A splice variant in KRT71 is associated with curly coat phenotype of Selkirk Rex cats.

One of the salient features of the domestic cat is the aesthetics of its fur. The Selkirk Rex breed is defined by an autosomal dominant woolly rexoid hair (ADWH) abnormality that is characterized by tightly curled hair shafts. A genome-wide case - control association study was conducted using 9 curly coated Selkirk Rex and 29 controls, including straight-coated Selkirk Rex, British Shorthair and Persian, to localize the Selkirk autosomal dominant rexoid locus (SADRE). Although the control cats were from different breed lineages, they share recent breeding histories and were validated as controls by Bayesian clustering, multi-dimensional scaling and genomic inflation. A significant association was found on cat chromosome B4 (Praw = 2.87 × 10(-11)), and a unique haplotype spanning ~600 Kb was found in all the curly coated cats. Direct sequencing of four candidate genes revealed a splice site variant within the KRT71 gene associated with the hair abnormality in Selkirk Rex

Expression and function of the insulin receptor substrate proteins in cancer

The Insulin Receptor Substrate (IRS) proteins are cytoplasmic adaptor proteins that function as essential signaling intermediates downstream of activated cell surface receptors, many of which have been implicated in cancer. The IRS proteins do not contain any intrinsic kinase activity, but rather serve as scaffolds to organize signaling complexes and initiate intracellular signaling pathways. As common intermediates of multiple receptors that can influence tumor progression, the IRS proteins are positioned to play a pivotal role in regulating the response of tumor cells to many different microenvironmental stimuli. Limited studies on IRS expression in human tumors and studies on IRS function in human tumor cell lines and in mouse models have provided clues to the potential function of these adaptor proteins in human cancer. A general theme arises from these studies; IRS-1 and IRS-4 are most often associated with tumor growth and proliferation and IRS-2 is most often associated with tumor motility and invasion. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which IRS expression and function are regulated and how the IRS proteins contribute to tumor initiation and progression

Contrasts in sillimanite deformation in felsic tectonites from anhydrous granulite- and hydrous amphibolite-facies shear zones, western Canadian Shield

The deformation behavior of crustal materials in variably hydrated metamorphic environments can drastically alter the rheological and seismic properties of continental crust. The Athabasca granulite terrane in the western Canadian Shield exposes tectonized high-pressure granulite that is locally overprinted by crustal-scale amphibolite facies shear zones and thus, provides a natural laboratory for studying deep crustal deformation under variable metamorphic conditions. This study focuses on sillimanite deformation behavior in felsic tectonites from two general deformation settings. First, felsic tectonites with an anhydrous assemblage of Grt + Sil + Kfs + Pl + Qtz in the Cora Lake shear zone (CLsz) experienced sinistral shear under estimated conditions of 1.0 GPa, 800-900 °C. Optical observations and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analyses indicate that dislocation creep-accommodated subgrain-rotation on both (100)[001] and (010)[001] was the dominant dynamic recrystallization mechanism operating in sillimanite under these conditions. Locally, strain was apparently concentrated in surrounding weaker phases (quartz and feldspar) and intracrystalline deformation did not occur in sillimanite. New monazite geochronology suggests that high-strain in the CLsz occurred at c. 1.89 Ga. The deformation behavior of sillimanite is markedly different under hydrous conditions in the Grease River shear zone (GRsz). The GRsz is characterized by c. 1.80 Ga exhumation involving dextral synkinematic hydration and retrograde metamorphism at 0.4-0.5 GPa, 550- 650 °C. Dissolution-reprecipitation is the major dynamic recrystallization mechanism operating in sillimanite under these conditions. Synkinematic growth of foliation-parallel euhedral sillimanite is in a preferred orientation with [001] parallel to the shear direction and either (100) or (010) parallel to the foliation. One important conclusion of this study is that sillimanite [001] preferentially aligns parallel to the stretching lineation regardless of contrasts in the conditions and/or mechanisms of deformation, which has significant implications for crustal anisotropy

Bone Remodeling Monitor

The impact of bone loss due to different mechanical loadings in microgravity is a major concern for astronauts upon reintroduction to gravitational forces in exploration missions to the Moon and Mars. it has been shown that astronauts not only lose bone at differing rates, with levels up to 2% per month, but each astronaut will respond to bone loss treatments differently. Pre- and post-flight imaging techniques and frozen urine samples for post-flight laboratory immunoassays To develop a novel, non-invasive, highly . sensitive, portable, intuitive, and low-powered device to measure bone resorption levels in 'real time' to provide rapid and Individualized feedback to maximize the efficacy of bone loss countermeasures 1. Collect urine specimen and analyze the level of bone resorption marker, DPD (deoxypridinoline) excreted. 2. Antibodies specific to DPD conjugated with nanoshells and mixed with specimen, the change in absorbance from agglutination is measured by an optical device. 3. The concentration of DPD is displayed and recorded on a PD

I\u27ll Be Waiting For You

Woman standing by gate with sun setting overheadhttps://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/6462/thumbnail.jp

Investigating Improvements in Listening Using Levelled Shadowing Materials

The improvement of listening comprehension skills is often a challenging task for language teachers and learners. Over the years many methods have been developed to help learners and instructors alike. Recently, in Japan especially, shadowing is generally accepted as an effective and efficient means for developing learners’ listening skills. Many studies have reported learners’ listening competence advancing after being given short-term shadowing training. However, an exact method for implementing shadowing is still yet to be determined. Therefore, this study was conducted to further explore effective procedures to implement shadowing. Shadowing often uses "easy" material the learner can mimic repeatedly, but a study conducted at Akita University indicated using a combination of two levels of materials was more effective than just using materials of a similar difficulty level for students of the same intermediate level (Hamada, 2012). This study further explores those results, using a variation on the training materials. The purpose of the study was to determine if alternating two levels of materials showed similar improvement for students of varying levels. The results show that a combination of two different difficulties of materials improved learners of varying levels of proficiency listening comprehension skills

A Cross-Lagged Panel Model Examining Protective Behavioral Strategies: Are Types of Strategies Differentially Related to Alcohol Use and Consequences?

Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are skills that can be used to reduce the of risk alcohol-related negative consequences. Studies have shown that, in general, PBS are related to less alcohol consumption and fewer negative consequences; however, other studies have suggested that not all types of PBS (e.g., stopping/limiting drinking [SLD], manner of drinking [MOD] and serious harm reduction [SHR]) are equally effective at reducing alcohol risk. In addition, few studies have explored the longitudinal relationships among PBS, alcohol use and consequences. Using a sample of heavy drinking college students (N = 338), the current study examined PBS use, alcohol consumption and consequences across two time points three months apart. Cross-lagged panel models revealed that MOD predicted a reduction in alcohol use and negative consequences. SHR was longitudinally related to fewer negative consequences, but unrelated to alcohol use. SLD was not associated with drinking or consequences at follow-up. These results highlight the need for future research to examine the effects of different types of PBS and have implications for alcohol intervention programs that incorporate PBS skills training

Gender as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Preparty Motives and Event-Level Consequences

Prepartying is often associated with increased alcohol consumption and negative alcohol-related consequences among college students. General drinking motives are often only weakly related to preparty alcohol use, and few studies have examined the associations between preparty-specific drinking motives and alcohol-related consequences that occur during or after a preparty event. The current study utilizes event-level data to address this gap in the literature by examining the relationship between four types of preparty motives (prepartying to relax or loosen up, to increase control over alcohol use, to meet a dating partner, and to address concerns that alcohol may not be available later) and alcohol consequences as a function of gender. Participants (N = 952) reported on their most recent preparty event in the past month. After controlling for general drinking motives, all four preparty motives predicted greater event-level consequences for both males and females. Further, prepartying to increase control over alcohol consumed was associated with greater consequences for males as compared to females. The findings are consistent with research suggesting that preparty specific motives may further our understanding of prepartying outcomes over and above the use of general drinking motive measures

Diet and Macronutrient Optimization in Wild Ursids: Grizzly Bears Versus Black Bears

When fed ad libitum, ursids can maximize mass gain by selecting mixed diets wherein protein provides 17 ± 4% of digestible energy.  In the wild, this ability is likely constrained.  By visiting locations of 37 individuals during 274 bear-days, we documented foods consumed by grizzly (Ursus arctos) and black bears (Ursus americanus) in Grand Teton National Park during 2004–2006.  Based on published data, we estimated foods and macronutrients as percentages of daily energy intake.  Using principal components and cluster analyses, we identified 14 daily diet types.  Only 4 diets, accounting for 21% of days, provided optimal protein levels.  Nine diets (75% of days) led to over-consumption of protein, and 1 diet (3% of days) led to under-consumption.  Highest protein levels were associated with animal matter (i.e., insects, vertebrates), which accounted for 46–47% of daily energy for both species.  As predicted: 1) daily diets dominated by vertebrates were positively associated with grizzly bears and protein intake was positively associated with body mass; 2) diets dominated by fruits were positively associated with black bears; and 3) mean protein was highest during spring, when high-energy foods were scarce, however it was also higher than optimal during summer and fall.  Although optimal gain of body mass was constrained, bears opted for the energetically superior trade-off of consuming high-energy, high-protein foods.  Given protein digestion efficiency similar to obligate carnivores, this choice likely supported mass gain, consistent with studies showing monthly increases in percent body fat among bears in this region

Blunted neuroactive steroid and HPA axis responses to stress are associated with reduced sleep quality and negative affect in pregnancy: a pilot study

Anxiety during pregnancy has been linked to adverse maternal health outcomes, including postpartum depression (PPD). However, there has been limited study of biological mechanisms underlying behavioral predictors of PPD during pregnancy