Examining Interdisciplinary Sustainability Institutes at Major Research Universities: Innovations in Cross-Campus + Cross-Disciplinary Models

This is a study of the distinctive characteristics, activities, challenges and opportunities of a specific type of sustainability institute, one that spans the many disciplines of the university and, to do so, reports to upper administration (provost or vice president of research). Among research universities within the Association of American Universities (AAU), 19 were identified, and 18 agreed to participate in this study. Directors are sent a 71-question survey in January 2017 that covered issues of Governance, Research, Education, Engagement, Campus Operations and Best Practices

Changes in the Ideal Body Type

The human body comes in all shapes and sizes. Each different body shape allows onlookers to evaluate at least some aspects of the subject’s lifestyle and priorities. All eras choose a body type that they exalt above the rest. The goal of this research is to evaluate the considered ideal body type from three different eras in order to better understand these time periods and their values. A compilation of books and journal articles were used from the Cunningham Memorial Library Database, the library itself, and other personal libraries to better understand this topic. The most pertinent question was what Sparta, Medieval Europe, and the 1920’s in the United States considered to be the ideal body type. From here a comparison between the time periods and their values was needed to understand why these ideal body styles differ so greatly. Lastly, a record of events that happened during each reign was needed so understand the external factors acting upon the choosing of the body styles. These findings can be used to deeper understand history, sociology, body image, and reproduction.Kayla SiddellHonors DiplomaHonors CollegeCunningham Memorial Library, Terre Haute, Indiana State UniversityUndergraduateTitle from document title page. Document formatted into pages: 27

Sudden cardiac death in a young man with massive left ventricular pseudoaneurysm

Introduction: Left ventricular (LV) pseudoaneurysm (PA) is a known complication of myocardial infarction and rarely, mitral valve (MV) replacement surgery or endocarditis. PAs are prone to rupture with a 50% mortality rate if untreated. We report a case of sudden cardiac death associated with massive, unruptured LVPA complicating prosthetic valve endocarditis. Case: A 28 year-old male with a history of intravenous drug abuse and MVreplacement for infective endocarditis presented with signs of congestive heart failure. A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) and computed tomography revealed a MV abscess, prosthetic MV insufficiency with vegetations and an extracardiac mass, possibly a LVPA. On day three, he suffered sudden onset of shortness of breath, became unresponsive, and was not resuscitated. At autopsy, the posterior-inferior surface of the heart was effaced by a massive pericardial mass compressing and displacing the normal cardiac anatomy, but was intact without evidence of rupture. There was no evidence of pulmonary embolism, but the bioprosthesis was completely destroyed. A fistula beneath the MV annulus led into the pericardial space, which contained organized thrombus with areas of fresh blood. Microscopic studies confirmed the diagnosis of LVPA. Discussion: This case illustrates an exceptional example of how the clinical suspicion for cause of death was refuted by pathological evidence and reinforces the need for pathological confirmation despite highly likely clinical suspicions. The clinical team worked closely with the pathology team to determine the potential cause of death, a cooperative endeavor that will desirably be a model for future interactions to improve patient care

Potential ecological impacts of climate intervention by reflecting sunlight to cool Earth

As the effects of anthropogenic climate change become more severe, several approaches for deliberate climate intervention to reduce or stabilize Earth’s surface temperature have been proposed. Solar radiation modification (SRM) is one potential approach to partially counteract anthropogenic warming by reflecting a small proportion of the incoming solar radiation to increase Earth’s albedo. While climate science research has focused on the predicted climate effects of SRM, almost no studies have investigated the impacts that SRM would have on ecological systems. The impacts and risks posed by SRM would vary by implementation scenario, anthropogenic climate effects, geographic region, and by ecosystem, community, population, and organism. Complex interactions among Earth’s climate system and living systems would further affect SRM impacts and risks. We focus here on stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI), a well-studied and relatively feasible SRM scheme that is likely to have a large impact on Earth’s surface temperature. We outline current gaps in knowledge about both helpful and harmful predicted effects of SAI on ecological systems. Desired ecological outcomes might also inform development of future SAI implementation scenarios. In addition to filling these knowledge gaps, increased collaboration between ecologists and climate scientists would identify a common set of SAI research goals and improve the communication about potential SAI impacts and risks with the public. Without this collaboration, forecasts of SAI impacts will overlook potential effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services for humanity

