Aspects of lipid metabolism in oleaginous yeasts

1. Phosphoketolase StudiesPentulose 5-phosphate phosphoketolase (Pu5PPPK) was shown to be induced in nine yeasts grown on xylose. The enzyme was active with both xylulose 5-phosphate (Xu5P) and ribulose 5-phosphate (Ru5P) as assay substrate. Partial purification of the enzyme led to a decrease in activity for Ru5P, but did not distinguish between the possibilities that the enzyme may have a dual substrate specificity and that Ru5P 3-epimerase may be closely associated with the phosphoketolase. Lipid levels and ATP:citrate lyase activities were similar in oleaginous yeasts grown on xylose and glucose. It was concluded that Pu5PPK does not affect the process of lipid accumulation in these yeasts.2. Lipid turnover studiesYeasts of the genera Candida, Trichosporon and Rhodosporidium were able to degrade their storage lipid for cell proliferation under carbon starvation, conditions. Yeasts of the genus Lipomyces were incapable of this.All yeasts examined accumulated glycogen simultaneously with lipid and degraded it during carbon starvation conditions. Lipid turnover was rapid and was accompanied by peroxisome formation and repression of the enzyme ATP:citrate lyase. Other key enzymes in lipid metabolism were also affected. Similar changes occurred when the yeasts were grown on an exogenous lipid source.3. Triacylglycerol biosynthesisTriacylglycerol biosynthesis activities were demonstrated in whole sphaeroplasts from Candida curvata D and Lipomyces starkeyi CBS 1809. Biosynthesis was shown to proceed via the α-glycerol 3-phosphate pathway.The sub-cellular location of biosynthetic activity was not identified but electron microscopy studies indicated that the endoplasmic reticulum may be the location. Fatty acyl-CoA synthetases were shown to be active with linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids but not with stearic acid. Activity of this enzyme was enhanced during carbon starvation conditions.4. Lipid globule studiesGlobules were isolated from three species of oleaginous yeasts and examined by electron microscopy. They had a rough laminar surface and were 1 .3-5µm in diameter. Their major component was triacylglycerol

The race to bridge the gap: An analysis of women's policy within the spectrum of New Zealand politics in the lead up to the 2014 general election

Women in Aotearoa New Zealand were the first in the developed world to receive the right to vote in parliamentary elections. However, despite this early promise of gender equality, the introduction of a variety of initiatives aimed to foster equality has had limited success, and such equality remains a contentious issue. This paper focuses on political communication surrounding women’s affairs in the most recent general election in Aotearoa New Zealand. I examine the media campaigns and policy statements from seven political parties to determine how each party represents the gender divide and seeks to address women’s issues. My analysis is based on interviews with party spokespersons for women’s affairs and documented party policy sourced from both websites and party representatives. I draw on thematic and critical discourse analysis to determine how messages about women’s affairs are constructed and positioned in relation to current socio-political issues. Through the implementation of gendered communication theory, which acknowledges that men and women observe and practice different communication tools and styles, and social construction feminism—the exercise of gendering as a consistent aspect of who we are, how we view others, as well as our societal standing—my analysis of the findings identifies the dominant discourses within the political spectrum in New Zealand. I discuss the implications of the various party policies in relation, for example, to parental leave and domestic violence and whether the enactment of these policies is likely to prove beneficial to New Zealand women. My analysis of the findings highlights the strategic direction of current policy aimed at closing the gender gap and addressing women’s issues in Aotearoa New Zealand, represented through themes. The discussion demonstrates that differing perspectives of equality as opposed to equity require further consideration before significant progress can be made towards developing cohesive, culturally relevant practices, as opposed to the temporary measures often instigated by ideology to support a political campaign

Women’s equality—stalled or achieved? An intersectional analysis of New Zealand women’s experiences of (in)equality and perceptions of feminism

