494 research outputs found
Dependence of Nebular Heavy-Element Abundance on H I Content for Spiral Galaxies
We analyze the galactic H I content and nebular log(O/H) for 60 spiral
galaxies in the Moustakas et al. (2006) spectral catalog. After correcting for
the mass-metallicity relationship, we show that the spirals in cluster
environments show a positive correlation for log(O/H) on DEF, the galactic H I
deficiency parameter, extending the results of previous analyses of the Virgo
and Pegasus I clusters. Additionally, we show for the first time that galaxies
in the field obey a similar dependence. The observed relationship between H I
deficiency and galactic metallicity resembles similar trends shown by
cosmological simulations of galaxy formation including inflows and outflows.
These results indicate the previously observed metallicity-DEF correlation has
a more universal interpretation than simply a cluster's effects on its member
galaxies. Rather, we observe in all environments the stochastic effects of
metal-poor infall as minor mergers and accretion help to build giant spirals.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Another America is Possible: The Impact of NAFTA on the U.S. Latino Community and Lessons for Future Trade Agreements
A joint report by Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and Public Citizen celebrate the promise of increased interaction and cross-border cooperation among different nationalities on pressing global concerns. This is why we are concerned about the current model of corporate globalization being fostered by "free trade" agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Negotiated behind closed doors by unelected and largely unaccountable bureaucrats who represent mainly business interests, these trade agreements invariably fail to promote equitable regional integration and cooperation. Instead, this model of corporate globalization explicitly benefits large multinational corporations at the expense of workers, farmers, immigrants, women, people of color, the environment and democratic governance. As the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. population, Latinos are and will continue to be among the groups most affected by this model of corporate globalization. Whether newcomers from El Salvador or fifth-generation Mexican-Americans, U.S. Latinos are seeing adverse effects on their job security, health and environment. Many are immigrants who left their homelands due to the economic and social devastation caused by the current globalization model. In both the United States and in their countries of origin, Latinos have seen their environment and their livelihoods harmed by the status quo globalization package of free trade, investment and finance liberalization, new protections for foreign investors and intellectual property, and new powers that enable multinational corporations to attack state, local and federal public interest laws. In this report, we examine the impact of NAFTA on Latino communities throughout the United States. Implemented in 1994, NAFTA is the most fully realized version of the corporate globalization model. It is currently being used as the blueprint for other trade and investment agreements that the Bush Administration is pushing in the hemisphere, such as the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and an array of bilateral free trade agreements with the Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) and Panama. Although we support trade, we feel that NAFTA is not the model to follow and should not be copied in these agreements
Telephone crisis intervention: A comparative and exploratory study of Tel-A-Friend, Windsor and The Distress Centre, Toronto.
TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF STYLE AND TECHNIQUE IN UNACCOMPANIED VIOLIN WORKS SPANNING THE SEVENTEENTH THROUGH TWENTIETH CENTURIES
Violin playing on a universal level encompasses a vast history of stylistic and technical traditions. By studying the evolution of the styles and techniques of violin playing–while not always obvious or expected–one can further understand and have a greater appreciation for the genre as a whole. The specific realm of unaccompanied polyphonic violin repertory is a unique one, for the violin itself was never physically ideal for chordal playing, and yet, composers have expanded their idiomatic writing through this very genre in truly ideal ways from the early-Baroque Era until now. My approach with this performance dissertation has been to highlight solo polyphonic works of both standard and non-standard reputation, to show a wide scope of the styles and techniques that have been used over centuries to shape how we experience violin playing today. What we discover is that despite the leaps and bounds taken by composers of this genre to reach the current trends, the simplest and most widely applied violinistic traditions over time are the ones that composers continue to rely on the most
Using Role-modeling and Professional Socialization to Develop Future Leaders in Nursing Education
The influence of gender and sex hormones in the development of translational and experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive and debilitating disease
characterised by increases in pulmonary vasoconstriction and excessive
remodelling of the pulmonary arteries. Together, these processes lead to
sustained elevations in pulmonary arterial pressure, right heart failure and
eventual death if left untreated. Despite the number and variety of treatment
options available, the survival rate in incident and prevalent cases of PAH
remains poor. Therefore, a better understanding of the pathobiology of PAH is
required to generate novel therapeutic approaches with improved efficiency in
patients. In PAH there is a well described gender bias. Women are consistently
reported to represent up to 75% of the total PAH population; however, the
reasons for this female predominance remain unclear. Recently, estrogen has
been implicated as a major risk factor, for example, elevated estrogen levels
and alterations in estrogen metabolism are closely correlated with PAH
development in females. The role of testosterone in PAH is currently under
investigated.
Effects of estrogen are mediated through two classical estrogen receptors (ER)-α
and –β, or the novel G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). Expression of
all of these receptors is identified in pulmonary vasculature, including in smooth
muscle and endothelial cells. The role they play in PAH pathogenesis in females
is largely undetermined. Given the diverse effects of estrogen described in the
pulmonary vasculature during PAH, for example, proliferative effects in
pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), we hypothesised that estrogen
receptors play an integral role in PAH in females. To examine this, we used both
translational and experimental studies to characterise ERs in PAH. Chronic
hypoxic male and female mice, and mice over-expressing the serotonin
transporter (SERT+ mice), which demonstrate female susceptibility, were used to
investigate the effects of an ERα antagonist in vivo. GPER knockout mice were
also investigated in chronic hypoxia. In situ and in vitro studies in human
PASMCs with ER agonists and antagonists added clinical relevance to our
findings. In addition, testosterone manipulation was investigated in male mice
by castration in vivo.
Immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting and qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that
ERα was increased in PASMCs and pulmonary arteries from female PAH patients
and chronic hypoxic mice, respectively. On the other hand, ERβ was decreased
in PAH and hypoxia. It was also observed that females expressed higher levels of
ERα in PAH compared to males whereas ERβ was lower in females. PAH was
assessed by measuring right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), right ventricular
hypertrophy (RVH) and pulmonary vascular remodelling and muscularisation.
Chronic hypoxia induced-pulmonary hypertension (PH) was attenuated in female
mice dosed with the ERα antagonist MPP, shown by marked reductions in RVSP
and pulmonary vascular remodelling. Hypoxic male mice remained unaffected
by MPP treatment. Spontaneous PH and chronic hypoxia induced-PH observed in
female SERT+ mice were reversed by treatment with MPP. Immunoblotting and
qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the possible mechanism involved in the
beneficial effect of MPP in females in vivo involved restoring the dysfunctional
bone morphogenetic protein receptor-2 (BMPR2) axis observed in PAH. This
effect was only observed in female mice. In addition, chronic hypoxia induced-
PH in male and female mice was unaffected by GPER deletion. Expression of
GPER between female non-PAH controls and PAH patients was unchanged.
In isolated human PASMCs estrogen induced proliferation was inhibited by MPP,
but not PHTPP or G15, an ERβ and GPER antagonist, respectively. The ERα
agonist, PPT stimulated proliferation of human PASMCs. Both estrogen and PPT
induced proliferation was dependent on downstream PI3K/Akt and ERK MAPK
activity.
In males, testosterone deprivation by surgical castration had no effect on
chronic-hypoxia induced PH. RVSP, RVH and pulmonary vascular remodelling
were unchanged in hypoxic castrated mice relative to sham controls.
Testosterone levels, assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
demonstrated no effects of hypoxia on plasma testosterone levels. Testosterone
levels were approximately halved by castration. qRT-PCR analysis showed that
in mouse lung there were also no difference in expression of the androgen
receptor (AR) and 5α-reducatse, the testosterone metabolising enzyme.
Testosterone had no effect on proliferation of human PASMCs, although its
primary metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), stimulated proliferation in a
dose-dependent manner.
In summary of these findings, we have identified an ERα-dependent mechanism
of PAH in females, but not in males. ERα is noticeably increased in female
human PASMCs from PAH patients compared to male PAH patients. Additionally,
ERα activation in female human PASMCs leads to proliferation driven by PI3K/Akt
and ERK MAPK activation. Treatment with an ERα antagonist attenuated the
development of chronic hypoxia induced-PH in females but not males, and
reversed PH in SERT+ female mice. We demonstrate that the mechanism
attributed to the beneficial effect of MPP in vivo involved restoration of the
dysfunctional BMPR2 signalling axis. Our results suggest that increased ERα
expression may drive PAH development in females. Furthermore, we
demonstrate that ERα does not play a key role in the development of hypoxia
induced-PH in male mice. In addition we conclude that testosterone does not
contribute to chronic hypoxic-PH observed in males. We suggest that altered
local synthesis and metabolism in the lung and right ventricle may however,
facilitate progression of established PAH in males and worsening survival rates.
Overall, our results provide evidence for ERα in PAH development and implicate
targeting ERs as a novel therapeutic target in PAH treatment
Biopedagogies and Indigenous knowledge: examining sport for development and peace for urban Indigenous young women in Canada and Australia
This paper uses transnational postcolonial feminist participatory action research (TPFPAR) to examine two sport for development and peace (SDP) initiatives that focus on Indigenous young women residing in urban areas, one in Vancouver, Canada, and one in Perth, Australia. We examine how SDP programs that target urban Indigenous young women and girls reproduce the hegemony of neoliberalism by deploying biopedagogies of neoliberalism to \u27teach\u27 Indigenous young women certain education and employment skills that are deemed necessary to participate in competitive capitalism. We found that activities in both programs were designed to equip the Indigenous girls and young women with individual attributes that would enhance their chances of future success in arenas valued by neoliberal capitalism: Eurocentric employment, post-secondary education and healthy active living. These forms of \u27success\u27 fall within neoliberal logic, where the focus is on the individual being able to provide for oneself. However, the girls and young women we interviewed argued that their participation in the SDP programs would help them change racist and sexist stereotypes about their communities and thereby challenged negative stereotypes. Thus, it is possible that these programs, despite their predominant use of neoliberal logic and biopedagogies, may help to prepare the participants to more successfully negotiate Eurocentric institutions, and through this assist them participants in contributing to social change. Nevertheless, based on our findings, we argue that SDP programs led by Indigenous peoples that are fundamentally shaped by Indigenous voices, epistemologies, concerns and standpoints would provide better opportunities to shake SDP\u27s current biopedagogical foundation. We conclude by suggesting that a more radical approach to SDP, one that fosters Indigenous self-determination and attempts to disrupt dominant relations of power, could have difficulty in attracting the sort of corporate donors who currently play such important roles in the current SDP landscape
AphasiaBank: Preliminary Lexical, Morphosyntactic, and Error Analyses
AphasiaBank collects and analyzes samples of the discourse of individuals with aphasia and normal participants across a range of tasks. The goal of AphasiaBank is to assemble a large repository of video-recorded discourse samples, transcribed in a format that facilitates extensive computerized language analyses. This paper outlines the AphasiaBank protocol and presents core analyses of language samples from 15 normal adults and 15 individuals with aphasia using selected analyses for lexicon, morphosyntax, errors, and repetition
Publication trends among general surgery residents, fellows, and graduates and its relationship to future academic achievement
Background: Medical research is considered a core component of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) residency programs. Through conducting, evaluating, and applying medical research, physicians aim to improve the quality of care for patients and better health outcomes. Our study aims to determine associated factors that influence publication rates before, during, and after general surgery residency.Methods: Our cross-sectional study included a random sample of 50 general surgery residency programs. Using each program's online website, publicly available records were obtained for residents that graduated in 2013-2015. Previous publication information, h-index, medical degree, and fellowship pursued were obtained for each graduate by searching Scopus and PubMed. Microsoft Excel functions were used to calculate descriptive statistics and 95% confidence intervals.Results: Of the 30 included programs, 68 residents were analyzed for sample characteristics and publication rates. Among the 68 graduated residents, the majority, 31 (45.6%) had between 1-5 publications. Of the 68 residents, most pursued a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery (14/68; 20.6%). Most research outcomes reported were during residency with a total of 150 (of 321; 46.7%) publications. Of the 321 total publications recorded, the lowest reported median was before residency.Conclusions: Our study indicated that research outcomes were more prevalent during residency when compared to research outcomes before and after residency. Given that research remains a core part of ACGME general surgery residency programs, it is important for residents to continue progressing their scientific knowledge through continued research. In conclusion, publication rates remain the highest during residency
Identification of the regions involved in DNA binding by the mouse PEBP2α protein
AbstractThe polyomavirus enhancer binding protein 2α (PEBP2α) is a DNA binding transcriptional regulatory protein that binds conserved sites in the polyomavirus enhancer, mammalian type C retroviral enhancers and T-cell receptor gene enhancers. Binding of PEBP2α and homologous proteins to the consensus DNA sequence TGPyGGTPy is mediated through a protein domain known as the runt domain. Although recent NMR studies of DNA-bound forms of the runt domain have shown an immunoglobulin-like (Ig) fold, the identification of residues of the protein that are involved in DNA binding has been obscured by the low solubility of the runt domain. Constructs of the mouse PEBP2αA1 gene were generated with N- and C-terminal extensions beyond the runt homology region. The construct containing residues Asp90 to Lys225 of the sequence (PEBP2α90–225) yielded soluble protein. The residues that participate in DNA binding were determined by comparing the NMR spectra of free and DNA-bound PEBP2α90–225. Analysis of the changes in the NMR spectra of the two forms of the protein by chemical shift deviation mapping allowed the unambiguous determination of the regions that are responsible for specific DNA recognition by PEBP2α. Five regions in PEBP2α90–225 that are localized at one end of the β-barrel were found to interact with DNA, similar to the DNA binding interactions of other Ig fold proteins
- …