The Great De-escalator:FDR\u27s Conflict Management Strategies and Their Impact on the FDR-Churchill Alliance in WWII

From the Washington University Office of Undergraduate Research Digest (WUURD), Vol. 13, 05-01-2018. Published by the Office of Undergraduate Research. Joy Zalis Kiefer, Director of Undergraduate Research and Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences; Lindsey Paunovich, Editor; Helen Human, Programs Manager and Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences Mentor(s): Maire Murphe

Isolation of a Siderophore Produced by Methicillin-Resistant \u3cem\u3eStaphylococcus aureus\u3c/em\u3e Strain H372.

Iron is necessary for many cellular processes such as the electron transport chain and gene regulation. However, most iron on earth is found in insoluble iron-hydroxide complexes. In addition, iron is tightly sequestered in the human body by proteins such as transferrin, making it unavailable for pathogens. In order to overcome these limitations bacteria have evolved siderophores. Siderophores are low molecular weight compounds that bind ferric iron with a high affinity. Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that is known to produce at least four siderophores, and these siderophores contribute to its virulence. S. aureus strain H372 was found to produce a siderophore that was a carboxylate type, hydrophilic, and contained ornithine. These properties were similar to the known siderophore staphyloferrin A. However, the probable molecular weight was 658, which is different from known staphylococcal siderophores

Sandbaggers: A Guide for Understanding and Managing Underachievers

Managers never fire people. People fire themselves. As a manager what can be done when encountering a problem employee? When does one use techniques such as motivation and counseling and when is it time to let the employee go? The first step is being able to identify an underachiever. Through research and a series of interviews with individuals in managerial positions, methods were examined for identifying and evaluating an underachiever, and determining if poor performance is due to a lack of ability, poor training or just plain disinterest in the position. The interviews provided several solutions to solve the problem of an underachieving worker such as providing incentives, positive feedback and allowing your employees to feel their voice can be heard. The interviewees explained that although unfortunately some employees do have to be terminated sometimes, the better managers understand their employees’ abilities and needs the better a chance they have of having happy productive employees as well as saving their companies time and money of rehiring new individuals

Lipid stability of dehydrated beef strips stored in two packaging types

Meat is an excellent source of many essential nutrients and makes an important contribution to a balanced diet. Vacuum frying is the technique of deep frying foods under vacuum, and is essentially a dehydration process that develops the desirable sensory properties of traditional fried foods. Vacuum frying has been demonstrated to great effect on fruits and vegetables, but has been used only rarely with animal products and, until now, not with beef. In this study, strips of marinated beef were vacuum fried and stored in two different packaging materials in order to determine the effects on lipid quality of packaging and storage. The packaging types were polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and aluminium foil laminate. Vacuum fried beef samples were stored at 11°C, 15°C, 25°C, 35°C and 39°C for 3, 5, 10, 15 and 17 weeks and the samples and extracted oil was analysed. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyse the responses and the equations generated were also used to predict responses during storage up to 32 weeks at 15, 20 and 25°C. Moisture content and water activity (aw) were only affected following storage in PET packaging. Lipid decomposition was evidenced by significant increases in free fatty acids (FFAs) for both packaging types and Totox value with PET packaging, though these changes were considered to be minor with FFAs reaching only 4.0 (% oleic acid) during 17 weeks of storage and predicted to increase to over 8% after 32 weeks of storage and Totox value not exceeding 32 even after 32 weeks of storage. There were no significant changes in the unsaturated fatty acid content but the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids decreased during 17 weeks of storage, and average levels were higher in the aluminium foil packaging, indicating that less oxidation had occurred. The tocopherol content decreased significantly from initial concentrations and mean levels were higher in the oil from vacuum fried beef strips stored in aluminium foil laminate packaging, but the response could not be satisfactorily modelled by RSM. Sterol oxidation products (SOPs) were also measured but were unable to be modelled, although higher average levels were found in the oil from vacuum fried beef strips stored in PET packaging. The results of this experiment suggest that vacuum fried beef strips can be stored for up to 32 weeks at temperatures 15-25°C without significant lipid deterioration. Aluminium foil laminate packaging reduced most of the changes that occurred due to lower oxygen and water vapour transmission rates. Future research into the shelf-life of vacuum fried beef strips should concentrate on the use of antioxidants to reduce oxidative changes, SOPs formation and a sensory analysis to determine the acceptability of the products after storage

End of life decision making when home mechanical ventilation is used to sustain breathing in Motor Neurone Disease: patient and family perspectives

BackgroundMotor Neurone Disease (MND) leads to muscle weakening, affecting movement, speech, and breathing. Home mechanical ventilation, particularly non-invasive ventilation (NIV), is used to alleviate symptoms and support breathing in people living with MND. While home mechanical ventilation can alleviate symptoms and improve survival, it does not slow the progression of MND. This study addresses gaps in understanding end-of-life decision-making in those dependent on home mechanical ventilation, considering the perspectives of patients, family members, and bereaved families.MethodsA UK-wide qualitative study using flexible interviews to explore the experiences of people living with MND (n = 16), their family members (n = 10), and bereaved family members (n = 36) about the use of home mechanical ventilation at the end of life.ResultsSome participants expressed a reluctance to discuss end-of-life decisions, often framed as a desire to “live for the day” due to the considerable uncertainty faced by those with MND. Participants who avoided end-of-life discussions often engaged in ‘selective decision-making’ related to personal planning, involving practical and emotional preparations. Many faced challenges in hypothesising about future decisions given the unpredictability of the disease, opting to make ‘timely decisions’ as and when needed. For those who became dependent on ventilation and did not want to discuss end of life, decisions were often ‘defaulted’ to others, especially once capacity was lost. ‘Proactive decisions’, including advance care planning and withdrawal of treatment, were found to empower some patients, providing a sense of control over the timing of their death. A significant proportion lacked a clear understanding of the dying process and available options.ConclusionsThe study highlights the complexity and evolution of decision-making, often influenced by the dynamic and uncertain nature of MND. The study emphasises the need for a nuanced understanding of decision-making in the context of MND

Aging-Related Behavioral, Adiposity, and Glucose Impairments and Their Association following Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in the C57BL/6J Mouse

People that experience prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may have behavioral and metabolic impairments, and it is unclear whether these remain stable or change with age. We assessed behavioral and metabolic endpoints across the lifespan in a mouse model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Pregnant C57BL/6J mice received alcohol (ALC; 3 g/kg) or maltose-dextrin (control, CON) daily from embryonic day 8.5 to 17.5. Offspring were tested on accelerating rotarod, Y-maze, novel object recognition, and fear conditioning at 6 weeks and 10 and 17 months; females were also tested at 24 months. Body composition, fasting glucose, and glucose clearance were assessed at 18 months. Female but not male ALC mice had greater adiposity than age-matched CON from 7 months onward. At 18 months, male but not female ALC mice had reduced glucose clearance and ALC mice were more likely to have elevated fasting glucose. In the rotarod training session, ALC females performed worse than CON. In the Y-maze, significant exposure-age interactions affected ALC performance in both sexes versus age-match CON. For fear conditioning, all animals acquired the task and froze more at older ages. In both the context and cued tasks, there were exposure-age interactions and ALC animals frozen less than CON at 10 months. Correlation analysis revealed that fasting glucose and glucose clearance correlated with % of body fat in ALC but not in CON mice. Additionally, glucose intolerance and % body fat negatively correlated with performance in the rotarod, context learning, and novel object recognition tasks in ALC but not CON mice. All mice exhibit worsening of behavioral performance as they age, and PAE did not further exacerbate this. ALC but not CON mice displayed adiposity and glucose intolerance that correlate with their cognitive impairments, suggesting that these may be mechanistically related in PAE. Findings emphasize that FASD should be considered a whole-body disorder

Effects of UV-B radiation on oxalate content of silver beet leaves

Silver beet (Beta vulgaricus var. cicla) a common vegetable in New Zealand is known to contain high levels of oxalates in the leaves. Silver beet plants were grown in a field trial under glass and perspex sheets which filtered sunlight reaching the plants. After eight weeks of growth, the plants were harvested and the total, soluble and insoluble oxalate content of the leaves of the plants grown under the two filter treatments and a no-frame control were measured. Perspex allowed the transmission of UV-A, UV-B and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), whereas glass excluded UV-B radiation. No significant differences between the perspex treatment and the no-frame control were observed when the data was compared on a wet matter (WM) or dry matter (DM) basis. Shielding the growing plants with glass significantly reduced the total oxalate and soluble oxalates to 83 and 84% respectively when compared to the perspex and no-frame treatments

Black and Yellow in Red: The African Diaspora and Chinese Political and Cultural Solidarity, 1925-1968

My dissertation explores the role of race, class, and gender in the political and culturalinteractions between the African Diaspora and China. I examine the official and unofficial racialdiscourses produced and practiced during the Republican Period and in the People’s Republic ofChina, drawing attention to continuities as well as shifts in racial thinking in China across the1949 divide and its impact on the political and cultural relationships of Black and Chinesepeoples. Most of this research focuses on the impact of Chinese racial discourse on visits andother interactions with people of the African Diaspora, particularly African Americans in Chinaas well as analyzing the Chinese cultural productions of blackness. From the mid-1920s to thelate 1960s a continuous flow of African Americans traveled to and lived in pre and post-Communist China. This study finds that long-term anti-Blackness in China has led to uneven andnegative relations despite the Sino-Black Solidarity that was expressed in the wake of World WarII and African independence movements