Publications by authors named "Laurie Graham"

Alanine-rich, alpha-helical type I antifreeze proteins (AFPs) in fishes are thought to have arisen independently in the last 30 Ma on at least four occasions. This hypothesis has recently been proven for flounder and sculpin AFPs, which both originated by gene duplication and divergence followed by substantial gene copy number expansion. Here, we examined the origins of the cunner (wrasse) and snailfish (liparid) AFPs.

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  • Sexual violence (SV) is a major public health issue worldwide, with traditional legal remedies often being the primary response; restorative justice (RJ) may offer a more effective alternative that aligns better with the needs of survivors.
  • A study conducted 24 interviews with RJ practitioners and researchers across six countries to explore the implementation and success factors of RJ in addressing sexual harm, identifying both benefits and challenges in the process.
  • Findings indicated that while RJ has shown anecdotal benefits, including participant satisfaction and coping skills, there is a notable lack of formal evaluation and research on best practices for utilizing RJ in cases of sexual violence.
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Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are found in a variety of marine cold-water fishes where they prevent freezing by binding to nascent ice crystals. Their diversity (types I, II, III and antifreeze glycoproteins), as well as their scattered taxonomic distribution hint at their complex evolutionary history. In particular, type I AFPs appear to have arisen in response to the Late Cenozoic Ice Age that began ~ 34 million years ago via convergence in four different groups of fish that diverged from lineages lacking this AFP.

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  • Bacterial adhesins play a crucial role in helping bacteria stick to surfaces for colonization, with specific ligand-binding domains at the end of long molecules.
  • Researchers utilized AlphaFold2 to model these large proteins, confirming that certain structural features distinguish ligand-binding domains from other types.
  • Identifying the ligands these domains attach to could lead to new strategies for preventing bacterial infections, and modifying these binding domains may change the surfaces bacteria can adhere to.
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  • The study explores the lack of guidance on implementing male-focused sexual and relationship violence prevention programs and aims to improve evaluation methods.
  • Through 20 interviews with leaders from community-based organizations and educational institutions, the research identifies strategies for engaging male participants in these programs.
  • Key findings highlight the necessity of addressing the specific needs of program participants, their parents or guardians, and the organizations hosting these programs.
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Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) bind to ice crystals to prevent organisms from freezing. A diversity of AFP folds has been found in fish and insects, including alpha helices, globular proteins, and several different beta solenoids. But the variety of AFPs in flightless arthropods, like Collembola, has not yet been adequately assessed.

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By preventing freezing, antifreeze proteins (AFPs) can permit cells and organs to be stored at subzero temperatures. As metabolic rates decrease with decreasing temperature, subzero static cold storage (SZ-SCS) could provide more time for tissue matching and potentially lead to fewer discarded organs. Human kidneys are generally stored for under 24 h and the tubule epithelium is known to be particularly sensitive to static cold storage (SCS).

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These proceedings contain presentation summaries and discussion highlights from the University of Maryland Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI) Workshop on Co-processed API, held on July 13 and 14, 2022. This workshop examined recent advances in the use of co-processed active pharmaceutical ingredients as a technology to improve drug substance physicochemical properties and drug product manufacturing process robustness, and explored proposals for enabling commercialization of these transformative technologies. Regulatory considerations were discussed with a focus on the classification, CMC strategies, and CMC documentation supporting the use of this class of materials from clinical studies through commercialization.

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Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) inhibit ice growth within fish and protect them from freezing in icy seawater. Alanine-rich, alpha-helical AFPs (type I) have independently (convergently) evolved in four branches of fishes, one of which is a subsection of the righteye flounders. The origin of this gene family has been elucidated by sequencing two loci from a starry flounder, Platichthys stellatus, collected off Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

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  • The herring genome assembly reveals that herring obtained its antifreeze protein gene through horizontal gene transfer.
  • This gene was then transferred to the smelt, further demonstrating how genetic material can move between species.
  • Evidence for this transfer includes specific transposable elements and the disruption of gene synteny which supports the direction of the gene transfer.
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Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) inhibit the growth of ice through surface adsorption. In some freeze-resistant fishes and insects, circulating IBPs serve as antifreeze proteins to stop ice growth by lowering the freezing point. Plants are less able to avoid freezing and some use IBPs to minimize the damage caused in the frozen state by ice recrystallization, which is the growth of large ice grains at the expense of small ones.

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  • A springtail species, Granisotoma rainieri, was found in snowy Hokkaido, Japan, displaying antifreeze properties that prevent ice crystal growth.
  • Researchers isolated glycine-rich proteins with molecular weights of approximately 6.9 and 9.6 kDa, with a focus on the 9.6 kDa protein, producing it for structural analysis.
  • The 9.6 kDa protein was characterized by a polyproline type II helical structure, revealing ice-binding capabilities that mimic ice-like water arrangements to aid in freezing prevention.
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Antifreeze proteins inhibit ice growth and are crucial for the survival of supercooled fish living in icy seawater. Of the four antifreeze protein types found in fishes, the globular type III from eelpouts is the one restricted to a single infraorder (Zoarcales), which is the only clade know to have antifreeze protein-producing species at both poles. Our analysis of over 60 unique antifreeze protein gene sequences from several Zoarcales species indicates this gene family arose around 18 Ma ago, in the Northern Hemisphere, supporting recent data suggesting that the Arctic Seas were ice-laden earlier than originally thought.

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Adolescent dating violence negatively affects millions of young people worldwide. Through a global systematic review, we synthesised evidence from rigorous studies of prevention programmes for adolescent dating violence. Our aims were to: (1) describe the breadth of research in this area and evidence of programme effects, and (2) identify gaps in the evidence base.

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The social work grand challenge to ensure healthy youth development necessarily involves a focus on violence prevention, including the prevention of sexual and dating violence during adolescence. The experience of sexual and dating violence is associated with numerous and often long-lasting detrimental mental, physical, and social outcomes, many of which this grand challenge seeks to prevent. Although evidence shows that gender is a critical axis of identity to consider in violence prevention research and practice efforts, gender is not a central lens applied in the field's approach to such issues within this grand challenge.

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Theories play an important role in guiding intimate partner homicide (IPH) prevention research and practice. This study is the first systematic review of theories employed to explain why someone might kill their intimate partner. This review used rigorous methods to locate and synthesize literature that described explanatory theories of IPH perpetration.

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The characterization of ice-binding proteins (IBPs) from plants can involve many techniques, a few of which are presented here. Chief among these methods are tests for ice recrystallization inhibition, an activity characteristic of plant IBPs. Two related procedures are described, both of which can be used to demonstrate and quantify ice-binding activity.

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