Early environmental field research career exploration: An analysis of impacts on precollege apprentices

Research apprenticeships offer opportunities for deep understanding of scientific practice, transparency about research careers, and possible transformational effects on precollege youth. We examined two consecutive field-based environmental biology apprenticeship programs designed to deliver realistic career exploration and connections to research scientists. The Shaw Institute for Field Training (SIFT) program combines introductory field-skills training with research assistance opportunities, and the subsequent Tyson Environmental Research Fellowships (TERF) program provides immersive internships on university field station–based research teams. In a longitudinal mixed-methods study grounded in social cognitive career theory, changes in youth perspectives were measured during program progression from 10th grade through college, evaluating the efficacy of encouraging career path entry. Results indicate SIFT provided self-knowledge and career perspectives more aligned with reality. During SIFT, differences were found between SIFT-only participants compared with those who progressed to TERF. Transition from educational activities to fieldwork with scientists was a pivotal moment at which data showed decreased or increased interest and confidence. Continuation to TERF provided deeper relationships with role models who gave essential early-career support. Our study indicates the two-stage apprenticeship structure influenced persistence in pursuit of an environmental research career pathway. Recommendations for other precollege environmental career–exploration programs are presented

Characterization of Cre recombinase activity for in vivo targeting of adipocyte precursor cells.

The increased incidence of obesity and metabolic disease underscores the importance of elucidating the biology of adipose tissue development. The recent discovery of cell surface markers for prospective identification of adipose precursor cells (APCs) in vivo will greatly facilitate these studies, yet tools for specifically targeting these cells in vivo have not been identified. Here, we survey three transgenic mouse lines, Fabp4-Cre, PdgfRα-Cre, and Prx1-Cre, precisely assessing Cre-mediated recombination in adipose stromal populations and mature tissues. Our data provide key insights into the utility of these tools to modulate gene expression in adipose tissues. In particular, Fabp4-Cre is not effective to target APCs, nor is its activity restricted to these cells. PdgfRα-Cre directs recombination in the vast majority of APCs, but also targets other populations. In contrast, adipose expression of Prx1-Cre is chiefly limited to subcutaneous inguinal APCs, which will be valuable for dissection of APC functions among adipose depots

What Is Mental Health and Wellness? Perspectives from Native American Youth

The purpose of this participatory research was to gain the perspective from the youth of a plains tribe Native American community about their concept of mental health and wellness, and to discover how youth participants related these ideas and narratives to their life processes and experiences. This study also investigated the methodological use of participatory photo-elicitation for talking about mental health and using grounded research theory to explore what types of themes and testimony are most common. This participatory research was done in partnership with an American Indian-operated health promotion and disease prevention program that is tackling inequity in mental health youth outcomes. Forty-one children ages 9 to 17 participated in this qualitative study. Semi-structured one-one-one interviews using the participatory photo-elicitation method generated conversation and formed the basis of the raw data. Grounded theory was employed in both data collection and analysis. A “zig-zag” pattern of data collection defined basic subgroups of children by age, allowing for a saturation of themes. The five major themes that emerged were: strategies for mental health, ecology and mental health, identity and mental health, social support/loss of social support and mental health, and, ambivalent feelings/thoughts about mental health. Categories within themes held across the three age groups and overlapping themes held theoretical importance. Photo-creation followed by photo-elicitation resulted in a rich relay of diverse testimony including literal translation, metaphor, analogy, shadowed data, and personally recounted lived experiences, often shared via expository dialogue. The saturation of themes showed fidelity to developmental groupings. Identity, particularly Native identity overlapped with themes of strategy and ecology. This study heightens awareness that most older children in this sample identified loss of a loved one as part of their lived experience of mental health. A majority of children spoke of mental health and wellness strategies that included finding balance, healing, seeking social support and inhabiting at least one positive ecology. Finally, many children related their concept of mental health to their natural surroundings and the sky. Some children used visual and verbal metaphors such as the medicine wheel, a Native quilt, the undulation of a landscape, and the tipi to help describe their concept of mental health and wellness

Blogging: the use of digital representation of the migration experience

To understand the migrant experience, researchers have traditionally used methods such as ethnography and the analysis of written records to analyse the process of migration; however a new primary source – new-media or digital records – is becoming more and more relevant to the field. The new primary sources take many forms, but a common new-medium, used by those migrating from Greece in the second decade of the twenty-first century, is that of blogs. This preliminary and exploratory study seeks to examine blogs written by people choosing to leave Greece. Using a qualitative analysis of themes extrapolated from blog posts, both personal and practical, this study illustrates themes discussed by bloggers to communicate their experience, and suggests further uses for new-media in the field of migration studies

Emergence of switch-like behavior in a large family of simple biochemical networks

Bistability plays a central role in the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) controlling many essential biological functions, including cellular differentiation and cell cycle control. However, establishing the network topologies that can exhibit bistability remains a challenge, in part due to the exceedingly large variety of GRNs that exist for even a small number of components. We begin to address this problem by employing chemical reaction network theory in a comprehensive in silico survey to determine the capacity for bistability of more than 40,000 simple networks that can be formed by two transcription factor-coding genes and their associated proteins (assuming only the most elementary biochemical processes). We find that there exist reaction rate constants leading to bistability in ~90% of these GRN models, including several circuits that do not contain any of the TF cooperativity commonly associated with bistable systems, and the majority of which could only be identified as bistable through an original subnetwork-based analysis. A topological sorting of the two-gene family of networks based on the presence or absence of biochemical reactions reveals eleven minimal bistable networks (i.e., bistable networks that do not contain within them a smaller bistable subnetwork). The large number of previously unknown bistable network topologies suggests that the capacity for switch-like behavior in GRNs arises with relative ease and is not easily lost through network evolution. To highlight the relevance of the systematic application of CRNT to bistable network identification in real biological systems, we integrated publicly available protein-protein interaction, protein-DNA interaction, and gene expression data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and identified several GRNs predicted to behave in a bistable fashion.Comment: accepted to PLoS Computational Biolog

On the presence of the Ponto-Caspian hydrozoan Cordylophora caspia (Pallas, 1771) in an Iberian estuary: highlights on the introduction vectors and invasion routes

Several non-native invertebrate and vertebrate species have been detected in the Guadiana Estuary (SW-Iberian Peninsula, Europe) during the 21st century. In June 2015, the non-native hydroid Cordylophora caspia (Pallas, 1771) was detected for the first time in this estuary, which motivated an assessment of its distribution during late Spring and Summer 2016. The main goals of this paper were to: i) report the presence of Cordylophora caspia and its distribution in the Guadiana Estuary, ii) record the substrates colonized, salinity, and water temperatures at locations where the species was detected, iii) evaluate possible introduction vectors and invasion routes; and iv) discuss the potential impacts and management options. Cordylophora caspia occupied a 25-km stretch of the estuary with salinities between 0.2 and 13.8 and occupied a variety of human-made substrates. Shipping was the most likely introduction vector of C. caspia, which might have originated from populations in the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, the potential ecological impacts are likely low since the population size is small due to an apparent shortage of suitable habitat. Economic effects are minimal at present because there are no major industries along the basin extracting water from the estuary. An integrated ecohydrological approach-i.e. freshets released from dams to control the populations of Cnidaria-was proposed to minimize or mitigate the potential negative effects of this species in the Guadiana Estuary.Delta Stewardship Council; Delta Science Program [1167]; Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) through the Jellyfisheries project [PTDC/MAR-BIO/0440/2014]; European Regional Development Fund (COMPETE program-Operational Competitiveness Programme); FCT [SFRH/BPD/108949/2015]; [UID/Multi/04326/2013]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of Different Types of Noise on Foreign Accent Adaptation

Understanding foreign-accented speech can be difficult. Comprehension can be further compromised by environmental noise. Previous research has shown that listeners are able to adapt rapidly to a foreign accent. The present study examines how foreign accent (FA) adaptation is affected by two kinds of noise: speech-shaped white noise and competing speech. Native English listeners heard blocks of sentences produced by native-accented or foreign-accented talkers (Korean, Spanish) mixed with either type of noise, and indicated if the word written on the screen and the last word they heard were the same by pressing a button. Results show that listener responses were more accurate (though slower) when sentences were mixed with competing speech than with speech-shaped white noise. These findings suggest that while competing speech made word recognition more effortful, ultimately it was less disruptive than white noise for FA adaptation.Linguistic

Parent Interaction In Primetime Family Themed Television Portrayals: A Replication And Extension Of Dail And Way\u27s (1985) Content Analysis

This research is a replication and extension of Dail and Way’s (1985) content analysis identifying parent interactions portrayed in family oriented prime time network television programs. Family structure, parent role, child rearing, and child responses were coded from five episodes each of eight different programs from 2014-2015 television season. The programs presented parent roles more often than child rearing, while mothers were found in child rearing more often than fathers. Traditional family structures were most prevalent with fewer single parent households and a new presence of same-sex parents. Mothers and fathers were still portrayed stereotypically, but children’s responses were more realistic and further reinforced traditional gender roles. Child responses reinforced traditional and rejected non-traditional parent interactions according to the parents’ sex, partnership, and occupation

Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Franklin 1A Elevated Storage Tank and Access Road, El Paso County, Texas

On 25 July 2017, Versar Inc. performed a pedestrian survey for the proposed Franklin 1A Elevated Storage Tank and access road. The inventory followed the standards outlined under THC’s Archaeological Survey Standards for Texas and Rules of Practice and Procedure for the Antiquities Code of Texas for 3.0-acres of land in northeast El Paso, El Paso County, Texas. The proposed survey area is positioned southeast of U.S. Highway 54 approximately 1.0-mile south of the Stan Roberts and U.S. Highway 54 intersection. The area of potential effect is on property owned by the El Paso Water-Public Service Board, a sub-entity of the City of El Paso. The project goal was to identify all prehistoric and historic archaeological sites in the survey parcel and make National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility recommendations for any newly discovered cultural properties. The survey documented no archaeological sites and only two isolated finds. Due to the lack of cultural resources, and a general absence of geomorphic/cultural context, no further work is recommended for the APE proposed for the Franklin 1A Elevated Storage Tank and access road