Assessment of Real Estate Brokerage Service Quality with a Practicing Professional's Instrument

This study explores factors that affect service quality for a large residential real estate brokerage in a diverse midwestern city. It examines the extent to which overall service quality influences homebuyers to recommend the brokerage firm and to use the firm for future transactions. A Linear Structural Relations model is fit to data using the firm's service quality instrument. Results indicate statistically significant relationships between both agent characteristics and the tangible aspects of the firm, and three measures of overall service quality. Implications for the real estate industry are discussed and suggestions for improvement and future research are provided.

Splicing factor 3B subunit 1 interacts with HIV Tat and plays a role in viral transcription and reactivation from latency

ABSTRACT The main obstacle to an HIV cure is the transcriptionally inert proviruses that persist in resting CD4 T cells and other reservoirs. None of the current approaches has significantly reduced the size of the viral reservoir. Hence, alternative approaches, such as permanent blocking of viral transcription, to achieve a sustained remission, need urgent attention. To identify cellular factors that may be important for this approach, we sought for host targets that when altered could block HIV transcription and reactivation. Here, we identified splicing factor 3B subunit 1 (SF3B1) as a critical HIV dependency factor required for viral replication. SF3B1 is a splicing factor involved in directing chromatin and nascent gene transcripts to appropriate splice sites. Inhibitors of SF3B1 are currently in development for cancer and have been found to be nontoxic to normal cells compared to malignant cells. Knockdown of SF3B1 abrogated HIV replication in all cell types tested. SF3B1 interacted with viral protein Tat in vitro and in vivo. Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of SF3B1 prevented Tat-mediated HIV transcription and RNA polymerase II association with the HIV promoter. In addition, an inhibitor of SF3B1 prevented HIV reactivation from latency irrespective of the latency-reversing agent used. The data show that SF3B1 is involved in viral transcription and reactivation from latency and may serve as a therapeutic target in the HIV cure efforts. IMPORTANCE The reason why HIV cannot be cured by current therapy is because of viral persistence in resting T cells. One approach to permanent HIV remission that has received less attention is the so-called “block and lock” approach. The idea behind this approach is that the virus could be permanently disabled in patients if viral genome or surrounding chromatin could be altered to silence the virus, thus enabling patients to stop therapy. In this work, we have identified splicing factor 3B subunit 1 (SF3B1) as a potential target for this approach. SF3B1 interacts with the viral protein Tat, which is critical for viral transcription. Inhibition of SF3B1 prevents HIV transcription and reactivation from latency. Since there are preclinical inhibitors for this protein, our findings could pave the way to silence HIV transcription, potentially leading to prolonged or permanent remission

The Relationship Between Interleukin-6 in Saliva, Venous and Capillary Plasma, at Rest and in Response to Exercise

IL-6 plays a mechanistic role in conditions such as metabolic syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome and clinical depression and also plays a major role in inflammatory and immune responses to exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of resting and post exercise IL-6 when measured in venous plasma, saliva and capillary plasma. Five male and five females completed 2 separate exercise trials, both of which involved standardized exercise sessions on a cycle ergometer. Venous blood and saliva samples were taken immediately before and after Trial A, venous and capillary blood samples were taken immediately before and after Trial B. IL-6 values were obtained using a high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In Trial A venous plasma IL-6 increased significantly from 0.4. 0.14. pg/ml to 0.99 0.29. pg/ml (. P<. 0.01) while there was no increase in salivary IL-6. Venous plasma and salivary IL-6 responses were not correlated at rest, post exercise or when expressed as an exercise induced change. In Trial B venous and capillary plasma IL-6 increased significantly (venous: 0.22. ±. 0.18 to 0.74. ±. 0.28. pg/ml; capillary: 0.37. ±. 0.22 to 1.08. ±. 0.30. pg/ml (. P<. 0.01). Venous and capillary plasma responses did not correlate at rest (. r=. 0.59, P=. 0.07) but did correlate post exercise (. r=. 0.79) and when expressed as an exercise induced change (. r=. 0.71, P=. 0.02). Saliva does not appear to reflect systemic IL-6 responses, either at rest or in response to exercise. Conversely, capillary plasma responses are reflective of systemic IL-6 responses to exercise. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

The non-genomic effects of high doses of Rosiglitazone on cell growth and apoptosis in cultured monocytic cells

