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The prolonged, postweaning fast of northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups is characterized by a reliance on lipid metabolism and reversible, fasting-induced insulin resistance, providing a unique model to examine the effects of insulin on lipid metabolism. We have previously shown that acute insulin infusion induced a shift in fatty acid metabolism dependent on fasting duration. This study complements the previous study by examining the effects of fasting duration and insulin infusion on circulating levels of oxylipins, bioactive metabolites derived from the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Northern elephant seal pups were studied at two postweaning periods (n = 5/period): early fasting (1-2 wk postweaning; 127 ± 1 kg) and late fasting (6-7 wk postweaning; 93 ± 4 kg). Different cohorts of pups were weighed, sedated, and infused with 65 mU/kg of insulin. Plasma was collected prior to infusion (T0) and at 10, 30, 60, and 120 min postinfusion. A profile of ∼80 oxylipins was analyzed by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Nine oxylipins changed between early and late fasting and eight were altered in response to insulin infusion. Fasting decreased prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) and increased 14,15-dihydroxyicosatrienoic acid (14,15-DiHETrE), 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), and 4-hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acid (4-HDoHE) (P < 0.03) in T0 samples, whereas insulin infusion resulted in an inverse change in area-under-the-curve (AUC) levels in these same metabolites (P < 0.05). In addition, 12-12-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HpETE) and 12-HETE decreased with fasting and insulin infusion, respectively (P < 0.04). The oxylipins altered during fasting and in response to insulin infusion may contribute to the manifestation of insulin resistance and participate in the metabolic regulation of associated cellular processes.

This case study describes the literacy development of a struggling reader over a seven-month period as he engaged in a youth-led participatory action research (PAR) project. The project's goal was for youth participants to develop a proposal for productive change in their local community and present it to community stakeholders. The study focused on ways the participants were supported in gaining skills in research, writing and oral communications. The study examines the process through which literacy skills improved for the youngest participant for whom the academic aspects of this project were extremely challenging. It describes curricular and pedagogical approaches during the process that led to his academic literacy improvements. Findings indicate the key components that increased this participant's literacy development were the caring, supportive environment that was established, an assets-based approach and apprenticeship model as well as connections of the research project to real world purposes. (Contains 2 tables.)

Practical theologian James E. Loder engaged in a sustained 40+ year conversation with some of the most significant figures in science in the 20th century to construct a neo-Chalcedonian practical theology with enormous implications for both the science-theology dialogue and for the Church's witness to the Gospel in a scientific world. This essay focuses primarily on how Loder engaged and appropriated the post-critical epistemology of Michael Polanyi for his own critical and constructive proposals for use in the theology-science dialogue. Loder's proposal is based on the analogia spiritus--the relationality that governs and guides divine-human knowing and being. The essay encourages those working in the science-theology dialogue to engage Loder's work as a whole, in part by including an annotated bibliography of Loder's relevant works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project utilized a cross-sectional study design to assess diabetes risk among 540 individuals from 12 counties using trained extension agents and community organizations in West Virginia. Individuals were screened for diabetes using (1) the validated 7-item diabetes risk assessment survey and (2) hemoglobin A1c tests. Demographic and lifestyle behaviors were also collected. The average age, body mass index, and A1c were 51.2±16.4, 31.1±7.5, and 5.8±0.74, respectively. The majority were females, Non-Hispanic Whites with no prior diagnosis of diabetes. Screenings showed that 61.8% of participants were at high risk for diabetes. Family history of diabetes (siblings or parents), overweight or obese status, sedentary lifestyle, and older age were commonly prevalent risk factors. Higher risk scores computed from the 7-item questions correlated positively with higher A1c (r=0.221, P<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analyses, higher diabetes risk was predicted by obesity, older age, family history of hypertension, and gestational diabetes. Females were 4 times at higher risk than males. The findings indicated that community-based screenings were an effective way to assess diabetes risk in rural West Virginia. Linking diabetes screenings with referrals to lifestyle programs for high risk individuals can help reduce the burden of diabetes in the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This field report describes the first youth-led coalition that connects youth action research and youth organizing across California's Central Valley, iEscuelas, Si! iPintas, No! (Schools, Yes! Prisons, No!--ESPINO). High school-aged youth hold all organizational leadership positions in ESPINO, and this report examines the opportunities and challenges this governance structure presents. The organization's success suggests practical implications for raising the levels of youth involvement in project governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]