Evaluation of An Oral Health Education Session for Early Head Start Home Visitors

Objectives Home visiting programs promote the education and health of Early Head Start (EHS) children and pregnant women. However, EHS\u27s oral health component is unevenly implemented. We conducted an educational intervention to improve oral health knowledge and motivational interviewing techniques among Wisconsin EHS home visitors. Methods A questionnaire assessing oral health-related knowledge and confidence was administered to home visitors before and after an educational session. Changes between pre/post-responses were analyzed with McNemar\u27s test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. Results After the intervention there were increases in both knowledge and confidence related to oral health communication. Knowledge increases were observed in such topics as fluoridation, dental caries, and caregivers’ role in assisting and supervising children\u27s tooth brushing. Conclusions A brief educational intervention was associated with increased home visitor knowledge and confidence in communicating oral health messages to EHS caregivers and pregnant women

The Impact of Spatial Heterogeneity in Land Use Practices and Aquifer Characteristics on Groundwater Conservation Policy Cost

Estimation of agricultural policy cost for a given level of groundwater conservation requires the establishment of an accurate baseline condition. This is especially critical when the benefits and cost of any conservation program are generally estimated relative to the status quo policy or baseline situation. An inaccurate baseline estimate will lead to poor estimates of potential water conservation savings and agricultural policy cost. Over a 60-year planning horizon per acre net present value is as much as 29.8% higher for a study area when aquifer characteristics are assumed to be homogenous and set to their average area value than when the heterogeneity in aquifer characteristics is explicitly modeled.Aquifer Modeling, Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Feasting, fasting and freezing: energetic effects of meal size and temperature on torpor expression by little brown bats Myotis lucifugus

Torpor is an adaptation for energy conservation employed by many species of small-bodied endotherms. However, surprisingly little is known regarding proximate factors influencing day-to-day variation in torpor expression in the wild. We used open-flow respirometry to quantify torpor expression in nine little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus, LeConte 1831) at two ambient temperatures (7°C and 17°C) following either sham feeding or consumption of a high-protein meal (50% or 100% of the mass required to reach satiation for each individual). Food consumption significantly increased the time spent normothermic before torpor entry but did not affect either the rate of body cooling or torpid metabolic rate. Bats did not fully exploit potential energy savings by maximising their use of torpor. Instead they varied torpor expression such that total energy expenditure over the course of each 22-h trial was balanced against gross energy intake immediately before the trial, independent of ambient temperature. This was accomplished by adjusting the timing of entry into torpor (thus altering the time spent torpid), rather than by modulating torpid metabolic rate. However, pre-trial body mass was also a significant predictor of torpor expression, which suggests that energy reserves combine with recent foraging success to influence individuals’ decisions about depth and duration of their torpor bouts. We also present evidence that little brown bats use the heat generated through digestion (i.e. the heat increment of feeding) to substitute for active thermogenesis at sub-thermoneutral temperatures, thereby reducing the energetic costs of thermoregulation prior to torpor entry."Funding was provided by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC, Canada) Discovery grants to C.K.R.W. and K.L.C., and a NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award to A.L.M. The University of Winnipeg Bat Lab and C.K.R.W. are also funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Manitoba Research and Innovation Fund."http://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/12/216

Success stories and emerging themes in conservation physiology

The potential benefits of physiology for conservation are well established and include greater specificity of management techniques, determination of cause–effect relationships, increased sensitivity of health and disturbance monitoring and greater capacity for predicting future change. While descriptions of the specific avenues in which conservation and physiology can be integrated are readily available and important to the continuing expansion of the discipline of ‘conservation physiology’, to date there has been no assessment of how the field has specifically contributed to conservation success. However, the goal of conservation physiology is to foster conservation solutions and it is therefore important to assess whether physiological approaches contribute to downstream conservation outcomes and management decisions. Here, we present eight areas of conservation concern, ranging from chemical contamination to invasive species to ecotourism, where physiological approaches have led to beneficial changes in human behaviour, management or policy. We also discuss the shared characteristics of these successes, identifying emerging themes in the discipline. Specifically, we conclude that conservation physiology: (i) goes beyond documenting change to provide solutions; (ii) offers a diversity of physiological metrics beyond glucocorticoids (stress hormones); (iii) includes approaches that are transferable among species, locations and times; (iv) simultaneously allows for human use and benefits to wildlife; and (v) is characterized by successes that can be difficult to find in the primary literature. Overall, we submit that the field of conservation physiology has a strong foundation of achievements characterized by a diversity of conservation issues, taxa, physiological traits, ecosystem types and spatial scales. We hope that these concrete successes will encourage the continued evolution and use of physiological tools within conservation-based research and management plans."This work was supported by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology; the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada; Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada; and the Canadian Society of Zoologists. C.L.M. was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada PGS-D (427552). S.J.C. and O.P.L. are supported by the Canada Research Chairs program. E.J.C. was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (BCS-1134687). K.R.H. was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation’s MacroSystems Biology program (award no. 1340856) and the US Department of Agriculture (NRI 2015-67013-23138). J.R.R. was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (EF-1241889), National Institutes of Health (R01GM109499, R01TW010286), US Department of Agriculture (NRI 2006-01370, 2009-35102-0543) and US Environmental Protection Agency (CAREER 83518801)."https://academic.oup.com/conphys/article/4/1/cov057/295129

Autoantibodies Produced at the Site of Tissue Damage Provide Evidence of Humoral Autoimmunity in Inclusion Body Myositis

