Dan Shechtman and His Discovery of Quasicrystals

This poster for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College features chemist and material science professor Dan Shechtman who discovered Quasicrystals in 1982

IVD Formation in Monodelphis domestica

The research summarized on this poster supports the use of the gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) as a lab animal for research into invertebral disc formation and degeneration. Preliminary data suggests that some genes involved in the formation and maintenance of the notochord in mice are the same in the short-tailed opossum. Data also suggests the ossification of the vertebral column of pups proceeds anteriorly to posteriorly and that much of the maturation of the nucleus puposus happens in the first ten days

Deletion of a conserved Gata2 enhancer impairs haemogenic endothelium programming and adult Zebrafish haematopoiesis

Gata2 is a key transcription factor required to generate Haematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells (HSPCs) from haemogenic endothelium (HE); misexpression of Gata2 leads to haematopoietic disorders. Here we deleted a conserved enhancer (i4 enhancer) driving pan-endothelial expression of the zebrafish gata2a and showed that Gata2a is required for HE programming by regulating expression of runx1 and of the second Gata2 orthologue, gata2b. By 5 days, homozygous gata2aΔi4/Δi4 larvae showed normal numbers of HSPCs, a recovery mediated by Notch signalling driving gata2b and runx1 expression in HE. However, gata2aΔi4/Δi4 adults showed oedema, susceptibility to infections and marrow hypo-cellularity, consistent with bone marrow failure found in GATA2 deficiency syndromes. Thus, gata2a expression driven by the i4 enhancer is required for correct HE programming in embryos and maintenance of steady-state haematopoietic stem cell output in the adult. These enhancer mutants will be useful in exploring further the pathophysiology of GATA2-related deficiencies in vivo

Beccles triple post alignment, Beccles Marshes, Suffolk: excavation and palaeoenvironmental analysis of an Iron Age Wetland site

This paper describes the results of two seasons of excavation and associated palaeoenvironmental analyses of a wetland site on Beccles Marshes, Beccles, Suffolk. The site has been identified as a triple post alignment of oak timbers (0.6–2.0 m long), over 100 m in length, and 3–4 m wide, running north-west to south-east towards the River Waveney. It was constructed in a single phase which has been dated dendrochronologically to 75 BC, although discrete brushwood features identified as possible short trackways have been dated by radiocarbon to both before and after the alignment was built. It is unclear if the posts ever supported a superstructure but notches (‘halving lap joints’) in some of the posts appear to have held timbers to support the posts and/or aid in their insertion. In addition, fragments of both Iron Age and Romano-British pottery were recovered. A substantial assemblage of worked wooden remains appears to reflect the construction of the post row itself and perhaps the on-site clearance of floodplain vegetation. This assemblage also contains waste material derived from the reduction splitting of timbers larger than the posts of the alignment, but which have not been recovered from the site. Environmental analyses indicate that the current landscape context of the site with respect to the River Waveney is probably similar to that which pertained in prehistory. The coleoptera (beetle) record illustrates a series of changes in the on-site vegetation in the period before, during and after the main phase of human activity which may be related to a range of factors including floodplain hydrology and anthropogenic utilisation of Beccles Marshes. The possible form and function of the site is discussed in relation to the later prehistoric period in Suffolk.</jats:p

Seduced by System: Edmund Burke's Aesthetic Embrace of Adam Smith's Philosophy

No abstract available

Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (rg =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness

PRECS Participant: Emma Gray

Emma Gray, a participant in the Phenotypic Plasticity Research Experience for Community College Students, discusses her experience and assigned project

Hydrogen-bonded chains formed by 5,5-diethylbarbituric acid and bipyridyl tectons

Supramolecular interactions play an important role in determining the solid-state structures of many molecular species. In this study, we describe the role of pyridyl-based molecules in forming hydrogen-bonded chains with 5,5-diethylbarbituric acid (DEB). The single crystal X-ray structures of three hydrogen-bonded co-crystals all exhibit one-dimensional chains formed via N–H…N interactions between pyridyl hydrogen bond acceptors and N–H hydrogen bond donors of DEB. Subtle differences are observed between the three related co-crystals. Although both DEB·4,4’-bipy, 1, and DEB·diaz, 2, (diaz = 2,7-diazapyrene) adopt similar one-dimensional chains with a 1:1 DEB:bipyridyl stoichiometry, π–π interactions play a significant role in the solid-state arrangement of 2 only. In 2(DEB)·dpb, 3, (dpb = 1,4-bis(4-pyridyl)-benzene), an alternative 2:1 DEB:bipyridyl stoichiometry is observed. Dimeric DEB hydrogen-bonded units are linked into hydrogen-bonded chains through further hydrogen bonding. The co-crystal DEB·pypm, 4, (pypm = 5-(4-pyridyl)pyrimidine), also forms dimeric DEB hydrogen-bonded units which interact with the pyridyl groups of pypm. However, the pyrimidine groups of pypm do not participate in hydrogen bonding to DEB molecules and as a result discrete dimeric 2(DEB)·2(pypm) units are formed

Population incidence and associated mortality of urinary tract infection in people living with dementia

Objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) frequently cause hospitalisation and death in people living with dementia (PLWD). We examine UTI incidence and associated mortality among PLWD relative to matched controls and people with diabetes and investigate whether delayed or withheld treatment further impacts mortality. Methods: Data were extracted for n = 2,449,814 people aged ≥ 50 in Wales from 2000–2021, with groups matched by age, sex, and multimorbidity. Poisson regression was used to estimate incidences of UTI and mortality. Cox regression was used to study the effects of treatment timing. Results: UTIs in dementia (HR=2.18, 95 %CI [1.88–2.53], p &lt; .0) and diabetes (1.21[1.01–1.45], p = .035) were associated with high mortality, with the highest risk in individuals with diabetes and dementia (both) (2.83[2.40–3.34], p &lt; .0) compared to matched individuals with neither dementia nor diabetes. 5.4 % of untreated PLWD died within 60 days of GP diagnosis—increasing to 5.9 % in PLWD with diabetes. Conclusions: Incidences of UTI and associated mortality are high in PLWD, especially in those with diabetes and dementia. Delayed treatment for UTI is further associated with high mortality.</p