Post-visit reinforcement of zoo conservation messages: the design and testing of an action resource website

Wildlife tourism attractions such as zoos are uniquely placed to make an impact on people’s everyday environmentally responsible behaviors. However, research suggests that visitors who leave such sites with a heightened awareness and good intentions rarely translate their intentions into post-visit environmental actions. This article reports on the development of a website-based action resource designed to reinforce, complement, and extend zoos’ on-site conservation messages and support visitors’ translation of environmental behavioral intentions into actions. The effectiveness of the website in encouraging post-visit engagement in environmental behavior was tested using an experimental design with a follow-up sample of 475 zoo visitors across four sites in three countries. The group that had accessed the website scored significantly higher on a behavior change index than the group that had not accessed the website. Website features identified as most effective in engaging visitors and maximizing their uptake of environmentally sustainable behavior are discussed

The Effect of Spent Coffee Grounds to the Growth of Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato)

Six billion tonnes of spent coffee grounds (SCG) are thrown untreated into landfills, leading the spent coffee grounds to leach organic pollutants that may potentially harm bodies of water and emit methane, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Studies have confirmed that the ratio of carbon and nitrogen (C: N) of SCG is ideal for plant fertilizers. This study focused on determining the effects of SCG on the growth of tomato plants using four parameters: the number of leaves, the average leaf surface area, and the relative growth rate. The study used an experimental research design to study the causal relationship between SCG treatments and plant growth. Tomato seeds were grouped into four and sown on separate pots. The study used three trials, each containing different weights of SCG, namely: 0 g, 5 g, 9 g, and 14 g. The SCG treatments were applied after germination using the side-dressing method. The number of expanded leaves, leaf surface area, and relative growth rate of the tomato plants were observed every five days for 45 days. The researchers found that SCG treatments that exceeded SCG-5 displayed adverse effects on the growth of the tomato. Thus, the relative growth rate and SCG treatments of over 5 g are inversely related to one another. Results show that SCG-5 had the highest positive effect on plant growth in terms of all the parameters. The researchers can then conclude that SCG-5 is an effective alternative fertilizer that improves plant growth

In vitro modeling of endothelial interaction with macrophages and pericytes demonstrates Notch signaling function in the vascular microenvironment.

Angiogenesis is regulated by complex interactions between endothelial cells and support cells of the vascular microenvironment, such as tissue myeloid cells and vascular mural cells. Multicellular interactions during angiogenesis are difficult to study in animals and challenging in a reductive setting. We incorporated stromal cells into an established bead-based capillary sprouting assay to develop assays that faithfully reproduce major steps of vessel sprouting and maturation. We observed that macrophages enhance angiogenesis, increasing the number and length of endothelial sprouts, a property we have dubbed "angiotrophism." We found that polarizing macrophages toward a pro-inflammatory profile further increased their angiotrophic stimulation of vessel sprouting, and this increase was dependent on macrophage Notch signaling. To study endothelial/pericyte interactions, we added vascular pericytes directly to the bead-bound endothelial monolayer. These pericytes formed close associations with the endothelial sprouts, causing increased sprout number and vessel caliber. We found that Jagged1 expression and Notch signaling are essential for the growth of both endothelial cells and pericytes and may function in their interaction. We observed that combining endothelial cells with both macrophages and pericytes in the same sprouting assay has multiplicative effects on sprouting. These results significantly improve bead-capillary sprouting assays and provide an enhanced method for modeling interactions between the endothelium and the vascular microenvironment. Achieving this in a reductive in vitro setting represents a significant step toward a better understanding of the cellular elements that contribute to the formation of mature vasculature.S

Carbon nanotube-rich domain effects on bulk electrical properties of nanocomposites

Carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy composites are intriguing materials that enable materials scientists and engineers to tailor structural and electrical properties for applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. Recent insights into CNT-rich domain formation and its influence on electrical properties raise questions about which processing variables can be used to tune the overall electrical conductivity. Here, we investigate how mass fraction and curing temperature influence these electrical properties. CNT nanocomposites were fabricated varying the mass fraction of CNT and the epoxy curing temperature. First, scanning lithium ion microscopy coupled with transmission electron microscopy were employed to investigate the morphology of CNT-rich domains that formed more readily at elevated curing temperatures than during room temperature curing. Then, oscillatory shear rheology measurements of the unfilled curing epoxy informed a simple kinetic argument to explain the CNT-rich domain formation. Finally, the electrical conductivity (both alternating and direct current) was characterized with a novel microwave cavity perturbation spectroscopy technique (alternating current conductivity) and a standard four-point probe station (direct current conductivity). The overarching conclusion of the work was that the CNT-rich domains formed a secondary percolated network surrounded by an almost completely unfilled epoxy matrix that allowed for higher conductivities at lower loadings. This work demonstrates that perfect dispersion of the nanoparticulate is, at least in this instance, not necessarily the preferred morphology

Molecular landscape of the ribosome pre-initiation complex during mRNA scanning: structural role for eIF3c and its control by eIF5

During eukaryotic translation initiation, eIF3 binds the solvent-accessible side of the 40S ribosome and recruits the gate-keeper protein eIF1 and eIF5 to the decoding center. This is largely mediated by the N-terminal domain (NTD) of eIF3c, which can be divided into three parts: 3c0, 3c1 and 3c2. The N-terminal part, 3c0, binds eIF5 strongly, but only weakly to the ribosome-binding surface of eIF1, whereas 3c1 and 3c2 form a stoichiometric complex with eIF1. 3c1 contacts eIF1 through Arg-53 and Leu-96, while 3c2 faces 40S protein uS15/S13, to anchor eIF1 to the scanning pre-initiation complex (PIC). We propose that the 3c0:eIF1 interaction diminishes eIF1 binding to the 40S, whereas 3c0:eIF5 interaction stabilizes the scanning PIC by precluding this inhibitory interaction. Upon start codon recognition, interactions involving eIF5, and ultimately 3c0:eIF1 association facilitate eIF1 release. Our results reveal intricate molecular interactions within the PIC, programmed for rapid scanning-arrest at the start codon

Protocol for the process evaluation of a complex, statewide intervention to reduce salt intake in Victoria, Australia

Systematic reviews of trials consistently demonstrate that reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure. However, there is limited evidence on how interventions function in the real world to achieve sustained population-wide salt reduction. Process evaluations are crucial for understanding how and why an intervention resulted in its observed effect in that setting, particularly for complex interventions. This project presents the detailed protocol for a process evaluation of a statewide strategy to lower salt intake in Victoria, Australia. We describe the pragmatic methods used to collect and analyse data on six process evaluation dimensions: reach, dose or adoption, fidelity, effectiveness, context and cost, informed by Linnan and Steckler’s framework and RE-AIM. Data collection methods include routinely collected administrative data; surveys of processed foods, the population, food industry and organizations; targeted campaign evaluation and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data will be triangulated to provide validation or context for one another. This process evaluation will contribute new knowledge about what components of the intervention are important to salt reduction strategies and how the interventions cause reduced salt intake, to inform the transferability of the program to other Australian states and territories. This protocol can be adapted for other population-based, complex, disease prevention interventions

Food biofortification : reaping the benefits of science to overcome hidden hunger