Inclusion body myositis (IBM) belongs to a group of muscle diseases known as the inflammatory myopathies. The presence of antibody-secreting plasma cells in IBM muscle implicates the humoral immune response in this disease. However, whether the humoral immune response actively contributes to IBM pathology has not been established. We sought to investigate whether the humoral immune response in IBM both in the periphery and at the site of tissue damage was directed towards self-antigens. Peripheral autoantibodies present in IBM serum but not control serum recognized self-antigens in both muscle tissue and human-derived cell lines. To study the humoral immune response at the site of tissue damage in IBM patients, we isolated single plasma cells directly from IBM-derived muscle tissue sections and from these cells, reconstructed a series of recombinant immunoglobulins (rIgG). These rIgG, each representing a single muscle-associated plasma cell, were examined for reactivity to self-antigens. Both, flow cytometry and immunoblotting revealed that these rIgG recognized antigens expressed by cell lines and in muscle tissue homogenates. Using a mass spectrometry-based approach, Desmin, a major intermediate filament protein, expressed abundantly in muscle tissue, was identified as the target of one IBM muscle-derived rIgG. Collectively, these data support the view that IBM includes a humoral immune response in both the periphery and at the site of tissue damage that is directed towards self-antigens

CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIBIOTIC PROFILES OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM "TCHOUKOU" TRADITIONAL MILK CHEESES PRODUCED IN THE ZINDER REGION OF NIGER REPUBLIC, WEST AFRICA

Purpose: The current study\u27s aim is to identify Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) isolated from " Tchoukou" cheeses made using cow, camel, and goat milk sampled from Zinder region of Niger Republic. Methodology: Nine samples were collected aseptically from cheesemakers in Zinder Region and the isolation of LAB isolates was carried out using selective media. The isolates were identified based on their phenotypic, biochemical and genotypic characteristics. Findings: A total of 13 strains of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) were isolated and morphologically and biochemically characterized. Cell morphology analysis identified 12 isolates as rods shaped while 1 isolate was cocci. All isolates were gram positive, Triple Sugar Ion Agar tests (TSIA) positive, and tested negative for catalase. The isolates were also found to be able to grow in a temperature range between 15 and 45 C.. The isolates\u27 16S rRNA gene was amplified using bacterial universal primers 27F and 1492R. Based on 16S rRNA gene analyses, the 13 LAB isolates were grouped into the genera Lactobacillus, and Weissella, traditionally known to occur in raw milk and milk products. The genus Lactobacillus was dominant with 76.92% of the LAB isolated. Most of the isolated strains were susceptible to eight antibiotics. Therefore, 5 (38.46%), 3(23.08%), and 4 (30.77%) isolates showed resistance respectively against Kanamycin, Streptomycin, and Co-Trimoxazole. One same isolate (7.69%) was discovered resistant to Sulphamethoxazole and Ampicillin. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: this study was performed to characterize the LAB isolates found in homemade cheeses that could serve as the potential source for the industries and commercial applications

Larval Black Crappie Distribution: Implications for Sampling Impoundments and Natural Lakes

An understanding of larval fish distributions is essential for developing an appropriate sampling design to monitor larval abundances. We monitored abundance of larval black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus to assess spatial differences in Richmond Lake (a 336-ha impoundment) and Brant Lake (a 405-ha natural lake), South Dakota, during 1994–1996. Age-0 black crappies were collected with a 500-µm mesh ichthyoplankton trawl from fixed sites within each water body. In the impoundment, larval black crappies were collected over a longer period at the upper site than at the dam site during 1994 and 1995. In the natural lake, larval black crappie abundances were similar between east and west sites during all 3 years. In light of our results, biologists should spatially stratify sampling sites when collecting larval black crappies in impoundments such as Richmond Lake, whereas random sites may be more appropriate in natural lakes such as Brant Lake

PROBIOTIC PROPERTIES OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM "TCHOUKOU" TRADITIONAL MILK CHEESES PRODUCED IN SELECTED REGION OF NIGER.

Purpose: The current study\u27s aim is to evaluate the probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from traditional "Tchoukou" milk cheeses produced in a selected region of Niger. Methodology: Nine Samples were collected in selected regions of Niger (Tahoua, Maradi, and Zinder).Probiotic properties of isolated LAB were identified based on their acid tolerance, bile salt tolerance, auto-aggregation ability, simulated stomach and duodenum passage, simulated gastric juice survivability and their antimicrobial activities. Findings: A total of eighteen strains were analysed in vitro for acid tolerance, bile tolerance, survival under simulated gastro-intestinal tract conditions and antimicrobial activity against index organisms. The results indicated that all seventeen strains exhibited a high viability after twenty-four hours of incubation at pH 2.5 and pH 3, but a decreased viability at pH 2.0 in which only eight strains were able to survive, strain C13 failed to grow at the three different pH. In this study, the isolates generally survived better after exposure to 0.3% bile salt. Also were able to survive exposure to simulated stomach and duodenum passage (SSDP) for three hours ranging from (89%-100%).All strains were able to survive under simulated gastric juice at different pH (2, 2.5 and 3). for auto-aggregation Only fifteen isolates showed the best auto-aggregation abilities ranging from (15-83%) and the other two had less auto-aggregation ability (2-11%). The isolates showed diverse antimicrobial activity against the index organisms. Among the isolates, only three (C1, C2 and C9) could not inhibit any of the selected pathogens. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This study was conducted to characterize the probiotic properties of LAB isolate which could serve as a potential source for industries and commercial applications