Classroom project: Development of a multi-media package: Head and neck anatomy

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Graduate Dentistry, 1977 (Dental Public Health).Includes bibliographical references: (leaves 6,13)

Influential Article Review - What Drives Entrepreneurs and Managers to do Business?

This paper examines entrepreneurship. We present insights from a highly influential paper. Here are the highlights from this paper: This study aimed to uncover the backings to passion that plays a great role in a firm's entrepreneurial engagement. It explores a framework on what other factors determine the individual’s engagement on entrepreneurship. To meet this, data were collected from a sample of 112 firms and analyzed using descriptive and hierarchical linear regression analysis. The finding reveals that, Even if passion has a great impact on entrepreneurial engagement; it may not be successful without consideration of both their internal resources and external environments. The presence of human and financial capital as well as government support intensifies the engagement of firms in entrepreneurship, while the unpredictability of the environment hinders the successful practice of entrepreneurship. These are not the only factors that intensify the relationship; therefore, the future research should add other determinants such as technology diffusion and marketing environment and test on longitudinal study to capture the trends of individual firm’s engagement. For our overseas readers, we then present the insights from this paper in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German

Evidence for phenotypic bistability resulting from transcriptional interference of bvgAS in Bordetella bronchiseptica: Phenotypic bistability inBordetella

Bordetella species cause respiratory infections in mammals. Their master regulatory system BvgAS controls expression of at least three distinct phenotypic phases in response to environmental cues. The Bvg+ phase is necessary and sufficient for respiratory infection while the Bvg− phase is required for survival ex vivo. We obtained large colony variants (LCVs) from the lungs of mice infected with B. bronchiseptica strain RBX9, which contains an in-frame deletion mutation in fhaB, encoding filamentous hemagglutinin. RBX9 also yielded LCVs when switched from Bvg− phase conditions to Bvg+ phase conditions in vitro. We determined that LCVs are composed of both Bvg+ and Bvg− phase bacteria and that they result from defective bvgAS positive autoregulation. The LCV phenotype was linked to the presence of a divergent promoter 5′ to bvgAS, suggesting a previously undescribed mechanism of transcriptional interference that, in this case, leads to feedback-based bistability (FBM). Our results also indicate that a small proportion of RBX9 bacteria modulates to the Bvg− phase in vivo. In addition to providing insight into transcriptional interference and FBM, our data provide an example of an in-frame deletion mutation exerting a ‘polar’ effect on nearby genes

Pro-social behavior in rats is modulated by social experience

In mammals, helping is preferentially provided to members of one's own group. Yet, it remains unclear how social experience shapes pro-social motivation. We found that rats helped trapped strangers by releasing them from a restrainer, just as they did cagemates. However, rats did not help strangers of a different strain, unless previously housed with the trapped rat. Moreover, pair-housing with one rat of a different strain prompted rats to help strangers of that strain, evidence that rats expand pro-social motivation from one individual to phenotypically similar others. To test if genetic relatedness alone can motivate helping, rats were fostered from birth with another strain and were not exposed to their own strain. As adults, fostered rats helped strangers of the fostering strain but not rats of their own strain. Thus, strain familiarity, even to one's own strain, is required for the expression of pro-social behavior

The unembodied metaphor: comprehension and production of tactile metaphors without somatosensation

