789 research outputs found
The membrane-active amphibian peptide caerin 1.8 inhibits fibril formation of amyloid beta1-42
No full textAbstract not available.Yanqin Liu, Tianfang Wang, Antonio N. Calabrese, John A. Carver, Scott F. Cummins, John H. Bowi
Does the local food environment around schools affect diet? Longitudinal associations in adolescents attending secondary schools in East London.
No full textBACKGROUND: The local retail food environment around schools may act as a potential risk factor for adolescent diet. However, international research utilising cross-sectional designs to investigate associations between retail food outlet proximity to schools and diet provides equivocal support for an effect. In this study we employ longitudinal perspectives in order to answer the following two questions. First, how has the local retail food environment around secondary schools changed over time and second, is this change associated with change in diet of students at these schools? METHODS: The locations of retail food outlets and schools in 2001 and 2005 were geo-coded in three London boroughs. Network analysis in a Geographic Information System (GIS) ascertained the number, minimum and median distances to food outlets within 400 m and 800 m of the school location. Outcome measures were 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' diet scores derived from adolescent self-reported data in the Research with East London Adolescents: Community Health Survey (RELACHS). Adjusted associations between distance from school to food retail outlets, counts of outlets near schools and diet scores were assessed using longitudinal (2001-2005 n=757) approaches. RESULTS: Between 2001 and 2005 the number of takeaways and grocers/convenience stores within 400 m of schools increased, with many more grocers reported within 800 m of schools in 2005 (p< 0.001). Longitudinal analyses showed a decrease of the mean healthy (-1.12, se 0.12) and unhealthy (-0.48, se 0.16) diet scores. There were significant positive relationships between the distances travelled to grocers and healthy diet scores though effects were very small (0.003, 95%CI 0.001 - 0.006). Significant negative relationships between proximity to takeaways and unhealthy diet scores also resulted in small parameter estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide some evidence that the local food environment around secondary schools may influence adolescent diet, though effects were small. Further research on adolescents' food purchasing habits with larger samples in varied geographic regions is required to identify robust relationships between proximity and diet, as small numbers, because of confounding, may dilute effect food environment effects. Data on individual foods purchased in all shop formats may clarify the frequent, overly simple classification of grocers as 'healthy'
Candidate chemoreceptor subfamilies differentially expressed in the chemosensory organs of the mollusc <it>Aplysia</it>
No full textAbstract Background Marine molluscs, as is the case with most aquatic animals, rely heavily on olfactory cues for survival. In the mollusc Aplysia californica, mate-attraction is mediated by a blend of water-borne protein pheromones that are detected by sensory structures called rhinophores. The expression of G protein and phospholipase C signaling molecules in this organ is consistent with chemosensory detection being via a G-protein-coupled signaling mechanism. Results Here we show that novel multi-transmembrane proteins with similarity to rhodopsin G-protein coupled receptors are expressed in sensory epithelia microdissected from the Aplysia rhinophore. Analysis of the A. californica genome reveals that these are part of larger multigene families that possess features found in metazoan chemosensory receptor families (that is, these families chiefly consist of single exon genes that are clustered in the genome). Phylogenetic analyses show that the novel Aplysia G-protein coupled receptor-like proteins represent three distinct monophyletic subfamilies. Representatives of each subfamily are restricted to or differentially expressed in the rhinophore and oral tentacles, suggesting that they encode functional chemoreceptors and that these olfactory organs sense different chemicals. Those expressed in rhinophores may sense water-borne pheromones. Secondary signaling component proteins Gαq, Gαi, and Gαo are also expressed in the rhinophore sensory epithelium. Conclusion The novel rhodopsin G-protein coupled receptor-like gene subfamilies identified here do not have closely related identifiable orthologs in other metazoans, suggesting that they arose by a lineage-specific expansion as has been observed in chemosensory receptor families in other bilaterians. These candidate chemosensory receptors are expressed and often restricted to rhinophores and oral tentacles, lending support to the notion that water-borne chemical detection in Aplysia involves species- or lineage-specific families of chemosensory receptors.</p
Caribbean museums and national identity / edited by Alissandra Cummins, Kevin Farmer, and Roslyn Russell.
No full textHaitian anthropologist Michel-Rolph Trouillot, in his discussion on how the current global Westernized hegemony treats specific historical events, events chosen for their relevance to the text of Western dominance, has addressed absences (or silences as 'inherent in the creation of sources, the first moment of historical production' (Trouillot, 1995, p. 51). People and places that are designated 'Third World' often find their history has (or has been)
'disappeared'. He references complex historiographical occurrences of this process of historical production, whereby black and poor societies were not just physically ostracized, but in a sense mentally too as they basically
'disappeared' from the historical text. He states: 'History reveals itself only through the production of specific narratives. What matters most are the process and conditions of such narratives .
... Only through that overlap can we
discover the differential exercise of power that makes some narratives possible and silences others.Common GroundTable of content–Acknowledgements ix–Foreword ix –List of Illustrations xiv–
Introduction 1 –Chapter 1: Natural History = National History: Early Origins and
Organizing Principles of Museums in the English-speaking
Caribbean , Alissandra Cummins 11 –
Chapter 2: Haiti, Museums and Public Collections: Their History and Development after 1804
, Marie-Lucie Vendryes 47 –
Chapter 3: The History and Evolution of Cuban Museums
José Linares 57 – Chapter 4: The Natural History Collections of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mike G. Rutherford 69 – Chapter 5: The National Gallery of Jamaica: A Critical History ,Veerle Poupeye 83 –Chapter 6: The Creation of the National Museum of Bermuda,
1974-2011,Edward Cecil Harris 109 –,Chapter 7: Recapturing History: Suriname Museum in Fort Zeelandia.,Hilde Neus 123 – Chapter 8: Museography and Places of Remembrance of Slavery in Martinique or the Gaps in a Memory Difficult to Express , Christine Chivallon137
– Chapter 9: New Perspectives in Heritage Presentations in Suriname and Curaçao: From Dutch Colonial Museums to Diversifying Representations of Enslavement
, Valika Smeulders 153 – Chapter 10: New Museums on the Block Creation of Identity in the Post-Independence Caribbean, Kevin Farmer 160 – Chapter 11: Framing Identity, Encouraging Diversity: Recent Museum Developments in Barbados, Roslyn Russell –Chapter 12: The Memorial Museum of the Dominican Resistance:Its Composition and Role in Society,
Luisa De Peña Diaz 195 –Chapter 13: Children Get Your Culture: Museums, Individualism, and Nationalism in Jamaica,Rebecca Tortello 205. – Chapter 14: Outreach or Out of Reach? Seeking New Audiences: The Turks and Caicos National Museum Children's Club,Nigel Sadler 221 –Chapter 15: Museums and the Challenge for Heritage Organizations in Saint Lucia,Winston F. Phulgence 233 –Chapter 16: Destroying while Preserving Junkanoo: The Junkanoo Museum in the Bahamas,Krista Thompson 241 –Author Biographies 245 –
Index 255
Should the government provide insurance for catastrophes?
No full textThis paper evaluates the need for a government role in insuring natural and man-made catastrophes in the United States. Although insurance markets have been stressed by major natural catastrophes, such as Hurricane Katrina, government involvement in the market for natural catastrophe insurance should be minimized to avoid crowding-out more efficient private market solutions, such as catastrophe bonds. Instead, government should facilitate the development of the private market by reducing regulatory barriers. The National Flood Insurance Program has failed to cover most property owners exposed to floods and is facing severe financial difficulties. The program needs to be drastically revised or replaced by private market alternatives, such as federal "make available" requirements with a federal reinsurance backstop. A federal role may be appropriate to insure against mega-terrorist events. However, any program should be minimally intrusive and carry a positive premium to avoid crowding-out private market alternatives.Insurance, Government
Transcriptomic analysis of the autophagy machinery in crustaceans
No full textBackground: The giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, is a decapod crustacean that is commercially important as a food source. Farming of commercial crustaceans requires an efficient management strategy because the animals are easily subjected to stress and diseases during the culture. Autophagy, a stress response process, is well-documented and conserved in most animals, yet it is poorly studied in crustaceans. Results: In this study, we have performed an in silico search for transcripts encoding autophagy-related (Atg) proteins within various tissue transcriptomes of M. rosenbergii. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) search using previously known Atg proteins as queries revealed 41 transcripts encoding homologous M. rosenbergii Atg proteins. Among these Atg proteins, we selected commonly used autophagy markers, including Beclin 1, vacuolar protein sorting (Vps) 34, microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (MAP1LC3B), p62/sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1), and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (Lamp-1) for further sequence analyses using comparative alignment and protein structural prediction. We found that crustacean autophagy marker proteins contain conserved motifs typical of other animal Atg proteins. Western blotting using commercial antibodies raised against human Atg marker proteins indicated their presence in various M. rosenbergii tissues, while immunohistochemistry localized Atg marker proteins within ovarian tissue, specifically late stage oocytes. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the molecular components of autophagic process are conserved in crustaceans, which is comparable to autophagic process in mammals. Furthermore, it provides a foundation for further studies of autophagy in crustaceans that may lead to more understanding of the reproduction- and stress-related autophagy, which will enable the efficient aquaculture practices
Situational influences on rhythmicity in speech, music, and their interaction.
