University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model organism for the study of such diverse aspects of animal physiology and behavior as embryonic development, chemoreception, and the genetic control of lifespan. Yet, even though the entire genome sequence of this organism was deposited into public databases several years ago, little is known about xenobiotic metabolism in C. elegans. In part, the paucity of detoxification information may be due to the plush life enjoyed by nematodes raised in the laboratory. In the wild, however, these animals experience a much greater array of chemical assaults. Living in the interstitial water of the soil, populations of C. elegans exhibit a boom and bust lifestyle characterized by prodigious predation of soil microbes punctuated by periods of dispersal as a non-developing alternative larval stage. During the booming periods of population expansion, these animals almost indiscriminately consume everything in their environment including any number of compounds from other animals, microorganisms, plants, and xenobiotics. Several recent studies have identified many genes encoding sensors and enzymes these nematodes may use in their xeno-coping strategies. Here, we will discuss these recent advances, as well as the efforts by our lab and others to utilize the genomic resources of the C. elegans system to elucidate this nematode's molecular defenses against toxins.

A novel microwave-assisted synthetic method has been used to synthesise a series of mixed ligand ruthenium(II) compounds containing diimine as well as bidentate thiosemicarbazone ligands. The compounds contain the diimine 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) or 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and the thiosemicarbazone is derived from 9-anthraldehyde. Based on elemental analyses and spectroscopic data, the compounds are best formulated as [(phen)(2)Ru(thiosemicarbazone)](PF(6))(2) and [(phen)(2)Ru(thiosemicarbazone)](PF(6))(2) where thiosemicarbazone = 9-anthraldehydethiosemicarbazone, 9-anthraldehyde-N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone, and 9-anthraldehyde-N(4)-ethylthiosemicarbazone. Fluorescence competition studies with ethidium bromide, along with viscometric measurements suggests that the complexes bind calf thymus DNA (CTDNA) relatively strongly via an intercalative mode possibly involving the aromatic rings of the diimine ligands. The complexes show good cytotoxic profiles against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 (breast adenocarcinoma) as well as HCT 116 and HT-29 (colorectal carcinoma) cell lines.

Abstract [VO(sal‐ L ‐tryp)(H 2 O)] ( 1 , sal‐ L ‐tryp = N ‐salicylidene‐ L ‐tryptophanate) was used as a precursor to produce the new complexes [VO(sal‐ L ‐tryp)(MeATSC)] · 1.5C 2 H 5 OH [ 2 , MeATSC = 9‐Anthraldehyde‐ N (4)‐methylthiosemicarbazone], [VO(sal‐ L ‐tryp)( N ‐ethhymethohcarbthio)] · H 2 O [ 3 , N ‐ethhymethohcarbthio = ( E )‐ N ‐ethyl‐2‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzylidene)hydrazinecarbothioamide] and [VO(sal‐ L ‐tryp)(acetylethTSC)] · C 2 H 5 OH { 4 , acetylethTSC = ( E )‐ N ‐ethyl‐2‐[1‐(thiazol‐2‐yl)ethylidene]hydrazinecarbothioamide} by reaction with the respective thiosemicarbazone. The chemical and structural properties of these ligands and complexes were characterised by elemental analysis, ESI‐MS, FTIR, UV/Vis, ESR and 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and [D 6 ]DMSO solutions of 1 – 4 were oxidised in air to produce vanadium(V) species, which were verified by ESI‐MS and 51 V NMR spectroscopy. The anticancer properties of 2 – 4 were examined with three colon cancer cell lines, HTC‐116, Caco‐2 and HT‐29, and noncancerous colonic myofibroblasts, CCD18‐Co. Compounds 2 – 3 exhibited less inhibitory effects in the CCD‐18Co cells, which indicates a possible cytotoxic selectivity towards colon cancer cells. In general, compounds that exhibit antiproliferative activity to cancer cells but do not affect noncancerous cells may have a potential in chemotherapy.

