The significant impact of education, poverty, and race on Internet-based research participant engagement

PURPOSE: Internet-based technologies are increasingly being used for research studies. However, it is not known whether Internet-based approaches will effectively engage participants from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. METHODS: A total of 967 participants were recruited and offered genetic ancestry results. We evaluated viewing Internet-based genetic ancestry results among participants who expressed high interest in obtaining the results. RESULTS: Of the participants, 64% stated that they were very or extremely interested in their genetic ancestry results. Among interested participants, individuals with a high school diploma (n = 473) viewed their results 19% of the time relative to 4% of the 145 participants without a diploma (P < 0.0001). Similarly, 22% of participants with household income above the federal poverty level (n = 286) viewed their results relative to 10% of the 314 participants living below the federal poverty level (P < 0.0001). Among interested participants both with a high school degree and living above the poverty level, self-identified Caucasians were more likely to view results than self-identified African Americans (P < 0.0001), and females were more likely to view results than males (P = 0.0007). CONCLUSION: In an underserved population, engagement in Internet-based research was low despite high reported interest. This suggests that explicit strategies should be developed to increase diversity in Internet-based research. Genet Med 19 2, 240–243

Collective Identity and Voice at the Australian Citizens' Parliament

This paper examines the role of collective identity and collective voice in political life. We argue that persons have an underlying predisposition to use collective dimensions, such as common identities and a public voice, in thinking and expressing themselves politically. This collective orientation, however, can be either fostered or weakened by citizens’ political experiences. Although the collective level is an important dimension in contemporary politics, conventional democratic practices do not foster it. Deliberative democracy is suggested as an environment that might allow more ground for citizens to express themselves not only in individual but also in collective terms. We examine this theoretical perspective through a case study of the Australian Citizens’ Parliament, in which transcripts are analyzed to determine the extent to which collective identities and common voice surfaced in actual discourse. We analyze the dynamics involved in the advent of collective dimensions in the deliberative process and highlight the factors—deliberation, nature of the discussion, and exceptional opportunity—that potentially facilitated the rise of group identities and common voice. In spite of the strong individualistic character of the Australian cultural identity, we nonetheless found evidence of collective identity and voice at the Citizens’ Parliament, expressed in terms of national, state, and community levels. In the conclusion, we discuss the implications of those findings for future research and practice of public deliberation

Sharing the Same Political Ideology Yet Endorsing Different Values: Left- and Right-Wing Political Supporters Are More Heterogeneous Than Moderates

Members of extreme political groups are usually perceived as more homogeneous than moderates. We investigated whether members of the general public who share the same political ideology would exhibit different levels of heterogeneity in terms of human values across 20 European countries and Israel. We directly compared the variability across moderate-, left-, and right-wing groups. Our findings suggest that the values of more extreme (left-wing or right-wing) supporters are usually more heterogeneous than those with more moderate views. We replicated this finding for politics-related variables such as attitudes toward immigrants and trust in (inter)national institutions. We also found that country-level variables (income, religiosity, and parasite stress level) did not moderate the pattern of value variability. Overall, our results suggest that endorsing the same political ideology is not necessarily associated with sharing the same values, especially in the case of common citizens holding extreme political attitudes

Sled-Pull Training Protocol Increases Critical Speed in Female Collegiate Soccer Players

