Analysis of HPV16 Variants in the Carolina Women’s Care Study and a Comparison of Gene Expression Profiles of Exfoliated Cervical Cells From Women Who Either Clear or Do Not Clear an HPV16 Infection

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the etiologic agent for cervical cancer with HPV type 16 (HPV16) being found in about 50% of cervical cancers worldwide. HPVs vary in genomic (DNA) sequence not only between types, but also within types, known as variants. Variants of a particular HPV type may differ by up to 2% in nucleotide sequence in the coding region and up to 5% in the noncoding region. Variants within HPV16 have been identified and grouped into six distinct phylogenetic branches, which segregate geographically: European (E), Asian-American (As.A), African-1 (Af-1), African-2 (Af- 2), Asian (As), and North American (NA). However, there remains an unclear relationship of HPV variants as they pertain to viral infection, HPV persistence, and the risk of developing cervical cancer. Thus, we studied HPV16 variants from exfoliated cervical cells obtained from women enrolled in the Carolina Women’s Care Study (CWCS). The CWCS followed the HPV status of freshman female students attending the University of South Carolina (UofSC) from enrollment at UofSC until graduation. Exfoliated cervical cells were collected from CWCS participants every 6-months and analyzed for the presence and type of HPV using real-time PCR and a commercial line- blot assay (INNO-LiPA). HPV16 positive cervical DNA samples were amplified by PCR using specific primers for the Long Control Region (LCR) of the HPV16 genome, the DNA sequence of the PCR product was determined, and the HPV16 variant identified. Of the 467 CWCS participants, 160 participants (365 samples) were HPV16 positive at some point during the study. We obtained informative HPV16 variant results on 74 participants (160 samples). Our results determined that the E variant is by far the most common amongst the participants (77%). However, the Af-2 variant was much more common in African American CWCS participants (24% of HPV16 positive samples) than in European American CWCS participants (4% of HPV positive samples). Unfortunately, due to small sample size and the predominance of the E variant, it was not possible to determine what role, if any; the different variants play in HPV persistence. In the second part of this thesis we present data from microarray studies comparing the gene expression profiles in RNA isolated from exfoliated cervical cells from CWCS participants who either clear an HPV16 infection or have a persistent HPV16 infection. HPV infection is very common but HPV infections in most women are cleared by the immune system in a period of 12-24 months. However, about 10% of HPV infections persist, leading to cytological abnormalities of the squamous epithelium of the cervix, lesions which can ultimately progress to cervical cancer. Most cervical premalignant lesions are currently treated since there are no diagnostic tools available to predict which lesions will progress or regress. This leads to expensive and painful procedures and over treatment. Thus, the identification of potential biomarkers that could predict which women are more likely to have a persistent HPV infection would we extremely useful, as these would be the women most likely to experience cervical disease. RNA was isolated from exfoliated cervical cells collected as part of the CWCS and gene expression profiles determined using Human Clariom S arrays (Affymetrix/Thermo Fisher Scientific). These arrays contain probes for over 20,000 well-annotated genes. We compared gene expression profiles in HPV16 negative samples (N=10) to cervical cell samples collected from women that were HPV16 positive and cleared (N=10) or did not clear (persistor, N=10) the HPV16 infection. Differentially expressed genes were determined and the data subjected to Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA, Qiagen). The IPA results determined that pathways involved in cellular immune response were activated in women who cleared the HPV infection but not in women who were HPV persistent. Thus, no immune response to the HPV16 infection is elicited in women with a persistent HPV16 infection and somehow the HPV “hides” from the immune system in these women

Promoting mathematical communication and community via Blackboard

Major changes in mathematics pedagogy include writing as pedagogy and the role of community in learning. The classroom community is naturally extended by the use of online discussion boards. In this paper several models for student use of online discussion boards that have been successfully used to promote mathematical discourse are presented. Structured and unstructured examples that are easily adaptable and transportable to a variety of mathematics classroom settings are offered. These assignments facilitate student engagement and interaction outside of the classroom. Assessment, utility, and transferability are offered. Although the authors use the discussion boards provided by Blackboard, this particular software package is not necessary

X-ray Emission from the Host Clusters of Powerful AGN

(Abridged) We report the detection of X-ray emission from the host cluster of the radio-quiet quasar H1821+643 with the ROSAT HRI, and the non-detection of the host cluster of the radio-loud quasar 3C206 using the EINSTEIN HRI. CL1821+643 has a rest-frame 0.1-2.4 keV luminosity of 3.74$\pm$0.57 h$_{50}^{-2}$ 10^45 ergs/sec, 38% from a barely resolved cooling flow component, which places it among the most X-ray luminous clusters known. The cluster emission complicates interpretation of previous X-ray spectra of this field; in particular, the observed FeK$\alpha$ emission can probably be attributed entirely to the cluster, and either the quasar is relatively X-ray quiet for its optical luminosity or the cluster has a relatively low temperature for its luminosity. We combine these data with the recent detection of X-ray emission from the host cluster of the `buried' radio-quiet quasar IRAS 09104+4109, our previous upper limits for the host clusters of two z$\sim$0.7 RLQs, and literature data on FR II radio galaxies and compare to the predictions of three models for the presence and evolution of powerful AGN in clusters: the low-velocity-dispersion model, the low-ICM-density model, and the cooling flow model. Neither of the latter two models can explain all the observations. We suggest that strong interactions with gas-containing galaxies may be the only mechanism needed to explain the presence and evolution of powerful AGN in clusters, consistent with the far-IR and optical properties of the host galaxies studied here. However, the cooling flow model cannot be ruled out for at least some objects, and it is likely that both processes are at work. Each scenario makes predictions for future X-ray and optical observations which can test their relative importance.Comment: Scheduled for the April 1997 Astronomical Journal; 35 pages including 5 figures; also available from http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~pathall/astro.htm

The University of Alabama Libraries and Student Support Services (SSS) Partnership: Non-Traditional Outreach to Academic Support Programs

Abstract: Outreach programs on University campuses are crucial to reaching students who may not otherwise be introduced to the library and the services that the library can offer. In addition to traditional library liaison work with colleges within the university as a whole, it is important to develop outreach programs to work with students in academic support services. At the University of Alabama Libraries we have partnered with the Student Support Services TRiO program, a grant-funded program through the U. S. Department of Education that works to increase the retention and graduation rates of first generation college students, students with limited family income, and students with disabilities. We have developed a program that utilizes a combination of classroom instruction in the library and outreach hours at the Student Support Services building, we are able to engage with the students on multiple levels while remaining cognizant of any accommodations they may require. We provide instruction on utilizing the library’s website as well as one-on-one consultations for students who need research support. Although this program is only in its second semester it has proved quite successful and we see great potential for expansion to other non-traditional academic services on campus. This poster was originally presented at the Alabama Library Association annual convention, April 2016https://ir.una.edu/libfacpresentation/1003/thumbnail.jp

Surge of Student Suicides Pushes Las Vegas Schools to Reopen

This text is a reproduction of the New York Times article “Surge of Student Suicides Pushes Las Vegas Schools to Reopen” and aims to disseminate the most relevant materials and information on the fight against COVID 19. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/us/politics/student-suicides-nevada-coronavirus.htm

A ROSAT Search for X-ray Emission from Quasar Host Clusters

We report the results of a search for X-ray emission from quasar host clusters at moderate redshift using the {\sl ROSAT} HRI. We detect no emission from the host clusters of 3C~263 (z=0.646) and PKS~2352-34 (z=0.706) to 3$\sigma$\ limits of 3.26 and 2.86 $\times$10$^{44}$\ ergs~s$^{-1}$ respectively (H$_o$=50, q$_o$=1/2) for clusters with r$_{core}$=125~kpc and T=5~keV. These limits show that these quasar host clusters are not substantially more X-ray luminous than optically or X-ray selected clusters of similar richnesses at z$\gtrsim$0.5. We also report the possible detection of a clump of X-ray emitting gas coincident with the brightest radio lobe of 3C~263. This may be evidence for the existence of a clumpy ICM in the host cluster of 3C~263.Comment: Scheduled for the August 1995 Astronomical Journal; 21 pages including figures in uuencoded compressed PostScript format; also available from http://astro.as.arizona.edu/~pathall/preprints.htm