Afrotizea gen. nov. from tropical Africa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae).

Im Rahmen einer umfangreichen Revision afrotropischer Galerucinae, die im letzten Katalog als 'Monoleptites' (Wilcox 1973) zusammengefasst wurden, fanden sich viele Arten, die phylogenetisch nicht eng mit den bisher beschriebenen Gattungen Candezea Chapuis, 1879, Monolepta Chevrolat, 1837 oder Afrocrania Hincks, 1949 verwandt sind. Eine dieser Arten ist Candezea mashuana Jacoby, 1895 (= Candezea annulicornis Jacoby, 1906; syn. nov.), für die hier Afrotizea gen. nov. aufgestellt und beschrieben wird. Typusart ist Afrotizea mashuana (Jacoby, 1895), verfügbares Museumsmaterial wurde ausgewertet, die Art wird neu beschrieben und die bekannte Verbreitung in einer Karte dargestellt.StichwörterAfrica, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, taxonomy, new name, new genus.Nomenklatorische Handlungenmashuana (Jacoby, 1895) (Afrotizea), comb. n. hitherto Candezea mashuanaannulicornis Jacoby, 1906 (Candezea), syn. n. of Afrotizea mashuana (Jacoby, 1895)Afrotizea Stapel & Wagner, 2001 (Chrysomelidae), gen. n.Candezea mashuana Jacoby, 1895 (= Candezea annulicornis Jacoby, 1906; syn. nov.) is phylogenetically not closely related to Candezea Chapuis, 1879, Monolepta Chevrolat, 1837, or Afrocrania Hincks, 1949, and herein transferred to Afrotizea gen. nov. with is subsequently described and figured. Afrotizea mashuana (Jacoby, 1895) is type species by monotypy.KeywordsAfrica, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, taxonomy, new name, new genus.Nomenclatural Actsmashuana (Jacoby, 1895) (Afrotizea), comb. n. hitherto Candezea mashuanaannulicornis Jacoby, 1906 (Candezea), syn. n. of Afrotizea mashuana (Jacoby, 1895)Afrotizea Stapel & Wagner, 2001 (Chrysomelidae), gen. n

Loss-Related Characteristics and Symptoms of Depression, Prolonged Grief, and Posttraumatic Stress Following Suicide Bereavement

(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to examine symptom classes of major depressive disorder (MDD), prolonged grief disorder (PGD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of suicide-bereaved individuals, while accounting for loss-related characteristics. (2) Methods: A latent class analysis was conducted to identify classes of the suicide bereaved, sharing symptom profiles, in a German suicide-bereaved sample (N = 159). (3) Results: Our analyses revealed three main classes: a resilient class (16%), a class with high endorsement probability for PGD symptoms (50%), and a class with high endorsement probability for combined PGD/PTSD symptoms (34%). Prolonged grief and intrusive symptoms emerged across all classes, while MDD showed low endorsement probability. Our results indicate an association between class membership and time passed since the loss; however, this applies only to the comparison between the PGD and the resilient class, and not for the PGD/PTSD class. (4) Conclusions: Our results may provide information about the predictability of symptom clusters following suicide bereavement. The findings also represent a significant step towards tailoring treatments based on the needs of relevant suicide-bereaved subgroups through a symptom-level approach. Time passed since loss might explain differences between symptom clusters

Hiring goals: Are they assisting more women to enter and remain in the building trades?

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. 2015. Major: Design. Advisor: Julia Robinson. 1 computer file (PDF); 196 pages.Women comprise 3% of workers in the building construction trades—jobs often offering good wages and opportunity for advancement (USDOL, 2012). This research implemented a mixed methods collective case study to examine the creation, implementation, and results of setting hiring goals for tradeswomen on construction projects in order to assess whether these goals support and/or increase the number of women working in the building trades. Cases included the Green Line light rail project in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN and projects implementing Portland, OR’s Model Community Benefit Agreement (CBA). Government documents, communications, news stories, 19 stakeholder interviews and Bureau of Labor Statistics data were analyzed to better understand the formation, implementation, and results of hiring goals, and their effects on women working in the building trades. Findings show women who work in the building trades still struggle against numerous barriers including the lingering cultural ideal that women do not and/or should not want to work in the construction industry. Therefore, hiring goals appear to be one of only a handful of tools in place supporting women’s entry into construction careers. While appearing to support women’s entry into the building trades, they are not common enough nor generally employed in ways supporting women’s retention and promotion. Each of the examined cases implemented, not just hiring goals for women and minorities, but innovative features to support the meeting of those goals. These essential features included community involvement in oversight committees and supporting companies in recruitment of diverse employees