Near-field iron and carbon chemistry of non-buoyant hydrothermal plume particles, Southern East Pacific Rise 15°S

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2018. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Chemistry 201 (2018): 183-197, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2018.01.011.Iron (Fe)-poor surface waters limit phytoplankton growth and their ability to remove carbon (C) from the atmosphere and surface ocean. Over the past few decades, research has focused on constraining the global Fe cycle and its impacts on the global C cycle. Hydrothermal vents have become a highly debated potential source of Fe to the surface ocean. Two main mechanisms for transport of Fe over long distances have been proposed: Fe-bearing nanoparticles and organic C complexation with Fe in the dissolved (dFe) and particulate (pFe) pools. However, the ubiquity and importance of these processes is unknown at present, and very few vents have been investigated for Fe-Corg interactions or the transport of such materials away from the vent. Here we describe the near-field contributions (first ~100 km from ridge) of pFe and Corg to the Southern East Pacific Rise (SEPR) plume, one of the largest known hydrothermal plume features in the global ocean. Plume particles (> 0.2 μm) were collected as part of the U.S. GEOTRACES Eastern Pacific Zonal Transect cruise (GP16) by in-situ filtration. Sediment cores were also collected to investigate the properties of settling particles. In this study, X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy was used in two complementary X-ray synchrotron approaches, scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and X-ray microprobe, to investigate the Fe and C speciation of particles within the near-field non-buoyant SEPR plume. When used in concert, STXM and X-ray microprobe provide fine-scale and representative information on particle morphology, elemental co-location, and chemical speciation. Bulk chemistry depth profiles for particulate Corg (POC), particulate manganese (pMn), and pFe indicated that the source of these materials to the non-buoyant plume is hydrothermal in origin. The plume particles at stations within the first ~100 km down-stream of the ridge were composites of mineral (oxidized Fe) and biological materials (organic C, Corg). Iron chemistry in the plume and in the core-top suspended sediment fluff layer were both dominated by Fe(III) phases, such as Fe(III) oxyhydroxides and Fe(III) phyllosilicates. Particulate sulfur (pS) was a rare component of our plume and sediment samples. When pS was detected, it was in the form of an Fe sulfide mineral phase, composing ≤ 0.4% of the Fe on a per atom basis. The resuspended sediment fluff layer contained a mixture of inorganic (coccolith fragments) and Corg bearing (lipid-rich biofilm-like) materials. The particle morphology and co-location of C and Fe in the sediment was different from that in plume particles. This indicates that if the Fe-Corg composite particles settle rapidly to the sediments, then they experience strong alteration during settling and/or within the sediments. Overall, our observations indicate that the particles within the first ~ 100 km of the laterally advected plume are S-depleted, Fe(III)-Corg composites indicative of a chemically oxidizing plume with strong biological modification. These findings confirm that the Fe-Corg relationships observed for non-buoyant plume particles within ~ 100 m of the vent site are representative of particles within this region of the non-buoyant plume (~100 km). These findings also point to dynamic alteration of Fe-Corg bearing particles during transport and settling. The specific biogeochemical processes at play, and the implications for nutrient cycling in the ocean are currently unknown and represent an area of future investigation

Supervillin modulation of focal adhesions involving TRIP6/ZRP-1

Cell–substrate contacts, called focal adhesions (FAs), are dynamic in rapidly moving cells. We show that supervillin (SV)—a peripheral membrane protein that binds myosin II and F-actin in such cells—negatively regulates stress fibers, FAs, and cell–substrate adhesion. The major FA regulatory sequence within SV (SV342-571) binds to the LIM domains of two proteins in the zyxin family, thyroid receptor–interacting protein 6 (TRIP6) and lipoma-preferred partner (LPP), but not to zyxin itself. SV and TRIP6 colocalize within large FAs, where TRIP6 may help recruit SV. RNAi-mediated decreases in either protein increase cell adhesion to fibronectin. TRIP6 partially rescues SV effects on stress fibers and FAs, apparently by mislocating SV away from FAs. Thus, SV interactions with TRIP6 at FAs promote loss of FA structure and function. SV and TRIP6 binding partners suggest several specific mechanisms through which the SV–TRIP6 interaction may regulate FA maturation and/or disassembly

