Encircled by Sisterhood: Mentoring Experiences of African American Women in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Research suggests that African American women are minorities by race and gender and the intersectionality of these constructs poses obstacles for African American women seeking to attain positions of power. Mentoring can aid African American women in overcoming these barriers. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore the mentoring experiences of five African American women, the researcher and her sorority sister circle, who are members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and how their experiences have contributed to their identity and educational, career, and psychosocial success. This study focused on mentoring as a support system for African American women facing societal challenges such as racial issues, gender bias, and power struggles. The participants included the researcher and four women who have had mentoring relationships with the researcher. The dynamics of each relationship are different and intergenerational. Participants all reside in the Metro Atlanta area, and their ages range from 26-69 years of age. Each participant obtained a Bachelor\u27s degree or higher and is successful in her career. Black Feminist Thought was the theoretical framework that supported the purpose of this study. This framework supports the uplift of African American women and recognizes the significance and value of the African American woman‟s voice and lived experiences. Data collection methods included in-depth individual and focus group interviews, a demographic questionnaire, and analysis of personal artifacts. The interview responses were coded to find common themes and patterns significant to the participants\u27 mentoring experiences. Based on the findings, it was concluded that African American women who have mentors throughout their lives, from childhood through adulthood, have strong will and are confident in their self-identity which gives them the strength to overcome societal challenges faced because of the intersectionality of race and gender. Due to the limited amount of research on the mentoring experiences among African American women in sororities, the feedback gathered from the participants\u27 interviews should prove to be a significant contribution

MicroRNA MIR396 regulates the switch between stem cells and transit-amplifying cells in arabidopsis roots

To ensure an adequate organ mass, the daughters of stem cells progress through a transit-amplifying phase displaying rapid cell division cycles before differentiating. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana microRNA miR396 regulates the transition of root stem cells into transit-amplifying cells by interacting with GROWTH-REGULATING FACTORs (GRFs). The GRFs are expressed in transit-amplifying cells but are excluded from the stem cells through inhibition by miR396. Inactivation of the GRFs increases the meristem size and induces periclinal formative divisions in transit-amplifying cells. The GRFs repress PLETHORA (PLT) genes, regulating their spatial expression gradient. Conversely, PLT activates MIR396 in the stem cells to repress the GRFs. We identified a pathway regulated by GRF transcription factors that represses stem cell-promoting genes in actively proliferating cells, which is essential for the progression of the cell cycle and the orientation of the cell division plane. If unchecked, the expression of the GRFs in the stem cell niche suppresses formative cell divisions and distorts the organization of the quiescent center. We propose that the interactions identified here between miR396 and GRF and PLT transcription factors are necessary to establish the boundary between the stem cell niche and the transit-amplifying region.Fil: Rodriguez Virasoro, Ramiro Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Ercoli, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Debernardi, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Breakfield, Natalie W.. University of Duke; Estados UnidosFil: Mecchia, Martin Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Sabatini, Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Cools, Toon. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: De Veylder, Lieven. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Benfey, Philip N.. University of Duke; Estados UnidosFil: Palatnik, Javier Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentin

Root microbiota drive direct integration of phosphate stress and immunity

Plants live in biogeochemically diverse soils that harbor extraordinarily diverse microbiota. Plant organs associate intimately with a subset of these microbes; this community’s structure can be altered by soil nutrient content. Plant-associated microbes can compete with the plant and with each other for nutrients; they can also provide traits that increase plant productivity. It is unknown how the plant immune system coordinates microbial recognition with nutritional cues during microbiome assembly. We establish that a genetic network controlling phosphate stress response influences root microbiome community structure, even under non-stress phosphate conditions. We define a molecular mechanism regulating coordination between nutrition and defense in the presence of a synthetic bacterial community. We demonstrate that the master transcriptional regulators of phosphate stress response in Arabidopsis also directly repress defense, consistent with plant prioritization of nutritional stress over defense. Our work will impact efforts to define and deploy useful microbes to enhance plant performance

The Effect of Calcium Ions on Mechanosensation and Neuronal Activity in Proprioceptive Neurons

Proprioception of all animals is important in being able to have coordinated locomotion. Stretch activated ion channels (SACs) transduce the mechanical force into electrical signals in the proprioceptive sensory endings. The types of SACs vary among sensory neurons in animals as defined by pharmacological, physiological and molecular identification. The chordotonal organs within insects and crustaceans offer a unique ability to investigate proprioceptive function. The effects of the extracellular environment on neuronal activity, as well as the function of associated SACs are easily accessible and viable in minimal saline for ease in experimentation. The effect of extracellular [Ca2+] on membrane properties which affect voltage-sensitivity of ion channels, threshold of action potentials and SACs can be readily addressed in the chordotonal organ in crab limbs. It is of interest to understand how low extracellular [Ca2+] enhances neural activity considering the SACs in the sensory endings could possibly be Ca2+ channels and that all neural activity is blocked with Mn2+. It is suggested that axonal excitability might be affected independent from the SAC activity due to potential presence of calcium activated potassium channels (K(Ca)) and the ability of Ca2+ to block voltage gated Na+ channels in the axons. Separating the role of Ca2+ on the function of the SACs and the excitability of the axons in the nerves associated with chordotonal organs is addressed. These experiments may aid in understanding the mechanisms of neuronal hyperexcitability during hypocalcemia within mammals

Leadership Styles and Communication and Their Effects on Workplace Culture

Having a positive workplace culture is an important aspect for all organizations. Since COVID-19, many organizations are trying to refresh and revamp their companies’ workplace culture to integrate pre-COVID-19 norms of the in-person workplace. In order to assess how this revamping and integration might best proceed, this research examines a mid-sized, privately held firm in the southeast USA. This company is seeking to improve the workplace culture through their management’s leadership practices. Surveys were completed by 459 employees and 96 supervisors with questions about communication, leadership practices, and overall workplace culture. Results show that participative leadership was not related to workplace culture, however, leadership style was strongly related to communication and trust in employees. The results point to incongruence between perceptions of managers and perceptions of employees when considering participative leadership styles. The implications of this research can aid businesses in their efforts to realign culture with leadership after the pandemic

Sequencing and characterization of non-coding small RNAs controlling development in Arabidopsis thaliana roots

<p>Small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are key regulators of plant development through modulation of the processing, stability and translation of larger RNAs. I generated small RNA datasets comprising over 200 million aligned Illumina sequence reads covering all major cell types of the root as well as four distinct developmental zones. These data were analyzed for three major types of small RNAs, namely microRNAs (miRNAs), repeat associated small interfering RNAs (ra-siRNAs), and trans-acting siRNAs (ta-siRNAs). 133 of the 243 known miRNAs were found to be expressed in the root, and most showed tissue- or zone-specific expression patterns. My collaborators and I identified 70 new high-confidence miRNAs, and knockdown of three of the newly identified miRNAs resulted in altered root growth phenotypes. Ra-siRNAs specify methylation by the RNA directed DNA methylation (RdRM) pathway, requiring the generation of additional methylation datasets. Preliminary analysis shows cell-type specific methylation patterns that correlate with small RNA and mRNA expression. Analysis of ta-siRNAs revealed new ta-siRNA generating loci, and a novel triggering miRNA for TAS1 loci. In summary, our study demonstrates the power of isolating individual cell types and developmental zones in combination with deep sequencing and computational analyses to obtain detailed profiles of ncRNAs, as well as to significantly extend the compendium of known functional RNAs.</p>Dissertatio