Prison-based animal programs: a descriptive analysis

There are many types of programs used in prisons. One such type is known as prison-based animal programs (PAPs). Prison-based animal programs bring animals into facilities in order to help offenders with emotional and behavioral problems. However promising these programs are, there is little empirical research. If these programs are to be continued, more research is needed. There has only been one national study looking at PAPs (Furst 2006). This current study will help fill the gap on PAP research. A national study was conducted using 302 randomly selected correctional facilities. Characteristics of PAPs were gathered through the use of a questionnaire. The results of this study showed similarities with the 2006 study. The most common types of prison-based animal programs in use are community service programs, service animal socialization programs, and those two combined as multimodal design programs. The majority of programs pair animals with inmates 24 hours a day. The most common animal used was dogs. An overwhelming number of respondents would recommend the program to another facility because of the number of benefits. There were very few negative aspects associated with PAPs. Overall, it seems that prison-based animal programs are a very promising technique, which not only benefits the participants, but also the animals, the institution, and the community

TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF PHARMACOLOGICALLY INDUCED INTRACELLULAR CHANGES IN NICOTINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTORS: A FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY APPROACH

Upregulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is a well-documented response to chronic nicotine exposure. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels consisting of alpha (α2-10) and beta (β2-4) subunits. Nicotine, an agonist of nAChRs, alters trafficking and assembly of some subtypes of nAChRs, leading to an increase in expression of high sensitivity receptors on the plasma membrane. These physiological changes in nAChRs are believed to contribute to nicotine addiction, although the mechanism of these processes has not been resolved. Recently, many studies have converged on the idea that nicotine induces upregulation by an intracellular mechanism. In this dissertation, expression levels of nAChRs were quantified upon exposure to nicotine and its primary metabolite, cotinine. A pH sensitive variant of GFP, super ecliptic pHluorin (SEP), was integrated with a nAChR subunit to study expression and trafficking of nAChRs by differentiating intracellular and plasma membrane inserted receptors. In this work, cotinine is shown to increase the number of α4β2 nAChRs within a cell. Cotinine also affects trafficking of α4β2, evident by a redistribution of intracellular receptors and an increase in single vesicle insertion events on the plasma membrane. This work shows both nicotine and cotinine alter the overall assembly of α4β2 to favor the high sensitivity (α4)2(β2)3 version. Since cotinine and nicotine induce similar physiological changes in nAChRs, the metabolite potentially plays a role in the mechanism of nicotine addiction. Although an intracellular mechanism for upregulation has been supported, a shift in assembly to the high sensitivity (α4)2(β2)3 version exclusively in the endoplasmic reticulum has not previously been detected. In order to study organelle specific changes in stoichiometry, a novel method was developed to isolate single nAChRs in nanovesicles derived from native cell membranes. Separation of nanovesicles originating from the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane, encompassing isolated nAChRs, allows precise changes in stoichiometry to be monitored in subcellular regions. In this work, single molecule bleaching steps of green fluorescent protein (GFP) encoded in each alpha subunit of the pentamer are detected. The number of bleaching steps, or transitions to a nonfluorescent state upon continuous excitation, corresponds to the number of GFP-labeled alpha subunits present. Therefore, the stoichiometry can be deduced by detection of two bleaching steps, as in (α4)2(β2)3, or three bleaching steps, seen in (α4)3(β2)2. Using this method on isolated nAChRs, a shift to assembly of high sensitivity (α4)2(β2)3 receptors is detected definitively within the endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, an increase in (α4)2(β2)3 receptors located on the plasma membrane is shown when nicotine is present. This work provides convincing evidence that nicotine acts intracellularly, within the endoplasmic reticulum, to alter stoichiometry of nAChRs

Research and development of an optimized laboratory speech-compression system for spacecraft application. Task 7- Microminiaturization study

Microminiaturization of optimized laboratory speech-compression system for spacecraft application - microcircuit technology and determination of most feasible design approac

Gambaran Asap Rokok Terhadap Kadar Hemoglobin Di Desa Tolnaku Rt 02 Rw 01 Kecamatan Fatuleu

Hemoglobin (Hb) adalah protein yang kaya akan zat besi, memiliki afinitas (daya gabung) terhadap oksigen. Adapun beberapa faktor yang menyebabkan kadar hemoglobin menjadi tidak normal, salah satunya adalah asap rokok. Kebiasaan merokok dan menghirup asap dari pembakaran rokok tersebut, mempunyai dampak yang buruk bagi kesehatan. Kebiasaan merokok bagi perokok aktif maupun kebiasaan menghirup asap rokok yang tidak di sengaja bagi perokok pasif adalah salah satu faktor yang dapat meningkatkan kadar karbon monoksida dalam tubuh. Tujuan Penelitian mengkaji pengaruh kadar hemoglobin pada perokok aktif dan perokok pasif. Jenis penelitian deskriptif dengan rancangan purpossive sampling, menggunakan subyek penelitian sebanyak 40 responden. Data dikumpulkan dengan wawancara, kadar hemoglobin diukur dengan metode easy touch. Hasil yang didapat Kadar hemoglobin pada perokok aktif maupun perokok pasif rata–rata memiliki kadar hemoglobin yang normal, dan tidak terdapat pengaruh antara asap rokok dengan kadar hemoglobin dalam darah

Utilizing pHluorin-Tagged Receptors to Monitor Subcellular Localization and Trafficking

Understanding membrane protein trafficking, assembly, and expression requires an approach that differentiates between those residing in intracellular organelles and those localized on the plasma membrane. Traditional fluorescence-based measurements lack the capability to distinguish membrane proteins residing in different organelles. Cutting edge methodologies transcend traditional methods by coupling pH-sensitive fluorophores with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). TIRF illumination excites the sample up to approximately 150 nm from the glass-sample interface, thus decreasing background, increasing the signal to noise ratio, and enhancing resolution. The excitation volume in TIRFM encompasses the plasma membrane and nearby organelles such as the peripheral ER. Superecliptic pHluorin (SEP) is a pH sensitive version of GFP. Genetically encoding SEP into the extracellular domain of a membrane protein of interest positions the fluorophore on the luminal side of the ER and in the extracellular region of the cell. SEP is fluorescent when the pH is greater than 6, but remains in an off state at lower pH values. Therefore, receptors tagged with SEP fluoresce when residing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or upon insertion in the plasma membrane (PM) but not when confined to a trafficking vesicle or other organelles such as the Golgi. The extracellular pH can be adjusted to dictate the fluorescence of receptors on the plasma membrane. The difference in fluorescence between TIRF images at neutral and acidic extracellular pH for the same cell corresponds to a relative number of receptors on the plasma membrane. This allows a simultaneous measurement of intracellular and plasma membrane resident receptors. Single vesicle insertion events can also be measured when the extracellular pH is neutral, corresponding to a low pH trafficking vesicle fusing with the plasma membrane and transitioning into a fluorescent state. This versatile technique can be exploited to study localization, expression, and trafficking of membrane proteins

A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE “TOOTHKEEPER’ AND A TRADITIONAL DENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66303/1/j.1752-7325.1975.tb04031.x.pd

Core Allocations for Cooperation Problems in Vaccination

Vaccination is a very effective measure to fight an outbreak of an infectious disease, but it often suffers from delayed deliveries and limited stockpiles. To use these limited doses of vaccine effectively, health agencies can decide to cooperate and share their doses. In this study, we analyze this type of cooperation. Typically cooperation leads to an increased total return, but cooperation is only plausible when this total return can be distributed in a stable way. This makes cooperation a delicate matter. Using cooperative game theory, we derive theoretical sufficient conditions under which cooperation is plausible (i.e., the core is non-empty) and we show that the doses of vaccine can be traded for a market price in those cases. We perform numerical analyses to generalize these findings and we derive analytical expressions for market prices that can be used in general for distributing the total return. Our results demonstrate that cooperation is most likely to be plausible in case of severe shortages and in case of sufficient supply, with possible mismatches between supply and demand. In those cases, trading doses of vaccine for a market price often results in a core allocation of the total return. We confirm these findings with a case study on the redistribution of influenza vaccines

Komposit Beton-profil Lip Channel Untuk Mencegah Tekuk Lateral-torsional

Lip channels profile usually failed before reaching its maximum loaddue to torsional. To avoid this problem, usually lateral support isprovided to the profile. One of the solution is by filling the profile withconcrete material (composite). The purpose of this research is to knowthe bending strength ratio of lip channels profile to lip channels-concretecomposite. The specimens in this research is lip channelsC85x40x8x0.90, C85x40x8x0.65, C75x40x10x0.75, C75x40x10x0.65and two pieces of composite beams of 85x40x1100 mm with two piecesof composite beams 75x40x1100 mm. Beside the bending strength testas the main test, additional test should be runned by concretecompression test using 12 pieces of 150x150x150 cube and 12 pieces oflip channels. Based on this research, it is found that the bending strengthof the lip channels (P-1) and composite beam (K-1) are 262.06 MPa and366.35 MPa each. The result means that there is 1.40 (39.80%)increasing in bending strength. For P-2 the bending strength is 268.64MPa while K-2 is 453.60 MPa or increased 1.69 (68.85%). For P-3bending strength is 180.90 MPa while K-3 is 364.75 MPa, increased 2.02(101.63%). For P-4 the bending strength is 207.59 MPa while K-4 is430.05 MPa, increased 2.07( 107.16%)

Mammalian Cell-Derived Vesicles for the Isolation of Organelle Specific Transmembrane Proteins to Conduct Single Molecule Studies

Cell-derived vesicles facilitate the isolation of transmembrane proteins in their physiological membrane maintaining their structural and functional integrity. These vesicles can be generated from different cellular organelles producing, housing, or transporting the proteins. Combined with single molecule imaging, isolated organelle specific vesicles can be employed to study the trafficking and assembly of the embedded proteins. Here we present a method for organelle specific single molecule imaging via isolation of ER and plasma membrane vesicles from HEK293T cells by employing OptiPrep gradients and nitrogen cavitation. The isolation was validated through Western blotting, and the isolated vesicles were used to perform single molecule studies of oligomeric receptor assembly