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated transcription factor which belongs to the nuclear hormone superfamily and has multiple pharmacological ligands called Thiazolidinediones (TZDs). TZDs are a class of drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetic patients. Rosiglitazone is one such TZD, and is used clinically to treat type 2 diabetes. In this study, the effect of Rosiglitazone on cell growth and apoptosis in cultured monocytic monomac 6 (MM6) cells was investigated. Over a 14 day period, MM6 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with 1μM and 10μM Rosiglitazone. Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated by Haemocytometer cell count and MTS assay respectively. Turbidity due to cell density was assessed spectrophotometrically. Apoptosis was determined by Caspase-Glo 3/7 assay. Expression of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-inducible protein sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ATPase-2b (SERCA2b) was determined by Western blot. Neither 1μM nor 10μM Rosiglitazone exerted statistically significant inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, turbidity due to cell density, or cell viability (p > 0.05 in all cases). In contrast, Rosiglitazone induced increased apoptosis, but a significant difference was only observed in 10μM-treated cells compared with control cells (3.04 ± 0.52 control; p < 0.05) while 1μM-treated cells showed a non-significant increase (1.50 ± .06 control; p > 0.05). Meanwhile the expression of SERCA2b was up-regulated significantly in cells treated for >4hrs (e.g 2.45 ± 0.06 control at 24 hrs; p < 0.05) with 10μM Rosiglitazone. It was concluded that high doses (10μM) of Rosiglitazone up-regulate SERCA2b expression and induce apoptosis of MM6 cells by activating an ER stress response via a PPARγ-independent mechanism. The therapeutic relevance of these observations is a matter for further investigations. Key words: Rosiglitazone, PPARγ, Monocytes, ER Stress, SERCA2b, Apoptosi

Eliciting conditioned taste aversion in lizards: Live toxic prey are more effective than scent and taste cues alone

© 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is an adaptive learning mechanism whereby a consumer associates the taste of a certain food with symptoms caused by a toxic substance, and thereafter avoids eating that type of food. Recently, wildlife researchers have employed CTA to discourage native fauna from ingesting toxic cane toads (Rhinella marina), a species that is invading tropical Australia. In this paper, we compare the results of 2 sets of CTA trials on large varanid lizards (“goannas,” Varanus panoptes). One set of trials (described in this paper) exposed recently-captured lizards to sausages made from cane toad flesh, laced with a nausea-inducing chemical (lithium chloride) to reinforce the aversion response. The other trials (in a recently-published paper, reviewed herein) exposed free-ranging lizards to live juvenile cane toads. The effectiveness of the training was judged by how long a lizard survived in the wild before it was killed (fatally poisoned) by a cane toad. Both stimuli elicited rapid aversion to live toads, but the CTA response did not enhance survival rates of the sausage-trained goannas after they were released into the wild. In contrast, the goannas exposed to live juvenile toads exhibited higher long-term survival rates than did untrained conspecifics. Our results suggest that although it is relatively easy to elicit short-term aversion to toad cues in goannas, a biologically realistic stimulus (live toads, encountered by free-ranging predators) is most effective at buffering these reptiles from the impact of invasive toxic prey

A high sensitivity refractometer based upon a long period grating Mach-Zehnder interferometer

A low cost interrogation scheme is demonstrated for a refractometer based on an in-line fiber long period grating (LPG) Mach–Zehnder interferometer. Using this interrogation scheme the minimum detectable change in refractive index of ?n ~ 1.8×10-6 is obtained, which is the highest resolution achieved using a fiber LPG device, and is comparable to precision techniques used in the industry including high performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet spectroscopy

Changes in Alternative Splicing as Pharmacodynamic Markers for Sudemycin D6

Objective: The aim of the study was to define pharmacodynamic markers for sudemycin D6, an experimental cancer drug that changes alternative splicing in human blood. Methods: Blood samples from 12 donors were incubated with sudemycin D6 for up to 24 hours, and at several time points total RNA from lymphocytes was prepared and the pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing patterns were analyzed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: Similar to immortalized cells, blood lymphocytes change alternative splicing due to sudemycin D6 treatment. However, lymphocytes in blood respond slower than immortalized cultured cells. Conclusions: Exon skipping in the DUSP11 and SRRM1 pre-mRNAs are pharmacodynamic markers for sudemycin D6 treatment and show effects beginning at 9 hours after treatment

Does self-control improve with practice? Evidence from a 6-week training program

Can self-control be improved through practice? Several studies have found that repeated practice of tasks involving self-control improves performance on other tasks relevant to self-control. However, in many of these studies, improvements after training could be attributable to methodological factors (e.g., passive control conditions). Moreover, the extent to which the effects of training transfer to real-life settings is not yet clear. In the present research, participants (N = 174) completed a 6-week training program of either cognitive or behavioral self-control tasks. We then tested the effects of practice on a range of measures of self-control, including lab-based and real-world tasks. Training was compared to both active and no-contact control conditions. Despite high levels of adherence to the training tasks, there was no effect of training on any measure of self-control. Trained participants did not, for example, show reduced ego depletion effects, become better at overcoming their habits, or report exerting more self-control in everyday life. Moderation analyses found no evidence that training was effective only among particular groups of participants. Bayesian analyses suggested that the data was more consistent with a null effect of training on self-control than with previous estimates of the effect of practice. The implication is that training self-control through repeated practice does not result in generalized improvements in self-control

Fatigue crack growth of type 304/304L stainless steel in pressurized hydrogen gas at elevated temperature

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