Make yourself at home : makerspaces as a tool for resettlement and reconstruction in conflict-affected settings

Millions of people worldwide have had their lives upended by violent conflict. In the last decade, the number of people forcibly displaced by conflict has doubled, reaching current heights of more than eighty million. Once the emergency needs of food, shelter, and medical care have been met, there is an opportunity for aid providers to assist in the resettling of populations and reconstruction of devastated cities. This study highlights the value of a recent evolution in this response to include makerspaces: communal workshops that offer access to tools and materials as well as education and sometimes even employment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with program leaders in five different locations to examine makerspaces in conflict- affected settings. Through a lens of Human Capabilities, this study shows how they contribute to the improvement of livelihoods and well-being of users and their communities. The cases studied here have been particularly beneficial for women and youth. Through a blending of new and old technologies makerspaces allow users to shape or re-shape their own surroundings and participate in their own care. They contribute to improved livelihoods through skills development and market access. Makerspaces foster community and offer notable benefits to users' mental health and notably allow for some retention and restoration of cultural heritage. Additionally, this thesis assembles the experiences of makerspace program leaders to provide expertise on the challenges and enablers of operating a makerspace for conflict-affected populations.M-D

A new robust diagnostic polymerase chain reaction for determining the mating status of female Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes.

The principal malaria vector in Africa, Anopheles gambiae, contains two pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. The Y chromosome is only associated with males and other Y chromosome-specific DNA sequences, which are transferred to women during mating. A reliable tool to determine the mating status of dried wild An. gambiae females is currently lacking. DNA was extracted from dried virgin and mated females and used to test whether Y chromosome-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) markers can be successfully amplified and used as a predictor of mating. Here we report a new PCR-based method to determine the mating status among successfully inseminated and virgin wild An. gambiae females, using three male-specific primers. This dissection-free method has the potential to facilitate studies of both population demographics and gene flow from dried mosquito samples routinely collected in epidemiologic monitoring and aid existing and new malaria-vector control approaches

A case study of an employment training program for students with disabilities aged 18–21: Strengths, barriers, and suggestions for improvement

University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. December 2017. Major: Educational Policy and Administration. Advisor: Peter Demerath. 1 computer file (PDF); iv, 71 pages.People with disabilities, across all age groups, are much less likely to be employed than those without a disability (Bureau of Statistics, 2017; Mourssi-Asfash, 2013; Erickson, Lee, & von Schrader, 2016). Historically, people with disabilities have been regarded as lesser human beings in the medical and social community. These views are social constructs (ableism and othering) that negatively impact the access to employment and job retention of people with disabilities. However, transition programs (for students with disabilities aged 18–21) in school districts are available to teach individuals with disabilities employment skills to expand employment rates and retention, thus increasing independence and contribution to self and society. One particular transition program has been successful for individuals with disabilities to become employed. This study aims to explore and understand how the program is successfully training individuals with disabilities to improve access to and retention of employment, as well as the drawbacks and next steps of the program. The participants in this case study were parents/guardians of individuals with disabilities who recently graduated from this transition program (in the past 2 years). Parents/guardians were interviewed about their personal experiences with the transition program, focusing in particular on employment training. The findings include: (a) teacher care, advocacy, and emphasizing success; (b) program positives, specifically the employment variety and the skills learned at those jobs and recommendation of the program to upcoming students and parents/guardians based on their employment experiences, support and advocacy from teachers, and genuine care from the teachers and staff from the program; and (c) areas of improvement including more variety and quantity of employment opportunities and communication about information regarding government resources and programming. Recommended improvement strategies for the program include: (a) develop peer support groups for parents/guardians and students; (b) have key people in the program to having a list of resources available to parents from the government agencies; (c) train students and parents/guardians to be better advocates; (d) have tangible copies of frequently asked questions and answers from parents, guardians, and students readily available at IEP meetings; (e) have a vocational rehabilitation service representative at every IEP meeting and, if this is not possible, have information that the representative would like to provide based on the individual's’ needs; (f) create a website with transitional guidelines to adulthood that parents/guardians and students could complete during their time with the transition program; (g) have a representative from the transition program working within the community and surrounding communities to build relationships for future job placements; (h) educate companies and employers about the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities; and (i) continue the philosophy and culture of care, advocacy, and support for students and parents/guardians through the hiring process and a culture/climate committee. Keywords: transition, transition programs, special education, education, ableism, othering, employment, discrimination, disability, special education law, disability la

BASELINE CONCENTRATIONS OF CONTAMINANTS OF EMERGING CONCERN IN THE LAKE THUNDERBIRD WATERSHED, PLANNING FOR INDIRECT POTABLE REUSE IN OKLAHOMA

The City of Norman, OK is planning an indirect potable reuse (IPR) project to augment their water supply. The IPR project involves transferring treated effluent from the Norman Water Reclamation Facility (NWRF) to Dave Blue Creek, which flows into Lake Thunderbird and acts as an environmental buffer. One of the major concerns for IPR projects is the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) in recycled wastewater. CEC are broadly defined as chemicals that can potentially enter the environment, but that are not routinely monitored and could pose health risks to humans or ecology. The objectives of this thesis research are to analyze baseline CEC concentrations in the lake, evaluate periodic tendencies, compare results to previous CEC studies, and identify probable sources for the detected CEC. Stakeholders can use the results to assess the effectiveness of the environmental buffering, and design necessary advanced water treatment at the NWRF before the IPR project commences. Four water sampling events were completed at Lake Thunderbird in Norman, OK during 2016 and 2017 with each event representing a season. Water samples were collected at six lake sites and analyzed for 113 unique CEC including compounds in four categories: 1) industrials, 2) pesticides, 3) pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP), and 4) “others”. Sub-watersheds were delineated and loading factor models were developed for each sub-watershed to assess potential CEC contributions based on land use, density of domestic wells (as a proxy for density of septic tanks), and density of storage tanks. Eight, 21, 24, and 24 CEC were detected in June 2016, October 2016, January 2017, and April 2017 samples, respectively. The compound NP was detected in fall, winter, and spring, making it the most frequently detected industrial compound. The pesticides atrazine and simazine were detected in every season, most likely because of year-round lawn or agricultural applications. Acesulfame-K (artificial sweetener) and DEET (insect repellant) were also detected in every season, those compound detections could be the result of runoff from residential areas or from recreational use of the lake. CEC are likely derived from seasonally variable sources, such as lawn applications and septic systems. Concentrations of atrazine, simazine, and 2, 4-D detected in Lake Thunderbird are well below EPA established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for drinking water. Nine other compounds detected in Lake Thunderbird are below non-federal health standards, available from the Minnesota Department of Health, which indicates that Lake Thunderbird water is likely safe for consumption with regard to CEC. Comparison of Lake Thunderbird CEC concentrations to a microcosm study of Norman Water Reclamation Facility (NWRF) effluent in Dave Blue Creek sediment with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) indicate that the environmental buffering may sufficiently reduce concentrations of CEC before they reach Lake Thunderbird during the planned IPR project. Future investigations should define the half-life and health standards that are presently unavailable for the 113 CEC analyzed in this study. Additional investigation, sampling, and analysis of current NWRF effluent discharge and receiving waters of the Canadian River would be beneficial for documenting environmental buffering effects

Making it RAIN: Using Remotely Accessible Instruments in Nanotechnology to Enhance High School Science Courses

The Remotely Accessible Instruments in Nanotechnology (RAIN) Network is a conglomerate of nineteen community colleges, four-year universities and high school sites that aims to enhance STEM learning by bringing advanced technologies to K-12 education. RAIN provides free remote access to instruments such as Scanning Electron, Atomic Force and Transmission Electron Microscopes, as well as Energy Dispersive and Infrared Spectroscopy. The following is a variety of experiments and an empirical formula lab that can be performed in a high school physical science or chemistry classroom that utilizes the RAIN Network

Identification of three single nucleotide polymorphisms in Anopheles gambiae immune signaling genes that are associated with natural Plasmodium falciparum infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Laboratory studies have demonstrated that a variety of immune signaling pathways regulate malaria parasite infection in <it>Anopheles gambiae</it>, the primary vector species in Africa.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To begin to understand the importance of these associations under natural conditions, an association mapping approach was adopted to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in selected immune signaling genes in <it>A. gambiae </it>collected in Mali were associated with the phenotype of <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>infection.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three SNPs were identified in field-collected mosquitoes that were associated with parasite infection in molecular form-dependent patterns: two were detected in the <it>Toll5B </it>gene and one was detected in the gene encoding insulin-like peptide 3 precursor. In addition, one infection-associated <it>Toll5B </it>SNP was in linkage disequilibrium with a SNP in sequence encoding a mitogen-activated protein kinase that has been associated with Toll signaling in mammalian cells. Both <it>Toll5B </it>SNPs showed divergence from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, suggesting that selection pressure(s) are acting on these loci.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Seven of these eight infection-associated and linked SNPs alter codon frequency or introduce non-synonymous changes that would be predicted to alter protein structure and, hence, function, suggesting that these SNPs could alter immune signaling and responsiveness to parasite infection.</p

Antigenic and genetic characterization of a divergent African virus, Ikoma lyssavirus

In 2009, a novel lyssavirus (subsequently named Ikoma lyssavirus, IKOV) was detected in the brain of an African civet (Civettictis civetta) with clinical rabies in the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania. The degree of nucleotide divergence between the genome of IKOV and those of other lyssaviruses predicted antigenic distinction from, and lack of protection provided by, available rabies vaccines. In addition, the index case was considered likely to be an incidental spillover event, and therefore the true reservoir of IKOV remained to be identified. The advent of sensitive molecular techniques has led to a rapid increase in the discovery of novel viruses. Detecting viral sequence alone, however, only allows for prediction of phenotypic characteristics and not their measurement. In the present study we describe the in vitro and in vivo characterization of IKOV, demonstrating that it is (1) pathogenic by peripheral inoculation in an animal model, (2) antigenically distinct from current rabies vaccine strains and (3) poorly neutralized by sera from humans and animals immunized against rabies. In a laboratory mouse model, no protection was elicited by a licensed rabies vaccine. We also investigated the role of bats as reservoirs of IKOV. We found no evidence for infection among 483 individuals of at least 13 bat species sampled across sites in the Serengeti and Southern Kenya

Protocol for expansion of an existing national monthly survey of smoking behaviour and alcohol use in England to Scotland and Wales:The Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study

Background The Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study (STS/ATS) in England has delivered timely insights to inform and evaluate strategies aimed at reducing tobacco smoking- and alcohol-related harm. From the end of 2020 until at least 2024 the STS/ATS is expanding to Scotland and Wales to include all constituent nations in Great Britain. Expanding data collection to Scotland and Wales will permit the evaluation of how smoking and alcohol related behaviours respond to divergent policy scenarios across the devolved nations. Methods The STS/ATS consists of monthly cross-sectional household interviews (computer or telephone assisted) of representative samples of adults in Great Britain aged 16+ years. Commencing in October 2020 each month a new sample of approximately 1700 adults in England, 450 adults in Scotland and 300 adults in Wales complete the survey (~n = 29,400 per year). The expansion of the survey to Scotland and Wales has been funded for the collection of at least 48 waves of data across four years. The data collected cover a broad range of smoking and alcohol-related parameters (including but not limited to smoking status, cigarette/nicotine dependence, route to quit smoking, prevalence and frequency of hazardous drinking, attempts and motivation to reduce alcohol consumption, help sought and motives for attempts to reduce alcohol intake) and socio-demographic characteristics (including but not limited to age, gender, region, socio-economic position) and will be reviewed monthly and refined in response to evolving policy needs and public interests. All data analyses will be pre-specified and available on a free online platform. A dedicated website will publish descriptive data on important trends each month. Discussion The Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study will provide timely monitoring of smoking and alcohol related behaviours to inform and evaluate national policies across Great Britain

The mitogen-activated protein kinome from Anopheles gambiae: identification, phylogeny and functional characterization of the ERK, JNK and p38 MAP kinases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Anopheles gambiae </it>is the primary mosquito vector of human malaria parasites in sub-Saharan Africa. To date, three innate immune signaling pathways, including the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-dependent Toll and immune deficient (IMD) pathways and the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (Jak-STAT) pathway, have been extensively characterized in <it>An. gambiae</it>. However, in addition to NF-kappaB-dependent signaling, three mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways regulated by JNK, ERK and p38 MAPK are critical mediators of innate immunity in other invertebrates and in mammals. Our understanding of the roles of the MAPK signaling cascades in anopheline innate immunity is limited, so identification of the encoded complement of these proteins, their upstream activators, and phosphorylation profiles in response to relevant immune signals was warranted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we present the orthologs and phylogeny of 17 <it>An. gambiae </it>MAPKs, two of which were previously unknown and two others that were incompletely annotated. We also provide detailed temporal activation profiles for ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK in <it>An. gambiae </it>cells <it>in vitro </it>to immune signals that are relevant to malaria parasite infection (human insulin, human transforming growth factor-beta1, hydrogen peroxide) and to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. These activation profiles and possible upstream regulatory pathways are interpreted in light of known MAPK signaling cascades.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The establishment of a MAPK "road map" based on the most advanced mosquito genome annotation can accelerate our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and broader physiology of <it>An. gambiae </it>and other mosquito species. Further, future efforts to develop predictive models of anopheline cell signaling responses, based on iterative construction and refinement of data-based and literature-based knowledge of the MAP kinase cascades and other networked pathways will facilitate identification of the "master signaling regulators" in biomedically important mosquito species.</p