Biogeography of epiphytic foraminiferans in the tropical Western Atlantic

Abstrac

Strength Training: An Inquiry of Females Perceptions

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 4: Issue 1, Article 10, 2023. While traditionally considered a male-dominated activity, women have increasingly embraced strength training. Although strength training has numerous physical and mental benefits to women, their subjective decision-making about using strength training have not been investigated thoroughly, especially using a unique methodology, Q, that is designed specifically to study subjectivity such as viewpoints and decision-making. There is limited research focused on females’ viewpoints about strength training. Capturing feelings and perceptions females have towards resistance training in an objective manner requires a specialized, mixed method called Q methodology [Q] that was created 90 years ago to scientifically study subjectivity. In Q, participants sort subjective statements about the topic into a grid to offer their internal viewpoints. Statistical analyses group similar sorts and provide empirical evidence to describe divergent viewpoints at a level usually reserved for qualitative studies. In this study, analyses revealed two distinct views: The Equipped Exercisers, who purposefully seek the benefits of exercise, and Road-blockers, who value exercise but implement constraints upon their participation. Understanding these views can facilitate expanding female participation in strength training through interventions

Characterization of an electron conduit between bacteria and the extracellular environment

A number of species of Gram-negative bacteria can use insoluble minerals of Fe(III) and Mn(IV) as extracellular respiratory electron acceptors. In some species of Shewanella, deca-heme electron transfer proteins lie at the extracellular face of the outer membrane (OM), where they can interact with insoluble substrates. To reduce extracellular substrates, these redox proteins must be charged by the inner membrane/periplasmic electron transfer system. Here, we present a spectro-potentiometric characterization of a trans-OM icosa-heme complex, MtrCAB, and demonstrate its capacity to move electrons across a lipid bilayer after incorporation into proteoliposomes. We also show that a stable MtrAB subcomplex can assemble in the absence of MtrC; an MtrBC subcomplex is not assembled in the absence of MtrA; and MtrA is only associated to the membrane in cells when MtrB is present. We propose a model for the modular organization of the MtrCAB complex in which MtrC is an extracellular element that mediates electron transfer to extracellular substrates and MtrB is a trans-OM spanning ß-barrel protein that serves as a sheath, within which MtrA and MtrC exchange electrons. We have identified the MtrAB module in a range of bacterial phyla, suggesting that it is widely used in electron exchange with the extracellular environment

Pesticide use and risk of end-stage renal disease among licensed pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study

Experimental studies suggest a relationship between pesticide exposure and renal impairment, but epidemiological evidence is limited. We evaluated the association between exposure to 41 specific pesticides and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) incidence in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS), a prospective cohort study of licensed pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina

Exposure Characterization of Haloacetic Acids in Humans for Exposure and Risk Assessment Applications: An Exploratory Study

Disinfected water is the major source of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in humans, but their inter- and intra-individual variability for exposure and risk assessment applications is under-researched. Thus, we measured HAAs in cross-sectional and longitudinal urine and water specimens from 17 individuals. Five regulated HAAs—mono-, di-, and trichloroacetic acid (MCAA, DCAA, and TCAA) and mono- and dibromoacetic acid (MBAA and DBAA)—and one unregulated HAA—bromochloroacetic acid (BCAA)—were measured. Urinary DCAA, MBAA, DBAA, and BCAA levels were always below the limits of detection (LOD). Measured levels and interindividual variability of urinary MCAA were higher than urinary TCAA. Longitudinal urinary specimens showed MCAA levels peaked in after-shower specimens, while TCAA levels remain unchanged. Correlation between urinary MCAA and TCAA was moderate but statistically significant. The prevalence of MCAA and TCAA in urine suggest they can be considered as biomarkers of HAA. Peak urinary MCAA in post-shower specimens suggest MCAA captures short-term exposure via dermal and/or inhalation, while urinary TCAA captures long-term exposure via ingestion. However, further research is warranted in a large pool of participants to test the reliability of MCAA as exposure biomarker

HST/NICMOS Imaging of Disks and Envelopes Around Very Young Stars

We present HST/NICMOS observations with 0.1" (15 AU) resolution of six young stellar objects in the Taurus star-formation region. The targets of our survey are three Class I IRAS sources (IRAS 04016+2610, IRAS 04248+2612, and IRAS 04302+2247) and three low-luminosity stars (DG Tau B, Haro 6-5B, and CoKu Tau/1) associated with Herbig Haro jets. The broad-band images show that the near-infrared radiation from these sources is dominated by light scattered from dusty circumstellar material distributed in a region 10 - 15 times the size of our solar system. Although the detailed morphologies of the individual objects are unique, the observed young stellar objects share common features. All of the circumstellar reflection nebulae are crossed by dark lanes from 500 - 900 AU in extent and from less than 50 to 350 AU in apparent thickness. The absorption lanes extend perpendicular to known optical and millimeter outflows in these sources. We interpret the dark lanes as optically thick circumstellar disks seen in silhouette against bright reflection nebulosity. The bipolar reflection nebulae extending perpendicular to the dust lanes appear to be produced by scattering from the upper and lower surfaces of the disks and from dusty material within or on the walls of the outflow cavities. Out of five objects in which the central source is directly detected, two are found to be subarcsecond binaries. This mini-survey is the highest resolution near-infrared study to date of circumstellar environments around solar-type stars with age <= 1 Myr.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figures; also available at http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/brandner/topics/disks/disks.html ; accepted for publication in AJ (March 1999 issue

Canine \u3cem\u3eRD3\u3c/em\u3e Mutation Establishes Rod-Cone Dysplasia Type 2 (\u3cem\u3ercd2\u3c/em\u3e) as Ortholog of Human and Murine \u3cem\u3erd3\u3c/em\u3e

Rod-cone dysplasia type 2 (rcd2) is an autosomal recessive disorder that segregates in collie dogs. Linkage disequilibrium and meiotic linkage mapping were combined to take advantage of population structure within this breed and to fine map rcd2 to a 230-kb candidate region that included the gene C1orf36 responsible for human and murine rd3, and within which all affected dogs were homozygous for one haplotype. In one of three identified canine retinal RD3 splice variants, an insertion was found that cosegregates with rcd2 and is predicted to alter the last 61 codons of the normal open reading frame and further extend the open reading frame. Thus, combined meiotic linkage and LD mapping within a single canine breed can yield critical reduction of the disease interval when appropriate advantage is taken of within-breed population structure. This should permit a similar approach to tackle other hereditary traits that segregate in single closed populations

Pesticide exposure and end-stage renal disease risk among wives of pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study

Pesticide exposure has been found to cause renal damage and dysfunction in experimental studies, but epidemiological research on the renal effects of chronic low-level pesticide exposure is limited. We investigated the relationships between end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among wives of licensed pesticide applicators (N = 31,142) in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) and (1) personal pesticide use, (2) exposure to the husband's pesticide use, and (3) other pesticide-associated farming and household activities