BACTERIAL CELL DIVISION IN-SIGHT: A SUPER-RESOLUTION STUDY OF THE ESCHERICHIA COLI DIVISOME

The polymerization of FtsZ into an annular structure (Z-ring) at midcell is the first recognized step in E. coli cell division, and is required for the recruitment of the remaining essential division proteins. Further studies suggest that the Z-ring itself may provide the force that drives constriction. Despite its importance, the in-vivo structure of the Z-ring remains unknown. Given the small size of bacteria, visualizing a cytoplasmic structure within an intact cell is technically challenging. Conventional fluorescence microscopy lacks the resolution needed for molecular insight, while electron microscopy fails to unambiguously identify subcellular structures in whole bacteria. To circumvent these challenges, we applied a single molecule-based super-resolution imaging technique, photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), and determined the in-vivo structure of the Z-ring with a resolution of ~30nm. We found that in contrast to the homogenous, ring-like structure expected from previous studies, the Z-ring adopted a heterogeneous configuration with dimensions indicative of a loose, multi-layered protofilament arrangement. To further investigate the structural composition of the Z-ring, we determined the effect of two FtsZ-associated proteins, ZapA and ZapB, on the assembly dynamics and structure of the Z-ring. In cells deleted of zapA or zapB, we observed abnormal septa and highly dynamic FtsZ structures that resolve into disordered arrangements of FtsZ clusters via PALM. Quantitative analyses found these clusters were larger and contained more molecules than a single FtsZ protofilament, and likely represented a distinct polymeric species that is inherent to the assembly pathway of the Z-ring. Our results suggest that ZapA/B function to promote the alignment of FtsZ clusters into a ring-like arrangement and further propose that the FtsZ cluster, not the protofilament, is the basic structural unit of the Z-ring. Complimentary studies employing a variety of two-color and three-dimensional high-resolution imaging methods were applied to elucidate the spatial arrangement of FtsZ, ZapA and ZapB. Our results are consistent with a layered model whereby ZapB forms a stable, cytoplasmic raft upon which clusters of FtsZ protofilaments are anchored through ZapA

Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Compounding Training in the Australian Undergraduate Pharmacy Curricula

Introduction: In recent decades the role of the Australian community pharmacist hasevolved to focus primarily on pharmaceutical care provision. Despite this, compounding remainsan important product service offered by pharmacists. The aim of this study was to qualitativelydescribe the current integration of training in compounding within Bachelor of Pharmacy courses inAustralia. Methods: The Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency website was searchedto identify eligible university courses. Subsequently, the educational providers’ homepages wereconsulted, and Bachelor of Pharmacy handbooks and curricula perused. All relevant informationregarding training in compounding was extracted. Results: In total, 16 Bachelor of Pharmacy courseswere identified. All of these contain compounding training in their curricula, including laboratoryclasses. Most curricula have units specifically dedicated to compounding and drug formulation.Three universities offer a curriculum which is organ-systems based, and include compoundingrelevant to the individual organ systems. Discussion and Conclusions: In Australia, the training incompounding is well integrated into pharmacy curriculum and is more emphasised than in manyother developed countries. This is congruent with the International Pharmaceutical Federation’sneeds-based approach to local pharmacy education. In Australia there is a need for pharmacists toroutinely dispense simple compounded products. Further research is required to evaluate Australianpharmacy graduates’ compounding abilities and how best to promote the achievement of the requiredknowledge and skills to enable simple compounding

