Dopamine Modulation of Emotional Learning in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Dopamine (DA) transmission plays a critical role in the processing of emotionally salient information and in associative learning and memory processes. Within the mammalian brain, neurons within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are involved critically in the encoding, expression, and extinction of emotionally salient learned information. Within the mPFC, DAergic transmission is involved importantly in controlling attention related and motivational processes, particularly within the context of emotionally salient sensory information. Considerable evidence suggests differential roles for DA D1-like versus D2-like receptors, including the D4-receptor subtype, in the regulation of neuronal activity and emotional processing within the mPFC. Using behavioural models of emotional learning and memory in rats, including olfactory fear-conditioning and conditioned place preference assays, we compared the roles of DA D1-receptor versus D4-receptor activation during the encoding and recall phases of emotional learning and memory. We report that specific activation of DA D4-receptors within the mPFC strongly potentiates the salience of normally nonsalient emotional associative fear memories and blocks the encoding of suprathreshold conditioned fear associations and has no effect on memory recall. In addition, the bidirectional effect demonstrated by D4-receptor activation in the mPFC depends upon downstream signaling via CaMKII, cyclic-AMP/PKA, and PP1 substrates In contrast, intra-mPFC D1-receptor activation failed to increase the emotional salience of subthreshold fear stimuli but completely blocked the expression of previously learned aversive and rewarding memories. Interestingly, both intra-PLC D1-receptor mediated block of either fear-related or reward-related associative memories were dependent upon downstream cAMP signaling as both effects were rescued by co-administration of a cAMP inhibitor. Taken together these results demonstrate that DA D4 versus D1 subtype receptor transmission within the mPFC plays distinct functional roles in the processing of emotionally salient versus nonsalient associative information and differentially modulates the encoding versus recall phases of emotional memory within the mPFC through distinct molecular signaling pathways. A clearer understanding of the specific roles of DA D1 and D4 receptor transmission during emotional learning and memory may help elucidate how abnormalities in the mPFC neural circuitry may lead to aberrant associative learning and memory processes in disorders such as schizophrenia, drug addiction, PTSD and ADHD

Core Values of a Benedictine Education

The purpose of this study is to examine a High School Student Handbook of an all-girls Benedictine school to determine its degree of alignment with the Rule of St. Benedict (RB). Christ is the foundation of the existence of a Catholic and Benedictine education. Saint Benedict wrote a rule about a way of seeking God and following Christ in the “school for the Lord’s service.” Using the RB as a guide, Benedictine education can be understood as the formation of the whole person towards a transformation into the image of Christ. The first phase of the study involved the gathering of information on how the RB shaped the formulation of the student handbook by the administrators and members of the Student Handbook Committee. Likewise, Benedictine Sisters/Nuns who are formators and/or educators shared the chapters of the RB that are relevant to the implementation of a student handbook for the formation and discipline of high school students. The second phase was an examination of the RB, commentaries, studies, articles and reflections on the RB and literature on Benedictine Education and its characteristics and hallmarks, to create a Core Values of Benedictine Education Framework. The core values of a Benedictine Education rooted in the Rule of St. Benedict are (a) Christ-centeredness, (b) silence and restraint of speech, (c) listening, (d) humility, (e) obedience, (f) discretion, (g) stability, (h) community, (i) prayer, study and work, (j) discipline and order, (k) stewardship, (l) hospitality, (m) service, (n) justice, and (o) peace. The Student Handbook was then analyzed against the Core Values Framework and the look for criteria for each core value. Examples of items or guidelines that were strongly and/or weakly aligned to the core value were identified. Gaps were also identified in the Handbook where values should have been discussed but were not. Following these illustrative examples, the analysis concludes with an example of how a value can be used to improve a section of the Handbook to make the Handbook more formative for students. The responses of the administrators and members of the committee explicitly showed the “living out” of certain Benedictine values in their activities related to the student handbook. One of the significant revisions of the Handbook is the inclusion of the CARE discipline system. The Benedictine Sisters/Nuns emphasized the need for authority and structure and replied that the goal in disciplining students is healing, compassion and keeping the student who erred in community. However, the goal is to make the entire Student Handbook a living example of the RB; to have a Student Handbook that authentically and intentionally transforms the core values of a Benedictine education into action and then be an integral part of the holistic formation of students