IntroductionProposals for embodied metaphor and embodied cognition have suggested abstract concepts are understood indirectly through the simulation of previous sensory experiences in a different domain. While exceptions have been observed for sensory deficits and impairments that are common, such as vision and audition, it is commonly assumed that somatosensation (proprioception, haptic touch, pain, pressure, temperature, etc.) is fundamental for the comprehension of production of sensory metaphors and much abstract thought in general. In this way, our past sensory experiences are critical to our understanding not just of the world around us but also of our sense of selves. This would suggest that Kim, who was born without somatosensation, would have difficulty understanding, using, or even thinking about many abstract concepts typically linked to different sensory experiences through metaphor, including a creation of a sense of self.MethodsTo examine her comprehension of sensory metaphors, Kim was asked to select the best sensory idiomatic expression given its context. Her friends and family as well as a representative sample of individuals online were recruited to complete the survey as controls. Additionally, we transcribed and analyzed six hours of unprompted speech to determine if Kim spontaneously uses somatosensory metaphors appropriately.ResultsResults from the idiomatic expression survey indicate that Kim performs as well as controls despite lacking any previous direct sensory experiences of these concepts. Analysis of the spontaneous speech highlights that Kim appropriately uses tactile expressions in both their concrete sensory and abstract metaphorical meanings.DiscussionTaken together, these two studies demonstrate that what is lost in sensory experiences can be made up in linguistic experiences, as Kim's understanding of tactile words was acquired in the complete absence of somatosensory experiences. This study demonstrates that individuals can comprehend and use tactile language and metaphor without recruiting past somatosensory experiences, and thus challenges a strong definition of embodied cognition which requires sensory simulations in language comprehension and abstract thought

Assessment of training and technical assistance needs of Colorectal Cancer Control Program Grantees in the U.S.

Background Practitioners often require training and technical assistance to build their capacity to select, adapt, and implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs). The CDC Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) aims to promote CRC screening to increase population-level screening. This study identified the training and technical assistance (TA) needs and preferences for training related to the implementation of EBIs among CRCCP grantees. Methods Twenty-nine CRCCP grantees completed an online survey about their screening activities, training and technical assistance in 2012. They rated desire for training on various evidence-based strategies to increase cancer screening, evidence-based competencies, and program management topics. They also reported preferences for training formats and facilitators and barriers to trainings. Results Many CRCCP grantees expressed the need for training with regards to specific EBIs, especially system-level and provider-directed EBIs to promote CRC screening. Grantees rated these EBIs as more difficult to implement than client-oriented EBIs. Grantees also reported a moderate need for training regarding finding EBIs, assessing organizational capacity, implementing selected EBIs, and conducting process and outcome evaluations. Other desired training topics reported with higher frequency were partnership development and data collection/evaluation. Grantees preferred training formats that were interactive such as on-site trainings, webinars or expert consultants. Conclusions Public health organizations need greater supports for adopting evidence-based interventions, working with organizational-level change, partnership development and data management. Future capacity building efforts for the adoption of EBIs should focus on systems or provider level interventions and key processes for health promotion and should be delivered in a variety of ways to assist local organizations in cancer prevention and control

An Improved Recombination-Based In Vivo Expression Technology-Like Reporter System Reveals Differential cyaA Gene Activation in Bordetella Species

ABSTRACT Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica rely on the global two-component regulatory system BvgAS to control expression of distinct phenotypic phases. In the Bvg − phase, expression of vrg genes, including those required for motility in B. bronchiseptica , is activated and genes encoding virulence factors are not expressed. Conversely, in the Bvg + phase, genes encoding virulence factors are highly expressed while genes necessary for motility are repressed. Although several genetic analyses have demonstrated the importance of the Bvg + phase during respiratory infection, Bvg-regulated gene activation in B. bronchiseptica has not been investigated in vivo . To address this, we developed a plasmid, pGFLIP, that encodes a sensitive Flp recombinase-based fluorescent reporter system able to document gene activation both in vitro and in vivo . Using pGFLIP, we demonstrated that cyaA , considered to be a “late” Bvg + phase gene, is activated substantially earlier in B. bronchiseptica than B. pertussis following a switch from Bvg − to Bvg + phase conditions. We show that the altered activation of cyaA is not due to differences in the cyaA promoter or in the bvgAS alleles of B. bronchiseptica compared to B. pertussis , but appears to be species specific. Finally, we used pGFLIP to show that flaA remains repressed during infection, confirming that B. bronchiseptica does not modulate to the Bvg − phase in vivo