Determining access to financial services among the young and poor in American communities

This paper investigates access to financial services in American communities. It analyzes the access gap that the young and poor face relative to more economically advantaged and older groups in society. The paper uses data from the World Bank’s Global Financial Inclusion survey to create a multi-dimensional index of financial access and estimates a menu of quantitative models to gauge financial inclusion. Results show that young and poor people face substantial gaps in access to financial services when compared with older people, higher income individuals, more educated people, and individuals who are less vulnerable to future economic shocks. These findings expand understanding of the challenges that young and poor people face in U.S. financial markets and provide insights that can inform financial and social policies for greater financial inclusion and more sustainable communities

A Comparison of Health Disparities among Transgender Adults in Colorado (USA) by Race and Income

Transgender individuals face heightened risks for discrimination, harassment, and violence that impact their psychosocial well-being and physical health. However, few studies have thoroughly examined the general physical and mental health of transgender adults or within-group health differences by race/ethnicity and income. To that end, after controlling for health insurance status, age, and engagement in exercise, this study asks: (a) are transgender people of color more likely than White transgender individuals to experience poor health outcomes?, and (b) is lower annual household income among transgender adults associated with poorer health outcomes? The current study analyzes secondary data from a survey of transgender adults (N = 417) in one state in the Western United States using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. Transgender people of color had significantly greater odds than their White counterparts of having arthritis/ rheumatoid arthritis/gout/lupus/fibromyalgia, or having asthma, but lower odds of being told by a provider that they had depression. Having a lower income was significantly associated with worse general health as well as multiple indicators of poor physical and mental health, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. We discuss implications for health care delivery for transgender people and for future research

A comparison of health disparities among transgender adults in Colorado (USA) by race and income

Transgender individuals face heightened risks for discrimination, harassment, and violence that impact their psychosocial well-being and physical health. However, few studies have thoroughly examined the general physical and mental health of transgender adults or within-group health differences by race/ethnicity and income. To that end, after controlling for health insurance status, age, and engagement in exercise, this study asks: (a) Are transgender people of color more likely than White transgender individuals to experience poor health outcomes? and (b) Is lower annual household income among transgender adults associated with poorer health outcomes? The study analyzes secondary data from a survey of transgender adults (N = 417) in one state in the western United States using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. Results showed that transgender people of color had significantly greater odds than their White counterparts of having arthritis/rheumatoid arthritis/gout/lupus/fibromyalgia, or asthma but lower odds of being told by a provider that they had depression. Having a lower income was significantly associated with worse general health as well as multiple indicators of poor physical and mental health, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. We discuss implications for health care delivery for transgender people and for future research

Lipid Extract of \u3ci\u3eNostoc commune\u3c/i\u3e var. \u3ci\u3esphaeroides\u3c/i\u3e Kützing, a Blue-Green Alga, Inhibits the Activation of Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins in HepG2 Cells

Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kützing (N. commune), a blue-green alga, has been used as both a food ingredient and in medicine for centuries. To determine the effect of N. commune on cholesterol metabolism, N. commune lipid extract was incubated at increasing concentrations (25–100 mg/L) with HepG2 cells, a human hepatoma cell line. The addition of N. commune lipid extract markedly reduced mRNA abundance of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) and LDL receptor (LDLR) (P \u3c 0.05), with a concomitant decrease in their protein expression (P \u3c 0.001). Reduced HMGR activity by 90% with N. commune lipid extract confirmed the inhibitory role of N. commune in cholesterol synthesis (P \u3c 0.006). To elucidate a molecular mechanism underlying the repression of HMGR and LDLR by N. commune lipid extract, expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP-2) was assessed. Whereas mRNA for SREBP-2 remained unchanged, SREBP-2 mature protein was reduced by N. commune (P \u3c 0.009). In addition, N. commune lipid extract also decreased SREBP-1 mature protein by ~30% (P \u3c 0.002) and reduced the expression of SREBP-1-responsive genes such as fatty acid synthase and stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1) (P \u3c 0.05). Therefore, our results demonstrate that N. commune lipid extract inhibits the maturation process of both SREBP-1 and -2, resulting in a decrease in expression of genes involved in cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism

A method development randomised clinical study investigating efficacy of an experimental oral rinse in providing long-term relief from dentinal hypersensitivity

Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank all study participants and study site staff and to thank Dr Eleanor Roberts of Beeline Science Communications Ltd, London, UK for providing editorial support, which was funded by GSK Consumer Healthcare, Weybridge, UK in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Dendrochronological dating of coal mine workings at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Nova Scotia, Canada