2-Heptylcyclopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid Disperses and Inhibits Bacterial Biofilms

Fatty-acid signaling molecules can inhibit biofilm formation, signal dispersal events, and revert dormant cells within biofilms to a metabolically active state. We synthesized 2-heptylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (2CP), an analog of cis-2-decenoic acid (C2DA), which contains a cyclopropanated bond that may lock the signaling factor in an active state and prevent isomerization to its least active trans-configuration (T2DA). 2CP was compared to C2DA and T2DA for ability to disperse biofilms formed by Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 2CP at 125 μg/ml dispersed approximately 100% of S. aureus cells compared to 25% for C2DA; both 2CP and C2DA had significantly less S. aureus biofilm remaining compared to T2DA, which achieved no significant dispersal. 2CP at 125 μg/ml dispersed approximately 60% of P. aeruginosa biofilms, whereas C2DA and T2DA at the same concentration dispersed 40%. When combined with antibiotics tobramycin, tetracycline, or levofloxacin, 2CP decreased the minimum concentration required for biofilm inhibition and eradication, demonstrating synergistic and additive responses for certain combinations. Furthermore, 2CP supported fibroblast viability above 80% for concentrations below 1 mg/ml. This study demonstrates that 2CP shows similar or improved efficacy in biofilm dispersion, inhibition, and eradication compared to C2DA and T2DA and thus may be promising for use in preventing infection for healthcare applications

Statistical Modeling of Extracellular Vesicle Cargo to Predict Clinical Trial Outcomes For Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Cardiac-derived c-kit+ progenitor cells (CPCs) are under investigation in the CHILD phase I clinical trial (NCT03406884) for the treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The therapeutic efficacy of CPCs can be attributed to the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs). to understand sources of cell therapy variability we took a machine learning approach: combining bulk CPC-derived EV (CPC-EV) RNA sequencing and cardiac-relevan

Immediate Blood Draw for CD4+ Cell Count Is Associated with Linkage to Care in Durban, South Africa: Findings from Pathways to Engagement in HIV Care

Background Timely linkage to care by newly-diagnosed HIV+ individuals remains a significant challenge to achieving UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals. Current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend initiating anti-retroviral treatment (ART) regardless of CD4+ count, with priority given to those with CD4+ <350 cells/μl. We evaluated the impact of not having a day-of-diagnosis CD4+ count blood draw, as recommended by South African guidelines, on time to linkage, using data from a prospective cohort study. Methods Individuals (N = 2773) were interviewed prior to HIV counseling and testing at three public sector primary care clinics in the greater Durban area; 785 were newly-diagnosed and eligible for the cohort study; 459 (58.5%) joined and were followed for eight months with three structured assessments. Linkage to care, defined as returning to clinic for CD4+ count results, and day-of-diagnosis blood draw were self-reported. Results Overall, 72.5% did not have a day-of-diagnosis CD4+ count blood draw, and 19.2% of these never returned. Compared with a day-of-diagnosis blood draw, the adjusted hazard ratio of linkage (AHRlinkage) associated with not having day-of-diagnosis blood draw was 0.66 (95%CI: 0.51, 0.85). By 4 months, 54.8% of those without day-of-diagnosis blood draw vs. 75.2% with one were linked to care (chi-squared p = 0.004). Of those who deferred blood draw, 48.3% cited clinic-related and 51.7% cited personal reasons. AHRlinkage was 0.60 (95%CI: 0.44, 0.82) for clinic-related and 0.53 (95%CI: 0.38, 0.75) for personal reasons relative to having day-of-diagnosis blood draw. Conclusions Newly-diagnosed HIV+ individuals who did not undergo CD4+ count blood draw on the day they were diagnosed—regardless of the reason for deferring—had delayed linkage to care relative to those with same-day blood draw. To enhance prompt linkage to care even when test and treat protocols are implemented, all diagnostic testing required before ART initiation should be performed on the same day as HIV testing/diagnosis. This may require modifying clinic procedures to enable overnight blood storage if same-day draws cannot be performed, and providing additional counseling to encourage newly-diagnosed individuals to complete day-of-diagnosis testing. Tracking HIV+ individuals via clinic registries should commence immediately from diagnosis to reduce these early losses to care