Accepting Educational Responsibility for an Inclusive University Campus: The Impact of the Diversity Ambassador Program

This investigation explored the benefits of a 4-year voluntary diversity professional development program for over 200 faculty and staff in an urban, private university. The research team engaged institutional stakeholders to examine, reflect, and expand a platform for research, practice, and policy centered on issues of diversity. The researchers investigated ways in which the diversity program impacted the institutional climate. Mixed-methods combined quantitative measurements of staff and faculty perspectives on growth through diversity professional development and qualitative analysis of perceptions of the programmatic impact. Findings indicate significantly increased commitment as a community to advocacy, personal and professional development, and creating a university-wide inclusive campus climate. This information will assist educators seeking more inclusive campuses through diversity professional development initiatives

Defects of splicing in antithrombin deficiency

Background: There is increasing evidence supporting the relevance of aberrant splicing in multiple disorders. In antithrombin deficiency only 22 intronic mutations affecting splicing sites (7% of SERPINC1 mutations) are considered as splicing mutations. Methods: SERPINC1 was analyzed by Sanger sequencing and MLPA in 141 unrelated cases with antithrombin deficiency. Plasma antithrombin was studied by functional and western blot assays, purified by FPLC and characterized by proteomic analysis. In silico predictions on splicing was done with the Human Splicing Finder software. Results: We detected 89 different SERPINC1 defects, 13 with potential effect on splicing. Ten cases presented 9 mutations disturbing splicing sites, 5 new. Three gross or small gene defects also disturbed a correct splicing. Interestingly, the first duplication of a single exon ever described (c.1154-13_1218+115dup), caused mild deficiency (75%). A deeper intronic mutation (c.1154-14G>A), identified in three unrelated patients with traces of disulphide dimers of antithrombin in plasma, created a cryptic splicing site that might generate a variant with 4 additional in frame residues according to in silico predictions. This aberrant splicing was confirmed by proteomic analysis of the dimer purified from plasma. Conclusions: A high proportion of cases with antithrombin deficiency (up to 13%) may be explained by an aberrant splicing. Up to 15% of mutations in SERPINC1: splicing site variations, gross gene defects and deep intronic mutations, may affect a correct splicing with three potential consequences type I, type II, and even moderate antithrombin deficiency

Multi-scale analysis of lung computed tomography images

A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the identification of lung internal nodules in low-dose multi-detector helical Computed Tomography (CT) images was developed in the framework of the MAGIC-5 project. The three modules of our lung CAD system, a segmentation algorithm for lung internal region identification, a multi-scale dot-enhancement filter for nodule candidate selection and a multi-scale neural technique for false positive finding reduction, are described. The results obtained on a dataset of low-dose and thin-slice CT scans are shown in terms of free response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) curves and discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 12 low-resolution figure

Decoloration of an Effluent from Textile Industry using Moringaoleifera Seed Extract

This research evaluated the removal of textile dyes by the physicochemical process of coagulation-flocculation using a natural coagulant extracted from the seed of the Moringaoleifera tree. The seed was collected and two different coagulants extracts were prepared: simple extract and saline extract. For the experimental essays, synthetic samples were prepared in the laboratory using three azo dyes with different chemical structures; direct blue 71, reactive red 2 and acid yellow 23, its decoloration was evaluated individually and in mixtures. Also, a wastewater sampling was carried out in a textile plant located in the municipality of Zinapecuaro, Michoacan and tests of coagulant activity and determination of optimal parameters for the process were carried out, this was accomplished through the simulation of jar test and measurement of absorbance using an ultraviolet-visible light spectrophotometer to determine the percentage of visible color removal

Oil quality and sugar content of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) grown in Argentina : their relationship with climatic variables and seed yield

The ratio of oleic to linoleic acids (O/L) and the tocopherol content are important features in determining peanut (Arachis hypogaea) seed shelf life. Soluble carbohydrates are known to be important precursors in roasted peanut flavor. The chemical qualities of Argentine grain are different from those of other countries, but no previous studies that associate grain quality and environmental parameters have been performed. Relationships were determined between O/L, tocopherol and sugar contents, and variations in temperature and rainfall during the grain filling period of Florman INTA peanuts. Dry seed yield was used as another explanatory variable. Multiple regression procedure gave mean temperature (positive coefficient) and total precipitation (negative coefficient) as the explanatory variables for variations in O/L. Total precipitation and dry seed yield (both negative coefficients) were found to be predictor variables for tocopherol and sugar contents. Total precipitation was an explanatory variable included in all of the linear regression models obtained in this study.Fil: Casini, Cristiano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Dardanelli, Julio Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Maria Jose. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Nassetta, Mirtha. Agencia Córdoba Ciencia. Unidad Ceprocor; ArgentinaFil: Borgogno, Carmen S. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; ArgentinaFil: Balzarini, Mónica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentin

Dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced solid-state NMR studies of surface modification of gamma-alumina

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) gives large (>100-fold) signal enhancements in solid-state NMR spectra via the transfer of spin polarization from unpaired electrons from radicals implanted in the sample. This means that the detailed information about local molecular environment available for bulk samples from solid-state NMR spectroscopy can now be obtained for dilute species, such as sites on the surfaces of catalysts and catalyst supports. In this paper we describe a DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR study of the widely used catalyst gamma-alumina which is often modified at the surface by the incorporation of alkaline earth oxides in order to control the availability of catalytically active penta-coordinate surface Al sites. DNP-enhanced 27Al solid-state NMR allows surface sites in gamma-alumina to be observed and their 27Al NMR parameters measured. In addition changes in the availability of different surface sites can be detected after incorporation of BaO

Antioxidant activity of sugar molasses, including protective effect against DNA oxidative damage

Extracts were obtained from molasses, a byproduct of the sugar industry, via a number of chromatographic steps. Their antioxidant capacity was studied, including the inhibitory effect upon DNA oxidative damage;the phenolic compound profile there of was ascertained as well. Two extracts exhibited significant antioxidant features, expressed by their capacity to decolorize ABTS radical cation and to scavenge hydroxyl free radicals (via deoxyribose assay). Those 2 extracts also brought about protection against induced DNA oxidative damage (via decreasing DNA scission, as assessed by electrophoresis).The phenolic compounds syringic acid,p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and ferulic acid were positively identified and quantified

A global descriptor of spatial pattern interaction in the galaxy distribution

We present the function J as a morphological descriptor for point patterns formed by the distribution of galaxies in the Universe. This function was recently introduced in the field of spatial statistics, and is based on the nearest neighbor distribution and the void probability function. The J descriptor allows to distinguish clustered (i.e. correlated) from ``regular'' (i.e. anti-correlated) point distributions. We outline the theoretical foundations of the method, perform tests with a Matern cluster process as an idealised model of galaxy clustering, and apply the descriptor to galaxies and loose groups in the Perseus-Pisces Survey. A comparison with mock-samples extracted from a mixed dark matter simulation shows that the J descriptor can be profitably used to constrain (in this case reject) viable models of cosmic structure formation.Comment: Significantly enhanced version, 14 pages, LaTeX using epsf, aaspp4, 7 eps-figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa