Omission : a look into the PK-12 experience through the lens of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender university students

Dissertation supervisor: Dr. Carole E. Edmonds.Includes vita.Gathering perspectives from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender students (LGBT) on their PK-12 experiences has the potential to create a safe and equitable environment for students. To gather these experiences, 39 university students from the states of Missouri and Kansas were interviewed via focus group or telephone interview. They shared experiences with identity formation, peers, teachers, administrators, support, safety, and LGBT representation within the classroom, curriculum, and/or building. This research is qualitative in nature utilizing open coding and axial coding to identify themes and interpret responses. Data discovered that LGBT students' experiences were based on the student being openly LGBT or perceived as such. Students who were not out as LGBT reported less harassment and a higher degree of safety. Those who were out or perceived as LGBT spoke to different forms of harassment. In all cases participants indicated that LGBT discussion and representation were omitted from most, if not all, facets of their experience. If integrated, the information was incomplete, covered briefly, or was self-initiated. The basis behind the research is to gain the knowledge of LGBT individuals and their perceptions of the current public PK-12 setting. With this new found knowledge, it is hoped that current polices and procedures will be examined through a diversity/inclusion lens so districts can start to integrate, or continue to include the needs of LGBT people into the current practice.Includes bibliographical references

Cardiovascular and hormonal responses to electroconvulsive therapy.

A patient suffering from severe psychiatric depression underwent a course of electroconvulsive therapy. A marked rise in systemic arterial pressure, heart rate and plasma catecholamines in response to electroconvulsive therapy was attenuated by Β-receptor blockade using propranolol. The significance and mechanism of this attenuation are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72273/1/j.1365-2044.1981.tb08818.x.pd

Characterizations of Certain Classes of Planar Dynamical Systems

Mathematic

Use of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 to Improve Beef Tenderness

Feeding the 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH D3) metabolite of vitamin D3 has been reported to improve beef tenderness and result in lower vitamin D3 metabolite concentrations in meat. Because 25-OH D3 remains elevated in plasma for at least 8 d subsequent to feeding, we believe that 25-OH D3 can be fed as a one-time oral bolus and allow a flexible time frame for harvest with the same improvement in postmortem calcium-dependent proteolysis and beef tenderness. To test this hypothesis, 108 crossbred steers were allotted, six steers per pen to 18 pens and treatments were assigned randomly to pen. Treatments were 25-OH D3 dosage (62.5 or 125 mg) and time of administration of the one-time oral bolus (4, 7, 21, or 35 d before harvest). Control steers received no 25-OH D3. Regardless of time of bolusing relative to harvest, the one-time oral bolus elevated plasma 25-OH D3 concentration and it remained elevated through harvest for steers assigned to either dosages of 25-OHD3. Plasma calcium concentration, however, remained unchanged compared with that of controls, regardless of dosage or time of bolusing relative to harvest. The one-time oral bolus of 25-OH D3 did not result in an improvement in tenderness as determined by Warner-Bratzler shear force or an improvement postmortem proteolysis as determined by troponin-T degradation. We conclude that a one-time oral bolus of 62.5 or 125 mg of 25-OH D3 was sufficient to elevate plasma 25-OH D3 concentration and maintain an elevated plasma 25-OH D3 concentration for up to 35 d. The dosage of 25-OH D3, however, was insufficient to result in elevated plasma calcium and therefore did not enhance calcium-dependent proteolysis postmortem to result in beef that is more tender

SIV Vpx Is Essential for Macrophage Infection but Not for Development of AIDS

Analysis of rhesus macaques infected with a vpx deletion mutant virus of simian immunodeficiency virus mac239 (SIVΔvpx) demonstrates that Vpx is essential for efficient monocyte/macrophage infection in vivo but is not necessary for development of AIDS. To compare myeloid-lineage cell infection in monkeys infected with SIVΔvpx compared to SIVmac239, we analyzed lymphoid and gastrointestinal tissues from SIVΔvpx-infected rhesus (n = 5), SIVmac239-infected rhesus with SIV encephalitis (7 SIV239E), those without encephalitis (4 SIV239noE), and other SIV mutant viruses with low viral loads (4 SIVΔnef, 2 SIVΔ3). SIV+ macrophages and the percentage of total SIV+ cells that were macrophages in spleen and lymph nodes were significantly lower in rhesus infected with SIVΔvpx (2.2%) compared to those infected with SIV239E (22.7%), SIV239noE (8.2%), and SIV mutant viruses (10.1%). In colon, SIVΔvpx monkeys had fewer SIV+ cells, no SIV+ macrophages, and lower percentage of SIV+ cells that were macrophages than the other 3 groups. Only 2 SIVΔvpx monkeys exhibited detectable virus in the colon. We demonstrate that Vpx is essential for efficient macrophage infection in vivo and that simian AIDS and death can occur in the absence of detectable macrophage infection

Academic Outcomes of Children with Isolated Orofacial Clefts Compared with Children without a Major Birth Defect

To compare academic outcomes between children with orofacial cleft (OFC) and children without major birth defects

Cratering and penetration experiments in teflon targets at velocities from 1 to 7 km/s

Approximately 20 sq m of protective thermal blankets, largely composed of Teflon, were retrieved from the Long Duration Exposure Facility after the spacecraft spent approximately 5.7 years in space. Examination of these blankets revealed that they contained thousands of hypervelocity impact features ranging from micron-sized craters to penetration holes several millimeters in diameter. We conducted impact experiments to reproduce such features and to understand the relationships between projectile size and the resulting crater or penetration hole diameter over a wide range of impact velocities. Such relationships are needed to derive the size and mass frequency distribution and flux of natural and man-made particles in low-earth orbit. Powder propellant and light-gas guns were used to launch soda-lime glass spheres into pure Teflon targets at velocities ranging from 1 to 7 km/s. Target thickness varied over more than three orders of magnitude from finite halfspace targets to very thin films. Cratering and penetration of massive Teflon targets is dominated by brittle failure and the development of extensive spall zones at the target's front and, if penetrated, the target's rear side. Mass removal by spallation at the back side of Teflon targets may be so severe that the absolute penetration hole diameter can become larger than that of a standard crater. The crater diameter in infinite halfspace Teflon targets increases, at otherwise constant impact conditions, with encounter velocity by a factor of V (exp 0.44). In contrast, the penetration hole size in very thin foils is essentially unaffected by impact velocity. Penetrations at target thicknesses intermediate to these extremes will scale with variable exponents of V. Our experimental matrix is sufficiently systematic and complete, up to 7 km/s, to make reasonable recommendations for velocity-scaling of Teflon craters and penetrations. We specifically suggest that cratering behavior and associated equations apply to all impacts in which the shock-pulse duration of the projectile is shorter than that assigned a unique projectile size, provided an impact velocity is known or assumed. This calibration seems superior to the traditional ballistic-limit approach

Sampling and pyrosequencing methods for characterizing bacterial communities in the human gut using 16S sequence tags

Intense interest centers on the role of the human gut microbiome in health and disease, but optimal methods for analysis are still under development. Here we present a study of methods for surveying bacterial communities in human feces using 454/Roche pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene tags. We analyzed fecal samples from 10 individuals and compared methods for storage, DNA purification and sequence acquisition. To assess reproducibility, we compared samples one cm apart on a single stool specimen for each individual. To analyze storage methods, we compared 1) immediate freezing at -80°C, 2) storage on ice for 24 or 3) 48 hours. For DNA purification methods, we tested three commercial kits and bead beating in hot phenol. Variations due to the different methodologies were compared to variation among individuals using two approaches--one based on presence-absence information for bacterial taxa (unweighted UniFrac) and the other taking into account their relative abundance (weighted UniFrac). In the unweighted analysis relatively little variation was associated with the different analytical procedures, and variation between individuals predominated. In the weighted analysis considerable variation was associated with the purification methods. Particularly notable was improved recovery of Firmicutes sequences using the hot phenol method. We also carried out surveys of the effects of different 454 sequencing methods (FLX versus Titanium) and amplification of different 16S rRNA variable gene segments. Based on our findings we present recommendations for protocols to collect, process and sequence bacterial 16S rDNA from fecal samples--some major points are 1) if feasible, bead-beating in hot phenol or use of the PSP kit improves recovery; 2) storage methods can be adjusted based on experimental convenience; 3) unweighted (presence-absence) comparisons are less affected by lysis method

L-Edge Spectroscopy of Dilute, Radiation-Sensitive Systems Using a Transition-Edge-Sensor Array

We present X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements on the iron L-edge of 0.5 mM aqueous ferricyanide. These measurements demonstrate the ability of high-throughput transition-edge-sensor (TES) spectrometers to access the rich soft X-ray (100-2000eV) spectroscopy regime for dilute and radiation-sensitive samples. Our low-concentration data are in agreement with high-concentration measurements recorded by conventional grating-based spectrometers. These results show that soft X-ray RIXS spectroscopy acquired by high-throughput TES spectrometers can be used to study the local electronic structure of dilute metal-centered complexes relevant to biology, chemistry and catalysis. In particular, TES spectrometers have a unique ability to characterize frozen solutions of radiation- and temperature-sensitive samples.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure