Pectin-rich biomass as feedstock for fuel ethanol production

The USA has proposed that 30 % of liquid transportation fuel be produced from renewable resources by 2030 (Perlack and Stokes 2011). It will be impossible to reach this goal using corn kernel-based ethanol alone. Pectin-rich biomass, an under-utilized waste product of the sugar and juice industry, can augment US ethanol supplies by capitalizing on this already established feedstock. Currently, pectin-rich biomass is sold (at low value) as animal feed. This review focuses on the three most studied types of pectin-rich biomass: sugar beet pulp, citrus waste and apple pomace. Fermentations of these materials have been conducted with a variety of ethanologens, including yeasts and bacteria. Escherichia coli can ferment a wide range of sugars including galacturonic acid, the primary component of pectin. However, the mixed acid metabolism of E. coli can produce unwanted side products. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot naturally ferment galacturonic acid nor pentose sugars but has a homoethanol pathway. Erwinia chrysanthemi is capable of degrading many of the cell wall components of pectin-rich materials, including pectin. Klebsiella oxytoca can metabolize a diverse array of sugars including cellobiose, one degradation product of cellulose. However, both E. chrysanthemi and K. oxytoca produce side products during fermentation, similar to E. coli. Using pectin-rich residues from industrial processes is beneficial because the material is already collected and partially pretreated to facilitate enzymatic deconstruction of the plant cell walls. Using biomass already produced for other purposes is an attractive practice because fewer greenhouse gases (GHG) will be anticipated from land-use changes

Parallel process: Experiences of first semester practicum and doctoral students in the supervision relationship

Poster Presentatio

Imagination and sociodramatic play using Minecraft and FaceTime as a digitally-mediated environment

This research investigates how children located in separate homes use the psychological function of imagination to engage in sociodramatic play using networked digital technologies. Specifically, it examines how 7- to 8-year-old children create imaginary play situations in the same Minecraft: Education Edition digitally-mediated environment whilst synchronously using the FaceTime video-communication tool to discuss their play. Drawing on cultural-historical conceptualizations of play, findings identified in this study describe how children reworked and combined elements of reality via imagination to enable online sociodramatic play. This study provides theoretical insight into how adults may best foster children’s imagination in digitally-mediated environments to support online sociodramatic play, of especial benefit to children during periods of lockdown associated with the global pandemic

Metabolic remodelling driven by MYC overexpression regulates the p53 tumour suppressor response

The MYC onocogene is frequently overexpressed in human cancer due to its capacity to promote cell growth and cell proliferation. MYC overexpression activates the p53 tumour suppressor pathway, which resists the pro-tumourigeneic program elicited by MYC. How MYC overexpression engages p53 is yet to be elucidated, and in this study I carried out a large metabolic siRNA screen to determine whether p53 responds to a specific MYC-driven metabolic pathway. Two clear lipid metabolic pathways emerged from the siRNA screen: PPARγ/arachidonate metabolism and de novo sphingolipid synthesis. Knockdown or inhibition of PPARγ increased p53 levels, and PPARγ ligands decreased following MYC overexpression. Knockdown of ceramide synthesis depleted p53 levels, and MYC overexpression increased de novo ceramide synthesis. This demonstrated that MYC-driven ceramide synthesis positively regulates p53, and highlights the role of cell metabolism in the tumour suppressor response to MYC deregulation

Parents’ practices of co-play in a community playgroup

Playgroups are a unique form of early childhood provision involving parents and their children attending together. Parents’ attendance at playgroups provides opportunities for involvement in play. However, little is known about parents’ practices of co-play in playgroups and the potential for these practices to enhance children’s play experiences in early childhood. Drawing on practice architectures theory, this paper identifies parents’ practices of co-play in a community playgroup, and the enablers and constraints on those practices. Data were collected through ethnographic methods, which included participant observation and informal individual interviews. The findings show that parents’ practices of co-play consider the child’s needs and interests in ways that support development and enhance children’s play in the community playgroup. This research contributes new knowledge about the range of co-play practices engaged in by parents with children in community playgroups

MYC sensitises cells to apoptosis by driving energetic demand

The MYC oncogene is a potent driver of growth and proliferation but also sensitises cells to apoptosis, which limits its oncogenic potential. MYC induces several biosynthetic programmes and primary cells overexpressing MYC are highly sensitive to glutamine withdrawal suggesting that MYC-induced sensitisation to apoptosis may be due to imbalance of metabolic/energetic supply and demand. Here we show that MYC elevates global transcription and translation, even in the absence of glutamine, revealing metabolic demand without corresponding supply. Glutamine withdrawal from MRC-5 fibroblasts depletes key tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites and, in combination with MYC activation, leads to AMP accumulation and nucleotide catabolism indicative of energetic stress. Further analyses reveal that glutamine supports viability through TCA cycle energetics rather than asparagine biosynthesis and that TCA cycle inhibition confers tumour suppression on MYC-driven lymphoma in vivo. In summary, glutamine supports the viability of MYC-overexpressing cells through an energetic rather than a biosynthetic mechanism

Aligning Instruction with Extension Professional Competencies for an Enhanced Undergraduate Extension Education Minor

This paper reports on a three-year initiative to enhance the undergraduate Extension Education minor at a state land-grant university. Specific initiatives to improve the undergraduate Extension Education minor curriculum involved (a) revising the Extension Education minor due to varied curriculum and faculty changes and (b) aligning eight Extension Education courses’ units of study with Extension professional competency domains. The described processes helped understand the Extension Education curriculum by mapping competency domains and showing which domains were and were not taught in the eight courses. A key recommendation is to incorporate the alignment of Extension Education curriculum and Extension professional competencies into the Extension summer internship program, among other uses. Furthermore, it is recommended that faculty engage in a similar effort to map college curricula to professional competencies to ensure that academic minors have a clear purpose in preparing students for careers

A longitudinal and cross-sectional examination of the relationship between reasons for choosing a neighbourhood, physical activity and body mass index

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body mass index and neighborhood walkability, socioeconomic status (SES), reasons for choosing neighborhoods, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and demographic variables.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two studies, one longitudinal and one cross-sectional, were conducted. Participants included adults (n = 572) who provided complete data in 2002 and 2008 and a concurrent sample from 2008 (n = 1164). Data were collected with longitudinal and cross-sectional telephone surveys. Objective measures of neighborhood characteristics (walkability and SES) were calculated using census data and geographic information.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the longitudinal study, neighborhood choice for ease of walking and proximity to outdoor recreation interacted with whether participants had moved during the course of study to predict change in BMI over 6 years. Age, change in activity status, and neighborhood SES were also significant predictors of BMI change. Cross-sectionally, neighborhood SES and neighborhood choice for ease of walking were significantly related to BMI as were gender, age, activity level and fruit and vegetable intake.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results demonstrate that placing importance on choosing neighborhoods that are considered to be easily walkable is an important contributor to body weight. Findings that objectively measured neighbourhood SES and neighborhood choice variables contributed to BMI suggest that future research consider the role of neighborhood choice in examining the relationships between the built environment and body weight.</p

More Than Meets the Eye: The Contributions of John Dalrymple (1803-1852).

Having authored two major ophthalmology textbooks and honored with the eponym, the Dalrymple sign, many are familiar with the works of Dr. John Dalrymple when it comes to the eye. However, few are aware of his other, numerous and wide-ranging contributions to the fields of science and medicine. In this article, we discuss the life and work of a man dedicated to the pursuit and advancement of knowledge and education