Astrobites as a Community-led Model for Education, Science Communication, and Accessibility in Astrophysics

Support for early career astronomers who are just beginning to explore astronomy research is imperative to increase retention of diverse practitioners in the field. Since 2010, Astrobites has played an instrumental role in engaging members of the community -- particularly undergraduate and graduate students -- in research. In this white paper, the Astrobites collaboration outlines our multi-faceted online education platform that both eases the transition into astronomy research and promotes inclusive professional development opportunities. We additionally offer recommendations for how the astronomy community can reduce barriers to entry to astronomy research in the coming decade

Creating and Activating an Implementation Community to Drive HPV Vaccine Uptake in Texas: The Role of an NCI-Designated Cancer Center

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), defines its service population area as the State of Texas (29.1 M), the second most populous state in the country and the state with the greatest number of uninsured residents in the United States. Consistent with a novel and formal commitment to prevention as part of its core mission, alongside clear opportunities in Texas to drive vaccine uptake, MD Anderson assembled a transdisciplinary team to develop an institutional Framework to increase adolescent HPV vaccination and reduce HPV-related cancer burden. The Framework was developed and activated through a four-phase approach aligned with the NCI Cancer Center Support Grant Community Outreach and Engagement component. MD Anderson identified collaborators through data-driven outreach and constructed a portfolio of collaborative multi-sector initiatives through review processes designed to assess readiness, impact and sustainability. The result is an implementation community of 78 institutions collaboratively implementing 12 initiatives within a shared measurement framework impacting 18 counties. This paper describes a structured and rigorous process to set up the implementation of a multi-year investment in evidence-based strategies to increase HPV vaccination that solves challenges preventing implementation of recommended strategies and to encourage similar initiative replication

Who Invited You? The Complex Story Of Aquatic Invasive Species

Invasive species represent a global threat to ecosystems, human health, and the economy. A basic knowledge of invasive species biology is crucial to understand current and future impacts and implications. The purpose of this book is to provide a broad background on invasive species, and also details on specific examples through case studies. The students in the course Aquatic Invasive Species (MAR 442) at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, have researched and reviewed scientific literature to educate readers about these issues. The class, comprised of fifteen junior and senior Marine Science, Marine Affairs, Animal Behavior, and Environmental Sciences students, selected the different topics, presented the material, wrote the chapters, and assembled the final versions into this book. This book cannot be all inclusive, but we think this book will provide an excellent broad overview of the most important aspects of Invasive Species Biology and might stimulate the reader to dive deeper into the material.https://dune.une.edu/marinesci_studproj/1003/thumbnail.jp

A co-clinical approach identifies mechanisms and potential therapies for androgen deprivation resistance in prostate cancer

Here we report an integrated analysis that leverages data from treatment of genetic mouse models of prostate cancer along with clinical data from patients to elucidate new mechanisms of castration resistance. We show that castration counteracts tumor progression in a Pten-loss driven mouse model of prostate cancer through the induction of apoptosis and proliferation block. Conversely, this response is bypassed upon deletion of either Trp53 or Lrf together with Pten, leading to the development of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Mechanistically, the integrated acquisition of data from mouse models and patients identifies the expression patterns of XAF1-XIAP/SRD5A1 as a predictive and actionable signature for CRPC. Importantly, we show that combined inhibition of XIAP, SRD5A1, and AR pathways overcomes castration resistance. Thus, our co-clinical approach facilitates stratification of patients and the development of tailored and innovative therapeutic treatments

Resveratrol Delays Age-Related Deterioration and Mimics Transcriptional Aspects of Dietary Restriction without Extending Life Span

22 páginas, 4 figuras.A small molecule that safely mimics the ability of dietary restriction (DR) to delay age-related diseases in laboratory animals is greatly sought after. We and others have shown that resveratrol mimics effects of DR in lower organisms. In mice, we find that resveratrol induces gene expression patterns in multiple tissues that parallel those induced by DR and every-other-day feeding. Moreover, resveratrol-fed elderly mice show a marked reduction in signs of aging, including reduced albuminuria, decreased inflammation, and apoptosis in the vascular endothelium, increased aortic elasticity, greater motor coordination, reduced cataract formation, and preserved bone mineral density. However, mice fed a standard diet did not live longer when treated with resveratrol beginning at 12 months of age. Our findings indicate that resveratrol treatment has a range of beneficial effects in mice but does not increase the longevity of ad libitum-fed animals when started midlife.This work was supported by grants from the American Heart Association (0425834T to J.A.B. and 0435140N to A.C.) and from the NIH (RO1GM068072, AG19972, and AG19719 to D.A.S.), (HL077256 to Z.U.), (HD034089 to L.W), (2RO1 EY011733 to N.S.W.), Spanish grant (BFU2005-03017 to P.N.), and by the generous support of Mr. Paul F. Glenn and The Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging.Peer reviewe

Ice nucleating particle measurements of relevance to cloud properties in Polar Regions

第6回極域科学シンポジウム[OM] 極域気水圏11月16日（月）　統計数理研究所 セミナー室2（D304

The naked truth:a comprehensive clarification and classification of current 'myths' in naked mole-rat biology

The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) has fascinated zoologists for at least half a century. It has also generated considerable biomedical interest not only because of its extraordinary longevity, but also because of unusual protective features (e.g. its tolerance of variable oxygen availability), which may be pertinent to several human disease states, including ischemia/reperfusion injury and neurodegeneration. A recent article entitled 'Surprisingly long survival of premature conclusions about naked mole-rat biology' described 28 'myths' which, those authors claimed, are a 'perpetuation of beautiful, but falsified, hypotheses' and impede our understanding of this enigmatic mammal. Here, we re-examine each of these 'myths' based on evidence published in the scientific literature. Following Braude et al., we argue that these 'myths' fall into four main categories: (i) 'myths' that would be better described as oversimplifications, some of which persist solely in the popular press; (ii) 'myths' that are based on incomplete understanding, where more evidence is clearly needed; (iii) 'myths' where the accumulation of evidence over the years has led to a revision in interpretation, but where there is no significant disagreement among scientists currently working in the field; (iv) 'myths' where there is a genuine difference in opinion among active researchers, based on alternative interpretations of the available evidence. The term 'myth' is particularly inappropriate when applied to competing, evidence-based hypotheses, which form part of the normal evolution of scientific knowledge. Here, we provide a comprehensive critical review of naked mole-rat biology and attempt to clarify some of these misconceptions

SIRT1 Is Essential for Normal Cognitive Function and Synaptic Plasticity

Conservation of normal cognitive functions relies on the proper performance of the nervous system at the cellular and molecular level. The mammalian NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase, SIRT1, impacts different processes potentially involved in the maintenance of brain integrity such as chromatin remodeling, DNA repair, cell survival and neurogenesis. Here we show that SIRT1 is expressed in neurons of the hippocampus, a key structure in learning and memory. Using a combination of behavioral and electrophysiological paradigms we analyzed the effects of SIRT1 deficiency and overexpression on mouse learning and memory as well as on synaptic plasticity. We demonstrated that the absence of SIRT1 impaired cognitive abilities, including immediate memory, classical conditioning and spatial learning. In addition, we found that the cognitive deficits in SIRT1 knockout mice were associated with defects in synaptic plasticity without alterations in basal synaptic transmission or NMDA receptor function. Brains of SIRT1-KO mice exhibited normal morphology and dendritic spine structure but display a decrease in dendritic branching, branch length and complexity of neuronal dendritic arbors. Also, a decrease in ERK1/2 phosphorylation and altered expression of hippocampal genes involved in synaptic function, lipid metabolism and myelination were detected in SIRT1-KO mice. In contrast, mice with high levels of SIRT1 expression in brain exhibited regular synaptic plasticity and memory. We conclude that SIRT1 is indispensable for normal learning, memory and synaptic plasticity in mice