Selection and stabilization of endocytic sites by Ede1, a yeast functional homologue of human Eps15.

During clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), endocytic-site maturation can be divided into two stages corresponding to the arrival of the early and late proteins at the plasma membrane. The early proteins are required to capture cargo and position the late machinery, which includes proteins involved in actin assembly and membrane scission. However, the mechanism by which early-arriving proteins select and stabilize endocytic sites is not known. Ede1, one of the earliest proteins recruited to endocytic sites, facilitates site initiation and stabilization. Deletion of EDE1 results in fewer CME initiations and defects in the timing of vesicle maturation. Here we made truncation mutants of Ede1 to better understand how different domains contribute to its recruitment to CME sites, site selection, and site maturation. We found that the minimal domains required for efficient Ede1 localization at CME sites are the third EH domain, the proline-rich region, and the coiled-coil region. We also found that many strains expressing ede1 truncations could support a normal rate of site initiation but still had defects in site-maturation timing, indicating separation of Ede1 functions. When expressed in yeast, human Eps15 localized to the plasma membrane, where it recruited late-phase CME proteins and supported productive endocytosis, identifying it as an Ede1 functional homologue

An Analysis of an Urban Elementary School’s Morning Exercise Program on Overweight/Obese Children’s Academic Ability

In recent years, surveys conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services\u27 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note an alarming trend in both American adults and children. The number of overweight and obese people in the United States has increased drastically. Since children spend a majority of their time in school, it can be argued that educational efforts to improve understanding of this issue and promote healthier choices should be implemented. This thesis project studied the effects of a morning exercise program for overweight and obese children and its impact on their academic ability and motivation. The literature review section explored the obesity epidemic, its potential cause and effect on society, connections between brain activity and physical exercise, and the potential benefit to exercise programs for overweight and obese children. By analyzing the school\u27s morning exercise program for overweight children, the researcher hoped to discover whether an in-school exercise program impacts weight loss and improves energy levels, and whether morning exercise is perceived by teachers as beneficial to students\u27 levels of focus in the classes following the exercise program. This study took place in an urban school district over eight weeks. There were ten students and ten teachers in the sample group. Observation of exercise sessions, teacher and student surveys, and informal interviews composed the data collection. Conclusions drawn from the research show little correlation between exercise and academic engagement or increased ability

Senior Recital: Rebecca Colucci, Flute; Lu Witzig, Piano; November 12, 2023

Kemp Recital HallNovember 12, 2023Sunday Afternoon4:00 p.m

Assessing risk to fresh water resources from long term CO2 injection- laboratory and field studies

In developing a site for geologic sequestration, one must assess potential consequences of failure to adequately contain injected carbon dioxide (CO2). Upward migration of CO2 or displacement of saline water because of increased pressure might impact protected water resources 100s to 1000s of meters above a sequestration interval. Questions posed are: (1) Can changes in chemistry of fresh water aquifers provide evidence of CO2 leakage from deep injection/sequestration reservoirs containing brine and or hydrocarbons? (2) What parameters can we use to assess potential impacts to water quality? (3) If CO2 leakage to freshwater aquifers occurs, will groundwater quality be degraded and if so, over what time period? Modeling and reaction experiments plus known occurrences of naturally CO2-charged potable water show that the common chemical reaction products from dissolution of CO2 into freshwater include rapid buffering of acidity by dissolution of calcite and slower equilibrium by reaction with clays and feldspars. Results from a series of laboratory batch reactions of CO2 with diverse aquifer rocks show geochemical response within hours to days after introduction of CO2. Results included decreased pH and increased concentrations of cations in CO2 experimental runs relative to control runs using argon (Ar). Some cation (Ba, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Sr) concentrations increased over and an order of magnitude during CO2 runs. Results are aquifer dependant in that experimental vessels containing different aquifer rocks showed different magnitudes of increase in cation concentrations. Field studies designed to improve understanding of risk to fresh water are underway in the vicinity of (1) SACROC oilfield in Scurry County, Texas, USA where CO2 has been injected for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) since 1972 and (2) the Cranfield unit in Adams County, Mississippi, USA where CO2 EOR is currently underway. Both field studies are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regional carbon sequestration partnership programs and industrial sponsors. Preliminary results of groundwater monitoring are currently available for the SACROC field study where researchers investigated 68 water wells and one spring during five field excursions between June 2006 and July 2008. Results to date show no trend of preferential degradation below drinking water standards in areas of CO2 injection (inside SACROC) as compared to areas outside of the SACROC oil field.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Art AIDS America: Expressions from an Epidemic

This series of lessons for K-12 Art classrooms emerged from the spring 2016 ZMA exhibition, Art AIDS America. This groundbreaking exhibition underscored the deep and unforgettable presence of HIV in American art. It introduced and explored a wide spectrum of artistic responses to AIDS, from the politically outspoken to the quietly mournful, surveying works from the early 1980s to the present. Art AIDS America was organized by Tacoma Art Museum in partnership with The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and co-curated by Dr. Jonathan D. Katz, Director, Visual Studies Doctoral Program at the University at Buffalo (The State University of New York), and Rock Hushka, Chief Curator at Tacoma Art Museum. The ZMA was the only southern representative on the tour of this critical exploration in art.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/zuckermanmuseum_p12/1005/thumbnail.jp

Compartment Model for Controlling Infectious Livestock Disease: Cost-Effective Control Strategies for Johne's Disease In Dairy Herds

Replaced with revised version of paper 06/08/11.animal compartment model, dairy cattle disease, Johne’s disease, livestock disease control, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries,

Economic Analysis of Johne's Disease Control Strategies in Dairy Herds

Infectious diseases play a critical role in determining the profitability of individual farms and maintaining the viability of livestock industries, international trade, and trade policies. Thus, it is critical to analyze the economic consequences of infectious diseases, and the effects of producer strategies to control or eliminate diseases in a cost efficient approach. Also, important is the goal to rally support for the development of public disease control programs. This study examined the long-term feasibility and effectiveness of various producer strategies to prevent and control Johne’s disease in dairy herds, an infectious and incurable disease which has significant economic repercussions for the dairy industry. There are few previous studies available on the economic aspects of Johne’s disease and there remains a knowledge gap with regard to the economics of the disease and the economic justification of the disease controls associated with the biological characteristics of the disease. This study contributes to this body of knowledge. We constructed an optimal control model integrating the biology of animals and disease into an economic framework to estimate the best control method in terms of maximizing an individual farm’s profit and minimizing disease elimination periods. Our results show that any Johne’s disease control method yields a higher net present value compared to no control. Implementing a single control strategy can control the disease, but a combination of control strategies in different categories is the most profitable and effective way to reduce the infection rate in a disease-infected herd. The results of the study are directly applicable to managing this disease on US dairy farms and contribute to controlling a high-priority pathogen in an important industry.Animal disease control, dairy herd model, Johne's disease, optimal control model, paratuberculosis, Agribusiness, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Piers, Bridges and Sheds: An architectural response to changing rural geographies and resortscapes (The case of Thornbury, Ontario)

Mass tourism is a critical agent of change, with a proven capacity of forging new landscapes and thoroughly modifying the internal structure of a community. Thornbury, a rural settlement located in South-western Ontario, is on the brink of such shift: With the emergence of a new culture of tourism and the introduction of ‘upscale’ resort developments, its physical conditions are rapidly being reconfigured and the character of its social landscape is on the precipice of being irrevocably altered. These luxury vacation facilities occur in a dispersed fashion on the fringe – a condition which has not only initiated a radical modification and decentralization of social and economic activity, but has also resulted in the decline of traditional neighbourhood ties. Likewise, this occurrence has introduced an influx of newcomers who advance an identity and lifestyle clearly distinct from that of Thornbury’s quiet community of rural citizens and retirees. In this context, these newly arrived inhabitants soon become dwellers of “limited liability”– those who reside within a community, but do not identify with it – as Thornbury lacks the infrastructure and amenities to support potential exchanges and direct interest to the qualities of traditional civic life. As such, the thesis will examine the question of: What is the role of architecture in sustaining local identity in an altered social fabric? Or, more specifically, how can social relations in a transformed community be advanced through the use and design of public spaces? The work will attempt to outline the trajectory of urban change and understand the factors that account for present circumstances. The outcome of the research will generate a series of responsive designs that hinge upon the idea of uplifting ordinary landscapes and everyday ruralism. Essentially, the proposed strategy is one in which rurality is integral to the solution: Methods which harness rural assets and refashion them in a progressive manner will be utilized to inspire the formation of a new local culture while establishing an interface between opposing population segments. Overall, this study is intended to serve as a template to be used by communities in Ontario for mitigating the effects of changing rural geographies

Editorial: Structure and function of chloroplasts, Volume III

Chloroplasts are endosymbiotic organelles derived from cyanobacteria. They have a double envelope membrane, including the outer envelope and the inner envelope. A complex membrane system, thylakoids, exists inside the chloroplast. It is the site of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. The stroma is the main site of the carbon fixation reactions. Although photosynthesis is a very complicated process with many proteins involved, there are many other important processes that occur in chloroplasts, including the regulation of photosynthesis, the biogenesis and maintenance of the structures, carbohydrate, lipid, tetrapyrrole, amino acid, and isoprenoid metabolism, production of some phytohormones, production of specialized metabolites, regulation of redox, and interactions with other parts of the cell (Sabater, 2018). During evolution, most of the cyanobacterial genes were lost and many of them were transferred into the nuclear genome. A majority of chloroplast proteins are nuclear-encoded and possess an N-terminal transit peptide which helps the protein to be targeted into chloroplasts. Chloroplasts have their own highly reduced genome which works coordinately with the nuclear genome for the biogenesis and function of chloroplasts (Liebers et al., 2022). This Research Topic presents studies covering different aspects of chloroplast function, including photosynthesis, biogenesis, structure, and maintenance. These works push the frontiers of chloroplast research further in the field of plant biology

Training neural operators to preserve invariant measures of chaotic attractors

Chaotic systems make long-horizon forecasts difficult because small perturbations in initial conditions cause trajectories to diverge at an exponential rate. In this setting, neural operators trained to minimize squared error losses, while capable of accurate short-term forecasts, often fail to reproduce statistical or structural properties of the dynamics over longer time horizons and can yield degenerate results. In this paper, we propose an alternative framework designed to preserve invariant measures of chaotic attractors that characterize the time-invariant statistical properties of the dynamics. Specifically, in the multi-environment setting (where each sample trajectory is governed by slightly different dynamics), we consider two novel approaches to training with noisy data. First, we propose a loss based on the optimal transport distance between the observed dynamics and the neural operator outputs. This approach requires expert knowledge of the underlying physics to determine what statistical features should be included in the optimal transport loss. Second, we show that a contrastive learning framework, which does not require any specialized prior knowledge, can preserve statistical properties of the dynamics nearly as well as the optimal transport approach. On a variety of chaotic systems, our method is shown empirically to preserve invariant measures of chaotic attractors