Layered and Linking Research Partnerships: Learning from YOUR World Research in Ethiopia and Nepal

This article draws on learning from the YOUR World Research project in Ethiopia and Nepal, which uses the socioecological Change‑scape framework to understand how participants in research need to be understood within a landscape of changing institutional, environmental, and political contexts. The article explores whether trustful relationships, ownership, and commitment can bring about more effective societal change through research. Through group discussion and reflective perspectives, the authors draw out possible indicators of successful partnership from the different contexts in which YOUR World Research was working. These include histories of interpersonal relationships; shared vision and motivations; building ownership; shared platforms and spaces for dialogue; and flexibility to respond to shocks and changes in context. The article suggests that whilst being realistic about the power and politics of partnership, there are mechanisms in partnership models that can help support high-quality rigorous research whilst creating impact at local, national, and international levels.Department for International Development (DFID)Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC

“Never give up.” Adjudicated girls’ school experiences and implications for academic success

There is limited literature on best practices for promoting academic success for adjudicated girls. The goal of this qualitative study was to elicit information about the educational experiences of female juvenile offenders within a residential facility. Interviews with 10 girls and two teachers were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed for narratives pertaining to success stories and challenges the girls faced in educational settings. Themes were: Barriers in school; Individual Characteristics that Promote Success; Coping Skills; Relationships that Promote Success; School Environments that Promote Success; Transitioning to Traditional Schools. Findings inform strategies to promote academic success for detained youth. The authors discuss implications for school social workers and other school-based behavioral health providers

Identification and light-dependent translocation of a cone-specific antigen, cone arrestin, recognized by monoclonal antibody 7G6

PURPOSE: To elucidate the antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody (mAb) 7G6, a widely used cone-specific marker. METHODS: 7G6 immunocytochemistry was performed on sections of human, primate, and bovine retina. The antigen was immunoprecipitated from human retinal lysates and purified with protein G. Edman degradation and liquid chromatography of tryptic peptides combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified the antigen. RESULTS: Sequencing of peptides derived from the immunoprecipitated 7G6 antigen identified it as cone arrestin. The identity was confirmed by Western blot analysis with recombinant human cone arrestin and competition with the antibody in immunocytochemistry. Subcellular localization of cone arrestin in dark-adapted and bleached bovine retinas showed that cone arrestin accumulated in cone outer segments of light-adapted retina but was more concentrated in the inner segments of dark-adapted retina. By expression of truncated human cone arrestin mutants systematically deleting areas divergent from bovine and primate cone arrestins, the epitope of 7G6 was identified as a divergent loop exposed at the surface within the N-domain of cone arrestin. CONCLUSIONS: Several independent methods established that the 7G6 antigen is cone arrestin. The 7G6 epitope is contained in a divergent loop, the sequence of which is conserved in bovine and primates but not other vertebrate species consistent with the specificity of the antibody. The light-dependent translocation of cone arrestin suggests a role in light-dark adaptation of cones. Because of the location of its gene on the X-chromosome, cone arrestin is a candidate gene for X-linked cone dystrophies.Supported by NIH Grant R01EY08123 (WB). Additional support came from the Macular Vision Research Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., and a Center grant from the Foundation Fighting Blindness to the University of Utah. WB is the recipient of a Senior Investigator Award from RPB and a Ralph and Mary Tuck endowment to the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Utah

Individual variations in serum melatonin levels through time: Implications for epidemiologic studies

Melatonin, a marker for the circadian rhythm with serum levels peaking between 2AM and 5AM, is hypothesized to possess anti-cancer properties, making it a mechanistic candidate for the probable carcinogenic effect of circadian rhythm disruption. In order to weigh epidemiologic evidence on the association of melatonin with cancer, we must first understand the laboratory and biological sources of variability in melatonin levels measured in samples. Participants for this methodological study were men enrolled in the Prostate Lung Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO). We measured serum melatonin levels over a five year period in 97 individuals to test if melatonin levels are steady over time. The Pearson correlation coefficient between two measures separated by 1 year was 0.87, while the correlation between two measures separated by 5 years was to 0.70. In an additional cross-sectional study of 292 individuals, we used Analysis of Variance to identify differences in melatonin levels between different lifestyle and environmental characteristics. Serum melatonin levels were slightly higher in samples collected from 130 individuals during the winter, (6.36±0.59 pg/ml) than in samples collected from 119 individuals during the summer (4.83±0.62 pg/ml). Serum melatonin levels were lowest in current smokers (3.02±1.25 pg/ml, p = 0.007) compared to never (6.66±0.66 pg/ml) and former (5.59±0.50 pg/ml) smokers whereas BMI did not significantly affect serum melatonin levels in this study. In conclusion, the high 5 year correlation of melatonin levels implies that single measurements may be used to detect population level associations between melatonin and risk of cancer. Furthermore, our results reiterate the need to record season of sample collection, and individual characteristics in order to maximize study power and prevent confounding

Thromboembolic Risk in Hospitalized and Nonhospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Self-Controlled Case Series Analysis of a Nationwide Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the associations between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and thromboembolism including myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A self-controlled case-series study was conducted covering the whole of Scotland's general population. The study population comprised individuals with confirmed (positive test) COVID-19 and at least one thromboembolic event between March 2018 and October 2020. Their incidence rates during the risk interval (5 days before to 56 days after the positive test) and the control interval (the remaining periods) were compared intrapersonally. RESULTS: Across Scotland, 1449 individuals tested positive for COVID-19 and experienced a thromboembolic event. The risk of thromboembolism was significantly elevated over the whole risk period but highest in the 7 days following the positive test (incidence rate ratio, 12.01; 95% CI, 9.91 to 14.56) in all included individuals. The association was also present in individuals not originally hospitalized for COVID-19 (incidence rate ratio, 4.07; 95% CI, 2.83 to 5.85). Risk of MI, stroke, PE, and DVT were all significantly higher in the week following a positive test. The risk of PE and DVT was particularly high and remained significantly elevated even 56 days following the test. CONCLUSION: Confirmed COVID-19 infection was associated with early elevations in risk with MI, ischemic stroke, and substantially stronger and prolonged elevations with DVT and PE both in hospital and community settings. Clinicians should consider thromboembolism, especially PE, among people with COVID-19 in the community

Thromboembolic risk in hospitalised and non-hospitalised Covid-19 patients: a self-controlled case series analysis of a nation-wide cohort

Objective: An unexpectedly large number of people infected with Covid-19 had experienced a thrombotic event. This study aims to assess the associations between Covid-19 infection and thromboembolism including myocardial infarction (MI), ischaemic stroke, deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE). Patients and Methods: A self-controlled case-series study was conducted covering the whole of Scotland’s general population. The study population comprised individuals with confirmed (positive test) Covid-19 and at least one thromboembolic event between March 2018 and October 2020. Their incidence rates during the risk interval (5 days before to 56 days after the positive test) and the control interval (the remaining periods) were compared intra-personally. Results: Across Scotland, 1,449 individuals tested positive for Covid-19 and experienced a thromboembolic event. The risk of thromboembolism was significantly elevated over the whole risk period but highest in the 7 days following the positive test (IRR 12.01, 95% CI 9.91-14.56) in all included individuals. The association was also present in individuals not originally hospitalised for Covid-19 (IRR 4.07, 95% CI 2.83-5.85). Risk of MI, stroke, PE and DVT were all significantly higher in the week following a positive test. The risk of PE and DVT was particularly high and remained significantly elevated even 56 days following the test. Conclusion: Confirmed Covid-19 infection was associated with early elevations in risk with MI, ischaemic stroke, and substantially stronger and prolonged elevations with DVT and PE both in hospital and community settings. Clinicians should consider thromboembolism, especially PE, among people with Covid-19 in the community

The Lantern Vol. 66, No. 2, Spring 1999

• Dowry • The Ballad of the Lonely Thinker • Dissipation • Parliament Light • Reflecting Hood • Tonight • Decree • Not Yet • The Man in the Moon • The Sound and/or Fury • Uh Huh • Watch • The Futility of a Drizzle in a Worsening Draught • The Answering Machine • Felix Culpa • Kiss Off • Amorous • Summer of the Burning Pizzas • Life Without Shoelaces • Hermes and Aphrodite • Win! Twins! • From 69 Slices of Hell • Boardwalk Cowboyhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1154/thumbnail.jp

