Make-ing the Difference: Makerspace Instruction and the Student Perspective

This study describes the perceptions of students who have attended makerspace workshops at the Kenan Science Library Makerspace at UNC-Chapel Hill. Interviews were conducted with undergraduate students to determine the instructional and technological impact of the makerspace. A group of five undergraduates who had attended a library session were interviewed. Instruction in the Kenan Science Library Makerspace covers emerging technologies such as 3D printing, 3D scanning, Introduction to Arduino, and Introduction to Tinkercad. The makerspace and its instruction sessions was found to be beneficial to students, increasing their knowledge of emerging technologies.Master of Science in Library Scienc

The role of polymerase η in protecting against genome instability and telomere defects caused by the generation of environmentally relevant DNA lesions

Telomeres, the protective caps at chromosome ends, shorten with age in most human cell types, but may be shortened prematurely by DNA damaging agents. Defective telomeres contribute to aging-related diseases and may give rise to genomic alterations implicated in carcinogenesis. Translesion DNA synthesis is a critical cellular mechanism that ensures progression of DNA replication forks, most notably, in the face of bulky DNA lesions. Numerous environmental exposures generate bulky lesions, such as ultraviolet (UV) light and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Translesion synthesis polymerase η’s (polη) role in protecting against UV-induced lesions in the genome has been extensively documented, but its role at telomeres is unknown. Additionally, UV-induced lesions have been shown to form at telomeres. Chronic inhalation of Cr(VI) induces respiratory diseases associated with aging and telomere dysfunction, including pulmonary fibrosis and cancers, and our previous work established that Cr(VI) causes telomere damage. However, the mechanism(s) by which environmental genotoxicants promote telomere loss and defects is unknown. We investigated roles for polη in preserving telomeres following acute physical UVC exposure and chronic chemical Cr(VI) exposure. Similar to its role in protecting against UV-induced DNA damage, we report that polη protects against cytotoxicity and DNA replication stress caused by Cr(VI). Our study supports a novel role for translesion DNA synthesis in preserving telomeres after UVC and Cr(VI) exposure and genotoxic stress. We uncover a mechanism by which environmental genotoxicants alter telomere integrity, and a fundamental cellular pathway that preserves telomere function in the face of genotoxic replication stress. Telomere alterations and dysfunction have been shown to impact human health. This research is significant and relevant to public health because knowledge gained will be useful for designing intervention therapies that preserve telomeres in human populations following exposure to environmental genotoxicants. The hope is that preventative measures will inhibit or delay diseases and pathologies related to telomere defects

Adaptive management for ecosystem services

Management of natural resources for the production of ecosystem services, which are vital for human well-being, is necessary even when there is uncertainty regarding system response to management action. This uncertainty is the result of incomplete controllability, complex internal feedbacks, and nonlinearity that often interferes with desired management outcomes, and insufficient understanding of nature and people. Adaptive management was developed to reduce such uncertainty. We present a framework for the application of adaptive management for ecosystem services that explicitly accounts for cross-scale tradeoffs in the production of ecosystem services. Our framework focuses on identifying key spatiotemporal scales (plot, patch, ecosystem, landscape, and region) that encompass dominant structures and processes in the system, and includes within- and cross-scale dynamics, ecosystem service tradeoffs, and management controllability within and across scales. Resilience theory recognizes that a limited set of ecological processes in a given system regulate ecosystem services, yet our understanding of these processes is poorly understood. If management actions erode or remove these processes, the system may shift into an alternative state unlikely to support the production of desired services. Adaptive management provides a process to assess the underlying within and cross-scale tradeoffs associated with production of ecosystem services while proceeding with management designed to meet the demands of a growing human population

Adaptive management for ecosystem services

Management of natural resources for the production of ecosystem services, which are vital for human well-being, is necessary even when there is uncertainty regarding system response to management action. This uncertainty is the result of incomplete controllability, complex internal feedbacks, and nonlinearity that often interferes with desired management outcomes, and insufficient understanding of nature and people. Adaptive management was developed to reduce such uncertainty. We present a framework for the application of adaptive management for ecosystem services that explicitly accounts for cross-scale tradeoffs in the production of ecosystem services. Our framework focuses on identifying key spatiotemporal scales (plot, patch, ecosystem, landscape, and region) that encompass dominant structures and processes in the system, and includes within- and cross-scale dynamics, ecosystem service tradeoffs, and management controllability within and across scales. Resilience theory recognizes that a limited set of ecological processes in a given system regulate ecosystem services, yet our understanding of these processes is poorly understood. If management actions erode or remove these processes, the system may shift into an alternative state unlikely to support the production of desired services. Adaptive management provides a process to assess the underlying within and cross-scale tradeoffs associated with production of ecosystem services while proceeding with management designed to meet the demands of a growing human population

Household Air Pollution and Acute Lower Respiratory Infections in Adults: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Household air pollution from solid fuel burning kills over 4 million people every year including half a million children from acute lower respiratory infections. Although biologically plausible, it is not clear whether household air pollution is also associated with acute lower respiratory infections in adults. We systematically reviewed the literature on household air pollution and acute lower respiratory infection in adults to identify knowledge gaps and research opportunities. METHODS: Ten bibliographic databases were searched to identify studies of household air pollution and adult acute lower respiratory infection. Data were extracted from eligible studies using standardised forms. RESULTS: From 4617 titles, 513 abstracts and 72 full-text articles were reviewed. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria of which 2 found a significant adjusted increased risk of acute lower respiratory infection, 2 identified a univariate association whilst 4 found no significant association. Study quality was generally limited. Heterogeneity in methods and findings precluded meta-analysis. DISCUSSION: A systematic review of the literature found limited evidence for an association between household air pollution and risk of acute lower respiratory infection in adults. Additional research, with carefully defined exposure and outcome measures, is required to complete the risk profile caused by household air pollution in adults. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015028042

Glial cells are functionally impaired in juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and detrimental to neurons.

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs or Batten disease) are a group of inherited, fatal neurodegenerative disorders of childhood. In these disorders, glial (microglial and astrocyte) activation typically occurs early in disease progression and predicts where neuron loss subsequently occurs. We have found that in the most common juvenile form of NCL (CLN3 disease or JNCL) this glial response is less pronounced in both mouse models and human autopsy material, with the morphological transformation of both astrocytes and microglia severely attenuated or delayed. To investigate their properties, we isolated glia and neurons from Cln3-deficient mice and studied their basic biology in culture. Upon stimulation, both Cln3-deficient astrocytes and microglia also showed an attenuated ability to transform morphologically, and an altered protein secretion profile. These defects were more pronounced in astrocytes, including the reduced secretion of a range of neuroprotective factors, mitogens, chemokines and cytokines, in addition to impaired calcium signalling and glutamate clearance. Cln3-deficient neurons also displayed an abnormal organization of their neurites. Most importantly, using a co-culture system, Cln3-deficient astrocytes and microglia had a negative impact on the survival and morphology of both Cln3-deficient and wildtype neurons, but these effects were largely reversed by growing mutant neurons with healthy glia. These data provide evidence that CLN3 disease astrocytes are functionally compromised. Together with microglia, they may play an active role in neuron loss in this disorder and can be considered as potential targets for therapeutic interventions