Striated Rootlet and Nonfilamentous Forms of Rootletin Maintain Ciliary Function

SummaryPrimary cilia are microtubule-based sensory organelles whose structures and functions must be actively maintained throughout animal lifespan to support signal transduction pathways essential for development and physiological processes such as vision and olfaction [1]. Remarkably, few cellular components aside from the intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery are implicated in ciliary maintenance [2]. Rootletin, an evolutionarily conserved protein found as prominent striated rootlets or a nonfilamentous form, both of which are associated with cilium-anchoring basal bodies, represents a likely candidate given its well-known role in preventing ciliary photoreceptor degeneration in a mouse model [3, 4]. Whether rootletin is universally required for maintaining ciliary integrity, and if so, by what mechanism, remains unresolved. Here, we demonstrate that the gene disrupted in the previously isolated C. elegans chemosensory mutant che-10 encodes a rootletin ortholog that localizes proximally and distally to basal bodies of cilia harboring or lacking conspicuous rootlets. In vivo analyses reveal that CHE-10/rootletin maintains ciliary integrity partly by modulating the assembly, motility, and flux of IFT particles, which are critical for axoneme length control. Surprisingly, CHE-10/rootletin is also essential for stabilizing ciliary transition zones and basal bodies, roles not ascribed to IFT. Unifying these findings, we provide evidence that the underlying molecular defects in the che-10 mutant stem from disrupted organization/function of the periciliary membrane, affecting the efficient delivery of basal body-associated and ciliary components and resulting in cilium degeneration. Together, our cloning and functional analyses of C. elegans che-10 provide the first mechanistic insights into how filamentous and nonfilamentous forms of rootletin play essential roles in maintaining ciliary function in metazoans

Cliff Roosting by Migrant Semipalmated Sandpipers, Calidris pusilla, at Farrier's Cove, Shepody Bay, New Brunswick

An observation of Semipalmated Sandpipers roosting on a cliff face in Shepody Bay, New Brunswick, suggests changes from “traditional” roosting sites. Sandpipers may be altering their roosting patterns due to pressures from avian predators such as the recent, and successful, re-introduction of the Peregrine Falcon

Moderate Champagne consumption promotes an acute improvement in acute endothelial-independent vascular function in healthy human volunteers

Epidemiological studies have suggested an inverse correlation between red wine consumption and the incidence of CVD. However, Champagne wine has not been fully investigated for its cardioprotective potential. In order to assess whether acute and moderate Champagne wine consumption is capable of modulating vascular function, we performed a randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over intervention trial. We show that consumption of Champagne wine, but not a control matched for alcohol, carbohydrate and fruit-derived acid content, induced an acute change in endothelium-independent vasodilatation at 4 and 8 h post-consumption. Although both Champagne wine and the control also induced an increase in endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity at 4 h, there was no significant difference between the vascular effects induced by Champagne or the control at any time point. These effects were accompanied by an acute decrease in the concentration of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9), a significant decrease in plasma levels of oxidising species and an increase in urinary excretion of a number of phenolic metabolites. In particular, the mean total excretion of hippuric acid, protocatechuic acid and isoferulic acid were all significantly greater following the Champagne wine intervention compared with the control intervention. Our data suggest that a daily moderate consumption of Champagne wine may improve vascular performance via the delivery of phenolic constituents capable of improving NO bioavailability and reducing matrix metalloproteinase activity

Configural Scoring of Simulator Sickness, Cybersickness and Space Adaptation Syndrome: Similarities and Differences?

From a survey of ten U.S. Navy flight simulators a large number (N > 1,600 exposures) of self-reports of motion sickness symptomatology were obtained. Using these data, scoring algorithms were derived, which permit examination of groups of individuals that can be scored either for 1) their total sickness experience in a particular device; or, 2) according to three separable symptom clusters which emerged from a Factor Analysis. Scores from this total score are found to be proportional to other global motion sickness symptom checklist scores with which they correlate (r = 0.82). The factors that surfaced from the analysis include clusters of symptoms referable as nausea, oculomotor disturbances, and disorientation (N, 0, and D). The factor scores may have utility in differentiating the source of symptoms in different devices. The present chapter describes our experience with the use of both of these types of scores and illustrates their use with examples from flight simulators, space sickness and virtual environments

Social Impact

From the Dean: Make Space for Social Work; Perspectives: In the News: Social Work Faculty and Staff Comment on Civilian Service, Health Care Costs, and Native American Stereotypes; Perspectives: Civic Service Worldwide; Perspectives: The Future of Social Work Research with Enola K. Proctor; Interview: Q&A with Greg Echele; Scattered Image: Leaders in social work education agree that the profession has an image problem but remain at odds on the best way to change it.; Place, Space, & People: Traditionally two disparate fields, architecture and social work are interacting in new ways that involve communities in producing socially innovative design.; Sowing the Seeds of Knowledge: Quality doctoral education is needed to advance the social work knowledge base.; Notebook; Alumni News and Note

Social Impact

From the Dean: Remember the Past. Imagine the Future. Celebrate Today.; Perspectives: Temperature Rising: Health Care Reform is Back; Bookshelf: From Incentives to Intuition: What Faculty and Staff are Reading.; Perspectives with Melissa Jonson-Reid & Brett Drake: Changing the Role of Child Welfare; Perspectives: SEED for Oklahoma Kids.; Interview: Q&A with Julian Le Grand; Connecting Individual Health with Public Health: New interdisciplinary approaches are needed to solve today\u27s health care challenges. The solution lies at the nexus of social work, public health, and medicine.; The Green Dream: The social work profession has been slow to engage the issue of environmental justice, but a student-led initiative may spark new interest.; Serving Soldiers: The needs of returning veterans have changed, which has opened opportunities for new collaborations between schools of social work and the Department of Veterans Affairs.; Notebook: Research: Examining and identifying barriers to type 2 diabetes management among adolescents, key to reducing risk of complications; Notebook: Research: Study shows autism symptoms can improve into adulthood.; Notebook: Faculty News; Notebook: Events; Celebrate Our Histor

Social Impact

From The Dean: Celebrating Social Work\u27s Impact; Perspectives: In the News & Bookshelf; Making a Medicare Part D Decision; Three Quarters of Americans Will Experience Poverty in Their Lives; Interview: Q&A with Kristal Brent Zook; Perspectives: Before Disaster Strikes with David Gillespie; The Globalization of Social Work: How Flat Are We? Researchers and practitioners explore underlying social conditions that keep many left behind; Parents as Teachers: A Force for Good: Sue Stepleton leads growing program aimed at helping preschoolers reach their potential; Tapping into Energy of Older Americans: New retirement scenarios shift toward service; Notebook: Partnerships and Research School of Social Work, Eden Seminary to Offer Degrees Michael Sherraden Promotes Asset-Building in China; New Partnership with Teach For America Offers Incentives; Notebook: Faculty News; Notebook: Grants, Events, and Conferences; Alumni News and Note

Students’ perceptions of school acoustics and the impact of noise on teaching and learning in secondary schools : findings of a questionnaire survey

This paper will present the design and findings of an online questionnaire survey of 11–16 year olds’ impressions of their school's acoustic environment, and of an experimental study into the effects of typical levels of classroom noise on adolescent's performance on numeracy and cognitive functioning tasks. Analysis of the responses to the questionnaire found that pupils who reported additional learning needs such as hearing impairment, speaking English as an additional language or receiving learning support reported being significantly more affected by poor school acoustics than pupils reporting no additional learning needs. Pupils attending suburban schools featuring cellular classrooms that were not exposed to a nearby noise sources were more positive about their school acoustics than pupils at schools with open plan classroom designs or attending schools that were exposed to external noise sources. The study demonstrates that adolescents are reliable judges of their school's acoustic environment, and have insight into the disruption to teaching and learning caused by poor listening conditions. Furthermore, pupils with additional learning needs are more at risk from the negative effects of poor school acoustics

Development of strategies for effective communication of food risks and benefits across Europe: Design and conceptual framework of the FoodRisC project

The FoodRisC project is funded under the Seventh Framework Programme (CORDIS FP7) of the European Commission; Grant agreement no.: 245124. Copyright @ 2011 Barnett et al.BACKGROUND: European consumers are faced with a myriad of food related risk and benefit information and it is regularly left up to the consumer to interpret these, often conflicting, pieces of information as a coherent message. This conflict is especially apparent in times of food crises and can have major public health implications. Scientific results and risk assessments cannot always be easily communicated into simple guidelines and advice that non-scientists like the public or the media can easily understand especially when there is conflicting, uncertain or complex information about a particular food or aspects thereof. The need for improved strategies and tools for communication about food risks and benefits is therefore paramount. The FoodRisC project ("Food Risk Communication - Perceptions and communication of food risks/benefits across Europe: development of effective communication strategies") aims to address this issue. The FoodRisC project will examine consumer perceptions and investigate how people acquire and use information in food domains in order to develop targeted strategies for food communication across Europe.METHODS/DESIGN: This project consists of 6 research work packages which, using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, are focused on development of a framework for investigating food risk/benefit issues across Europe, exploration of the role of new and traditional media in food communication and testing of the framework in order to develop evidence based communication strategies and tools. The main outcome of the FoodRisC project will be a toolkit to enable coherent communication of food risk/benefit messages in Europe. The toolkit will integrate theoretical models and new measurement paradigms as well as building on social marketing approaches around consumer segmentation. Use of the toolkit and guides will assist policy makers, food authorities and other end users in developing common approaches to communicating coherent messages to consumers in Europe.DISCUSSION: The FoodRisC project offers a unique approach to the investigation of food risk/benefit communication. The effective spread of food risk/benefit information will assist initiatives aimed at reducing the burden of food-related illness and disease, reducing the economic impact of food crises and ensuring that confidence in safe and nutritious food is fostered and maintained in Europe.This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund