Neighborhood Integration and Connectivity Predict Cognitive Performance and Decline

Objective: Neighborhood characteristics may be important for promoting walking, but little research has focused on older adults, especially those with cognitive impairment. We evaluated the role of neighborhood characteristics on cognitive function and decline over a 2-year period adjusting for measures of walking. Method: In a study of 64 older adults with and without mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we evaluated neighborhood integration and connectivity using geographical information systems data and space syntax analysis. In multiple regression analyses, we used these characteristics to predict 2-year declines in factor analytically derived cognitive scores (attention, verbal memory, mental status) adjusting for age, sex, education, and self-reported walking. Results: Neighborhood integration and connectivity predicted cognitive performance at baseline, and changes in cognitive performance over 2 years. The relationships between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive performance were not fully explained by self-reported walking. Discussion: Clearer definitions of specific neighborhood characteristics associated with walkability are needed to better understand the mechanisms by which neighborhoods may impact cognitive outcomes. These results have implications for measuring neighborhood characteristics, design and maintenance of living spaces, and interventions to increase walking among older adults. We offer suggestions for future research measuring neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function

Estimating in-situ N mineralization rate with a buried bag method

Accurate estimates of soil nitrogen (N) mineralization rate and timing are needed for refining N management practices. This paper describes a buried bag method that has been successfully included within agronomic field trials in the Pacific Northwest, USA. We have found this method to be technically simple and reproducible, and less prone to adverse field events than other in-situ N mineralization methods. This poster 1) Describes and illustrates the buried bag method 2) Shows two adaptations of the method used within southern Idaho and western Oregon cropping systems.Keywords: mineralization, nitrogen, soil, buried ba

Residual Effects of Fresh and Composted Dairy Manure Applications on Potato Production

Potato growers in Idaho and other dairy producing regions often grow potatoes on fields that have had a history of fresh and composted manure applications. Growers remain uncertain of the impacts that previous manure applications will have on tuber yield and quality, as well as diseases, physiological disorders, and contamination by human pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli. The focus of this study was to determine the long term effects of manure, compost, and chemical phosphorus (P) fertilizer applications on tuber yields, tuber quality, nutrient uptake, tuber disorders and diseases, and soil nutrient concentrations. Russet Burbank potatoes were grown in 2008 and 2009 on plots that had received dairy manure, dairy compost, P fertilizer, or no P source (control) at the same target P rate in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Compared with the P fertilizer treatment, applications of manure and/or compost significantly increased total yields, soil potassium (K), soil nitrate (NO3-N), early season petiole P, and late season petiole K in at least one year of the two-year study. There were no significant differences between P fertilizer, manure, and compost treatments on soil test P, late season petiole P, early season petiole K, E. coli populations on tuber surfaces, common tuber diseases and disorders, and tuber quality. Based on our findings, tuber yields significantly increased three years after applications of fresh and composted dairy manure, while tuber diseases, disorders, and quality were not affected

What are the effects that two author-fee subsidy programs have on researchers’ work practices and publishing behaviors?

Emerging alternatives or complements to ‘traditional’ publication practices include publishing in open access journals; self-archiving manuscripts; submitting pre- and post-prints to institutional- and disciplinary-repositories; and complying with funding agency mandates for sharing results from federally-funded research. Each of these alternatives bears an associated set of economic, temporal, technological, and procedural challenges for authors. This in-progress pilot study elicits perspectives of UNC authors—particularly regarding the ways in which these individuals utilize support services provided by campus administration, University Libraries, and agencies that fund their research

Smad3 signaling in the regenerating liver: implications for the regulation of IL-6 expression

Liver regeneration is vital for graft survival and adequate organ function. Smad activation regulates hepatocyte proliferation and macrophage function. Aim of the current study is to evaluate the impact of Smad3 signaling during liver regeneration in the mouse

Salmo salar and Esox lucius full-length cDNA sequences reveal changes in evolutionary pressures on a post-tetraploidization genome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Salmonids are one of the most intensely studied fish, in part due to their economic and environmental importance, and in part due to a recent whole genome duplication in the common ancestor of salmonids. This duplication greatly impacts species diversification, functional specialization, and adaptation. Extensive new genomic resources have recently become available for Atlantic salmon (<it>Salmo salar</it>), but documentation of allelic versus duplicate reference genes remains a major uncertainty in the complete characterization of its genome and its evolution.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From existing expressed sequence tag (EST) resources and three new full-length cDNA libraries, 9,057 reference quality full-length gene insert clones were identified for Atlantic salmon. A further 1,365 reference full-length clones were annotated from 29,221 northern pike (<it>Esox lucius</it>) ESTs. Pairwise d_N/d_Scomparisons within each of 408 sets of duplicated salmon genes using northern pike as a diploid out-group show asymmetric relaxation of selection on salmon duplicates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>9,057 full-length reference genes were characterized in <it>S. salar </it>and can be used to identify alleles and gene family members. Comparisons of duplicated genes show that while purifying selection is the predominant force acting on both duplicates, consistent with retention of functionality in both copies, some relaxation of pressure on gene duplicates can be identified. In addition, there is evidence that evolution has acted asymmetrically on paralogs, allowing one of the pair to diverge at a faster rate.</p

KCNK3 mutation causes altered immune function in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients and mouse models

Loss of function KCNK3 mutation is one of the gene variants driving hereditary pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). KCNK3 is expressed in several cell and tissue types on both membrane and endoplasmic reticulum and potentially plays a role in multiple pathological process associated with PAH. However, the role of various stressors driving the susceptibility of KCNK3 mutation to PAH is unknown. Hence, we expose

Production of Androgens by Microbial Transformation of Progesterone in Vitro: A Model for Androgen Production in Rivers Receiving Paper Mill Effluent

We have previously documented the presence of progesterone and androstenedione in the water column and bottom sediments of the Fenholloway River, Taylor County, Florida. This river receives paper mill effluent and contains masculinized female mosquitofish. We hypothesized that plant sterols (e.g., β-sitosterol) derived from the pulping of pine trees are transformed by bacteria into progesterone and subsequently into 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, and other androgens. In this study, we demonstrate that these same androgens can be produced in vitro from the bacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis. In a second part to this study, we reextracted and reanalyzed the sediment from the Fenholloway River and verified the presence of androstadienedione, a Δ1 steroid with androgen activity