Opportunities and challenges of working with gifted and talented students in an urban context: A university-based intervention program

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article appeared in Gifted Child Today, 34(1), 2011. Copyright 2011 @ Sage Publications.No abstract available

Sex differences in behavioral decision-making and the modulation of shared neural circuits

Animals prioritize behaviors according to their physiological needs and reproductive goals, selecting a single behavioral strategy from a repertoire of possible responses to any given stimulus. Biological sex influences this decision-making process in significant ways, differentiating the responses animals choose when faced with stimuli ranging from food to conspecifics. We review here recent work in invertebrate models, including C. elegans, Drosophila, and a variety of insects, mollusks and crustaceans, that has begun to offer intriguing insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the sexual modulation of behavioral decision-making. These findings show that an animal's sex can modulate neural function in surprisingly diverse ways, much like internal physiological variables such as hunger or thirst. In the context of homeostatic behaviors such as feeding, an animal's sex and nutritional status may converge on a common physiological mechanism, the functional modulation of shared sensory circuitry, to influence decision-making. Similarly, considerable evidence suggests that decisions on whether to mate or fight with conspecifics are also mediated through sex-specific neuromodulatory control of nominally shared neural circuits. This work offers a new perspective on how sex differences in behavior emerge, in which the regulated function of shared neural circuitry plays a crucial role. Emerging evidence from vertebrates indicates that this paradigm is likely to extend to more complex nervous systems as well. As men and women differ in their susceptibility to a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders affecting shared behaviors, these findings may ultimately have important implications for human health

Relational Theory and Intergenerational Connectedness: A Qualitative Study

Relational theory encourages women to be connected in relationships. The authors used qualitative methodology to explore the interactions of a nonfamilial intergenerational group of 7 female adolescents (13-15 years) and 5 older women (62-80 years) in a structured retreat. Findings indicated that the participants experienced increased connectivity and feminine identity. © 2010 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved

Host plant defense produces species-specific alterations to flight muscle protein structure and flight-related fitness traits of two armyworms

Insects manifest phenotypic plasticity in their development and behavior in response to plant defenses, via molecular mechanisms that produce tissue-specific changes. Phenotypic changes might vary between species that differ in their preferred hosts and these effects could extend beyond larval stages. To test this,we manipulated the diet of southern armyworm(SAW; Spodoptera eridania) and fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda) using a tomato mutant for jasmonic acid plant defense pathway (def1), and wild-type plants, and then quantified gene expression of Troponin t (Tnt) and flightmusclemetabolismof the adult insects. Differences in Tnt spliceform ratios in insect flight muscles correlate with changes to flight muscle metabolism and flight muscle output. We found that SAW adults reared on induced def1 plants had a higher relative abundance (RA) of the A isoform of Troponin t (Tnt A) in their flight muscles; in contrast, FAWadults reared on induced def1 plants had a lower RA of Tnt A in their flight muscles compared with adults reared on def1 and controls. Although massadjusted flightmetabolic rate showed no independent host plant effects in either species, higher flight metabolic rates in SAW correlated with increased RA of Tnt A. Flight muscle metabolism also showed an interaction of host plants with Tnt A in both species, suggesting that host plants might be influencing flight muscle metabolic output by altering Tnt. This study illustrates how insects respond to variation in host plant chemical defense by phenotypic modifications to their flight muscle proteins, with possible implications for dispersal

Long-term safety of ospemifene (52-week extension) in the treatment of vulvar and vaginal atrophy in hysterectomized postmenopausal women

Objective To examine the long-term safety of oral ospemifene, a non-estrogen tissue-selective estrogen agonist/antagonist, for the treatment of moderate to severe dyspareunia, a symptom of vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) due to menopause. Study design This multicenter, long-term, open-label, safety extension study was conducted in women without a uterus aged 40–80 years (N = 301) who received oral ospemifene 60 mg/day for 52 weeks. Participants either continued their 60-mg/day ospemifene dose from the initial 12-week pivotal efficacy study or switched from blinded placebo or ospemifene 30 mg/day to open-label ospemifene 60 mg/day. The 52-week open-label extension period plus initial 12-week treatment period totaled up to 64 weeks of ospemifene exposure. A 4-week posttreatment follow-up ensued (68 weeks total). Main outcome measures Safety assessments included adverse events, laboratory studies, physical and gynecologic examination, vital signs, breast palpation, and mammography. Results Most treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) during the extension study were mild or moderate in severity. The most common TEAE related to study drug was hot flushes (10%; leading to discontinuation for 2% of patients). One serious TEAE, a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction in a patient with pre-existing cardiac disease, was considered possibly related to study medication. One mild breast-related TEAE, considered unrelated to study drug, was ongoing at study completion. There were no instances of pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, venous thromboembolism, fractures, breast cancers or death. No clinically significant adverse changes were observed in other safety parameters. Conclusions Ospemifene is clinically safe and generally well tolerated in postmenopausal patients with dyspareunia, a symptom of VVA

Decreased blood–brain barrier P-glycoprotein function in the progression of Parkinson’s disease, PSP and MSA

Decreased blood–brain barrier (BBB) efflux function of the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) transport system could facilitate the accumulation of toxic compounds in the brain, increasing the risk of neurodegenerative pathology such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study investigated in vivo BBB P-gp function in patients with parkinsonian neurodegenerative syndromes, using [11C]-verapamil PET in PD, PSP and MSA patients. Regional differences in distribution volume were studied using SPM with higher uptake interpreted as reduced P-gp function. Advanced PD patients and PSP patients had increased [11C]-verapamil uptake in frontal white matter regions compared to controls; while de novo PD patients showed lower uptake in midbrain and frontal regions. PSP and MSA patients had increased uptake in the basal ganglia. Decreased BBB P-gp function seems a late event in neurodegenerative disorders, and could enhance continuous neurodegeneration. Lower [11C]-verapamil uptake in midbrain and frontal regions of de novo PD patients could indicate a regional up-regulation of P-gp function