The History of Denying Federal Financial Aid to System-Impacted Students

People who are impacted by the criminal justice system (“system-impacted”) face barriers when seeking financial aid to pay for college. Between the late 1960s and the early 2000s, Congress created laws that prohibited incarcerated students and students with certain criminal convictions from receiving federal grants and loans. This paper offers a comprehensive review of the history of those laws, which provides context for current debates on restoring Pell Grants to students in prison. Legislative documents, scholarly sources, and news reports were studied to build this historical review. Key lessons from history are discussed as to how Congress might treat system-impacted students in the near future

Reconsidering Policy Barriers for Justice-Involved College Students

Student affairs professionals are concerned about the access and success of diverse groups of students in U.S. higher education, but systematic barriers continue to confront one understudied population of college students. Justice-involved people–those who have experienced the criminal justice system–face unique challenges on our campuses but are often ignored in discussions of access, retention, and success. To raise awareness about the barriers these student face, this paper offers a descriptive examination of the federal, state, and institutional policies that target justice-involved college students, including policies related to admissions, financial aid, campus housing, student employment, student athletics, and others. Analysis suggests these policies are significant barriers to student success because they prevent students from accessing important services and programs and are harmfully stigmatizing. Recommendations are offered to student affairs professionals on supporting justice-involved college students to overcome the barriers

Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Novel Terrestrial Subsidies from an Invasive Shrub (Lonicera maackii) on Stream Macroinvertebrates

The biology of headwater streams is intimately linked to that of the surrounding terrestrial environment through organic matter subsidies. Lonicera maackii, an invasive shrub that is becoming abundant in headwater stream riparian areas, deposits substantial quantities of organic matter into the aquatic system. This organic material has allelopathic effects on terrestrial plants and insects, and a growing body of work suggests strong connections between L. maackii invasion and aquatic biota. Lonicera maackii deposits fruit and flowers in quantities and timings that are unique, and we tested the hypothesis that these subsidies would negatively affect survival and growth of laboratory-cultured Hyalella azteca and field-collected Anthopotamus verticis and Allocapnia spp. Invertebrates were exposed to a gradient of fruit (reference sediment + 0, 0.31, 0.62, 1.25, or 2.5 g dry mass [DM]) and flower (reference sediment + 0, 0.30, 0.60, 1.2, or 2.4 g DM) biomass in laboratory and field sediment exposure tests. Hyalella azteca survival was significantly reduced by exposure to L. maackii fruit in the laboratory and in the field exposures, and a negative effect was observed for A. verticis (p\u3c 0.05). Lonicera maackii flower biomass was associated with negative effects on survival of H. azteca in the field and laboratory exposures and of A. verticis in the laboratory exposure. During the laboratory exposures, dissolved O2 (DO) and pH were /L and 5.5, respectively. In the field exposures, DO and pH were comparable to stream conditions during fruit exposures, declining significantly with increasing flower biomass. Our results suggest that L. maackii fruit and flowers, novel subsidies in these systems, can negatively affect benthic organism survival and growth. Research focused on verifying this novel subsidy hypothesis for L. maackii and other species could enhance our understanding of invasion biology and terrestrial–aquatic linkages

Segmental Duplications: a Possible Mechanism of Hominid Uplift Through MicroRNA Diversification

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are ~21 nucleotide-long gene silencers. Segmental duplications (SD) are among the driving forces in acquiring new genes. Both miRNA and SD are believed to have played a significant role in evolution, particularly in the divergence of humans (Homo sapiens) from the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). This study determines the distribution of miRNAs in humans and in chimpanzees, and presents a hypothesis on its significance in the occurrence of segmental duplications. MiRNA sequences from miRBASE were subjected to BLAT and BLAST to determine if miRNAs are located in SD regions or not. Homology between miRNAs was determined with ClustalW. BLAST was then used to determine whether the non-homologous human miRNA are homologous to any other part of the chimpanzee genome. We found that all 695 human miRNAs are found exclusively in SD regions, and that 67 are de novo miRNAs. Thirteen are homologues of chimpanzee miRNA, and 11 were possibly derived from non-miRNA regions in chimp. Of these, 6 were located in SD regions of the chimpanzee genome. Results indicate that miRNA evolution occurs within regions of segmental duplication and suggest that the presence of miRNA duplicates allows more exposure to mutations that could necessitate diversification, and possibly evolution, through sub- and neofunctionalization

Oncogenic Gq/11 signaling acutely drives and chronically sustains metabolic reprogramming in uveal melanoma