A statement made in 2013 by Professor Judy McGregor, the former Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, suggested that equality for women in New Zealand had stalled, and that little progress was being made towards achieving women’s equality. New Zealand has maintained a strong socially progressive reputation with women’s issues, as the first country where women won the right to vote, and as a consistent feature at the top levels of global equality rankings. A cultural narrative of progression is also represented in the amplified visibility of women in diverse contexts that enables individual women to have the confidence to pursue equality for themselves—consistent with Western narrative portrayals of neoliberal individualism. An awareness of the gains made by past feminist action, together with latent inequality and its (lack of) presence within women’s individual lives, can create the illusion that equality for women has been achieved, evidenced in postfeminist perspectives that reduce the need for collective approaches to women-centred issues. This research examined 16 women’s experiences of being a woman in 21st Century New Zealand. Women’s experiences were positioned in this study as the “starting off thought” (Harding, 1993) for understanding women’s identification with feminism. The thesis includes a discussion of New Zealand’s progressive reputation and understandings of women’s equality over time, in the context of the narrative waves of feminism and socio-cultural and political explanations of a plateau in women’s equality progression in New Zealand. The theoretical discussion focused on intersectionality to highlight heterogeneity within the category of “women”, while the methodology for this research used a narrative approach to understand the unique differences and lived experiences of the women who participated. The examination of narrative influences in the form of grand, master, and personal narratives helped to explain how participants made sense of the world around them, and the intersectional focus on generational cohorts highlighted difference among and across women based on the category of age. Diary methods followed by interviews captured the unique individual differences in lived experience. The use of thematic and narrative analysis in this study demonstrated participants’ sense-making and decision-making in their enactment and retelling of lived experience in association with feminism and understandings of equality, and their simultaneous experiences of privilege and oppression were key themes identified in this study. While this study first sought to uncover the ways in which women might demonstrate postfeminist complacency, as a possible cause of the plateau in moves towards equality for women, three forms of agency were identified as influencing lived experience: Constrained agency, conferred agency, and comparative agency. It seems that, for a variety of different reasons, the women challenged or accepted societal roles and behaviours based on the relationships, environments, and narrative influences that informed individual lived experience. The challenge then, is in understanding how it might be possible to continue building on the legacy of equality for women in 21st Century New Zealand

The systemic effects of a state psychiatric hospital waitlist policy on mental health services use

In response to state psychiatric hospital bed shortages nationally, many states have implemented waitlist policies in an effort to control patient admissions and avoid operating overcrowded treatment units. While these policies allow hospitals to care for patients in a safe manner, they do nothing to address the unmet need for inpatient care. As a result, people in psychiatric crises can experience substantial delays before being admitted to a state hospital. Uncertainties remain as to whether waitlists are affecting the mental health system in ways that are not yet documented in the literature. This dissertation used the experience of North Carolina to evaluate the systemic effects of waitlists on mental health services use. The first study used state hospital utilization data to determine possible internal effects of the policy on the number and case mix of admissions to state hospitals, as these hospitals were no longer able to operate over capacity and may have prioritized the sickest patients for admission from waitlists. The second and third studies used North Carolina Medicaid data to examine possible external effects of the policy on the frequency and length of stay of general hospital emergency department (ED) visits (statewide and regionally), as people who previously would have been admitted to state hospitals were forced to wait in communities until psychiatric beds became available. Results from the studies indicated that waitlists were associated with fewer state hospital admissions (overall and by people with SMI), but were not associated with changes in the monthly percent of admissions by people with SMI. Waitlists were also generally associated with small increases in the frequency and length of stay of ED visits among Medicaid enrollees with severe mental illness (SMI). These findings provide preliminary evidence that the external and internal effects of North Carolina's waitlist policies were limited. However, additional research is needed to determine whether results related to ED use extend to people who are uninsured or diagnosed with other behavioral health diagnoses. Further research is also needed to confirm that people previously cared for in state hospitals are receiving timely access to acute inpatient psychiatric care.Doctor of Philosoph

Photoplethysmography based atrial fibrillation detection: an updated review from July 2019

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia associated with significant health ramifications, including an elevated susceptibility to ischemic stroke, heart disease, and heightened mortality. Photoplethysmography (PPG) has emerged as a promising technology for continuous AF monitoring for its cost-effectiveness and widespread integration into wearable devices. Our team previously conducted an exhaustive review on PPG-based AF detection before June 2019. However, since then, more advanced technologies have emerged in this field. This paper offers a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in PPG-based AF detection, utilizing digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, within the timeframe spanning from July 2019 to December 2022. Through extensive exploration of scientific databases, we have identified 59 pertinent studies. Our comprehensive review encompasses an in-depth assessment of the statistical methodologies, traditional machine learning techniques, and deep learning approaches employed in these studies. In addition, we address the challenges encountered in the domain of PPG-based AF detection. Furthermore, we maintain a dedicated website to curate the latest research in this area, with regular updates on a regular basis

Sexual behaviours and sexual health outcomes among young adults with limiting disabilities: findings from third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3).

