Bolstering the Cell Membrane of S. cerevisiae for Efficient Bioethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

With the need for alternatives to fossil fuels becoming more prevalent, biofuels has become an increasingly attractive alternative. Traditional biofuel production was quickly halted as a result of its ethical complications, leading to the development of secondgeneration biofuels. This system utilizes plant waste instead of food as its starting material, allowing for rapid recycling of this widely available and cheap carbon source. This switch was, however, coupled with complications. Of those, the most prominent is the inevitable release of acetic acid resulting from the breakdown of the lignocellulosic waste. This acetic acid is challenging to neutralize or extract in a scalable manner, leaving it in high concentrations in the substrate fed to the yeast, greatly decreasing their efficiency. To combat that problem, we are implementing an acid resistance system endogenous to E. coli inside of the yeast to impart a similar resistance. The system functions on a cyclopropanation mechanism that decreases the permeability of the membrane to slow the diffusion of the acid into the cell. With this system, in conjunction with other complementary modifications, we look to increase the efficiency of secondgeneration biofuel production bringing it another step closer to playing a prominent role in our energy economy

Pseudotyping exosomes for enhanced protein delivery in mammalian cells.

Exosomes are cell-derived nanovesicles that hold promise as living vehicles for intracellular delivery of therapeutics to mammalian cells. This potential, however, is undermined by the lack of effective methods to load exosomes with therapeutic proteins and to facilitate their uptake by target cells. Here, we demonstrate how a vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSVG) can both load protein cargo onto exosomes and increase their delivery ability via a pseudotyping mechanism. By fusing a set of fluorescent and luminescent reporters with VSVG, we show the successful targeting and incorporation of VSVG fusions into exosomes by gene transfection and fluorescence tracking. We subsequently validate our system by live cell imaging of VSVG and its participation in endosomes/exosomes that are ultimately released from transfected HEK293 cells. We show that VSVG pseudotyping of exosomes does not affect the size or distributions of the exosomes, and both the full-length VSVG and the VSVG without the ectodomain are shown to integrate into the exosomal membrane, suggesting that the ectodomain is not required for protein loading. Finally, exosomes pseudotyped with full-length VSVG are internalized by multiple-recipient cell types to a greater degree compared to exosomes loaded with VSVG without the ectodomain, confirming a role of the ectodomain in cell tropism. In summary, our work introduces a new genetically encoded pseudotyping platform to load and enhance the intracellular delivery of therapeutic proteins via exosome-based vehicles to target cells

The Relationship Between Teacher Self-efficacy and the Quantity of Office Discipline Referrals They Write

Teachers’ levels of self-efficacy affect not only how they view themselves, but also how they view their students. Some students receive more discipline referrals than others, leading to higher retention and dropout rates for those students with a significant number of discipline referrals. Discipline referrals are subjective. Therefore, each person’s viewpoint attributes to how student behavior is perceived and reported. In addition to a disproportionate number of referrals received by certain students, some teachers are more prone to write a large number of referrals. Social cognitive theory states that an individual’s self-efficacy influences his or her actions. Individuals with a more positive self-efficacy are much more likely to achieve more favorable results. Those with a less positive self-efficacy are much less likely to achieve the desired outcome. This quantitative correlational study examined the overall self-efficacy and self-efficacy in the areas of classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies of 72 high school teachers across three high schools in the southeastern United States and the number of office discipline referrals they write. Each teacher was administered the short form of the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES). A Spearman’s Rank Order was used to evaluate the relationship between the composite and subscale scores (classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies) on the TSES and each teacher’s number of office discipline referrals. The results indicated a weak negative relationship between teacher self-efficacy and the number of discipline referrals written. However, the relationship was not statistically significant. By understanding the connection between teacher self-efficacy and discipline referrals, administrators and district personnel may be able to improve student retention and dropout rates by identifying and providing additional capacity to teachers with lower self-efficacy

Let\u27s Go Camping: A Physical Experience on a Virtual Platform

Camp Kawanhee is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2020. How can creating an Esri Story Map using archival materials from the camp at its 100th Anniversary help individuals connect to their own time at camp, engage with the camp’s history, and offer present experiences? By utilizing the software Story Maps, I have created a platform that shares special moments in Camp Kawanhee’s history. Digitized items from my summer at Camp Kawanhee (brochures, pamphlets, letters, and photographs) are utilized in my story map to create a narrative of the past and present. By drawing upon literature on digital tourism and history, I created a plan that can be a guide for other situations, particularly small institutions that have rich archival collections. I have also examined the role summer camp plays in youth identity, and how memory and nostalgia interact with an individual\u27s sense of self. Through this project I make collections available to alumni who cannot be physically present, thereby strengthening alumni ties during important anniversary events. This has become increasingly important with the COVID-19 crisis. With this digital project alumni and current campers will be able to reflect on past events and how they have shaped the present camp space

An analysis of reading readiness workbooks

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Blue Hill Ship Building

https://digitalmaine.com/blue_hill_documents/1180/thumbnail.jp

Blue Hill Shipping Receipt: Alma Odlin, December 1861

https://digitalmaine.com/blue_hill_documents/1108/thumbnail.jp

Blue Hill Shipping Receipt: Alma Odlin, October 1861

https://digitalmaine.com/blue_hill_documents/1107/thumbnail.jp