Atrial Fibrillation-Linked Germline GJA5/Connexin40 Mutants Showed an Increased Hemichannel Function

Mutations in GJA5 encoding the gap junction protein connexin40 (Cx40) have been linked to lone atrial fibrillation (AF). Some of these mutants result in impaired gap junction function due to either abnormal connexin localization or impaired gap junction channels, which may play a role in promoting AF. However, the effects of the AF-linked Cx40 mutants on hemichannel function has not been studied. Here we investigated two AF-linked germline Cx40 mutants, V85I and L221I. These two mutants formed putative gap junction plaques at cell-cell interfaces, with similar gap junction coupling conductance as that of wild-type Cx40. Connexin deficient HeLa cells expressing either of these two mutants displayed prominent propidium iodide (PI)-uptake distinct from cells expressing wild-type Cx40 or other AF-linked Cx40 mutants, I75F, L229M and Q49X. The PI-uptake was sensitive to [Ca2+]o and carbenoxolone, but was not affected by probenecid, indicating that uptake is mediated via connexin hemichannels. A gain-of-hemichannel function in these two AF-linked Cx40 mutants may provide a novel mechanism underlying the etiology of AF

Sustainable food cities: Phase 2 evaluation, scoping research

This report summarises findings from the baseline evaluation Sustainable Food Cities (SFC) Phase 2 programme, which runs from 2016 to 2019. This is based on a small study consisting of semi-structured interviews with representatives from eight urban areas at different SFC “life stages”

A novel asymptotic formulation for partial slip half-plane frictional contact problems

A method of solution and the necessary calibrations are given to permit the steady-state extent of slip to be found in contacts properly described within a half-plane formulation using only two parameters: the contact law and the first-order descriptions of tractions arising at the contact edges. The approach takes the assumption of full stick and corrects for the slip regions using an array of glide dislocations. This is a very versatile approach and is particularly appropriate when studying fretting fatigue, as it permits the region in which cracks nucleate to be defined very simply, and in a form which is transportable from contact to contact, including laboratory tests. The approach has the additional benefit of giving a relatively straightforward expression for the density of dislocations, from which the slip displacement and shear traction within the stick region may readily be calculated. An example implementation is provided in the case of a Hertzian contact in the absence of changes in bulk tension, for which we demonstrate the veracity of the predictions by comparing to previous asymptotic approaches that build upon the traction solution under the assumption of full sliding, as well as the known exact solution

Matthew Scott & Joseph Hills: combined composition recital

Program order was changed during performance: Jane's Bistro was performed prior to Duet for Horn and Bass.Includes the recital program and seven audio recordings of compositions titled: Daglarim, I Often Wondered, Ulterior Motives, Concerto for Saxophone Quartet - 1: Dance, Jane's Bistro, Duet for Horn and Bass, Mirrors. Performed at 4:30 pm on March 26th, 2010, at Organ Recital Hall, University Center of the Arts, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Sport as a vehicle for health promotion: a shared value example of corporate social responsibility

Professional sport organizations are increasingly encouraging physical and mental wellness by developing and deploying health promotion activities via socially responsible programming and messaging. However, delivery, deployment, and scope issues, all of which limit observable and sustainable impacts on health promotion and behavior, encumber many socially responsible programs. The authors frame the study using a shared value perspective to demonstrate that sport managers can effectively promote health when the professional sport organization is concurrently attempting to deliver social and business value. To illustrate this approach, the authors used a health-related intervention program funded and delivered by a professional sport league as the research context. The authors undertook a mixed-method, quasi-experimental study to determine the potential to achieve social value (e.g., physical health and mental wellness) and business value (e.g., team, league, and sport affinity, and patronage). The results show that the business-centric effects were stronger among a group of youth beneficiaries than they were among some health- and wellness-centric variables. The authors discuss the significant effects through a shared value lens and posit several areas for future research

Cloning of a cDNA encoding diacylglycerol acyltransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana and its functional expression

AbstractTriacylglycerols are the most important storage lipids in most plants and animals. Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.20) catalyzes the final step of the pathway of triacylglycerol synthesis and is the only step which is unique to this process. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase is required for the synthesis of storage oil in a wide range of oil-bearing seeds and fruits and in floral structures such as petals, anthers and pollen. We describe the first cloning and functional expression of a cDNA encoding diacylglycerol acyltransferase from a plant. The cDNA, cloned from Arabidopsis thaliana, encodes a 520 amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 59.0 kDa which shares 38% amino acid sequence identity with diacylglycerol acyltransferase from mouse. When expressed in insect cell cultures, the protein catalyzes the synthesis of [14C]triacylglycerol from [14C]diacylglycerol and acyl-CoA. Primer extension analysis revealed that the transcription begins 225 bases before the translation start site, yielding an unusually long 5′ untranslated region. The gene is expressed in a wide range of tissues but most strongly in developing embryos and petals of flowers

