1,374 research outputs found

    Developing monitoring strategies for assessing effects In pristine northern rivers receiving mining discharges

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    The overall objective of my thesis research was to develop methodologies for assessing effects of mining effluents on pristine and sensitive northern rivers. I used a multi-trophic level approach in field studies to evaluate current monitoring methods and to determine whether metal mining activities had affected two otherwise pristine rivers that flow into the South Nahanni River, NWT; a World Heritage Site. Upstream reference conditions in the rivers were compared to sites downstream and further downstream of mines. The endpoints evaluated included concentrations of metals in river water, sediments and liver and flesh of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus); benthic algal and macroinvertebrate abundance, richness, diversity, and community composition; and various slimy sculpin measures. Elevated concentrations of copper (p=0.002)and iron (p=0.001) in liver tissue of sculpin from the Flat River were associated with high concentrations of mine-derived iron in river water and copper in sediments that were above national guidelines. In addition, sites downstream of the mine on the Flat River had increased algal abundances (p=0.002) and altered benthic macroinvertebrate communities ((

    EXAMINING FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO COLLEGE READINESS AND SUCCESS IN AMERICAN SAMOA USING MULTILEVEL LOGISTIC MODELING

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    Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2018

    Editor’s Note: Indigenous Communities and COVID-19: Impact and Implications

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    Editoral for the Special Issu

    The expression in saccharomyces cerevisiae of a glucose/xylose symporter from Candida intermedia is affected by the presence of a glucose/xylose facilitator

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    Microbiology, 154Two glucose/xylose transporter genes from Candida intermedia were recently cloned and characterized: GXF1, which encodes a glucose/xylose facilitator; and GXS1, which encodes a glucose/xylose proton symporter. Here we report the functional expression of these transporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. While Gxf1p seems to be fully functional in S. cerevisiae, the symporter Gxs1p exhibits very low glucose/xylose transport activity, which could not be ascribed to insufficient production of the protein or incorrect subcellular localization. In addition, coexpression of glucose/xylose facilitators with Gxs1p strongly reduced GXS1 mRNA levels, and consequently symport activity, in glucose-grown, but not in ethanol-grown, cells. The observed decrease in GXS1 transcript levels seems to be related to an enhanced glucose influx mediated by glucose facilitator protein(s), and not to a specific interaction between Gxs1p and other transporters. We found GXS1 mRNA levels to be severely reduced as a result of glucose addition, and we show that this effect takes place at the level of GXS1 mRNA stability. Our results suggest that a decrease in mRNAs encoding high-affinity/active sugar transport systems may be a widespread and conserved mechanism in yeasts, limiting expression of these proteins whenever their activity is dispensable

    Valuing Adjuncts as Liaisons for University Excellence (VALUE) Program

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    Adjuncts are increasingly becoming more important in higher education and make up nearly onethird of VCU’s teaching faculty. While VCU has made strides in increasing the number of tenuretrack and term professors, the size and needs of certain departments will always make adjunct instructors necessary. A number of schools on both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses utilize professionals from the Richmond community to enhance experiential learning, thereby making a university investment in adjunct faculty a means by which to elevate VCU’s strategic mission. Adjuncts often provide a community perspective that comes from the professional work they do outside of the university setting and as a whole are reflective of VCU’s diverse student population. As a result, they serve a critical role in student success and diversity initiatives. Keeping adjuncts connected with campus resources and engaged with the larger VCU community is also an important step in making the university more inclusive. This project will study opportunities associated with the orientation and support of adjunct faculty at VCU on both Monroe Park and MCV campuses. This project is research-oriented and will serve as an important foundation for developing and implementing a plan for institutionalized adjunct support. To develop a detailed proposal for implementation, our team consulted with several key stakeholders including: academic leaders who hire and support adjuncts in the current decentralized process students who have taken classes with adjunct instructors adjunct faculty who have recently taught at VCU Through a combination of methods, we aim to determine how adjuncts are utilized across the university, identify resources currently provided, and assess additional resource needs in an effort to inform a new orientation and support program for adjunct faculty at VCU

    Hippocampal neuronal cells that accumulate α-synuclein fragments are more vulnerable to Aβ oligomer toxicity via mGluR5--implications for dementia with Lewy bodies.

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    BackgroundIn dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) abnormal interactions between α-synuclein (α-syn) and beta amyloid (Aβ) result in selective degeneration of neurons in the neocortex, limbic system and striatum. However, factors rendering these neurons selectively vulnerable have not been fully investigated. The metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) has been shown to be up regulated in DLB and might play a role as a mediator of the neurotoxic effects of Aβ and α-syn in vulnerable neuronal populations. In this context, the main objective of the present study was to investigate the role of mGluR5 as a mediator of the neurotoxic effects of α-syn and Aβ in the hippocampus.ResultsWe generated double transgenic mice over-expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) and α-syn under the mThy1 cassette and investigated the relationship between α-syn cleavage, Aβ, mGluR5 and neurodegeneration in the hippocampus. We found that compared to the single tg mice, the α-syn/APP tg mice displayed greater accumulation of α-syn and mGluR5 in the CA3 region of the hippocampus compared to the CA1 and other regions. This was accompanied by loss of CA3 (but not CA1) neurons in the single and α-syn/APP tg mice and greater loss of MAP 2 and synaptophysin in the CA3 in the α-syn/APP tg. mGluR5 gene transfer using a lentiviral vector into the hippocampus CA1 region resulted in greater α-syn accumulation and neurodegeneration in the single and α-syn/APP tg mice. In contrast, silencing mGluR5 with a lenti-shRNA protected neurons in the CA3 region of tg mice. In vitro, greater toxicity was observed in primary hippocampal neuronal cultures treated with Aβ oligomers and over-expressing α-syn; this effect was attenuated by down-regulating mGluR5 with an shRNA lentiviral vector. In α-syn-expressing neuronal cells lines, Aβ oligomers promoted increased intracellular calcium levels, calpain activation and α-syn cleavage resulting in caspase-3-dependent cell death. Treatment with pharmacological mGluR5 inhibitors such as 2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP) and 3-((2-Methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl)pyridine (MTEP) attenuated the toxic effects of Aβ in α-syn-expressing neuronal cells.ConclusionsTogether, these results support the possibility that vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to α-syn and Aβ might be mediated via mGluR5. Moreover, therapeutical interventions targeting mGluR5 might have a role in DLB

    Modelling the Cost of the Wind: A Preliminary Reassessment of Networks of Mobility in the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean

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    Although maritime seascapes afford potentials for connectivity and mobility, they are also greatly impacted by seasonality and available sailing technology. These crucial environmental and technological parameters are often considered in the reconstruction of potential maritime routes, especially for long-distance open water voyaging, but their formal incorporation into quantitative models of maritime mobility remains limited. The present paper considers seasonality, distance, temporality, and sailing technology in exploring potentials for mobility from Crete across the larger east Mediterranean during the LBA. Using GIS functionality, we create a cost-surface model that incorporates seasonal winds with archaeological and technological variables to create a more dynamic and representative seascape illustrated by modeling mobility from the site of Kommos, Crete. We also demonstrate how null models that rely only on Euclidean distance as a parameter for mobility across land and sea can be improved with more dynamic, cost-surface maritime models
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