Developing New Methods to Quantify Stress in Wildlife Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Stress levels in wildlife species are an accurate indicator of an animal’s well-being and can reflect decreases in habitat quality. Stress levels can be measured by the presence of the stress response hormones cortisol, cortisone, and corticosterone. Analysis of these stress hormones in fecal samples has been widely used because feces can be easily obtained and non-invasively collected in the field. Methods of detecting stress levels from fecal samples of wildlife species are currently limited to enzyme immunoassay testing. This method uses antibodies to bind to target stress hormones. However, immunoassay testing can be time consuming and very expensive2. We propose that Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) offers a new method to quantify levels of the stress hormones from fecal samples that is less expensive and time consuming than traditional immunoassays1. As part of the Idaho Science Talent Expansion Program (STEP), we are developing a simple, accurate, and relatively inexpensive method to detect stress hormones in fecal samples from free-ranging pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) and sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) using LC-MS/MS

Breaching Indigenous Law: Canadian Mining in Guatemala

This is a case study of a small Indigenous community in Guatemala that defied a powerful Canadian mining company by holding a community vote on whether to allow mining on its territory. The result of the vote – to stop mining activity on its territory – has not been honoured by the Canadian mining company. The dispute is being played out against a backdrop of intimidation and violence. The study reviews the major players in the dispute – the mining company, the Guatemalan government, the World Bank and the Canadian government – and concludes that they all have a stake in the profitability of the mine. There is a clear deficiency in the checks and balances needed to ensure that the Indigenous people are dealt with fairly. Drawing on ideas from the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) and the Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries (released in March 2007), the study suggests that at the present time, Canadian courts may be the only forum capable of holding the major actors accountable for their actions

How does experience change firms' foreign investment decisions to non-market events?

We examine how experience with two types of non-market risks (e.g., natural disasters and armed conflicts) changes foreign direct investment (FDI) decisions. Extending research on organizational learning and FDI, we hypothesize that the greater the experience with recent, frequent and high-intensity risk, the more likely that experience can moderate the relationship between non-market risks and firm international expansion. Given a sample of 625 Fortune Global 500 firms and their investments in 117 countries between 1999 and 2008, we find that experience with recent, frequent, and high-intensity risk can change a firm?s FDI decision from risk avoidance to risk management

Physicochemical Control of Adult Stem Cell Differentiation: Shedding Light on Potential Molecular Mechanisms

Realization of the exciting potential for stem-cell-based biomedical and therapeutic applications, including tissue engineering, requires an understanding of the cell-cell and cell-environment interactions. To this end, recent efforts have been focused on the manipulation of adult stem cell differentiation using inductive soluble factors, designing suitable mechanical environments, and applying noninvasive physical forces. Although each of these different approaches has been successfully applied to regulate stem cell differentiation, it would be of great interest and importance to integrate and optimally combine a few or all of the physicochemical differentiation cues to induce synergistic stem cell differentiation. Furthermore, elucidation of molecular mechanisms that mediate the effects of multiple differentiation cues will enable the researcher to better manipulate stem cell behavior and response

Volunteerism During COVID-19: Sport Management Students’ Career Interests Against Public Health Risks

Employing the theory of planned behavior, this study aimed to identify how sport management students’ intentions to volunteer for a sporting event were affected by their COVID-19 preventive health factors and social consciousness. From eight U.S. universities, 415 sport management students responded to a self-administered online survey. Collected data were analyzed via hierarchical regression modeling. While the students’ health literacy and susceptibility affected their intentions positively, their social consciousness played a crucial role in producing low intentions to volunteer for a sporting event. Sport management educators should include more hands-on activities in the curriculum and collaborate with local sport agencies to provide diverse experiential learning opportunities while students comply with the health guidelines

Harnessing Information Technology to Inform Patients Facing Routine Decisions: Cancer Screening as a Test Case

PURPOSE Technology could transform routine decision making by anticipating patients’ information needs, assessing where patients are with decisions and preferences, personalizing educational experiences, facilitating patient-clinician information exchange, and supporting follow-up. This study evaluated whether patients and clinicians will use such a decision module and its impact on care, using 3 cancer screening decisions as test cases. METHODS Twelve practices with 55,453 patients using a patient portal participated in this prospective observational cohort study. Participation was open to patients who might face a cancer screening decision: women aged 40 to 49 who had not had a mammogram in 2 years, men aged 55 to 69 who had not had a prostate-specific antigen test in 2 years, and adults aged 50 to 74 overdue for colorectal cancer screening. Data sources included module responses, electronic health record data, and a postencounter survey. RESULTS In 1 year, one-fifth of the portal users (11,458 patients) faced a potential cancer screening decision. Among these patients, 20.6% started and 7.9% completed the decision module. Fully 47.2% of module completers shared responses with their clinician. After their next office visit, 57.8% of those surveyed thought their clinician had seen their responses, and many reported the module made their appointment more productive (40.7%), helped engage them in the decision (47.7%), broadened their knowledge (48.1%), and improved communication (37.5%). CONCLUSIONS Many patients face decisions that can be anticipated and proactively facilitated through technology. Although use of technology has the potential to make visits more efficient and effective, cultural, workflow, and technical changes are needed before it could be widely disseminated

A direct reconstruction algorithm for the anisotropic inverse conductivity problem based on Calderon's method in the plane

A direct reconstruction algorithm based on Calderon's linearization method for the reconstruction of isotropic conductivities is proposed for anisotropic conductivities in two-dimensions. To overcome the non-uniqueness of the anisotropic inverse conductivity problem, the entries of the unperturbed anisotropic tensors are assumed known a priori, and it remains to reconstruct the multiplicative scalar field. The quasi-conformal map in the plane facilitates the Calderon-based approach for anisotropic conductivities. The method is demonstrated on discontinuous radially symmetric conductivities of high and low contrast.Peer reviewe

Serotonin Transporter Gene Polymorphism Modulates Activity and Connectivity within an Emotional Arousal Network of Healthy Men during an Aversive Visceral Stimulus.

Background and aimsThe 5-hydroxytryptamine transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been linked to increased stress responsiveness and negative emotional states. During fearful face recognition individuals with the s allele of 5-HTTLPR show greater amygdala activation. We aimed to test the hypothesis that the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism differentially affects connectivity within brain networks during an aversive visceral stimulus.MethodsTwenty-three healthy male subjects were enrolled. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood. The genotype of 5-HTTLPR was determined using polymerase chain reaction. Subjects with the s/s genotype (n = 13) were compared to those with the l allele (genotypes l/s, l/l, n = 10). Controlled rectal distension from 0 to 40 mmHg was delivered in random order using a barostat. Radioactive H2[15-O] saline was injected at time of distension followed by positron emission tomography (PET). Changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) and structural equation modeling (SEM).ResultsDuring baseline, subjects with s/s genotype demonstrated a significantly increased negative influence of pregenual ACC (pACC) on amygdala activity compared to l-carriers. During inflation, subjects with s/s genotype demonstrated a significantly greater positive influence of hippocampus on amygdala activity compared to l-carriers.ConclusionIn male Japanese subjects, individuals with s/s genotype show alterations in the connectivity of brain regions involved in stress responsiveness and emotion regulation during aversive visceral stimuli compared to those with l carriers

Use of ATR-PARP inhibitor combination therapy to treat and generate an immune response in PARP inhibitor resistant breast cancer is questioned

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp23/1019/thumbnail.jp