Mistranslation can promote the exploration of alternative evolutionary trajectories in enzyme evolution

Darwinian evolution preferentially follows mutational pathways whose individual steps increase fitness. Alternative pathways with mutational steps that do not increase fitness are less accessible. Here, we show that mistranslation, the erroneous incorporation of amino acids into nascent proteins, can increase the accessibility of such alternative pathways and, ultimately, of high fitness genotypes. We subject populations of the beta-lactamase TEM-1 to directed evolution in Escherichia coli under both low- and high-mistranslation rates, selecting for high activity on the antibiotic cefotaxime. Under low mistranslation rates, different evolving TEM-1 populations ascend the same high cefotaxime-resistance peak, which requires three canonical DNA mutations. In contrast, under high mistranslation rates they ascend three different high cefotaxime-resistance genotypes, which leads to higher genotypic diversity among populations. We experimentally reconstruct the adaptive DNA mutations and the potential evolutionary paths to these high cefotaxime-resistance genotypes. This reconstruction shows that some of the DNA mutations do not change fitness under low mistranslation, but cause a significant increase in fitness under high-mistranslation, which helps increase the accessibility of different high cefotaxime-resistance genotypes. In addition, these mutations form a network of pairwise epistatic interactions that leads to mutually exclusive evolutionary trajectories towards different high cefotaxime-resistance genotypes. Our observations demonstrate that protein mistranslation and the phenotypic mutations it causes can alter the evolutionary exploration of fitness landscapes and reduce the predictability of evolution

Four and a half LIM protein 1C (FHL1C)

Four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 1 isoform A (FHL1A) is predominantly expressed in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Mutations in the FHL1 gene are causative for several types of hereditary myopathies including X-linked myopathy with postural muscle atrophy (XMPMA). We here studied myoblasts from XMPMA patients. We found that functional FHL1A protein is completely absent in patient myoblasts. In parallel, expression of FHL1C is either unaffected or increased. Furthermore, a decreased proliferation rate of XMPMA myoblasts compared to controls was observed but an increased number of XMPMA myoblasts was found in the G(0)/G(1) phase. Furthermore, low expression of K(v1.5), a voltage-gated potassium channel known to alter myoblast proliferation during the G(1) phase and to control repolarization of action potential, was detected. In order to substantiate a possible relation between K(v1.5) and FHL1C, a pull-down assay was performed. A physical and direct interaction of both proteins was observed in vitro. In addition, confocal microscopy revealed substantial colocalization of FHL1C and K(v1.5) within atrial cells, supporting a possible interaction between both proteins in vivo. Two-electrode voltage clamp experiments demonstrated that coexpression of K(v1.5) with FHL1C in Xenopus laevis oocytes markedly reduced K(+) currents when compared to oocytes expressing K(v1.5) only. We here present the first evidence on a biological relevance of FHL1C

Improving Writing Skills of Construction Management Undergraduates: Developing Tools for Empirical Analysis of Writing to Create Writing-Enriched Construction Management Curriculum

In 2011, the University of Minnesota’s Construction Management (CM) program received funding from the Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC) project. WEC operationalizes the University’s commitment supporting integration of effective discipline-relevant writing instruction. Funding, collaboration with members of the WEC team, and technical support enabled the assembly of a comprehensive, multi-year plan to examine and improve CM student writing. Because many, if not all, elements of the WEC process may prove portable to other institutional contexts, this article describes the process of creating, implementing, and assessing the faculty-authored CM Writing Plan. Specifically discussed are the initial stages of a multi-year process including the development of a Writing Plan; the first year course mapping; analysis of writing assigned in CM courses; and work the department will do going forward with WEC

The Effect of Developer-Specified Explanations for Permission Requests on Smartphone User Behavior

In Apple’s iOS 6, when an app requires access to a protected resource (e.g., location or photos), the user is prompted with a permission request that she can allow or deny. These permission request dialogs include space for developers to optionally include strings of text to explain to the user why access to the resource is needed. We examine how app developers are using this mechanism and the effect that it has on user behavior. Through an online survey of 772 smartphone users, we show that permission requests that include explanations are significantly more likely to be approved. At the same time, our analysis of 4,400 iOS apps shows that the adoption rate of this feature by developers is relatively small: around 19 % of permission requests include developer-specified explanations. Finally, we surveyed 30 iOS developers to better understand why they do or do not use this feature