Cyanobacteria and similar organisms produced most of the oxygen found in Earth's atmosphere, which implies that early photosynthetic organisms would have lived in an atmosphere that was rich in CO2 and poor in O2. We investigated the tolerance of several cyanobacteria to very high (>20 kPa) concentrations of atmospheric CO2. Cultures of Synechococcus PCC7942, Synechocystis PCC7942, Plectonema boryanum, and Anabaena sp. were grown in liquid culture sparged with CO2-enriched air. All four strains grew when transferred from ambient CO2 to 20 kPa partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2), but none of them tolerated direct transfer to 40 kPa pCO2. Synechococcus and Anabaena survived 101 kPa (100%) pCO2 when pressure was gradually increased by 15 kPa per day, and Plectonema actively grew under these conditions. All four strains grew in an anoxic atmosphere of 5 kPa pCO2 in N2. Strains that were sensitive to high CO2 were also sensitive to low initial pH (pH 5-6). However, low pH in itself was not sufficient to prevent growth. Although mechanisms of damage and survival are still under investigation, we have shown that modern cyanobacteria can survive under Earth's primordial conditions and that cyanobacteria-like organisms could have flourished under conditions on early Mars, which probably had an atmosphere similar to early Earth's.

SUMMARY. 1. Growth and reproduction were measured for Daphnia pulex (Leydig) fed Scenedesmus obliquus (Turp.) Kutz. grown with nitrogen‐sufficient and nitrogen‐deficient media. The incorporation of carbon into the body of D. pulex was traced using 14 C‐labelled algae and biochemical fractionation. 2. Scenedesmus cultured on N‐defkient media allocated more carbon to lipid and less to protein than when cultured on N‐sufficient media. 3. In a short‐term feeding experiment, Daphnia accumulated more lipid when fed N‐deficient algal cells high in lipid content than when fed algae grown on N‐sufficient media that were lower in lipid. 4. Animals grew faster and produced larger broods when fed algae grown on an N‐sufficient medium over an 8‐day period. Daphnids fed N‐deficient algae had higher quantities of body lipid, suggesting it was not a lack of energy which limited their growth and reproduction. 5. Daphnia fed algae grown on N‐deficient media allocated more lipid to eggs, and their offspring lived longer under starvation conditions.

The motivated social cognition (MSC) model of conservative ideology posits there are two core facets of conservative political ideology-endorsement of hierarchies and resistance to change. The present research tested the validity and reliability of a scale developed to measure resistance to change. Five studies support the validity, reliability, and factor structure of the Resistance to Change-Beliefs (RC-B) scale. Scores on the RC-B scale correlated with social and cognitive motivations as well as self-identified conservatism. RC-B also predicted more conservative stances on political issues and factor analyses supported the predicted internal structure of the RC-B scale. This provides the field with a validated instrument that avoids problems inherent in previous measures, can be used to test predictions from the MSC model, and has potential applications beyond political psychology.

We have synthesized and evaluated the biological properties of a compound of the type [η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(EtATSC)Cl]Cl (1) where EtATSC = 2-anthracen-9-ylmethylene-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide, a thiosemicarbazone. The complex has been characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopically (NMR, UV-Vis, and IR) and structurally by XRD. The in vitro anticancer activity of 1 has been evaluated against two human colon cancer cell lines. The IC(50) value for activity against HCT-116 was 224 ± 7 μM and 205 ± 5 μM against the Caco-2 cell line. The proficiency of 1 as an antibacterial agent was also evaluated against six bacterial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration for Bacillus cereus was determined to be 5 μM and for Enterococcus faecalis it was 20 μM. At the maximum concentration tested the complex showed no activity against the Gram-negative strains. The complex binds strongly to human serum albumin with a binding constant of 1.37 ± 0.02 M(-1) at 308 K on a single binding site. It is also a strong binder to DNA with an apparent binding constant of 2.82 × 10(5) M(-1) at 308 K. 1 shows very good activity as a catalytic inhibitor of human topoisomerase II at concentrations as low as 20 μM.

As(V) adsorption onto a commercially available TiO2 (Degussa P25) in NaCl or NaClO4 at various concentrations (0.001-0.1 M) was investigated. The effect of natural organic matter (NOM) on As(V) removal through the adsorption by TiO2 was also examined. In either electrolyte, As(V) adsorption onto TiO2 increased with the increase of ionic strength under alkaline conditions (pH 7.0-11.0). Under acidic conditions (pH 4.0-6.0), the adsorption of As(V) onto TiO2 was insensitive to ionic strength in NaClO4 electrolyte but decreased with increasing ionic strength in NaCl electrolyte. The presence of 2-15 mg/L NOM as C significantly decreased the fraction of As(V) adsorbed onto TiO2 at pH 6.0 regardless of the initial As(V) concentration (1-15 microM). The measurement of zeta potential of TiO2 with and without As(V) suggests that the presence of As(V) can shift the point of zero charge (pH(pzc)) of TiO2 to a lower pH value. The overall data presented in this study suggest that As(V) can form both inner-sphere and outer-sphere complexes on TiO2 surface, and NOM is an important factor controlling As(V) adsorption onto TiO2.

Biphobia, which has been defined as negative attitudes about bisexuality and bisexual individuals, is a psychological construct that is, at present, not well understood. Ochs described the denigration that bisexual individuals face as 'double discrimination,' which she defined as discrimination from both heterosexual and homosexual communities. A 30-item instrument, the Biphobia Scale, was developed to measure negative cognitions, affects and behaviors regarding bisexuality and bisexual individuals. The instrument has provided empirical support for the existence of the construct of biphobia and suggests that it exists in the heterosexual and homosexual communities. The results support the theory that bisexual individuals are subjected to 'double discrimination.'

The ndhB(-) and psaE(-) mutants of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 are partly deficient in PSI-driven cyclic electron transport. We compared photoinhibition in these mutants to the wild type to test the hypothesis that PSI cyclic electron transport protects against photoinhibition. Photoinhibitory treatment greatly accelerated PSI cyclic electron transport in the wild type and also in both the mutants. The psaE(-) mutant showed rates of PSI cyclic electron transport similar to the wild type under all conditions tested. The ndhB(-) mutant showed much lower rates of PSI cyclic electron transport than the wild type following brief dark adaptation but exceeded wild type rates after exposure to photoinhibitory light. The wild type and both mutants showed similar rates of photoinhibition damage and photoinhibition repair at PSII. Photoinhibition at PSI was much slower than at PSII and was also similar between the wild type and both mutants, despite the known instability of PSI in the psaE(-) mutant. We conclude that photoinhibitory light induces sufficient PSI-driven cyclic electron transport in both the ndhB(-) and psaE(-) mutants to fulfill any role that cyclic electron transport plays in protection against photoinhibition.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a report on year 1 results of a national study investigating nursing home information technology (IT) adoption, called IT sophistication. METHODS: A reliable and valid survey was used to measure IT sophistication. The target goal was 10% from each state in the United States, 1570 nursing homes. A random sample of homes from each state was recruited from Nursing Home Compare. RESULTS: The team reached 2627 nursing home administrators, among whom 1799 administrators agreed to participate and were sent a survey. A total of 815 surveys were completed (45.3% response rate), which was below the goal. Facilities in the participating sample have similar demographic characteristics (ownership, total population in a location, and bed size) to the remaining homes not participating. There are greater IT capabilities in resident care and administrative activities, less in clinical support. The extent of use of these capabilities appears to be highest in administrative activities and lowest in clinical support. IT in resident care appears to be the most integrated with internal and external stakeholders. IT capabilities appear to be greater than IT extent of use in all health domains, with the greatest difference in resident care. DISCUSSION: National evaluations of nursing home IT are rare. Measuring trends in IT adoption in a nationally representative sample provides meaningful analytics that could be more useful for policy makers and nursing home leaders in the future. CONCLUSION: Discovering national baseline assessments is a first step toward recognizing nursing home trends in IT adoption.

Slides were prepared from blood of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus , and evaluated. The cellular blood elements observed were thrombocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, granular anucleate bodies, erythrocytes. In channel catfish, thrombocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils were the predominate leucocytes. Erythrocytes were observed in various stages of development. Smudge cells were observed in all smear preparations. The variations found between the observations in this study and information provided in the literature suggest the need for establishing a standardized terminology.

Heterokont members of the Pelagophyceae form the massive brown tides that have continually plagued the coastal regions of the eastern U.S. seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico. To gain a better understanding of the photosynthetic competence that may be linked to their success in forming massive blooms, we sequenced the chloroplast genomes of two pelagophytes: Aureococcus anophagefferens Hargraves et Sieburth and Aureoumbra lagunensis D. A. Stockw., DeYoe, Hargraves et P. W. Johnson. The chloroplast genomes of A. anophagefferens (89,599 bp) and Ar. lagunensis (94,346 bp) are significantly smaller than those of six other stramenopiles sequenced to date. The structure (or configuration) is partially due to the absence of the large inverted repeats common in chloroplast genomes. Eight of 10 small and tandem repeats from the A. anophagefferens and Ar. lagunensis genomes are adjacent to genes coding for photosynthetic or energy production functions, implying that these domains may have functional constraints. High genomic synteny, a multigene phylogenetic analysis, and a synapomorphic change in the form of an attenuated psb A gene confirm that A. anophagefferens and Ar. lagunensis are closely related taxa. Finally, the presence of three light‐independent chl‐biosynthesis genes in the chloroplast of Ar. lagunensis , but absence in the chloroplast and nuclear genomes of A. anophagefferens , suggests the persistence of a more ancient (i.e., dark‐adaptive) potential in Ar. lagunensis but not in A. anophagefferens . Whether the presence of both chl‐biosynthesis pathways in Ar. lagunensis contributes to the ability of this organism to sustain prolonged bloom (continuously for ∼8 years) under reduced light conditions, but not A. anophagefferens (a few months), remains an open question.

BACKGROUND: The Amulet IDE trial (AMPLATZER Amulet Left Atrial Appendage Occluder [LAAO] Investigational Device Exemption [IDE] Trial) evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the Amulet occluder (Abbott) in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. The Amulet IDE trial is the largest randomized LAAO trial, comparing the Amulet occluder with the Watchman 2.5 device (Boston Scientific). OBJECTIVES: This analysis presents the 5-year results from the trial comparing the 2 devices head to head. METHODS: -VASc score ≥3. Oral anticoagulation (OAC) use and key clinical outcomes are presented through 5 years. RESULTS: A total of 1,878 patients were randomized, with 1,833 undergoing a device implantation attempt (n = 917, Amulet occluder; and n = 916, Watchman device). A significantly higher percentage of patients were free of OAC in the Amulet occluder group at each follow-up visit, with 94.0% and 90.9% free of OAC at the last 5-year follow-up visit in the Amulet and Watchman device groups, respectively (P = 0.009). The 5-year clinical outcomes were similar between the Amulet and Watchman devices, including the composite of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism (7.4% vs 7.1%; P = 0.851), the composite of stroke, systemic embolism, or cardiovascular death (20.3% vs 20.7%; P = 0.666), major bleeding (20.1% vs 20.0%; P = 0.882), cardiovascular (CV) death (14.3% vs 15.4%; P = 0.429), and all-cause death (28.7% vs 31.1%; P = 0.217). Annualized ischemic stroke rates at 5 years were low and the same for Amulet (1.6%/y) and Watchman (1.6%/y) devices. Strokes in patients with the Amulet occluder were less severe (n = 38, nondisabling; n = 11, disabling; n = 11, fatal; n = 12, unknown) than strokes in patients with the Watchman device (n = 19, nondisabling; n = 22, disabling; n = 17, fatal; n = 10, unknown). Moreover, device factors (device-related thrombus or peridevice leak ≥3 mm) preceded stroke events and CV deaths more frequently in patients with the Watchman device (n = 63) compared with patients with the Amulet occluder (n = 31). CONCLUSIONS: The 5-year outcomes from the largest randomized LAAO clinical trial demonstrated the long-term safety and effectiveness of the Amulet occluder and Watchman 2.5 devices. The dual-seal Amulet occluder reduces atrial fibrillation-related thromboembolic events while eliminating the need for long-term OAC. (AMPLATZER Amulet Left Atrial Appendage Occluder [LAAO] Investigational Device Exemption [IDE] Trial [Amulet IDE trial]; NCT02879448).

The rhizomicrobiome is composed of microbes that live in association with plant roots. From nutrient cycling to carbon sequestration, soil microorganisms have provided a solid base for natural and agricultural ecosystems to function. The relationship between plant roots and soil microorganisms is especially relevant in food staples such as rice (Oryza sativa L.), as the various properties of these microbes can influence crop yield and plant health, thereby affecting a major portion of the food supply for an ever-growing world population. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis to investigate the impact of crop rotation and soil cultivation methods (no-till or tillage) on rhizosphere bacterial diversity and composition in eight crop fields in Arkansas. Illumina MiSeq sequencing revealed 56 Phyla, with four major Phyla: Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Soil microbial communities in the samples studied were phylogenetically diverse but with a stable community structure. Crop rotation and tillage did not significantly affect bacterial diversity.

