatty acids decreased ABCA1 protein levels at 100 μmol/L of concentration regardless of the agonist with a minimal effect on messenger RNA abundance. Incubation of HepG2 and FHs 74 Int cells with rottlerin, a protein kinase C δ (PKCδ) inhibitor, increased ABCA1 protein but did not abolish linoleic acid–induced decrease in ABCA1 protein levels. Depletion of PKCδ using small interfering RNA showed decreased ABCA1 protein levels in control, palmitic acid–, and linoleic acid–treated cells, but the repressive effect of linoleic acid was sustained. In conclusion, our results indicate that unsaturated fatty acids regulate ABCA1 expression in HepG2 and FHs 74 Int cells at the posttranscriptional level, and PKCδ is likely to be involved in maintaining ABCA1 protein levels

Home Availability and the Impact of Weekly Stressful Events Are Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Intake among African American and Hispanic/Latina Women

Background. Mediating and moderating variables may interfere with the association between neighborhood availability of grocery stores (NAG) and supermarkets (NAS) and fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. Objective. The purpose of this study was to test mediation of home availability of FV (HAFV) and moderation of impact of weekly stressful events (IWSE) on the association between NAG and NAS with FV consumption among African American (AA) and Hispanic/Latina (HL) women. Methods. Three hundred nine AA and HL, 25–60 year old women in the Health Is Power (HIP) randomized controlled trial completed validated measures of HAFV, IWSE, and FV intake at baseline. Trained field assessors coded NAG and NAS. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Results. NAG and NAS were not associated with FV intake or HAFV, so HAFV was not a mediator. HAFV (std. Beta = .29, P < 0.001) and IWSE (std. Beta = .17; P < 0.05) were related to FV intake (R2 = 0.17; P < 0.001), but IWSE was not a moderator. Conclusion. Increasing HAFV and decreasing the IWSE should increase FV consumption. The extent to which the neighborhood environment is related to the home food environment and diet, and the mechanisms for the association between IWSE and diet should be examined in future research

Predictive capacity of COVID-19-related risk beliefs on weight management behaviors on a commercial weight loss program and speed of COVID-19 vaccination uptake: prospective cohort study

Background: Recent work has shown that obesity may be a risk factor for severe COVID-19. However, it is unclear to what extent individuals have heard or believe this risk factor information, and how these beliefs may predict their preventive behaviors (e.g., weight management behaviors or COVID-19 preventive behaviors). Previous work has primarily looked at overall risk likelihood perceptions (i.e., not about obesity as a risk factor) within general populations of varying weight and concentrated on COVID-19-related preventive behaviors. Therefore, this prospective cohort study explored whether beliefs about obesity as a risk factor and overall risk likelihood perceptions predicted weight management and COVID-19 preventive behaviors over the next 16 weeks in individuals with obesity or overweight. Methods: Participants were 393 individuals in the US who joined a commercial weight management program in January, 2021. We leveraged the mobile program’s automatic measurement of real-time engagement in weight management behaviors (e.g., steps taken), while surveys measured risk beliefs at baseline as well as when individuals received COVID-19 vaccination doses (asked monthly) over the next 16 weeks. Mixed effects models predicted engagement and weight loss each week for 16 weeks, while ordinal logistic regression models predicted the month that individuals got vaccinated against COVID-19. Results: We found that belief in obesity as a risk factor at baseline significantly predicted greater engagement (e.g., steps taken, foods logged) in program-measured weight management behaviors over the next 16 weeks in models adjusted for baseline BMI, age, gender, and local vaccination rates (minimally adjusted) and in models additionally adjusted for demographic factors. Belief in obesity as a risk factor at baseline also significantly predicted speed of COVID-19 vaccination uptake in minimally adjusted models but not when demographic factors were taken into account. Exposure to obesity risk factor information at baseline predicted greater engagement over 16 weeks in minimally adjusted models. Conclusions: The results highlight the potential utility of effective education to increase individuals’ belief in obesity risk factor information and ultimately promote engagement or faster vaccination. Future research should investigate to what extent the results generalize to other populations