\u3ci\u3eEscherichia coli\u3c/i\u3e Antimicrobial Resistance Variability In Water Runoff and Soil From a Remnant Native Prairie, and Improved Pasture, and a Cultivated Agricultural Watershed

Although many previous studies have examined patterns of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR) from domestic animals and farm environments, comparatively little is known about the environmental sources and natural reservoirs of AMR and MDR. In this study, we collected stormwater runoff and soil samples from three watersheds in Texas. Escherichia coli (E. coli) were enumerated, isolated, and analyzed for resistance patterns. E. coli from all sites, irrespective of land use, displayed the presence of AMR/MDR. Higher levels of AMR/MDR were observed in water compared to soil. More isolates were resistant to cephalothin than other antibiotics. For water isolates, 94% was resistant to cephalothin, 27% to tetracycline, and 15% to ampicillin. Across all sites, a large percentage of water isolates demonstrated MDR with 34% resistant to ≥2 antibiotics and 11% to ≥3 antibiotics. All AMR soil isolates were resistant to cephalothin (87% of the total soil isolates), but only 8.9% were MDR. High cephalothin resistance observed in both soil and water suggests the presence of native, cephalothin-resistant E. coli. Higher MDR observed within water compared to the soil populations suggests that resistance sources other than soil, such as more recent fecal depositions as opposed to residual AMR in soil, could have contributed to higher antibiotic-resistant E. coli in runoff

E A EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA? NARRATIVAS DE PROFESSORES-PESQUISADORES SOBRE AS AULAS REMOTAS EM INSTITUTOS FEDERAIS

The implementation of remote learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a new and complex reality for school communities. In this context, this study analysed the experiences of Physical Education teachers- researcher with remote learning at Federal Institutes. Based on the Freirean perspective and social learning theory, the study was based on a qualitative and collaborative approach, through autobiographical narrative method. Eight teachers-researchers participated in the study. Data were generated from narratives produced by teachers-researchers and were analysed through constant comparisons. Four themes were identified as findings: new scenarios and challenges; peer collaboration; connecting with students; and rethinking Physical Education lessons. In conclusion, teachers’ experiences involved transformative responses to the limits faced in remote learning, including listening to students’ voices and forming a study group for collaborative learning. La implementación de la enseñanza remota como resultado de la pandemia COVID-19 se ha convertido en una realidad nueva y compleja para las comunidades escolares. En este contexto, el objetivo de este trabajo ha sido analizar las experiencias de profesores-investigadores de Educación Física con la enseñanza remota en Institutos Federales. Con base en la perspectiva freireana y en la teoría social del aprendizaje, la investigación se desarrolló con enfoque cualitativo y colaborativo, a través del método de la narrativa autobiográfica. Ocho profesores-investigadores participaron del estudio. Los datos se generaron a partir de narrativas elaboradas por los profesores-investigadores y se analizaron mediante comparaciones constantes. Como resultados, se identificaron cuatro temas: nuevos escenarios y desafíos; aproximación y colaboración entre pares; conectando con los estudiantes; y repensando las clases de Educación Física. En conclusión, las experiencias docentes implicaron respuestas transformadoras frente a los límites encontrados en la enseñanza remota, incluyendo escuchar a los estudiantes y formar un grupo de estudios y aprendizaje colaborativo. A implementação do ensino remoto em decorrência da pandemia da covid-19 se configurou como uma nova e complexa realidade para as comunidades escolares. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar as experiências de professores-pesquisadores de Educação Física com o ensino remoto em Institutos Federais. Embasada na perspectiva freireana e na teoria social da aprendizagem, a pesquisa foi desenvolvida com abordagem qualitativa e colaborativa através do método da narrativa autobiográfica. Oito professores-pesquisadores participaram do estudo. Os dados foram gerados a partir de narrativas produzidas pelos professores-pesquisadores e foram analisados através de comparações constantes. Como resultados, quatro temas foram identificados: novos cenários e desafios; aproximação e colaboração entre pares; conectando com os estudantes; e repensando as aulas de Educação Física. Em conclusão, as experiências docentes envolveram respostas transformadoras frente aos limites encontrados no ensino remoto, incluindo a escuta dos estudantes e a formação de um grupo de estudos e aprendizagem colaborativa.