Critical speed (CS) is the speed one can sustain while maintaining blood lactate, phosphocreatine, and oxygen uptake levels. “Distance capacity beyond CS” (D’) is the reserve an athlete can draw from to run faster than their CS. By increasing CS and D’, athletes can sustain a faster threshold pace (CS) and have a greater sprint capacity (D’). Unlike distance traveled and speed, which do not reflect the metabolic strain of an exercise, CS and D’ assess the relative intensity of an activity to provide individualized inter- and intra-competition insight. PURPOSE: This investigation evaluated CS and D’ among men and women Division I collegiate soccer players for the first time and assessed the efficacy of a 12-week sled-pulling program intended to improve their CS profiles. METHODS: Using a 3-minute all-out 25-meter shuttle run, the speed of the first 150s (S’150), CS, and D’ of 23 men (20.22 ± 1.53 years, 168.28 ± 51.17 cm, 73.44 ± 23.46 kg) and 17 women (19.58 ± 1.02 years, 167.07 ± 3.81 cm, 62.46 ± 8.41 kg) was assessed before and after the training protocol. Video analysis was used to track displacement over time. RESULTS: The training program increased the S’150 of men by 3.58% (3.66 ±0.19 vs 3.77 ± 0.17 m/s, pCONCLUSION: Sled-pull training improved the CS profile of both men and women. Additional research is necessary to determine how improvements in S’150 and CS translate to better performance in competition

How do diversity and functional nestedness of bird communities respond to changes in the landscape caused by eucalyptus plantations?

Studies of functional diversity can help to understand processes that determine the presence of species in different habitats. Measurement of functional diversity in silviculture areas is important because different functional traits can show different responses to this landscape alteration, and therefore ecological functions can be affected. This study evaluated functional and taxonomic differences in bird assemblages in a native forest and eucalyptus plantations, and also assessed the functional nestedness of the bird species. We censused birds in eucalyptus plantations of four different ages, and also in a native forest. The results showed higher functional and taxonomic diversity of birds in the native forest than in plantations and higher similarity of functional traits between plantations of different ages. The high functional diversity in the native forest indicates a greater variety of functional traits, resulting in greater functional complementarity than in plantations. The association of some traits with the native forest, such as nectarivory and foraging in air, indicates the importance of native habitats in maintaining species and functions related to such traits. Already, species traits in eucalyptus plantations represent a subset of those that were recorded in the native forest, indicating that some functions are maintained in plantations. Our results demonstrate that the species occurrence in the plantations and native forest is determined by species traits. Thus, the maintenance of some functions in plantations is provided, although there is a higher functional diversity in native forest

Preventing P-gp Ubiquitination Lowers Aβ Brain Levels in an Alzheimer\u27s Disease Mouse Model

One characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is excessive accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain. Aβ brain accumulation is, in part, due to a reduction in Aβ clearance from the brain across the blood-brain barrier. One key element that contributes to Ab brain clearance is P-glycoprotein (P-gp) that transports Aβ from brain to blood. In AD, P-gp protein expression and transport activity levels are significantly reduced, which impairs Aβ brain clearance. The mechanism responsible for reduced P-gp expression and activity levels is poorly understood. We recently demonstrated that Aβ40 triggers P-gp degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Consistent with these data, we show here that ubiquitinated P-gp levels in brain capillaries isolated from brain samples of AD patients are increased compared to capillaries isolated from brain tissue of cognitive normal individuals. We extended this line of research to in vivo studies using transgenic human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP)-overexpressing mice (Tg2576) that were treated with PYR41, a cell-permeable, irreversible inhibitor of the ubiquitinactivating enzyme E1. Our data show that inhibiting P-gp ubiquitination protects the transporter from degradation, and immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that PYR41 prevented P-gp ubiquitination. We further found that PYR41 treatment prevented reduction of P-gp protein expression and transport activity levels and substantially lowered Aβ brain levels in hAPP mice. Together, our findings provide in vivo proof that the ubiquitin-proteasome system mediates reduction of blood-brain barrier P-gp in AD and that inhibiting P-gp ubiquitination prevents P-gp degradation and lowers Aβ brain levels. Thus, targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome system may provide a novel therapeutic approach to protect blood-brain barrier P-gp from degradation in AD and other Aβ-based pathologies

Research Report No. 22, A Computer Program in Basic for Estimating Yield of East Texas Pine Plantations

A computer program for estimating per acre yield for lob lolly and slash pine plantations in East Texas ls presented. The program, DIADISD.BAS, ls written in BASIC and is designed to run on IBM (and compatible) PC computers. An option in DIADISD.BAS allows the user to impose mortality rates on the pine plantations for both fusiform rust infected tree stems Md disease-free stems

Protecting P-Glycoprotein at the Blood-Brain Barrier from Degradation in an Alzheimer\u27s Disease Mouse Model

BACKGROUND: Failure to clear Aβ from the brain is partly responsible for Aβ brain accumulation in Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). A critical protein for clearing Aβ across the blood-brain barrier is the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp). In AD, P-gp levels are reduced, which contributes to impaired Aβ brain clearance. However, the mechanism responsible for decreased P-gp levels is poorly understood and there are no strategies available to protect P-gp. We previously demonstrated in isolated brain capillaries ex vivo that human Aβ40 (hAβ40) triggers P-gp degradation by activating the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. In this pathway, hAβ40 initiates P-gp ubiquitination, leading to internalization and proteasomal degradation of P-gp, which then results in decreased P-gp protein expression and transport activity levels. Here, we extend this line of research and present results from an in vivo study using a transgenic mouse model of AD (human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP)-overexpressing mice; Tg2576). METHODS: In our study, hAPP mice were treated with vehicle, nocodazole (NCZ, microtubule inhibitor to block P-gp internalization), or a combination of NCZ and the P-gp inhibitor cyclosporin A (CSA). We determined P-gp protein expression and transport activity levels in isolated mouse brain capillaries and Aβ levels in plasma and brain tissue. RESULTS: Treating hAPP mice with 5 mg/kg NCZ for 14 days increased P-gp levels to levels found in WT mice. Consistent with this, P-gp-mediated hAβ42 transport in brain capillaries was increased in NCZ-treated hAPP mice compared to untreated hAPP mice. Importantly, NCZ treatment significantly lowered hAβ40 and hAβ42 brain levels in hAPP mice, whereas hAβ40 and hAβ42 levels in plasma remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide in vivo evidence that microtubule inhibition maintains P-gp protein expression and transport activity levels, which in turn helps to lower hAβ brain levels in hAPP mice. Thus, protecting P-gp at the blood-brain barrier may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for AD and other Aβ-based pathologies

Mechanical Mixing of Garnet Peridotite and Pyroxenite in the Orogenic Peridotite Lenses of the Tvaerdal Complex, Liverpool Land, Greenland Caledonides

The Tvaerdal Complex is an eclogite-bearing metamorphic terrane in Liverpool Land at the southern tip of the Greenland Caledonides. It is a Baltic terrane that was transferred to Laurentia during the Scandian orogeny. It exposes a few small garnet dunite and harzburgite lenses, some containing parallel layers of garnet pyroxenite and peridotite (including lherzolite). Sm–Nd mineral ages from the pyroxenites indicate recrystallization occurred at the same time (≈405 Ma) as eclogite recrystallization in the enclosing gneiss. Geothermobarometry indicates these eclogites and pyroxenites shared a similar pressure-temperature history. This congruent evolution suggests pyroxenite-bearing peridotite lenses were introduced from a mantle wedge into subducted Baltic continental crust and subsequently shared a common history with this crust and its eclogites during the Scandian orogeny. Some garnet peridotite samples contain two garnet populations: one Cr-rich (3·5–6·2 wt % Cr2O3) and the other Cr-poor (0·2–1·4 wt %). Sm–Nd analyses of two such garnet peridotites define two sets of apparent ages: one older (>800 Ma) for Cr-rich garnets and the other younger (<650 Ma) for Cr-poor garnets. We propose that the younger Cr-poor garnets were derived from fractured and disaggregated garnet pyroxenite layers (i.e. are M2) and were mixed mechanically with older (i.e. M1) garnets of the host peridotite during intense Scandian shearing. Mechanical mixing may be an important mantle process