WSU Research News, Fall 2012

A twenty-four page newsletter of the WSU Research News. The WSU Research News was published monthly beginning in June of 1968 and issued by the Office of Research Development. This newsletter was created to provide information to the WSU faculty about the availability of outside funds for research and educational programs, new developments that may affect availability of funds, and general information on research and educational activities at Wright State University.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/wsu_research_news/1205/thumbnail.jp

WSU Research News, Winter/Spring 2011

A twenty-four page newsletter of the WSU Research News. The WSU Research News was published monthly beginning in June of 1968 and issued by the Office of Research Development. This newsletter was created to provide information to the WSU faculty about the availability of outside funds for research and educational programs, new developments that may affect availability of funds, and general information on research and educational activities at Wright State University.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/wsu_research_news/1202/thumbnail.jp

WSU Research News, Winter 2007

A sixteen page newsletter of the WSU Research News. The WSU Research News was published monthly beginning in June of 1968 and issued by the Office of Research Development. This newsletter was created to provide information to the WSU faculty about the availability of outside funds for research and educational programs, new developments that may affect availability of funds, and general information on research and educational activities at Wright State University.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/wsu_research_news/1195/thumbnail.jp

IMSA360: Winter 2010

Thanks to our visionary partners and supporters, IMSA is pushing the boundaries of education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Their resources have had a powerful impact on campus and also have expanded our capacity to design and deliver innovative STEM programs to educators and students in Illinois and beyond. In this issue, you will learn how IMSA and the IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education, our 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity, work with educational, business and entrepreneurial partners to re-imagine innovative models for STEM education. For example, corporate support for IMSA’s Energy Center is enabling a project that involves IMSA with The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China and the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia. Students from these educational institutions are working together to convert Miscanthus to butanol and develop simulations of efficient high altitude wind turbines. Through support from the State of Illinois, the Abbott Fund and the Tellabs Foundation, CoolHub.IMSA provides an online collaborative innovation network that connects learners and experts of all ages to work on a variety of projects worldwide including game design for information fluency, robot development for team competition, wetland improvement and biodiesel production. Support from Intel has facilitated grants to jumpstart teaching and learning initiatives like the Geometric Sculpture and Outreach Project, in which IMSA students design abstract geometric sculptures using mathematics and technology. Generous grants from the Motorola Foundation have enhanced IMSA’s capacity to provide professional development in Problem-Based Learning to Illinois educators. Excerpt: From the Presiden

Two decades of embryonic stem cells : a historical overview

STUDY QUESTION How did the field of stem cell research develop in the years following the derivation of the first human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line? SUMMARY ANSWER Supported by the increasing number of clinical trials to date, significant technological advances in the past two decades have brought us ever closer to clinical therapies derived from pluripotent cells. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Since their discovery 20 years ago, the use of human pluripotent stem cells has progressed tremendously from bench to bedside. Here, we provide a concise review of the main keystones of this journey and focus on ongoing clinical trials, while indicating the most relevant future research directions. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a historical narrative, including relevant publications in the field of pluripotent stem cells (PSC) derivation and differentiation, recounted both through scholarly research of published evidence and interviews of six pioneers who participated in some of the most relevant discoveries in the field. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The authors all contributed by researching the literature and agreed upon body of works. Portions of the interviews of the field pioneers have been integrated into the review and have also been included in full for advanced reader interest. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The stem cell field is ever expanding. We find that in the 20 years since the derivation of the first hESC lines, several relevant developments have shaped the pluripotent cell field, from the discovery of different states of pluripotency, the derivation of induced PSC, the refinement of differentiation protocols with several clinical trials underway, as well as the recent development of organoids. The challenge for the years to come will be to validate and refine PSCs for clinical use, from the production of highly defined cell populations in clinical grade conditions to the possibility of creating replacement organoids for functional, if not anatomical, function restoration. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This is a non-systematic review of current literature. Some references may have escaped the experts’ analysis due to the exceedingly diverse nature of the field. As the field of regenerative medicine is rapidly advancing, some of the most recent developments may have not been captured entirely. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The multi-disciplinary nature and tremendous potential of the stem cell field has important implications for basic as well as translational research. Recounting these activities will serve to provide an in-depth overview of the field, fostering a further understanding of human stem cell and developmental biology. The comprehensive overview of clinical trials and expert opinions included in this narrative may serve as a valuable scientific resource, supporting future efforts in translational approaches. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) ESHRE provided funding for the authors’ on-site meeting and discussion during the preparation of this manuscript. S.M.C.S.L. is funded by the European Research Council Consolidator (ERC-CoG-725722-OVOGROWTH). M.P. is supported by the Special Research Fund, Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds (BOF01D08114). M.G. is supported by the Methusalem grant of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in the name of Prof. Karen Sermon and by Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT, Project Number: 150042). A.V. and B.A. are supported by the Plataforma de Proteomica, Genotipado y Líneas Celulares (PT1770019/0015) (PRB3), Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Research grant to B.H. by the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO) (FWO.KAN.2016.0005.01 and FWO.Project G051516N). There are no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Not applicable. ESHRE Pages are not externally peer reviewed. This article has been approved by the Executive Committee of ESHRE

Commencement, 2009

Program for the One Hundred Seventy-Second Commencement of Marshall University

Cis-Regulation of Gremlin1 Expression during Mouse Limb Bud Development and its Diversification during Vertebrate Evolution

Embryonic development and organogenesis rely on tightly controlled gene expression, which is achieved by cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) interacting with distinct transcription factors (TFs) that control spatio-temporal and tissue-specific gene expression. During organogenesis, gene regulatory networks (GRNs) with selfregulatory feedback properties coordinately control growth and patterning and provide systemic robustness against genetic and/or environmental perturbations. During limb bud development, various interlinked GRNs control outgrowth and patterning along all three limb axes. A paradigm network is the epithelial-mesenchymal (e-m) SHH/GREM1/AER-FGF feedback signaling system which controls limb bud outgrowth and digit patterning. The BMP antagonist GREMLIN1 (GREM1) is central to this e-m interactions as its antagonism of BMP activity is essential to maintain both AER-Fgf and Shh expression. In turn, SHH signaling upregulates Grem1 expression, which results in establishment of a self-regulatory signaling network. One previous study provided evidence that several CRMs could regulate Grem1 expression during limb bud development. However, the cis-regulatory logics underlying the spatio-temporal regulation of the Grem1 expression dynamics remained obscure. From an evolutionary point of view, diversification of CRMs can result in diversification of gene regulation which can drive the establishment of morphological novelties and adaptions. This was evidenced by the observed differences in Grem1 expression in different species that correlates with the evolutionary plasticity of tetrapod digit patterning. Hence, a better understanding of spatio-temporal regulation of the Grem1 expression dynamics and underlying cis-regulatory logic is of interest from both adevelopmental and an evolutionary perspective. Recently, multiple candidate CRMs have been identified that might be functionally relevant for Grem1 expression during mouse limb bud development. For my PhD project, I genetically analyzed which of these CRMs are involved in the regulation of the spatial-temporal Grem1 expression dynamics in limb buds. Therefore, we generated various single and compound CRM mutant alleles using CRISPR/Cas9. Our CRMs allelic series revealed a complex Grem1 cis-regulation among a minimum of six CRMs, where a subset of CRMs regulates Grem1 transcript levels in an additive manner. Surprisingly, phenotypic robustness depends not on threshold transcript levels but the spatial integrity of the Grem1 expression domain. In particular, interactions among five CRMs control the characteristic asymmetrical and posteriorly biased Grem1 expression in mouse limb buds. Our results provide an example of how multiple seemingly redundant limb-specific CRMs provide phenotypical robustness by cooperative/synergistic regulation of the spatial Grem1 expression dynamics. Three CRMs are conserved along the phylogeny of extant vertebrates with paired appendages. Of those, the activities of two CRMs recapitulate the major spatiotemporal aspects of Grem1 expression in mouse limb buds. In order to study their functions in species-specific regulation of Grem1 expression and their functional diversification in tetrapods, I tested the orthologous of both CRMs from representative species using LacZ reporter assays in transgenic mice, in comparison to the endogenous Grem1 expression in limb buds of the species of origin. Surprisingly, the activities of CRM orthologues display high evolutionary plasticity, which correlates better with the Grem1 expression pattern in limb buds of the species of origin than its mouse orthologue. This differential responsiveness to the GRNs in mouse suggests that TF binding site alterations in CRMs could underlie the spatial diversification of Grem1 in limb buds during tetrapod evolution. While the fish fin and tetrapod limb share some homologies of proximal bones, the autopod is a neomorphic feature of tetrapods. The Grem1 requirement for digit patterning and conserved expression in fin buds prompted us to assess the enhancer activity of fish CRM orthologues in transgenic mice. Surprisingly, all tested fish CRMs are active in the mouse autopod primordia providing strong evidence that Grem1 CRMs are active in fin buds and that they predate the fin-to-limb transition. Our results corroborate increasing evidence that CRMs governing autopodial gene expression have been co-opted during the emergence of tetrapod autopod. Furthermore, as part of a collaboration with Dr. S. Jhanwar, I contributed to the study of shared and species-specific epigenomic and genomic variations during mouse and chicken limb bud development. In this analysis, Dr. S. Jhanwar identified putative enhancers that show higher chicken-specific sequence turnover rates in comparison to their mouse orthologues, which defines them as so-called chicken accelerated regions (CARs). Here, I analyzed the CAR activities in comparison to their mouse orthologues by transgenic LacZ reporter assays, which was complemented by analysis of the endogenous gene expression in limb buds of both species. This analysis indicates that diversified activity of CARs and their mouse orthologues could be linked to the differential gene expression patterns in limb buds of both species

Firm Competitive Advantage Through Relationship Management

Relationship management (RM) is an essential part of business, but its success as a business model can be hard to measure, with some firms embracing a model that is truly relationship-orientated, while others claim to be relationship-orientated but in fact prefer transactional short-term gain. This open access book aims to develop a mid-range theory of relationship management, examining truly relationship-orientated firms to discover not only what qualities these firms have that make them successful at the RM model, but also what benefits this model has for the firm. It addresses questions like how RM-mature companies achieve and sustain competitive advantage, and what determines the scale and scope of these firms, illustrating with case studies. This book will be of interest to scholars studying leadership and strategy, especially those interested in relationship management, business ethics and corporate social responsibility. It will also be of interest to professionals looking to develop their understanding of relationship management