The Role of Community Belongingness in the Mental Health and Well-Being of Black LGBTQ Adults

The impact of racial and sexual minority stigma, prejudice, and discrimination on the mental health and well-being of Black and LGBTQ individuals, respectively, has been well documented in the literature. Research on these relationships for Black LGBTQ individuals who are multiply marginalized due to their position at the social intersections of gender identity, sexual orientation, and race/ethnicity is less common. Belongingness to identity-based communities can protect against the negative impact of these minority stressors for Black and LGBTQ individuals and aid coping processes. However, Black LGBTQ individuals often experience stigma and discrimination in their racial, sexual, and gender minority communities due to their multiple minority identities. They may choose instead to create Black LGBTQ communities as a strategy to access the group-level coping resources needed to support their mental health and well-being in the face of compounded minority stress. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the relationships between identity-based community belongingness, coping, minority stress, mental health, and well-being for Black LGBTQ individuals. Path and multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized relationships between these variables in a sample (n = 345) of Black LGBTQ adults living in the United States. Study results found that: (1) community belongingness was associated better with mental health and well-being; (2) coping partially explained the relationships between community belongingness and well-being, but did not explain the relationship between community belongingness and mental health; (3) Black community belongingness was associated with better mental health; and (4) Black LGBTQ community belongingness was associated with better well-being. Implications for social work practice and education, and future research, are discussed

The Study of mpValCitGlyPro Linker for Alcohol Payload Release

Antibody-drug-conjugates (ADCs) are a class of drugs that deliver potent payloads to specific cells or tissues via cell-specific uptake. ADCs are composed of an antibody that is specific to the intended target which is tethered to a payload by a cleavable linker. They are unique because they have the ability to deliver extremely cytotoxic payloads to only certain areas of the body without harming non-targeted tissues. There are currently ten ADCs that are FDA approved, most of which release amine-containing payloads. There is very limited technology that is effective for releasing alcohol-containing payloads. We have designed a tetrapeptide linker referred to as ”ValCitGlyPro” that has shown success when compared to a simple ester linker (“mc”). We demonstrate that the mc linker is not readily cleaved by lysosomes, while the ValCitGlyPro linker is. Further, we demonstrate that this linker has modest stability in mouse and human serum. Finally, we have evaluated various breast-cancer-targeting ADCs with both the mpValCitGlyPro and the mc linker and have measured the intracellular payload concentration in a breast cancer cell line. Together, this data is being used to evaluate whether the ValCitGlyPro linker system is a suitable technology for the delivery of alcohol-containing payloads.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1050/thumbnail.jp

Development of octopus aquaculture: Rearing, handling and systems design for Octopus tetricus commercial aquaculture FRDC Project No 2009/206

The following document ‘Development of octopus aquaculture, rearing, handling and systems designs for Octopus tetricus commercial aquaculture’ contains protocols developed during the FRDC project 2009/206. These protocols encompass the most up-to-date rearing, handling and systems designs for Octopus tetricus commercial aquaculture. These protocols are the result of extensive research and development work carried out over the past four years by the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia and summarised in the final project report

The treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia in 2023: Paradigm, advances, and future directions

The transformation of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) from an often fatal to highly curable cancer with long-term survival exceeding 90% is one of the greatest and most inspiring successes in oncology. A deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of APL heralded the introduction of highly effective therapies targeting the mutant protein that drives the disease, leading to the chemotherapy-free approach to cure almost all patients. In this review, we discuss the paradigm of treatment of APL in 2023, reinforce the high risk of early death without prompt initiation of treatment at first clinical suspicion, and dedicate a special focus to novel agents and future directions to improve cure rates and quality of life in patients affected by APL

RangeShifter 2.0 : An extended and enhanced platform for modelling spatial eco-evolutionary dynamics and species’ responses to environmental changes

Acknowledgements We thank R. L. Allgayer, A. Ponchon and N. W. Synes for their help and contribution to the RangeShifter development and application. We also thank the many users of RangeShifter and participants to workshops for their invaluable feedback. Funding Development of RangeShifter 2.0 was supported by the project PROBIS funded by the BiodivERsA European Joint Call 2012–2013. GB was supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (UF160614). AKM and DZ were supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under grant agreement no. ZU 361/1-1.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Assortative human pair-bonding for partner ancestry and allelic variation of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene

The 7R allele of the dopamine receptor D4 gene has been associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and risk taking. On the cross-population scale, 7R allele frequencies have been shown to be higher in populations with more of a history of long-term migrations. It has also been shown that the 7R allele is associated with individuals having multiple-ancestries. Here we conduct a replication of this latter finding with two independent samples. Measures of subjects’ ancestry are used to examine past reproductive bonds. The individuals’ history of inter-racial/ancestral dating and their feelings about this are also assessed. Tentative support for an association between multiple ancestries and the 7R allele were found. These results are dependent upon the method of questioning subjects about their ancestries. Inter-racial dating and feelings about inter-racial pairing were not related to the presence of the 7R allele. This might be accounted for by secular trends that might have substantively altered the decision-making process employed when considering relationships with individuals from different groups. This study provides continued support for the 7R allele playing a role in migration and/or mate choice patterns. However, replications and extensions of this study are needed and must carefully consider how ancestry/race is assessed

Development of octopus aquaculture Final Report FRDC Project No 2009/206

During the past four years, the marine aquaculture group at the WA Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories (WAFMRL) in collaboration with Occoculture Pty Ltd (subsidiary of Fremantle Octopus) and as a part of the FRDC project ‘Octopus Aquaculture Development’, investigated the potential of octopus aquaculture in Western Australia. Hatchery methods were developed in an attempt to close the life cycle. Advanced systems, rearing and feeding protocols were established for ranching Octopus tetricus juveniles

Investigating Red Knot Migration Ecology along the Georgia and South Carolina Coasts: Spring 2019 Season Summaries

The rufa subspecies of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus) has declined significantly in the past 35 years, leading to federal listing (US Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Register Vol. 79 No. 238, 2014a) under the Endangered Species Act in the United States (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq) and Canada (COSEWIC 2007, SARA 2007). Evidence for the decline is seen in long-term surveys of a major spring staging site (Dunne et al 1982, Clark et al. 1993, Niles et al. 2008) and the largest known over-wintering site (Morrison et al. 2004). In only 30 years, the estimated population has declined from 100,000-150,000 to possibly below 30,000 (Niles et al. 2007) leading some researchers to suggest the population is highly vulnerable to extinction (Baker et al. 2004). The determination of regional population estimates and identification of major stopover sites are considered to be the highest priority for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources State Wildlife Action Plan (2015), the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Business Strategy (Winn et al. 2013), the US Shorebird Plan (Brown et al. 2001), the USFWS Red Knot Spotlight Species Action Plan (2010), and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Red Knot Conservation Plan for the Western Hemisphere (Niles et al. 2010a). The Georgia Department of Natural Resources State Wildlife Action Plan ranks the Red Knot as a high priority species (with state status of “Rare”) and ranks research of the Red Knot as one of the primary conservation actions needed within the state. A band resight program was initiated along the Georgia coastal barrier islands during the fall of 2011 and spring of 2013 and 2015-2016 giving baseline information for those seasons (Lyons et al. 2017, Smith et al. 2017). A trapping and tagging project was initiated in South Carolina in recent years, though there has been no systematic resight effort within the state. The patterns observed in both studies suggest that Red Knots are using the south-Atlantic through Delaware Bay in spring as an open network of staging areas. Recent tagging results in South Carolina have documented direct spring flights from South Carolina to James Bay, suggesting that the south-Atlantic stopovers are more important in the life-cycle of shorebirds than is currently thought. It is currently unknown what percentage of Red Knots use the direct flight strategy vs. stopping in Delaware Bay on their northbound migration. Winter resighting work conducted in South Carolina suggests that virtually no Red Knots wintering along the south-Atlantic use Delaware Bay in spring migration. Although movement and settlement “decisions” are likely influenced by foraging conditions throughout the network, investigations into the factors driving movements during migration is necessary to better understand Red Knot migration ecology. This is critical in developing appropriate stopover models and adaptive management tools for land managers. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Center for Conservation Biology will initiate a Red Knot tagging and resighting program along the Atlantic Coast of Georgia during the spring of 2019 to be paired with the ongoing programs within Delaware Bay and elsewhere along the flyway. This project will provide critical data that will be used to analyze the ongoing questions regarding Red Knot habitat choice decision making in the south Atlantic Coast in spring. A large percentage (3-6%) of Red Knots have been previously captured and tagged with unique 2 to 3 digits alpha-numeric bands. This marked population allows for mark-resight studies of migratory populations of Red Knots with no capturing involved. A total of 27,356 Red Knots were detected during daily surveys in spring 2019 along the Georgia and South Carolina Coasts; of those, 4,917 were scanned for flags, and 315 individually banded Red Knots were resighted a total of 523 times from within the spring migrant population. A total of 71 marked to unmarked ratios were recorded during the field season, with an average of 3.6% of Red Knots individually marked over the course of the spring. The rough estimate for the total number of knots cycling through during the spring season is estimated superpopulation size for the spring 2019 season is 8,750 (3.6% of birds tagged and 315 individuals recorded). The Georgia Coast is a major stopover area annually for rufa Red Knots in spring migration and in certain years in fall migration. The superpopulation utilizing the coast in fall migration can exceed 23,000 birds (Lyons et al. 2017) and the rough estimate of spring migration superpopulation from this study is approximately 8,750 birds. The total estimated population of rufa Red Knots is 42,000 birds (Andres et al. 2012), suggesting that a high percentage of rufa knots are using the Georgia Coast in spring and in some years fall migration. There appears to be less variation in spring migration superpopulations between years than in fall migration, suggesting a more stable (but less abundant) food source for spring migrants