582 research outputs found
I\u27ll Just Weight on the Lord: Spirituality and Health Behaviors in Obese African American Women
Obesity is one of the fastest growing health concerns impacting all racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups in the United States of America. More than one-third of the U.S. adult population is classified as being obese (Obesity Society, 2021). Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in all races and genders within the US with African American women comprising a majority of those impacted by this chronic health condition. Obesity rates are well documented within the literature but what is lacking is the role spirituality may play in obese African American women and their health behaviors. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of obese African American women with attention and focus on weight, health behaviors, and spirituality.
This study consisted of participant recruitment from various social organizations, beauty salons, and faith-based organizations. A naturalistic setting with a descriptive approach was taken to interview the participants and all recorded interviews were transcribed and utilized for data analysis. The analysis method for this study was the qualitative content analysis process. Upon completion of data analysis, the identification of three themes, who I am, the weight I bear, and power struggles, assisted with recognizing the gaps and concerns that supported the researcher in painting a picture of the lived experiences of obese African American women. Recommendations included diversifying healthcare providers, implementing community based interventions and research, and completing knowledge assessments before education
Outflow and dense gas emission from massive Infrared Dark Clouds
Infrared Dark Clouds are expected to harbor sources in different, very young
evolutionary stages. To better characterize these differences, we observed a
sample of 43 massive Infrared Dark Clouds, originally selected as candidate
high-mass starless cores, with the IRAM 30m telescope covering spectral line
tracers of low-density gas, high-density gas, molecular outflows/jets and
temperature effects. The SiO(2-1) observations reveal detections toward 18
sources. Assuming that SiO is exclusively produced by sputtering from dust
grains, this implies that at least in 40% of this sample star formation is
on-going. A broad range of SiO line-widths is observed (between 2.2 and
65km/s), and we discuss potential origins for this velocity spread. While the
low-density tracers 12CO(2-1) and 13CO(1-0) are detected in several velocity
components, the high-density tracer H13CO+(1--0) generally shows only a single
velocity component and is hence well suited for kinematic distance estimates of
IRDCs. Furthermore, the H13CO+ line-width is on average 1.5 times larger than
that of previously observed NH3(1,1). This is indicative of more motion at the
denser core centers, either due to turbulence or beginning star formation
activity. In addition, we detect CH3CN toward only six sources whereas CH3OH is
observed toward approximately 40% of the sample. Estimates of the CH3CN and
CH3OH abundances are low with average values of 1.2x10^{-10} and 4.3x10^{-10},
respectively. These results are consistent with chemical models at the earliest
evolutionary stages of high-mass star formation. Furthermore, the CH3OH
abundances compare well to recently reported values for low-mass starless
cores.Comment: 22 pages (ApJ referee style), 7 figures, accepted for Ap
I\u27ll Just Weight on the Lord: Spirituality and Health Behaviors in Obese African American Women
Obesity is one of the fastest growing health concerns impacting all racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups in the United States of America. More than one-third of the U.S. adult population is classified as being obese (Obesity Society, 2021). Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in all races and genders within the US with African American women comprising a majority of those impacted by this chronic health condition. Obesity rates are well documented within the literature but what is lacking is the role spirituality may play in obese African American women and their health behaviors. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of obese African American women with attention and focus on weight, health behaviors, and spirituality.
This study consisted of participant recruitment from various social organizations, beauty salons, and faith-based organizations. A naturalistic setting with a descriptive approach was taken to interview the participants and all recorded interviews were transcribed and utilized for data analysis. The analysis method for this study was the qualitative content analysis process. Upon completion of data analysis, the identification of three themes, who I am, the weight I bear, and power struggles, assisted with recognizing the gaps and concerns that supported the researcher in painting a picture of the lived experiences of obese African American women. Recommendations included diversifying healthcare providers, implementing community based interventions and research, and completing knowledge assessments before education
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A 2000-year annual record of snow accumulation rates for Law Dome, East Antarctica
Accurate high-resolution records of snow accumulation rates in Antarctica are crucial for estimating ice sheet mass balance and subsequent sea level change. Snowfall rates at Law Dome, East Antarctica, have been linked with regional atmospheric circulation to the mid-latitudes as well as regional Antarctic snowfall. Here, we extend the length of the Law Dome accumulation record from 750 years to 2035 years, using recent annual layer dating that extends to 22 BCE. Accumulation rates were calculated as the ratio of measured to modelled layer thicknesses, multiplied by the long-term mean accumulation rate. The modelled layer thicknesses were based on a power-law vertical strain rate profile fitted to observed annual layer thickness. The periods 380–442, 727–783 and 1970–2009 CE have above-average snow accumulation rates, while 663–704, 933–975 and 1429–1468 CE were below average, and decadal-scale snow accumulation anomalies were found to be relatively common (74 events in the 2035-year record). The calculated snow accumulation rates show good correlation with atmospheric reanalysis estimates, and significant spatial correlation over a wide expanse of East Antarctica, demonstrating that the Law Dome record captures larger-scale variability across a large region of East Antarctica well beyond the immediate vicinity of the Law Dome summit. Spectral analysis reveals periodicities in the snow accumulation record which may be related to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) frequencies
Leveraging sponsorship to achieve consumer relationship objectives through the creation of ‘marketing spaces’: An exploratory study
This paper explores the emergence of sponsorship-linked events as a strategy to leverage relational outcomes through sponsorship investment. The growing use of sponsorship-linked events reinforces the need to understand the potential of such leverage strategies, thus the findings contribute to the body of literature on effective sponsorship practices. Findings from semi-structured interviews with Sponsorship and Marketing Managers suggest a shifting orientation among sponsors towards the pursuit of relational objectives. The privileged access to consumers afforded through sponsorship allows sponsors to manufacture opportunities to create intimacy with customers through sponsorship-linked events in relaxed, comfortable environments; thus sponsorship-linked events are positioned as a rich environment to add value to consumer–brand interactions and achieve relational objectives. Hosting specifically designed events affords sponsors an increased modicum of control over consumer–brand experiences in sponsorship environments characterised by a lack of control over sponsored property actions. However, this control may be eroded by social media technologies, which facilitate consumer–consumer communication around sponsorship-linked events. Social media, however, is proposed as a useful tool to elicit consumer feedback, addressing the misalignment between current sponsorship evaluation practices and emergent relational objectives revealed in the empirical findings. Therefore, successfully activating the sponsorship-linked marketing space demands an integrated and strategic approach
Extracellular dsRNA induces a type I interferon response mediated via class A scavenger receptors in a novel Chinook salmon derived spleen cell line
The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dci.2018.08.010 © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Despite increased global interest in Chinook salmon aquaculture, little is known of their viral immune defenses. This study describes the establishment and characterization of a continuous cell line derived from Chinook salmon spleen, CHSS, and its use in innate immune studies. Optimal growth was seen at 14–18 °C when grown in Leibovitz's L-15 media with 20% fetal bovine serum. DNA analyses confirmed that CHSS was Chinook salmon and genetically different from the only other available Chinook salmon cell line, CHSE-214. Unlike CHSE-214, CHSS could bind extracellular dsRNA, resulting in the rapid and robust expression of antiviral genes. Receptor/ligand blocking assays confirmed that class A scavenger receptors (SR-A) facilitated dsRNA binding and subsequent gene expression. Although both cell lines expressed three SR-A genes: SCARA3, SCARA4, and SCARA5, only CHSS appeared to have functional cell-surface SR-As for dsRNA. Collectively, CHSS is an excellent cell model to study dsRNA-mediated innate immunity in Chinook salmon.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaCanada Research Counci
Chemical Diversity in High-Mass Star Formation
Massive star formation exhibits an extremely rich chemistry. However, not
much evolutionary details are known yet, especially at high spatial resolution.
Therefore, we synthesize previously published Submillimeter Array
high-spatial-resolution spectral line observations toward four regions of
high-mass star formation that are in various evolutionary stages with a range
of luminosities. Estimating column densities and comparing the spatially
resolved molecular emission allows us to characterize the chemical evolution in
more detail. Furthermore, we model the chemical evolution of massive warm
molecular cores to be directly compared with the data. The four regions reveal
many different characteristics. While some of them, e.g., the detection rate of
CH3OH, can be explained by variations of the average gas temperatures, other
features are attributed to chemical effects. For example, C34S is observed
mainly at the core-edges and not toward their centers because of
temperature-selective desorption and successive gas-phase chemistry reactions.
