THE IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF INFLUENZA VACCINATION: A COMPARISON BETWEEN A SEASONAL SUBUNIT VACCINE AND AN H5N1 SUBUNIT VACCINE WITH AND WITHOUT ALUM ADJUVANT

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is an emerging infectious virus with a 60% fatality rate in humans. In the United States, a vaccine for H5N1 has been developed and stockpiled using FDA approved methods for seasonal vaccines; however, the H5N1 vaccine was shown to be less immunogenic than seasonal vaccines when evaluated in clinical trials. Adjuvants can be used to enhance the immune response to antigens. For the studies described herein, a lethal mouse model of H5N1 infection was utilized to examine the immune response to the H5N1 vaccine with and without the addition of an alum adjuvant, and these responses were compared to those induced by a seasonal influenza vaccine. Mice that received the adjuvanted vaccine displayed significantly reduced weight loss and increased survival following infection with H5N1 compared to mice that received the non-adjuvanted vaccine. Increased levels of antibodies were detected in mice that received either the adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine or the seasonal vaccine compared to mice that received the non-adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine. In vitro, both the seasonal and adjuvanted H5N1 vaccines more efficiently activated dendritic cells (DCs) when compared to the non-adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine, as seen by enhanced levels of cytokine production following treatment with the seasonal vaccine and an increase in co-stimulatory molecule expression following treatment with adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine. When treated with the adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine, DCs demonstrated increased antigen uptake and intracellular processing compared to cells treated with the non-adjuvanted vaccine. Pre-treatment with mannan or mannose diminished cytokine production by DCs in a dose dependent manner following seasonal, but not H5N1, vaccine treatment implicating C-type lectin receptor activation as the mechanism by which the seasonal vaccine elicits protection. These findings provide an explanation for attenuated DC function following H5N1 vaccination, and while an alum adjuvant is able to rescue H5N1 vaccine immunogenicity it does so via a different mechanism than that utilized by seasonal influenza vaccines. Furthermore, these studies provide insight into the development of more immunogenic vaccines targeting HPAI

A Different Kind of Opponent

All-American Ole Miss tennis player battles diabetes while maintaining top-ranked statu

Special Education Teacher Burnout: A Phenomenological Study of the Challenges That Influence Motivation

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the challenges that lead to special education teacher burnout and how these challenges influence the motivation of special education teachers in North Georgia. In this study, factors that lead to special education burnout were generally defined as potential challenges, such as quality teacher preparation, inadequate professional development, and lack of administrative support, and how these challenges impact motivation and extrinsic influences of special education teachers. The theory that guided this study was Deci and Ryan\u27s (1985) self-determination theory, which allowed for a deeper understanding of motivation and how intrinsic and extrinsic influencers affected a person and their willingness to continue to work in a difficult profession. The foundations of motivation were characterized predominantly through introspective means, therefore, aligning this study to qualitative methodology. The study occurred in two public pre-K through 12th grade schools in North Georgia. Participants of this study were 10 special education teachers with varying ethnicities, genders, ages, backgrounds, and student exceptionalities. The central research questions explored how special education teachers in North Georgia describe the effects that professional challenges have on their motivation to continue in the field. Data collection was completed through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and audio journaling. Data was analyzed using a modified version of Spradley\u27s (1976) thematic content analysis. Participants from this study reported several factors that contributed to the loss of motivation, as well as factors needed to maintain motivation. The leading causes for loss of motivation were lack of support, paperwork, and exhaustion. The elements needed to encourage motivation were recognition and support, money, more time, and witnessing student progress

The Role of Bio-energy with Carbon Capture and Storage in Meeting the Climate Mitigation Challenge: A Whole System Perspective

This paper explores the role and implications of bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) for addressing the climate change mitigation challenge. Framed within the context of the latest emissions budgets, and their associated uncertainty, we present a summary of the contribution of BECCS within the Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) scenarios used by the climate change community. Within this discussion we seek to shed light on two important areas. Firstly, that BECCS is a central, but often hidden element of many of the modelling work that underpins climate policy from the global to the national scale. The second area we address are the assumptions for BECCS embedded within IAM models, and the wider system consequences of these implied levels of deployment. In light of these challenges, we question whether BECCS can deliver what is anticipated of it within existing climate change policy