Biofortification is a process of increasing the density of minerals and vitamins in a food crop through conventional plant breeding, genetic engineering, or agronomic practices (primarily use of fertilizers and foliar sprays). Biofortified staple food crops, when substituted consistently for non-biofortified staple food crops, can generate measurable improvements in human nutrition and health. This monograph describes the progress made in developing, testing, and disseminating biofortified staple food crops, primarily through the use of conventional plant breeding, summarizing the activities of two consortiums of inter-disciplinary collaborating institutions led the HarvestPlus program and the International Potato Center (CIP). We focus on laying out the evidence base proving the effectiveness and impact to date of biofortified crops. Results of a large number of nutritional bioavailability and efficacy trials are summarized (Chapter 2), crop development techniques and activities are presented and variety releases documented for a dozen staple food crops in low and middle income countries (LMICs) in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Chapter 3), and strategies for promoting the uptake of specific biofortified crops are discussed, concurrent with policy advocacy to encourage key institutions to mainstream the promotion, and use of biofortified crops in their core activities (Chapters 4 and 5). Statistics will be presented on numbers of farm households adopting biofortified crops (Chapters 3 and 4), now available to farmers in 40 low and middle income countries (LMICs). Each section will outline the way forward on additional future activities required to enhance the development and impact the biofortification through conventional plant breeding. No biofortified staple food crop developed through transgenic techniques has been fully de-regulated for release to farmers in LMICs. Yet transgenic techniques hold the potential for a several-fold increase in the impact/benefits of biofortified crops. This potential is described in Chapter 6 which discusses developmental research already completed, including achieving higher densities of single nutrients than is possible with conventional breeding, combining multiple nutrient traits in single events, slowing down/reducing the level of degradation of vitamins after harvesting, and combining superior agronomic traits with nutrient traits in single events. A final chapter summarizes and discusses key questions and issues that will influence the ultimate mainstreaming of biofortified crops in food systems in LMICs and will allow maximization of the benefits of biofortification

Central Role of Dendritic Cells in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Human and Mice.

The pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is not fully understood, but evidence is accumulating that immune dysfunction plays a significant role. We previously reported that 31-week-old Tnfaip3DNGR1-KO mice develop pulmonary hypertension (PH) symptoms. These mice harbor a targeted deletion of the TNFα-induced protein-3 (Tnfaip3) gene, encoding the NF-κB regulatory protein A20, specifically in type I conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s). Here, we studied the involvement of dendritic cells (DCs) in PH in more detail. We found various immune cells, including DCs, in the hearts of Tnfaip3DNGR1-KO mice, particularly in the right ventricle (RV). Secondly, in young Tnfaip3DNGR1-KO mice, innate immune activation through airway exposure to toll-like receptor ligands essentially did not result in elevated RV pressures, although we did observe significant RV hypertrophy. Thirdly, PH symptoms in Tnfaip3DNGR1-KO mice were not enhanced by concomitant mutation of bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (Bmpr2), which is the most affected gene in PAH patients. Finally, in human IPAH lung tissue we found co-localization of DCs and CD8+ T cells, representing the main cell type activated by cDC1s. Taken together, these findings support a unique role of cDC1s in PAH pathogenesis, independent of general immune activation or a mutation in the Bmpr2 gene

Central role of dendritic cells in pulmonary arterial hypertension in human and mice

The pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is not fully understood, but evidence is accumulating that immune dysfunction plays a significant role. We previously reported that 31-week-old Tnfaip3(DNGR1-KO) mice develop pulmonary hypertension (PH) symptoms. These mice harbor a targeted deletion of the TNF alpha-induced protein-3 (Tnfaip3) gene, encoding the NF-kappa B regulatory protein A20, specifically in type I conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s). Here, we studied the involvement of dendritic cells (DCs) in PH in more detail. We found various immune cells, including DCs, in the hearts of Tnfaip3(DNGR1-KO) mice, particularly in the right ventricle (RV). Secondly, in young Tnfaip3(DNGR1-KO) mice, innate immune activation through airway exposure to toll-like receptor ligands essentially did not result in elevated RV pressures, although we did observe significant RV hypertrophy. Thirdly, PH symptoms in Tnfaip3(DNGR1-KO) mice were not enhanced by concomitant mutation of bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (Bmpr2), which is the most affected gene in PAH patients. Finally, in human IPAH lung tissue we found co-localization of DCs and CD8+ T cells, representing the main cell type activated by cDC1s. Taken together, these findings support a unique role of cDC1s in PAH pathogenesis, independent of general immune activation or a mutation in the Bmpr2 gene