TDP-43 pathology in Drosophila induces glial-cell type specific toxicity that can be ameliorated by knock-down of SF2/SRSF1.

Accumulation of cytoplasmic inclusions of TAR-DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is seen in both neurons and glia in a range of neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Disease progression involves non-cell autonomous interactions among multiple cell types, including neurons, microglia and astrocytes. We investigated the effects in Drosophila of inducible, glial cell type-specific TDP-43 overexpression, a model that causes TDP-43 protein pathology including loss of nuclear TDP-43 and accumulation of cytoplasmic inclusions. We report that TDP-43 pathology in Drosophila is sufficient to cause progressive loss of each of the 5 glial sub-types. But the effects on organismal survival were most pronounced when TDP-43 pathology was induced in the perineural glia (PNG) or astrocytes. In the case of PNG, this effect is not attributable to loss of the glial population, because ablation of these glia by expression of pro-apoptotic reaper expression has relatively little impact on survival. To uncover underlying mechanisms, we used cell-type-specific nuclear RNA sequencing to characterize the transcriptional changes induced by pathological TDP-43 expression. We identified numerous glial cell-type specific transcriptional changes. Notably, SF2/SRSF1 levels were found to be decreased in both PNG and in astrocytes. We found that further knockdown of SF2/SRSF1 in either PNG or astrocytes lessens the detrimental effects of TDP-43 pathology on lifespan, but extends survival of the glial cells. Thus TDP-43 pathology in astrocytes or PNG causes systemic effects that shorten lifespan and SF2/SRSF1 knockdown rescues the loss of these glia, and also reduces their systemic toxicity to the organism.

Response of turkey pectoralis major muscle satellite cells to hot and cold thermal stress: Effect of growth selection on satellite cell proliferation and differentiation.

Satellite cell (SCs), the main progenitors for post-hatch poultry muscle growth, has maximal mitotic activity and sensitivity to temperature during the first week after hatch. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of hot and cold temperatures on the proliferation and differentiation of SCs from pectoralis major (P. major) muscle of fast-growing 1-week-old Nicholas commercial (NC) turkeys compared to Randombred Control Line 2 (RBC2) turkeys representing commercial turkeys from 1966. Three temperature regimens were used: SCs proliferation at 38 °C (control) with differentiation at 43° or 33 °C; proliferation at 43° or 33 °C with differentiation at 38 °C; or both proliferation and differentiation at 43°, 38°, or 33°C. Satellite cell proliferation and differentiation increased at 43 °C and decreased at 33 °C in both lines. When a thermal challenge was administered during proliferation, greater stimulatory or suppressive effects on differentiation were observed compared to if the thermal challenge was applied only during differentiation in both lines. Expression of myoblast determination protein 1 during proliferation showed a higher increase in the NC line compared to the RBC2 line at 43 °C. Increased myogenin expression was observed in all hot treatment groups in the NC line but was only observed in the RBC2 line if the hot treatment was administered throughout proliferation and differentiation. Cold treatment suppressed myogenin expression independent of line. These results suggest turkey P. major muscle SCs are more sensitive to environmental temperatures during proliferation, and SCs from growth-selected NC turkeys are more sensitive to thermal stress compared to the RBC2 turkeys.

Response of turkey muscle satellite cells to thermal challenge. I. transcriptome effects in proliferating cells.

BACKGROUND: Climate change poses a multi-dimensional threat to food and agricultural systems as a result of increased risk to animal growth, development, health, and food product quality. This study was designed to characterize transcriptional changes induced in turkey muscle satellite cells cultured under cold or hot thermal challenge to better define molecular mechanisms by which thermal stress alters breast muscle ultrastructure. RESULTS: Satellite cells isolated from the pectoralis major muscle of 7-weeks-old male turkeys from two breeding lines (16 weeks body weight-selected and it's randombred control) were proliferated in culture at 33 °C, 38 °C or 43 °C for 72 h. Total RNA was isolated and 12 libraries subjected to RNAseq analysis. Statistically significant differences in gene expression were observed among treatments and between turkey lines with a greater number of genes altered by cold treatment than by hot and fewer differences observed between lines than between temperatures. Pathway analysis found that cold treatment resulted in an overrepresentation of genes involved in cell signaling/signal transduction and cell communication/cell signaling as compared to control (38 °C). Heat-treated muscle satellite cells showed greater tendency towards expression of genes related to muscle system development and differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates significant transcriptome effects on turkey skeletal muscle satellite cells exposed to thermal challenge. Additional effects on gene expression could be attributed to genetic selection for 16 weeks body weight (muscle mass). New targets are identified for further research on the differential control of satellite cell proliferation in poultry.

Measuring emotions during epistemic activities: the Epistemically-Related Emotion Scales.

Measurement instruments assessing multiple emotions during epistemic activities are largely lacking. We describe the construction and validation of the Epistemically-Related Emotion Scales, which measure surprise, curiosity, enjoyment, confusion, anxiety, frustration, and boredom occurring during epistemic cognitive activities. The instrument was tested in a multinational study of emotions during learning from conflicting texts (N = 438 university students from the United States, Canada, and Germany). The findings document the reliability, internal validity, and external validity of the instrument. A seven-factor model best fit the data, suggesting that epistemically-related emotions should be conceptualised in terms of discrete emotion categories, and the scales showed metric invariance across the North American and German samples. Furthermore, emotion scores changed over time as a function of conflicting task information and related significantly to perceived task value and use of cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies.

Consumer acceptance and aroma characterization of navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) powders prepared by extrusion and conventional processing methods.

BACKGROUND: Food products produced with bean ingredients are gaining in popularity among consumers due to the reported health benefits. Navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) powder produced through extrusion can be considered as a resource-efficient alternative to conventional methods, which often involve high water inputs. Therefore, navy bean powders produced with extrusion and conventional methods were assessed for the impact of processing on consumer liking in end-use products and odor-active compounds. RESULTS: Consumer acceptance results reveal significant differences in flavor, texture and overall acceptance scores of several products produced with navy bean powder. Crackers produced with extruded navy bean powder received higher hedonic flavor ratings than those produced with commercial navy bean powder (P < 0.001). GC-O data showed that the commercial powder produced through conventional processing had much greater contents of several aliphatic aldehydes commonly formed via lipid oxidation, such as hexanal, octanal and nonanal with descriptors of 'grassy', 'nutty', 'fruity', 'dusty', and 'cleaner', compared to the extruded powder. CONCLUSION: Extrusion processed navy bean powders were preferred over commercial powders for certain navy bean powder applications. This is best explained by substantial differences in aroma profiles of the two powders that may have been caused by lipid oxidation. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

I.v. contrast administration with dual source 128-MDCT: a randomized controlled study comparing 18-gauge nonfenestrated and 20-gauge fenestrated catheters for catheter placement success, infusion rate, image quality, and complications.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of a 20-gauge fenestrated catheter with an 18-gauge nonfenestrated catheter for i.v. contrast infusion during MDCT. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Two hundred five adult outpatients imaged on a dual-source 128-MDCT scanner with arterial phase body CT (flow rates, 5.0-7.5 mL/s) were randomized to either an 18-gauge nonfenestrated or 20-gauge fenestrated catheter. After randomization, any 18-gauge nonfenestrated subjects whose veins were deemed insufficient for that catheter gauge were assigned to a third cohort for placement of a 20-gauge fenestrated catheter. Catheter placement success, infusion rate, contrast volume, maximum pressure, complications, and aortic enhancement levels were recorded. RESULTS: Catheters were placed on the first attempt in 97% (100/103) for 18-gauge nonfenestrated and 94% (96/102) for 20-gauge fenestrated placements and in two or fewer attempts in 99% of both groups. Mean infusion rates (5.74 mL/s for 18-gauge nonfenestrated and 5.58 mL/s for 20-gauge fenestrated placements) and aortic enhancement levels were not significantly different. Maximum pressure was higher with 20-gauge fenestrated catheters (mean ± SD, 230.5 ± 27.6 pounds per square inch [psi]) than 18-gauge nonfenestrated catheters (mean ± SD 215.6 ± 32.8 psi) (p = 0.002). One subject with an 18-gauge nonfenestrated catheter had a high-pressure alarm. In the third cohort, a 20-gauge fenestrated catheter was successfully placed in two or fewer attempts in 85% (28/33), with one minor extravasation attributed to vein insufficiency. CONCLUSION: A 20-gauge fenestrated catheter performs similarly to an 18-gauge nonfenestrated catheter with respect to i.v. contrast infusion rates and aortic enhancement levels and can be placed in most subjects whose veins are deemed insufficient for an 18-gauge catheter.

Stress appraisal in the workplace and its associations with productivity and mood: Insights from a multimodal machine learning analysis.

Previous studies have primarily focused on predicting stress arousal, encompassing physiological, behavioral, and psychological responses to stressors, while neglecting the examination of stress appraisal. Stress appraisal involves the cognitive evaluation of a situation as stressful or non-stressful, and as a threat/pressure or a challenge/opportunity. In this study, we investigated several research questions related to the association between states of stress appraisal (i.e., boredom, eustress, coexisting eustress-distress, distress) and various factors such as stress levels, mood, productivity, physiological and behavioral responses, as well as the most effective ML algorithms and data signals for predicting stress appraisal. The results support the Yerkes-Dodson law, showing that a moderate stress level is associated with increased productivity and positive mood, while low and high levels of stress are related to decreased productivity and negative mood, with distress overpowering eustress when they coexist. Changes in stress appraisal relative to physiological and behavioral features were examined through the lenses of stress arousal, activity engagement, and performance. An XGBOOST model achieved the best prediction accuracies of stress appraisal, reaching 82.78% when combining physiological and behavioral features and 79.55% using only the physiological dataset. The small accuracy difference of 3% indicates that physiological data alone may be adequate to accurately predict stress appraisal, and the feature importance results identified electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and blood volume pulse as the most useful physiologic features. Implementing these models within work environments can serve as a foundation for designing workplace policies, practices, and stress management strategies that prioritize the promotion of eustress while reducing distress and boredom. Such efforts can foster a supportive work environment to enhance employee well-being and productivity.

John Gergely (1919-2013): a pillar in the muscle protein field.

Dr. John Gergely passed away on July 26, 2013 after a long and distinguished career. His publications spanned 67 years. He founded the Department of Muscle Research in the Retina Foundation (which later became the Boston Biomedical Research Institute) and served as director for 34 years. Dr. Gergely served on the editorial boards of ten scientific journals. He was elected as a Fellow of both the Biophysical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Gergely made major contributions concerning muscle protein structure and function. He was best known for his work on the troponin complex. The insights of John and his associates have provided the foundation for our understanding of calcium regulation in skeletal and cardiac muscle.

Function of death-associated protein 1 in proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of chicken satellite cells.

INTRODUCTION: Muscle growth and regeneration are processes closely associated with proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of muscle cells. Death-associated protein 1 (DAP1) has been identified as a negative regulator of autophagy. Little is known about the function of DAP1 in the regulation of myogenesis and satellite cells. METHODS: Chicken satellite cells were transfected with DAP1 cloned into the pCMS-enhanced green fluorescent protein vector or pcDNA3.1 vector, or a small interference RNA against the endogenous DAP1 gene. The cells were assayed for proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. RESULTS: The overexpression of DAP1 increased proliferation, differentiation, and myotube diameter, but it had no effect on satellite cell apoptosis. In contrast, knockdown of DAP1 significantly decreased proliferation, differentiation, and number of nuclei per myotube, and it increased apoptosis of the cells. CONCLUSION: DAP1 is required for regulating myogenesis and apoptosis of satellite cells, which may affect muscle mass accretion and regeneration, and ameliorate muscle sarcopenia.

Have early postoperative complications from laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery improved over the past 20 years?

