Diversity and Change: Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers

About 7.4 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) work in the United States, making up 5.3 percent of the total U.S. workforce. About 7.1 million of these AAPI workers are Asian Americans; about 300,000 are Pacific Islanders. The AAPI workforce is almost 20 times larger today than it was in 1960. Meanwhile, the share of AAPIs in the total workforce has increased about tenfold over the same period. Three broad themes emerge from our analysis of the data: The first is that AAPI workers are highly diverse. The second theme is that AAPI workers face many challenges in the labor market. The final theme is that the trends in the economic circumstances of AAPI workers have closely mirrored those of the broader workforce

Toward an estimate of the number of receptor neuron spikes needed for odor identification

Author Posting. © The Authors, 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in European Journal of Neuroscience 29 (2009): 1027-1034, doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06644.x.We measured the concentration dependence of the ability of rats to identify odorants and compared these results with the calcium signals in the nerve terminals of the olfactory receptor neurons. Odorant identification remained far above random chance at all concentrations tested (between 0.0006% and 35% of saturated vapor). In contrast the calcium signals were much smaller than their maximum values at odorant concentrations less than 1% of saturated vapor. Extrapolation suggests that only a few spikes in olfactory sensory neurons may be sufficient for correct odorant identification.Supported by NIH grants DC05259 and AA014871

The near-IR MbhM_{bh} - L and MbhM_{bh} - n relations

We present near-IR surface photometry (2D-profiling) for a sample of 29 nearby galaxies for which super-massive black hole (SMBH) masses are constrained. The data is derived from the UKIDSS-LASS survey representing a significant improvement in image quality and depth over previous studies based on 2MASS data. We derive the spheroid luminosity and spheroid S\'ersic index for each galaxy with GALFIT3 and use these data to construct SMBH mass -bulge luminosity ($M_{\rm bh}$--$L$) and SMBH - S\'ersic index ($M_{\rm bh}$--$n$) relations. The best fit K-band relation for elliptical and disk galaxies is $\log(M_{\rm bh}/M_{\odot})= -0.36(\pm 0.03) (M_{\rm K} + 18) + 6.17(\pm 0.16)$ with an intrinsic scatter of 0.4$^{+0.09}_{-0.06}$dex whilst for elliptical galaxies we find $\log(M_{\rm bh}/M_{\odot})= -0.42(\pm 0.06) (M_{\rm K} + 22) + 7.5(\pm 0.15)$ with an intrinsic scatter of 0.31$^{+0.087}_{-0.047}$dex. Our revised $M_{\rm bh}$--$L$ relation agrees closely with the previous near-IR constraint by \citet{tex:G07}. The lack of improvement in the intrinsic scatter in moving to higher quality near-IR data suggests that the SMBH relations are not currently limited by the quality of the imaging data but is either intrinsic or a result of uncertainty in the precise number of required components required in the profiling process. Contrary to expectation (see \citealt{tex:GD07a}) a relation between SMBH mass and the S\'ersic index was not found at near-IR wavelengths. This latter outcome is believed to be explained by the generic inconsistencies between 1D and 2D galaxy profiling which are currently under further investigation.Comment: 35 pages, 37 figures, MNRAS accepte

Metagenomic study of the viruses of African straw-coloured fruit bats: detection of a chiropteran poxvirus and isolation of a novel adenovirus

Viral emergence as a result of zoonotic transmission constitutes a continuous public health threat. Emerging viruses such as SARS coronavirus, hantaviruses and henipaviruses have wildlife reservoirs. Characterising the viruses of candidate reservoir species in geographical hot spots for viral emergence is a sensible approach to develop tools to predict, prevent, or contain emergence events. Here, we explore the viruses of Eidolon helvum, an Old World fruit bat species widely distributed in Africa that lives in close proximity to humans. We identified a great abundance and diversity of novel herpes and papillomaviruses, described the isolation of a novel adenovirus, and detected, for the first time, sequences of a chiropteran poxvirus closely related with Molluscum contagiosum. In sum, E. helvum display a wide variety of mammalian viruses, some of them genetically similar to known human pathogens, highlighting the possibility of zoonotic transmission

An outbreak of post-acupuncture cutaneous infection due to Mycobacterium abscessus

