Arthropods infesting small mammals (Insectivora and Rodentia) near Cedar Point Biological Station in southwestern Nebraska

Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS) is located in the mixed grass prairie of the central Great Plains, at the transition between the subregions known as the “tall grass” and “short grass” prairies. Adding to the habitat diversity, there are wetlands and riparian habitats associated with the North Platte River and the edge of the Sandhills region of north central Nebraska. This concurrence of habitats supports a diverse small mammal community. The purpose of this paper is to assemble all published information on ectoparasites associated with small mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) of southwestern Nebraska, and to report the results of an intensive survey carried out by students of the Parasitology field course during two summers at CPBS. In 2012 and 2013, 27 species of mammal-associated arthropods were collected, including five species of sucking lice (Anoplura), a chewing louse (Ischnocera), six species of fleas (Siphonaptera), thirteen species of mesostigmatic mites (Laelapidae, Macronyssidae, Macrochelidae), and two species of metastigmatic ticks (Ixodidae). These specimens were brushed from the pelage of 11 species of small mammals that were captured in a variety of habitats around CPBS. The arthropod list includes 17 new records for the State of Nebraska. This collection is housed in the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology (HWML), University of Nebraska State Museum, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and serves as a taxonomic base for our continued efforts to establish a long-term catalog of parasites associated with small mammals in southwestern Nebraska

The effects of dielectric decrement and finite ion size on differential capacitance of electrolytically gated graphene

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2018.04.030 © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/We analyze the effects of dielectric decrement and finite ion size in an aqueous electrolyte on the capacitance of a graphene electrode, and make comparisons with the effects of dielectric saturation combined with finite ion size. We first derive conditions for the cross-over from a camel-shaped to a bell-shaped capacitance of the diffuse layer. We show next that the total capacitance is dominated by a V-shaped quantum capacitance of graphene at low potentials. A broad peak develops in the total capacitance at high potentials, which is sensitive to the ion size with dielectric saturation, but is stable with dielectric decrement.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (ZLM: Grant No. 2016-03689

Problem-Solving Intervention for Caregivers of Children with Mental Health Problems

Building Our Solutions and Connections (BOSC) focused on enhancing problem-solving skills (PSS) of primary caregivers of children with mental health problems. Aims were determining feasibility, acceptability, and effect size (ES) estimates for depression, burden, personal control, and PSS. Methods—Caregivers were randomized to BOSC (n=30) or wait-list control (WLC) groups (n=31). Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and 3 and 6 months post-intervention. Results—Three-months post-intervention, ES for burden and personal control were .07 and .08, respectively. ES for depressed caregivers for burden and personal control were 0.14 and 0.19, respectively. Conclusions—Evidence indicates that the intervention had desired effects

Comparison of Chlamydia antigen and AD-like pathology in the brains of BALB/c mice following intranasal infection with Chlamydia muridarum or Chlamydia pneumoniae

Previous research indicates BALB/c mice inoculated with Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) demonstrated AD-like pathology which suggests that this mouse model is valid for studying the pathogenesis implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies have demonstrated that Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) can disseminate from its primary site of infection and plays a major role in the induction of reactive arthritis. The objectives of this lab are: (1) to identify and localize Chlamydia antigens in the brains of BALB/c mice infected with C. muridarum and (2) to determine if infection with C. muridarum induces AD-like pathology comparable to Cpn. Using mouse adapted respiratory isolates of C. muridarum, we investigated whether C. muridarum disseminated from the respiratory tract to the brain. Mice were intranasally infected with plaqued C small Weiss (CSW) or plaqued mouse pneumonitis Weiss (MoPn Weiss). Brain tissue was isolated at 2 months post-infection. Serial sections from brains infected mice were analyzed for amyloid or Chlamydia antigens. Preliminary analysis of brain tissue demonstrated no detectable difference in C. muridarum antigen between mice receiving 1 x105 IFU and mice receiving 1 x101 IFU, whereas a small but detectable difference was identified in amyloid-specific labeling between these two experimental groups. In contrast, prominent Chlamydia-specific labeling was identified in the brains of Cpn-infected mice as well as substantial amyloid deposition at 2 months p.i.. These data suggest that, relative to Cpn AR-39 infection, C. muridarum infection is a weaker stimulus for inflammation, resulting in decreased amyloid deposition in the brains of BALB/c mice

Assessing School and Student Predictors of Weapons Reporting

School violence and weapons at school are a major concern for community members, school administrators, and policy makers. This research examines both student-level and school-level variables that predict middle school students’ willingness to report a weapon at school under several reporting conditions. Results substantiate previous analyses of these data that student-level variables explain students’ willingness to report a weapon but extend these findings to include school climate variables that affect willingness to report (i.e., collective identity and conflict). School climate variables were also shown to influence reporting under conditions in which there would be consequences for the weapons-carrying student or for the reporting student; however, school climate was not found to influence anonymous reporting conditions. Although policies aimed at improving school climate may increase a student’s willingness to report and are important in their own right, improving a school’s climate may be a daunting task. This research, therefore, suggests that the most efficient way to encourage weapons reporting is to provide students with an anonymous way to report

Size and characteristics of the biomedical research workforce associated with U.S. National Institutes of Health extramural grants

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) annually invests approximately $22 billion in biomedical research through its extramural grant programs. Since fiscal year (FY) 2010, all persons involved in research during the previous project year have been required to be listed on the annual grant progress report. These new data have enabled the production of the first-ever census of the NIH-funded extramural research workforce. Data were extracted from All Personnel Reports submitted for NIH grants funded in FY 2009, including position title, months of effort, academic degrees obtained, and personal identifiers. Data were de-duplicated to determine a unique person count. Person-years of effort (PYE) on NIH grants were computed. In FY 2009, NIH funded 50,885 grant projects, which created 313,049 full- and part-time positions spanning all job functions involved in biomedical research. These positions were staffed by 247,457 people at 2,604 institutions. These persons devoted 121,465 PYE to NIH grant-supported research. Research project grants each supported 6 full- or part-time positions, on average. Over 20% of positions were occupied by postdoctoral researchers and graduate and undergraduate students. These baseline data were used to project workforce estimates forFYs 2010–2014 and will serve as a foundation for future research

Size and characteristics of the biomedical research workforce associated with U.S. National Institutes of Health extramural grants

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) annually invests approximately $22 billion in biomedical research through its extramural grant programs. Since fiscal year (FY) 2010, all persons involved in research during the previous project year have been required to be listed on the annual grant progress report. These new data have enabled the production of the first-ever census of the NIH-funded extramural research workforce. Data were extracted from All Personnel Reports submitted for NIH grants funded in FY 2009, including position title, months of effort, academic degrees obtained, and personal identifiers. Data were de-duplicated to determine a unique person count. Person-years of effort (PYE) on NIH grants were computed. In FY 2009, NIH funded 50,885 grant projects, which created 313,049 full- and part-time positions spanning all job functions involved in biomedical research. These positions were staffed by 247,457 people at 2,604 institutions. These persons devoted 121,465 PYE to NIH grant-supported research. Research project grants each supported 6 full- or part-time positions, on average. Over 20% of positions were occupied by postdoctoral researchers and graduate and undergraduate students. These baseline data were used to project workforce estimates forFYs 2010–2014 and will serve as a foundation for future research

