Not Got Milk? The Effect on the Gut Microbiome of Removing Dairy from the Diet

ABSTRACT Patrick Tyler Stovall: Not Got Milk? The Effect on the Gut Microbiome of Removing Dairy from the Diet (Under the direction of Colin R. Jackson, Ph.D.) The human gut contains a highly diverse set of bacteria that perform a wide range of duties that include much more than just nutrient acquisition. However, the composition of this community is subject to change, with diet, age and lifestyle playing roles in the development and maintenance of the gut microbiota. This study compared the bacterial composition of the human gut when consuming a normal diet versus a dairy-free diet. Samples were taken from a single subject during three periods: 1) control (normal) diet, 2) dairy-free diet, and 3) a return to normal diet. Gut bacterial communities were identified and compared using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Relative to the total number of sequences within a sample, abundances were calculated for dominant bacterial groups starting at the phylum level and progressing to the smallest identifiable taxonomic group. Fluctuations were seen at taxonomic levels from class down to species. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination revealed that the samples from each dietary period were distinguishable from the other periods. Six significant operational taxonomic units (OTUs), from three phyla, were significantly related to dietary sample distributions. These OTUs consisted of two members of the Bacteroidetes (both genus Bacteroides), three from Firmicutes (genus Megasphaera, genus Acidamniococcus, and Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum), and one from Actinobacteria (Collinsella aerofaciens). This study shows that alterations to a diet can cause changes of the relative abundances of bacteria in the human gut at multiple taxonomic levels, but that at the level of the entire community these shifts in gut microbiota can be reversed

Promoting lifelong learning partnerships, pathways and andragogies: issues in evaluating and redesigning the postcompulsory teacher education professional experience at The University Of Southern Queensland

[Abstract]: Drawing on criticality, critical theory and the humanist tradition in education, the authors explicate several issues in evaluating and redesigning the postcompulsory teacher education professional experience at USQ. The challenge rests with developing partnerships, pathways and andragogies that simultaneously fulfil stakeholder expectations and promote lifelong learning for all participants

WILDFIRE IMPACTS ON SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES: POTENTIAL FOR DISRUPTIONS TO NUTRIENT CYCLING AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE GENE PROPAGATION IN BACTERIA

Wildfires naturally regulate nutrient cycling in ecosystems, but anthropogenic influences have caused wildfires to threaten the United States with increasing regularity and wildfires regularly impact soil bacteria. Wildfire-affected soils were studied with two primary objectives: 1) Determine the community composition in soils affected by wildfire intensities (i.e., low, moderate, high) to examine the impact on nutrient-cycling bacteria and 2) examine the effect of wildfires on the development of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soils. Objective 1 was achieved by characterizing soil bacterial communities in control (i.e., unburned) and burned soils using Illumina MiSeq 16S sequencing. Intensity (i.e., heat yield) was used rather than severity (i.e., burn impact) to examine the impact of fire temperatures on bacteria abundance. Six families and 17 genera were significantly (Spearman rs > |0.4|; p < 0.05) negatively associated with wildfire intensity and three families and six genera were significantly positively associated with wildfire intensity. Many of these taxa contain species that are known to be critical contributors to maintaining global nutrient cycles (i.e., nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus). Objective 2 was achieved by performing polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis on isolated DNA. We targeted ARGs conferring resistance to common antibiotics (i.e., sul1, sul2, tetM, tetB, tetO, tetW, and ermF) as well as last resort antibiotics (i.e., mcr-1, optrA, fosA2, cfr). ARGs could increase after wildfires due to bacteria exposure to antibiotic fungal secondary metabolites, co-selection of ARGs on plasmids, increased rates of horizontal gene transfer, and exposure to antibiotics in runoff. No ARGs were detected in control soils. However, several ARGs were detected in burned soils. Sul1 was prominent in low and moderate intensity soils, while sul2 dominated in low intensity soils. TetW was prominent in moderate fire intensity soils. These results suggest that wildfires significantly alter microbial community structures and functions. A decrease in average relative abundance of nutrient cyclers after high intensity wildfires could slow ecosystem recovery, while the prominence of ARGs in wildfire affected soils suggests that wildfires increase ARG abundance. Increases in ARGs in the environment pose health risks to humans as the spread of antibiotic resistant infections grows

Evaluation of cover crops in high tunnel vegetable rotation

Organic vegetable production within high tunnels allows for an extended growing season, crop protection, and environmental control. The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards mandate evidence that the soil has been maintained and improved over the course of production. Previous studies have indicated the potential of cover crops for reducing competitive vegetation, and improving soil quality, thus resulting in greater plant growth, nutrient uptake, and yield. However, there has been limited work in the confines of high tunnels as part of a tunnel-system rotation. Ten nitrogen-fixing and ten non-legume cover crops were established under a high tunnel and evaluated for their effects on the yield of ‘De Cicco’ broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) and ‘Champion’ collards (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala), aboveground biomass, and plant C and N contents. All treatments received recommended levels of appropriate certified organic fertilizers, water status was maintained, and vegetables received standard organic maintenance for insects and disease. The cover crops hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsuta L.), Catjang cowpea (Viana unguicalata L.), and Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) consistently produced higher yields than Tifleaf III hybrid pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), Dairymaster brown midrib (BMR) hybrid grain sorghum (Sorghum spp.), and Wild Game Food sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). Nitrogenfixing legumes produced horticulturally significantly higher yields than the non-nitrogen-fixing grass species. This experiment demonstrated that not all cover crops are equal; they created variation in response. Cover crops provide a viable option for organic producers to maintain or improve soil quality over the course of production

Can Violent Political Rhetoric Influence Bias Homicide Rates? Analyzing the Trump Effect

The founding document of the United States declares that all men are created equal. However, history has shown that this is not the case. Citizens in this country have been discriminated against since its inception based on their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, and many other factors. The first Federal Legislation passed to prevent discrimination against citizens in the United States did not come until 1968, which “made it a crime to use, or threaten to use, force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin” (United States, Department of Justice). It took until 2009 when the hate crime laws were expanded to include crimes committed because of the victim’s perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. Hate crimes are now described as “offenses involving an actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability” (18 U.S.C. § 249)

Can Violent Political Rhetoric Influence Bias Homicide Rates? Analyzing the Trump Effect

The founding document of the United States declares that all men are created equal. However, history has shown that this is not the case. Citizens in this country have been discriminated against since its inception based on their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, and many other factors. The first Federal Legislation passed to prevent discrimination against citizens in the United States did not come until 1968, which “made it a crime to use, or threaten to use, force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin” (United States, Department of Justice). It took until 2009 when the hate crime laws were expanded to include crimes committed because of the victim’s perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. Hate crimes are now described as “offenses involving an actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability” (18 U.S.C. § 249)

Greening the Energy Supply: Transportation, A Policy Recommendation and Research Guide for Columbus Green Transportation

Course Code: ENR/AEDE4567The purpose of this research is to determine what policies and incentives the City of Columbus might pursue in order to help transition its local energy supply for transportation toward the use of renewable, less carbon-intensive, and less toxic alternatives. This report also assesses the viability of the STAR Communities rating system as a measure of the City of Columbus’ sustainability as it relates to transportation.The City of Columbus, Mayor's Office of Environmental StewardshipAcademic Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainabilit

A Novel Approach to Small Form-Factor Spacecraft Structures for Usage in Precision Optical Payloads

Precision optical payloads will soon experience a boom in manufacturing scale with the onset of proliferated satellite constellation concepts. Presently, the cost of assembly for a single unit can reach upwards of $500,000. Reduction in recurring engineering and assembly complexity can reduce this figure by up to two orders of magnitude. This paper discusses one potential solution which relies on consistent structural components that are easily manufactured in bulk quantities to facilitate general uses while also enabling high-precision mounting in designated payload slots. This proposed approach combines standardized struts and panels able to be connected and stacked in a variety of ways to form a modular structure from 1U subsections. For the subsections in need of higher precision, slots are milled and reamed from the same standard panel. Within these slots, card-like brackets are mounted to within 10 micrometer precision with the use of low-tolerance gauge spheres. A technique called “screw-pulling” secures these brackets such that the gauge spheres act as nearly single-point-of-contact datums. This approach allows payloads to be tested externally with minimal alignment shifts when re-integrated into the structure and is demonstrated with a 2.2 μm pixel size CMOS sensor and a 23 mm focal length lens

The Physiological Effects of Exercising Alone Versus with a Partner

The general population is in constant pursuit for sources of motivation to maintain a consistent workout routine. Research demonstrates increased motivation when exercising with a partner but does not investigate any physiological effects. The objective of this study was to investigate changes in heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and time in target HR zone when exercising alone compared to exercising with a same-sex partner. The study was conducted in the Physical Therapy lab at the University of New England in Portland, Maine, utilizing an experimental 2x9 repeated measures research design. Forty-one graduate students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: exercising alone first then with a partner, or exercising with a partner first then alone. Subjects completed an eight-stage protocol on a cycle ergometer for 16 minutes. The outcome measurements HR, BP, RPE, and time in target HR zone were collected at resting, warm-up, each stage of protocol, and cool down. Two-way ANOVA repeated measures with the Bonferroni correction demonstrated no statistical differences in mean HR, BP, and RPE. A t-test demonstrated no statistical difference in mean time in target HR zone between the two conditions.https://dune.une.edu/student_posters/1003/thumbnail.jp