Authentic Learning: A Reflection of Bicycle Adventure

The purpose of this showcase is to demonstrate the importance of holistic, significant, and authentic learning experience. We also intended to provide a framework to assist instructors and parents to carry out enriched, authentic adventure learning.https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2018/1055/thumbnail.jp

Fluorescent protein tagging confirms the presence of ribosomal proteins atDrosophilapolytene chromosomes

\ud \ud Most ribosomal proteins (RPs) are stoichiometrically incorporated into ribosomal subunits and play essential roles in ribosome biogenesis and function. However, a number of RPs appear to have non-ribosomal functions, which involve direct association with pre-mRNA and transcription factors at transcription sites. The consensus is that the RPs found at these sites are off ribosomal subunits, but observation that different RPs are usually found together suggests that ribosomal or ribosomal-like subunits might be present. Notably, it has previously been reported that antibodies against 20 different RPs stain the same Pol II transcription sites in Drosophila polytene chromosomes. Some concerns, however, were raised about the specificity of the antibodies. To investigate further whether RPs are present at transcription sites in Drosophila, we have generated several transgenic flies expressing RPs (RpS2, RpS5a, RpS9, RpS11, RpS13, RpS18, RpL8, RpL11, RpL32, and RpL36) tagged with either green or red fluorescent protein. Imaging of salivary gland cells showed that these proteins are, as expected, abundant in the cytoplasm as well as in the nucleolus. However, these RPs are also apparent in the nucleus in the region occupied by the chromosomes. Indeed, polytene chromosome immunostaining of a representative subset of tagged RPs confirms the association with transcribed loci. Furthermore, characterization of a strain expressing RpL41 functionally tagged at its native genomic locus with YFP, also showed apparent nuclear accumulation and chromosomal association, suggesting that such a nuclear localization pattern might be a shared feature of RPs and is biologically important. We anticipate that the transgenes described here should provide a useful research tool to visualize ribosomal subunits in Drosophila tissues and to study the non-ribosomal functions of RPs.\u

Access and utilisation of maternity care for disabled women who experience domestic abuse:a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Although disabled women are significantly more likely to experience domestic abuse during pregnancy than non-disabled women, very little is known about how maternity care access and utilisation is affected by the co-existence of disability and domestic abuse. This systematic review of the literature explored how domestic abuse impacts upon disabled women’s access to maternity services. METHODS: Eleven articles were identified through a search of six electronic databases and data were analysed to identify: the factors that facilitate or compromise access to care; the consequences of inadequate care for pregnant women’s health and wellbeing; and the effectiveness of existing strategies for improvement. RESULTS: Findings indicate that a mental health diagnosis, poor relationships with health professionals and environmental barriers can compromise women’s utilisation of maternity services. Domestic abuse can both compromise, and catalyse, access to services and social support is a positive factor when accessing care. Delayed and inadequate care has adverse effects on women’s physical and psychological health, however further research is required to fully explore the nature and extent of these consequences. Only one study identified strategies currently being used to improve access to services for disabled women experiencing abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Based upon the barriers and facilitators identified within the review, we suggest that future strategies for improvement should focus on: understanding women’s reasons for accessing care; fostering positive relationships; being women-centred; promoting environmental accessibility; and improving the strength of the evidence base

Efficient hydrogen storage in up-scale metal hydride tanks as possible metal hydride compression agents equipped with aluminium extended surfaces

In the current work, a three-dimensional computational study regarding coupled heat and mass transfer during both the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation process in upscale cylindrical metal hydride reactors is presented, analysed and optimized. Three different heat management scenarios were examined at the degree to which they provide improved system performance. The three scenarios were: 1) plain embedded cooling/heating tubes, 2) transverse finned tubes and 3) longitudinal finned tubes. A detailed optimization study was presented leading to the selection of the optimized geometries. In addition, two different types of hydrides, LaNi5 and an AB2-type intermetallic were studied as possible candidate materials for using as the first stage alloys in a two-stage metal hydride hydrogen compression system. As extracted from the above results, it is clear that the case of using a vessel equipped with 16 longitudinal finned tubes is the most efficient way to enhance the hydrogenation kinetics when using both LaNi5 and the AB2-alloy as the hydride agents. When using LaNi5 as the operating hydride the case of the vessel equipped with 60 embedded cooling tubes presents the same kinetic behaviour with the case of the vessel equipped with 12 longitudinal finned tubes, so in that way, by using extended surfaces to enhance the heat exchange can reduce the total number of tubes from 60 to 12. For the case of using the AB2-type material as the operating hydride the performance of the extended surfaces is more dominant and effective compared to the case of using the embedded tubes, especially for the case of the longitudinal extended surfaces

GAIA: a gram-based interaction analysis tool – an approach for identifying interacting domains in yeast

