Dose-dependent effects of a soluble dietary fibre (pectin) on food intake, adiposity, gut hypertrophy and gut satiety hormone secretion in rats

Acknowledgments We thank Donna Wallace and Animal House staff at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health for the daily care of experimental rats and for the body weight, food intake and MRI measurements.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The oral microbiome and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Significant evidence supports an association between periodontal pathogenic bacteria and preterm birth and preeclampsia. The virulence properties assigned to specific oral pathogenic bacteria, for example, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Filifactor alocis, Campylobacter rectus, and others, render them as potential collaborators in adverse outcomes of pregnancy. Several pathways have been suggested for this association: 1) hematogenous spread (bacteremia) of periodontal pathogens; 2) hematogenous spread of multiple mediators of inflammation that are generated by the host and/or fetal immune response to pathogenic bacteria; and 3) the possibility of oral microbial pathogen transmission, with subsequent colonization, in the vaginal microbiome resulting from sexual practices. As periodontal disease is, for the most part, preventable, the medical and dental public health communities can address intervention strategies to control oral inflammatory disease, lessen the systemic inflammatory burden, and ultimately reduce the potential for adverse pregnancy outcomes. This article reviews the oral, vaginal, and placental microbiomes, considers their potential impact on preterm labor, and the future research needed to confirm or refute this relationship

Transparent Things: A Cabinet

For too long, the Earth has been used to ground thought instead of bending it; such grounding leaves the planet as nothing but a stage for phenomenology, deconstruction, or other forms of anthropocentric philosophy. In far too much continental philosophy, the Earth is a cold, dead place enlivened only by human thought—either as a thing to be exploited, or as an object of nostalgia. Geophilosophy seeks instead to question the ground of thinking itself, the relation of the inorganic to the capacities and limits of thought. This book constructs an eclectic variant of geophilosophy through engagements with digging machines, nuclear waste, cyclones and volcanoes, giant worms, secret vessels, decay, subterranean cities, hell, demon souls, black suns, and xenoarcheaology, via continental theory (Nietzsche, Schelling, Deleuze, et alia) and various cultural objects such as horror films, videogames, and weird Lovecraftian fictions, with special attention to Speculative Realism and the work of Reza Negarestani. In a time where the earth as a whole is threatened by ecological collapse, On an Ungrounded Earth generates a perversely realist account of the earth as a dynamic engine materially invading and upsetting our attempts to reduce it to merely the ground beneath our feet

Hsp27 and axonal growth in adult sensory neurons in vitro

BACKGROUND: Neurite growth can be elicited by growth factors and interactions with extracellular matrix molecules like laminin. Among the targets of the signalling pathways activated by these stimuli are cytoskeletal elements, such as actin, tubulin and neurofilaments. The cytoskeleton can also be modulated by other proteins, such as the small heat shock protein Hsp27. Hsp27 interacts with actin and tubulin in non-neuronal cells and while it has been suggested to play a role in the response of some neurons to injury, there have been no direct studies of its contribution to axonal regeneration. RESULTS: We have investigated neurite initiation and process extension using cultures of adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons and a laminin stimulation paradigm. Employing confocal microscopy and biochemical analyses we have examined localization of Hsp27 at early and later stages of neurite growth. Our results show that Hsp27 is colocalized with actin and tubulin in lamellopodia, filopodia, focal contacts and mature neurites and growth cones. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton with cytochalasin D results in aberrant neurite initiation and extension, effects which may be attributable to alterations in actin polymerization states. Inhibition of Hsp27 phosphorylation in our cultures results in an atypical growth pattern that may be attributable to an effect of pHsp27 on the stability of the actin cytoskeleton. CONCLUSION: We observed colocalization of the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of Hsp27 with actin and tubulin in both very early and later stages of neurite growth from cultured adult DRG neurons. The colocalization of Hsp27 and pHsp27 with actin in lamellopodia and focal contacts at early stages of neurite growth, and in processes, branch points and growth cones at later stages, suggests that Hsp27 may play a role in neuritogenesis and subsequent neurite extension, and potentially in the patterning of this growth. Hsp27 has been reported to play a key role in modulating actin cytoskeletal dynamics as an actin-capping protein in non-neuronal cells. Our results suggest that this may also be the case in neurons and support a role for Hsp27 in neurite outgrowth via its phosphorylation state-dependent interactions with actin

Introduction: Reflections on the provision, organisation and management of social care in Ireland

This special edition of Administration is intended as a contribution to ongoing debates at a time when the policy and regulatory framework for social care in Ireland is undergoing significant reform. This reform is necessary in order to both rectify the deficiencies and gaps resulting from past failures as well as enhance capacity to address current and future demands. Future challenges will arise from economic, cultural and socio-demographic changes, but no doubt some will be due to the consequences (intended and unintended) of measures being put in place today or indeed due to failure by policymakers to act on certain issues

Design, analysis and testing of non metallic rockbolt bearing plates.

Non metallic bearing plates have been identified as the weakest component in GRP rockbolting systems used in UK coal mines. A literature review revealed a shortage of information on the design of rockbolting components, particularly the design of the non metallic bearing plates.Over twenty parameters concerning the design and testing of non metallic rockbolt bearing plates have been investigated using Finite Element Analysis and laboratory testing. The parameters included bearing plate depth, central hole diameter, external diameter, material, coned angle for both solid and webbed bearing plates. The designs have been evaluated by comparing the load / plate volume to consider the efficient use of the material. The experiments were designed using Taguchi and one factor at a time methodologies. Interactions between some parameters have been investigated. Reasons for the observed effect of parameters have been suggested.A modification of the BS 7861 test is proposed which more closely simulates the colliery failure mechanism and hence gives a better measure of a bearing plate's suitability for use in a coal mine. The modified test uses a 100 mm hole in the steel support plate as specified by American Standard F432 for steel rockbolt bearing plates, not the 55 mm hole as specified by BS 7861.Optimum values for important parameters have been determined for a 100 mm hole in the steel support plate as proposed in this research and for the 55 mm hole diameter specified by BS 7861. The results produced can be used to design a bearing plate for use in a coal mine with optimum depth and coned angle

Pediatric Psychologists’ Career Satisfaction: 2015 Society of Pediatric Psychology Workforce Survey Results.

Little is known about the career satisfaction of pediatric psychologists, who specialize in psychological research, teaching, and clinical service in the context of pediatric health care. As part of the larger Society of Pediatric Psychology Workforce Survey and in collaboration with the American Psychological Association Center for Workforce Studies, this study aimed to (1) describe the career domains which pediatric psychologists perceive to be important and their satisfaction in each domain, and (2) compare satisfaction of pediatric psychologists across work settings, number of positions, appointment duration, professional roles, career stage, academic rank, and gender. Responses from 336 pediatric psychologists demonstrated high career satisfaction. Domains of career satisfaction that received mean scores indicating high importance include balance of work and personal lives, peer/collegial support, and flexibility and choice in the workplace, but on average respondents reported being only somewhat satisfied in these domains. Total satisfaction scores were significantly higher among pediatric psychologists in 9–10-month appointments, primarily research careers, and at higher academic ranks, but scores were similar across employment settings and genders. To enhance career satisfaction and retention, pediatric psychologists may seek additional mentorship or explore new employment roles, and administrators and managers may consider adopting workplace policies or making environmental changes that could address specific areas of need