Engaging local students and aquarium visitors through ROV technology

The Highline Marine Science and Technology Center (MaST) is the marine biology and aquarium facility of Highline College in Des Moines, Washington, located on the south-central Puget Sound. Dedicated to expanding knowledge about Puget Sound, a central mission of the MaST Center is fostering a culture of marine stewardship by engaging the community through interactive learning, personal relations and exploration. The development of program curriculum designed around Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) targeted at elementary and middle school students, summer camp students, and aquarium guests exemplifies these efforts. The MaST Center has been hosting informal educational programs linked to National Science Standards and Ocean Literacy Principals since 2008. ROV technology has become more popular due to its science and engineering principals that school aged children can learn. Due to this high demand for hands-on education featuring ROVs, the MaST Education staff has designed curriculum for an after school elementary school club, a three hour on-site middle school program, a week long summer camp program, and public involvement during open aquarium hours. The overarching objective of these programs is to have students gain experience designing and assembling their own ROVs to complete underwater missions. In addition to building their own ROVs, students, aquarium volunteers, and members of the public have the opportunity to use a $10,000 Aquabotix ROV to explore the underwater habitats of Redondo Beach, WA with video streaming capabilities. This poster presentation details how a small marine facility engages school students and the public about ROV technology and ocean exploration. We also discuss the successes of our students and their completed projects

The Jelly Team: citizen science at a small community aquarium

The efforts and successes of a community volunteer group, ‘The Jelly Team’, exemplify citizen science achievement at the Marine Science and Technology Center, the marine biology and aquarium facility of Highline College in Des Moines, Washington. With little professional direction or funding, these volunteers have succeeded in culturing Moon Jellies to provide an ongoing display in the public aquarium, and are now expanding their activities to culturing other species and looking to provide specimens to local schools. A popular display at the MaST public aquarium is a kreisel tank featuring Aurelia labiata, the Pacific coast species of the Moon Jelly. Due to the short lifespan of wild-caught specimens in captivity, the aquarium faced an ongoing problem of keeping this display stocked with jellies. A team of community volunteers, who have been largely self-educated in jelly biology and husbandry, have developed a protocol for culturing Aurelia labiata in the small wet lab at the center. After seven years, the MaST now has a self-sustaining ‘Jelly Team’ and MaST staff felt it essential to maintain volunteer interest by providing the citizen scientists with an ongoing sense of direction in the project. Current projects include culturing the Egg Yolk jellyfish (Phacellophora camtschatica) and a middle school education program where Aurelia labiata tanks can be placed in schools such that students can observe the entire life cycle of the species over the school year. In addition, training of new and prospective volunteers has been facilitated by provision of an online ‘jelly curriculum.’ This poster presentation details how the technical challenges of culturing jellies inexpensively in a small facility have been addressed. We also discuss the dynamics of recruiting, training, and maintaining an active and skilled body of volunteers with minimal direction from professional staff

Edgetic Perturbations Contribute to Phenotypic Variability in PEX26 Deficiency

Peroxisomes share metabolic pathways with other organelles and peroxisomes are embedded into key cellular processes. However, the specific function of many peroxisomal proteins remains unclear and restricted knowledge of the peroxisomal protein interaction network limits a precise mapping of this network into the cellular metabolism. Inborn peroxisomal disorders are autosomal or X-linked recessive diseases that affect peroxisomal biogenesis (PBD) and/or peroxisomal metabolism. Pathogenic variants in the PEX26 gene lead to peroxisomal disorders of the full Zellweger spectrum continuum. To investigate the phenotypic complexity of PEX26 deficiency, we performed a combined organelle protein interaction screen and network medicine approach and 1) analyzed whether PEX26 establishes interactions with other peroxisomal proteins, 2) deciphered the PEX26 interaction network, 3) determined how PEX26 is involved in further processes of peroxisomal biogenesis and metabolism, and 4) showed how variant-specific disruption of protein-protein interactions (edgetic perturbations) may contribute to phenotypic variability in PEX26 deficient patients. The discovery of 14 novel protein-protein interactions for PEX26 revealed a hub position of PEX26 inside the peroxisomal interactome. Analysis of edgetic perturbations of PEX26 variants revealed a strong correlation between the number of affected protein-protein interactions and the molecular phenotype of matrix protein import. The role of PEX26 in peroxisomal biogenesis was expanded encompassing matrix protein import, division and proliferation, and membrane assembly. Moreover, the PEX26 interaction network intersects with cellular lipid metabolism at different steps. The results of this study expand the knowledge about the function of PEX26 and refine genotype-phenotype correlations, which may contribute to our understanding of the underlying disease mechanism of PEX26 deficiency

