INDIVIDUALS’ PERCEPTIONS OF DISORDERED EATING PATHOLOGY: DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE INVENTORY FOR DISORDERED EATING ATTRIBUTIONS (IDEA)

Eating pathology may be triggered by a number of biological, environmental, personal, and social experiences. Research in the field of disordered eating has uncovered numerous intrinsic and extrinsic vulnerabilities to developing abnormal eating behavior, and these etiologies often impact the onset, severity, type, and prognosis of disordered eating behavior in varying ways. Further, a limited number of measures have been created to examine individualsÆ beliefs about why they are experiencing various mental health conditions (e.g. reasons for depression, developing substance dependence, etc.), which has implications for tailoring assessment and intervention. However, there is currently no such measure for individuals experiencing disordered eating. Objective: To develop and test the Inventory for Disordered Eating Attributions (IDEA) in order to assess the reasons individuals provide for their disordered eating behaviors and/or cognitions while offering pertinent data to their mental health provider(s) regarding case conceptualization, diagnosis, and treatment. Method: Questionnaire items were generated and vetted through a panel of experts in the fields of eating pathology and illness attribution. Next, proofed items were administered to a large undergraduate university sample (n = 424) along with a second eating measure and a demographic questionnaire in order to evaluate internal consistency, convergent validity, test-retest reliability, and to identify domains of attribution through principal components analysis. Results: Principal components analysis revealed a four-factor solution for the 20-item IDEA. The IDEA revealed strong psychometric properties, including a Global Score CronbachÆs Alpha of .90. Conclusions: The IDEA is a brief self-report measure with clinical utility across behavioral health disciplines and providers. Future research should explore how elevations on IDEA subscales correlate with treatment outcomes under various therapeutic modalities

Forgotten Science of Bird Eggs: The Life Cycle of Oology at the Smithsonian Institution

This thesis analyzes the influence the Smithsonian Institution had over the development of oology as a science from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. The Smithsonian promoted oology, or the study of bird eggs, through publications and collections of eggs in the mid-19th century, and the science enjoyed a brief period of proliferation and approval. In the end, however, the popularity of egg collecting as a hobby, in-fighting between oologists and ornithologists over the validity of oology as a science, and bird conservation groups opposed to collecting eggs, all conspired to halt oology’s professionalization, and ultimately led to the downfall of the science, which is no longer practiced today. Museums still house these collections, and their history matters, particularly when the specimens are used to help make scientific discoveries that drive policy, as was the case with the 1972 ban of DDT. The thesis speaks to broader conversations in the history of science and public history about why scientific collections and their histories matter today

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND EATING PATHOLOGY

Past research has demonstrated that a correlation exists between trauma exposure and eating disorder pathology. Specifically, sexual abuse has been implicated in the development of eating disorders, with particular attention focused on bulimia nervosa. However, the relationship between other types of trauma exposure and eating pathology has yet to be delineated, particularly how different types of trauma exposure may be related to disordered eating behaviors. The current study explored this relationship. Results showed while some experiences of trauma history predicted a proportion of the variance associated with disordered eating behaviors, others showed a positive but not significant correlation. Clinical implications, especially those related to standardized trauma assessment and disordered eating behaviors, will be discussed

Antibacterial Activities of Wasabi against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus are two of the major pathogens frequently involved in foodborne outbreaks. Control of these pathogens in foods is essential to food safety. It is of great interest in the use of natural antimicrobial compounds present in edible plants to control foodborne pathogens as consumers prefer more natural green foods. Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is an antimicrobial compound naturally present in wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and several other edible plants. Although the antibacterial effects of pure AITC and wasabi extract (essential oil) against several bacteria have been reported, the antibacterial property of natural wasabi has not been well studied. This study investigated the antibacterial activities of wasabi as well as AITC against E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus. Chemical analysis showed that AITC is the major isothiocyanate in wasabi. The AITC concentration in the wasabi powder used in this study was 5.91±0.59 mg/g. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of wasabi against E. coli O157:H7 or S. aureus was 1% (or 10 mg/ml). Wasabi at 4% displayed higher bactericidal activity against S. aureus than against E. coli O157:H7. The MIC of AITC against either pathogen was between 10 and 100 µg/ml. AITC at 500 µg/ml was bactericidal against both pathogens while AITC at 1000 µg/ml eliminated E. coli O157:H7 much faster than S. aureus. The results from this study showed that wasabi has strong antibacterial property and has high potential to effectively control E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus in foods. The antibacterial property along with its natural green color, unique flavor, and advantage to safeguard foods at the point of ingestion makes wasabi a promising natural edible antibacterial plant. The results from this study may be of significant interest to the food industry as they develop new and safe foods. These results may also stimulate more research to evaluate the antibacterial effect of wasabi against other foodborne pathogens and to explore other edible plants for their antimicrobial properties. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the antibacterial activity of wasabi in its natural form of consumption against E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus

Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come” Digital Exhibition Catalog

This open access digital exhibition catalog is part of the Kansas State University (K-State) Gordon Parks Project, initiated by the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and K-State English. It presents new research about Parks’s activities in Kansas based on materials found in participating Kansas institutions, including 128 curated photographs donated by Gordon Parks to K-State. The contributions in this volume illuminate Parks’s relationship to his home state of Kansas as a source of reference and inspiration. They debunk the myth that Kansas was merely the place where Gordon Parks was born before moving on to greatness elsewhere. This book provides a series of intimate biographical snapshots of pivotal periods in the life of Gordon Parks. These short essays taken in their entirety, provide a dazzling and selected biography on the life of one of the most important photographers who lived and worked in the 20th and 21st century. These essays written by a range of writers and curators are engaging and are arranged thematically over the span of fifty years. The format of the book offers a new and unique method of connecting art, photography, film and biography. In reading this, the reader begins to imagine the life of a photographer who envisioned justice and attempted to realize it through his photographs and storytelling through his personal experiences. The power of his personal story is integrated with the personal, cultural, and politics of a time when he lived and worked in the field of photography addressing the challenges and triumphs of black people in America. This is a book that adds wonderfully to Gordon Parks life as it introduces new questions, specifically about sexual abuse in the Learning Tree and the “underdiscussed” activities of Parks life. --Deborah Willis, Ph.D. University Professor Chair, Department of Photography & Imaging New York University - Tisch School of the Arts Director, Center for Black Visual Culturehttps://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/1045/thumbnail.jp

mTOR Complex 2 Is Required for the Development of Prostate Cancer Induced by Pten Loss in Mice

mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) contains the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase and the Rictor regulatory protein and phosphorylates Akt. Whether this function of mTORC2 is critical for cancer progression is unknown. Here, we show that transformed human prostate epithelial cells lacking PTEN require mTORC2 to form tumors when injected into nude mice. Furthermore, we find that Rictor is a haploinsufficient gene and that deleting one copy protects Pten heterozygous mice from prostate cancer. Finally, we show that the development of prostate cancer caused by Pten deletion specifically in prostate epithelium requires mTORC2, but that for normal prostate epithelial cells, mTORC2 activity is nonessential. The selective requirement for mTORC2 in tumor development suggests that mTORC2 inhibitors may be of substantial clinical utility.W. M. Keck FoundationDamon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (Research Fellowship)Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America (Career Development Award)Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Investigator)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (K99 CA1296613-01A1)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01 CA107166)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01 AI04389)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01 CA103866

Work-Based Antipoverty Programs for Parents Can Enhance the School Performance and Social Behavior of Children

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65246/1/1467-8624.00281.pd

Defective Presynaptic Choline Transport Underlies Hereditary Motor Neuropathy

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a specialized synapse with a complex molecular architecture that provides for reliable transmission between the nerve terminal and muscle fiber. Using linkage analysis and whole-exome sequencing of DNA samples from subjects with distal hereditary motor neuropathy type VII, we identified a mutation in SLC5A7, which encodes the presynaptic choline transporter (CHT), a critical determinant of synaptic acetylcholine synthesis and release at the NMJ. This dominantly segregating SLC5A7 mutation truncates the encoded product just beyond the final transmembrane domain, eliminating cytosolic-C-terminus sequences known to regulate surface transporter trafficking. Choline-transport assays in both transfected cells and monocytes from affected individuals revealed significant reductions in hemicholinium-3-sensitive choline uptake, a finding consistent with a dominant-negative mode of action. The discovery of CHT dysfunction underlying motor neuropathy identifies a biological basis for this group of conditions and widens the spectrum of disorders that derive from impaired NMJ transmission. Our findings compel consideration of mutations in SLC5A7 or its functional partners in relation to unexplained motor neuronopathies