Impact of supplementing rumen-protected arginine on blood flow parameters and luteinizing hormone concentration in cyclic beef cows consuming endophyte-infected tall fescue seed

Livestock grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue can have decreased performance due to vasoconstriction and reduced reproductive performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of supplementing rumen-protected arginine to cows consuming endophyte-infected tall fescue seed on caudal blood flow and LH dynamics. Four ruminally cannulated, open beef cows (539 ± 30 kg) were used in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments utilizing a Latin Square design with 4 periods of 31 d each. Each cow was assigned to individual pens and fed orchardgrass hay (10.3% CP and 85% NDF; OM basis) during a 10-d adaptation period, followed by a 21-d collection period in which each cow was assigned one of 4 treatments: (1) rumen-protected ARG (180 mg/kg of BW) and 1.0 kg/d of endophyte-infected fescue seed (AE+); (2) rumen-protected ARG (180 mg/kg of BW) and 1.0 kg/d of non-infected fescue seed (AE-); (3) 1.0 kg/d of endophyte-infected fescue seed (E+) alone; or (4) 1.0 kg/d of non-infected fescue seed (E-) alone. In each period, doppler ultrasound measurements for blood flow parameters were quantified on d 1, 5, 10, 15, and 19. On d 20 of each period, blood samples were collected every 10 min for 6 h and then once every hour for 12 h. Caudal blood flow exhibited an interaction (P = 0.05) of ARG × fescue seed type, resulting from an increase in blood flow in cows fed rumen-protected ARG. In addition, mean velocity was greater (P = 0.01) with the inclusion of rumen-protected ARG in the diet. Caudal artery area (P = 0.03) and diameter (P = 0.01) were decreased in cows consuming E+ compared to E- with no effect (P ≥ 0.38) by ARG supplementation. Mean serum LH concentration exhibited (P = 0.02) an ARG × fescue seed type interaction. Cows consuming E+ had decreased LH concentrations compared to all other treatments. However, cows consuming AE+ had similar LH concentrations compared to cows consuming AE- or E-. Thus, supplementing rumen-protected ARG to cows grazing endophyte-infected fescue seed has the potential to increase reproductive performance and peripheral blood flow

High School Teachers\u27 Perceptions of Developing Critical Thinkers via the Socratic Method

A global concern exists regarding the lack of critical thinking skills in young adults and college graduates. Fortune 500 companies have reported the need for better development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare employees to be successful in the workplace. This study focused on teacher perceptions of the Socratic method (SM) in developing critical thinking skills in high school students. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative case study was to describe high school teachers\u27 perceptions regarding the development of critical thinkers via the Socratic method. Jean Piaget\u27s theory of cognitive development was used in this qualitative study to explore perceptions of 7 teachers. The central research question and subquestions that guided this study were focused on teachers\u27 perceptions of the SM and its effectiveness in developing critical thinking skills in high school students. Data were collected with face-to-face interviews with 7 teachers and classroom observations. Data were recorded via a systematic approach with chart and diagrams. Themes, patterns, and any identified relationships were categorized and coded to comprise data tracking. Results indicated that a lack of professional development, teacher comfort level, and student participation all played a role in low SM execution. The resulting project was designed to provide teachers with materials and learning opportunities to increase their SM skill level and stimulate teachers to use their new knowledge to increase critical thinking skills in high school students. The online professional development course evaluation provided both summative and formative assessments. The project contributes to social change by helping improve the way teachers teach and students learn the SM, which may result in improved critical thinking skills in students

Functional analysis of SMYD2 and SMYD3 lysine methyltransferases

Includes bibliographical references.2016 Fall.The proteins SMYD2 and SMYD3 are two of five members of a unique family of lysine methyltransferases defined by a catalytic SET domain that is split into two segments by a MYND protein interaction domain, followed by a cysteine-rich post-SET domain. The SMYD family members have been shown to be essential for cellular development, cell cycle progression, and when dysregulated, tumorigenesis. SMYD1 has been widely studied as a pivotal component of cardiac and skeletal muscle development. Although their three dimensional structures have been solved, less is known about functional consequences of SMYD2 and SMYD3. Aberrant overexpression of SMYDs 2 and 3 have been implicated in numerous malignancies, and both have been studied as potential therapeutic targets. The overriding aim of our research is to obtain a more thorough understanding of SMYD2 and SMYD3 function. In Chapters 1 and 2, we outline essential background regarding the SMYD family and the methods used in our studies. In Chapter 3, we address the consequences of the interaction of SMYD3 with the nuclear chaperone, HSP90. Each have been independently implicated as proto-oncogenes in several human malignancies. Loss of SMYD3-HSP90 interaction leads to SMYD3 mislocalization within the nucleus, thereby severing its association with chromatin. This results in reduction of SMYD3-mediated cell proliferation and, consequentially, impairment of SMYD3’s oncogenic activity. We suggest a novel approach for blocking HSP90-driven malignancy which may have reduced toxicity over current HSP90 inhibitors. In Chapter 4, we turn our attention to SMYD2 and its putative role in hematopoietic carcinogenesis. In order to study the effect of SMYD2 in tumor initiation, we employed transforming oncogenes to study the consequences of SMYD2 loss in three hematopoietic models: B-Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-ALL), Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), and Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL). Loss of SMYD2 in CML and MLL, but not in B-ALL, models led to cell cycle block following by widespread apoptosis and cell death. Tumorigenicity, as assessed in vitro by colony formation and in vivo by NOD/SCID transformation, was dependent upon SMYD2. Gene expression analyses indicated that, as previously determined in multiple studies, impairment included reduction in the level of the p53 tumor suppressor. Collectively, these studies establish SMYD2 as a putative proto-oncogene in CML and MLL. In Chapter 5, we report our efforts to extend the above findings to the living organism. SMYD2 was conditionally deleted via cre/Lox methodology from the germline of C57BL.6 mice exclusively in hematopoietic progenitors. SMYD2-deficient mice were born healthy and achieved normal lifespans. However, consistent with our findings of Chapter 4, we observed significant blocks in the progression of fetal and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells to both B lymphocyte and myeloid lineages. While these blocks led to an overall reduction of mature peripheral B cells, SMYD2-deficient mice maintained a relatively normal immune response. These studies further support a model in which SMYD2 is required for normal hematopoiesis transformation

Geochemical and isotopic tracing of Paleozoic groundwater flow in breached anticlines : a case study at Lower Kane Cave, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming

Lower Kane Cave is forming in the upper Mississippian Madison Limestone by sulfuric acid speleogenesis. The cave is located along the axialtrace of the Little Sheep Mountain anticline where the Paleozoic units have been exposed in a canyon cut by the Bighorn River. The Madison Limestone comprises the upper section of the Madison aquifer, which serves as an important regional aquifer for water supply and petroleum production in much of Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. Compared to other Madison springs and wells in the region, the cave springs are characterized by a higher concentration of TDS, SO₄ and H₂S, differences which likely contribute to the localization of cave formation. This study used geochemical and strontium isotope data to determine signatures for the Madison aquifer and other Paleozoic aquifers of the Bighorn Basin to constrain the origin of groundwater to Lower Kane Cave. Mississippian Madison aquifer waters are characterized by lower [Sr] and higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (between 0.70891 - 0.70925), than groundwater in the overlying Pennsylvanian Amsden and Tensleep and Permian Phosphoria aquifers, which have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values between 0.70789 - 0.70856. These values are slightly greater than established marine values of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr for the respective depositional periods. Coupled with the increased concentrations of TDS, SO₄ and H₂S, the distinctly radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.71001 to 0.71012 measured at the cave springs suggest that the springs of Lower Kane Cave are the result of mixing between Madison waters and a thermal, saline, radiogenic endmember. Data from the Thermopolis Hot Springs in the southern Bighorn Basin support the existence of such a water within the lower Paleozoic section in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming, suggesting that similar flow systems operate at the Thermopolis and Little Sheep Mountain anticlines, and potentially at Sheep Mountain anticline as well. These results further demonstrate the importance of structural controls on groundwater flow in the Bighorn Basin, and have implications for our understanding of cave localization and fracture controlled flow at anticlines within the Bighorn Basin, as well as at similar zones of foreland compression in other areas.Geological Science

Laughing in the Shadow: The Role of Humor in Ghost Story Telling.

The ghost story concert is a popular modern form of presenting ghost stories to ticket buying audiences and is one of the last stomping grounds of the oral tradition. Attendees come to be scared but not terrified. Tellers employ humor to release tension during the tale. When does humor release tension while maintaining the momentum of the story? When does the humor employed deflate it into a comical tale and diffuse suspense altogether? In an effort to answer these questions, four variants of a single story, Tailypo, were analyzed for the presence of tension and humor inducing stimuli employing Rothbart\u27s diagram of Schematic Representation of Affective Response to Sudden, Intense, or Discrepant Stimulation. Rothbart\u27s model has previously been applied to affective response to horror film; here it has been applied to oral storytelling

The assessment and treatment of post-abortion syndrome : a systematic case study from Southern Africa

This article reports a clinical case study of "Grace", a black Zimbabwean woman with post-abortion syndrome (PAS), a form of post-traumatic stress disorder precipitated by aborting an unwanted pregnancy. She was treated by a middle class white South African trainee Clinical Psychologist. The case narrative documents the assessment and the course of treatment which was guided by ongoing case formulation based on current evidence-based models. Factors that made her vulnerable to developing PTSD included active suppression of the memory of the event and lack of social support. An understanding of these factors was used to guide an effective intervention. In spite of the differences in culture and background between client and therapist, there was considerable commonality in their experience as young women and students who each had to balance personal and occupational priorities. The narrative also highlights the commonalities of Grace's experiences with those reported in the literature on post-abortion syndrome, which is mostly from the U. S. A. and Europe

Onset of mechanical stability in random packings of frictional spheres

Using sedimentation to obtain precisely controlled packings of noncohesive spheres, we find that the volume fraction $\phi_{\rm RLP}$ of the loosest mechanically stable packing is in an operational sense well defined by a limit process. This random loose packing volume fraction decreases with decreasing pressure $p$ and increasing interparticle friction coefficient $\mu$. Using X-ray tomography to correct for a container boundary effect that depends on particle size, we find for rough particles in the limit $p \to 0$ a new lower bound, $\phi_{\rm RLP} = 0.550 \pm 0.001$.Comment: significantly revised, published versio

Caught in the act: Implications for the increasing abundance of mafic enclaves during the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat

An exceptional opportunity to sample several large blocks sourced from the same region of the growing Soufrière Hills lava dome has documented a significant increase in the presence of mafic enclaves in the host andesite during the course of a long-lived eruptive episode with several phases. In 1997 (Phase I) mafic inclusions comprised ~1 volume percent of erupted material; in 2007 (Phase III) deposits their volumetric abundance increased to 5–7 percent. A broader range of geochemically distinctive types occurs amongst the 2007 enclaves. Crystal-poor enclaves generally have the least evolved (basaltic) compositions; porphyritic enclaves represent compositions intermediate between basaltic and andesitic compositions. The absence of porphyritic enclaves prior to Phase III magmatism at Soufrière Hills Volcano suggests that a mixing event occurred during the course of the current eruptive episode, providing direct evidence consistent with geophysical observations that the system is continuously re-invigorated from depth