Percy Julian and the Rise in Inclusive Pedagogy in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

As a research fellow at DePauw, Dr. Percy L. Julian included undergratuate students in his research to synthesize physostigmine. Building on that legacy, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry continues a longstanding history of supporting undergraduate research. Recongnizing tht there is inequity in who participates in research, our department recently initiated an application process open to all students in our courses to equalize the way in which stuents learn about and get started in research. Students in our structure and propterties of organiz molecules course view and reflect on the Forgotten Genius documentary and the recently awarded HHMU Inclusive Excellence Initiative grant has provided many faculty members development opportunities in inclusive pedagogy. In May, Dr. Julian was appointed posthumously to the DePauw University faculty. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry celebrates this appointment and continues to work toward creating a positive and inviting atmosphere for all students at DePauw

Predicting Students’ College Drop Out and Departure Decisions by Analyzing their Campus-Based Social Network Text Messages

Undergraduate student retention is a key concern in the US higher education system. Having a scientific method for predicting undergraduate student departure would enable institutions to deploy targeted interventions with the goal of retaining a particular student who is at risk of dropping out. We explore the use of Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), and new techniques for Social Network Analytics addressing student communications within a novel campus-based closed social networking platform. Our research results indicate that students who were ultimately retained sent three times as many messages than those who were not, and analyzing the patterns of use of the closed social network in an academic setting reliably predicts undergraduate student dropouts and leads to a more effective deployment of retention resources over time

Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) indicates limited scientific thinking gains as a result of science and mathematics general education

A number of instruments designed to measure scientific literacy exist, but none has been used to assess improvements in undergraduates’ scientific thinking over their college career. This study utilized the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) in a longitudinal fashion to measure scientific thinking gains of over 800 students from matriculation to graduation at a small liberal arts college. We found the TOSLS to be a useful assessment instrument. Our results indicated rather small benefits of science general education overall, though there were larger improvements for some demographic groups (i.e., women, first-generation college students). STEM majors showed much greater development in their scientific thinking skills than non-STEM majors, although they started at a more advanced level. Suggestions are made to rethink STEM general education, either in terms of content or with regard to pedagogy, in order to improve future citizens’ ability to deal with the scientific challenges society faces

HI Density Distribution Driven by Supernovae: A Simulation Study

We model the complex distribution of atomic hydrogen (HI) in the interstellar medium (ISM) assuming that it is driven entirely by supernovae (SN). We develop and assess two different models. In the first approach, the simulated volume is randomly populated with non-overlapping voids of a range of sizes. This may relate to a snapshot distribution of supernova-remnant voids, although somewhat artificially constrained by the non-overlap criterion. In the second approach, a simplified time evolution (considering momentum conservation as the only governing constraint during interactions) is followed as SN populate the space with the associated input mass and energy. We describe these simulations and present our results in the form of images of the mass and velocity distributions and the associated power spectra. The latter are compared with trends indicated by available observations. In both approaches, we find remarkable correspondence with the observed statistical description of well-studied components of the ISM, wherein the spatial spectra have been found to show significant deviations from the Kolmogorov spectrum. One of the key indications from this study, regardless of whether or not the SN-induced turbulence is the dominant process in the ISM, is that the apparent non-Kolmogorov spectral characteristics (of HI and/or electron column density across thick or thin screens) needed to explain related observations may not at all be in conflict with the underlying turbulence (i.e. the velocity structure) being of Kolmogorov nature. We briefly discuss the limitations of our simulations and the various implications of our results.Comment: To appear in Astrophysical Journal. 21 pages, 6 figure

Conceptualizing and validating the human services integration measure

PURPOSES: This paper proposes both a model and a measure of human service integration through strategic alliances with autonomous services as one way to achieve comprehensive health and social services for target populations. THEORY: Diverse theories of integrated service delivery and collaboration were combined reflecting integration along a continuum of care within a service sector, across service sectors and between public, not-for-profit and private sectors of financing services. METHODS: A measure of human service integration is proposed and tested. The measure identifies the scope and depth of integration for each sector and service that make up a total service network. It captures in quantitative terms both intra and inter sectoral service integration. RESULTS: Results are provided using the Human Service Measure in two networks of services involved in promoting Healthy Babies and Healthy Children known to have more and less integration. CONCLUSIONS: The instrument demonstrated discriminate validity with scores correctly distinguishing the two networks. The instrument does not correlate (r=0.13) with Weiss (2001) measure of partnership synergy confirming that it measures a distinct component of integration. DISCUSSION: We recommend the combined use of the proposed measure and the Weiss (2001) measure to more completely capture the scope and depth of integration efforts as well as the nature of the functioning of a service program or network

Redox-Linked Domain Movements in the Catalytic Cycle of Cytochrome P450 Reductase

SummaryNADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase is a key component of the P450 mono-oxygenase drug-metabolizing system. There is evidence for a conformational equilibrium involving large-scale domain motions in this enzyme. We now show, using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and small-angle neutron scattering, that delivery of two electrons to cytochrome P450 reductase leads to a shift in this equilibrium from a compact form, similar to the crystal structure, toward an extended form, while coenzyme binding favors the compact form. We present a model for the extended form of the enzyme based on nuclear magnetic resonance and SAXS data. Using the effects of changes in solution conditions and of site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that the conversion to the extended form leads to an enhanced ability to transfer electrons to cytochrome c. This structural evidence shows that domain motion is linked closely to the individual steps of the catalytic cycle of cytochrome P450 reductase, and we propose a mechanism for this

Helping Young People Resist At-risk Behaviors

This article will deal with some at-risk behaviors that are new to our times. Its goal is to provide a helpful kit filled with research-based strategies that teachers, parents, church and community leaders, counselors, health-care professionals, and others can use in their work with youth. In addition, the article will provide information that can be shared with young people who need to be aware of lurking dangers, as well as what strategies they can use both now and in the future, when they establish their own families. Because of the urgency of those matters, teachers and administrators should talk about these issues in a variety of courses and forums, not just marriage and family classes, or only in parent-teacher meetings or fliers sent home with students. The new at-risk behaviors discussed below relate to electronic media and its various social incarnations. Unless otherwise stated, all research and statistics in this article refer to work done in the United States, though in many cases they are applicable elsewhere as well

Bacterial growth in media mimicking the high salt and alkalinity of extreme kazakhstan environments results in production of antimicrobial compounds in soil actinomycetes isolated from these extremophile locations

Increasing antibiotic resistance among multidrug resistant pathogens necessitates the search for newer antimicrobials. Streptomyces historically produce the largest number of antibacterials and herein we describe isolation of antagonists from extremophiles using unusual culture media. Antagonists or antimicrobials produced under extremophile environmental conditions demonstrated activity against MRSA from Kazakhstan and the United States

Bacterial growth in media mimicking the high salt and alkalinity of extreme kazakhstan environments results in production of antimicrobial compounds in soil actinomycetes isolated from these extremophile locations

Increasing antibiotic resistance among multidrug resistant pathogens necessitates the search for newer antimicrobials. Streptomyces historically produce the largest number of antibacterials and herein we describe isolation of antagonists from extremophiles using unusual culture media. Antagonists or antimicrobials produced under extremophile environmental conditions demonstrated activity against MRSA from Kazakhstan and the United States