Development of a rapid bioassessment method and index of biotic integrity for estuaries located along the northwest Gulf of Mexico

Recently it has been proposed that the evaluation of effects of pollutants on aquatic organisms can provide an early warning system of potential environmental and human health risks (NRC 1991). Unfortunately there are few methods available to aquatic biologists to conduct assessments of the effects of pollutants on aquatic animal community health. The primary goal of this research was to develop and evaluate the feasibility of such a method. Specifically, the primary objective of this study was to develop a prototype rapid bioassessment technique similar to the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for the upper Texas and Northwestern Gulf of Mexico coastal tributaries. The IBI consists of a series of "metrics" which describes specific attributes of the aquatic community. Each of these metrics are given a score which is then subtotaled to derive a total assessment of the "health" of the aquatic community. This IBI procedure may provide an additional assessment tool for professionals in water quality management.^ The experimental design consisted primarily of compiling previously collected data from monitoring conducted by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) at five bayous classified according to potential for anthropogenic impact and salinity regime. Standardized hydrological, chemical, and biological monitoring had been conducted in each of these watersheds. The identification and evaluation of candidate metrics for inclusion in the estuarine IBI was conducted through the use of correlation analysis, cluster analysis, stepwise and normal discriminant analysis, and evaluation of cumulative distribution frequencies. Scores of each included metric were determined based on exceedances of specific percentiles. Individual scores were summed and a total IBI score and rank for the community computed.^ Results of these analyses yielded the proposed metrics and rankings listed in this report. Based on the results of this study, incorporation of an estuarine IBI method as a water quality assessment tool is warranted. Adopted metrics were correlated to seasonal trends and less so to salinity gradients observed during the study (0-25 ppt). Further refinement of this method is needed using a larger more inclusive data set which includes additional habitat types, salinity ranges, and temporal variation. ^

Houston police officer attitudes towards the mentally ill: CIT trained and non-CIT trained

The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of police officer attitudes towards the mentally ill and what impact that might have on their behavior. Focused on the effects of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training on Houston police officers, this research wanted to determine if CIT training decreases attitudes of authoritarianism and increases attitudes of self-efficacy in dealing with the mentally ill—other factors assessed were age, years of service, ethnicity, and gender. Results confirmed that CIT training had an effect on an officer's attitudes with CIT officers being less authoritarian and having more self-efficacy with respect to dealing with the mentally ill as compared to non-CIT officers. Because of these results, this study could offer support in tailoring training programs to have successful officer-mentally ill person interactions. ^

The public health applications of law enforcement medical direction: A practical experience with the Dallas Police Department

In 2008, 132 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in The United States. Additionally, some have explored both the public health implications of interactions with law enforcement as well as the potential benefits of the use of law enforcement officers as public health and emergency healthcare providers. By virtue of these novel analyses and techniques, professional medical direction of the emerging specialty of law enforcement medicine is needed. This paper, an analysis of law enforcement medical direction through a look at the Dallas Police Medical Direction Program, seeks to examine origins of law enforcement medicine through a comprehensive literature review, as well as begin to define to core competencies of law enforcement medical direction. ^ The unique intersection of public health, medicine and law enforcement, and the subsequent specialty that is developing to manage this interface, is in its relative infancy. An analysis of this nature is in order to begin to lay down the foundations necessary for future study and improvements in the field. ^

The regulation of mTORC2 kinase activity and complex integrity

Growth factor signaling promotes anabolic processes via activation of the PI3K-Akt kinase cascade. Deregulation of the growth factor-dependent PI3K-Akt pathway was implicated in tumorigenesis. Akt is an essential serine/threonine protein kinase that controls multiple physiological functions such as cell growth, proliferation, and survival to maintain cellular homeostasis. Recently, the mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 2 (mTORC2) was identified as the main Akt Ser-473 kinase, and Ser-473 phosphorylation is required for Akt hyperactivation. However, the detailed mechanism of mTORC2 regulation in response to growth factor stimulation or cellular stresses is not well understood. In the first project, we studied the regulation of the mTORC2-Akt signaling under ER stress. We identified the inactivation of mTORC2 by glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Under ER stress, the essential mTORC2 component, rictor, is phosphorylated by GSK-3β at Ser-1235. This phosphorylation event results in the inhibition of mTORC2 kinase activity by interrupting Akt binding to mTORC2. Blocking rictor Ser-1235 phosphorylation can attenuate the negative impacts of GSK-3β on mTORC2/Akt signaling and tumor growth. Thus, our work demonstrated that GSK-3β-mediated rictor Ser-1235 phosphorylation in response to ER stress interferes with Akt signaling by inhibiting mTORC2 kinase activity. In the second project, I investigated the regulation of the mTORC2 integrity. We found that basal mTOR kinase activity depends on ATP level, which is tightly regulated by cell metabolism. The ATP-sensitive mTOR kinase is required for SIN1 protein phosphorylation and stabilization. SIN1 is an indispensable subunit of mTORC2 and is required for the complex assembly and mTORC2 kinase activity. Our findings reveal that mTOR-mediated phosphorylation of SIN1 is critical for maintaining complex integrity by preventing SIN1 from lysosomal degradation. In sum, our findings verify two distinct mTORC2 regulatory mechanisms via its components rictor and SIN1. First, GSK-3β-mediated rictor Ser-1235 phosphorylation results in mTORC2 inactivation by interfering its substrate binding ability. Second, mTOR-mediated Ser-260 phosphorylation of SIN1 preserves its complex integrity. Thus, these two projects provide novel insights into the regulation of mTORC2.

Assessing Treatment Integrity: A Case Example

This paper presents an example of assessing treatment integrity as part of an experimental study of home-based, intensive family preservation services (IFPS). Participants were 103 IFPS workers and 24 state public child welfare agency workers (FC). The structured, self-report questionnaire included questions about specific components of the services, as well as the characteristics of the family and the workers themselves. Findings suggest that IFPS workers delivered services according to the treatment model guidelines. The procedure yielded a good estimate of whether the structural components of treatment were delivered according to the model as delineated in the treatment manual. The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to assessing treatment integrity.