Learning a Sport through Video Gaming: A Mixed-Methods Experimental Study

This study examined the impact of playing a sport video game on learning the sport as well as how the game may influence future intentions of watching or playing the sport. Utilizing American university students with little prior knowledge of cricket, this study employed a mixed-methods pre/post intervention design with randomized experimental (EG; n = 43) and control (CG; n = 46) groups. Results indicated that cricket knowledge significantly increased for the EG pre-test to post-test (p < .05, n^2 = 0.19; particularly regarding cricket rules, terminology, player positions, and field layout), while the CG did not significantly differ. A significant difference was also found between the EG and CG for interest in playing cricket (p < .05, n^2 = 0.9). Qualitative findings supported that video gaming motivated intentions to watch and play cricket. Sport video games can facilitate increased sport knowledge, sport appreciation, and intentions for future physical activity

Evolutionary relationships in Panicoid grasses based on plastome phylogenomics (Panicoideae; Poaceae)

Background: Panicoideae are the second largest subfamily in Poaceae (grass family), with 212 genera and approximately 3316 species. Previous studies have begun to reveal relationships within the subfamily, but largely lack resolution and/or robust support for certain tribal and subtribal groups. This study aims to resolve these relationships, as well as characterize a putative mitochondrial insert in one linage. Results: 35 newly sequenced Panicoideae plastomes were combined in a phylogenomic study with 37 other species: 15 Panicoideae and 22 from outgroups. A robust Panicoideae topology largely congruent with previous studies was obtained, but with some incongruences with previously reported subtribal relationships. A mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to plastid DNA (ptDNA) transfer was discovered in the Paspalum lineage. Conclusions: The phylogenomic analysis returned a topology that largely supports previous studies. Five previously recognized subtribes appear on the topology to be non-monophyletic. Additionally, evidence for mtDNA to ptDNA transfer was identified in both Paspalum fimbriatum and P. dilatatum, and suggests a single rare event that took place in a common progenitor. Finally, the framework from this study can guide larger whole plastome sampling to discern the relationships in Cyperochloeae, Steyermarkochloeae, Gynerieae, and other incertae sedis taxa that are weakly supported or unresolved.Fil: Burke, Sean V.. Northern Illinois University; Estados UnidosFil: Wysocki, William P.. Northern Illinois University; Estados UnidosFil: Zuloaga, Fernando Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; ArgentinaFil: Craine, Joseph M.. Jonah Ventures; Estados UnidosFil: Pires, J. Chris. University of Missouri; Estados UnidosFil: Edger, Patrick P.. Michigan State University; Estados UnidosFil: Mayfield Jones, Dustin. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; Estados UnidosFil: Clark, Lynn G.. Iowa State University; Estados UnidosFil: Kelchner, Scot A.. University of Idaho; Estados UnidosFil: Duvall, Melvin R.. Northern Illinois University; Estados Unido

Persistence of obligate intracellular pathogens: alternative strategies to overcome host-specific stresses

In adapting to the intracellular niche, obligate intracellular bacteria usually undergo a reduction of genome size by eliminating genes not needed for intracellular survival. These losses can include, for example, genes involved in nutrient anabolic pathways or in stress response. Living inside a host cell offers a stable environment where intracellular bacteria can limit their exposure to extracellular effectors of the immune system and modulate or outright inhibit intracellular defense mechanisms. However, highlighting an area of vulnerability, these pathogens are dependent on the host cell for nutrients and are very sensitive to conditions that limit nutrient availability. Persistence is a common response shared by evolutionarily divergent bacteria to survive adverse conditions like nutrient deprivation. Development of persistence usually compromises successful antibiotic therapy of bacterial infections and is associated with chronic infections and long-term sequelae for the patients. During persistence, obligate intracellular pathogens are viable but not growing inside their host cell. They can survive for a long period of time such that, when the inducing stress is removed, reactivation of their growth cycles resumes. Given their reduced coding capacity, intracellular bacteria have adapted different response mechanisms. This review gives an overview of the strategies used by the obligate intracellular bacteria, where known, which, unlike model organisms such as E. coli, often lack toxin-antitoxin systems and the stringent response that have been linked to a persister phenotype and amino acid starvation states, respectively

Wolverine Gene Flow Across a Narrow Climatic Niche

Wolverines (Guio guio) are one of the rarest carnivores in the contiguous United States. Effective population sizes in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, where most of the wolverines in the contiguous United States exist, were calculated to be 35 (credible limits, 28 52) suggesting low abundance. Landscape features that influence wolverine population substructure and gene flow are largely unknown. Recent work has identified strong associations between areas with persistent spring snow and wolverine presence and range. We tested whether a dispersal model in which wolverines prefer to disperse through areas characterized by persistent spring snow cover produced least-cost paths among all individuals that correlated with genetic distance among individuals. Models simulating large preferences for dispersing within areas characterized by persistent spring snow explained the data better than a model based on Euclidean distance. Partial Mantel tests separating Euclidean distance from spring snow-cover-based effects indicated that Euclidean distance was not significant in describing patterns of genetic distance. Because these models indicated that successful dispersal paths followed areas characterized by spring snow cover, we used these understandings to derive empirically based least-cost corridor maps in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. These corridor maps largely explain previously published population subdivision patterns based on mitochondrial DNA and indicate that natural colonization of the southern Rocky Mountains by wolverines will be difficult but not impossible

Wigner Crystalline Edges in nu < 1 Quantum Dots

We investigate the edge reconstruction phenomenon believed to occur in quantum dots in the quantum Hall regime when the filling fraction is nu < 1. Our approach involves the examination of large dots (< 40 electrons) using a partial diagonalization technique in which the occupancies of the deep interior orbitals are frozen. To interpret the results of this calculation, we evaluate the overlap between the diagonalized ground state and a set of trial wavefunctions which we call projected necklace (PN) states. A PN state is simply the angular momentum projection of a maximum density droplet surrounded by a ring of localized electrons. Our calculations reveal that PN states have up to 99% overlap with the diagonalized ground states, and are lower in energy than the states identified in Chamon and Wen's study of the edge reconstruction.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes in fecal samples reveals high diversity of hindgut microflora in horses and potential links to chronic laminitis

BACKGROUND: The nutrition and health of horses is closely tied to their gastrointestinal microflora. Gut bacteria break down plant structural carbohydrates and produce volatile fatty acids, which are a major source of energy for horses. Bacterial communities are also essential for maintaining gut homeostasis and have been hypothesized to contribute to various diseases including laminitis. We performed pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA bacterial genes isolated from fecal material to characterize hindgut bacterial communities in healthy horses and those with chronic laminitis. RESULTS: Fecal samples were collected from 10 normal horses and 8 horses with chronic laminitis. Genomic DNA was extracted and the V4-V5 segment of the 16S rRNA gene was PCR amplified and sequenced on the 454 platform generating a mean of 2,425 reads per sample after quality trimming. The bacterial communities were dominated by Firmicutes (69.21% control, 56.72% laminitis) and Verrucomicrobia (18.13% control, 27.63% laminitis), followed by Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes. We observed more OTUs per individual in the laminitis group than the control group (419.6 and 355.2, respectively, P = 0.019) along with a difference in the abundance of two unassigned Clostridiales genera (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01). The most abundant bacteria were Streptococcus spp., Clostridium spp., and Treponema spp.; along with unassigned genera from Subdivision 5 of Verrucomicrobia, Ruminococcaceae, and Clostridiaceae, which together constituted ~ 80% of all OTUs. There was a high level of individual variation across all taxonomic ranks. CONCLUSIONS: Our exploration of the equine fecal microflora revealed higher bacterial diversity in horses with chronic laminitis and identification of two Clostridiales genera that differed in abundance from control horses. There was large individual variation in bacterial communities that was not explained in our study. The core hindgut microflora was dominated by Streptococcus spp., several cellulytic genera, and a large proportion of uncharacterized OTUs that warrant further investigation regarding their function. Our data provide a foundation for future investigations of hindgut bacterial factors that may influence the development and progression of chronic laminitis

Non-linear I(V)I(V) Characteristics of Luttinger Liquids and Gated Hall Bars

Non-linear current voltage characteristics of a disordered Luttinger liquid are calculated using a perturbative formalism. One finds non-universal power law characteristics of the form $I(V)\sim V^{1/(2\tilde{g}-1)}$ which is valid both in the superfluid phase when $I$ is small and also in the insulator phase when $I$ is large. Mesoscopic voltage fluctuations are also calculated. One finds \Var(\Delta V) \sim I^{4\tilde{g}-3}. Both the $I(V)$ characteristic and the voltage fluctuations exhibit universal power law behavior at the superfluid insulator transition where \tilde{g}=\tot. The possible application of these results to the non-linear transport properties of gated Hall bars is discussed.Comment: 8 pages. 4 uuencoded tiff figures available upon request to [email protected]

SDSSJ103913.70+533029.7: A Super Star Cluster in the Outskirts of a Galaxy Merger

We describe the serendipitous discovery in the spectroscopic data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey of a star-like object, SDSSJ103913.70+533029.7, at a heliocentric radial velocity of +1012 km/s. Its proximity in position and velocity to the spiral galaxy NGC 3310 suggests an association with the galaxy. At this distance, SDSSJ103913.70+533029.7 has the luminosity of a super star cluster and a projected distance of 17 kpc from NGC 3310. Its spectroscopic and photometric properties imply a mass of > 10^6 solar masses and an age close to that of the tidal shells seen around NGC 3310, suggesting that it formed in the event which formed the shells.Comment: Accepted by AJ: 4 figures (1 color

Cardiovascular consequences of KATP overactivity in Cantu syndrome

Cantu syndrome (CS) is characterized by multiple vascular and cardiac abnormalities including vascular dilation and tortuosity, systemic hypotension, and cardiomegaly. The disorder is caused by gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in genes encoding pore-forming (Kir6.1, KCNJ8) and accessory (SUR2, ABCC9) ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel subunits. However, there is little understanding of the link between molecular dysfunction and the complex pathophysiology observed, and there is no known treatment, in large part due to the lack of appropriate preclinical disease models in which to test therapies. Notably, expression of Kir6.1 and SUR2 does not fully overlap, and the relative contribution of KATP GOF in various cardiovascular tissues remains to be elucidated. To investigate pathophysiologic mechanisms in CS we have used CRISPR/Cas9 engineering to introduce CS-associated SUR2[A478V] and Kir6.1[V65M] mutations to the equivalent endogenous loci in mice. Mirroring human CS, both of these animals exhibit low systemic blood pressure and dilated, compliant blood vessels, as well dramatic cardiac enlargement, the effects being more severe in V65M animals than in A478V animals. In both animals, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings reveal enhanced basal KATP conductance in vascular smooth muscle, explaining vasodilation and lower blood pressure, and demonstrating a cardinal role for smooth muscle KATP dysfunction in CS etiology. Echocardiography confirms in situ cardiac enlargement and increased cardiac output in both animals. Patch-clamp recordings reveal reduced ATP sensitivity of ventricular myocyte KATP channels in A478V, but normal ATP sensitivity in V65M, suggesting that cardiac remodeling occurs secondary to KATP overactivity outside of the heart. These SUR2[A478V] and Kir6.1[V65M] animals thus reiterate the key cardiovascular features seen in human CS. They establish the molecular basis of the pathophysiological consequences of reduced smooth muscle excitability resulting from SUR2/Kir6.1-dependent KATP GOF, and provide a validated animal model in which to examine potential therapeutic approaches to treating CS

Deconstructing Disability: A Philosophy for Inclusion

This article offers derrida's deconstruction as a philosophy and practical strategy that challenges the assumed, factual nature of "disability" as a construct explaining human differences. The appeal of deconstruction lies in the contradictory philosophy currently articulated by the inclusion movement, a philosophy that simultaneously supports the disability construct as objective reality while calling for students "with disabilities" to be placed in educational settings designed for students considered nondisabled. This article proposes deconstruction as one coherent philosophical orientation for inclusion, an approach that critiques the political and moral hierarchy of ability and disability. A deconstructionist critique of disability is explained and demonstrated. Practical suggestions for the utilization of deconstruction by special educators are outlined.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68721/2/10.1177_074193259701800605.pd