Developments in Time-Frequency Analysis of Biomedical Signals and Images Using a Generalized Fourier Synthesis

Non

Abstracts of papers submitted in 1980 for publication : Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

This Summary of Abstracts contains all abstracts submitted for publication during calendar year 1980 by the staff and students of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Storing self-contained gel capillary cassettes for POC medical diagnostics

For effective clinical uptake of the lab on a chip/point of care technology (LOC-POC), in addition to cost advantages LOC-POC devices should offer multiple patient screening panels for related diseases as well as cold-chain transportation and storage abilities. We recently described a device that performs polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to simultaneously screen raw clinical samples from up to 16 patients for multiple infectious agents (Manage et al., Lab Chip, 2013, 13, 2576–2584). This cassette contains glass capillaries with desiccated semi-solid acrylamide gels that include all the reagents except for the sample, with integrated quality control. Here we report the development of protocols to store assembled PCR cassettes at room temperature, 4 uC or 220 uC as well as at +40 uC. We show that our cassettes are stable, with no loss of activity for at least 3 months at RT and at least 7 months at 4 uC and 220 uC. However, the activity of desiccated cassettes degrades when stored for more than 2 weeks at 40 uC, insufficient time for postmanufacture delivery and use of cassette PCR. To address this, we have evaluated two stage storage protocols. PCR cassettes can initially be stored at 4 uC and 220 uC for prolonged periods of time and removed for shorter term storage at RT, retaining activity for at least a month, which would facilitate transport to remote areas for testing. Effective use of cassette PCR in high temperature regions of the world, for experimental purposes defined here as 40 uC, appears to be feasible only after a first stage storage in the cold, followed by no more than 1 week at 40 uC. This should allow sufficient time for delivery by the manufacturer to a central area well served by power and refrigeration, for later ambient temperature transport and use in under-resourced areas that lack refrigeration

Ablation of smooth muscle myosin heavy chain SM2 increases smooth muscle contractility and results in postnatal death in mice

The smooth muscle myosin heavy chains (SMHC) are motor proteins powering smooth muscle contraction. Alternate splicing of SHMC gene at the C-terminus produces SM1, and SM2 myosin isoforms; SM2 (200 kDa) contains a unique 9-amino-acid sequence at the carboxyl terminus, whereas SM1 (204 kDa) has a 43 amino acid non-helical tail region. To date the functional difference between C-terminal isoforms has not been established; therefore, we used an exon-specific gene targeting strategy and generated a mouse model specifically deficient in SM2. Deletion of exon-41 of the SMHC gene resulted in a complete loss of SM2 in homozygous (_SM2^-/-^_) mice, accompanied by a concomitant down-regulation of SM1 in bladders. While heterozygous (_SM2^+/-^_) mice appeared normal and fertile, _SM2^-/-^_ mice died within 30 days after birth. The peri-mortal _SM2^-/-^_ mice showed reduced body weight, distention of the bladder and alimentary tract, and end-stage hydronephrosis. Interestingly, strips from _SM2^-/-^_ bladders showed increased contraction to K^+^ depolarization or M3 receptor activation. These results suggest that SM2 myosin has a distinct functional role in smooth muscle, and the deficiency of SM2 increases smooth muscle contractility, and causes dysfunctions of smooth muscle organs, including the bladder that leads to the end-stage hydronephrosis and postnatal death

DETERMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS OF TEACHERS IN A LOCAL COLLEGE

Using the quantitative research method, the effectiveness of professional trainings that have been undertaken by teachers as well as the impact on teachers’ teaching practices were determined. It likewise explored whether teachers’ assessment scores were significantly associated with their profile characteristics. The common professional trainings undertaken include in-service trainings (100%), education conferences (97.1%), informal dialogue with colleagues (97.1%), and individual or group research (91.2%). Of all the professional training activities, only getting involved with teachers on how to improve teaching practice was assessed to be highly effective in developing their competence, knowledge, and expertise. However, benchmarking visits to other colleges or universities and faculty participation in a professional organization that are helpful to their teaching profession was determined to be only moderately effective. The respondents reported significant improvements in their teaching practices in connection with content and pedagogy, diversity of learners, community linkages, and professional engagement. A positive relationship was found between the variable age and respondents’ assessment scores on benchmarking visits to other colleges or universities and individual or group research on the field of interest. However, a negative relationship exists between respondents’ highest educational attainment and assessment scores on professional links with colleagues such as mentoring, and coaching among others as part of the institutional policy. Thus, a teacher’s training that encourages collaboration and sharing of knowledge should be promoted.  Article visualizations

