Improving the Lives of Transgender Older Adults: Recommendations for Policy and Practice

Transgender and gender non-conforming adults face a myriad of challenges as they age. While very limited, the existing research on transgender people paints a picture of many people aging in isolation and without a network of knowledgeable or welcoming providers in the aging, health and social services arenas. Further, transgender elders often experience extreme disparities in access to health care and low rates of health insurance coverage due in large part to systemic discrimination from providers and insurance companies, as well as economic instability resulting from discrimination in employment and housing, among other areas. An overarching challenge for policymakersand practitioners isthe dearth in research examining the challenges facing this population--and the types of policies and programmatic interventions that would improve their lives. While the need for better data and more research on lesbian, gay and bisexual communities has gained support over the last few years, gender identity remains largely absent from the scope of social research and analysis. Moreover, few studies have addressed the specific challenges facing transgender elders. Research focused on transgender people of color is even more limited, despite some studies suggesting that they experience high levels of violence and discrimination

His and Her Brains? Effectively Educating Our Boys: A Meta-Synthesis

The statistical data from the U.S. Department of Education shows a decline in the performance and graduation rates for boys since 1967. By contrast, performance and graduation rates for girls has steadily increased and actually passed the boys in 1981. As reading scores for boys with disabilities continues to be among the lowest in the nation, girls are becoming more competitive in math, science, and AP courses. As this trend has continued in these opposing directions for some time, it has come to the attention of administrators, educators, and even reporters when more schools fail to make adequate yearly progress towards student performance measurements. This meta-synthesis of the literature on the academic achievement of boys as compared to girls examines the effectiveness of brain-based instruction and what impact it has on those outcomes

MAX3/CCD7 Is a Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase Required for the Synthesis of a Novel Plant Signaling Molecule

AbstractBackground: Plant development is exquisitely environmentally sensitive, with plant hormones acting as long-range signals that integrate developmental, genetic, and environmental inputs to regulate development. A good example of this is in the control of shoot branching, where wide variation in plant form can be generated in a single genotype in response to environmental and developmental cues.Results: Here we present evidence for a novel plant signaling molecule involved in the regulation of shoot branching. We show that the MAX3 gene of Arabidopsis is required for the production of a graft-transmissible, highly active branch inhibitor that is distinct from any of the previously characterized branch-inhibiting hormones. Consistent with its proposed function in the synthesis of a novel signaling molecule, we show that MAX3 encodes a plastidic dioxygenase that can cleave multiple carotenoids.Conclusions: We conclude that MAX3 is required for the synthesis of a novel carotenoid-derived long-range signal that regulates shoot branching

“I was pushed out of school”: Social and Emotional Approaches to a Youth Promotion Program

In this study, we analyze the effects of Project GRIT (Generating Resiliency and Inspiring Transformation), a six-week intervention program that worked with a group of high school pushouts, students who were encouraged to leave school, in a school district in southern California. We interviewed thirty-nine former high school students who “dropped out,” or were pushed out of school, 61.5% males (n=24) and 38.5% females (n=15). The mean age is 18.1 years and the sample consists of 27 Latino and 12 African American/Black youth. Findings indicate that an increase in healthy relationships with peers generates beneficial social and emotional skills, including increased communication, team-oriented thinking, projected self-actualization, trust, and development of self. We argue that storytelling is central to engaging and promoting at-promise students in the education system, providing them opportunities to overcome adversity, excel in academics, and expand their ability to build healthy relationships with others in their community

Selective inhibition of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases : phenotypic effects on shoot branching

Members of the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase family catalyse the oxidative cleavage of carotenoids at various chain positions, leading to the formation of a wide range of apocarotenoid signalling molecules. To explore the functions of this diverse enzyme family, we have used a chemical genetic approach to design selective inhibitors for different classes of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase. A set of 18 arylalkyl-hydroxamic acids was synthesised in which the distance between an iron-chelating hydroxamic acid and an aromatic ring was varied; these compounds were screened as inhibitors of four different enzyme classes, either in vitro or in vivo. Potent inhibitors were found that selectively inhibited enzymes that cleave carotenoids at the 9,10 position; 50% inhibition was achieved at sub-micromolar concentrations. Application of certain inhibitors at 100 microM to Arabidopsis node explants or whole plants led to increased shoot branching, consistent with inhibition of 9,10-cleavage

Cloning and functional characterization of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4 genes

Although a number of plant carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) genes have been functionally characterized in different plant species, little is known about the biochemical role and enzymatic activities of members of the subclass 4 (CCD4). To gain insight into their biological function, CCD4 genes were isolated from apple (Malus×domestica, MdCCD4), chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum×morifolium, CmCCD4a), rose (Rosa×damascena, RdCCD4), and osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans, OfCCD4), and were expressed, together with AtCCD4, in Escherichia coli. In vivo assays showed that CmCCD4a and MdCCD4 cleaved β-carotene well to yield β-ionone, while OfCCD4, RdCCD4, and AtCCD4 were almost inactive towards this substrate. No cleavage products were found for any of the five CCD4 genes when they were co-expressed in E. coli strains that accumulated cis-ζ-carotene and lycopene. In vitro assays, however, demonstrated the breakdown of 8′-apo-β-caroten-8′-al by AtCCD4 and RdCCD4 to β-ionone, while this apocarotenal was almost not degraded by OfCCD4, CmCCD4a, and MdCCD4. Sequence analysis of genomic clones of CCD4 genes revealed that RdCCD4, like AtCCD4, contains no intron, while MdCCD, OfCCD4, and CmCCD4a contain introns. These results indicate that plants produce at least two different forms of CCD4 proteins. Although CCD4 enzymes cleave their substrates at the same position (9,10 and 9′,10′), they might have different biochemical functions as they accept different (apo)-carotenoid substrates, show various expression patterns, and are genomically differently organized

Identification and expression pattern of a new carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase gene member from Bixa orellana

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) are a class of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of a broad diversity of secondary metabolites known as apocarotenoids. In plants, CCDs are part of a genetic family with members which cleave specific double bonds of carotenoid molecules. CCDs are involved in the production of diverse and important metabolites such as vitamin A and abscisic acid (ABA). Bixa orellana L. is the main source of the natural pigment annatto or bixin, an apocarotenoid accumulated in large quantities in its seeds. Bixin biosynthesis has been studied and the involvement of a CCD has been confirmed in vitro. However, the CCD genes involved in the biosynthesis of the wide variety of apocarotenoids found in this plant have not been well documented. In this study, a new CCD1 gene member (BoCCD1) was identified and its expression was charaterized in different plant tissues of B. orellana plantlets and adult plants. The BoCCD1 sequence showed high homology with plant CCD1s involved mainly in the cleavage of carotenoids in several sites to generate multiple apocarotenoid products. Here, the expression profiles of the BoCCD1 gene were analysed and discussed in relation to total carotenoids and other important apocarotenoids such as bixin

Does abscisic acid affect strigolactone biosynthesis?

Strigolactones are considered a novel class of plant hormones that, in addition to their endogenous signalling function, are exuded into the rhizosphere acting as a signal to stimulate hyphal branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and germination of root parasitic plant seeds. Considering the importance of the strigolactones and their biosynthetic origin (from carotenoids), we investigated the relationship with the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Strigolactone production and ABA content in the presence of specific inhibitors of oxidative carotenoid cleavage enzymes and in several tomato ABA-deficient mutants were analysed by LC-MS/MS. In addition, the expression of two genes involved in strigolactone biosynthesis was studied. * • The carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) inhibitor D2 reduced strigolactone but not ABA content of roots. However, in abamineSG-treated plants, an inhibitor of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED), and the ABA mutants notabilis, sitiens and flacca, ABA and strigolactones were greatly reduced. The reduction in strigolactone production correlated with the downregulation of LeCCD7 and LeCCD8 genes in all three mutants. * • The results show a correlation between ABA levels and strigolactone production, and suggest a role for ABA in the regulation of strigolactone biosynthesis

Progress in Understanding and Treating SCN2A-Mediated Disorders

Advances in gene discovery for neurodevelopmental disorders have identified SCN2A dysfunction as a leading cause of infantile seizures, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability. SCN2A encodes the neuronal sodium channel NaV1.2. Functional assays demonstrate strong correlation between genotype and phenotype. This insight can help guide therapeutic decisions and raises the possibility that ligands that selectively enhance or diminish channel function may improve symptoms. The well-defined function of sodium channels makes SCN2A an important test case for investigating the neurobiology of neurodevelopmental disorders more generally. Here, we discuss the progress made, through the concerted efforts of a diverse group of academic and industry scientists as well as policy advocates, in understanding and treating SCN2A-related disorders

Flavour compounds in tomato fruits: identification of loci and potential pathways affecting volatile composition

The unique flavour of a tomato fruit is the sum of a complex interaction among sugars, acids, and a large set of volatile compounds. While it is generally acknowledged that the flavour of commercially produced tomatoes is inferior, the biochemical and genetic complexity of the trait has made breeding for improved flavour extremely difficult. The volatiles, in particular, present a major challenge for flavour improvement, being generated from a diverse set of lipid, amino acid, and carotenoid precursors. Very few genes controlling their biosynthesis have been identified. New quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that affect the volatile emissions of red-ripe fruits are described here. A population of introgression lines derived from a cross between the cultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum and its wild relative, S. habrochaites, was characterized over multiple seasons and locations. A total of 30 QTLs affecting the emission of one or more volatiles were mapped. The data from this mapping project, combined with previously collected data on an IL population derived from a cross between S. lycopersicum and S. pennellii populations, were used to construct a correlational database. A metabolite tree derived from these data provides new insights into the pathways for the synthesis of several of these volatiles. One QTL is a novel locus affecting fruit carotenoid content on chromosome 2. Volatile emissions from this and other lines indicate that the linear and cyclic apocarotenoid volatiles are probably derived from separate carotenoid pools