Social Information Processing and Emotion Regulation: Relationships with Attachment and Social Competance in At-Risk Preschoolers

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Erin R. Baker on July 12, 2011

Local and systemic in vivo responses to osseointegrative titanium nanotube surfaces

Orthopedic implants requiring osseointegration are often surface modified; however, implants may shed these coatings and generate wear debris leading to complications. Titanium nanotubes (TiNT), a new surface treatment, may promote osseointegration. In this study, in vitro (rat marrow-derived bone marrow cell attachment and morphology) and in vivo (rat model of intramedullary fixation) experiments characterized local and systemic responses of two TiNT surface morphologies, aligned and trabecular, via animal and remote organ weight, metal ion, hematologic, and nondecalcified histologic analyses. In vitro experiments showed total adherent cells on trabecular and aligned TiNT surfaces were greater than control at 30 min and 4 h, and cells were smaller in diameter and more eccentric. Control animals gained more weight, on average; however, no animals met the institutional trigger for weight loss. No hematologic parameters (complete blood count with differential) were significantly different for TiNT groups vs. control. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) showed greater aluminum levels in the lungs of the trabecular TiNT group than in those of the controls. Histologic analysis demonstrated no inflammatory infiltrate, cytotoxic, or necrotic conditions in proximity of K-wires. There were significantly fewer eosinophils/basophils and neutrophils in the distal region of trabecular TiNT-implanted femora; and, in the midshaft of aligned TiNT-implanted femora, there were significantly fewer foreign body giant/multinucleated cells and neutrophils, indicating a decreased immune response in aligned TiNT-implanted femora compared to controls

A molecular genetic toolbox for Yarrowia lipolytica

Background: Yarrowia lipolytica is an ascomycete yeast used in biotechnological research for its abilities to secrete high concentrations of proteins and accumulate lipids. Genetic tools have been made in a variety of backgrounds with varying similarity to a comprehensively sequenced strain. Results: We have developed a set of genetic and molecular tools in order to expand capabilities of Y. lipolytica for both biological research and industrial bioengineering applications. In this work, we generated a set of isogenic auxotrophic strains with decreased non-homologous end joining for targeted DNA incorporation. Genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation of this genetic background uncovers previously unidentified genes in Y. lipolytica. To complement these strains, we constructed plasmids with Y. lipolytica-optimized superfolder GFP for targeted overexpression and fluorescent tagging. We used these tools to build the "Yarrowia lipolytica Cell Atlas," a collection of strains with endogenous fluorescently tagged organelles in the same genetic background, in order to define organelle morphology in live cells. Conclusions: These molecular and isogenetic tools are useful for live assessment of organelle-specific protein expression, and for localization of lipid biosynthetic enzymes or other proteins in Y. lipolytica. This work provides the Yarrowia community with tools for cell biology and metabolism research in Y. lipolytica for further development of biofuels and natural products

Metabolism, Gas Exchange, and Carbon Spiraling in Rivers

Ecosystem metabolism, that is, gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER), controls organic carbon (OC) cycling in stream and river networks and is expected to vary predictably with network position. However, estimates of metabolism in small streams outnumber those from rivers such that there are limited empirical data comparing metabolism across a range of stream and river sizes. We measured metabolism in 14 rivers (discharge range 14–84 m3 s−1) in the Western and Midwestern United States (US). We estimated GPP, ER, and gas exchange rates using a Lagrangian, 2-station oxygen model solved in a Bayesian framework. GPP ranged from 0.6–22 g O2 m−2 d−1 and ER tracked GPP, suggesting that autotrophic production supports much of riverine ER in summer. Net ecosystem production, the balance between GPP and ER was 0 or greater in 4 rivers showing autotrophy on that day. River velocity and slope predicted gas exchange estimates from these 14 rivers in agreement with empirical models. Carbon turnover lengths (that is, the distance traveled before OC is mineralized to CO2) ranged from 38 to 1190 km, with the longest turnover lengths in high-sediment, arid-land rivers. We also compared estimated turnover lengths with the relative length of the river segment between major tributaries or lakes; the mean ratio of carbon turnover length to river length was 1.6, demonstrating that rivers can mineralize much of the OC load along their length at baseflow. Carbon mineralization velocities ranged from 0.05 to 0.81 m d−1, and were not different than measurements from small streams. Given high GPP relative to ER, combined with generally short OC spiraling lengths, rivers can be highly reactive with regard to OC cycling. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York

3-Dimensional structural characterization of cationized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) with styryl and phenylethyl capping agents

The 3-dimensional gas-phase conformations of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), R 8 Si 8 O 12 , capped with styryl and phenylethyl substituents (R) and cationized by sodium were examined. MALDI was used to generate sodiated styryl-POSS (Na + Sty 8 T 8 ) and phenylethyl-POSS (Na + PhEt 8 T 8 ) ions and their collision cross-sections in helium were measured using ion mobility-based methods. Five distinct conformers with different collision cross-sections were experimentally observed for Na + Sty 8 T 8 while only one conformer was detected for Na + PhEt 8 T 8 . Theoretical modeling of Na + Sty 8 T 8 , using molecular mechanics/dynamics calculations, predicts three low-energy conformations. In each conformer, the Na + ion binds to four oxygens on one side of the Si-O cage and the styryl groups extend away from the cage. However, different numbers of styryl groups "pair" together (forming 2, 3 or 4 pairs), yielding three different conformations. The calculated cross-sections of these conformers match the largest three cross-sections obtained from the ion mobility experiments (â\u88¼2% error). If, however, one or two of the styryl groups are rotated so that the phenyl groups are "cis" with respect to the Si atom on the cage (i.e., the Si-C=C-C dihedral angle changes from 180 to 0 â\u80¢ ) two smaller conformers are predicted by theory whose cross-sections match the smallest two values obtained from the ion mobility experiments (1-2% error). Theoretical modeling of Na + PhEt 8 T 8 yields one low-energy conformation in which the Na + ion binds to one oxygen on the Si-O cage and is sandwiched between two phenyl groups. The remaining phenylethyl groups fold toward the Si-O cage, yielding a significantly more compact structure than Na + Sty 8 T 8 (â\u88¼20% smaller cross-section). The calculated cross-section of the predicted Na + PhEt 8 T 8 structure agrees very well with the experimental cross-section obtained from the ion mobility experiments (â\u88¼1% error)

Development of a Certificate in Healthcare Improvement for Inter-Professional Teams

Introduction To address gaps in care team improvement-science education and connect geographically dispersed learners, we created a healthcare improvement certificate program, now completing the third program year, for inter-professional (IP) healthcare teams, including third year medical students. Methods This hybrid learning program consists of five modules: Learning Healthcare Systems, Improvement Science, Patient Safety and Diagnostic Error, Population Health and Health Equity and Leading Change. The curricular materials are comprised of focused readings, concise videos, faculty-moderated discussion boards, weekly synchronous calls of participants with faculty, and a longitudinal improvement project. The faculty are content experts, and worked with a curricular designer to define learning objectives and develop content. Results We have completed three years of this six-month program, training 61 participants (17 of whom were medical students) at 14 sites. In the third year, several medical students participated without an IP team. Development of the materials has been iterative, with feedback from learners and faculty used to shape the materials. Discussion We demonstrate the development and rollout of a hybrid-learning program for diverse and geographically dispersed IP teams, including medical students. Time restrictions limited the depth of topics, and scheduling overlap caused some participants to miss the interactive calls. We plan to evaluate the utility of the program for participants over time, using qualitative methods. Conclusion This educational model is feasible for IP teams studying improvement science and implementing change projects, and can be adopted to dispersed geographic settings

NASA Standing Review Board Handbook

No abstract availabl