Development of a framework for reporting health service models for managing rheumatoid arthritis

The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for reporting health service models for managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We conducted a search of the health sciences literature for primary studies that described interventions which aimed to improve the implementation of health services in adults with RA. Thereafter, a nominal group consensus process was used to synthesize the evidence for the development of the reporting framework. Of the 2,033 citations screened, 68 primary studies were included which described 93 health service models for RA. The origin and meaning of the labels given to these health service delivery models varied widely and, in general, the reporting of their components lacked detail or was absent. The six dimensions underlying the framework for reporting RA health service delivery models are: (1) Why was it founded? (2) Who was involved? (3) What were the roles of those participating? (4) When were the services provided? (5) Where were the services provided/received? (6) How were the services/interventions accessed and implemented, how long was the intervention, how did individuals involved communicate, and how was the model supported/sustained? The proposed framework has the potential to facilitate knowledge exchange among clinicians, researchers, and decision makers in the area of health service delivery. Future work includes the validation of the framework with national and international stakeholders such as clinicians, health care administrators, and health services researchers

Home and Work Physical Activity Environments: Associations with Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Physical Activity Level in French Women

The influence of the physical activity environment in the home and at work on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and objectively-measured physical activity has not been extensively studied. We recruited 147 women with a (mean ± SD) age of 54 ± 7 years and without evidence of chronic disease. The physical activity environment was assessed by self-report (Assessing Levels of PHysical Activity or ALPHA questionnaire), CRF using a submaximal step test, usual physical activity using combined heart rate and accelerometry, as well as by a validated questionnaire (Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire). Summary scores of the home environment and the work environment derived from the ALPHA questionnaire were positively correlated with CRF after adjustment for age ($r$ = 0.18, $p$ = 0.03 and $r$ = 0.28, $p$ < 0.01, respectively). Women owning a bicycle or having a garden (which may prompt physical activity) had higher CRF; those with a bicycle at home also had a higher physical activity energy expenditure. Similarly, women who had access to fitness equipment at work had higher CRF. In conclusion, these results provide new insights into potential environmental influences on physical capacity and physical activity that could inform the design of physical activity promotion strategies.European Union (Integrated Project LSHM-CT-2006-037197 in the Framework Programme 6 of the European Community), Medical Research Council (Grant ID: MC_UU_12015/3

Complete Sequence, Analysis and Organization of the Orgyia leucostigma Nucleopolyhedrovirus Genome

The complete genome of the Orgyia leucostigma nucleopolyhedrovirus (OrleNPV) isolated from the whitemarked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma, Lymantridae: Lepidoptera) was sequenced, analyzed, and compared to other baculovirus genomes. The size of the OrleNPV genome was 156,179 base pairs (bp) and had a G+C content of 39%. The genome encoded 135 putative open reading frames (ORFs), which occupied 79% of the entire genome sequence. Three inhibitor of apoptosis (ORFs 16, 43 and 63), and five baculovirus repeated ORFs (bro-a through bro-e) were interspersed in the OrleNPV genome. In addition to six direct repeat (drs), a common feature shared among most baculoviruses, OrleNPV genome contained three homologous regions (hrs) that are located in the latter half of the genome. The presence of an F-protein homologue and the results from phylogenetic analyses placed OrleNPV in the genus Alphabaculovirus, group II. Overall, OrleNPV appears to be most closely related to group II alphabaculoviruses Ectropis obliqua (EcobNPV), Apocheima cinerarium (ApciNPV), Euproctis pseudoconspersa (EupsNPV), and Clanis bilineata (ClbiNPV)