No full textBrain processes underlying the production and perception of rhythm indicate considerable flexibility in how physical signals are interpreted. This paper explores how that flexibility might play out in rhythmicity in speech and music. There is much in common across the two domains, but there are also significant differences. Interpretations are explored that reconcile some of the differences, particularly with respect to how functional properties modify the rhythmicity of speech, within limits imposed by its structural constraints. Functional and structural differences mean that music is typically more rhythmic than speech, and that speech will be more rhythmic when the emotions are more strongly engaged, or intended to be engaged. The influence of rhythmicity on attention is acknowledged, and it is suggested that local increases in rhythmicity occur at times when attention is required to coordinate joint action, whether in talking or music-making. Evidence is presented which suggests that while these short phases of heightened rhythmical behaviour are crucial to the success of transitions in communicative interaction, their modality is immaterial: they all function to enhance precise temporal prediction and hence tightly coordinated joint action
Un modèle socio-psychologique du développement bilingue
No full textA socio-psychological model of bilingual development.
After a recollection of the successive models of bilingualism: additive and subtractive bilingualism (Lambert), semilingualism (Skutnabb-Kangas), contextualisation and literacy (Cummins) and Hammers' and Blanc's psychosocial model, the author studies the socio-cognitive factors that such a model has to integrate in order to give a satisfying representation of bilingual development. The author examines in succession the socio-semiotic functions, contextualized and decontextualized language, and the factors of acquisition of differentiated social use.Après un rappel des modèles successifs de la bilingualité : bilinguisme additif et soustractif (Lambert), semilinguisme (Skutnabb-Kangas), contextualisation et "literacy" (Cummins) et le modèle psychosocial de Hamers et Blanc, l'auteur étudie les facteurs socio-cognitifs qu'un tel modèle doit intégrer pour parvenir à une image satisfaisante du développement bilingue. Sont ainsi passées en revue les fonctions socio-sémiotiques, le langage contextualisé et décontextualisé, et les facteurs de l'acquisition de l'usage social différencié.Hamers Josiane F. Un modèle socio-psychologique du développement bilingue. In: Langage et société, n°43, 1988. Conférences plénières du colloque de Nice : Contacts de langues : quels modèles, sous la direction de Pierre Achard . pp. 91-102
The Tax Sensitivity of Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from Firm-Level Panel Data
No full textUnderstanding the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) is important for analyzing capital flows and the industrial organization of multinational firms. Most empirical studies of FDI, however, have focused on case studies of nontax factors in overseas investment decisions or on discerning reduced-form relationships between some measure of FDI and variables relating to nontax and tax aspects of the investment decision. In this paper, we examine the effects of taxation on FDI using previously unexplored (for this purpose) panel data on FDI by subsidiaries of U.S. multinational firms collected by Compustat's geographic segment file project. These firm- level data contain information on new capital investment overseas which enable us to measure tax influences on FDI more precisely and allow us to focus on structural models of subsidiaries' investment decision. Our empirical results cast significant doubt on the simplest notion that 'taxes don't matter' for U.S. firms' FDI decisions. Tax parameters influence FDI in precisely the way indicated by neoclassical models. Our results also lend support to the application of the 'tax capitalization' model to the study of dividend repatriation and foreign direct investment decisions.
Transcriptome analysis reveals differentially expressed genes associated with germ cell and gonad development in the Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii)
No full textBackground: Controlling and managing the breeding of bluefin tuna (Thunnus spp.) in captivity is an imperative step towards obtaining a sustainable supply of these fish in aquaculture production systems. Germ cell transplantation (GCT) is an innovative technology for the production of inter-species surrogates, by transplanting undifferentiated germ cells derived from a donor species into larvae of a host species. The transplanted surrogates will then grow and mature to produce donor-derived seed, thus providing a simpler alternative to maintaining large-bodied broodstock such as the bluefin tuna. Implementation of GCT for new species requires the development of molecular tools to follow the fate of the transplanted germ cells. These tools are based on key reproductive and germ cell-specific genes. RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) provides a rapid, cost-effective method for high throughput gene identification in non-model species. This study utilized RNA-Seq to identify key genes expressed in the gonads of Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii, SBT) and their specific expression patterns in male and female gonad cells. Results: Key genes involved in the reproductive molecular pathway and specifically, germ cell development in gonads, were identified using analysis of RNA-Seq transcriptomes of male and female SBT gonad cells. Expression profiles of transcripts from ovary and testis cells were compared, as well as testis germ cell-enriched fraction prepared with Percoll gradient, as used in GCT studies. Ovary cells demonstrated over-expression of genes related to stem cell maintenance, while in testis cells, transcripts encoding for reproduction-associated receptors, sex steroids and hormone synthesis and signaling genes were over-expressed. Within the testis cells, the Percoll-enriched fraction showed over-expression of genes that are related to post-meiosis germ cell populations. Conclusions: Gonad development and germ cell related genes were identified from SBT gonads and their expression patterns in ovary and testis cells were determined. These expression patterns correlate with the reproductive developmental stage of the sampled fish. The majority of the genes described in this study were sequenced for the first time in T. maccoyii. The wealth of SBT gonadal and germ cell-related gene sequences made publicly available by this study provides an extensive resource for further GCT and reproductive molecular biology studies of this commercially valuable fish
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