Hunters and Their Perceptions of Public Access: A View from Afield

Declining hunter participation threatens cultural traditions and public support for conservation, warranting examination of the forces behind the downward trajectory. Access to lands for hunting, an often-cited reason for non participation, may play a critical role in the retention and recruitment of hunters. Meeting the access needs of a diverse hunting constituency requires understanding how hunters use and perceive access opportunities, particularly public-access sites. Given that perceptions of access are entirely place based and degrade with time, traditional postseason survey methods may fail to adequately quantify the value of public access to the hunting constituency. To overcome the potential limitations of postseason surveys, we conducted on-site assessments of hunter perceptions of habitat quality, game abundance, ease of access, and crowding as well as whether the experience met the hunters’ expectations and their likelihood to return to hunt. Over 3 y, we interviewed 3,248 parties of which 71.5% were hunting. Most parties (65.9%) reported having no private access within the region of Nebraska where they were interviewed. Parties (67.6%) were largely limited to two or fewer hunters, most of whom were adult males (84.3%) who were, on average, 41.2 y old. The perception of public-access sites was generally positive, but 43.1% of parties indicated that game abundance was below average despite 59.2% of parties seeing game and 37.3% harvesting at least one animal. Similar to other explorations of hunter satisfaction, we found game abundance, and in particular harvest success, had the most consistent relationship with hunter perception of public access. By surveying multiple types of hunters across sites that encompass a range of social and ecological conditions, we gained a broader understanding of how hunters perceive public access in real time, which will help to inform future management decisions to foster and improve public-access programs

Testimonial Injustice and Vulnerability: A Qualitative Analysis of Participation in the Court of Protection

This article explores participation in Court of Protection (COP) proceedings by people considered vulnerable. The paper is based on original data obtained from observing COP proceedings and reviewing COP case files. It is argued that the observed absence of the subject of proceedings is a form of testimonial injustice, that is, a failure to value a person in their capacity as a giver of knowledge. The issue of competence to give evidence is considered but it is argued that it is not the formal evidential rules that prohibit a vulnerable adult from giving evidence. Instead, it is the result of a persistent assumption that they are inherently vulnerable and therefore lack credibility as a knowledge giver. This assumption results in the voices of vulnerable adults being routinely absent from legal proceedings. It is argued that having a voice in the courtroom is essential and has a number of intrinsic and instrumental benefits. The paper concludes with a discussion about the implications of the research, including the current trend towards the increased use of special measures, and recommends a presumption in favour of the subject of COP proceedings giving evidence

Genome-Wide Association Study and Gene Expression Analysis Identifies CD84 as a Predictor of Response to Etanercept Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) biologic therapy is a widely used treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is unknown why some RA patients fail to respond adequately to anti-TNF therapy, which limits the development of clinical biomarkers to predict response or new drugs to target refractory cases. To understand the biological basis of response to anti-TNF therapy, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of more than 2 million common variants in 2,706 RA patients from 13 different collections. Patients were treated with one of three anti-TNF medications: etanercept (n = 733), infliximab (n = 894), or adalimumab (n = 1,071). We identified a SNP (rs6427528) at the 1q23 locus that was associated with change in disease activity score (ΔDAS) in the etanercept subset of patients (P = 8×10-8), but not in the infliximab or adalimumab subsets (P>0.05). The SNP is predicted to disrupt transcription factor binding site motifs in the 3′ UTR of an immune-related gene, CD84, and the allele associated with better response to etanercept was associated with higher CD84 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (P = 1×10-11 in 228 non-RA patients and P = 0.004 in 132 RA patients). Consistent with the genetic findings, higher CD84 gene expression correlated with lower cross-sectional DAS (P = 0.02, n = 210) and showed a non-significant trend for better ΔDAS in a subset of RA patients with gene expression data (n = 31, etanercept-treated). A small, multi-ethnic replication showed a non-significant trend towards an association among etanercept-treated RA patients of Portuguese ancestry (n = 139, P = 0.4), but no association among patients of Japanese ancestry (n = 151, P = 0.8). Our study demonstrates that an allele associated with response to etanercept therapy is also associated with CD84 gene expression, and further that CD84 expression correlates with disease activity. These findings support a model in which CD84 genotypes and/or expression may serve as a useful biomarker for response to etanercept treatment in RA patients of European ancestry. © 2013 Cui et al