Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 37

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Tetrabenazine: the first approved drug for the treatment of chorea in US patients with Huntington disease

Huntington disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited progressive neurological disease characterized by chorea, an involuntary brief movement that tends to flow between body regions. HD is typically diagnosed based on clinical findings in the setting of a family history and may be confirmed with genetic testing. Predictive testing is available to those at risk, but only experienced clinicians should perform the counseling and testing. Multiple areas of the brain degenerate mainly involving the neurotransmitters dopamine, glutamate, and γ-aminobutyric acid. Although pharmacotherapies theoretically target these neurotransmitters, few well-conducted trials for symptomatic or neuroprotective interventions yielded positive results. Tetrabenazine (TBZ) is a dopamine-depleting agent that may be one of the more effective agents for reducing chorea, although it has a risk of potentially serious adverse effects. Some newer antipsychotic agents, such as olanzapine and aripiprazole, may have adequate efficacy with a more favorable adverse-effect profile than older antipsychotic agents for treating chorea and psychosis. This review will address the epidemiology and diagnosis of HD as background for understanding potential pharmacological treatment options. Because TBZ is the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved medication in the United States for HD, the focus of this review will be on its pharmacology, efficacy, safety, and practical uses. There are no current treatments to change the course of HD, but education and symptomatic therapies can be effective tools for clinicians to use with patients and families affected by HD

The effects of program format in educational broadcasts on adult retention

This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Oral History Interview: Frank Samuel Lucente

This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia communities, focusing on Ceredo. At the time of the interview, Mr. Frank Lucente was part owner/ operator of Rocco\u27s Restaurant in Ceredo, West Virginia. He discusses: his history with the restaurant; his relationship with the other owner; economics at the time of the interview; organizations (such as Big Brother\u27s, the Jaycees, and the Boys Club); his interest in politics and the Republican Party; government programs; his family; the Vietnam War; politics and government at the time; television and its influence on society; and differences between the time he grew up in and the time of the interview.https://mds.marshall.edu/oral_history/1032/thumbnail.jp

Genetic Management of the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)

The Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) was selected as a new aquaculture candidate towards diversification from salmonid culture. The species was chosen because of its high market value and perceived good growth in the cold waters of the target farming regions. Extensive and collaborative research efforts formed the basis for the culture of this benthic marine species. Broodstock populations were established from a limited number of wild individuals due to the high costs involved in their capture. First generation hatchery reared offspring are now being selected as replacements but with no knowledge of a broodstock replacement strategy to manage this valuable genetic resource and to maximize the potential of this species the industry runs the risk of genetic degradation with the associated problems of inbreeding depression. This thesis investigates the processes involved with developing a genetic management strategy, using genetic profile technology, based on a population in Scotland at Otter Ferry Seafish Ltd. The level of genetic variability of 70 individuals in the parental population and 802 of their offspring (F1) in two year classes (1995 and 1998) was assessed at 7 microsatellite loci. The parental population which was comprised of three different stocks was genetically diverse, however, when compared with their offspring, substantial reductions in genetic variation, as judged by allelic diversity, were observed. The parentage of these F1 individuals was determined by exclusion principles and 91% of all the offspring genotyped were unambiguously assigned to a single parental pair. The assignment revealed that only half of the parents succeeded in contributing to the F1 generation. This problem was compounded by the fact that the family sizes were highly skewed such that the entire population consisted of a small number of large families resulting in an unacceptably low effective population size of 8.11. The inbreeding coefficient in the F1 generation was 6.16% however this differed markedly between the 1995 (7.74%) and 1998 (10.64%) year classes. The repeatability of reproductive performance defined by five performance traits reflecting quantity and quality of eggs, frequency of stripping events and viability was assessed by REML using data collected over three spawning seasons from 239 F1 females. The phenotypic correlations obtained between quality and quantity traits were low in magnitude and the study showed that with the exception of seasonal activity, all traits studied improved with age. There was also an effect of photoperiod in that fish kept under a 4 month-delayed regime did not perform as well as the fish under a one-month extended regime. Of all five traits, only volume of eggs collected was repeatable (r=0.37±0.07). This suggests that it is the only reproductive character influenced by the fish and all other traits, especially those pertaining to egg quality are determined by management practices. The heritability of body weight at four stages in the growout phase of production was estimated by REML using data from 486 F1 individuals. These animals were reared in two different sites, a land based tank and a sea cage. Significant effects of site, sex and grade were observed and by the end of the trial the average weight of fish in land based system was higher by 2 kg. Females were over 3 kg heavier than males and this difference was attributed to precocious maturation while fish in the smaller grade were consistently though decreasingly lighter than their larger counterparts. Heritabilities, derived from sire, dam and combined estimates ranged from 0.09 to 0.53 with wide confidence intervals. The poor precision of the estimates was due to the highly imbalanced family structure and the small number of offspring studied. Values varied depending on the age of fish and the source of variance used to estimate them. Heritabilities increased with age and although sire estimates were higher than dam estimates these differences were tested and the results obtained consistent with the conclusion that they represent nothing more than chance. The results suggested that selection for increased body weight in the halibut was likely to be successful. Based on the findings of the study a genetic management strategy for the Atlantic halibut was proposed structured on controlling the rate of inbreeding and a theory of domestication. The need to introduce additional individuals into the population was strongly recommended

Substandard Housing: The New Pennsylvania Rent Withholding Act as a Solution

In many large cities the problem created by substandard housing seems nearly insurmountable. These slums constitute physically rundown and neglected dwellings where little or no sanitary or other facilities exist. The 1950 census of housing indicated that 18.7 percent of all urban dwelling units were either dilapidated or lacked a flush toilet or private bath for exclusive use. In essence, most of these individual and collective units can be factually certified as unfit for human habitation, yet these areas and dwellings are inhabited

Land Markets and Agricultural Land Use Efficiency and Sustainability: Evidence from East Africa

Land markets, including land sales and short-term land rentals, have an important role to play for efficient and sustainable land management and agricultural development, especially where markets for other factors of production are imperfect or missing. This study utilises data from the highlands of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to examine the impact of land markets on various types of land investment and management practices, crop yield, and land quality. The results highlight the relative long-term versus short-term return to different types of investment and practices, where those with longer-term benefits such as trees, manuring, and composting are preferred on more tenure-secure plots, while those with immediate or season-to-season benefits such as drainage structures or chemical fertilizers are preferred on rented plots. The impact on agricultural productivity is mixed and context specific. Regarding land quality outcomes, there is reason to believe that plots traded on short-term markets in Kenya and Uganda tend to be of inferior quality, supporting the hypothesis of movement of land from households to those with higher capital/land ratios.land markets, land investment and management, land use efficiency, Land Economics/Use,