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether the sexual behaviours and sexual health outcomes of young adults with self-reported disabilities that they perceive limit their activities ('limiting disability') differ from those without disability. DESIGN: Complex survey analyses of cross-sectional probability sample survey data collected between September 2010 and August 2012 using computer-assisted personal interviewing and computer-assisted self-interview. SETTING: British general population. PARTICIPANTS: 7435 women and men aged 17-34 years, resident in private households in Britain, interviewed for the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported sexual behaviour and sexual health outcomes. RESULTS: Approximately 1 in 10 participants reported having a limiting disability. Sexual behaviours were similar between those with limiting disability and those without, with a few exceptions. Women and men with limiting disability were less likely to report having sexual partner(s) (past year, adjusted ORs (AORs) for age and social class: AORs: 0.71, 0.75, respectively). Women with limiting disability were more likely to report having same-sex partner(s) in the past 5 years (AOR: 2.39). Differences were seen in sexual health outcomes, especially among women; those with limiting disability were more likely to report having experienced non-volitional sex (ever, AOR: 3.08), STI diagnoses (ever, AOR: 1.43) and sought help/advice regarding their sex life (past year, AOR: 1.56). Women with limiting disability were also more likely to feel distressed/worried about their sex life than those without limiting disability (AORs: 1.61). None of these associations were seen in men. CONCLUSIONS: Young adults with limiting disability, especially women, are more likely to report adverse sexual health outcomes than those without, despite comparatively few behavioural differences. It is important to ensure that people with disabilities are included in sexual health promotion and service planning, and targeted policy and programme interventions are needed to address negative sexual health outcomes disproportionally experienced by people with disabilities

A Qualitative Study of Participant Engagement With a Weight Loss Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are major public health problems and an increasing global challenge. In lieu of wider policy changes to tackle the obesogenic environment in which we presently reside, improving the design of individual-level weight loss interventions is important. AIM: To identify which aspects of the Camden Weight Loss randomized controlled trial weight loss intervention participants engaged with, with the aim of improving the design of future studies and maximizing retention. METHOD: A qualitative study comprising semistructured interviews ( n = 18) and a focus group ( n = 5) with intervention participants. RESULTS: Two important aspects of participant engagement with the intervention consistently emerged from interviews and focus group: the advisor-participant relationship and the program structure. Some materials used during the program sessions were important in supporting the intervention; however, others were not well received by participants. CONCLUSION: An individual-level weight loss intervention should be acceptable from the patient perspective in order to ensure participants are engaged with the program for as long as possible to maximize favorable results. Providing ongoing support in a long-term program with a trained empathetic advisor may be effective at engaging with people trying to lose weight in a weight loss intervention

Polymer assembly encapsulation of lanthanide nanoparticles as contrast agents for in vivo micro-CT

Despite recent technological advancements in microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) and contrast agent development, pre-clinical contrast agents are still predominantly iodine-based. Higher contrast can be achieved when using elements with higher atomic numbers, such as lanthanides; lanthanides also have x-ray attenuation properties that are ideal for spectral CT. However, the formulation of lanthanide-based contrast agents at the high concentrations required for vascular imaging presents a significant challenge. In this work, we developed an erbium-based contrast agent that meets micro-CT imaging requirements, which include colloidal stability upon redispersion at high concentrations, evasion of rapid renal clearance, and circulation times of tens of minutes in small animals. Through systematic studies with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-poly(propylene glycol), PEG-polycaprolactone, and PEG-poly(l-lactide) (PLA) block copolymers, the amphiphilic block copolymer PEG114-PLA53 was identified to be ideal for encapsulating oleate-coated lanthanide-based nanoparticles for in vivo intravenous administration. We were able to synthesize a contrast agent containing 100 mg/mL of erbium that could be redispersed into colloidally stable nanoparticles in saline after lyophilization. Contrast enhancement of over 250 HU was achieved in the blood pool for up to an hour, thereby meeting the requirements of live animal micro-CT