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing popularity of acupuncture, the importance of infection control is not adequately emphasized in Oriental medicine. In December 2001, an Oriental medical doctor in Seoul, South Korea, encountered several patients with persistent, culture-negative skin lesions on the trunk and extremities at the sites of prior acupuncture treatment. We identified and investigated an outbreak of Mycobacterium abscessus cutaneous infection among the patients who attended this Oriental medicine clinic. METHODS: Patients were defined as clinic patients with persistent cutaneous infections at the acupuncture sites. Medical records for the previous 7 months were reviewed. Clinical specimens were obtained from the patients and an environmental investigation was performed. M. abscessus isolates, cultured from patients, were compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). RESULTS: Forty patients who attended the Oriental medicine clinic and experienced persistent cutaneous wound infections were identified. Cultures from five of these patients proved positive, and all other diagnoses were based on clinical and histopathologic examinations. All environmental objects tested were negative for M. abscessus, however, most were contaminated by various nosocomial pathogens. Molecular analysis using PFGE found all wound isolates to be identical. CONCLUSION: We have identified a large outbreak of rapidly growing mycobacterial infection among patients who received acupuncture at a single Oriental medicine clinic. Physicians should suspect mycobacterial infections in patients with persistent cutaneous infections following acupuncture, and infection control education including hygienic practice, should be emphasized for Oriental medical doctors practicing acupuncture

Mycobacterium kansasii Pulmonary Diseases in Korea

Mycobacterium kansasii is one of the most common cause of pulmonary diseases due to nontuberculous mycobacteria. We investigated the changing in the number of isolation of M. kansasii and the clinical characteristics of M. kansasii pulmonary disease in Korea. Through searching the database of the Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, we identified the cases of isolated M. kansasii from 1992 to 2002. The number of M. kansasii isolation had increased from once in 1992 to 62 in 2002. Fifteen patients with M. kansasii pulmonary disease were identified during the period January 1997 to December 2002. Twelve patients (80%) were male and fourteen (93%) were from highly industrialized areas. The most common symptom was a cough. Seven patients (47%) had a cavitary lesion and right upper lobe was most commonly involved. Patients responded well to isoniazid and rifampicin based regimens both bacteriologically and radiographically. In conclusion, M. kansasii isolation has increased, especially in highly industrialized areas, as well as other nontuberculous mycobacteria in Korea

A multiplex real-time PCR for differential detection and quantification of Salmonella spp., Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Enteritidis in meats

Salmonella (S.) Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis are the major causative agents of food-borne illnesses worldwide. Currently, a rapid detection system using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been applied for other food-borne pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp. A multiplex real-time PCR was developed for the simultaneous detection of Salmonella spp., especially S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, in beef and pork. For the specific and sensitive multiplex real-time PCR, three representative primers and probes were designed based on sequence data from Genbank. Among the three DNA extraction methods (boiling, alkaline lysis, and QIAamp DNA Mini Kit), the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit was the most sensitive in this study. The optimized multiplex real-time PCR was applied to artificially inoculated beef or pork. The detection sensitivity of the multiplex real-time PCR was increased. The specificity of the multiplex real-time PCR assay, using 128 pure-cultured bacteria including 110 Salmonella isolates and 18 non-Salmonella isolates, was 100%, 100% and 99.1% for Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, respectively. The sensitivity was 100%, 100% and 91.7% for Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, respectively. The multiplex real-time PCR assay developed in this study could detect up to 0.54 ± 0.09 and 0.65 ± 0.07 log10 CFU/ml for S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis for beef, 1.45 ± 0.21 and 1.65 ± 0.07 log10 CFU/ml for S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis for pork, respectively, with all conditions optimized. Our results indicated that the multiplex real-time PCR assay developed in this study could sensitively detect Salmonella spp. and specifically differentiate S. Typhimurium from S. Enteritidis in meats

Review of the literature examining the correlation among DNA microarray technologies

DNA microarray technologies are used in a variety of biological disciplines. The diversity of platforms and analytical methods employed has raised concerns over the reliability, reproducibility and correlation of data produced across the different approaches. Initial investigations (years 2000–2003) found discrepancies in the gene expression measures produced by different microarray technologies. Increasing knowledge and control of the factors that result in poor correlation among the technologies has led to much higher levels of correlation among more recent publications (years 2004 to present). Here, we review the studies examining the correlation among microarray technologies. We find that with improvements in the technology (optimization and standardization of methods, including data analysis) and annotation, analysis across platforms yields highly correlated and reproducible results. We suggest several key factors that should be controlled in comparing across technologies, and are good microarray practice in general. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 48:380–394, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc

A Pilot Study of Lay Health Worker Outreach and Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Chinese Americans

The research team recruited eight Chinese American (seven females, one male) lay health workers (LHWs). They received 12 h of training about colorectal cancer (CRC), its screening, and basic health education techniques. Each LHW were asked to recruit ten participants and conduct two educational sessions. Of the 81 participants recruited, 73 had not received colorectal cancer screening. Their mean age was 63.0 years, and 72.6% were women. Knowledge of colorectal cancer, its causes, and its screening increased significantly. Receipt of first colorectal cancer screening test increased from 0.0% at baseline to 55.7% for fecal occult blood tests, 7.1% for sigmoidoscopy, and 7.1% for colonoscopy. LHW outreach is feasible and may be effective in promoting CRC screening among Chinese Americans