AIM: Laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery has been increasingly used since 1991 following the publication of the first case series. Since then, several studies have confirmed that laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer is challenging with associated morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine if the rates of early postoperative complications in laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery have improved over the past 20 years. METHOD: A literature search of the EMBASE and MEDLINE databases between August 1991 and August 2011 was conducted using the keywords laparoscopy, rectal cancer and postoperative complications. Data were analysed using linear regression ANOVA performed in GNUMERICS software. RESULTS: Ninety-seven studies were included for analysis. Over the last 20 years there has been no significant change in the rate of any early postoperative complications (anastomotic leak, conversion, sexual, urinary or faecal dysfunction, wound infection, overall morbidity or mortality). However, in the last 3 years, the rate of positive resection margins has decreased significantly (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: There was no evidence of a statistically significant change in early postoperative complications until 3 years ago. This may reflect the inherent morbidity associated with rectal surgery regardless of the approach used, the limitations of the current laparoscopic instrumentation or the relatively long learning curve. With increasing experience, a repeat analysis in the near future following the publication of ongoing randomized clinical trials might show improved outcomes.

Differential effects of temperature and mTOR and Wnt-planar cell polarity pathways on syndecan-4 and CD44 expression in growth-selected turkey satellite cell populations.

Satellite cells (SCs) comprise a heterogeneous population of muscle stem cells. Thermal stress during the first week after hatch alters proliferation, myogenesis, and adipogenesis of SCs of turkey pectoralis major (p. major) muscle via mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus integration site family/planar cell polarity (Wnt/PCP) pathways. Pivotal genes in mTOR and Wnt/PCP pathways are mTOR and frizzled-7 (Fzd7), respectively. The objective of this study was to determine the differential effects of thermal stress on SDC4 and CD44 expression in turkey p. major muscle SCs and how the expression of SDC4 and CD44 is modulated by the mTOR and Wnt/PCP pathways. Satellite cells were isolated from the p. major muscle of 1-week-old faster-growing modern-commercial (NC) turkeys and slower-growing historic Randombred Control Line 2 (RBC2) turkeys, and were challenged with hot (43°C) and cold (33°C) thermal stress for 72 h of proliferation followed by 48 h of differentiation. The NC line SCs were found to contain a lower proportion of SDC4 positive and CD44 negative (SDC4+CD44-) cells and a greater proportion of SDC4 negative and CD44 positive (SDC4-CD44+) cells compared to the RBC2 line at the control temperature (38°C) at both 72 h of proliferation and 48 h of differentiation. In general, at 72 h of proliferation, the proportion of SDC4+CD44- cells decreased with heat stress (43°C) and increased with cold stress (33°C) relative to the control temperature (38°C) in both lines, whereas the proportion of SDC4-CD44+ cells increased with heat stress and decreased with cold stress. In general, the expression of SDC4 and CD44 in the NC SCs showed greater response to both hot and cold thermal stress compared to the RBC2 cells. Knockdown of mTOR or Fzd7 expression increased the proportion of SDC4+CD44- cells while the proportion of SDC4-CD44+ cells decreased during differentiation with line differences being specific to treatment temperatures. Thus, differential composition of p. major muscle SCs in growth-selected commercial turkey may be resulted, in part, from the alteration in SDC4 and CD44 expression. Results indicate differential temperature sensitivity and mTOR and Wnt/PCP pathway responses of growth-selected SC populations and this may have long-lasting effect on muscle development and growth.

Customizing virtual interpersonal skills training applications may not improve trainee performance.

While some theoretical perspectives imply that the context of a virtual training should be customized to match the intended context where those skills would ultimately be applied, others suggest this might not be necessary for learning. It is important to determine whether manipulating context matters for performance in training applications because customized virtual training systems made for specific use cases are more costly than generic "off-the-shelf" ones designed for a broader set of users. Accordingly, we report a study where military cadets use a virtual platform to practice their negotiation skills, and are randomly assigned to one of two virtual context conditions: military versus civilian. Out of 28 measures capturing performance in the negotiation, there was only one significant result: cadets in the civilian condition politely ask the agent to make an offer significantly more than those in the military condition. These results imply that-for this interpersonal skills application, and perhaps ones like it-virtual context may matter very little for performance during social skills training, and that commercial systems may yield real benefits to military scenarios with little-to-no modification.

