The biophysical basis and clinical applications of rheoencephalography

Rheoencephalography methods for determining aviators potentially subject to cerebrovascular diseas

Our Journey Into Learning Innovation and Competency-Based Education

Short Abstract: In 2013 a learning innovation incubator began with a question “what might an education addressing next-generation skills look like?” A result was the first competency-based undergraduate program at a main campus of a major university. This talk provides insights into a process involving learning and policy innovation. Full Abstract: In 2013 a learning innovation incubator began to consider the question “what might an education addressing next-generation skills look like?” Faculty from technology, mathematics, science, and various disciplines in the humanities met weekly for six months establishing trust with the help of a learning innovation coach using open dialog in areas such as empathy, belonging, and vulnerability. With the help of experts from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Olin College, two learning experiences (courses) were created and developed in the spring and summer of 2014. The learning experiences intentionally integrated the humanities with STEM fields using self-awareness and open-ended wicked problems as cornerstones to foster and develop individual student learning and metacognition. A competency-based learning model was adopted to assess student agency and learning in a more holistic way. Over the next three years a cohort of students navigated requirements for their declared major while participating in these new and evolving learning experiences, and the process of obtaining necessary degree approvals

Exhaustion from Information System Career Experience: Are the Implications for Turn-Away Intention Different for Millennials?

As evidence suggests that exhaustion is particularly pronounced in Millennials, we investigate if generational differences affect the drivers of information systems (IS) career turn-away intention (TAI). An indication of such differences would be of importance toward retaining professionals in the IS workforce as Millennials will soon become the largest generation in the U.S. workforce. To elucidate such differences, this paper presents a methodological replication of Exhaustion from Information System Career Experience: Implications for Turn-Away Intention by Armstrong, Brooks, and Riemenschneider (2015). While we did not determine significant generational differences, our findings contrast from the original study. Specifically, we found support for the impact of exhaustion from IS career experience on TAI, while an evaluation of resources no longer influences career-level exhaustion

The influence of the speed-time relationship on testing for aerobic fitness

Maximal aerobic capacity (V̇O₂max) is the most widely used measure for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness. It is a strong contributor to performance in endurance sports, predicts functional capacity in older adults, and is related to overall disease risk. As such, it is important that testing methodologies for determining V̇O₂max provide valid and reliable measurements. Despite the widespread use of V̇O₂max, challenges exist whether using field or laboratory tests. With field testing, other physiologic variables have the potential to influence performance independent of V̇O₂max. During lab testing, despite direct gas exchange measurement, many individuals fail to achieve a plateau in ventilatory oxygen consumption. The intensity-time relationship [critical speed (CS), and the curvature constant (W’)] has the potential to influence performance in both of these testing environments, as its components effectively predict exercise tolerance in the severe intensity domain. To this end, this study examined the influence of the CS-W’ relationship on performance during a commonly used field test, the Cooper 12-Minute Run (12MR), and on the measurement of V̇O₂max during a traditional graded exercise test. Thirty individuals (15 male, 15 female) with varied levels of running experience volunteered for and completed this study. Each subject performed the following tests over four visits in a randomized order: one maximal graded treadmill exercise test, six runs to volitional exhaustion (90 seconds – 12 minutes duration, split over two lab visits), and a maximal 12-minute run. For the 12MR, multiple regression analyses showed a significant positive correlation between 12MR distance and V̇O₂max (r = 0.888; p < 0.05), but was not statistically significant for W’ (r = 0.160; p = 0.845). Bland-Altman plots showed no apparent bias for either prediction method by distance, but was different from zero (p < 0.05) for both V̇O₂max (mean difference = -163.52 m) and CS-W’ (mean difference = -143.53 m), with wider limits of agreement for V̇O₂max than CS-W’ (LoA: -819.42 to +492.38 m vs -403.86 to +116.80 m). For V̇O₂max, both CS and W’ were found to contribute significantly to variance observed in V̇O₂max (sp² = 0.803 and 0.095, respectively; p < 0.01), with overall R2 = 0.828. These data provide additional evidence of the link between 12MR performance and aerobic capacity, while supporting its use to track V̇O₂max over time without concern for changes in W’ influencing results. They do, however, suggest that W’ may influence the measurement of V̇O₂max during lab testing, although it is unclear whether this is due to the V̇O2 slow component or differences in anaerobic capacity. Nonetheless, when testing individuals who test administrators anticipate to have a low anaerobic capacity, adjusting test protocols to minimize time in the severe intensity domain may be warranted. Given the large proportion of V̇O₂max variation that the CS-W’ model accounted for though, using these variables as a proxy for V̇O₂max may be another alternative for assessing aerobic fitness

The social and economic organization of Missouri agriculture, 1964-1992

Cover title."September 1995"--Page 2 of cover.Title from JPEG cover page (University of Missouri Digital Library, viewed June 17, 2010)

Seawi—a sea urchin piwi/argonaute family member is a component of MT-RNP complexes

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://rnajournal.cshlp.org/content/11/5/646.The piwi/argonaute family of proteins is involved in key developmental processes such as stem cell maintenance and axis specification through molecular mechanisms that may involve RNA silencing. Here we report on the cloning and characterization of the sea urchin piwi/argonaute family member seawi. Seawi is a major component of microtubule-ribonucleoprotein (MT-RNP) complexes isolated from two different species of sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Paracentrotus lividus. Seawi co-isolates with purified ribosomes, cosediments with 80S ribosomes in sucrose density gradients, and binds microtubules. Seawi possesses the RNA binding motif common to piwi family members and binds P. lividus bep4 mRNA, a transcript that co-isolates with MT-RNP complexes and whose translation product has been shown to play a role in patterning the animal–vegetal axis. Indirect immunofluorescence studies localized seawi to the cortex of unfertilized eggs within granule-like particles, the mitotic spindle during cell division, and the small micromeres where its levels were enriched during the early cleavage stage. Lastly, we discuss how seawi, as a piwi/argonaute family member, may play a fundamentally important role in sea urchin animal–vegetal axis formation and stem cell maintenance

Boron and Nitrogen Doped Single walled Carbon Nanotubes as Possible Dilute Magnetic Semiconductors

The structure of single walled armchair and zig-zag carbon nanotubes having 70 atoms and two carbons replaced by boron or nitrogen is obtained at minium energy using HF/6-31G* molecular orbital theory. The calculations show that the ground state of the zig-zag tubes is a triplet state while for the armchair tubes it is a singlet. In the zig-zag tubes the density of states at the Fermi level is greater for the spin down states compared to the spin up state indicating that the doped tubes could be ferromagnetic

Think globally, measure locally: The MIREN standardized protocol for monitoring plant species distributions along elevation gradients

Climate change and other global change drivers threaten plant diversity in mountains worldwide. A widely documented response to such environmental modifications is for plant species to change their elevational ranges. Range shifts are often idiosyncratic and difficult to generalize, partly due to variation in sampling methods. There is thus a need for a standardized monitoring strategy that can be applied across mountain regions to assess distribution changes and community turnover of native and non-native plant species over space and time. Here, we present a conceptually intuitive and standardized protocol developed by the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) to systematically quantify global patterns of native and non-native species distributions along elevation gradients and shifts arising from interactive effects of climate change and human disturbance. Usually repeated every five years, surveys consist of 20 sample sites located at equal elevation increments along three replicate roads per sampling region. At each site, three plots extend from the side of a mountain road into surrounding natural vegetation. The protocol has been successfully used in 18 regions worldwide from 2007 to present. Analyses of one point in time already generated some salient results, and revealed region-specific elevational patterns of native plant species richness, but a globally consistent elevational decline in non-native species richness. Non-native plants were also more abundant directly adjacent to road edges, suggesting that disturbed roadsides serve as a vector for invasions into mountains. From the upcoming analyses of time series, even more exciting results can be expected, especially about range shifts. Implementing the protocol in more mountain regions globally would help to generate a more complete picture of how global change alters species distributions. This would inform conservation policy in mountain ecosystems, where some conservation policies remain poorly implemented.EEA BarilocheFil: Haider, Sylvia. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research; AlemaniaFil: Haider, Sylvia. Martin Luther University. Institute of Biology. Geobotany and Botanical Garden; AlemaniaFil: Lembrechts, Jonas Johan. University of Antwerp. Centre of Excellence Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO); BélgicaFil: McDougall, Keith. Department of Planning, Industry and Environment; AustraliaFil: Pauchard, Aníbal. Universidad de Concepción. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Laboratorio de Invasiones Biológicas; ChileFil: Pauchard, Aníbal. Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB); ChileFil: Alexander, Jake M. Institute of Integrative Biology; SuizaFil: Barros, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico. Instituto Argentino de Nivología y Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA); ArgentinaFil: Cavieres, Lohengrin A. Universidad de Concepción. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas. Departamento de Botánica; ChileFil: Cavieres, Lohengrin A. Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB); ChileFil: Rashid, Irfan. University of Kashmir. Department of Botany; IndiaFil: Rew, Lisa J. Montana State University. Department of Land Resource and Environmental Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Aleksanyan, Alla. Institute of Botany aft. A.L. Takhtajyan NAS RA. Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecophysiology; ArmeniaFil: Aleksanyan, Alla. Armenian National Agrarian University. Chair of Biology and Biotechnologies; ArmeniaFil: Dimarco, Romina Daniela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos; ArgentinaFil: Dimarco, Romina Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos; ArgentinaFil: Dimarco, Romina Daniela. University of Houston. Department of Biology and Biochemistry; Estados UnidosFil: Seipel, Tim. Montana State University. Department of Land Resource and Environmental Sciences; Estados Unido

PARP-1 improves leukemia outcomes by inducing parthanatos during chemotherapy.

Previous chemotherapy research has focused almost exclusively on apoptosis. Here, a standard frontline drug combination of cytarabine and idarubicin induces distinct features of caspase-independent, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1)-mediated programmed cell death "parthanatos" in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines (n = 3/10 tested), peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy human donors (n = 10/10 tested), and primary cell samples from patients with AML (n = 18/39 tested, French-American-British subtypes M4 and M5). A 3-fold improvement in survival rates is observed in the parthanatos-positive versus -negative patient groups (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.28-0.37, p = 0.002-0.046). Manipulation of PARP-1 activity in parthanatos-competent cells reveals higher drug sensitivity in cells that have basal PARP-1 levels as compared with those subjected to PARP-1 overexpression or suppression. The same trends are observed in RNA expression databases and support the conclusion that PARP-1 can have optimal levels for favorable chemotherapeutic responses