Implementation and evaluation of the SPRINT protocol for tight glycaemic control in critically ill patients: a clinical practice change

SPRINT was implemented as a clinical practice change in a general intensive care unit (ICU). The objective of this study was to measure the effect of the SPRINT protocol on glycaemic control and mortality compared to previous ICU control methods. Glycaemic control and mortality outcomes for 371 SPRINT patients with median acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score 18 [IQR: 15-24] are compared to a 413 patient retrospective cohort with median APACHE II score of 18 [IQR: 15-23]

Association of exposure to manganese and iron with relaxation rates R1 and R2*- magnetic resonance imaging results from the WELDOX II study

Objective Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive method that allows the indirect quantification of manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) accumulation in the brain due to their paramagnetic features. The WELDOX II study aimed to explore the influence of airborne and systemic exposure to Mn and Fe on the brain deposition using the relaxation rates R1 and R2* as biomarkers of metal accumulation in regions of interest in 161 men, including active and former welders. Material and methods We obtained data on the relaxation rates R1 and R2* in regions that included structures within the globus pallidus (GP), substantia nigra (SN), and white matter of the frontal lobe (FL) of both hemispheres, as well as Mn in whole blood (MnB), and serum ferritin (SF). The study subjects, all male, included 48 active and 20 former welders, 41 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 13 patients with hemochromatosis (HC), and 39 controls. Respirable Mn and Fe were measured during a working shift for welders. Mixed regression models were applied to estimate the effects of MnB and SF on R1 and R2*. Furthermore, we estimated the influence of airborne Mn and Fe on the relaxation rates in active welders. Results MnB and SF were significant predictors of R1 but not of R2* in the GP, and were marginally associated with R1 in the SN (SF) and FL (MnB). Being a welder or suffering from PD or HC elicited no additional group effect on R1 or R2* beyond the effects of MnB and SF. In active welders, shift concentrations of respirable Mn > 100 μg/m3 were associated with stronger R1 signals in the GP. In addition to the effects of MnB and SF, the welding technique had no further influence on R1. Conclusions MnB and SF were significant predictors of R1 but not of R2*, indicative of metal accumulation, especially in the GP. Also, high airborne Mn concentration was associated with higher R1 signals in this brain region. The negative results obtained for being a welder or for the techniques with higher exposure to ultrafine particles when the blood-borne concentration was included into the models indicate that airborne exposure to Mn may act mainly through MnB

Report containing learning, reflection and evaluation based on social learning:

This report forms the seventh deliverable in the NWRS2 citizen monitoring project and builds on the previous 6 deliverables, which include methodology for the project (Del 1), an assessment of civil society involvement in water policy (Del 2), an overview of the social learning approach and introduction to the case studies (Del 3), draft citizen monitoring guidelines (Del 4), an update on social learning to-date, including action plans (Del 5) and a report on a description and assessment of the case studies (Del 6). This report describes the last social learning module of the ‘Changing Practice’ course and highlights preliminary reflections on the learning that has taken place during this course. The report also describes the plans that were taken at the follow up research meeting. Finally we present the approach towards evaluating the role of social learning in the project as a whole

MYC Overexpression Induces Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia and Loss of Nkx3.1 in Mouse Luminal Epithelial Cells

