Structural and Binding Studies of the Polar Organizing Protein Z (PopZ) Using NMR Spectroscopy

The polar organizing protein Z (PopZ) is an intrinsically disordered protein from Caulobacter crescentus that is necessary for the formation of three-dimensional microdomains at the cell poles, where it functions as a hub protein that recruits multiple regulatory proteins. Although a large portion of the protein is predicted to be disordered, PopZ can self-assemble into polymeric superstructure scaffolds that directly bind to at least ten different proteins. Here, we report the solution NMR structure of PopZΔ134–177, a truncated variant of PopZ that does not self-assemble but retains the ability to interact with heterologous proteins. We show that the unbound form of PopZΔ134–177 is unstructured in solution, with the exception of a small amphipathic α-helix encompassing residues M10-I17, which is included within a highly conserved region near the N-terminus. In applying NMR techniques to map the interactions between PopZΔ134–177 and one of its binding partners, RcdA, we find that the α-helix and neighboring residues extending to position E23 serve as the core of the binding motif. Consistent with this, a point mutation at position I17 perturbs the binding region and severely inhibits interaction with RcdA. Our results show that a partially structured Molecular Recognition Feature (MoRF) within an intrinsically disordered domain of PopZ contributes to the assembly of polar microdomains, revealing a structural basis for complex network assembly in Alphaproteobacteria that is analogous to those formed by intrinsically disordered hub proteins in other kingdoms

Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block Protocol for Hip Fracture

Fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) is a volume based block used to treat pain associated with hip fractures. An anesthesia group at a central Illinois hospital expressed interest in the creation of an evidenced-based protocol for FICB. After an extensive literature search an evidence-based protocol was designed. The initial implementation of the protocol was a presentation of an informational PowerPoint which discussed the aspects of the protocol presented to the anesthesia staff and the registered nursing staff who assist the anesthesia providers. The protocol was then evaluated with a Likert scale survey completed by the staff. The results from the survey were overwhelming positive about the FICB and the designed protocol. The facility plans to utilize the protocol for the treatment of acute pain experienced by patients with hip fractures in the emergency room once the hospital initiates an acute pain service. The FICB benefits hip fracture patients to decrease pain, increase patient satisfaction, and decrease narcotic requirements

Politics v. religion: A theory of the Christian right

I would like to thank my committee for assisting me with this project in whatever way they could. Dr. Cohen, Dr. Lubert, and Dr. Gelfand were extremely generous with their expertise and time, always sending helpful comments and insights. I would like to especially thank Dr. Cohen for being my chair and guiding me through every step of this project. This was no small task and I certainly could not have done it on my own

Mission Cost Reduction

The United States Air Force has historically performed the ICBM launch detection mission using satellites placed in high altitude orbits. This type of mission can also be performed at other altitudes while still maintaining overall mission performance. The choice of satellite altitude drives the size of the constellation, the characteristics of the sensor system and the supporting electronics, and the associated launch costs. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate to a first order that the ICBM launch detection mission can be performed at a lower altitude for a lower overall cost using a constellation of smaller less capable satellites while still maintaining overall mission performance

The Soviet Program for Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Explosions

During a period of some 23 years between 1965 and 1988, the Soviet Union's ''Program for the Utilization of Nuclear Explosions in the National Economy'' carried out 122 nuclear explosions to study and put into industrial use some 13 applications. In all, 128 explosives with yields ranging from 0.01 to 140 kt were used, with the vast majority being between 2 and 20 kt. Most peaceful applications of nuclear explosions in the Soviet PNE Program were explored in depth with a number of tests, but unfortunately little has been reported on the technical results other than general outcomes. Two applications, deep seismic sounding of the Earth's crust and upper mantle and the creation of underground cavities in salt for the storage of gas condensate, found widespread use, representing over 50% of all the explosions. Explosions to explore the technical possibilities of stimulating the production of oil and gas reservoirs accounted for an additional 17%