Sport as an analogy to teach life skills and redefine moral values: a case study of the ‘Seedbeds of Peace’ sport-for-development programme in Medellin, Colombia

A history of drug trafficking in Medellin, Colombia, resulted in the city receiving the dubious distinction of being the murder capital of the world in 1991. Over a quarter of a century later, drug trafficking has left a complex legacy of an illegal and violent culture, which has subsequently eroded values systems that leave disadvantaged children vulnerable to criminal activities. To begin addressing this social problem, the Conconcreto Foundation has leveraged Colombia’s passion for football in its sport-for-development (SFD) ‘Seedbeds of Peace’ programme. A case study design was used to illustrate how the ‘Seedbeds of Peace’ programme uses football as an analogy to teach life skills and redefine moral values. This case study adds to the limited theoretical understanding of how sport works in social change and further equips SFD practitioners with a sport mechanism not previously discussed in the literature

A Hadrosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Kanguk Formation of Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, Canada, and Its Ecological and Geographical Implications

A hadrosaurid vertebra was recovered during a palynological survey of the Upper Cretaceous Kanguk Formation in the eastern Canadian Arctic. This vertebra represents the farthest north record of any non-avian dinosaur to date. Although highly abraded, the fossil nonetheless represents an interesting biogeographic data point. During the Campanian, when this vertebra was deposited, the eastern Canadian Arctic was likely isolated both from western North America by the Western Interior Seaway and from more southern regions of eastern North America by the Hudson Seaway. This fossil suggests that large-bodied hadrosaurid dinosaurs may have inhabited a large polar insular landmass during the Late Cretaceous, where they would have lived year-round, unable to migrate to more southern regions during winters. It is possible that the resident herbivorous dinosaurs could have fed on non-deciduous conifers, as well as other woody twigs and stems, during the long, dark winter months when most deciduous plant species had lost their leaves.La vertèbre d’un hadrosauridé a été retrouvée pendant l’étude palynologique de la formation Kanguk remontant au Crétacé supérieur, dans l’est de l’Arctique canadien. Il s’agit de la vertèbre appartenant à un dinosaure non avien qui a été recueillie la plus au nord jusqu’à maintenant. Même si ce fossile est fortement abrasé, il n’en reste pas moins qu’il représente un point de donnée biogéographique intéressant. Pendant le Campanien, lorsque cette vertèbre a été déposée, l’est de l’Arctique canadien était vraisemblablement isolé de l’ouest de l’Amérique du Nord par la mer intérieure occidentale, et des régions plus au sud de l’est de l’Amérique du Nord par le bras de mer Hudson. Ce fossile suggère que de gros dinosaures hadrosauridés auraient pu habiter une grande masse terrestre insulaire polaire pendant le Crétacé tardif, où ils auraient évolué à l’année, étant incapables de migrer vers les régions plus au sud pendant l’hiver. Il est possible que les dinosaures herbivores résidents se soient nourris de conifères non décidus ainsi que d’autres tiges ou brindilles ligneuses pendant les longs mois sombres de l’hiver, lorsque la plupart des espèces végétales décidues avaient perdu leurs feuilles.

Peer Support

Chapter Summary: This chapter is intended for those serving on MISSION-VET teams as Peer Support Specialists (PSS). It explains the unique role of the position. Following an overview of their role within the MISSIONVET treatment program, the chapter explains how the PSS works with the MISSION-VET Case Manager. It also highlights how the PSS serves as a role model and as a source of encouragement and support to Veterans receiving MISSION-VET services. Case examples are included to illustrate how PSSs facilitate discussions on topics of particular concern to Veterans receiving treatment services and how the PSS continues to meet with Veterans regularly once they have transitioned to the community. It also includes special considerations that are unique to the role of the PSS

The Importance of Theorizing Social Change in Sport for Development: A Case Study of Magic Bus in London

Article using the case of an award-winning sport for development (SFD) charity that expanded their operations from India to London to illustrate the pejorative implications resulting from failing to create a theory of change. A discussion of the results, implications, and recommendations for establishing and implementing a theory of change are provided