365 research outputs found
When September Comes Again
Huffman describes her first year teaching as extremely difficult and stressful. She reflects on her experiences and includes a log of events that she had written throughout that first year. Her stories remind her why she continues her journey as a teacher today
Association between Medical Student Grit and United States Medical Licensing Examination Performance
Presented as Themed Oral Presentation at the 2020 IUSM Education Da
Genetic analysis of protein N-Glycosylation
The majority of human proteins are post-translationally modified by covalent addition of one
or more complex oligosaccharides (glycans). Alterations in glycosylation processing are
associated with numerous diseases and glycans are attracting increasing attention both as
disease biomarkers and as targets for novel therapeutic approaches.
Using a recently developed high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for
high-throughput glycan analysis, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 33 directly
measured and 13 derived N-glycan features were performed in 3533 individuals from four
European isolated populations. Polymorphisms at six loci were found to show genome-wide
significant association with plasma concentrations of N-glycans. Several of these gene
products have well characterised roles in glycosylation, however, SLC9A9 and HNF1A were
two of the novel findings. Subsequent work performed by collaborators found HNF1A to be
a âmaster regulatorâ of genes involved in the fucosylation of plasma N-glycans.
Additionally, this work led to the discovery that N-glycans could act as biomarkers to
discriminate HNF1A-MODY from type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1D, T2D) patients.
After the success of the total plasma N-glycan GWAS, it was thought that stronger and more
biologically interpretable associations may be found from the investigation of N-glycans
isolated from a single protein. Glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) influences IgG
effector function by modulating binding to Fc receptors. To identify genetic networks that
govern IgG glycosylation, N-linked IgG glycans were quantitated using ultra performance
liquid chromatography (UPLC) in 2247 individuals from the same four European
populations from the previous study. GWAS of the 77 N-glycan measures identified 15 loci
with a p-value<5x10-08. Four loci contained genes encoding glycosyltransferases, while the
remaining loci contained genes that have not previously been implicated in protein
glycosylation. However, most have been associated with autoimmune and inflammatory
conditions and/or hematological cancers.
Several high-throughput methods for the analysis of N-glycans have been developed in the
past few years but thorough validation and standardization of these methods is required
before significant resources are invested in large-scale studies. To this end, four of these
methods were compared, UPLC, multiplexed capillary gel electrophoresis (xCGE), and two
mass spectrometric (MS) methods, for quantitative profiling of N-glycosylation of plasma
IgG in a subset of 1201 individuals recruited from two of the cohorts used in the previous
GWAS studies. A âminimalâ dataset was compiled of N-glycan structures able to be
measured by all four methods. To evaluate their accuracy, correlations were calculated for
each structure in the minimal dataset. Additionally, GWAS was performed to test if the same
associations would be observed across methodologies. Chromatographic methods with either
fluorescent or MS-detection yielded slightly stronger associations than MS-only and xCGE,
but at the expense of lower levels of throughput. Advantages and disadvantages of each
method were identified, which should aid in the selection of the most appropriate method for
future studies.
This work shows that it is possible to identify new loci that control glycosylation of plasma
proteins using GWAS and the potential of N-glycans for biomarker development. It also
provides some guidelines for methodology selection for future studies of N-glycans
A workbook of stories and selected exercises for boys of sixth grade interests and second grade reading ability
Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit
4-H Southern Swines Feral Hog Challenge
Estimates indicate that the population of feral hogs may exceed 500,000 in Florida. They have proven difficult to manage. Land managers in Florida reported that feral hogs were a significant problem that needed to be addressed. The UF/IFAS St. Lucie County Cooperative Extension conducted the 4-H Southern Swines Feral Hog Challenge to help land managers reduce feral hog populations in a cost-effective manner. This activity was conducted in 2013 and 2014 and resulted in the removal of one hundred and twenty three feral hogs weighing 18, 393 lbs. from the Florida environment
Home economics teachers and programmed instruction, an explanatory inquiry
Programed instruction is new; its worth as a teaching method is still questioned by some educators. If a classroom teacher is to evaluate and use programed instruction effectively, she needs to know its purposes and must understand and accept the principles of learning on which it is based. A report of the exploration of this thesis follows
A Single Antibody based ELISA for the N-terminal sequence of BAG-75, a New Biomarker for Bone Formation [abstract]
Biomedical Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials, & Medical Devices Poster SessionBone acidic glycoprotein-75 (BAG-75) is a secreted product of osteoblastic cells localized predominantly to areas of new bone formation. We have identified the N-terminal sequence of BAG-75 as LPVARYQNTEEEE and shown that anti-peptide antibodies against residues #3-13 only recognize the 75 kDa precursor and apparent 50 kDa fragment in serum and in osteoblastic cultures. Formation of the 50 kDa fragment is blocked by AEBSF, a serine protease inhibitor which we also showed blocks mineralization in osteoblastic cultures. Measurement of BAG-75 and its fragment concentration in serum represents a new method to estimate the rate of new bone formation in vivo. Our purpose was to establish an anti-VARYQNTEEEE peptide antibody based ELISA test to measure cross-reactive proteins released from bone into blood. Western blotting was performed using young rat serum from different ages, rats subjected to ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery, and normal human serum. Immunoreactive 50 kDa fragment peaked at 18 days after birth which parallels bone formation. Ovariectomized rats displayed a peak of 50 kDa immunoreactivty at 21 days after surgery which corresponds to a spike in bone formation in this model (~2.5-fold above controls). Comparable assays for osteocalcin showed only a 39% increase. Also, human serum contains a 50 kDa protein which cross-reacts with anti-VARYQNTEEEE antibodies. We then established a competitive 96-well ELISA using anti-peptide antibody and new sera at 21 days from ovariectomized or sham rats, a model for stimulated bone formation. VARYQNTEEEE peptide conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was used as the bound antigen. KLH-peptide amount, primary antibody concentration, secondary antibody concentration, and blocking agent were optimized in a series of experiments. Optimal conditions were determined to be 2 ”g input KLH-peptide per well, 1/5,000 dilution of primary anti-VARYQNTEEEE antibody, 1/10,000 dilution of secondary antibody, and gelatin as a blocking agent. Sera from OVX rats and sham-operated controls were compared to the standard curve (r = 0.9923) created with free KLH-peptide as competitor to determine the equivalent amount of KLH-peptide present. OVX sera (n=3) contained an average 2.6 x 10-4 (+/- 1.4 x 10-4) ”g peptide equivalent versus 1.05 x 10-4 (+/- 0.68 x 10-4) ”g for sham sera (n=3). The difference was not significant (t-test, p=0.157), however, doubling the sample size is predicted to yield significance. Conclusions: A. Cross-reactive 75 kDa and 50 kDa proteins are present in human and rat serum and increase in concentration when bone formation is stimulated. B. A new, single antibody based ELISA assay was established to quantitate antigen released from bone into blood. C. In contrast to other commercial bone formation assays (collagen peptides and osteocalcin), the size of cross-reactive protein (>50 kDa) should preclude kidney filtration and facilitate measurement. D. This serum biomarker undergoes a 2-3 fold average increase within 3 weeks after simulation of bone. This test may be useful to monitor the early response to stimulatory therapy in osteoporosis patients or to repressive glucocorticoid therapy in sarcoidosis patients. Currently, a 1% change in bone mineral density requires 12-18 months to detect by x-ray methods
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Accelerated aging of solid lubricants for the W76-1 TSL : effects of polymer outgassing.
The behavior of MoS{sub 2} lubricants intended for the W76-1 TSL was evaluated after 17 and 82 thermal cycles, each lasting seven days and including a low temperature of -35 C and a high temperature of 93 C, in a sealed container containing organic materials. The MoS{sub 2} was applied by tumbling with MoS{sub 2} powder and steel pins (harperized), or by spraying with a resin binder (AS Mix). Surface composition measurements indicated an uptake of carbon and silicon on the lubricant surfaces after aging. Oxidation of the MoS{sub 2} on harperized coupons, where enough MoS{sub 2} was present at the surface to result in significant Mo and S concentrations, was found to be minimal for the thermal cycles in an atmosphere of primarily nitrogen. Bare steel surfaces showed a reduction in friction for exposed coupons compared to control coupons stored in nitrogen, at least for the initial cycles of sliding until the adsorbed contaminants were worn away. Lubricated surfaces showed no more than a ten percent increase in steady-state friction coefficient after exposure. Initial coefficient of friction was up to 250 percent higher than steady-state for AS Mix films on H950 coupons after 82 thermal cycles. However, the friction coefficient exhibited by lubricated coupons was never greater than 0.25, and more often less than 0.15, even after the accelerated aging exposures
Mandatory Identification Bar Checks: How Bouncers Are Doing Their Job
The behavior of bouncers at on site establishments that served alcohol was observed. Our aim was to better understand how bouncers went about their job when the bar had a mandatory policy to check identification of all customers. Utilizing an ethnographic decision model, we found that bouncers were significantly more likely to card customers that were more casually dressed than others, those who were in their 30s, and those in mixed racial groups. We posit that bouncers who failed to ask for identification did so because they appeared to know customers, they appeared to be of age, or they took a break and no one was checking for identification at the door. We found that bouncers presented a commanding presence by their dress and demeanor. Bouncers, we posit, function in three primary roles: customer relations, state law management, and establishment rule enforcer
False claims about false memory research
Pezdek and Lam [Pezdek, K. & Lam, S. (2007). What research paradigms have cognitive psychologists used to study âFalse memory,â and what are the implications of these choices? Consciousness and Cognition] claim that the majority of research into false memories has been misguided. Specifically, they charge that false memory scientists have been (1) misusing the term âfalse memory,â (2) relying on the wrong methodologies to study false memories, and (3) misapplying false memory research to real world situations. We review each of these claims and highlight the problems with them. We conclude that several types of false memory research have advanced our knowledge of autobiographical and recovered memories, and that future research will continue to make significant contributions to how we understand memory and memory errors
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