Beyond the Walls: Walled Cities of Medieval France: The Preservation of Heritage and Cultural Memory at Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, and La Rochelle

This project began with the intention of understanding the modern significance of medieval walled cities in France; some were torn down, some remain in pieces, and some were perfectly restored. By researching the histories of three cases studies, Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, and La Rochelle, as well as their current architectural states and tourist statistics, I have come to the conclusion that walled cities are preserved by the French as heritage sites in order to promote their cultural memory. Walled cities were once economic centers of trade as well as hot spots for conflict. The histories of Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, and La Rochelle present themes of religious persecution, inequality and assimilation, and recognition of authority, which contribute to an understanding of modern France. Additionally, communities of walled cities market their history through tourism in order to generate funds that continue preservation efforts and allow communities to maintain the walls. Tourism also allows the community to continue education about its heritage, thus preserving the cultural memory of the nation. For the French, the past does not pass and this phenomenon is evident at Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, and La Rochelle

Hope Global Manufacturing

Hope Global manufactures creative engineered solutions worldwide that are customized to buyer’s needs. Their manufacturing locations are in Rhode Island, Mexico, Czech Republic, and China. They have diversified their product line since their founding in 1883 to serve a variety of industries such as apparel, automotive, industrial, and the government. Some of the products within these lines are shoelaces, drawstrings, cords, mesh, carpet strips, netting, beaded profiles, and clips. During the pandemic, Hope Global produced 3 million ear loops for face masks

The Home Environment and Parenting Practices: Associations with Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Preschool-age Children

Preschool-age children have the potential to be influenced by their physical home environment and their parents’ physical activity (PA) practices more than older children as preschool-age children are more reliant on parents for PA opportunities. Previous research with this focus has relied predominantly on various subjective assessments of child activity, often resulting in overestimation of PA and underestimation of sedentary time (ST). Collectively, this dissertation project explored the associations among home environment factors, parent PA practices, parent satisfaction of children’s body size and children’s PA and ST by utilizing objective measures of activity and the full range of PA intensities in a cross-sectional sample of preschool-age children. Chapter 2 of this dissertation explored the relationships among home environment factors and child PA and ST. Parent role modeling PA and employing policies to support PA and monitor media were significantly associated with child activity. Specific parent PA practices have been shown to be significantly related to PA and ST in older children and adolescents. In Chapter 3, associations among parent PA practices and PA and ST in preschool-age children were explored. Parent use of community resources and restricting sedentary activity, especially video game use, were found to be significantly associated with preschool-age child activity. Previous research has reported body size satisfaction influences PA engagement in adults. Considering this knowledge in conjunction with the findings of the aforementioned chapters, Chapter 4 explored associations between parents’ satisfaction of their children’s body size and home environment factors, parent PA practices, and children’s PA and ST. Parents that reported wanting their child to be larger was significantly associated with PA availability and parent PA role modeling. As a whole, these data also highlighted a gender disparity with respect to the promotion and facilitation of PA opportunities between boy and girl preschool-age children. Education including the widespread benefits of PA, health consequences associated with excess accumulation of ST, and recommendations regarding modifying the home environment and parenting practices to create and foster PA opportunities, regardless of child gender, in preschool-age children should be included in childhood obesity prevention efforts

Comparison of Three Physical Activity Measurement Tools to Assess Physical Activity Guideline Compliance in Children

Current physical activity recommendations suggest that children should have 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of three different physical activity measurement tools to assess whether children were meeting physical activity recommendations. Methods: Physical activity was assessed for one week via accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X), pedometer (New Lifestyles NL-1000), and for one day using a self report questionnaire (Self-Administered Physical Activity Checklist, or [SAPAC]) in thirty 5th-grade students. A total of 15 students, (11 ± 1 yrs; 11 female, 4 male) met compliance standards and were used for data comparisons. Minutes spent in MVPA per day were calculated from the SAPAC and accelerometer data using Sallis specifications and Freedson cut-points, respectively. Data from the SAPAC and accelerometers were compared with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physical activity guidelines. Steps per day from the pedometers were compared with BMI referenced steps per day cut-point guidelines. All data are presented as mean ± SD. Results: SAPAC indicated MVPA of 460 ± 473 minutes per day. Accelerometer assessment indicated MVPA of 40 ± 15 minutes per day. Pedometer assessment indicated 8994 ± 3047 steps per day. Conclusions: Within this sample, 6% of subjects met minimum physical activity recommendations based on accelerometer data, whereas 20% met minimum physical activity recommendations using the pedometer. However, 100% of subjects met recommendations using the subjective self-report recall questionnaire. This pilot study indicates 5th-grade students dramatically over report estimated MVPA via self-report questionnaire. Therefore, objective physical activity assessment tools, such as accelerometers and pedometers may be better suited than self-report questionnaires to assess compliance with physical activity guidelines in 5th-grade students

An Investigation of Social Belongingness as a Predictor of Physiological and Psychological Responses to Exam Stress

Social belongingness is a fundamental human need associated with a host of positive physiological and psychological health outcomes. Academic stress is a frequent and major stressor for undergraduate students that can negatively impact students’ physical and psychological well-being. Could social belongingness buffer the negative psychological and physical effects of exam stress within college students? The goal of the present study was to investigate whether social belongingness attenuated physiological (i.e., salivary cortisol, interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and psychological responses to exam stress. Participants (N=52) completed two study sessions: one during a week they did not have any exams (baseline), and one the day of a stressful exam. During their baseline session, participants completed a battery of questionnaires assessing their baseline levels of stress and social belongingness, and provided saliva and blood spot samples to measure salivary cortisol and IL-6. During the exam stress session, participants again completed a measure of psychological stress, and provided saliva and blood spot samples. Results showed significant increases in perceived stress during the exam stress session compared to the baseline session. However, levels of cortisol and IL-6 during baseline and exam stress sessions were not significantly different. Belongingness did not predict physiological or psychological stress reactivity, but did predict lower levels of psychological stress at both baseline and stress sessions. Results of the present study suggest that belongingness may protect against general stress levels. Findings can be used to create and implement interventions to reduce academic stress in undergraduate students.Bachelor of Scienc

Type‐I interferons suppress microglial production of the lymphoid chemokine, CXCL13

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108063/1/glia22692.pd

Optimization of ribosome profiling using low-input brain tissue from fragile X syndrome model mice

Dysregulated protein synthesis is a major underlying cause of many neurodevelopmental diseases including fragile X syndrome. In order to capture subtle but biologically significant differences in translation in these disorders, a robust technique is required. One powerful tool to study translational control is ribosome profiling, which is based on deep sequencing of mRNA fragments protected from ribonuclease (RNase) digestion by ribosomes. However, this approach has been mainly applied to rapidly dividing cells where translation is active and large amounts of starting material are readily available. The application of ribosome profiling to low-input brain tissue where translation is modest and gene expression changes between genotypes are expected to be small has not been carefully evaluated. Using hippocampal tissue from wide type and fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) knockout mice, we show that variable RNase digestion can lead to significant sample batch effects. We also establish GC content and ribosome footprint length as quality control metrics for RNase digestion. We performed RNase titration experiments for low-input samples to identify optimal conditions for this critical step that is often improperly conducted. Our data reveal that optimal RNase digestion is essential to ensure high quality and reproducibility of ribosome profiling for low-input brain tissue

Comparison of ecosystem processes in a woodland and prairie pond with different hydroperiods

Shallow lakes and ponds constitute a significant number of water bodies worldwide. Many are heterotrophic, indicating that they are likely net contributors to global carbon cycling. Climate change is likely to have important impacts on these waterbodies. In this study, we examined two small Minnesota ponds; a permanent woodland pond and a temporary prairie pond. The woodland pond had lower levels of phosphorus and phytoplankton than the prairie pond. Using the open water oxygen method, we found the prairie pond typically had a higher level of gross primary production (GPP) and respiration (R) than the woodland pond, although the differences between the ponds varied with season. Despite the differences in GPP and R between the ponds the net ecosystem production was similar with both being heterotrophic. Since abundant small ponds may play an important role in carbon cycling and are likely to undergo changes in temperature and hydroperiod associated with climate change, understanding pond metabolism is critical in predicting impacts and designing management schemes to mitigate changes

Coordination of distinct but interacting rhythmic motor programs by a modulatory projection neuron using different co-transmitters in different ganglia

While many neurons are known to contain multiple neurotransmitters, the specific roles played by each co-transmitter within a neuron are often poorly understood. Here, we investigated the roles of the co-transmitters of the pyloric suppressor (PS) neurons, which are located in the stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) of the lobster Homarus americanus. The PS neurons are known to contain histamine; using RT-PCR, we identified a second co-transmitter as the FMRFamide-like peptide crustacean myosuppressin (Crust-MS). The modulatory effects of Crust-MS application on the gastric mill and pyloric patterns, generated in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG), closely resembled those recorded following extracellular PS neuron stimulation. To determine whether histamine plays a role in mediating the effects of the PS neurons in the STG, we bath-applied histamine receptor antagonists to the ganglion. In the presence of the antagonists, the histamine response was blocked, but Crust-MS application and PS stimulation continued to modulate the gastric and pyloric patterns, suggesting that PS effects in the STG are mediated largely by Crust-MS. PS neuron stimulation also excited the oesophageal rhythm, produced in the commissural ganglia (CoGs) of the STNS. Application of histamine, but not Crust-MS, to the CoGs mimicked this effect. Histamine receptor antagonists blocked the ability of both histamine and PS stimulation to excite the oesophageal rhythm, providing strong evidence that the PS neurons use histamine in the CoGs to exert their effects. Overall, our data suggest that the PS neurons differentially utilize their co-transmitters in spatially distinct locations to coordinate the activity of three independent networks. © 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd