Effects of adipocyte deficiency of angiotensin type 1a receptors in models of obesity and hypercholesterolemia

Adipocytes express angiotensin II (AngII) receptors; however the direct effects of AngII at the adipocyte remain unclear. Knockout mouse models of renin-angiotensin system components exhibit reduced body weight, reduced adiposity, improved glucose tolerance, and improved blood pressure when fed high fat diets, which may be due to reduced action of AngII through the AT1aR in adipocytes. Additionally, hypercholesterolemic AT1aR deficient mice are protected from AngII-induced increases in atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation. We hypothesized that deficiency of AT1aR in adipocytes would reduce the development of obesity, obesity-induced disorders, and vascular diseases. To test this hypothesis, we created a mouse model of adipocyte AT1aR deficiency using the Cre/LoxP system. Adipocyte-AT1aR deficiency confers no protection from the development of obesity or obesity- associated parameters. However, low fat fed adipocyte-AT1aR deficient mice exhibit remarkable adipocyte hypertrophy and reductions in adipocyte differentiation. These results demonstrate that AngII is a stimulus for adipocyte differentiation and adipocyte hypertrophy alone is insufficient to initiate obesity- associated disorders. In hypercholesterolemic mice, adipocyte AT1aR deficiency conferred no protection from diet or AngII-induced vascular diseases. Overall these studies suggest the primary role of adipocyte AT1aRs is to promote adipocyte differentiation and the development of small adipocytes

Performance improvements of a highly integrated digital electronic control system for an F-15 airplane

The NASA highly integrated digital electronic control (HIDEC) program is structured to conduct flight research into the benefits of integrating an aircraft flight control system with the engine control system. A brief description of the HIDEC system installed on an F-15 aircraft is provided. The adaptive engine control system (ADECS) mode is described in detail, together with simulation results and analyses that show the significant excess thrust improvements achievable with the ADECS mode. It was found that this increased thrust capability is accompanied by reduced fan stall margin and can be realized during flight conditions where engine face distortion is low. The results of analyses and simulations also show that engine thrust response is improved and that fuel consumption can be reduced. Although the performance benefits that accrue because of airframe and engine control integration are being demonstrated on an F-15 aircraft, the principles are applicable to advanced aircraft such as the advanced tactical fighter and advanced tactical aircraft

DEVELOPING A PROGRAM TO IMPROVE READING INSTRUCTION AND ACHIEVEMENT AT J. GLENN EDWARDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ABSTRACT Natalie P. Kelly, DEVELOPING A PROGRAM TO IMPROVE READING INSTRUCTION AND ACHIEVEMENT AT J. GLENN EDWARDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Under the direction of Dr. William A. Rouse). Department of Educational Leadership, March 2019. The reading deficiencies of 21st century students in today’s classrooms are challenging our public school system and resulting in a national epidemic for the improvement of reading instruction and learning. Specifically at J. Glenn Edwards Elementary School (JGEES) in Lee County, NC the reading problem could not be ignored as the school was performing below the state and district averages. Therefore, this study was conducted to improve reading instruction and achievement at JGEES through the utilization of Improvement Science and the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) Cycle. The literature research and the stakeholder’s input led to the development and implementation of the E-Trifecta: Engaging, Encouraging, and Empowering, Reading Program at JGEES for the purpose of improving reading. The program consisted of high engagement techniques with technology integration and high yield exemplary best practice instructional strategies. The full implementation of the E-Trifecta Reading Program in grades three through five at JGEES resulted in improved reading achievement scores as evidenced by the 1.3% increase in third grade, the 0.2% increase in fourth grade, and the 2.7% increase in fifth grade, from October 2018, to January 2019. Furthermore, a comparison of the prior year assessment scores from January 2018, to the current year assessment scores of January 2019, revealed a greater increase in reading achievement with third grade improving 9.9%, fourth grade improving 3.6%, and fifth grade improving 4.5%. The study results indicated that the implementation of a reading program centralized on engagement, encouragement, and empowerment with the use of technology and high yield exemplary best practices will result in improved reading instruction and reading achievement scores

O realismo interno confrontado com "seus inimigos"

Analisamos brevemente a perspectiva realista interna, proposta por Putnam, contrastando-a com as suas principais rivais: a realista metafísica e a relativista radical. Tomamos como ponto de partida o debate contemporâneo em que o realismo interno se encontra envolvido, em especial, o desafio que o relativismo extremo impõe à epistemologia contemporânea. Parece pacífico entre os filósofos que tal desafio não será superado pelo projeto clássico de buscas por certezas absolutas. A história da ciência já nos deu muitas evidências de que as teorias não são redes que captam a realidade em si. Mas, por si só, isso não implica que a nossa visão de conhecimento seja determinada simplesmente por aspectos temporais e espaciais, pelo sujeito falível e pelo contexto em que se encontra. Nesse cenário, são empreendimentos difíceis, mas merecedores de atenção, as tentativas, de filósofos como Putnam, de construir teorias que não desconsiderem a história nem abracem, ao mesmo tempo, o relativismo radical

Mutations in topoisomerase IIβ result in a B cell immunodeficiency.

B cell development is a highly regulated process involving multiple differentiation steps, yet many details regarding this pathway remain unknown. Sequencing of patients with B cell-restricted immunodeficiency reveals autosomal dominant mutations in TOP2B. TOP2B encodes a type II topoisomerase, an essential gene required to alleviate topological stress during DNA replication and gene transcription, with no previously known role in B cell development. We use Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and knockin and knockout murine models, to demonstrate that patient mutations in TOP2B have a dominant negative effect on enzyme function, resulting in defective proliferation, survival of B-2 cells, causing a block in B cell development, and impair humoral function in response to immunization

Can Modal Skepticism Defeat Humean Skepticism?

My topic is moderate modal skepticism in the spirit of Peter van Inwagen. Here understood, this is a conservative version of modal empiricism that severely limits the extent to which an ordinary agent can reasonably believe “exotic” possibility claims. I offer a novel argument in support of this brand of skepticism: modal skepticism grounds an attractive (and novel) reply to Humean skepticism. Thus, I propose that modal skepticism be accepted on the basis of its theoretical utility as a tool for dissolving philosophical paradox

Monetary and fiscal policies for a finite planet

Current macroeconomic policy promotes continuous economic growth. Unemployment, poverty and debt are associated with insufficient growth. Economic activity depends upon the transformation of natural materials, ultimately returning to the environment as waste. Current levels of economic throughput exceed the planet\u27s carrying capacity. As a result of poorly constructed economic institutions, society faces the unacceptable choice between ecological catastrophe and human misery. A transition to a steady-state economy is required, characterized by a rate of throughput compatible with planetary boundaries. This paper contributes to the development of a steady-state economy by addressing US monetary and fiscal policies. A steady-state monetary policy would support counter-cyclical, debt-free vertical money creation through the public sector, in ways that contribute to sustainable well-being. The implication for a steady-state fiscal policy is that any lending or spending requires a careful balance of recovery of money, not as a means of revenue, but as an economic imperative to meet monetary policy goals. A steady-state fiscal policy would prioritize targeted public goods investments, taxation of ecological bads and economic rent and implementation of progressive tax structures. Institutional innovations are considered, including common asset trusts, to regulate throughput, and a public monetary trust, to strictly regulate money supply

Looking for weak ties: using a mixed methods approach to capture elusive connections

Since Granovetter's path breaking work in the 1970s, there has been much discussion about the relevance of weak ties in finding new jobs and generally getting ahead in society. Subsequent research has found evidence to both support and challenge his original theory. However, concerns have also been expressed about the meaning of this concept. What exactly are ‘weak ties’, how are they created and what resources flow through them? In my previous work, I have distinguished between horizontal and vertical ties and the relationships and resources available within them. This paper goes further; drawing on new, mixed methods research with Polish migrants, I explore what types of social ties are useful in contexts of deskilling and finding jobs commensurate with qualifications. Interrogating the concept of ‘weak ties’, I argue that tie strength and ethnic composition are less important than relative social distance and willingness to share valuable resources. I propose that ‘strong ties’ can also act as vertical bridges (or ladders), while ties which are too ‘weak’ may lack necessary trust to share latent resources. I consider the importance of a temporal perspective to explore the dynamism and life cycle of ties over time – as some lapse while others strengthen

The multi-layered nature of the internet-based democratization of brand management

The evolution of the internet, including developments such as Web 2.0, has led to new relationship realities between organizations and their stakeholders. One manifestation of these complex new realities has been the emergence of an internet-based democratization of brand management. Research about this phenomenon has so far mainly focused on investigating just one or more individual themes and thereby disregarded the inherent multi-layered nature of the internet-based democratization of brand management as a holistic, socio-technological phenomenon. The aim of this paper is to address this limitation through an investigation of the various socio-technological democratization developments of the phenomenon. To achieve this aim, a balanced and stakeholder-oriented perspective on brand management has been adopted to conduct an integrative literature review. The review reveals three key developments, which together form the essential parts of the phenomenon: (I) the democratization of internet technology, (II) the democratization of information, and (III) the democratization of social capital. The insights gained help to clarify the basic structures of the multi-layered phenomenon. The findings contribute also to the substantiation of a call for a new brand management paradigm: one that takes not only company-initiated but also stakeholder-initiated brand management activities into accoun

Negotiating employability: migrant capitals and networking strategies for Zimbabwean highly skilled migrants in the UK

In this paper we focus on highly skilled migration from Zimbabwe to the UK, exploring these migrants’ social capital sources/structures and content. In doing so we pay attention to routes of migration and how they shape migrants’ networking capabilities and patterns. We further take a Bourdieusian perspective and explore the intersection between social capital and cultural capital in the process of migrants’ negotiation of employment opportunities, giving closer attention to how the distinctive habitus associated with being highly skilled migrants from Zimbabwe shape migrants’ attitudes towards work. By exploring the interplay between external processes and internalised structures, we bring to the fore the multiple positioning of our participants, who we see not as simply depending on social networks, but as complex actors whose negotiation of employability in the UK is shaped by various factors including intersecting aspects of differentiation