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) play important roles in many biological functions. Protein domains, which are defined as independently folding structural blocks of proteins, physically interact with each other to perform these biological functions. Therefore, the identification of Domain-Domain Interactions (DDIs) is of great biological interests because it is generally accepted that PPIs are mediated by DDIs. As a result, much effort has been put on the prediction of domain pair interactions based on computational methods. Many DDI prediction tools using PPIs network and domain evolution information have been reported. However, tools that combine the primary sequences, domain annotations, and structural annotations of proteins have not been evaluated before.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we report a novel approach called Gram-bAsed Interaction Analysis (GAIA). GAIA extracts peptide segments that are composed of fixed length of continuous amino acids, called n-grams (where n is the number of amino acids), from the annotated domain and DDI data set in <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae </it>(budding yeast) and identifies a list of n-grams that may contribute to DDIs and PPIs based on the frequencies of their appearance. GAIA also reports the coordinate position of gram pairs on each interacting domain pair. We demonstrate that our approach improves on other DDI prediction approaches when tested against a gold-standard data set and achieves a true positive rate of 82% and a false positive rate of 21%. We also identify a list of 4-gram pairs that are significantly over-represented in the DDI data set and may mediate PPIs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>GAIA represents a novel and reliable way to predict DDIs that mediate PPIs. Our results, which show the localizations of interacting grams/hotspots, provide testable hypotheses for experimental validation. Complemented with other prediction methods, this study will allow us to elucidate the interactome of cells.</p

Depression during pregnancy: views on antidepressant use and information sources of general practitioners and pharmacists

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of antidepressants during pregnancy has increased in recent years. In the Netherlands, almost 2% of all pregnant women are exposed to antidepressants. Although guidelines have been developed on considerations that should be taken into account, prescribing antidepressants during pregnancy is still a subject of debate. Physicians and pharmacists may have opposing views on using medication during pregnancy and may give contradictory advice on whether or not to take medication for depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy. In this study, we investigated information sources used by general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists and their common practices.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire on the use of information sources and the general approach when managing depression during pregnancy was sent out to 1400 health care professionals to assess information sources on drug safety during pregnancy and also the factors that influence decision-making. The questionnaires consisted predominantly of closed multiple-choice questions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 130 GPs (19%) and 144 pharmacists (21%) responded. The most popular source of information on the safety of drug use during pregnancy is the Dutch National Health Insurance System Formulary, while a minority of respondents contacts the Dutch national Teratology Information Service (TIS). The majority of GPs contact the pharmacy with questions concerning drug use during pregnancy. There is no clear line with regard to treatment or consensus between GPs on the best therapeutic strategy, nor do practitioners agree upon the drug of first choice. GPs have different views on stopping or continuing antidepressants during pregnancy or applying alternative treatment options. The debate appears to be ongoing as to whether or not specialised care for mother and child is indicated in cases of gestational antidepressant use.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Primary health care workers are not univocal concerning therapy for pregnant women with depression. Although more research is needed to account for all safety issues, local or national policies are indispensable in order to avoid undesirable practices, such as giving contradictory advice. GPs and pharmacists should address the subject during their regular pharmacotherapeutic consensus meetings, preferably in collaboration with the TIS or other professionals in the field.</p

Heterogeneity and chimerism of endothelial cells revealed by single-cell transcriptome in orthotopic liver tumors.

The liver is a common host organ for cancer, either through lesions that arise in liver epithelial cells [e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)] or as a site of metastasis by tumors arising in other organs (e.g., colorectal cancer). However, the changes that occur in liver stromal cells in response to cancer have not been fully characterized, nor has it been determined whether the different sources of liver cancer induce distinct stromal changes. Here, we performed single-cell profiling of liver stromal cells from mouse models of induced spontaneous liver cancer or implanted colorectal liver metastases, with a focus on tumor endothelial cells (ECs). While ECs in liver tissue adjacent to cancerous lesions (so-called adjacent normal) corresponded to liver zonation phenotypes, their transcriptomes were also clearly altered by the presence of a tumor. In comparison, tumor EC transcriptomes show stronger similarities to venous than sinusoidal ECs. Further, tumor ECs, independent of tumor origin, formed distinct clusters displaying conserved "tip-like" or "stalk-like" characteristics, similar to ECs from subcutaneous tumors. However, they also carried liver-specific signatures found in normal liver ECs, suggesting an influence of the host organ on tumor ECs. Our results document gene expression signatures in ECs in liver cancer and show that the host organ, and not the site of tumor origin (liver versus colorectal), is a primary determinant of EC phenotype. In addition, primarily in tumors, we further defined a cluster of chimeric cells that expressed both myeloid and endothelial cell markers and might play a role in tumor angiogenesis

Predictors of well child care adherence over time in a cohort of urban Medicaid-eligible infants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Changes in well child care (WCC) adherence over time have not previously been examined. Our objective is to describe adherence rates to WCC over time in a low-income urban population of infants 0-24 months of age, and to identify predictors of WCC adherence in this population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a secondary analysis of a cohort of Medicaid-eligible children followed from birth to 2 years between 2005 and 2008 with structured telephone surveys to assess maternal well-being, social support, and household and demographic information. For the 260 children attending 4 urban pediatric practices, WCC adherence was assessed based on visit data abstracted from electronic medical records. A random-intercept mixed effects logit model clustered on subject was used.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>92% of the mothers were African-American, 27% had not finished high school, 87% were single, and 43% earned < $500/month; mean age was 23. WCC adherence decreased from 88% at 6 months to 47% (12 mo), 44% (18 mo), and 67% (24 mo). The difference across time periods was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Married (OR 1.71, p = 0.02) and primiparous (OR 1.89, p < 0.001) mothers had significantly greater odds of adherence, along with women who reported having been adherent to prenatal care visits (OR 1.49, p = 0.03) and those with the lowest household income (OR 1.40, p = 0.03).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Maternal education efforts should emphasize the importance of establishing WCC, especially for mothers of more than one child. Further studies using larger, more broadly defined populations are needed to confirm our findings that efforts to increase WCC adherence should be intensified after 6 months of age, particularly for children at higher risk.</p