The fox Operon from Rhodobacter Strain SW2 Promotes Phototrophic Fe(II) Oxidation in Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003

Anoxygenic photosynthesis based on Fe(II) is thought to be one of the most ancient forms of metabolism and is hypothesized to represent a transition step in the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis. However, little is known about the molecular basis of this process because, until recently (Y. Jiao and D. K. Newman, J. Bacteriol. 189:1765-1773, 2007), most phototrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria have been genetically intractable. In this study, we circumvented this problem by taking a heterologous-complementation approach to identify a three-gene operon (the foxEYZ operon) from Rhodobacter sp. strain SW2 that confers enhanced light-dependent Fe(II) oxidation activity when expressed in its genetically tractable relative Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003. The first gene in this operon, foxE, encodes a c-type cytochrome with no significant similarity to other known proteins. Expression of foxE alone confers significant light-dependent Fe(II) oxidation activity on SB1003, but maximal activity is achieved when foxE is expressed with the two downstream genes foxY and foxZ. In SW2, the foxE and foxY genes are cotranscribed in the presence of Fe(II) and/or hydrogen, with foxZ being transcribed only in the presence of Fe(II). Sequence analysis predicts that foxY encodes a protein containing the redox cofactor pyrroloquinoline quinone and that foxZ encodes a protein with a transport function. Future biochemical studies will permit the localization and function of the Fox proteins in SW2 to be determined

Educational Psychologists’ Work with 19-25 Year Olds: Going from the Known to the Unknown.

This research explores the views of three Educational Psychologists (EPs) who have worked with 19-25 year olds, three staff who have worked with EPs around 19-25 year olds, and three young people (YP) who worked with an EP when they were aged 19-25 years old, to consider how EPs currently work with this group, and how they can work effectively with this age group in the future. Individual, semi-structured interviews were used alongside the Grid Elaboration Method to elicit participants’ views on this topic. Interview transcripts were then analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six stages of thematic analysis to identify themes across the data. These themes were analysed and discussed within and across the participant groups. Six main themes were found: EP Input; Experiences/Views of EP/19-25 Input; Other Stakeholders/Partners; Challenges/Barriers; Journey to Adulthood; Personal Qualities/Reflections; and Areas for Expansion. Some subthemes were consistent across groups, whereas others varied. The findings suggest that there are several options for EPs looking to expand their work in this area, including with: YP directly; parents; courts and tribunals; residential, further and higher education provisions. EPs may wish to embark upon further training to build confidence in this area; governing bodies and doctoral courses may also wish to consider how they promote EPs working in this area. It appears that EPs, staff and YP would all value further EP input with this age group, which could be enacted through forming service level agreements with a range of provisions that work with 19-25 year olds, and having named link EPs. This could support EPs, provisions and YP to contract a broader range of work to best support YP to access learning and transition to adulthood

Of Scribes and Scripts: Citizen Science and the Cairo Genizah

In August 2017, the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, in partnership with the Princeton Geniza Project, the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University, and the Zooniverse, began the first phase of a larger project to attempt to sort and transcribe Cairo Geniza fragments, entitled “Scribes of the Cairo Geniza.” This article describes the first phase of the projects and its results

Episodic versus Continuous Care in Outpatient Pediatric Clinics

UW Medicine Valley Medical Center, Children’s Therapy (VMC-CT) has experienced difficulties with consistent service delivery schedules for their clients. Long waitlists, absences, and scheduling and insurance constraints have impeded client ability to receive standard, continuous therapy. Thus, this critically appraised topic (CAT) paper addresses a research question developed in conjunction with Kari Tanta, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, the Rehabilitation Manager at VMC-CT, to understand the most effective methods of service delivery: episodic therapy (i.e. high frequency over a short duration) or continuous therapy (i.e., low frequency over a longer duration). The following research question was developed: Is episodic pediatric care as effective as continuous care for children (birth to 21 years old) with orthopedic conditions or developmental delays? From a review of twenty articles and one master\u27s thesis, it appears that this modest amount of evidence (most from children with cerebral palsy) is inconclusive regarding which service delivery model is more effective. Thus, therapists can feel confident that scheduling treatment around reasonable real-world constraints will still provide no less effective care for their clients. Due to increased clinician concern regarding scheduling issues, Dr. Tanta felt that two knowledge translation activities would be appropriate: a concise handout outlining our CAT findings for use at a staff in-service, and a case study article from VMC-CT, combined with our CAT evidence, for dissemination to the greater clinician community. As a means of assessing the impact of this article, we will track how many times the article is accessed. Based on the results of this CAT paper, it is clear that future research should focus on a broader array of diagnoses, and clinics should seek to track outcomes after changes in service delivery

Challenges Accessing Physical Activity from a Transgender Perspective: A Systematic Review

© 2023 The British Psychological Society. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.53841/bpssepr.2022.17.2.19The gender-diverse community faces numerous barriers that make physical activity difficult to access, meaning they are less physically active than their cisgender counterparts, compounding the existing health and wellbeing inequalities experienced by this group. The current study conducted a systematic review of sporadic literature relating to trans, non-binary and intersex people’s experience of physical activity with the aim of understanding how individuals negotiate and experience physical activity environments. A systematic searching of 8 databases and screening highlighted 30 academic papers for review. A narrative synthesis of the experiences of trans, non-binary and intersex individuals formed a three-layer model of influence. The first layer encapsulated the systemic and systemic influences such as transphobia and trans-moral panic. The second layer included external influences such as others’ behaviour, gendered spaces and exclusionary policies. The third layer was made up of internal influences such as internalised transphobia and gender concealment. The focus on fitting gender non-conforming individuals into a binary system through gendered spaces, pressures to switch teams and provide ‘proof’ of gender conformity set a dangerous precedent of the physical activity space as an unwelcoming and unsafe place for those who do not conform to the gender binary. If there should be a hope to address the health inequalities faced by the trans, non-binary and intersex community, the focus must move away from conformity and the debate of ‘fairness’ towards true inclusion and creating an environment where gender minorities can feel safe to engage with physical activity.Peer reviewe

BETWIXT: Temporality and Comfort

I push against traditions of ceramics by purposefully inviting breakage within my work. Destruction expresses fragility, temporality, and impermanence. I consider themes of frugality, familial relations, collections and nostalgia through my investigations of clay, steel, and glass

Understanding and characterizing nestedness in mutualistic bipartite networks

In this work we present a dynamical model that succesfully describes the organization of mutualistic ecological systems. The main characteristic of these systems is the nested structure of the bipartite adjacency matrix describing their interactions. We introduce a nestedness coefficient, as an alternative to the Atmar and Patterson temperature, commonly used to measure the nestedness degree of the network. This coefficient has the advantage of being based on the robustness of the ecological system and it is not only describing the ordering of the bipartite matrix but it is also able to tell the difference, if any, between the degree of organization of each guild.Comment: oral talk in Computer Physics Conference CCP2008, Brazi

Evaluation of a Community-Based Falls Prevention Program in South Florida, 2008-2009

Introduction Many older adults experience fear of falling, which may reduce participation in routine activities. A Matter of Balance (MOB) and Un Asunto de Equilibrio (ADE) workshops were offered in South Florida to reduce fear of falling and increase activity levels in older adults. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of the lay leader model of the programs in the first year of their implementation and to further report on participant outcome measures. Methods We analyzed reach, adoption, and implementation data for participants who attended workshops between October 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, who were aged 60 years or older, and who had both baseline and posttest outcome data. Workshops were in English and Spanish and consisted of 8 two-hour sessions. Participants completed a 7-item baseline and posttest questionnaire that consisted of a falls management scale, a social activity item, and modified version of Physician-Based Assessment and Counseling on Exercise. We analyzed outcome data on multiple characteristics using a general linear model. A class evaluation questionnaire measured participant satisfaction. Results Results for 562 participants who provided both baseline and posttest data showed significant improvement on 6 of 7 questions for MOB and all questions for ADE (P \u3c .001). The 391 participants who provided evaluation data indicated that the programs were effective, beneficial, and well organized. Conclusion Lay leaders successfully implemented the programs in community settings. The programs were effective in reducing fear of falling among older adults

Do Prices Determine Vertical Integration?

What is the relationship between product prices and vertical integration? While the literature has focused on how integration affects prices, this paper provides evidence that prices can affect integration. Many theories in organizational economics and industrial organization posit that integration, while costly, increases productivity. It follows from firms' maximizing behavior that higher prices induce more integration. The reason is that at low prices, increases in revenue resulting from enhanced productivity are too small to justify the cost, whereas at high prices the revenue benefit exceeds the cost. Trade policy provides a source of exogenous price variation to assess the validity of this prediction: higher tariffs should lead to higher prices and therefore to more integration. We construct firm-level indices of vertical integration for a large set of countries and industries and exploit cross-section and time-series variation in import tariffs to examine their impact on firm boundaries. Our empirical results provide strong support for the view that output prices are a key determinant of vertical integration.