Chemistry Ph.D. Student Experiences

This study aims to explore the experiences of graduate students who are in the process of obtaining a Ph.D. in chemistry, as well as to better understand the culture of graduate chemistry programs. This study is important in the field because attrition rates in graduate school have been holding steady around 50% for at least 40 years, despite rising numbers in enrollment.  The negative impacts this has on individuals and universities alike are rationale for investigating students’ experiences and the interplay with the culture. While socialization and relationship with advisor in graduate school has been shown to be important for graduate student retention, satisfaction, and success, more work needs to be done to expand our understanding with a cultural perspective. My purposes in interviewing chemistry Ph.D. students are to uncover nuances in their experiences with possible connections to frameworks such as Community Cultural Wealth and Funds of Knowledge. My guiding questions throughout my pilot study are: What are the experiences of chemistry graduate students as they obtain their Ph.D.? and what are the various ways that the culture/climate of graduate school and the chemistry department affect the student and have an impact on their experience

Elections and Government Formation in Iraq: An Analysis of the Judiciary\u27s Role

In 2005, the people of Iraq ratified a permanent Constitution, a significant milestone in the journey from Saddam Hussein\u27s authoritarian rule to democratic governance. Among the Constitution\u27s fundamental guarantees are the separation and balance of powers, the selection of Parliament through regular and periodic popular election, and an independent judiciary empowered as the authority on constitutional interpretation. Iraq\u27s commitment to democracy and the Constitution was put to the test five years later with the first parliamentary election under the new Constitution. The run-up to the elections was marred by political disputes, violence, and legal challenges, as Iraqis argued over controversial amendments to the Election Law and the disqualification of hundreds of candidates pursuant to the de-Ba\u27athification laws. Following the hotly debated elections, Iraqi leaders continued to argue over who had the first right to form the government, causing a political deadlock that lasted over six months. By the end of 2010, however, the newly elected Parliament approved a new Council of Ministers, concluding a largely peaceful transition of power in accordance with the Constitution. This Article examines these historic events, focusing on the role of the Iraqi courts in resolving disputes throughout the electoral and government formation processes. After analyzing key decisions from Iraqi courts, it concludes that Iraq\u27s judiciary is emerging as a reliable, independent, and neutral arbiter of disputes. Through its measured and careful jurisprudence, the judiciary is fostering a political culture that respects and upholds the rule of law

Mother-Child Conflict in an At-Risk Sample: Links to Historical and Concurrent Factors and Children's Socio-Emotional Functioning

Disagreements over mundane, and sometimes more serious, issues represent an integral aspect of day-to-day mother-child interactions that have important implications for children's development. Investigating mother-child conflict in at-risk families is especially important given the increased probability of psychosocial problems. The present dissertation was designed to examine how mothers and preadolescent children manage and resolve conflicts, including associations with problem-solving, maternal risk (childhood histories, concurrent functioning, and education), and children's socio-emotional functioning across contexts (i.e., perceived social competence, internalizing and externalizing problems, and test-taking behaviors). Participants (n = 95) were mothers and their 9-to 13-year-old children from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project; a prospective, intergenerational study of children from low SES neighborhoods screened along dimensions of aggression and social withdrawal and followed into parenthood. Observational measures were used to code mother-child conflict and problem-solving behaviors during a videotaped conflict task. A multi-informant approach was employed to assess children's social skills and problems, including children's behaviors during a standardized cognitive assessment. Results from Study 1 demonstrated that mother-child conflict is not necessarily aversive and destructive, as well as revealed several core features of mother-child conflict during middle childhood. Whereas maternal education was uniquely associated with constructive and relatively harmonious mother-child conflict behaviors (controlling for other SES markers), the reverse was found for the effects of maternal distress at the time of testing. Maternal education also served as a protective factor for mothers with childhood histories of social withdrawal by enhancing their ability to communicate in an assertive and nonthreatening manner. Results from Study 2 underscored the importance of flexible and problem-focused behaviors in promoting mother-child problem-solving, while highlighting children's role in shaping resolution. The cross-context applicability of children's positive and negative conflict behaviors was also demonstrated, with variations across contexts and informants. Maternal childhood histories of aggression or social withdrawal negatively predicted children's IQ scores, which in turn, predicted more careless and disorganized test-taking behaviors. Results from this series of two studies advance current knowledge on mother-child conflict in middle childhood and draw attention to contextual variables that influence these conflicts. Findings elucidate how risk and protective factors interact to contribute to pathways leading to adaptive and maladaptive outcomes in disadvantaged communities. Together, results have implications for developing policies and programs that promote healthy relationships in vulnerable families and potentially disrupt cycles of intergenerational risk

The Promise of Catholic Schools for Educating the Future of Los Angeles

This study examined the impact of Catholic education on elementary and secondary students in Los Angeles. The study focused on the continuation and graduation rates of ethnic minority students who received special funding from the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF). Using qualitative and quantitative measures, the study revealed that students from ethnic minority and low-income communities enrolled in Catholic schools are graduating from secondary schools at a higher rate than their peers who are enrolled in public schools. Furthermore, survey data was collected from principals and parents of these students enrolled in Catholic schools. The study shows that a Catholic education has a major impact on the lives of these students, their parents, and their communities

The bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei displays non-canonical gluconeogenesis

Trypanosoma brucei is a causative agent of the Human and Animal African Trypanosomiases. The mammalian stage parasites infect various tissues and organs including the bloodstream, central nervous system, skin, adipose tissue and lungs. They rely on ATP produced in glycolysis, consuming large amounts of glucose, which is readily available in the mammalian host. In addition to glucose, glycerol can also be used as a source of carbon and ATP and as a substrate for gluconeogenesis. However, the physiological relevance of glycerol-fed gluconeogenesis for the mammalian-infective life cycle forms remains elusive. To demonstrate its (in)dispensability, first we must identify the enzyme(s) of the pathway. Loss of the canonical gluconeogenic enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, does not abolish the process hence at least one other enzyme must participate in gluconeogenesis in trypanosomes. Using a combination of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and RNA interference, we generated mutants for four enzymes potentially capable of contributing to gluconeogenesis: fructose-1,6-bisphoshatase, sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase, phosphofructokinase and transaldolase, alone or in various combinations. Metabolomic analyses revealed that flux through gluconeogenesis was maintained irrespective of which of these genes were lost. Our data render unlikely a previously hypothesised role of a reverse phosphofructokinase reaction in gluconeogenesis and preclude the participation of a novel biochemical pathway involving transaldolase in the process. The sustained metabolic flux in gluconeogenesis in our mutants, including a triple-null strain, indicates the presence of a unique enzyme participating in gluconeogenesis. Additionally, the data provide new insights into gluconeogenesis and the pentose phosphate pathway, and improve the current understanding of carbon metabolism of the mammalian-infective stages of T. brucei.</p

Beef Quality Assurance from Farm to Fork: Development of a Pilot Program in Farm to Table Food Safety

The goal of the project described here was to develop an interdisciplinary 3-day food safety training program. Course material for this program included content focused on food safety issues at the pre-harvest (farm, ranch, feedlot), post-harvest (slaughter and fabrication), and consumer (foodservice, retail, home) level. A pre-and post-test were given to each participant to assess the impact of this training program. Pre-test scores averaged 62%, while post-test scores averaged 87%. The 3-day interdisciplinary food safety course was effective at increasing constituent knowledge of food safety issues related to beef production and consumption from farm to fork

The bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei displays non-canonical gluconeogenesis

Trypanosoma brucei is a causative agent of the Human and Animal African Trypanosomiases. The mammalian stage parasites infect various tissues and organs including the bloodstream, central nervous system, skin, adipose tissue and lungs. They rely on ATP produced in glycolysis, consuming large amounts of glucose, which is readily available in the mammalian host. In addition to glucose, glycerol can also be used as a source of carbon and ATP and as a substrate for gluconeogenesis. However, the physiological relevance of glycerol-fed gluconeogenesis for the mammalian-infective life cycle forms remains elusive. To demonstrate its (in)dispensability, first we must identify the enzyme(s) of the pathway. Loss of the canonical gluconeogenic enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, does not abolish the process hence at least one other enzyme must participate in gluconeogenesis in trypanosomes. Using a combination of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and RNA interference, we generated mutants for four enzymes potentially capable of contributing to gluconeogenesis: fructose-1,6-bisphoshatase, sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase, phosphofructokinase and transaldolase, alone or in various combinations. Metabolomic analyses revealed that flux through gluconeogenesis was maintained irrespective of which of these genes were lost. Our data render unlikely a previously hypothesised role of a reverse phosphofructokinase reaction in gluconeogenesis and preclude the participation of a novel biochemical pathway involving transaldolase in the process. The sustained metabolic flux in gluconeogenesis in our mutants, including a triple-null strain, indicates the presence of a unique enzyme participating in gluconeogenesis. Additionally, the data provide new insights into gluconeogenesis and the pentose phosphate pathway, and improve the current understanding of carbon metabolism of the mammalian-infective stages of T. brucei.</p

Recent Advances in Kinase Drug Discovery Part I: the Editors’ Take

This special issue on Advances in Kinase Drug Discovery provides a selection of research articles and topical reviews covering all aspects of drug discovery targeting the phosphotransferase enzyme family [...

Medical device design in context: a model of user–device interaction and consequences

The practice of evaluating interaction with devices is embedded in disciplines such as human-computer interaction and cognitive ergonomics, including concepts such as affordances, error analysis, skill, rule and knowledge based behaviour and decision making biases. This paper considers the way in which the approach that has been routinely applied to displays and control design within the control and transport domains can be transferred to the context of medical devices. The importance of considering the context in which medical devices are used and implemented is presented, and the need for a systems approach to medical device design is emphasised. Five case studies from medical device control and display design are presented as an aide to developing an understanding of the relationship between device design and resultant behaviours. On the basis of these case studies, four types of mediating factors (catalysts, enablers, facilitators and enhancers) are proposed and a model to describe the link between device design, user, context and consequences is presented