Metabolic reprogramming has been shown to occur in uveal melanoma (UM), the most common intraocular tumor in adults. Mechanisms driving metabolic reprogramming in UM are poorly understood. Elucidation of these mechanisms could inform development of new therapeutic strategies for metastatic UM, which has poor prognosis because existing therapies are ineffective. Here, we determined whether metabolic reprogramming is driven by constitutively active mutant α-subunits of the heterotrimeric G proteins Gq or G11 (Gq/11), the oncogenic drivers in ∼90% of UM patients. Using PET-computed tomography imaging, microphysiometry, and GC/MS, we found that inhibition of oncogenic Gq/11 with the small molecule FR900359 (FR) attenuated glucose uptake by UM cells in vivo and in vitro, blunted glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration in UM cell lines and tumor cells isolated from patients, and reduced levels of several glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. FR acutely inhibited glycolysis and respiration and chronically attenuated expression of genes in both metabolic processes. UM therefore differs from other melanomas that exhibit a classic Warburg effect. Metabolic reprogramming in UM cell lines and patient samples involved protein kinase C and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 signaling downstream of oncogenic Gq/11. Chronic administration of FR upregulated expression of genes involved in metabolite scavenging and redox homeostasis, potentially as an adaptive mechanism explaining why FR does not efficiently kill UM tumor cells or regress UM tumor xenografts. These results establish that oncogenic Gq/11 signaling is a crucial driver of metabolic reprogramming in UM and lay a foundation for studies aimed at targeting metabolic reprogramming for therapeutic development

Identification of a resilient mouse facial motoneuron population following target disconnection by injury or disease

Background: When nerve transection is performed on adult rodents, a substantial population of neurons survives short-term disconnection from target, and the immune system supports this neuronal survival, however long-term survival remains unknown. Understanding the effects of permanent axotomy on cell body survival is important as target disconnection is the first pathological occurrence in fatal motoneuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Objective: The goal of this study was to determine if facial motoneurons (FMN) could survive permanent target disconnection up to 26 weeks post-operation (wpo) after facial nerve axotomy (FNA). In addition, the potentially additive effects of immunodeficiency and motoneuron disease on post-axotomy FMN survival were examined. Methods: This study included three wild type (WT) mouse strains (C57BL/6J, B6SJL, and FVB/NJ) and three experimental models (RAG-2-/-: immunodeficiency; mSOD1: ALS; Smn-/-/SMN2+/+: SMA). All animals received a unilateral FNA, and FMN survival was quantified at early and extended post-operative timepoints. Results: In the C57BL/6J WT group, FMN survival significantly decreased at 10 wpo (55 ± 6%), and then remained stable out to 26 wpo (47 ± 6%). In the RAG-2-/- and mSOD1 groups, FMN death occurred much earlier at 4 wpo, and survival plateaued at approximately 50% at 10 wpo. The SMA model and other WT strains also exhibited approximately 50% FMN survival after FNA. Conclusion: These results indicate that immunodeficiency and motoneuron disease accelerate axotomy-induced neuron death, but do not increase total neuron death in the context of permanent target disconnection. This consistent finding of a target disconnection-resilient motoneuron population is prevalent in other peripheral nerve injury models and in neurodegenerative disease models as well. Characterization of the distinct populations of vulnerable and resilient motoneurons may reveal new therapeutic approaches for injury and disease

Priority sites for wildfowl conservation in Mexico

A set of priority sites for wildfowl conservation in Mexico was determined using contemporary count data (1991–2000) from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service mid-winter surveys. We used a complementarity approach implemented through linear integer programming that addresses particular conservation concerns for every species included in the analysis and large fluctuations in numbers through time. A set of 31 priority sites was identified, which held more than 69% of the mid-winter count total in Mexico during all surveyed years. Six sites were in the northern highlands, 12 in the central highlands, six on the Gulf of Mexico coast and seven on the upper Pacific coast. Twenty-two sites from the priority set have previously been identified as qualifying for designation as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and 20 sites are classified as Important Areas for Bird Conservation in Mexico. The information presented here provides an accountable, spatially-explicit, numerical basis for ongoing conservation planning efforts in Mexico, which can be used to improve existing wildfowl conservation networks in the country and can also be useful for conservation planning exercises elsewhere

Classroom to Clinic: Merging Education and Research to Efficiently Prototype Medical Devices

Innovation in patient care requires both clinical and technical skills, and this paper presents the methods and outcomes of a nine-year, clinical-academic collaboration to develop and evaluate new medical device technologies, while teaching mechanical engineering. Together, over the course of a single semester, seniors, graduate students, and clinicians conceive, design, build, and test proof-of-concept prototypes. Projects initiated in the course have generated intellectual property and peer-reviewed publications, stimulated further research, furthered student and clinician careers, and resulted in technology licenses and start-up ventures

A computer based system for prioritizing pollution prevention opportunity assessments at SNL/NM

Prioritizing waste generators is necessary to determine which are the best candidates for Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessments (PPOAs). This paper describes the Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) PPOA Ranking System. The system uses a multimedia approach that considers hazardous and radioactive waste disposal data, and hazardous chemical usage data (from which air emissions are extrapolated). Pollution prevention information is included, from the SNL Pollution Prevention Opportunities database that identifies waste streams that have readily apparent pollution prevention opportunities. The system also considers the relative costs of waste management and the chargeback fees paid for waste generation. From these data, organizations are ranked with an algorithm developed in Microsoft Access{trademark} on a personal computer. The concept could readily be transferred to other facilities needing to decide where to perform PPOAs