An Assessment of Usage and Physical Activity Patterns, Measurement of Satisfaction Indicators and Purpose of Visit at Two University Recreation Centers

Research has demonstrated that building of student recreation/activity centers has been beneficial for university students who participate in informal recreation and programs during their out-of-class time. The utilization of an assessment tool created specifically to evaluate variables associated with usage and intention demonstrated that at vastly different university settings and type of recreation facilities, similar patterns suggested why university students are and are not utilizing the facilities that have been specifically built for their needs.;The first paper assessed usage and purpose of visit, and the importance of recreation and socialization in the setting of student recreation centers in university environments. The second paper examined a model of customer satisfaction of facilities, services and information and utilizing multiple regression statistics endeavored to predict overall satisfaction at two separate student recreation centers. Lastly, the third paper examined demographic characteristics of college students and investigated the relationships between these characteristics and physical activity patterns including reasons to exercise, attitudes toward physical activity and which variables would lead to the propensity to exercise vigorously.;Expanding on previous research, these findings will contribute to continuing research in the field of recreation and the importance of physical activity, recreation and socialization on university campuses. The three separate research articles shared a common theme of student interests and satisfaction with facilities on their campus. These findings indicate the need for management to continue to examine and assess the importance of physical activity, recreation and socialization in the setting of college environments

Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Aerosolized Bacteria Collected From African Dust Events

Twenty-one bacteria were isolated and characterized from air samples collected in Africa and the Caribbean by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Isolates were selected based on preliminary characterization as possible pathogens. Identification of the bacterial isolates was achieved using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profiling, the BIOLOG Microlog® System (carbon substrate assay), and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP)-PCR analysis. The majority of isolates (18/21) were identified as species of the genus Bacillus. Three isolates were classified within the Bacillus cereus senso lato group, which includes Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus cereus strains. One isolate was identified as a Staphylococcus sp., most closely related to species (i.e., Staphylococcus kloosii, Staphylococcus warneri) that are commonly associated with human or animal skin, but can also act as opportunistic pathogen. Another isolate was tentatively identified as Tsukamurella inchonensis, a known respiratory pathogen, and was resistant to the ten antibiotics tested including vancomycin

Economic Analysis of Knowledge: The History of Thought and the Central Themes

Following the development of knowledge economies, there has been a rapid expansion of economic analysis of knowledge, both in the context of technological knowledge in particular and the decision theory in general. This paper surveys this literature by identifying the main themes and contributions and outlines the future prospects of the discipline. The wide scope of knowledge related questions in terms of applicability and alternative approaches has led to the fragmentation of research. Nevertheless, one can identify a continuing tradition which analyses various aspects of the generation, dissemination and use of knowledge in the economy

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Iodide Accumulation by Aerobic Bacteria Isolated from Subsurface Sediments of a 129I-Contaminated Aquifer at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina ▿

129I is of major concern because of its mobility in the environment, excessive inventory, toxicity (it accumulates in the thyroid), and long half-life (∼16 million years). The aim of this study was to determine if bacteria from a 129I-contaminated oxic aquifer at the F area of the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, SC, could accumulate iodide at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1 μM I−). Iodide accumulation capability was found in 3 out of 136 aerobic bacterial strains isolated from the F area that were closely related to Streptomyces/Kitasatospora spp., Bacillus mycoides, and Ralstonia/Cupriavidus spp. Two previously described iodide-accumulating marine strains, a Flexibacter aggregans strain and an Arenibacter troitsensis strain, accumulated 2 to 50% total iodide (0.1 μM), whereas the F-area strains accumulated just 0.2 to 2.0%. Iodide accumulation by FA-30 was stimulated by the addition of H2O2, was not inhibited by chloride ions (27 mM), did not exhibit substrate saturation kinetics with regard to I− concentration (up to 10 μM I−), and increased at pH values of <6. Overall, the data indicate that I− accumulation likely results from electrophilic substitution of cellular organic molecules. This study demonstrates that readily culturable, aerobic bacteria of the F-area aquifer do not accumulate significant amounts of iodide; however, this mechanism may contribute to the long-term fate and transport of 129I and to the biogeochemical cycling of iodine over geologic time

Association of chromosome 8q variants with prostate cancer risk in Caucasian and Hispanic men

Genotyping of a 615 kb region within 8q24 with 49 haplotype-tagged single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 2109 samples (797 cases and 1312 controls) of two ethnic/racial groups found SNPs that are significantly associated with the risk for prostate cancer (PCa). The highest significance in Caucasian men was found for rs6983267; the AA genotype reduced the risk for PCa [odds ratio (OR) = 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.35–0.65, P = 2.74 × 10−6]. This SNP also had a significant independent effect from other SNPs in the region in this group. In Hispanic men, rs7837328 and rs921146 showed independent effects (OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.51–4.31, P = 4.33 × 10−4, OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.40–3.12, P = 3.13 × 10−4, respectively). Significant synergist effects for increasing numbers of high-risk alleles were found in both ethnicities. Haplotype analysis revealed major haplotypes, containing the non-risk alleles, conferred protection against PCa. We found high linkage disequilibrium between significant SNPs within the region and SNPs within the CUB and Sushi Multiple Domains 1 gene (CSMD1), on the short arm of chromosome 8 in both ethnicities. These data suggest that multiple interacting SNPs within 8q24, as well as different regions on chromosome 8 far beyond this 8q24 candidate region, may confer increased risk of PCa. This is the first report to investigate the involvement of 8q24 variants in the susceptibility for PCa in Hispanic men