MUJERES ESTUDIANTES CREANDO SUS HIJOS EN EL CONTEXTO DE FAMILIA MONOPARENTAL

Esta investigación tiene como finalidad conocer las dificultades que enfrentan las mujeres que estudian enfermería al criar sus hijos sin la presencia paterna. El abordaje utilizado fue cualitativo descriptivo y explorador. Los datos se colectaron por medio de entrevista semiestructurada. La muestra del estudio fue formada por tres estudiantes de enfermería de una Universidad de la región sur de la Provincia de Rio Grande do Sul. Los resultados fueron clasificados en cuatro temas: (a) Dividida y multiplicada: la “súpermadre” actual. (b) Madre por destino, cuidadora por opción. (c) El porquê del cuidar del cuidador. (d) Enseñar y dar respaldo a las palabras a través del ejemplo. El estudio permitió una aproximación con la realidad vivida por estas madres estudiantes, mostrando que ellas se sienten extenuadas por los múltiplos papeles que desenvuelven: madre, dueña de casa y estudiante. Se observó que el currículo de la universidad es poco flexible, dificultando la forma de vivir de estas universitarias de Enfermería.This work had for objective to know the difficulties faced for mothers nursing students, in creating her children without paternal presence. A qualitative, descriptive and exploratory boarding was used. The data had been collected through halfstructuralized interview. The citizens that had served for base in this study consisted of three nursing academics in the South Region of Rio Grande do Sul’s university. The results had been congregated in four subjects: (a) Divided and multiplied: the current “supermother”. (b) Mother for destination, who takes care for option. (c) The reason to take care of who normally takes care. (d) To teach is to give consistence to the words showing the example. The study made possible an approach with the reality lived by these mothers students, indicating that the they are felt overloaded by the multiple played roles: mother, owner-of-house and student. It was observed that the resume of this institution possesses little flexibility for the students, becoming difficult to the nursing academics live in this new and increasing situation.Este trabalho teve por objetivo conhecer as dificuldades enfrentadas por mulheres estudantes de enfermagem para criar seus filhos sem a presença paterna. Foi utilizada uma abordagem qualitativa, descritiva e exploratória. Os dados foram coletados através em entrevistas semi-estruturadas. Os sujeitos deste estudo constituiram-se de três acadêmicas de enfermagem de uma universidade da Região Sul do Rio Grande do Sul. Os resultados foram reunidos em quatro temas: (a) Dividida e multiplicada: a “supermãe” atual. (b) Mãe por destino, cuidadora por opção. (c) O porque cuidar do cuidador. (d) Ensinar é dar consistência às palavras pelo exemplo. O estudo possibilitou uma aproximação com a realidade vivida por essas mães estudantes, indicando que elas se sentem sobrecarregadas pelos múltiplos papéis desempenhados: mãe, dona-de-casa e estudante. Observou-se que o currículo desta instituição tem pouca flexibilidade, dificultando o processo de viver dessas acadêmicas

The evolution of the Behavioural Approach System (BAS): Cooperative and competitive resource acquisition strategies

The nature of approach motivation has not yet been adequately defined. Some authors view it as a unidimensional construct, while others consider it to be multidimensional. Its psychometric nature is explored in this study, which tests empirically the motivational account of the Behavioural Approach System (BAS) within an evolutionary context. In a sample of 394 participants, we administered the Assessment of Individual Motives questionnaire (AIM-Q), the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ) and a short version of the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward (SPSRQ-20). The results of set correlation analysis indicated that different BAS scales relate to different motives, thus supporting the multidimensional perspective on approach motivation. Specifically, Reward Interest relates to various types of motives that generally reflect sensitivity to social rewards; Goal-Drive Persistence relates to social exchange, Reward Reactivity to safety and commitment; while Impulsivity and Sensitivity to Reward (SR) relate to competitive motives. These results are discussed within an evolutionary framework for the multidimensionality of the BAS

Impressing for Success: A Gendered Analysis of a Key Social Capital Accumulation Strategy

Social capital theory assesses the career benefits that accrue to individuals from the stock of relationships they have. Such benefits can be in the form of guidance and advice, access to key projects and assignments and help with setting up business deals. However, when assessing whether such career-enhancing resources are available equally to men and women, we find that gender impacts on the access to and accumulation of social capital. The article seeks to address two key research questions. The first is whether women are aware of the need to accumulate social capital to advance their careers and the second is whether they use impression management techniques in order to assist them in doing this. Findings are reported from a study in an international consulting firm with 19 female consultants. In respect of research question one the findings indicate that women in the sample are aware of the need to accumulate social capital to advance their careers; with particular emphasis being placed on the importance of gaining access to influential sponsors. In respect of research question two, the findings confirm that women in the sample do perceive the necessity to utilise impression management techniques to help them to accumulate social capital. This is done in a defensive way and is linked to ensuring that one is seen as ambitious, likable and available. It is argued that these are key organizational norms, and it is perceived that in order to accumulate social capital, women need to actively work to dispel the negative stereotypes that attach to them because of their gender. The article calls for greater recognition of the impact that masculine organizational cultures have on the career development of women, who not only have to perform at a high level but are also required to expend additional energy conforming to masculine organizational cultures they have had little say in creating