Joggins, Nova Scotia was one of the first places in North America where coal was mined. In this paper we employ dendrochronology to date timber pit props preserved within relic coal mine workings on the closely adjacent Fundy and Dirty seams. These remains comprise a system of adits created through ‘room and pillar’ mining. Of the seventy-three samples collected, forty-eight were successfully cross-dated against a local red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) master chronology thereby establishing the year in which each individual sample was cut as a live tree. Results indicate cut dates of 1849-1875 which are generally consistent with written archival records of mining activity on these coal seams. Our analysis of fourteen separate adits allows us to distinguish two phases of mining. Most adits (numbers 1-9 and 11-12 with cut dates of 1849-1868) are relics of an initial operation by the General Mining Association (1865-1871), which opened a mine entered at beach level. Dendrochronological dates preceding the opening of this mine may suggest that timber stockpiled from the nearby Joggins Mine (opened 1847) was used in its construction. The remaining adits (numbers 10 and 13-14 with cut dates of 1873-1875) are probably relics of a later mine opened by the Joggins Coal Mining Company (1872-1877). Although this mine was centered ~500 m inland, its western peripheral workings passed through the earlier workings to the shore. Findings improve knowledge of the industrial archaeology of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and help refine the regional master red spruce chronology for future dendrochronological studies

Ocean warming, not acidification, controlled coccolithophore response during past greenhouse climate change

Current carbon dioxide emissions are an assumed threat to oceanic calcifying plankton (coccolithophores) not just due to rising sea-surface temperatures, but also because of ocean acidification (OA). This assessment is based on single species culture experiments that are now revealing complex, synergistic, and adaptive responses to such environmental change. Despite this complexity, there is still a widespread perception that coccolithophore calcification will be inhibited by OA. These plankton have an excellent fossil record, and so we can test for the impact of OA during geological carbon cycle events, providing the added advantages of exploring entire communities across real-world major climate perturbation and recovery. Here we target fossil coccolithophore groups (holococcoliths and braarudosphaerids) expected to exhibit greatest sensitivity to acidification because of their reliance on extracellular calcification. Across the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (56 Ma) rapid warming event, the biogeography and abundance of these extracellular calcifiers shifted dramatically, disappearing entirely from low latitudes to become limited to cooler, lower saturation-state areas. By comparing these range shift data with the environmental parameters from an Earth system model, we show that the principal control on these range retractions was temperature, with survival maintained in high-latitude refugia, despite more adverse ocean chemistry conditions. Deleterious effects of OA were only evidenced when twinned with elevated temperatures

Repression of Proinflammatory Gene Expression by Lipid Extract of \u3ci\u3eNostoc commune\u3c/i\u3e var \u3ci\u3esphaeroides\u3c/i\u3e Kützing, a Blue-green Alga, via Inhibition of Nuclear Factor-κB in RAW 264.7 Macrophages

We investigated whether lipid extract from a blue-green alga, N. commune, modulates proinflammatory gene expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The cells were incubated with N. commune lipid extract (0–100 μg/mL) and subsequently activated by LPS (100 ng/mL). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that mRNA abundance of proinflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, COX-2, IL-1β, IL-6, and iNOS, was significantly reduced by N. commune lipid extract in a dose-dependent manner. Secretion of TNF-α and IL-1β into cell culture medium was also significantly decreased by N. commune lipid extract. Thin-layer chromatography-densitometry analysis showed that N. commune lipid extract contained approximately 15% of fatty acids. To determine whether the inhibition of proinflammatory mediator production by N. commune lipid extract is primarily conferred by fatty acids in the lipid extract, macrophages were incubated with 100 μg/mL of N. commune lipid extract or 15 μg/mL of a fatty acid mixture, which was formulated to reflect the fatty acid composition of N. commune lipid extract. The fatty acid mixture significantly reduced RNA abundance of TNF-α and COX-2, but to a lesser extent than did the N. commune lipid extract, suggesting the presence of additional bioactive compounds with an anti-inflammatory property in the lipid extract. As NF-κB is a major regulator for the proinflammatory gene expression, we measured its DNA-binding activity. DNA-binding activity of NF-κB was significantly reduced by N. commune lipid extract. In conclusion, our study suggests that N. commune lipid extract represses the expression of proinflammatory genes in RAW 264.7 macrophages, at least in part, by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB pathway

Variation in reversal learning by three generalist mesocarnivores

Urbanization imposes novel challenges for wildlife, but also provides new opportunities for exploitation. Generalist species are commonly found in urban habitats, but the cognitive mechanisms facilitating their successful behavioral adaptations and exploitations are largely under-investigated. Cognitive flexibility is thought to enable generalists to be more plastic in their behavior, thereby increasing their adaptability to a variety of environments, including urban habitats. Yet direct measures of cognitive flexibility across urban wildlife are lacking. We used a classic reversal-learning paradigm to investigate the cognitive flexibility of three generalist mesocarnivores commonly found in urban habitats: striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and coyotes (Canis latrans). We developed an automated device and testing protocol that allowed us to administer tests of reversal learning in captivity without extensive training or experimenter involvement. Although most subjects were able to rapidly form and reverse learned associations, we found moderate variation in performance and behavior during trials. Most notably, we observed heightened neophobia and a lack of habituation expressed by coyotes. We discuss the implications of such differences among generalists with regard to urban adaptation and we identify goals for future research. This study is an important step in investigating the relationships between cognition, generalism, and urban adaptation