Negative regulation of the androgen receptor gene through a primate specific androgen response element present in the 5' UTR

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited. Acknowledgements This work was supported by funding from the Chief Scientist Office, Government of Scotland (Grant Nos CZB/4/477 and ETM/258). DNL was supported by the Association for International Cancer Research (Grant No. 03–127)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Challenges to driver licensing participation for Aboriginal people in Australia: a systematic review of the literature

Introduction: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in transport-related morbidity and mortality. Low rates of licensure in Aboriginal communities and households have been identified as a contributor to high rates of unlicensed driving. There is increasing recognition that Aboriginal people experience challenges and adversity in attaining a licence. This systematic review aims to identify the barriers to licence participation among Aboriginal people in Australia. Method: A systematic search of electronic databases and purposive sampling of grey literature was conducted, two authors independently assessed publications for eligibility for inclusion. Results: Twelve publications were included in this review, of which there were 11 reporting primary research (qualitative and mixed methods) and a practitioner report. Barriers identified were categorised as individual and family barriers or systemic barriers relating to the justice system, graduated driver licensing (GDL) and service provision. A model is presented that depicts the barriers within a cycle of licensing adversity. Discussion: There is an endemic lack of licensing access for Aboriginal people that relates to financial hardship, unmet cultural needs and an inequitable system. This review recommends targeting change at the systemic level, including a review of proof of identification and fines enforcement policy, diversionary programs and increased provision for people experiencing financial hardship. Conclusion: This review positions licensing within the context of barriers to social inclusion that Aboriginal people frequently encounter. Equitable access to licensing urgently requires policy reform and service provision that is inclusive, responsive to the cultural needs of Aboriginal people and accessible to regional and remote communities

The homeodomain protein PAL-1 specifies a lineage-specific regulatory network in the C. elegans embryo

Maternal and zygotic activities of the homeodomain protein PAL-1 specify the identity and maintain the development of the multipotent C blastomere lineage in the C. elegans embryo. To identify PAL-1 regulatory target genes, we used microarrays to compare transcript abundance in wild-type embryos with mutant embryos lacking a C blastomere and to mutant embryos with extra C blastomeres. pal-1-dependent C-lineage expression was verified for select candidate target genes by reporter gene analysis, though many of the target genes are expressed in additional lineages as well. The set of validated target genes includes 12 transcription factors, an uncharacterized wingless ligand and five uncharacterized genes. Phenotypic analysis demonstrates that the identified PAL-1 target genes affect specification, differentiation and morphogenesis of C-lineage cells. In particular, we show that cell fate-specific genes (or tissue identity genes) and a posterior HOX gene are activated in lineage-specific fashion. Transcription of targets is initiated in four temporal phases, which together with their spatial expression patterns leads to a model of the regulatory network specified by PAL-1

Heterogeneity in ess transcriptional organization and variable contribution of the Ess/Type VII protein secretion system to virulence across closely related <em>Staphylocccus aureus </em>strains

The Type VII protein secretion system, found in Gram-positive bacteria, secretes small proteins, containing a conserved W-x-G amino acid sequence motif, to the growth medium. Staphylococcus aureus has a conserved Type VII secretion system, termed Ess, which is dispensable for laboratory growth but required for virulence. In this study we show that there are unexpected differences in the organization of the ess gene cluster between closely related strains of S. aureus. We further show that in laboratory growth medium different strains of S. aureus secrete the EsxA and EsxC substrate proteins at different growth points, and that the Ess system in strain Newman is inactive under these conditions. Systematic deletion analysis in S. aureus RN6390 is consistent with the EsaA, EsaB, EssA, EssB, EssC and EsxA proteins comprising core components of the secretion machinery in this strain. Finally we demonstrate that the Ess secretion machinery of two S. aureus strains, RN6390 and COL, is important for nasal colonization and virulence in the murine lung pneumonia model. Surprisingly, however, the secretion system plays no role in the virulence of strain SA113 under the same conditions

Peering through the Window: Engaging Older Adults in Different Art Media to Build Community and Find Identity through Play and the Challenge of Trying Something New

Some older adults experience physical and cognitive changes that can lead to social isolation and can impact identity, health, and wellbeing. Research has shown that arts-based group psychosocial interventions have the potential to improve the quality of life for older adults along with fostering connections in community and building confidence and acceptance of self-identity. From this research, I developed a crafts-based intervention that focused on the interests and hobbies of the group members. The group was offered in an independent living facility with women over the age of 62 who were American and Asian-American. Over the course of the sessions, the data revealed that the group members were able to find strength and community through being challenged by new activities formed from their interests. The group members were also able to identify themselves in their art making, showing the potential of taking multiple pieces of art and bringing them together to show a bigger picture of the individual. The findings support the research that art therapy has many benefits for older adults, but challenges the notion that the activities be based out of fine arts interventions. It emphasizes the need for further research within the field about implementing crafts-based interventions with older populations

Estimating preconstruction services costs for highway projects

Preconstruction Services (PCS) is defined as all work completed on a project once it has been authorized for funding and cost related to the project can be charged accordingly, up until construction contract is awarded. Due to the changing nature of State DOT work with increased funding uncertainties and shrinking budgets it is more important than ever to ensure proper allocation of funds for highway projects. Uneducated estimates for preconstruction services or using a fixed percentage across multiple projects can lead to a misallocation of available capital funding in the PCS phase, which may force the need to redistribute funding late in an agency\u27s fiscal year to cover overages and to expend underruns before the authorization expires. Underestimation can lead to inadequate PCS budgets and poor construction documents. In short an educated thought out PCS cost estimate can lead to cost certainty within all aspects of a project. Firstly the research focuses on developing a framework for a PCS cost estimate focusing on the type of estimate and the factors that affect it. Second, an artificial neural network model is proposed to estimate PCS costs, the research also investigates a method for defining projects to further refine the historic data that is used in the NN model. Finally the research focuses on a method to estimate a design cost contingency. Two types of estimates were found top-down and bottom-up estimates the difference in the estimate was dependent on the end user and the amount of data available. Three factors complexity, project type and construction cost were found to be the three factors that had a major influence on PCS cost estimate. The NN model produce provided a top-down PCS estimate, the final model provided estimates with a weighted error of 1.4% over 13 projects. Iowa DOT\u27s method of classifying projects based on project complexity was investigated and determined to be an appropriate method for project classification considering project complexity was considered a major influence factor. Finally a method was determined to estimate an appropriate design contingency using design cost estimate accuracy index. All methods and models developed in this thesis are expected to be applied to individual agency\u27s historic data and estimating systems. It is also stressed that models have limitations and should not be used outside the range which it was developed

Burden of disease from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene in low- and middle-income settings: a retrospective analysis of data from 145 countries

objective To estimate the burden of diarrhoeal diseases from exposure to inadequate water, sanitation and hand hygiene in low- and middle-income settings and provide an overview of the impact on other diseases. methods For estimating the impact of water, sanitation and hygiene on diarrhoea, we selected exposure levels with both sufficient global exposure data and a matching exposure-risk relationship. Global exposure data were estimated for the year 2012, and risk estimates were taken from the most recent systematic analyses. We estimated attributable deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by country, age and sex for inadequate water, sanitation and hand hygiene separately, and as a cluster of risk factors. Uncertainty estimates were computed on the basis of uncertainty surrounding exposure estimates and relative risks. results In 2012, 502 000 diarrhoea deaths were estimated to be caused by inadequate drinking water and 280 000 deaths by inadequate sanitation. The most likely estimate of disease burden from inadequate hand hygiene amounts to 297 000 deaths. In total, 842 000 diarrhoea deaths are estimated to be caused by this cluster of risk factors, which amounts to 1.5% of the total disease burden and 58% of diarrhoeal diseases. In children under 5 years old, 361 000 deaths could be prevented, representing 5.5% of deaths in that age group. conclusions This estimate confirms the importance of improving water and sanitation in low- and middle-income settings for the prevention of diarrhoeal disease burden. It also underscores the need for better data on exposure and risk reductions that can be achieved with provision of reliable piped water, community sewage with treatment and hand hygiene

The Effects of Vibrational Cues on Physiological Development in Polistes fuscatus (paper wasps)

Investigation into the causes and effects of behavior has advanced our knowledge of the effects of social interactions on an organism\u27s physiology. In Polistes fuscatus, antennal drumming is usually performed by the queen on the cell walls of the nest after larvae reach the third instar. The mechanical switch hypothesis (Jeanne 2011) suggests that the drumming experienced by larvae early in the colony season causes them to develop into workers; whereas, later in the colony season, those that do not experience this drumming develop into queens. In this study I measured the distance between the source of an artificial vibration that simulates natural queen drumming and the location of developing larvae. If distance from the vibrational cue affects caste development, then those farther from the signal should develop with more queen-like physiology (measured in lipid “fat” content). Alternatively, if vibrational cues do not dampen as they pass through the nest, then distance should not correlate with physiology. The results of my study show that in our sample there was no correlation between lipid content and the distance between where the larva developed and the vibrational cue