When Data Curation Isn’t: A Redefinition for Liberal Arts Universities

Data curation is one way that libraries are extending traditional services to meet the changing needs of patrons. Requirements from research funders have placed increased pressure on grant recipients to create Data Management Plans and to securely store raw data. Research universities have stepped up to provide comprehensive data support services. Despite discrepancies in funding and staff, smaller institutions can similarly provide robust services by focusing on their strengths, such as interdepartmental collaboration, flexibility, and rapid turnaround time. This article details how librarians at Trinity University adapted the larger practice of curation to meet local data management needs

Prenatal Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Allergic Risk

The prevalence of allergic diseases has increased immensely over the past 2-3 decades, leading to significant decrease in the quality of life in patients who suffer from such disease states. The proposal of certain dietary changes during gestation to enhance the immune system in utero has been brought to light, specifically in the form of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA). This meta-analysis poses to provide a conclusion to if high levels of prenatal n-3 PUFA will have an immunological effect on the fetus thus decreasing their allergic risk later in life

Determining the Importance of Hydrogen Bond Strength on the Mechanical Stability of Proteins

Proteins are only marginally stable at room temperature and can easily be unfolded when subjected to denaturants such as chemicals or mechanical forces. Despite this, proteins are able to maintain a unique 3D structure held together by interactions such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions in physiological conditions. We have used single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) to investigate the effect of hydrogen bond strength on the mechanical resilience of two proteins: I27, from the giant muscle protein titin, and protein L, an immunoglobulin binding domain from bacterial cell wall. By picking up and stretching a single protein, the unfolding force needed to unravel it can be determined; this infers information about the molecular interactions that confer its stability and flexibility. To directly test the importance of hydrogen bond strength, we have exploited the use of deuterium (D or 2H) and deuterium oxide (D2O). Deuterium has been shown to form strong hydrogen bonds than hydrogen (1.04 - 2.07 kT stronger). Protein engineering was used to create protonated and deuterated versions of the proteins and SMFS experiments have been completed on the proteins in both water (H2O) and D2O. Our single molecule studies indicate that the mechanical resilience of both proteins is sensitive to the hydrogen bond strength in both the protein and the solvent. Furthermore, the changes in the mechanical resilience of the protein is coupled with an changes in the spring constant of the protein chain. The changes observed in the properties of the proteins due isotopic substitution could aid differentiation between the interactions involved within the rate limiting step of mechanical unfolding. This study has illustrated the sensitivity of SMFS experiments to small changes in the strength of the interactions within proteins, and the importance of probing the net contribution of different interactions to protein stability

Lessons Learned About Building an ASSERTive Community

One of our observations in this lessons learned paper is that there is underwhelming faculty development related to scholarship other than on how to submit and sometimes how to write proposals. This de facto service model misses everything outside of the proposal-writing process; which is the least important, but is often the most celebrated, rewarded, and supported phase. Inspired by national Centers for Teaching & Learning, and modeled after the emerging Communities of Transformation literature, we are piloting a Center for Transformative Research at Boise State University. The vision of our Center is to build and sustain an ASSERTive community -- for Aligning Stakeholders and Structures to Enable Research Transformation (ASSERT). Faculty members from across campus were recruited to participate as fellows to explore what it means to be a scholar and how to move a bold and transformative idea forward. To minimize the energy to apply, the application process included an Instagram post, Twitter response, and/or haiku. Fifteen faculty were selected for the cohort of fellows. To ensure university-wide accountability, a memorandum of understanding was signed by each fellow, as well as their Provost, Vice President for Research & Economic Development, College or School Dean, and Department Chair. Once signed, each fellow was asked to complete a survey and participate in an individual structured interview with the PI and co-PI. These allowed us to determine the specific needs of each fellow, providing validation or perhaps challenging our a priori observations of risk inhibitors at Boise State that prevent germination of bold ideas. By studying the fellows, we were able to look at what may inhibit them from taking risks – personal attributes and beliefs, and structural and cultural issues within their academic units, the university, and in their academic fields. Based on the survey results and individual structured interviews, programming was developed and tailored to the needs of the fellows. An off-campus retreat was held. In addition to the off-campus retreat, on-campus workshops were custom-made for the fellows and included: (a) how to germinate transformative ideas by no longer seeing ideas as precious; (b) how to become an effective collaborator by adapting the Toolbox Project; (c) how to move ideas forward by drawing on the game “Chutes & Ladders” where the chutes represent common obstacles and the ladders are shortcuts; (d) how to manage time at work, and in life; and (e) how to classify, understand, and know when and how to implement intentional versus emergent research strategies. As a culminating activity, the faculty then pitched their ideas to university and community leadership. In conjunction with this pitch event, an advocate was assigned to each fellow to help connect their ideas to future resources. From our motivation to our faculty application to our custom learning community, lessons learned will be shared via a lightning talk

Recollection Is Impaired by the Modification of Interpretation Bias

The interpretation paradigm of cognitive-bias modification (CBM-I) was modified with instructions used in process-dissociation procedures for the purpose of investigating processes contributing to performance on the transfer task. In Experiment 1 nonanxious students were trained to interpret ambiguous situations in either a negative or benign way (or they read nonambiguous scenarios). They were then asked to respond to new ambiguous situations in the same way as contextually similar analogues during training, or to respond differently. Benign training proactively impaired memory for negative outcomes. This effect was replicated by anxious students in Experiment 2 and discussed with respect to the assumptions underlying process-dissociation procedures and directions for future research

Overdue Investigations Into Popular Beliefs

Panel Chair: Susan Grimland Papers Presented: Megan Greer: “The True Case of Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance” Trace Hughes: “Is Chinua Achebe Right about Conrad’s Heart of Darkness?” Rebecca Netherton: “Pharmageddon or Pharmaheaven” Jordan La Grenad