Gleaming Gills

The purpose of this garment was to create an edgy formal wear gown that is inspired by the off-kilter fashion style of Avant Guarde that captures the innovation of new concepts and techniques that can be described as bulging shoulders, accentuated waistlines, three dimensional figures protruding from the garment and many other techniques that push the boundaries of every day attire

Firefly

The purpose of this design was to portray an edgy professional style by using stiff fabrics to create protruding gills from multiple panels. This ensemble is inspired by the couture Avant Guarde fashion style that captures the innovation of new concepts and techniques that can be described by using bulging shoulders, accentuated waistlines, three dimensional figures protruding from the garment and many other techniques that push the boundaries of everyday attire

Seams Brash

Seams Brash was created to permit student exploration of new sewing techniques such as pleating and beading in addition to working with a variety of body types. Inspiration was drawn from many current and historical designer collections. The goal of the line was to create functional gowns with elements of surprise and a touch of couture with the hand pleating and beading. Each dress represents a different individual with unique lines, fabric choices, silhouettes, and proportions.Faculty Sponsor: Andrea Eklund, M

Statistical matching for conservation science

The awareness of the need for robust impact evaluations in conservation is growing and statistical matching techniques are increasingly being used to assess the impacts of conservation interventions. Used appropriately matching approaches are powerful tools, but they also pose potential pitfalls. We outlined important considerations and best practice when using matching in conservation science. We identified 3 steps in a matching analysis. First, develop a clear theory of change to inform selection of treatment and controls and that accounts for real‐world complexities and potential spillover effects. Second, select the appropriate covariates and matching approach. Third, assess the quality of the matching by carrying out a series of checks. The second and third steps can be repeated and should be finalized before outcomes are explored. Future conservation impact evaluations could be improved by increased planning of evaluations alongside the intervention, better integration of qualitative methods, considering spillover effects at larger spatial scales, and more publication of preanalysis plans. Implementing these improvements will require more serious engagement of conservation scientists, practitioners, and funders to mainstream robust impact evaluations into conservation. We hope this article will improve the quality of evaluations and help direct future research to continue to improve the approaches on offer.Peer reviewe

The impact of terrestrial protected areas on vegetation extent and condition : a systematic review protocol

Background Establishing protected areas is a key approach to protecting nature. However, protected areas are often biased towards remote and less productive lands. It is important to evaluate the impacts protected areas have had, or in other words, what changes in outcomes of interest are attributable to protected areas. Studies that evaluate the impact of protected areas on vegetation-the state and processes that support biodiversity-are scarce and published in a range of disciplines. This systematic review will scope, identify, and synthesize studies that quantitatively measure the impact of protected areas on vegetation extent and condition. The findings will be useful for researchers and policy makers and provide important knowledge for setting post 2020 targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This review will also identify research gaps in the current evidence base and provide direction for future research. Methods This review follows the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence guidelines for evidence synthesis and complies with the ROSES (RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Synthesis) reporting framework. We will use a comprehensive search strategy developed through several rounds of scoping review to cover databases; Web of Science, Scopus and CAB s, 16 organizational websites, google scholar and existing review documents. Our search terms and strategies aim to find impact evaluation studies (both peer-reviewed and grey literature) in English from protected areas globally. The search results will be screened at title, abstract, and then full text by two independent reviewers. A quality appraisal of evidence will be conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) risk of bias tool. Review results will be presented in the form of narrative synthesis, as well as in meta-analysis form, where data quality and amount allow.Peer reviewe

Excess protein O-GlcNAcylation links metabolic derangements to right ventricular dysfunction in pulmonary arterial hypertension

The hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) converts glucose to uridine-diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine, which, when added to serines or threonines, modulates protein function through protein O-GlcNAcylation. Glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) regulates HBP flux, and AMP-kinase phosphorylation of GFAT blunts GFAT activity and O-GlcNAcylation. While numerous studies demonstrate increased right ventricle (RV) glucose uptake in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the relationship between O-GlcNAcylation and RV function in PAH is unexplored. Therefore, we examined how colchicine-mediated AMP-kinase activation altered HBP intermediates, O-GlcNAcylation, mitochondrial function, and RV function in pulmonary artery-banded (PAB) and monocrotaline (MCT) rats. AMPK activation induced GFAT phosphorylation and reduced HBP intermediates and O-GlcNAcylation in MCT but not PAB rats. Reduced O-GlcNAcylation partially restored the RV metabolic signature and improved RV function in MCT rats. Proteomics revealed elevated expression of O-GlcNAcylated mitochondrial proteins in MCT RVs, which fractionation studies corroborated. Seahorse micropolarimetry analysis of H9c2 cardiomyocytes demonstrated colchicine improved mitochondrial function and reduced O-GlcNAcylation. Presence of diabetes in PAH, a condition of excess O-GlcNAcylation, reduced RV contractility when compared to nondiabetics. Furthermore, there was an inverse relationship between RV contractility and HgbA1C. Finally, RV biopsy specimens from PAH patients displayed increased O-GlcNAcylation. Thus, excess O-GlcNAcylation may contribute to metabolic derangements and RV dysfunction in PAH

Insights into Land Plant Evolution Garnered from the Marchantia polymorpha Genome.

The evolution of land flora transformed the terrestrial environment. Land plants evolved from an ancestral charophycean alga from which they inherited developmental, biochemical, and cell biological attributes. Additional biochemical and physiological adaptations to land, and a life cycle with an alternation between multicellular haploid and diploid generations that facilitated efficient dispersal of desiccation tolerant spores, evolved in the ancestral land plant. We analyzed the genome of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a member of a basal land plant lineage. Relative to charophycean algae, land plant genomes are characterized by genes encoding novel biochemical pathways, new phytohormone signaling pathways (notably auxin), expanded repertoires of signaling pathways, and increased diversity in some transcription factor families. Compared with other sequenced land plants, M. polymorpha exhibits low genetic redundancy in most regulatory pathways, with this portion of its genome resembling that predicted for the ancestral land plant. PAPERCLIP

A principal component meta-analysis on multiple anthropometric traits identifies novel loci for body shape

Large consortia have revealed hundreds of genetic loci associated with anthropometric traits, one trait at a time. We examined whether genetic variants affect body shape as a composite phenotype that is represented by a combination of anthropometric traits. We developed an approach that calculates averaged PCs (AvPCs) representing body shape derived from six anthropometric traits (body mass index, height, weight, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio). The first four AvPCs explain >99% of the variability, are heritable, and associate with cardiometabolic outcomes. We performed genome-wide association analyses for each body shape composite phenotype across 65 studies and meta-analysed summary statistics. We identify six novel loci: LEMD2 and CD47 for AvPC1, RPS6KA5/C14orf159 and GANAB for AvPC3, and ARL15 and ANP32 for AvPC4. Our findings highlight the value of using multiple traits to define complex phenotypes for discovery, which are not captured by single-trait analyses, and may shed light onto new pathways

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms