Effects of diet and exercise on carotid lesions in male pigs

Abstract only availableThe objective of this study was to examine the influence of aerobic exercise-training on atherosclerotic lesion appearance and composition in the carotid artery of male, miniature Yucatan pigs fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFC) diet. Sexually mature, male pigs were assigned to either treadmill exercise (Ex) or sedentary (Sed) groups. After 20 weeks, the pigs were euthanized and their common carotid arteries harvested. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is regarded as a valid surrogate of atherosclerosis and was measured in cross sections stained for elastin. The accumulations of foam cells in the HFC carotids were examined immunohistochemically with special stains for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), nitrotyrosine, and superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1). Expression of eNOS causes the release of nitric oxide (NO), which mediates vasorelaxation and has been shown to be impaired by HFC diet. Nitrotyrosine is a marker of oxidative stress and is formed when NO combines with a superoxide radical to form peroxynitrite which can nitrosylate tyrosine residues in proteins, all potentially leading to molecular and cellular dysfunction. SOD-1 is one of three isoforms of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), is Cu/Zn-dependent, and is present in the cytosol and nucleus. SOD-1 is thought to be an important antioxidant defense mechanism. The IMT was significantly less in Ex versus Sed male pigs and nitrotyrosine staining tended to be less intense in Ex pigs. There were no significant differences in staining intensity for SOD1 and eNOS between Ex and Sed groups. The protective effect of exercise in this porcine model of carotid atherosclerosis is similar to that observed in human males, and may be associated with the altered balance between NO and superoxide generation.Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participatio

Functional analysis of MAP kinases in Arabidopsis thaliana: Fully rescuing the mpk3/mpk6 mutant phenotype [abstract]

Abstract only availableMitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are major pathways involved in the transduction of extracellular signals into intracellular responses. A MAPK cascade consists of three kinases. MAPKK kinase (MAPKKK or MEKK) is at the top of this three-tier cascade. Upon its activation by a receptor/sensor, MAPKKK phosphorylates MAPK kinase (MAPKK or MEK), which in turn phosphorylates MAPK and activates it. The activated MAPK can then phosphorylate other protein kinases or be translocated to the nucleus where it can phosphorylate transcription factors and activate gene expression. About 20 MAPKs were identified in the fully sequenced Arabidopsis genome. To study the function of MPK3 and MPK6, the two most closely related MAPKs in Arabidopsis, we isolated the corresponding T-DNA mutants. However, no abnormal phenotype was observed in the single mutants. In order to determine if MPK3 and MPK6 have overlapping functions, we crossed the two single mutants to generate double mutants. Among the 172 F2 plants that we genotyped, no double homozygous plant was identified, indicating that this genotype is lethal. An attempt was then made to rescue this phenotype by introducing an inducible: MPK6 transgene. However, this construct led to only partial rescue of the lethal double mutants. In an attempt to attain complete rescue of these phenotypes, new MPK3 and MPK6 constructs were engineered with the following features: Transgenes regulated by endogenous promoters were used to maintain normal cell/tissue specific expression of the protein. The transgene products were tagged with YFP and GFP. Genomic DNA, as opposed to complementary DNA, was used as the coding regions in order to ensure the presence of introns. Indication of a full rescue will be verified in the T2 generation. Failure to observe completely rescued lines may indicate protein tag interference and further untagged constructs will then be attempted.MU Monsanto Undergraduate Research Fellowshi

Shinga irrigation scheme

A treatise on an irrigation scheme based in Zimbabwe's Shinga District.Lack of water for human and livestock consumption as well as for gardening is one of the major constraints for farmers in Mudzi district. During a planning seminar with farmer representatives and extension staff, it was therefore agreed that promotion of horticultural production through the realisation of small-scale irrigation schemes should be a priority for the Mudzi District Agricultural Development Project (Mudzi A.D.P.). The Shinga Irrigation Scheme is the first scheme constructed with assistance from Mudzi A.D.P. The first attempt to construct an irrigation scheme in Shinga date back to 1987, when a study indicated that an area of about 8 ha at 1 km distance from the dam-wall could be served by gravity. Farmers were mobilised and organised themselves in an irrigation committee. Unfortunately, later surveys, carried out by the AGRITEX Irrigation Branch, proved that the site was not really suitable for a gravity-fed irrigation scheme. People were left frustrated after all these surveys without any real action taken. However immediately downstream of Shinga dam, a terrain of 1.88 ha was identified to be suitable for gravity-fed irrigation. A detailed survey was carried out in April and May 1992 by the local Agricultural Extension Officer, Conservation. The construction works started in June 1992 after two preparatory meetings with the members of the previously established irrigation group were held and an agreement of co-operation signed between the irrigation committee, Mudzi A.D.P., Agritex and District Development Funds to define the division of tasks and the responsibilities for all parties involved

Interrogating the Concept of Strategy as Practice in the Context of Information Technology for Development

The concept of Strategy-as-Practice has become prevalent in academic discussions on strategy which try to capture the emergent nature of strategizing in social organizations. While this concept offers the potential to explain and inform some of the many challenges that ICT for development researchers and practitioners face when trying to plan and design interventions, little research has focused on it. In this context, strategizing involves several components, and practitioners in the field are involved in developing, implementing or reacting to a range of strategies from a network of stakeholders. In this paper, we first conduct a review of aspects of strategizing and strategic activity in practice in the area of information technology for development. We further explore these processes in the context of the establishment and ongoing development of initiatives to increase access and usage of information and communication technologies, such as telecentres, community access points, and deployments in schools and libraries. Case vignettes of developing such strategy are described, followed by implications for research and practice

Community Mediation and Violence Prevention through Telecentre Usage: ICTs mediating the ‘Border Line’

Information and communication technologies are being utilized in initiatives to support social and economic development in marginalized communities in developing countries. A key component of community informatics initiatives has been the development of public access points such as telecentres in communities. The role of these telecentres in social interventions has been expanding. In this paper, we explore an emerging role for telecentres – that of community mediation and violence prevention. Our research is based on empirical observations through a field study at telecentres in a developing country, Jamaica, and an analysis of local newspaper articles. We investigate ways in which these community mediation and violence prevention strategies through telecentres may support social inclusion and development of social capital. The evolving role of telecentres in the area of peace-making suggests that the factors explored in this study will be of benefit to researchers and practitioners in telecentre implementations

Secrets of a successful outsourcing contract: a risk analysis

Outsourcing information systems on a large scale is a difficult challenge. The public sector has seen some spectacular information systems (IS) outsourcing failures. Public officials have come under fire for sloppy management of IS outsourcing engagements and legislators are demanding higher standards of outsourcing practice and more accountability from public sector managers. This paper analyzes a large outsourcing contract for software maintenance services in Alberta, Canada from a risk perspective. This contract offers insights into how one public organization approaches the risks inherent in the practice of IS outsourcing. We use a risk framework and content analysis to identify which risk management strategies are included in the contract and how they are implemented. Although IS outsourcing risk factors are widely acknowledged in the literature, they may not be fully specified in the outsourcing contracts implemented in some public organizations. Our findings highlight some of the differences in the suggestions made in the academic literature on IS outsourcing and the techniques implemented in an actual outsourcing contract to manage the risks inherent in this growing sector of the international economy. We also find that not all risks need to be addressed in the contract to have a successful outsourcing relationship

Methodology for Determining an ICT Workforce Management Strategy Based on Complementarity of Investments and Sources of Relative Inefficiency

Multiple factors mediate the relationship between investments in ICT and their macroeconomic outcomes. The amount and quality of the available workforce has been identified as one of the complementary to investments in ICT factors. Unlike the developed countries, developing and Transition Economies (TE) do not represent a homogenous group that allows for adapting and implementing strategies of the more successful counterparts. As a result, these economies face the task of formulating unique investment and workforce management strategies. In this study, we investigate the relationship between a subset of investments in ICT, namely, investments in Telecoms, and a full-time Telecom staff, and propose a methodology allowing for formulating a complementary to investments in ICT workforce management strategy. Adapting a framework of neoclassical growth accounting as the theoretical foundation of our inquiry, we propose a two- phase approach utilizing multivariate regression and data envelopment analysis. We argue that our methodology allows for formulating complementary to investments in Telecoms, empirically-justifiable and theoretically sound HR strategies. The illustrative example of the proposed methodology in action substantiates the argument

Should We Collaborate with AI to Conduct Literature Reviews? Changing Epistemic Values in a Flattening World

In this paper, we revisit the issue of collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct literature reviews and discuss if this should be done and how it could be done. We also call for further reflection on the epistemic values at risk when using certain types of AI tools based on machine learning or generative AI at different stages of the review process, which often require the scope to be redefined and fundamentally follow an iterative process. Although AI tools accelerate search and screening tasks, particularly when there are vast amounts of literature involved, they may compromise quality, especially when it comes to transparency and explainability. Expert systems are less likely to have a negative impact on these tasks. In a broader context, any AI method should preserve researchers’ ability to critically select, analyze, and interpret the literature

Building and Maintaining Alliances in SPI Projects: Implications for Organizing Effective SPI

Software Process Improvement projects face a double challenge: On the one hand are these projects often major organizational change projects requiring considerable investments in terms of time and money. The group charged with conducting an SPI project has, on the other hand, little formal authority to influence or force software professionals to engage in SPI work and define and implement changes. In this research in progress paper, we present first results from our analysis of how an SPI group can use alliances to obtain influence and induce change. Our analysis shows that the concept of alliances is useful both to understand organizational influence and to provide practical advice for practitioners involved in organizational processes such as SPI

Organizational Influence Process in Software Process Improvement

In this paper we investigate organizational influence processes in software process improvement. We analyze an improvement effort through the lenses of organizational influence theory. Our analysis suggests that the framework can explain several significant organizational complexities in software process improvement. Further, the framework point to relevant actions for managers of software process improvement. This will have implications for the creation of effective software process improvement