Nitrogen fixation in the South Atlantic Gyre and the Benguela Upwelling System

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 38 (2011): L16608, doi:10.1029/2011GL048315.Dinitrogen (N2) fixation is recognized as an important input of new nitrogen (N) to the open ocean gyres, contributing to the export of organic matter from surface waters. However, very little N2-fixation research has focused on the South Atlantic Gyre, where dust deposition of iron (Fe), an important micronutrient for diazotrophs, is seasonally low. Recent modeling efforts suggest that N2-fixation may in fact be closely coupled to, and greatest in, areas of denitrification, as opposed to the oceanic gyres. One of these areas, the Benguela Upwelling System, lies to the east of the South Atlantic Gyre. In this study we show that N2-fixation in surface waters across the South Atlantic Gyre was low overall (<1.5 nmol N l−1 d−1) with highest rates seen in or near the Benguela Upwelling System (up to ∼8 nmol N l−1 d−1). Surface water dissolved Fe (dFe) concentrations were very low in the gyre (∼0.3 nM or lower), while soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations were relatively high (∼0.15 μM). N2-fixation rates across the entire sampling area were significantly positively correlated to dFe, but also to SRP and NO3−. Thus, high NO3− concentrations did not exclude N2-fixation in the upwelling region, which provides evidence that N2-fixation may be occurring in previously unrecognized waters, specifically near denitrification zones. However the gene encoding for a nitrogenase component (nifH) was not detected from known diazotrophs at some stations in or near the upwelling where N2-fixation was greatest, suggesting the presence of unknown diazotrophs in these waters.Funding for this research was provided by NSF grants OCE‐0452883 (to E.A.W. and M.A.S.), OCE‐0825922 (to E.A.W.), and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (JPZ)

The Grizzly, September 15, 1998

Where\u27s Your Money Going? • Kenneth Starr\u27s XXX-Files • Pfahler Hall Renovations: The Sound of Progress • Opinion: Has America Sunk to the Level of Terrorists?; Academic Computing: Beneficial or Detrimental?; How Efficient Will the New Mail System Be? • Poets in Our Midst • RLO = One Big Happy Family • The Man from La Mancha has Gone Home • Addition Made to the History Department • Statues Breathe Life into Ursinus • Elyssa Rundle: The Spirit of the Paint • Big Big Band at UC • New Addition to Ursinus Training Staff • Men\u27s Soccer Plagued by Injuries • Football Back on Track • Women\u27s Soccer Shuts Out Washington • Field Hockey Drops Two Close Ones • Hinkle Named Player of the Week • UC Cross Country • UC Volleyball Improves to 7-1https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1423/thumbnail.jp

Heparin cofactor II in atherosclerotic lesions from the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) study

Heparin cofactor II (HCII) is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) that has been shown to be a predictor of decreased atherosclerosis in the elderly and protective against atherosclerosis in mice. HCII inhibits thrombin in vitro and HCII-thrombin complexes have been detected in human plasma. Moreover, the mechanism of protection against atherosclerosis in mice was determined to be the inhibition of thrombin. Despite this evidence, the presence of HCII in human atherosclerotic tissue has not been reported. In this study, using samples of coronary arteries obtained from the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) study, we explore the local relationship between HCII and (pro)thrombin in atherosclerosis. We found that HCII and (pro)thrombin are co-localized in the lipid-rich necrotic core of atheromas. A significant positive correlation between each protein and the severity of the atherosclerotic lesion was present. These results suggest that HCII is in a position to inhibit thrombin in atherosclerotic lesions where thrombin can exert a proatherogenic inflammatory response. However, these results should be tempered by the additional findings from this, and other studies, that indicate the presence of other plasma proteins (antithrombin, albumin, and α1-protease inhibitor) in the same localized region of the atheroma