Microbial communities in dark oligotrophic volcanic ice cave ecosystems of Mt. Erebus, Antarctica.

The Earth's crust hosts a subsurface, dark, and oligotrophic biosphere that is poorly understood in terms of the energy supporting its biomass production and impact on food webs at the Earth's surface. Dark oligotrophic volcanic ecosystems (DOVEs) are good environments for investigations of life in the absence of sunlight as they are poor in organics, rich in chemical reactants and well known for chemical exchange with Earth's surface systems. Ice caves near the summit of Mt. Erebus (Antarctica) offer DOVEs in a polar alpine environment that is starved in organics and with oxygenated hydrothermal circulation in highly reducing host rock. We surveyed the microbial communities using PCR, cloning, sequencing and analysis of the small subunit (16S) ribosomal and Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase (RubisCO) genes in sediment samples from three different caves, two that are completely dark and one that receives snow-filtered sunlight seasonally. The microbial communities in all three caves are composed primarily of Bacteria and fungi; Archaea were not detected. The bacterial communities from these ice caves display low phylogenetic diversity, but with a remarkable diversity of RubisCO genes including new deeply branching Form I clades, implicating the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle as a pathway of CO2 fixation. The microbial communities in one of the dark caves, Warren Cave, which has a remarkably low phylogenetic diversity, were analyzed in more detail to gain a possible perspective on the energetic basis of the microbial ecosystem in the cave. Atmospheric carbon (CO2 and CO), including from volcanic emissions, likely supplies carbon and/or some of the energy requirements of chemoautotrophic microbial communities in Warren Cave and probably other Mt. Erebus ice caves. Our work casts a first glimpse at Mt. Erebus ice caves as natural laboratories for exploring carbon, energy and nutrient sources in the subsurface biosphere and the nutritional limits on life

Sensory Aids Research

Contains reports on three research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-02)National Science Foundation (Grant G-16526)United States Air Force, Electronic Systems Division (Contract AF19(628)-258

Remote sensing applications to hydrologic modeling

An energy balance snowmelt model for rugged terrain was devised and coupled to a flow model. A literature review of remote sensing applications to hydrologic modeling was included along with a software development outline

Performance of Alcohol and Safer Sex Change Rulers Compared With Readiness to Change Questionnaires

As part of a larger intervention study, the authors hypothesized that change rulers created for alcohol and safer sex would be equivalent to longer questionnaires. Ninety-six male college students completed rulers and questionnaires for assessing behavior change readiness. Participants\u27 scores on the rulers significantly correlated with their scores on the questionnaires (r = .77 for alcohol; r = .77 for safer sex). In both domains, the rulers outperformed the questionnaires in predicting behavioral intentions, suggesting that the rulers had at least comparable concurrent criterion validity. This finding is the first of its kind in the safe sex literature and suggests that quick assessments of readiness to change are possible. Because the rulers are a continuous measure, the results are consistent with the idea that the change process is continuous rather than a series of discrete stages

Discharge Teaching, Readiness for Discharge, and Post-discharge Outcomes in Parents of Hospitalized Children

Purpose This study explored the sequential relationships of parent perceptions of the quality of their discharge teaching and nurse and parent perceptions of discharge readiness to post-discharge outcomes (parental post-discharge coping difficulty, readmission and emergency department visits). Design/methods In this secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal pilot study of family self-management discharge preparation, the correlational design used regression modeling with data from a convenience sample of 194 parents from two clinical units at a Midwest pediatric hospital. Data were collected on the day of discharge (Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale; Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale), at 3 weeks post-discharge (Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale), and from electronic records (readmission, ED visits). Results Parent-reported quality of discharge teaching delivery (the way nurses teach), but not the amount of content, was positively associated with parent perception (B = 0.54) and nurse assessment (B = 0.16) of discharge readiness. Parent-reported discharge readiness was negatively associated with post-discharge coping difficulty (B = − 0.52). Nurse assessment of discharge readiness was negatively associated with readmission; a one point increase in readiness (on a 10 point scale) decreased the likelihood of readmission by 52%. Conclusion There is a sequential effect of quality of discharge teaching delivery on parent discharge readiness, which is associated with parent coping difficulty and child readmission. Practice Implications Efforts to improve discharge outcomes should include strategies to build nurse teaching skills for high-quality delivery of discharge teaching. In addition, routine nurse assessment of discharge readiness can be used to identify children at risk for readmission and trigger anticipatory interventions

Une étude exploratoire. Interaction entre les dyades mère-nourrisson et père-nourrisson chez les couples à faible revenu

Vingt-neuf parents à faible revenu et leurs nourrissons ont participé à une recherche exploratoire portant sur les interactions parent-nourrisson et décrivant le niveau d'interactions, les similarités et les différences au sein des dyades mère-nourrisson et père-nourrisson. L'échelle de mesure Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale, un instrument d'observation standardisé de 73 items, a été utilisée pour mesurer les interactions. Les résultats ont montré que bien que la majorité (69%) des dyades parent-nourrisson n'ont pas démontré de comportements interactifs à risque, près de 31% de l'échantillon étaient désorganisés dans leurs interactions. De plus, les résultats ont démontré que bien que les deux parents étaient sensibles et répondaient aux signaux de leurs nourrissons, les mères étaient plus aptes que les pères à répondre à la détresse de leurs nourrissons alors que les nourrissons étaient plus clairs et répondaient mieux aux pères qu'aux mères. Avec cette information, les cliniciens et les chercheurs peuvent mieux comprendre les interactions au sein du contexte familial et renforcer les programmes d'intervention visant à maintenir et à améliorer les interactions parent-nourrisson.Interaction between low-income mother-infant and father-infant pairs: an exploratory study Twenty-nine low-income parents and their infants participated in an explanatory study about parent-infant interaction — describing the level of interaction and the similarities and differences in mother-infant and father infant pairs. The Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale, a 73-item standardized observation instrument, was used to measure interaction. Results showed that although the majority (69%) of parent-infant dyads did not demonstrate risky interactive behaviors, nearly 31% of the sample was disorganized in their interactions. Further, results showed that while both mothers and fathers were sensitive and responsive to their infants' cues, mothers were more apt to respond to their infants' distress than fathers, and infants were clearer and more responsive with their fathers than with their mothers. With this information clinicians and researchers can better understand interactions within a family context and strengthen intervention programs aimed at maintaining and improving parent-infant interactions.Una investigación exploratoria. Interacción entre los pares madre-niño lactante y padre-niño lactante en las parejas a ingreso modesto Veinte-nueve padres con ingreso modesto y sus niños lactantes participaron en una investigación exploratoria sobre las interacciones padre-niño lactante y el nivel de interacciones, las similitudes y las diferencias en el seno de las dyadas madre-niño lactante y padre-niño lactante. Para medir las interacciones se utilizó un instrumento de observación standardizado de 73 elementos, la escala de medida Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale. Los resultados indican que aunque la mayoridad (69%) de las dyadas padre-niño lactante no demuestran comportamientos interactivos con riesgo, cerca de 31% de la muestra estaban desorganisados en sus interacciones. Además, los resultados demuestraron que aunque los dos padres eran sensibles y respondian a los señales de sus niños lactantes, las madres estaban más aptas que los padres a responder al desemparo de sus niños cuando los niños estaban más tranquilos y respondian mejor a los padres que a las madres. Con esta información, los clínicos y los investigadores pueden comprender mejor las interacciones en el seno del contexto familial y reforzar programas de intervención aspirando mantener y mejorar las interacciones padre-niño lactante

Potential for Modulation of the Fas Apoptotic Pathway by Epidermal Growth Factor in Sarcomas

One important mechanism by which cancer cells parasitize their host is by escaping apoptosis. Thus, selectively facilitating apoptosis is a therapeutic mechanism by which oncotherapy may prove highly advantageous. One major apoptotic pathway is mediated by Fas ligand (FasL). The death-inducing signaling Ccmplex (DISC) and subsequent death-domain aggregations are created when FasL is bound by its receptor thereby enabling programmed cell death. Conceptually, if a better understanding of the Fas pathway can be garnered, an oncoselective prodeath therapeutic approach can be tailored. Herein, we propose that EGF and CTGF play essential roles in the regulation of the Fas apoptotic pathway in sarcomas. Tumor and in vitro data suggest viable cells counter the prodeath signal induced by FasL by activating EGF, which in turn induces prosurvival CTGF. The prosurvival attributes of CTGF ultimately predominate over the death-inducing FasL. Cells destined for elimination inhibit this prosurvival response via a presently undefined pathway. This scenario represents a novel role for EGF and CTGF as regulators of the Fas pathway in sarcomas