Gendered difference in motivational profiles, achievement, and STEM aspiration of elementary school students

To better understand the gender gap in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) aspiration, the article examines the critical role of domain-specific motivation (i.e., expectancy and task values). Using longitudinal data from 5th and 6th grade (similar to 11-12-year-old) students (n = 360, 55% girls), person-oriented analyses was applied to understand the gendered motivational profiles and their longitudinal influence on achievement and STEM aspiration. Specifically, we aimed to (1) derive motivational belief profiles regarding science, mathematics, and language (Finnish), (2) analyze the stability and change in the profiles between the 5th and 6th grade, (3) assess the relationship between motivational profiles and achievement and STEM aspiration, and (4) test for gender differences. We derived four motivational profiles for both years: high motivation in all subjects (similar to 21%), high mathematics motivation (similar to 46%), low mathematics motivation (similar to 11%), and low motivation in all subjects (similar to 8%). Latent transition analysis revealed that most students remained in the same profile throughout the 2 years. We found evidence of gendered differences in the motivational profiles and the chance of transitioning between profiles. More girls are characterized by low math motivation, while boys are more likely to transition to higher math motivation in 6th grade. The motivational difference is reflected in their achievement, although not strongly coupled with their STEM aspiration. The findings suggest that at this developmental stage, Finnish students have not developed a strong association between (gendered) STEM aspiration and their domain-specific motivation, although their motivation may have influenced their achievement. Interpretation and practical implications are discussed.Peer reviewe

The SMC Condensin Complex Is Required for Origin Segregation in Bacillus subtilis

SummarySMC condensin complexes play a central role in organizing and compacting chromosomes in all domains of life [1, 2]. In the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, cells lacking SMC are viable only during slow growth and display decondensed chromosomes, suggesting that SMC complexes function throughout the genome [3, 4]. Here, we show that rapid inactivation of SMC or its partner protein ScpB during fast growth leads to a failure to resolve newly replicated origins and a complete block to chromosome segregation. Importantly, the loss of origin segregation is not due to an inability to unlink precatenated sister chromosomes by Topoisomerase IV. In support of the idea that ParB-mediated recruitment of SMC complexes to the origin is important for their segregation, cells with reduced levels of SMC that lack ParB are severely impaired in origin resolution. Finally, we demonstrate that origin segregation is a task shared by the condensin complex and the parABS partitioning system. We propose that origin-localized SMC constrains adjacent DNA segments along their lengths, drawing replicated origins in on themselves and away from each other. This SMC-mediated lengthwise condensation, bolstered by the parABS system, drives origin segregation

Six-year changes in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and changes in weight and risk of obesity

Objective: The aim of this study was to study the prospective association between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT- proBNP) and changes in weight and obesity risk in a community-based population. Methods: Data from 9,681 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study were analyzed at two time points 6 years apart. Among people without obesity at baseline, multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between baseline levels of NT-proBNP and incident obesity. A multivariable linear regression model was used to examine the association between changes in NT-proBNP (visit 2 serum and visit 4 plasma samples) and changes in weight. Results: The prevalence of obesity increased from 28% to 35% in the 6-year follow-up period. Compared with individuals in the highest NT-proBNP quartile, those in the lowest were more likely to have obesity at baseline (odds ratio 1.25; 95% CI: 1.08-1.45) and, among people who did not have obesity at baseline, were more likely to develop obesity at follow-up (odds ratio 1.35; 95% CI: 1.07-1.69). Changes in NT-proBNP were inversely associated with weight change. Conclusions: In this prospective study, lower levels of NT-proBNP were associated with higher risk of obesity, and changes in NT-proBNP were inversely associated with changes in weight. This suggests that natriuretic peptides or their pathways may be potential targets in the treatment of obesity

Bacterial dissolution of fluorapatite as a possible source of elevated dissolved phosphate in the environment