Estimates of the nuclear design requirement for the Pechora-Kama Canal project

The Soviet Union is considering the use of nuclear emplosives to excavate a portion of the Pechora-Kama Canal to divert water from northward-flowing rivers into the Caspian Sea. The Soviets have provided a general description of the Canal project, but detailed analyses of the nuclear design, including yields and number of nuclear charges, have never been published. Estimates for the nuclear design based on three different approaches are presented. Because of the meager amount of data provided by Soviet scientists, a variety of assumptions, based on U.S. experience, regarding media properties and design parameters have been made. The resulting estimates are strongly dependent upon these assumptions. Reasonable sets of assumptions can be found which lead to results in agreement with the published Soviet estimates for the total yield and total number of explosives. The results also indicate that the nuclear canal can be constructed, under most assumptions, to meet all identified Soviet criteria using only nuclear explosives with yields less than or equal to 150 kt

Collegial spaces: Experiences of a long-term women's graduate student friendship group

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment Not ListedChristy D CraftWomen master’s students face a variety of unique challenges throughout their education including feeling like imposters or like they needed to justify why they were choosing their education over other life priorities (Lininger et al., 2016; Younes, 1998). While Gordon (2016) identified barriers to graduate student success in master’s level programs including being “disconnected from peers” (p. 85), few studies have explored the experiences of women with close peer relationships formed during master’s programs. Additionally, the transitions literature includes a great foundation in transitioning into a master’s program e.g. Lopez (2013) and Perez (2016) but appears to be lacking in transitions that continue to occur during and after master’s degree programs, especially among women. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how five women who attended graduate school together made meaning of their experiences while participating in an all-women friendship group both during and after the master’s program. The participants were selected using purposeful sampling. The participants were known, because the researcher, while not a participant in this study, was also a member of the same friendship group. The participant experiences and design of the study were viewed using symbolic interactionism as the theoretical framework. This study investigated how the participants described their experiences in the friendship group and the meaning of the friendships. The data collection included individual interviews, a group photo-elicited interview, and document analysis allowing the data to be triangulated. Throughout the data collection and analysis, the meaning of the friendships to the participants was sought through “such things as sensations, feelings, ideas, memories, motives, and attitudes” (Blumer, 1969, p. 4). The meaning each participant made of the friendships within the friendship group was derived from the social interactions they had with one another (and/or with others). The findings of this study suggest that women who were included in a friendship group with other women during their master’s program felt connected, were engaged in and out of the classroom, and felt supported in strengthening their mind, body, and spirit. In addition, the friendship group served to help them determine who they were both personally and professionally. Following the master’s program, involvement in a friendship group included navigating unforeseen challenges together and feeling strongly connected to other women who served as resources when encountering similar life challenges. A collegial space was created among women in the friendship group wherein they felt safe to gather and be themselves

Vascular access-specific health-related quality of life impacts among hemodialysis patients: qualitative development of the hemodialysis access-related quality of life (HARQ) instrument.

BackgroundEnd stage kidney disease and hemodialysis dependence are associated with impairments in health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which may be related to vascular access (VA). Few HRQOL measures are VA-specific and none differentiate HRQOL impact by VA type. We developed a VA-targeted HRQOL measure to distinguish the impact of fistulas, grafts and catheters.MethodsWe created an initial item pool based on literature review and then conducted focus groups at 4 US sites with 37 adults and interviews with nine dialysis clinicians about VA's impact on HRQOL. We then drafted the Hemodialysis Access-Related Quality of Life (HARQ) measure and cognitively tested it with 17 hemodialysis patients. Focus group and cognitive interview participants were diverse in age, gender, years on dialysis, and VA.ResultsWe identified six domains for the HARQ: symptoms, physical functioning, emotional impacts, social and role functioning, sleep, and care-related burdens. Cognitive interviews indicated that items were easily understood and supported content validity. Attributing HRQOL impact to VA as opposed to other hemodialysis burden was challenging for some items. Some items were dropped that were considered redundant by patients, limitations while dressing was added, and reference to VA-specific impact was included for each item. The average Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level for the revised 47-item HARQ was 5.3.ConclusionsThe HARQ features VA-specific content not addressed in other HRQOL measures, making it ideal for comparisons of different VA types and new VA technologies. The psychometric properties of the HARQ will be evaluated in future research