Women in the Law

Dr. Wendy Rohleder-Sook, Department of Political Science, presents Women in the Law

TOPO3α Influences Antigenic Variation by Monitoring Expression-Site-Associated VSG Switching in Trypanosoma brucei

Homologous recombination (HR) mediates one of the major mechanisms of trypanosome antigenic variation by placing a different variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) gene under the control of the active expression site (ES). It is believed that the majority of VSG switching events occur by duplicative gene conversion, but only a few DNA repair genes that are central to HR have been assigned a role in this process. Gene conversion events that are associated with crossover are rarely seen in VSG switching, similar to mitotic HR. In other organisms, TOPO3α (Top3 in yeasts), a type IA topoisomerase, is part of a complex that is involved in the suppression of crossovers. We therefore asked whether a related mechanism might suppress VSG recombination. Using a set of reliable recombination and switching assays that could score individual switching mechanisms, we discovered that TOPO3α function is conserved in Trypanosoma brucei and that TOPO3α plays a critical role in antigenic switching. Switching frequency increased 10–40-fold in the absence of TOPO3α and this hyper-switching phenotype required RAD51. Moreover, the preference of 70-bp repeats for VSG recombination was mitigated, while homology regions elsewhere in ES were highly favored, in the absence of TOPO3α. Our data suggest that TOPO3α may remove undesirable recombination intermediates constantly arising between active and silent ESs, thereby balancing ES integrity against VSG recombination

On Toleration in Social Work

Toleration is one of many responses toward diversity and difference. With the growing diversity, the theme of toleration has often taken center stage in discussions of multiculturalism and social pluralism. Nonetheless, it has not received much attention in the social work profession. Social workers often encounter situations in which they face a choice between tolerating and not tolerating. We argue that toleration is a legitimate and relevant topic in social work discourse. To make this point, first, this paper discusses different conceptions of toleration. Then, it demonstrates its relevance to social work and explores a potential benefit of including the idea of toleration in social work discourse. Social work code of ethics implicitly supports toleration, or at least respect-toleration and esteem-toleration. Incorporating toleration in social work discourse may help social workers to better cope with or reduce ethical stress and disjuncture

Adsorption Potential of Activated Carbon in Some Acidic and Alkaline Media

An electrode was constructed using activated carbon. Changes in its sUlJace potential were observed when it was dipped into solutions containing HCI and hydroxide and carbonate ofNa +, K + and NH~. These changes have been atlributed to the effect ojconcentration ofCl- and 0 H- ions upon the adsorptive strength ofvariousJunctional groups on the surface oj activated carbon

Suprachoroidal and Subretinal Injections of AAV Using Transscleral Microneedles for Retinal Gene Delivery in Nonhuman Primates.

Retinal gene therapy using adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) is constrained by the mode of viral vector delivery. Intravitreal AAV injections are impeded by the internal limiting membrane barrier, while subretinal injections require invasive surgery and produce a limited region of therapeutic effect. In this study, we introduce a novel mode of ocular gene delivery in rhesus macaques using transscleral microneedles to inject AAV8 into the subretinal or suprachoroidal space, a potential space between the choroid and scleral wall of the eye. Using in vivo imaging, we found that suprachoroidal AAV8 produces diffuse, peripheral expression in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, but it elicited local infiltration of inflammatory cells. Transscleral subretinal injection of AAV8 using microneedles leads to focal gene expression with transduction of RPE and photoreceptors, and minimal intraocular inflammation. In comparison, intravitreal AAV8 shows minimal transduction of retinal cells, but elicits greater systemic humoral immune responses. Our study introduces a novel mode of transscleral viral delivery that can be performed without vitreoretinal surgery, with focal or diffuse transgene expression patterns suitable for different applications. The decoupling of local and systemic immune responses reveals important insights into the immunological consequences of AAV delivery to different ocular compartments surrounding the blood-retinal barrier

The gender pay gap in the UK: evidence from the UKHLS

This is a report on research undertaken by Professor Wendy Olsen, Dr Vanessa Gash, Sook Kim, and Dr Min Zhang on behalf of the Government Equalities Office. The primary aim of this research is to identify the factors that influence the gender pay gap in the UK. The work uses decomposition techniques to analyse the main predictors of the gender pay gap using waves of the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Survey (UKHLS) relating to 2014 to 2015. The gender pay gap is the difference between men’s and women’s average hourly earnings