Lo-MYC and Hi-MYC mice develop prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostatic adenocarcinoma as a result of MYC overexpression in the mouse prostate[1]. However, prior studies have not determined precisely when, and in which cell types, MYC is induced. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC) to localize MYC expression in Lo-MYC transgenic mice, we show that morphological and molecular alterations characteristic of high grade PIN arise in luminal epithelial cells as soon as MYC overexpression is detected. These changes include increased nuclear and nucleolar size and large scale chromatin remodeling. Mouse PIN cells retained a columnar architecture and abundant cytoplasm and appeared as either a single layer of neoplastic cells or as pseudo-stratified/multilayered structures with open glandular lumina—features highly analogous to human high grade PIN. Also using IHC, we show that the onset of MYC overexpression and PIN development coincided precisely with decreased expression of the homeodomain transcription factor and tumor suppressor, Nkx3.1. Virtually all normal appearing prostate luminal cells expressed high levels of Nkx3.1, but all cells expressing MYC in PIN lesions showed marked reductions in Nkx3.1, implicating MYC as a key factor that represses Nkx3.1 in PIN lesions. To determine the effects of less pronounced overexpression of MYC we generated a new line of mice expressing MYC in the prostate under the transcriptional control of the mouse Nkx3.1 control region. These “Super-Lo-MYC” mice also developed PIN, albeit a less aggressive form. We also identified a histologically defined intermediate step in the progression of mouse PIN into invasive adenocarcinoma. These lesions are characterized by a loss of cell polarity, multi-layering, and cribriform formation, and by a “paradoxical” increase in Nkx3.1 protein. Similar histopathological changes occurred in Hi-MYC mice, albeit with accelerated kinetics. Our results using IHC provide novel insights that support the contention that MYC overexpression is sufficient to transform prostate luminal epithelial cells into PIN cells in vivo. We also identified a novel histopathologically identifiable intermediate step prior to invasion that should facilitate studies of molecular pathway alterations occurring during early progression of prostatic adenocarcinomas

What turns galaxies off? The different morphologies of star-forming and quiescent galaxies since z~2 from CANDELS

We use HST/WFC3 imaging from the CANDELS Multicycle Treasury Survey, in conjunction with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, to explore the evolution of galactic structure for galaxies with stellar masses >3e10M_sun from z=2.2 to the present epoch, a time span of 10Gyr. We explore the relationship between rest-frame optical color, stellar mass, star formation activity and galaxy structure. We confirm the dramatic increase from z=2.2 to the present day in the number density of non-star-forming galaxies above 3e10M_sun reported by others. We further find that the vast majority of these quiescent systems have concentrated light profiles, as parametrized by the Sersic index, and the population of concentrated galaxies grows similarly rapidly. We examine the joint distribution of star formation activity, Sersic index, stellar mass, inferred velocity dispersion, and stellar surface density. Quiescence correlates poorly with stellar mass at all z<2.2. Quiescence correlates well with Sersic index at all redshifts. Quiescence correlates well with `velocity dispersion' and stellar surface density at z>1.3, and somewhat less well at lower redshifts. Yet, there is significant scatter between quiescence and galaxy structure: while the vast majority of quiescent galaxies have prominent bulges, many of them have significant disks, and a number of bulge-dominated galaxies have significant star formation. Noting the rarity of quiescent galaxies without prominent bulges, we argue that a prominent bulge (and perhaps, by association, a supermassive black hole) is an important condition for quenching star formation on galactic scales over the last 10Gyr, in qualitative agreement with the AGN feedback paradigm.Comment: The Astrophysical Journal, in press; 20 pages with 13 figure

Supporting social learning and knowledge management withing the ecological infrastructure for water security project

In this section, we outline processes relating to stakeholder engage-ment relevant to the SLKMM strategy, which include stakeholder analy-sis, a stakeholder tracking tool and a stakeholder database. These pro-cesses and products required on-going refinement during implementa-tion of the SLKMM strategy. The implications of the stakeholder analy-sis work in developing the SLKMM strategy are articulated further in CHAPTER 3: STRATEGY-AS-PRACTICE FOR SOCIAL LEARNING, KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND MEDIATION (SLKMM

Citizen Monitoring of The National Water Resource Strategy 2 (NWRS2)

In 2014, the South African Water Caucus (SAWC), a network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs) who are active in the water sec-tor, embarked on a social learning and action research journey supported by the South African Water Research Commission (WRC) to deepen its monitoring of South Africa’s Second Na-tional Water Resources Strategy (NWRS2). They focused on three issues in three cases study areas