Most nitrogen-bearing molecules are only found toward the hot molecular cores
and not the earlier evolutionary stages, indicating that the formation and
excitation of such complex nitrogen-bearing molecules needs significant heating
and time to be fully developed. Furthermore, we discuss the observational
difficulties to study massive accretion disks in the young deeply embedded
phase of massive star formation. The general potential and limitations of such
kind of dataset are discussed, and future directions are outlined. The analysis
and modeling of this source sample reveals many interesting features toward a
chemical evolutionary sequence. However, it is only an early step, and many
observational and theoretical challenges in that field lie ahead.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted for the Astronomical Journal, a high
resolution version can be found at
http://www.mpia.de/homes/beuther/papers.htm
The Endogenous Th17 Response in NO<inf>2</inf>-Promoted Allergic Airway Disease Is Dispensable for Airway Hyperresponsiveness and Distinct from Th17 Adoptive Transfer
Severe, glucocorticoid-resistant asthma comprises 5-7% of patients with asthma. IL-17 is a biomarker of severe asthma, and the adoptive transfer of Th17 cells in mice is sufficient to induce glucocorticoid-resistant allergic airway disease. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an environmental toxin that correlates with asthma severity, exacerbation, and risk of adverse outcomes. Mice that are allergically sensitized to the antigen ovalbumin by exposure to NO2 exhibit a mixed Th2/Th17 adaptive immune response and eosinophil and neutrophil recruitment to the airway following antigen challenge, a phenotype reminiscent of severe clinical asthma. Because IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling is critical in the generation of the Th17 response in vivo, we hypothesized that the IL-1R/Th17 axis contributes to pulmonary inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in NO2-promoted allergic airway disease and manifests in glucocorticoid-resistant cytokine production. IL-17A neutralization at the time of antigen challenge or genetic deficiency in IL-1R resulted in decreased neutrophil recruitment to the airway following antigen challenge but did not protect against the development of AHR. Instead, IL-1R-/- mice developed exacerbated AHR compared to WT mice. Lung cells from NO2-allergically inflamed mice that were treated in vitro with dexamethasone (Dex) during antigen restimulation exhibited reduced Th17 cytokine production, whereas Th17 cytokine production by lung cells from recipient mice of in vitro Th17-polarized OTII T-cells was resistant to Dex. These results demonstrate that the IL-1R/Th17 axis does not contribute to AHR development in NO2-promoted allergic airway disease, that Th17 adoptive transfer does not necessarily reflect an endogenously-generated Th17 response, and that functions of Th17 responses are contingent on the experimental conditions in which they are generated. © 2013 Martin et al
ATCA 3mm observations of NGC6334I and I(N): dense cores, outflows and an UCHII region
Aims: Investigation of the dense gas, the outflows and the continuum emission
from the massive twin cores NGC6334I and I(N) at high spatial resolution.
Methods: We imaged the region with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA)
at 3.4mm wavelength in continuum as well as CH3CN(5_K-4_K) and HCN(1-0)
spectral line emission. Results: While the continuum emission in NGC6334I
mainly traces the UCHII region, toward NGC6334I(N) we detect line emission from
four of the previously identified dust continuum condensations that are of
protostellar or pre-stellar nature. The CH3CN(5_K-4_K) lines are detected in
all K-components up to energies of 128K above ground toward two protostellar
condensations in both regions. We find line-width increasing with increasing K
for all sources, which indicates a higher degree of internal motions closer to
the central protostars. Toward the main mm and CH3CN source in NGC6334I we
identify a velocity gradient approximately perpendicular to the large-scale
molecular outflow. This may be interpreted as a signature of an accretion disk,
although other scenarios, e.g., an unresolved double source, could produce a
similar signature as well. No comparable signature is found toward any of the
other sources. HCN does not trace the dense gas well but it is dominated by the
molecular outflows. While the outflow in NGC6334I exhibits a normal Hubble-law
like velocity structure, the data indicate a precessing outflow close to the
plane of the sky for NGC6334I(N). Furthermore, we observe a wide (~15.4km/s)
HCN absorption line, much broader than the previously observed CH3OH and NH3
absorption lines. Several explanations for the difference are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, accepted for A&
Dynamic Analysis of Vascular Morphogenesis Using Transgenic Quail Embryos
Background: One of the least understood and most central questions confronting biologists is how initially simple clusters or sheet-like cell collectives can assemble into highly complex three-dimensional functional tissues and organs. Due to the limits of oxygen diffusion, blood vessels are an essential and ubiquitous presence in all amniote tissues and organs. Vasculogenesis, the de novo self-assembly of endothelial cell (EC) precursors into endothelial tubes, is the first step in blood vessel formation [1]. Static imaging and in vitro models are wholly inadequate to capture many aspects of vascular pattern formation in vivo, because vasculogenesis involves dynamic changes of the endothelial cells and of the forming blood vessels, in an embryo that is changing size and shape.
Methodology/Principal Findings: We have generated Tie1 transgenic quail lines Tg(tie1:H2B-eYFP) that express H2B-eYFP in all of their endothelial cells which permit investigations into early embryonic vascular morphogenesis with unprecedented clarity and insight. By combining the power of molecular genetics with the elegance of dynamic imaging, we follow the precise patterning of endothelial cells in space and time. We show that during vasculogenesis within the vascular plexus, ECs move independently to form the rudiments of blood vessels, all while collectively moving with gastrulating tissues that flow toward the embryo midline. The aortae are a composite of somatic derived ECs forming its dorsal regions and the splanchnic derived ECs forming its ventral region. The ECs in the dorsal regions of the forming aortae exhibit variable mediolateral motions as they move rostrally; those in more ventral regions show significant lateral-to-medial movement as they course rostrally.
Conclusions/Significance: The present results offer a powerful approach to the major challenge of studying the relative role(s) of the mechanical, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of vascular development. In past studies, the advantages of the molecular genetic tools available in mouse were counterbalanced by the limited experimental accessibility needed for imaging and perturbation studies. Avian embryos provide the needed accessibility, but few genetic resources. The creation of transgenic quail with labeled endothelia builds upon the important roles that avian embryos have played in previous studies of vascular development
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