My Path to Engagement with Internationalization Efforts

The director of UD\u27s ETHOS engineering service program shares his personal history, his path to UD, and his experiences with inclusive education; he also shares some recommendations for the immediate and long-term future of UD’s efforts to globalize and internationalize

Structural Remodeling Of Alpha-Synuclein By Small Molecules: A Novel Path To Neuroprotective Therapeutics

Neurodegenerative diseases share the unifying features of insoluble protein aggregates and irreversible neuron loss. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is defined by proteinaceous Lewy bodies—which contain α-synuclein—and loss of dopamine neurons leading to motor dysfunction. Growing evidence implicates α-synuclein aggregation as a causal driver of neurodegeneration in certain forms of PD. However, the precise mechanism(s) by which the process or products of α-synuclein aggregation drive neuron death remains unknown. Better understanding of this key question might further development of neuroprotective therapies for PD and related disorders. To address this gap, we reviewed how the native conformation of α-synuclein relates to its physiological function and roles in pathology. We also examined how the mouse brain proteome and phosphoproteome change in response to α-synuclein aggregation using quantitative proteomics. This revealed that proteomic changes were not widespread, but instead were enriched within certain functional areas. For the first time, we found that the immunoproteasome is induced during aggregation, providing a new tunable target for studying α-synuclein aggregation and its connection to toxicity. We also employed nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and analogs to study the chemistry and products of phenolic inhibitors of α-synuclein aggregation. We discovered that oxidation-dependent cyclization is required for NDGA analogs to inhibit α-synuclein aggregation and that this inhibition is caused by modification of α-synuclein monomers that retain their conformational dynamics and lipid interactions. Further, we found that these NDGA analog-modified monomers exert a dominant negative effect on aggregation of untreated α-synuclein, exposing a novel mechanism for inhibiting α-synuclein aggregation. Using transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans, we showed that cyclized NDGA can prevent neurodegeneration driven by α-synuclein. These findings outline a novel paradigm for small molecule inhibition of α-synuclein aggregation wherein they act by stabilizing dynamic α-synuclein monomers, preventing aggregation. This in turn prevents aggregation of untreated α-synuclein and reduces neurodegeneration. Together this work underscores the importance of α-synuclein’s native structural dynamics and provides several novel tools for future use in untangling the relationship between α-synuclein aggregation and neuron loss in PD and related disorders

Renewable Energy Microgrid Design for Shared Loads

Renewable energy resource (RER) energy systems are becoming more cost-effective and this work investigates the effect of shared load on the optimal sizing of a renewable energy resource (RER) microgrid. The RER system consists of solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, and a backup diesel generator, and it is isolated from conventional grid power. The building contains a restaurant and 12 residential apartments. Historical meter readings and restaurant modeling represent the apartments and restaurant, respectively. Weather data determines hourly RER power, and a dispatching algorithm predicts power flows between system elements. A genetic algorithm approach minimizes total annual cost over the number of PV and turbines, battery capacity, and generator size, with a constraint on the renewable penetration. Results indicate that load-mixing serves to reduce cost, and the reduction is largest if the diesel backup is removed from the system. This cost is optimized with a combination of particle swarm optimization with genetic-algorithm approach minimizes total annual cost over the number of solar panels and micro-turbines, battery capacity, and diesel generator size, with a constraint on the renewable penetration. Results indicate that load-mixing serves to reduce cost, and the reduction is largest if the diesel backup is removed from the system

Human Rights, Environmental Justice, Social Justice, Faith Values and Ethics: Building Stronger Partnerships for the Common Good by Understanding the Differences

Partnerships between human rights practitioners, local communities, scientists, engineers, and health professionals have shown potential to address deeply rooted, systemic human rights concerns. These collaborations are essential for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and for engaging the perspectives and expertise of all constituents. However, even when the individuals in these partnerships or the organizations they represent have common goals, their motivations, analyses, and solutions often come from different perspectives. Members of good will can inadvertently alienate one another when attempting to work together. The fields of human rights, social justice, environmental justice, and ethics have each developed their own language, frameworks, and movements independent of each other. There are many synergies, but also important differences such as in the approaches, level at which they are applied (from the individual or local to global) and the resources available. Successful partnership building will also be enhanced by respecting the influences of culture (including faith communities) and other social movements. In order to work together more effectively and to have the impacts we want to see on both human rights and sustainability, we must understand the similarities and distinctions between the movements and their applications to achieve global goals. In this panel we will explore the histories of these movements as they apply to the complementarity and potential for collaboration at the intersection of human rights and environmental sustainability. Four panelists will share perspectives, success stories, challenges and hopes from each of their vantages. a) Human Rights & Science/Engineering (Theresa Harris - AAAS) b) Environmental Justice/SDGs, Ecologists and Faith Communities (Leanne Jablonski - Ecological Society of America & UD HSI) c) Union of Concerned Scientists - Community Partnerships/practitioners with Scientists on climate justice/sustainability issues (Melissa Varga, Union of Concerned Scientists) d) Engineering and Technology: Challenges from International Practice (Malcolm Daniels, ETHOS Center, University of Dayton

Leveraging Students’ Passion and Creativity: ETHOS at the University of Dayton

The Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities of Service-learning (ETHOS) program was developed in the spring of 2001 by an interdisciplinary group (electrical, chemical, civil and mechanical) of undergraduate engineering students at the University of Dayton (UD). ETHOS was founded on the belief that engineers are more apt and capable to appropriately serve our world if they have an understanding of technology’s global linkage with values, culture, society, politics, and the economy. Since 2001, the ETHOS program at UD has grown and changed. From conceptualization, to implementation, to maturation and national recognition, the program has addressed challenges of academic acceptance, programmatic integration and research support as a project-based approach to global engagement. This paper discusses how the program developed from a student idea to a nationally known program. It provides some examples of how projects from this program were integrated into other courses and linked to faculty research. Finally, it will present some of the challenges that face a program such as ETHOS

Dynamic structural flexibility of α-synuclein

Abstractα-Synuclein is a conserved, abundantly expressed protein that is partially localized in pre-synaptic terminals in the central nervous system. The precise biological function(s) and structure of α-synuclein are under investigation. Recently, the native conformation and the presence of naturally occurring multimeric assemblies have come under debate. These are important deliberations because α-synuclein assembles into highly organized amyloid-like fibrils and non-amyloid amorphous aggregates that constitute the neuronal inclusions in Parkinson's disease and related disorders. Therefore understanding the nature of the native and pathological conformations is pivotal from the standpoint of therapeutic interventions that could maintain α-synuclein in its physiological state. In this review, we will discuss the existing evidence that define the physiological states of α-synuclein and highlight how the inherent structural flexibility of this protein may be important in health and disease

Conservation practice could benefit from routine testing and publication of management outcomes

Effective conservation requires a step change in the way practitioners can contribute to science and can have access to research outputs. The journal Conservation Evidence was established in 2004 to help practitioners surmount several obstacles they face when attempting to document the effects of their conservation actions scientifically. It is easily and freely accessible online. It is free to publish in and it enables global communication of the effects of practical trials and experiments, which are virtually impossible to get published in most scientific journals. The driving force behind Conservation Evidence is the need to generate and share scientific information about the effects of interventions

Seasonal phosphorus and carbon dynamics in a temperate shelf sea (Celtic Sea)

The seasonal cycle of resource availability in shelf seas has a strong selective pressure on phytoplankton diversity and the biogeochemical cycling of key elements, such as carbon (C) and phosphorus (P). Shifts in carbon consumption relative to P availability, via changes in cellular stoichiometry for example, can lead to an apparent ‘excess’ of carbon production. We made measurements of inorganic P (Pi) uptake, in parallel to C-fixation, by plankton communities in the Celtic Sea (NW European Shelf) in spring (April 2015), summer (July 2015) and autumn (November 2014). Short-term (<8 h) Pi-uptake coupled with dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) release, in parallel to net (24 h) primary production (NPP), were all measured across an irradiance gradient designed to typify vertically and seasonally varying light conditions. Rates of Pi-uptake were highest during spring and lowest in the low light conditions of autumn, although biomass-normalised Pi-uptake was highest in the summer. The release of DOP was highest in November and declined to low levels in July, indicative of efficient utilization and recycling of the low levels of Pi available. Examination of daily turnover times of the different particulate pools, including estimates of phytoplankton and bacterial carbon, indicated a differing seasonal influence of autotrophs and heterotrophs in P-dynamics, with summer conditions associated with a strong bacterial influence and the early spring period with fast growing phytoplankton. These seasonal changes in autotrophic and heterotrophic influence, coupled with changes in resource availability (Pi, light) resulted in seasonal changes in the stoichiometry of NPP to daily Pi-uptake (C:P ratio); from relatively C-rich uptake in November and late April, to P-rich uptake in early April and July. Overall, these results highlight the seasonally varying influence of both autotrophic and heterotrophic components of shelf sea ecosystems on the relative uptake of C and P