The marital balance of power and quid pro quo: An evolutionary perspective

Although the marital therapy literature recognizes the importance of quid quo in marital negotiations, there has been little attention to certain important sources of power for men and women in that process. This paper will show how parental investment, certainty of paternity, patterns of mate preference, intrasexual competition, and reproductive status all affect the bergaining positions of men and women. Both premarital and marital negotiations will be discussed. Put into a developmental perspective, this will help clarify what is at stake in the common sources of conflict between the sexes. These considerations form a central part of the socioecology of marriage.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31359/1/0000271.pd

Therminator DNA Polymerase: Modified Nucleotides and Unnatural Substrates

A variant of 9°N DNA polymerase [Genbank ID (AAA88769.1)] with three mutations (D141A, E143A, A485L) and commercialized under the name “Therminator DNA polymerase” has the ability to incorporate a variety of modified nucleotide classes. This Review focuses on how Therminator DNA Polymerase has enabled new technologies in synthetic biology and DNA sequencing. In addition, we discuss mechanisms for increased modified nucleotide incorporation

Development and Validation of the Behavioral Tendencies Questionnaire

At a fundamental level, taxonomy of behavior and behavioral tendencies can be described in terms of approach, avoid, or equivocate (i.e., neither approach nor avoid). While there are numerous theories of personality, temperament, and character, few seem to take advantage of parsimonious taxonomy. The present study sought to implement this taxonomy by creating a questionnaire based on a categorization of behavioral temperaments/tendencies first identified in Buddhist accounts over fifteen hundred years ago. Items were developed using historical and contemporary texts of the behavioral temperaments, described as “Greedy/Faithful”, “Aversive/Discerning”, and “Deluded/Speculative”. To both maintain this categorical typology and benefit from the advantageous properties of forced-choice response format (e.g., reduction of response biases), binary pairwise preferences for items were modeled using Latent Class Analysis (LCA). One sample (n1 = 394) was used to estimate the item parameters, and the second sample (n2 = 504) was used to classify the participants using the established parameters and cross-validate the classification against multiple other measures. The cross-validated measure exhibited good nomothetic span (construct-consistent relationships with related measures) that seemed to corroborate the ideas present in the original Buddhist source documents. The final 13-block questionnaire created from the best performing items (the Behavioral Tendencies Questionnaire or BTQ) is a psychometrically valid questionnaire that is historically consistent, based in behavioral tendencies, and promises practical and clinical utility particularly in settings that teach and study meditation practices such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Does intergroup contact predict personality? A longitudinal study on the bidirectional relationship between intergroup contact and personality traits

We conducted a longitudinal study to test whether, in addition to being predicted by personality, intergroup contact is longitudinally associated with personality traits. Participants were 388 majority (Italian) and 109 minority (immigrant) first-year highschool students. Results revealed a bidirectional relationship between contact and personality: quality of contact was longitudinally associated with greater agreeableness and openness to experience, while agreeableness and openness to experience were longitudinal predictors of contact quality. An unexpected negative longitudinal association also emerged between quantity of contact and agreeableness. These effects were not moderated by group of belonging (majority vs. minority). Our findings highlight the importance of integrating research on intergroup contact with research on personality

Identifying seasonal distribution patterns of fin whales across the Scotia Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula region using a novel approach combining habitat suitability models and ensemble learning methods

Following their near extirpation by industrial whaling of the 20th century, the population status of Southern Hemisphere fin whales (SHFW) remains unknown. Systematic surveys estimating fin whale abundance in the Southern Ocean are not yet available. Records of fin whale sightings have been collected by a variety of organisations over the past few decades, incorporating both opportunistic data and dedicated survey data. Together, these isolated data sets represent a potentially valuable source of information on the seasonality, distribution and abundance of SHFW. We compiled records across 40 years from the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea from multiple sources and used a novel approach combining ensemble learning and a maximum entropy model to estimate abundance and distribution of SHFW in this region. Our results show a seasonal distribution pattern with pronounced centres of distribution from January-March along the West Antarctic Peninsula. Our new approach allowed us to estimate abundance of SHFW for discrete areas from a mixed data set of mainly opportunistic presence only data.publishedVersio