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Lassa fever is a zoonotic viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa. Currently, no approved and commercially available human vaccine exists to prevent Lassa fever. In addition to human vaccines to control Lassa fever, research efforts have suggested that vaccination of the reservoir host rodent species may be an effective alternative, especially new vaccine technologies such as self-spreading or transmissible vaccines. To date, very little research exists related to the sociological barriers to adoption of wildlife vaccination or perceptions of these new vaccine technologies in West Africa. To identify effective intervention strategies including development of reservoir host vaccination by both traditional and potentially self-disseminating approaches, this study sought to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of community members and other key stakeholders.To assess these factors, 203 individual interviews and 20 focus group discussions were conducted across 22 communities in Sierra Leone and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Survey participants were asked questions related to their previous experiences with human and animal vaccines, knowledge and risk perception of viral disease, and willingness for nearby wildlife to receive traditional and self-disseminating vaccines.Almost all study participants (94%) were aware of Lassa fever, although the majority (62%) perceived the disease to be low risk. However, this perception was not correlated with a hesitancy toward preventive measures, as 94% of respondents said they would accept a human Lassa fever vaccine if offered and 98% said they would allow rodents in their homes to be vaccinated. Out of the 203 individuals surveyed, 201 said they would allow rodents to receive a self-disseminating vaccine if it would prevent disease. While attitudes toward self-spreading or transmissible vaccination are generally positive, respondents raised genuine concerns about the feasibility of the technology, its impact on traditional consumption of rodent meat, and potential negative effects to adjacent animal and human populations. Focus group discussions revealed further cultural considerations tied to vaccine hesitancy, including the impact of community education, role of religion, and best communication platforms for health messaging.This study suggests that when developing new disease prevention technologies, it is critical to work together with intended beneficiaries, socialize key concepts, and co-create strategies that effectively address all concerns to health, safety, and equity. Additionally, the high levels of trust and reliance on hierarchical systems of power and responsibility in study communities point to the essential need for robust regulatory frameworks to guide the development and potential implementation of new technologies. Further participatory research is needed to expand upon the findings of this study and continue developing shared knowledge and understandings of community knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and practices related to viral zoonotic disease and human and animal vaccines.

THIS INSTRUCTIONAL MANUAL WAS PREPARED FOR COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS WHO WISH TO ESTABLISH AUTOINSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS IN LANGUAGES NOT OFFERED IN THE REGULAR CLASS SCHEDULES OF THEIR INSTITUTIONS. SUCH PROGRAMS WOULD EMPHASIZE INDEPENDENT STUDY WITH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TEXTS AND TAPE RECORDINGS, AND PRONUNCIATION DRILLS SUPERVISED BY NATIVE SPEAKERS (FOREIGN STUDENTS). OVERALL EMPHASIS WOULD BE PLACED ON LISTENING COMPREHENSION AND SPEAKING, WITH SECONDARY IMPORTANCE GIVEN TO WRITING. FIVE SUCH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS WERE SET UP AND EVALUATED FOR FIVE ACADEMIC QUARTERS AT KALAMAZOO COLLEGE IN MICHIGAN. AN EVALUATION OF THIS "NEGLECTED LANGUAGE PROGRAM" (NLP) CAN BE FOUND IN ED 010 401. (JH)

A SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE, AND LARGELY SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED AND EVALUATED FOR FIVE ACADEMIC QUARTERS AT KALAMAZOO COLLEGE IN MICHIGAN. THE PROGRAM WAS CALLED THE "NEGLECTED LANGUAGE PROGRAM" (NLP) AND OFFERED INSTRUCTION IN MANDARIN CHINESE, JAPANESE, HINDI-URDU, PERSIAN, SWAHILI, AND BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE. ITS PURPOSE WAS TO LAY A FOUNDATION OF ORAL COMPETENCE IN THE LANGUAGES ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO THE BEGINNING THREE TERMS OF FORMAL INSTRUCTION ELSEWHERE. STUDENTS WHO ACQUIRED THIS BASIC COMPETENCE WOULD THEN BE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE THEIR LANGUAGE STUDY AT AN INSTITUTION WHERE FORMAL INSTRUCTION COULD BE OFFERED. DURING 5 QUARTERS, 23 CAREFULLY SCREENED STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM BY TAKING, FOR REGULAR ACADEMIC CREDIT, FROM 2 TO 4 QUARTERS OF ONE OF THE LANGUAGES OFFERED. WORKING AT THEIR OWN SPEED WITH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS AND WITH FOREIGN STUDENTS (ACTING AS PRONUNCIATION DRILL MASTERS, NOT AS INSTRUCTORS), THESE STUDENTS CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED THEIR ABILITY TO KEEP UP WITH FIRST- AND SECOND-YEAR SPOKEN LANGUAGE CLASSES TAUGHT BY LIVE INSTRUCTORS ELSEWHERE. SELF-INSTRUCTION IN THE WRITING SYSTEMS OF THE LANGUAGES ALSO YIELDED SATISFACTORY RESULTS, BUT PRIMARY EMPHASIS CONTINUED TO BE PLACED ON LISTENING COMPREHENSION AND SPEAKING. REFER TO ED 010 402 FOR A MANUAL PREPARED FOR DIRECTORS OF SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMS. (JH)

The National Council of Associations for International Studies, composed of 11 regional associations encompassing over 400 U.S. colleges and universities, has published this revised edition (see ED 010 402 for first edition) for two reasons: (1) the self-instructional approach to language teaching represents a significant breakthrough in the ability of institutions to offer "critical" languages as part of their regular academic programs; and (2) the National Council is sponsoring a nation-wide program of self-instruction in critical languages with the author (director of the Center for Critical Languages, SUNY at Buffalo) as general consultant. The author prepared this manual for college administrators who wish to establish auto-instructional programs in languages not offered in the regular class schedules of their institutions. Procedures for selecting languages, ordering materials and equipment, recruiting native speakers and students, orientation and observation of students, testing, and other activities related to the implementing of the program, are discussed. Also included are data on texts, tapes, tests, and reports. A December 1969 listing of 44 institutions offering self-instruction in one or more languages (Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, Swahili, Arabic and Vietnamese) concludes the manual. (AMM)

SNARE proteins are integral to intracellular vesicular trafficking, which in turn is the process underlying the regulated expression of substrate transporters such as the glucose transporter GLUT4 at the cell surface of insulin target tissues. Impaired insulin stimulated GLUT4 trafficking is associated with reduced cardiac function in many disease states, most notably diabetes. Despite this, our understanding of the expression and regulation of SNARE proteins in cardiac tissue and how these may change in diabetes is limited. Here we characterize the array of SNARE proteins expressed in cardiac tissue, and quantify the levels of expression of VAMP2, SNAP23, and Syntaxin4—key proteins involved in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation. We examined SNARE protein levels in cardiac tissue from two rodent models of insulin resistance, db/db mice and high-fat fed mice, and show alterations in patterns of expression are evident. Such changes may have implications for cardiac function.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of heart failure and death worldwide. Preservation of contractile function and protection against adverse changes in ventricular architecture (cardiac remodeling) are key factors to limiting progression of this condition to heart failure. Consequently, new therapeutic targets are urgently required to achieve this aim. Expression of the Runx1 transcription factor is increased in adult cardiomyocytes following MI; however, the functional role of Runx1 in the heart is unknown.Methods—To address this question, we have generated a novel tamoxifen-inducible cardiomyocyte-specific Runx1-deficient mouse. Mice were subjected to MI by means of coronary artery ligation. Cardiac remodeling and contractile function were assessed extensively at the whole heart, cardiomyocyte and molecular levels.Results—Runx1 deficient mice were protected against adverse cardiac remodeling post-MI, maintaining ventricular wall thickness and contractile function. Furthermore, these mice lacked eccentric hypertrophy and their cardiomyocytes exhibited markedly improved calcium handling. At the mechanistic level, these effects were achieved through increased phosphorylation of phospholamban by PKA and relief of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump (SERCA) inhibition. Enhanced SERCA activity in Runx1 deficient mice increased sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium content and sarcoplasmic reticulum-mediated calcium release, preserving cardiomyocyte contraction post-MI.Conclusions—Our data identified Runx1 as a novel therapeutic target with translational potential to counteract the effects of adverse cardiac remodeling, thereby improving survival and quality of life among patients with MI.