In order to understand the contribution of geogenic phosphorus to lake eutrophication, we have investigated the rate and extent of fluorapatite dissolution in the presence of two common soil bacteria (Pantoea agglomerans and Bacillus megaterium) at T = 25 °C for 26 days. The release of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and rare earth elements (REE) under biotic and abiotic conditions was compared to investigate the effect of microorganism on apatite dissolution. The release of Ca and P was enhanced under the influence of bacteria. Apatite dissolution rates obtained from solution Ca concentration in the biotic reactors increased above error compared with abiotic controls. Chemical analysis of biomass showed that bacteria scavenged Ca, P, and REE during their growth, which lowered their fluid concentrations, leading to apparent lower release rates. The temporal evolution of pH in the reactors reflected the balance of apatite weathering, solution reactions, bacterial metabolism, and potentially secondary precipitation, which was implied in the variety of REE patterns in the biotic and abiotic reactors. Light rare earth elements (LREE) were preferentially adsorbed to cell surfaces, whereas heavy rare earth elements (HREE) were retained in the fluid phase. Decoupling of LREE and HREE could possibly be due to preferential release of HREE from apatite or selective secondary precipitation of LREE enriched phosphates, especially in the presence of bacteria. When corrected for intracellular concentrations, both biotic reactors showed high P and REE release compared with the abiotic control. We speculate that lack of this correction explains the conflicting findings about the role of bacteria in mineral weathering rates. The observation that bacteria enhance the release rate of P and REE from apatite could account for some of the phosphorus burden and metal pollution in aquatic environments

Introducing the Dirac-Milne universe

The \Lambda CDM standard model, although an excellent parametrization of the present cosmological data, requires two as yet unobserved components, Dark Matter and Dark Energy, for more than 95% of the Universe. Faced to this unsatisfactory situation, we study an unconventional cosmology, the Dirac-Milne universe, a matter-antimatter symmetric cosmology, in which antimatter is supposed to present a negative active gravitational mass. The main feature of this cosmology is the linear evolution of the scale factor with time which directly solves the age and horizon problems of a matter-dominated universe. We study the concordance of this model to the cosmological test of Type Ia Supernov\ae\ distance measurements and calculate the theoretical primordial abundances of light elements for this cosmology. We also show that the acoustic scale of the Cosmic Microwave Background naturally emerges at the degree scale despite an open geometry.Comment: Replaced to match published versio

Development of novel adenoviral vectors to overcome challenges observed with HAdV-5 based constructs

Recombinant vectors based on human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV-5) have been extensively studied in pre-clinical models and clinical trials over the last two decades. However, the thorough understanding of the HAdV-5 interaction with human subjects has uncovered major concerns about its product applicability. High vector-associated toxicity and widespread pre-existing immunity have been shown to significantly impede the effectiveness of HAdV-5 mediated gene transfer. It is therefore that the in depth knowledge attained working on HAdV-5 is currently being used to develop alternative vectors. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of data obtained in recent years disqualifying the HAdV-5 vector for systemic gene delivery as well as novel strategies being pursued to overcome the limitations observed with particular emphasis on the ongoing vectorization efforts to obtain vectors based on alternative serotypes

A draft physical map of a D-genome cotton species (Gossypium raimondii)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetically anchored physical maps of large eukaryotic genomes have proven useful both for their intrinsic merit and as an adjunct to genome sequencing. Cultivated tetraploid cottons, <it>Gossypium hirsutum </it>and <it>G. barbadense</it>, share a common ancestor formed by a merger of the A and D genomes about 1-2 million years ago. Toward the long-term goal of characterizing the spectrum of diversity among cotton genomes, the worldwide cotton community has prioritized the D genome progenitor <it>Gossypium raimondii </it>for complete sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A whole genome physical map of <it>G. raimondii</it>, the putative D genome ancestral species of tetraploid cottons was assembled, integrating genetically-anchored overgo hybridization probes, agarose based fingerprints and 'high information content fingerprinting' (HICF). A total of 13,662 BAC-end sequences and 2,828 DNA probes were used in genetically anchoring 1585 contigs to a cotton consensus genetic map, and 370 and 438 contigs, respectively to <it>Arabidopsis thaliana </it>(AT) and <it>Vitis vinifera </it>(VV) whole genome sequences.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Several lines of evidence suggest that the <it>G. raimondii </it>genome is comprised of two qualitatively different components. Much of the gene rich component is aligned to the <it>Arabidopsis </it>and <it>Vitis vinifera </it>genomes and shows promise for utilizing translational genomic approaches in understanding this important genome and its resident genes. The integrated genetic-physical map is of value both in assembling and validating a planned reference sequence.</p

A multi-targeted approach to suppress tumor-promoting inflammation

Cancers harbor significant genetic heterogeneity and patterns of relapse following many therapies are due to evolved resistance to treatment. While efforts have been made to combine targeted therapies, significant levels of toxicity have stymied efforts to effectively treat cancer with multi-drug combinations using currently approved therapeutics. We discuss the relationship between tumor-promoting inflammation and cancer as part of a larger effort to develop a broad-spectrum therapeutic approach aimed at a wide range of targets to address this heterogeneity. Specifically, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, cyclooxygenase-2, transcription factor nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase, protein kinase B, and CXC chemokines are reviewed as important antiinflammatory targets while curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, lycopene, and anthocyanins are reviewed as low-cost, low toxicity means by which these targets might all be reached simultaneously. Future translational work will need to assess the resulting synergies of rationally designed antiinflammatory mixtures (employing low-toxicity constituents), and then combine this with similar approaches targeting the most important pathways across the range of cancer hallmark phenotypes

Regulation of DNA damage responses and cell cycle progression by hMOB2.

Mps one binder proteins (MOBs) are conserved regulators of essential signalling pathways. Biochemically, human MOB2 (hMOB2) can inhibit NDR kinases by competing with hMOB1 for binding to NDRs. However, biological roles of hMOB2 have remained enigmatic. Here, we describe novel functions of hMOB2 in the DNA damage response (DDR) and cell cycle regulation. hMOB2 promotes DDR signalling, cell survival and cell cycle arrest after exogenously induced DNA damage. Under normal growth conditions in the absence of exogenously induced DNA damage hMOB2 plays a role in preventing the accumulation of endogenous DNA damage and a subsequent p53/p21-dependent G1/S cell cycle arrest. Unexpectedly, these molecular and cellular phenotypes are not observed upon NDR manipulations, indicating that hMOB2 performs these functions independent of NDR signalling. Thus, to gain mechanistic insight, we screened for novel binding partners of hMOB2, revealing that hMOB2 interacts with RAD50, facilitating the recruitment of the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) DNA damage sensor complex and activated ATM to DNA damaged chromatin. Taken together, we conclude that hMOB2 supports the DDR and cell cycle progression

Comparison of Human Memory CD8 T Cell Responses to Adenoviral Early and Late Proteins in Peripheral Blood and Lymphoid Tissue

Treatment of invasive adenovirus (Ad) disease in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients with capsid protein hexon-specific donor T cells is under investigation. We propose that cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) targeted to the late protein hexon may be inefficient in vivo because the early Ad protein E3-19K downregulates HLA class I antigens in infected cells. In this study, CD8+ T cells targeted to highly conserved HLA A2-restricted epitopes from the early regulatory protein DNA polymerase (P-977) and late protein hexon (H-892) were compared in peripheral blood (PB) and tonsils of naturally infected adults. In tonsils, epitope-specific pentamers detected a significantly higher frequency of P-977+CD8+ T cells compared to H-892+CD8+ T cells; this trend was reversed in PB. Tonsil epitope-specific CD8+ T cells expressed IFN-γ and IL-2 but not perforin or TNF-α, whereas PB T cells were positive for IFN-γ, TNF-α, and perforin. Tonsil epitope-specific T cells expressed lymphoid homing marker CCR7 and exhibited lower levels of the activation marker CD25 but higher proliferative potential than PB T cells. Finally, in parallel with the kinetics of mRNA expression, P-977-specific CTLs lysed targets as early as 8 hrs post infection. In contrast, H-892-specific CTLs did not kill unless infected fibroblasts were pretreated with IFN-γ to up regulate HLA class I antigens, and cytotoxicity was delayed until 16–24 hours. These data show that, in contrast to hexon CTLs, central memory type DNA polymerase CTLs dominate the lymphoid compartment and kill fibroblasts earlier after infection without requiring exogenous IFN-γ. Thus, use of CTLs targeted to both early and late Ad proteins may improve the efficacy of immunotherapy for life-threatening Ad disease in SCT recipients