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Epigenetic clock and methylation studies in elephants
No full textAge-associated DNA-methylation profiles have been used successfully to develop highly accurate biomarkers of age ( epigenetic clocks ) in humans, mice, dogs, and other species. Here we present epigenetic clocks for African and Asian elephants. These clocks were developed using novel DNA methylation profiles of 140 elephant blood samples of known age, at loci that are highly conserved between mammalian species, using a custom Infinium array (HorvathMammalMethylChip40). We present epigenetic clocks for Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), African elephants (Loxodonta africana), and both elephant species combined. Two additional human-elephant clocks were constructed by combining human and elephant samples. Epigenome-wide association studies identified elephant age-related CpGs and their proximal genes. The products of these genes play important roles in cellular differentiation, organismal development, metabolism, and circadian rhythms. Intracellular events observed to change with age included the methylation of bivalent chromatin domains, and targets of polycomb repressive complexes. These readily available epigenetic clocks can be used for elephant conservation efforts where accurate estimates of age are needed to predict demographic trends
Time to Throw Away the Old Economic Development Playbook
No full textRural communities are struggling to establish a sound economic footing in the age of globalization. The article suggests that community leaders consider a more expansive view on how to recraft a community north star. Based on the work that the author has conducted over the last 5 years in various rural communities in Missouri, the article also summarizes a set of key learnings and practical steps that local leaders can take to catalyze positive change
Ligands Anchoring Stabilizes Metal Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals
No full textInstability of colloidal iodine-based inorganic perovskite CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals (IPNCs) represents a major obstacle in lead-halide IPNC research and application. Herein, a ligand-anchoring process is reported that enables significantly improved colloidal stability of the iodine-based IPNCs for over 10 months in ambient. Apart from the previous efforts in searching for strong binding ligands to cap the IPNCs to incrementally reduce the exposure of the IPNC surface to the harsh colloidal environment, the ligand-anchoring method demonstrates that such an exposure can be reduced substantially by suppressing the dynamic ligand exchange around the colloidal IPNCs. In the IPNC synthesis solution with common oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OLA) ligands with relative weak binding to IPNCs, a systematic reduction of the ligand concentration using hexane by an order of magnitude has shown to be effective in achieving OA/OLA ligand-anchored iodine-based IPNCs with superior stability as confirmed in optical absorption, photoluminescence, 1H solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and photoresponse. This result has revealed that the intermittent exposure of the IPNC surface during the dynamic ligand exchange is a primary mechanism underlying the colloidal IPNC instability, which can be resolved in the ligand-anchoring process by suppressing such dynamic activities
Psychological assessment of individuals with Mal de Débarquement Syndrome
No full textObjective: To report on the psychological, personality, and behavioral profiles of individuals with persistent Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS).
Materials and methods: Individuals with MdDS who participated in neuromodulation clinical trials between May 2013 and June 2019 completed a series of standardized psychological questionnaires and underwent the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID) for specific psychiatric diagnoses. All data reported are from baseline assessments prior to any study interventions. Scores were compared to population norms for adult women.
Results: Complete datasets were available for 55 women. Mean age of onset of MdDS was 49.0 ± 11.9 years (range 22–69 years) and median duration of illness of 22 months (6 months–20 years). SCID results were as follows: healthy (48.1%), any lifetime Major Depressive Disorder (35.2%, 7.4% current); any lifetime history of anxiety disorder (11.1%); any lifetime substance use disorders (18.5%, 0% current). Compared to population norms, the MdDS group scored significantly higher on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) anxiety scale, but only the GAD-7 correlated with symptom severity. The NEO-Five Factor Inventory for personality, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System Scale, and the Empathy Quotient metrics did not correlate with duration of illness. Disability assessed by the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 was 25.7 ± 6.7, comparable to reports for concussion. Disability correlated with severity of depression, anxiety, neuroticism, and affect but not to severity of MdDS.
