In Memory of Michael Strayer

Michael Paul Strayer, a senior veterinary medicine student at Iowa State University, died on November 10, 1991 of a cocaine overdose. Michael was born on September 14, 1960 to Dr. and Mrs. Paul Strayer in Cresco, IA. He moved from Waterloo 10 years ago to Ames and was a student at Iowa State University. He married Holly Hunt on August 24, 1991, in Nevada, IA

Building Community-Based Approaches to Systemic Reform in Mathematical Biology Education

Starting in the early 2000’s, several reports were released recognizing the convergence of mathematics, biology and computer science, and calling for a rethinking of how undergraduates are prepared for careers in research and the science and technology workforce. This call for change requires careful consideration of the mathematical biology education system to identify key components and leverage points for change. This paper demonstrates the wide range of resources and approaches available to the mathematical biology education community to create systemic change by highlighting the efforts of four community-based education reform organizations. A closer look at these organizations provides an opportunity to examine how to leverage components of the education system including faculty, academic institutions, students, access to resources, and the power of community

Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery

Interrogation of the human proteome in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology. We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 [mu]L of serum or plasma). Our current assay allows us to measure ~800 proteins with very low limits of detection (1 pM average), 7 logs of overall dynamic range, and 5% average coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding DNA aptamer concentration signature, which is then quantified with a DNA microarray. In essence, our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded binding entities with defined shapes and unique sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states. More generally, we describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine

Blueprint for Creating a Community of Care and Support for People with Serious Illness

There is growing awareness nationwide about the importance of care during serious illness and at endof-life.2 The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report, Dying in America, released in 2014, recommends a person-centered, family-oriented approach that honors individual preferences and promotes quality of life. The IOM Report emphasizes that implementing this vision is a matter of national priority and urgency. In Whatcom County, there is a rising tide of initiatives, interest, and excitement about the idea of creating a community of excellence for people with serious illness. Whatcom County has supported a successful Hospice and inpatient palliative care service for a number of years, and we enjoy a community-wide culture of collaboration that has spawned a university-based institute for palliative care. The NWLP Coalition Task Force was established in 2014 and developed a blueprint that articulates a coherent vision and a plan for collaborative community action toward achieving community excellence for end-of-life care. The original Task Force produced five White Papers that helped inform the original Blueprint. Posted on the WAHA website, the papers cover the following topics: Advance Care Planning; Palliative Care; Community Culture; Provider Training; and Financing the Future. The 2014 Blueprint provided brief background statements for each of these topics, along with keys to excellence, community assets, and recommended steps toward realizing the Blueprint vision. Two years into implementation, the NWLP Coalition is issuing this revised blueprint. Under an expanded title that invites community excellence in “serious illness care” as well as end-of-life care, the Coalition is re-affirming the original vision, and revising the Blueprint with new recommendations that reflect projects completed and lessons learned as well as a set of aspirational community measures

MFA09 (MFA 2009)

Catalogue of a culminating student exhibition held at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum in 2009. Content includes A new paradigm / Carmon Colangelo -- Evolving practices / Patricia Olynyk -- Stephanie Barenz -- Carolyn Dawn Bendel -- Jacob Cruzen -- Rachel Ann Dennis -- Bryan Eaton -- Maya Escobar -- Meredith Foster -- Morgan Gehris -- Gina Grafos -- Stephen Hoskins -- Amelia Jones -- Hye Young Kim -- Anne Lindberg -- Goran Maric -- Kelda Martensen -- Erica L. Millspaugh -- Carianne Noga -- Joel Parker -- Rebecca C. Potts -- Shannon Randol -- Elaine Rickles -- Michael Kenneth Smith -- Dan Solberg -- Natalie Toney -- Glenn Tramantano -- Kathryn Trout -- J. Taylor Wallace.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/books/1006/thumbnail.jp

Fine-mapping, novel loci identification, and SNP association transferability in a genome-wide association study of QRS duration in African Americans

The electrocardiographic QRS duration, a measure of ventricular depolarization and conduction, is associated with cardiovascular mortality. While single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with QRS duration have been identified at 22 loci in populations of European descent, the genetic architecture of QRS duration in non-European populations is largely unknown. We therefore performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of QRS duration in 13,031 African Americans from ten cohorts and a transethnic GWAS meta-analysis with additional results from populations of European descent. In the African American GWAS, a single genome-wide significant SNP association was identified (rs3922844, P = 4 × 10−14) in intron 16 of SCN5A, a voltage-gated cardiac sodium channel gene. The QRS-prolonging rs3922844 C allele was also associated with decreased SCN5A RNA expression in human atrial tissue (P = 1.1 × 10−4). High density genotyping revealed that the SCN5A association region in African Americans was confined to intron 16. Transethnic GWAS meta-analysis identified novel SNP associations on chromosome 18 in MYL12A (rs1662342, P = 4.9 × 10−8) and chromosome 1 near CD1E and SPTA1 (rs7547997, P = 7.9 × 10−9). The 22 QRS loci previously identified in populations of European descent were enriched for significant SNP associations with QRS duration in African Americans (P = 9.9 × 10−7), and index SNP associations in or near SCN5A, SCN10A, CDKN1A, NFIA, HAND1, TBX5 and SETBP1 replicated in African Americans. In summary, rs3922844 was associated with QRS duration and SCN5A expression, two novel QRS loci were identified using transethnic meta-analysis, and a significant proportion of QRS–SNP associations discovered in populations of European descent were transferable to African Americans when adequate power was achieved

Expanding mental health services in low- and middle-income countries: A task-shifting framework for delivery of comprehensive, collaborative, and community-based care

This paper proposes a framework for comprehensive, collaborative, and community-based care (C4) for accessible mental health services in low-resource settings. Because mental health conditions have many causes, this framework includes social, public health, wellness and clinical services. It accommodates integration of stand-alone mental health programs with health and non-health community-based services. It addresses gaps in previous models including lack of community-based psychotherapeutic and social services, difficulty in addressing comorbidity of mental and physical conditions, and how workers interact with respect to referral and coordination of care. The framework is based on task-shifting of services to non-specialized workers. While the framework draws on the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Gap Action Program and other global mental health models, there are important differences. The C4 Framework delineates types of workers based on their skills. Separate workers focus on: basic psychoeducation and information sharing; community-level, evidence-based psychotherapeutic counseling; and primary medical care and more advanced, specialized mental health services for more severe or complex cases. This paper is intended for individuals, organizations and governments interested in implementing mental health services. The primary aim is to provide a framework for the provision of widely accessible mental health care and services