Expression of miRNAs in turkey muscle satellite cells and differential response to thermal challenge.

Thermal stress alters the transcriptome and subsequent tissue physiology of poultry; thus, it can negatively impact poultry production through reduced meat quality, egg production, and health and wellbeing. The modulation of gene expression is critical to embryonic development and cell proliferation, and growing evidence suggests the role of non-coding RNAs (RNA:RNA interaction) in response to thermal stress in animals. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) comprise a class of small regulatory RNAs that modulate gene expression through posttranscriptional interactions and regulate mRNAs, potentially altering numerous cellular processes. This study was designed to identify and characterize the differential expression of miRNAs in satellite cells (SCs) from the turkey pectoralis major muscle and predict important miRNA:mRNA interactions in these developing SCs under a thermal challenge. Small RNA sequencing was performed on RNA libraries prepared from SCs cultured from 1-week-old male Nicholas commercial turkeys (NCTs) and non-selected Randombred Control Line 2 turkeys during proliferation and differentiation at the control temperature (38°C) or under a thermal challenge (33°C or 43°C). A total of 353 miRNAs (161 known and 192 novel) were detected across the sequenced libraries. Expression analysis found fewer differentially expressed miRNAs in the SCs of NCT birds, suggesting that the miRNA response to heat stress has been altered in birds selected for their modern commercial growth traits. Differentially expressed miRNAs, including those with described roles in muscle development, were detected both among temperature treatments and between genetic lines. A prominent differential expression of miR-206 was found in proliferating turkey SCs with a significant response to thermal challenges in both lines. In differentiating SCs, isoforms of miR-1 had significant differential responses, with the expression of miR-206 being mainly affected only by cold treatment. Target gene predictions and Gene Ontology analysis suggest that the differential expression of miRNAs during thermal stress could significantly affect cellular proliferation and differentiation.

Corrigendum: Flattening the COVID-19 curve: Emotions mediate the effects of a persuasive message on preventive action.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1047241.].

Thermal stress affects proliferation and differentiation of turkey satellite cells through the mTOR/S6K pathway in a growth-dependent manner.

Satellite cells (SCs) are stem cells responsible for post-hatch muscle growth through hypertrophy and in birds are sensitive to thermal stress during the first week after hatch. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, which is highly responsive to thermal stress in differentiating turkey pectoralis major (p. major) muscle SCs, regulates protein synthesis and the activities of SCs through a downstream effector, S6 kinase (S6K). The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the effect of heat (43°C) and cold (33°C) stress on activity of the mTOR/S6K pathway in SCs isolated from the p. major muscle of one-week-old faster-growing modern commercial (NC) turkeys compared to those from slower-growing Randombred Control Line 2 (RBC2) turkeys, and 2) to assess the effect of mTOR knockdown on the proliferation, differentiation, and expression of myogenic regulatory factors of the SCs. Heat stress increased phosphorylation of both mTOR and S6K in both turkey lines, with greater increases observed in the RBC2 line. With cold stress, greater reductions in mTOR and S6K phosphorylation were observed in the NC line. Early knockdown of mTOR decreased proliferation, differentiation, and expression of myoblast determination protein 1 and myogenin in both lines independent of temperature, with the RBC2 line showing greater reductions in proliferation and differentiation than the NC line at 38° and 43°C. Proliferating SCs are more dependent on mTOR/S6K-mediated regulation than differentiating SCs. Thus, thermal stress can affect breast muscle hypertrophic potential by changing satellite cell proliferation and differentiation, in part, through the mTOR/S6K pathway in a growth-dependent manner. These changes may result in irreversible effects on the development and growth of the turkey p. major muscle.

Optimizing climate change communication: Context Comparison Model method.

The Context Comparison Model (CCM) provides a promising avenue to guide persuasive communication development by highlighting the features of the communication context that require consideration, including source, target, and task variables. The model was tested in a study of global climate change. American participants read a text outlining scientific evidence for global climate change and a policy proposal to mitigate future climate change. Prior to reading the text, participants' completed measures of their political affiliation (Republican, Democrats, Independent or Other) to render their group memberships salient. They were randomly assigned to one of four source conditions: (a) ingroup minority; (b) ingroup majority; (c) outgroup minority; or (d) outgroup minority. Participants completed pre- and post-measures of attitudes and the plausibility of climate change. Pretest scores revealed that global climate change attitudes were held less strongly by Republicans than Democrats. In line with expectations, participants' subjective attitudes were more influenced by ingroup sources, and larger persuasive effects were obtained for ingroup minorities. For the plausibility of climate change, participants were more persuaded by an outgroup source, and larger effects were evident for outgroup majorities. Results were precisely predicted by the CCM. Their implications for science communication were discussed.

Thermal stress and selection for growth affect myogenic satellite cell lipid accumulation and adipogenic gene expression through mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway.

Satellite cells (SCs) are multipotential stem cells having the plasticity to convert to an adipogenic lineage in response to thermal stress during the period of peak mitotic activity (the first week after hatch in poultry). The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which regulates cellular function and fate of SCs, is greatly altered by thermal stress in turkey pectoralis major muscle SCs. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of thermal stress, selection for growth, and the role of the mTOR pathway on SC intracellular lipid accumulation and expression of adipogenic regulatory genes. These effects were analyzed using SCs isolated from the pectoralis major muscle of 1-wk-old modern faster-growing commercial turkey line (NC) selected for increased growth and breast muscle yield as compared with SCs of a historic slower-growing Randombred Control Line 2 (RBC2) turkey. Heat stress (43 °C) of SCs during proliferation increased intracellular lipid accumulation (P < 0.001), whereas cold stress (33 °C) showed an inhibitory effect (P < 0.001) in both lines. Knockdown of mTOR reduced the intracellular lipid accumulation (P < 0.001) and suppressed the expression of several adipogenic regulatory genes: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ; P < 0.001), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-ß (C/EBPß; P < 0.001), and neuropeptide-Y (NPY; P < 0.001) during both proliferation and differentiation. The NC line SCs showed fewer reductions in lipid accumulation compared with the RBC2 line independent of temperature. Both intracellular lipid accumulation (P < 0.001) and PPARγ expression (P < 0.001) were greater at 72 h of proliferation than at 48 h of differentiation in both the RBC2 and NC lines independent of temperature. Thus, hot and cold thermal stress affected intracellular lipid accumulation in the pectoralis major muscle SCs, in part, through the mTOR pathway in wea growth-dependent manner. Altered intracellular lipid accumulation could eventually affect intramuscular fat deposition, resulting in a long-lasting effect on the structure and protein to fat ratio of the poultry pectoralis major muscle.

Turkey breast muscle growth and development are sensitive to temperatures immediately after hatch due to an immature thermoregulatory system. Meat yield or quality problems may arise from external thermal stress during this period. Modern commercial turkeys are selected for increased growth and breast muscle yield. However, with excessive enlargement of muscle fibers, there are increased incidences of muscle damage and fat deposition in the breast muscle. The breast meat can be downgraded due to the meat quality problems. Satellite cells (SCs) are the only source of cells responsible for post-hatch muscle growth in poultry, and they are sensitive to temperature. This study identifies the cellular mechanisms in regulating thermal stress-induced fat synthesis in turkey breast muscle SCs. The results of the current study provide insight into how thermal stress and selection for rapid growth affect the fat content in SCs. These results have potential application in the development of temperature manipulation strategies to control fat production by SCs, which will impact poultry breast meat quality.

Temperature and Growth Selection Effects on Proliferation, Differentiation, and Adipogenic Potential of Turkey Myogenic Satellite Cells Through Frizzled-7-Mediated Wnt Planar Cell Polarity Pathway.

Satellite cells (SCs) are a heterogeneous population of multipotential stem cells. During the first week after hatch, satellite cell function and fate are sensitive to temperature. Wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus integration site family/planar cell polarity (Wnt/PCP) signaling pathway is significantly affected by thermal stress in turkey pectoralis major (p. major) muscle SCs. This pathway regulates the activity of SCs through a frizzled-7 (Fzd7) cell surface receptor and two intracellular effectors, rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) and c-Jun. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of thermal stress, growth selection, and the Fzd7-mediated Wnt/PCP pathway on proliferation, myogenic differentiation, lipid accumulation, and expression of myogenic and adipogenic regulatory genes. These effects were evaluated in SCs isolated from the p. major muscle of 1-week faster-growing modern commercial (NC) line of turkeys as compared to SCs of a slower-growing historic Randombred Control Line 2 (RBC2) turkey line. Heat stress (43°C) increased phosphorylation of both ROCK and c-Jun with greater increases observed in the RBC2 line. Cold stress (33°C) had an inhibitory effect on both ROCK and c-Jun phosphorylation with the NC line showing greater reductions. Knockdown of the expression of Fzd7 decreased proliferation, differentiation, and expression of myogenic regulatory genes: myoblast determination factor-1 and myogenin in both lines. Both lipid accumulation and expression of adipogenic regulatory genes: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-ß, and neuropeptide-Y were suppressed with the Fzd7 knockdown. The RBC2 line was more dependent on the Fzd7-mediated Wnt/PCP pathway for proliferation, differentiation, and lipid accumulation compared to the NC line. Thus, thermal stress may affect poultry breast muscle growth potential and protein to fat ratio by altering function and fate of SCs through the Fzd7-mediated Wnt/PCP pathway in a growth-dependent manner.

The impact of security countermeasures on human behavior during active shooter incidents.

Active shooter incidents represent an increasing threat to American society, especially in commercial and educational buildings. In recent years, a wide variety of security countermeasures have been recommended by public and governmental agencies. Many of these countermeasures are aimed to increase building security, yet their impact on human behavior when an active shooter incident occurs remains underexplored. To fill this research gap, we conducted virtual experiments to evaluate the impact of countermeasures on human behavior during active shooter incidents. A total of 162 office workers and middle/high school teachers were recruited to respond to an active shooter incident in virtual office and school buildings with or without the implementation of multiple countermeasures. The experiment results showed countermeasures significantly influenced participants' response time and decisions (e.g., run, hide, fight). Participants' responses and perceptions of the active shooter incident were also contingent on their daily roles, as well as building and social contexts. Teachers had more concerns for occupants' safety than office workers. Moreover, teachers had more positive perceptions of occupants in the school, whereas office workers had more positive perceptions of occupants in the office.

Transcriptome Response of Differentiating Muscle Satellite Cells to Thermal Challenge in Commercial Turkey.

Early muscle development involves the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells (satellite cells, SCs) in the mesoderm to form multinucleated myotubes that mature into muscle fibers and fiber bundles. Proliferation of SCs increases the number of cells available for muscle formation while simultaneously maintaining a population of cells for future response. Differentiation dramatically changes properties of the SCs and environmental stressors can have long lasting effects on muscle growth and physiology. This study was designed to characterize transcriptional changes induced in turkey SCs undergoing differentiation under thermal challenge. Satellite cells from the pectoralis major (p. major) muscle of 1-wk old commercial fast-growing birds (Nicholas turkey, NCT) and from a slower-growing research line (Randombred Control Line 2, RBC2) were proliferated for 72 h at 38 °C and then differentiated for 48 h at 33 °C (cold), 43 °C (hot) or 38 °C (control). Gene expression among thermal treatments and between turkey lines was examined by RNAseq to detect significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Cold treatment resulted in significant gene expression changes in the SCs from both turkey lines, with the primary effect being down regulation of the DEGs with overrepresentation of genes involved in regulation of skeletal muscle tissue regeneration and sarcomere organization. Heat stress increased expression of genes reported to regulate myoblast differentiation and survival and to promote cell adhesion particularly in the NCT line. Results suggest that growth selection in turkeys has altered the developmental potential of SCs in commercial birds to increase hypertrophic potential of the p. major muscle and sarcomere assembly. The biology of SCs may account for the distinctly different outcomes in response to thermal challenge on breast muscle growth, development, and structure of the turkey.