Conclusions: Psychological profiles of MdDS relate to disability but not to duration of illness
Impact of Storage Conditions on Equine Fecal Inoculum for Estimating In Vitro Digestibility
No full textThis study evaluated the effect of storage conditions of equine fecal material on the viability of microbial inoculum used for in vitro equine digestibility trials. Pooled fecal material from three mature Quarter Horse geldings was stored at 39 °C anaerobically for 15 min (control), while aerobic samples were stored at 22 °C for 6 h (SC1), 3 °C for 6 h (SC2), and -18 °C for 24 h (SC3). Following storage, the feces were utilized to prepare microbial inoculum for the digestion of six different forages using the Daisy II Incubator. After incubation, DM, NDF, and ADF compositions were determined and used to calculate DMD, NDFD, and ADFD. Analysis using the OLS regression model for differences in DMD, NDFD, and ADFD across the storage conditions found significant interactions between the forage sample and the storage condition ( \u3c 0.05). The results between the control and SC1, SC2, and SC3 were not different ( \u3c 0.8). Fecal material stored aerobically for six hours at 22 °C provided similar digestibility estimates compared to the control, while DMD decreased by 3.86% in SC2 and by 4.08% in SC3
Is a Decentralized Police Organization a Better Option in a Modern Democratic Society? A Case Study From South Korea
No full textWhile western countries have had a decentralized policing model for many years, some countries, such as South Korea, still employ a centralized, national police department. Responding to calls for reform, South Korea launched a pilot program and implemented a more decentralized policing structure in Jeju Island in 2006. This study adds to the policing literature by offering the empirical comparison of a region before and after decentralization of a police department. This study will examine the intervention effects of police decentralization in Jeju, specifically related to crime rates, crime clearance rates, victimization, trust in police, and fear of crime. Using propensity score matching and interrupted time series analysis, this study found that the decentralized policing intervention significantly reduced total crime, violent crime rates, and property crime rates that lasted throughout the intervention period, while improving crime clearance rates for violent crime, as well as reduced fear of crime among residents
Finite Groups in Which the Number of Cyclic Subgroups is 3/4 the Order of the Group
No full textLet be a finite group, c(G) denotes the number of cyclic subgroups of G and α(G) = c(G)/|G|. In this thesis we go over some basic properties of alpha, calculate alpha for some families of groups, with an emphasis on groups with α(G) = 3/4, as all groups with α(G) \u3e 3/4 have been classified by Garonzi and Lima (2018). We find all Dihedral group with this property, show all groups with α(G) = 3/4 have at least |G|/2-1 involutions, and discuss existing work by Wall (1970) and Miller (1919) classifying all such groups
Body Image Among High School and College Female Athletes
No full textThis study examined body image among female high school athletes and college athletes across different sports. Athletes participating in track and field, tennis, cross country, dance, cheer, softball, golf, basketball, soccer, and volleyball completed self-report questionnaires assessing various components of body image including the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearances Questionnaire (SATAQ-4), and an edited version of the CHEER Survey. Responses on the questionnaires were analyzed to evaluate differences between high school and college athletes. No differences were found between high school and college athletes on measures of shape/weight concerns, sociocultural pressures for thinness, or internalization of the thin ideal. However, college female athletes reported that they experience more weight-related pressures from their sport
Development of a Laser-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Technique to Grow Carbon-Based Materials
No full textCarbon-based materials (CBMs) including graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNT), highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), and pyrolytic carbon (PyC) have gained so much attention in research in recent years because of their unique electronic, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties. CBMs are relatively very stable and have minimal environmental footprint. Various techniques such as mechanical exfoliation, pulsed laser deposition, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have been used to grow CBMs and among them thermal CVD is the most common. This study aims to explore ways of reducing the energy requirement to produce CBMs, and for that, a novel pulsed laser-assisted CVD technique had been developed in our laboratory. The growth pattern was monitored by altering various growth parameters like gas flow rate, temperature, laser energy, and deposition time. CBMs were grown both on Si and Cu substrates, and better quality CBM films were found on Cu as it acts as a catalytic agent for two-dimensional growth. Raman spectroscopy confirms the presence of high quality PyC which was grown with optimum parameters (temperature of 750oC, CH4 gas flow rate of 20sccm, a laser frequency of 10Hz, energy density of 0.116J/cm2 per pulse). It is found that the local pulsed-laser bombardment helps in breaking the carbon-hydrogen bonds of CH4 at much lower temperature than its thermal decomposition temperature (1000oC-1200oC). With the further increase of temperature there was no significant change in the 2D peak intensity in Raman spectrum which is the indicator of the number of graphene layer. The intertwined graphene flakes of the PyC cause some surface roughness which is responsible for quenching the Raman 2D signal. Further development is needed to achieve a single layer of graphene and other 2D materials using the laser-assisted CVD technique