A multidisciplinary wound care team was developed at the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital in 1993 to standardize wound management, appropriately allocate resources, prevent the occurrence of hospital-acquired decubitus ulcers, and effectively manage existing pressure ulcers. This report presents 4 years of prevalence survey data (n = 690 patients over 4 years), which affords an outcome analysis regarding the efficacy of the multidisciplinary wound care team. A significant reduction in the number of patients with pressure ulcers, hospital acquired pressure ulcers, and patients with hospital acquired ulcers occurred. There was, also, a significant improvement in skin integrity documentation, and in the implementation of nutritional assessments. These findings suggest that the multidisciplinary wound care team has been an effective means of gaining some control of decubitus ulcers, which are associated with increased patient morbidity and have an adverse economic impact on hospitals. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 101: 1243, 1998.)

Let <TEX>$E{\subset}{\mathbb{F}}^d_q$</TEX>, the d-dimensional vector space over the finite field with q elements. Construct a graph, called the distance graph of E, by letting the vertices be the elements of E and connect a pair of vertices corresponding to vectors x, y 2 E by an edge if <TEX>${\parallel}x-y{\parallel}:=(x_1-y_1)^2+{\cdots}+(x_d-y_d)^2=1$</TEX>. We shall prove that the non-overlapping chains of length k, with k in an appropriate range, are uniformly distributed in the sense that the number of these chains equals the statistically correct number, <TEX>$1{\cdot}{\mid}E{\mid}^{k+1}q^{-k}$</TEX> plus a much smaller remainder.

Sceptical arguments, it is commonly claimed, may succeed in disarming some powerful objections to religious belief, but they do nothing more than establish a state of parity between the believer and the objector. For this reason, they make no positive contribution to the justification of religious belief and therefore are of value only to the fideist who insists that religious beliefs do not have and do not need rational support. However, while this opinion is widely held by philosophers of religion, it ignores the fact that sceptical arguments have given rise to a constructive tradition in epistemology: what is often referred to as naturalism. In what follows I shall develop a suggestion from this tradition, and that is that sceptical arguments lead not to an abandonment of claims to justified belief but to a revision and contextualization of our epistemic standards. Though this suggestion can be found in a number of philosophers in this tradition, my inspiration for it comes from Pascal, who made an important place for scepticism in the evidentialist argument for Christianity which we find in the Pensées. To develop this suggestion, I shall first sketch a position inspired by Pascal and then argue that the possibilities it suggests have been insufficiently considered in a number of recent discussions of the importance of sceptical arguments in the epistemology of religious belief.

Finding and describing the location of symmetry elements in complex objects is often a difficult skill to learn. Introducing the concepts of symmetry using high-symmetry game dice is one way of helping students overcome this difficulty in introductory physical chemistry classes. The dice are inexpensive, reusable, and come in a variety of shapes and can be painted to reduce their symmetry. Because the dice have index numbers on sides or vertices, they can provide a uniform frame of reference for students and instructors. The hands-on activities using the dice can be done in class, as a dry lab, or as an out-of-class assignment.

OBJECTIVE: To test for significant differences in information technology sophistication (ITS) in US nursing homes (NH) based on location. METHODS: We administered a primary survey January 2014 to July 2015 to NH in each US state. The survey was cross-sectional and examined 3 dimensions (IT capabilities, extent of IT use, degree of IT integration) among 3 domains (resident care, clinical support, administrative activities) of ITS. ITS was broken down by NH location. Mean responses were compared across 4 NH categories (Metropolitan, Micropolitan, Small Town, and Rural) for all 9 ITS dimensions and domains. Least square means and Tukey's method were used for multiple comparisons. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Methods yielded 815/1,799 surveys (45% response rate). In every health care domain (resident care, clinical support, and administrative activities) statistical differences in facility ITS occurred in larger (metropolitan or micropolitan) and smaller (small town or rural) populated areas. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the most current national assessment of NH IT since 2004. Historically, NH IT has been used solely for administrative activities and much less for resident care and clinical support. However, results are encouraging as ITS in other domains appears to be greater than previously imagined.