Genetic Diversity of White Tigers and Genetic Factors Related to Coat Color

White tigers are greatly cherished by the public, making them valuable to zoos and breeders. Unfortunately, a number of health issues have occasionally surfaced within some of the white tiger population such as neurological and facial defects. There is interest amongst private tiger breeders to determine if these maladies are associated with the coat color or breeding practices, and to find ways to prevent these health issues. The genes involved in producing the white phenotype and the disease phenotype are currently unknown. Furthermore, the relationship between the genes associated with coat color and levels of inbreeding also remain unknown. Microsatellites are a tool frequently used by geneticists and ecologists alike. These segments of highly repeatable DNA mutate frequently and are variable in length. Thus microsatellites can be used to determine heterozygosity within a population by detecting the alleles present at the loci of interest. The amount of heterozygosity within a population can be indicative of the amount of inbreeding present and overall levels of genetic diversity. A panel of twelve microsatellites was used to analyze heterozygosity, thus inferring the levels of genetic diversity present. Among the tigers sampled, estimated heterozygosity was determined to be 0.761 in white tigers and 0.772 in orange tigers. The genes Melanocortin-1-Receptor (MC1R) and Agouti Signaling Protein (ASIP) have been found to affect coat color phenotypes in other species similar to that of the white tiger, making them ideal candidates for this project. These genes work antagonistically to each other in production of melanin. MC1R is responsible for the production of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) while ASIP silences this activity. Thus, a loss-of-function associated with MC1R or a gain-of-function associated with ASIP could lead to reduced pigment production. This study continues the initial investigation by focusing on sequencing MC1R. Differences in the nucleotides and amino acids of the sequences were compared through alignment in Sequencher. At this time a causal mutation has not been found within exons 1 and 2 of ASIP or MC1R

The Cosmos and the Earth: Content and Quality of Environmental Risk Communication in Cosmos (1980) and Cosmos (2014)

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980) and the remake Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014) have sparked widespread public interest in science and educated viewers about science. Both series cover many scientific topics, including the environment. Because of their large viewership, the series have the potential to influence public awareness about environmental issues, and by using best practices, Cosmos could also potentially incite action to mitigate environmental risk. This study posed two research questions: (1) Do the topics and themes related to environmental risk differ between the two Cosmos series? If so, in what way(s)? (2) How do the environmental risk communication strategies used in the two Cosmos series compare to best practices for inspiring appropriate action among viewers? This study used content analysis to determine differences between the two Cosmos series in the topics, frames, approaches, images, and visual language, such as metaphors. There was an overall increase in environmental risk content from Cosmos (1980) to Cosmos (2014). The most mentioned environmental topics in Cosmos (1980) were “Pollution,” “Nuclear,” “Climate Change,” and “Greenhouse Gas/CO2”; in Cosmos (2014) they were “Energy,” “Pollution,” “Greenhouse Gas/CO2,” and “Climate Change.” In Cosmos (2014), “Climate Change/Global Warming,” “Greenhouse Gas/CO2,” and “Energy” often appeared together, solidifying the association between these topics. Additionally, framing of content shifted from “Disaster” and “Security” in Cosmos (1980) to “Opportunity” Cosmos (2014). Both series used similar approaches; however, Cosmos (1980) more often used the approach of “Presenting a negative alternative reality/Warning” whereas Cosmos (2014) used more “Storytelling.” Both Cosmos series relied heavily on visual images and comparative language, such as analogies and metaphors. Cosmos (2014) more often used strategies recommended by scholars as being effective for inciting environmental action than Cosmos (1980). Specifically this was evident in the increase in environmental risk content, narratives, “Health” and “Opportunity” frames, and associations between related topics as well as the decrease in “Disaster” frames and “Presenting a negative alternative reality/Warning,” Although differences exist between the series, they both seem to communicate environmental risk in ways that are interesting and relevant to the public

Texas Shores

Annual magazine of the Texas Sea Grant College Program discussing news, events, and other information related to the Texas marine environment

The Big Read Collaboration between Kingston University, the University of Wolverhampton, Edge Hill University, and the University of the West of Scotland, 2018–2019

This paper outlines the experience of four universities that collaborated on a pre-arrival shared reading project, the Big Read, in 2018/2019. They did so primarily to promote student engagement and retention and also to ease the transition into higher education, particularly for first-generation students, to promote staff connectedness, and to provide a USP (unique selling point) for their institution. The paper covers all the associated processes, from isolating the respective aims of the collaborators to the choosing and sharing of a single agreed title. In analysing the outcomes, recommendations are made for future cross-institutional projects of this kind

Opposition as victimhood in newspaper debates about same-sex marriage

In this paper, we take a queer linguistics approach to the analysis of data from British newspaper articles which discuss the introduction of same-sex marriage. Drawing on methods from CDA and corpus linguistics, we focus on the construction of agency in relation to the government extending marriage to same-sex couples, and those resisting this. We show that opponents to same-sex marriage are represented and represent themselves as victims whose moral values, traditions, and civil liberties are being threatened by the state. Specifically, we argue that victimhood is invoked in a way that both enables and permits discourses of implicit homophobia

Attitudes toward cost-conscious care among U.S. physicians and medical students: analysis of national cross-sectional survey data by age and stage of training

Abstract Background The success of initiatives intended to increase the value of health care depends, in part, on the degree to which cost-conscious care is endorsed by current and future physicians. This study aimed to first analyze attitudes of U.S. physicians by age and then compare the attitudes of physicians and medical students. Methods A paper survey was mailed in mid-2012 to 3897 practicing physicians randomly selected from the American Medical Association Masterfile. An electronic survey was sent in early 2015 to all 5,992 students at 10 U.S. medical schools. Survey items measured attitudes toward cost-conscious care and perceived responsibility for reducing healthcare costs. Physician responses were first compared across age groups (30–40 years, 41–50 years, 51–60 years, and > 60 years) and then compared to student responses using Chi square tests and logistic regression analyses (controlling for sex). Results A total of 2,556 physicians (65%) and 3395 students (57%) responded. Physician attitudes generally did not differ by age, but differed significantly from those of students. Specifically, students were more likely than physicians to agree that cost to society should be important in treatment decisions (p < 0.001) and that physicians should sometimes deny beneficial but costly services (p < 0.001). Students were less likely to agree that it is unfair to ask physicians to be cost-conscious while prioritizing patient welfare (p < 0.001). Compared to physicians, students assigned more responsibility for reducing healthcare costs to hospitals and health systems (p < 0.001) and less responsibility to lawyers (p < 0.001) and patients (p < 0.001). Nearly all significant differences persisted after controlling for sex and when only the youngest physicians were compared to students. Conclusions Physician attitudes toward cost-conscious care are similar across age groups. However, physician attitudes differ significantly from medical students, even among the youngest physicians most proximate to students in age. Medical student responses suggest they are more accepting of cost-conscious care than physicians and attribute more responsibility for reducing costs to organizations and systems rather than individuals. This may be due to the combined effects of generational differences, new medical school curricula, students’ relative inexperience providing cost-conscious care within complex healthcare systems, and the rapidly evolving U.S. healthcare system.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146517/1/12909_2018_Article_1388.pd

Using a Tailored Web-based Intervention to Set Goals to Reduce Unnecessary Recall

To examine whether an intervention strategy consisting of a tailored web-based intervention, which provides individualized audit data with peer comparisons and other data that can affect recall can assist radiologists in setting goals for reducing unnecessary recall

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin