An Examination of Bullying in Georgia Schools: Demographic and School Climate Factors Associated with Willingness to Intervene in Bullying Situations

Introduction: Research dedicated to identification of precursors to cases of aggravated bullying in schools has led to enhanced knowledge of risk factors for both victimization and perpetration. However, characteristics among those who are more likely to intervene in such situations are less understood. The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between demographic characteristics, school climate and psychosocial factors, and willingness to intervene in a bullying situation among middle and high school students in Georgia. Methods: We computed analyses using cross-sectional data from the Georgia Student Health Survey II (GSHS 2006) administered to public school students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 (n¼175,311). We used logistic regression analyses to determine the demographic, school climate and psychosocial factors associated with a willingness to intervene in a bullying situation. Results: Students who were white and who were girls were most likely to report willingness to intervene in bullying situations. Several school-climate factors, such as feeling safe at school, liking school, feeling successful at school and perceiving clear rules at school, were associated with willingness to intervene, while youth who reported binge drinking were less willing to intervene. Conclusion: These findings, while preliminary, indicate that girls, students who are white, and students who experience a relatively positive school climate and adaptive psychosocial factors are more likely to report that they would intervene in bullying situations. These findings may guide how bullying is addressed in schools and underscore the importance of safe school climates. [West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(4):324–328.

Alternative splicing coupled mRNA decay shapes the temperature‐dependent transcriptome

Mammalian body temperature oscillates with the time of the dayand is altered in diverse pathological conditions. We recently iden-tified a body temperature-sensitive thermometer-like kinase,which alters SR protein phosphorylation and thereby globallycontrols alternative splicing (AS). AS can generate unproductivevariants which are recognized and degraded by diverse mRNAdecay pathways—including nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). Herewe show extensive coupling of body temperature-controlled AS tomRNA decay, leading to global control of temperature-dependentgene expression (GE). Temperature-controlled, decay-inducingsplicing events are evolutionarily conserved and pervasively foundwithin RNA-binding proteins, including most SR proteins. AS-coupledpoison exon inclusion is essential for rhythmic GE of SR proteins andhas a global role in establishing temperature-dependent rhythmicGE profiles, both in mammals under circadian body temperaturecycles and in plants in response to ambient temperature changes.Together, these data identify body temperature-driven AS-coupledmRNA decay as an evolutionary ancient, core clock-independentmechanism to generate rhythmic GE

Application of disease-associated differentially expressed genes – Mining for functional candidate genes for mastitis resistance in cattle

In this study the mRNA differential display method was applied to identify mastitis-associated expressed DNA sequences based on different expression patterns in mammary gland samples of non-infected and infected udder quarters of a cow. In total, 704 different cDNA bands were displayed in both udder samples. Five hundred-and-thirty two bands, (75.6%) were differentially displayed. Ninety prominent cDNA bands were isolated, re-amplified, cloned and sequenced resulting in 87 different sequences. Amongst the 19 expressed sequence tags showing a similarity with previously described genes, the majority of these sequences exhibited homology to protein kinase encoding genes (26.3%), to genes involved in the regulation of gene expression (26.3%), to growth and differentiation factor encoding genes (21.0%) and to immune response or inflammation marker encoding genes (21.0%). These sequences were shown to have mastitis-associated expression in the udder samples of animals with and without clinical mastitis by quantitative RT-PCR. They were mapped physically using a bovine-hamster somatic cell hybrid panel and a 5000 rad bovine whole genome radiation hybrid panel. According to their localization in QTL regions based on an established integrated marker/gene-map and their disease-associated expression, four genes (AHCY, PRKDC, HNRPU, OSTF1) were suggested as potentially involved in mastitis defense

Propylene Carbonate Reexamined: Mode-Coupling β\beta Scaling without Factorisation ?

The dynamic susceptibility of propylene carbonate in the moderately viscous regime above $T_{\rm c}$ is reinvestigated by incoherent neutron and depolarised light scattering, and compared to dielectric loss and solvation response. Depending on the strength of $\alpha$ relaxation, a more or less extended $\beta$ scaling regime is found. Mode-coupling fits yield consistently $\lambda=0.72$ and $T_{\rm c}=182$K, although different positions of the susceptibility minimum indicate that not all observables have reached the universal asymptotics

Strengthening regulatory science in academia:STARS, an EU initiative to bridge the translational gap

Truly disruptive medicine innovation and new treatment paradigms tend to start in non-commercial research institutions. However, the lack of mutual understanding between medicine developers and regulators when it comes to medicine development significantly delays or even prevents the access of patients to these innovations. Here, we outline what regulatory-related barriers hamper the translational development of novel products or new treatment paradigms initiated in academia, and propose key steps towards improved regulatory dialogue among academia, funding bodies and regulatory authorities. Moreover, we briefly describe how the STARS (Strengthening Training of Academia in Regulatory Science) project aims to reach out to medicine innovators in academia to bridge the regulatory knowledge gap and enhance this dialogue to facilitate the implementation of academic research findings in clinical practice

Spatial and temporal trends of burnt area in Angola: implications for natural vegetation and protected area management

Fire is a key driver of natural ecosystems in Africa. However, human activity and climate change have altered fire frequency and severity, with negative consequences for biodiversity conservation. Angola ranks among the countries with the highest fire activity in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal trends of the annual burnt area in Angola, from 2001 to 2019, and their association with terrestrial ecoregions, land cover, and protected areas. Based on satellite imagery, we analyzed the presence of significant trends in burnt area, applying the contextual Mann–Kendall test and the Theil–Sen slope estimator. Data on burnt areas were obtained from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) burnt area product and the analyses were processed in TerrSet. Our results showed that ca. 30% of the country’s area burned every year. The highest percentage of annual burnt area was found in northeast and southeast Angola, which showed large clusters of decreasing trends of burnt area. The clusters of increasing trends were found mainly in central Angola, associated with savannas and grasslands of Angolan Miombo woodlands. The protected areas of Cameia, Luengue-Luiana, and Mavinga exhibited large areas of decreasing trends of burnt area. Conversely, 23% of the Bicuar National Park was included in clusters of increasing trends. Distinct patterns of land cover were found in areas of significant trends, where the clusters of increasing trends showed a higher fraction of forest cover (80%) than the clusters of decreasing trends (55%). The documentation of burnt area trends was very important in tropical regions, since it helped define conservation priorities and management strategies, allowing more effective management of forests and fires in countries with few human and financial resourcesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electrical properties of InSb quantum wells remotely doped with Si

Two-dimensional electron systems were realized in InSb quantum wells with Al x In 1Ϫx Sb barrier layers ␦-doped with Si. Measured electron mobilities in multiple-quantum-well structures were as high as 41 000 cm 2 /V s at room temperature and 209 000 cm 2 /V s at 77 K. Simple models can be used to explain the observed dependencies of the electron density on the quantum-well-to-dopant distance and on the number of quantum wells. Characterization by atomic force microscopy indicates that layer morphology may be a factor limiting electron mobility

Dual neutralisation of interleukin-17A and interleukin-17F with bimekizumab in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis: results from a 48-week phase IIb, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study

Objectives Bimekizumab selectively neutralises both interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F. We report efficacy and safety in a phase IIb dose-ranging study in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Methods Adults with AS (fulfilling modified New York criteria) were randomised 1:1:1:1:1 to bimekizumab 16 mg, 64 mg, 160 mg, 320 mg or placebo every 4 weeks for 12 weeks (double-blind period). At week 12, patients receiving bimekizumab 16 mg, 64 mg or placebo were re-randomised 1:1 to bimekizumab 160 mg or 320 mg every 4 weeks to week 48; other patients continued on their initial dose (dose-blind period). The primary end point was Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) 40 response at week 12 (non-responder imputation (NRI) for missing data).Results 303 patients were randomised: bimekizumab 16 mg (n=61), 64 mg (n=61), 160 mg (n=60), 320 mg (n=61) or placebo (n=60). At week 12, significantly more bimekizumab-treated patients achieved ASAS40 vs placebo (NRI: 29.5%-46.7% vs 13.3%; p<0.05 all comparisons; OR vs placebo 2.6-5.5 (95% CI 1.0 to 12.9)). A significant dose-response was observed (p<0.001). The primary end point was supported by all secondary efficacy outcomes. At week 48, 58.6% and 62.3% of patients receiving bimekizumab 160 and 320 mg throughout the study achieved ASAS40, respectively (NRI); similar ASAS40 response rates were observed in re-randomised patients. During the double-blind period, treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 26/60 (43.3%) patients receiving placebo and 92/243 (37.9%) receiving bimekizumab.Conclusions Bimekizumab provided rapid and sustained improvements in key outcome measures in patients with active AS, with no unexpected safety findings versus previous studies.Pathophysiology and treatment of rheumatic disease

Savannahs of Asia: Antiquity, biogeography, and an uncertain future

The savannahs of Asia remain locally unrecognized as distinctive ecosystems, and continue to be viewed as degraded forests or seasonally dry tropical forests. These colonial-era legacies are problematic, because they fail to recognize the unique diversity of Asian savannahs and the critical roles of fire and herbivory in maintaining ecosystem health and diversity. In this review, we show that: the palaeo-historical evidence suggests that the savannahs of Asia have existed for at least 1 million years, long before widespread landscape modification by humans; savannah regions across Asia have levels of C4 grass endemism and diversity that are consistent with area-based expectations for non-Asian savannahs; there are at least three distinct Asian savannah communities, namely deciduous broadleaf savannahs, deciduous fine-leafed and spiny savannahs and evergreen pine savannahs, with distinct functional ecologies consistent with fire- and herbivory-driven community assembly. Via an analysis of savannah climate domains on other continents, we map the potential extent of savannahs across Asia. We find that the climates of African savannahs provide the closest analogues for those of Asian deciduous savannahs, but that Asian pine savannahs occur in climates different to any of the savannahs in the southern continents. Finally, we review major threats to the persistence of savannahs in Asia, including the mismanagement of fire and herbivory, alien woody encroachment, afforestation policies and future climate uncertainty associated with the changing Asian monsoon. Research agendas that target these issues are urgently needed to manage and conserve these ecosystems. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation’