Estimating the Responsiveness of College Applications to the Likelihood of Acceptance and Financial Assistance: Evidence from Texas.

This paper investigates the impact of Texas's Top Ten Percent Rule - which grants automatic to any public college in Texas for Texas high school graduates who graduate in the top decile - and subsequent targeted recruitment programs initiated by Texas's flagship universities. Using data on SAT test takers in Texas from 1996-2004, we find that the Top Ten Percent rule affects the set of colleges that students consider, and the targeted recruitment programs are able to attract the attention of students from poor high schools that were not traditional sources of students for the flagships in Texas.College Choice,Top Ten Percent Rule, Targeted Recruitment

her15, a novel gene with oscillating mRNA expression domains and its potential role in zebrafish somitogenesis

Somitogenesis is the key developmental process which lays down the framework for an organised body plan in vertebrates and cephalochordates. Somitogenesis divides the body axis into transient segmental structures called somites, which later give rise to muscles and vertebrae of the trunk and tail. Somites are generated from the unsegmented presomitic mesoderm (PSM) by an intricate process of prepatterning. Prepatterning is driven by a segmentation clock referred to as the presomitic mesoderm oscillator. This oscillator consists of certain gene members with oscillating mRNA expression compartments that sweep like a wave from the posterior to the anterior end of the embryonic PSM. The Delta-Notch pathway and various genes belonging to the hairy-(h) and Enhancer of split - [E(spl)] related family, are the core conserved components of this oscillator. h/E(spl) genes in zebrafish are commonly referred to as her genes. her1 and her7, play very important roles in the regulation of somitogenesis. The open question is how many her genes are core components of the zebrafish presomitic mesoderm oscillator and how do they interact with one another? To answer this, an in situ screen for h/E(spl) genes in zebrafish was conducted by Sieger et al., (2004). Three new her genes with oscillating mRNA expression domains were identified and one of them is her15, which has been further characterized in this PhD thesis. her15 mRNA is expressed as a distinct oscillatory posterior PSM domain which shows three primary phases, namely broad, intermediate and dot-like. Comparable to other her genes, her15 also showed stripes in the anterior PSM but unlike others, these stripes were found to be expressed at double segmental distance. Additionally, the her15 stripe was found to label the posterior border of the last somite. Morpholino gene knock down studies showed that the oscillating expression of her15 is partly dependent on her7 regulation, but independent of her1. Oscillating her15 mRNA signals in the posterior PSM displays fluctuations with respect to left and right halves of the embryonic PSM, suggestive of the autonomy of both halves of the embryo in generating the signal. Misexpression studies suggest a prospective role for her15 in the regulation of somite border formation and oscillatory gene expression in zebrafish PSM. Morpholinos against her15 did not result in morphological border disruption, or in changes in mRNA expression of genes of the Delta-Notch pathway. ZfChp, the second candidate gene which has been analyzed in the present thesis, came out of a screen of the NIH cDNA in situ expression database. ZfChp exhibits dynamic stripes of mRNA expression in the intermediate PSM region, a dynamic zone where tail bud mesenchymal cells undergo transition to epithelial state (mesenchymal to epithelial transition-MET), thus giving rise to somites. It the molecular signature of a Rho family GTPase with respect to conserved Rho GTPase domains. The Delta-Notch signaling pathway positively regulates the dynamic stripes of ZfChp in the intermediate PSM region. This provides the first molecular evidence supporting a link between prepatterning of the PSM and MET in zebrafish embryos

Investigations on Selected Indian Kaolins for their Possible Value Addition

Kaolins from Kerala, Orissa, Rajasthan and West Bengal states (designated as KK, OK, RK and WK respectively) were studied for their possible value addition. Size classifica-tion followed by physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization of the ROM clays and various size fract-ions were carried out. All the four samples are found to be kaolinitic with quartz as the major impurity. Small quantity of mica is present in RK and WK whereas pyrite is found in OK Size classification increases the % of <2pm particles and kaolinite content. Conventional hydros blea-ching improved the optical properties only marginally whereas dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate ( DCB) treatment considerably enhanced the same. Significant reduction in Fe content and improvement in optical properties on DCB treatment indicate the presence of 'free iron" as oxides, hydroxides, sulphides etc. in KK, OK and WK where as in RK iron is "structural", in kaolinite and / or in the micaceous mineral. The investigation shows that even after size classification, impurity minerals remain in the products indicating their ultra fine size. Hence, value addition is possible (more in KK, OK and WK and less in RK) by removing the iron impurities using special techni-ques such as high gradient magnetic separation, ultra flotation etc. Selected samples were calcined at 1100 °C and the optical properties of the calcined samples did not show much improvement

Evaluation of ovarian response prediction according to age and serum AMH levels in IVF cycles: a retrospective analysis

Background: Increasing female literacy and employment have resulted in a clear rise in the age at which women conceive. As fertility starts to decline with advancing age more and more number of women are facing the problem of infertility and are seeking medical attention to overcome this problem. A number of ovarian reserve tests were developed to overcome this problem. Recent studies indicate that anti mullerian hormone is a promising marker for predicting ovarian reserve and pregnancy outcome.Methods: A retrospective study conducted at SAMAD IVF hospital, Trivandrum, Kerala. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of age on Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) in ART (assisted reproductive technology) program outcomes and determine whether AMH levels and age predict the availability of total oocytes and MII oocytes retrieved and good quality of embryos. Ninety-six subjects in the age group of 25 to 40 years were included and underwent controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) and later intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was performed.Results: In present study, it is seen that age and AMH (anti-mullerian hormone) have negative correlation. In accordance to AMH, total number of oocytes retrieved, MII oocytes, total number of embryos and grade A embryos were higher in AMH group (>5ng/ml). Total embryos for cryopreservation were lower in age group of 31-35yrs and 36-40yrs with least AMH value as compared to younger age group, good quality of embryos was higher in age group of 25-30yrs with 1.5-5 and >5 AMH group.Conclusions: Serum AMH is an important ovarian reserve test to predict response in ART cycles. Age is an independent marker in terms of quality of oocytes retrieved. We conclude that age and AMH have negative correlation. Hence, AMH can predict number of oocytes retrieved but age predicts quality of oocytes and embryos

Development of a Beneficiation Flow Sheet for Processing Silica Sand from Chertala Area of kerala

The silica sand from Chertala area of Alappuzha district has been reported to be of good quality. Presently, it is mined and transported to destinations inside and outside the State without any processing. A project on beneficiat-ion/ value addition of this sand was taken up as per the request from Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Govt. of Kerala. Objective of the project is to develop a flow sheet for the total utilization of all fractions of this sand. The aim is to value add the same to produce special grade glass making sand according to BIS specifications (IS:488-1980), a suitable fraction for foundry application as per 1S:3018- 1977 and also to recover the finer fractions of sand and heavy minerals which are below 180,um and consti-tutes about 14% by weight. However, only the first two objectives are covered in the present work

Soy Phosphatidylinositol–Containing Lipid Nanoparticle Prolongs the Plasma Survival and Hemostatic Efficacy of B-domain–Deleted Recombinant Canine Factor VIII in Hemophilia A Dogs

Soy phosphatidylinositol (PI) containing lipid nanoparticles prolong plasma survival, improve hemostatic efficacy, and decrease immunogenicity of human B-domain deleted Factor VIII (BDD FVIII) in Hemophilia A (HA) mice. We hypothesize that PI associated BDD FVIII is more potent than the free protein, and using mathematical modeling, have projected that PI associated BDD FVIII could be used for once-weekly prophylactic dosing in patients. To facilitate translation to the clinic, comparative plasma survival and ex vivo efficacy of PI associated recombinant canine FVIII (PI-rcFVIII) were evaluated in HA dogs. 2 HA dogs were administered a 50 U/kg iv dose of free or PI-rcFVIII. rcFVIII activity measurements and ex vivo efficacy analyses like whole blood clotting time (WBCT) and thromboelastography (TEG) were conducted on recovered plasma and whole blood samples. PI association decreased clearance (~25%) and increased plasma exposure (~1.4 fold) of rcFVIII. PI-rcFVIII treated animals had prolonged improvements in WBCTs and TEG parameters compared to free rcFVIII treated animals. Since rcFVIII is a BDD form of FVIII, these studies provide proof-of-principle that observations with human BDD FVIII in mice translate to higher animal species. Additionally, PI-rcFVIII has potential applications in canine HA management and as a bypass therapy in inhibitor-positive HA patients

Native-like aggregates of Factor VIII (FVIII) are immunogenic von Willebrand Factor deficient and hemophilia A mice

The administration of recombinant Factor VIII (FVIII) is the first line therapy for Hemophilia A (HA), but 25–35% of patients develop an inhibitory antibody response. In general, the presence of aggregates contributes to unwanted immunogenic responses against therapeutic proteins. FVIII has been shown to form both native-like and non-native aggregates. Previously, we showed that non-native aggregates of FVIII are less immunogenic compared to the native protein. Here we investigated the effect of native-like aggregates of FVIII on immunogenicity in HA and von Willebrand Factor knockout (vWF−/−) mice. Mice immunized with native-like aggregates showed significantly higher inhibitory antibody titers compared to animals that received native FVIII. Following re-stimulation in vitro with native FVIII, the activation of CD4+ T cells isolated from mice immunized with native-like aggregates is ~4 fold higher than mice immunized with the native protein. Furthermore, this is associated with increases in the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-17 in the native-like aggregate treatment group. The results indicate that the native-like aggregates of FVIII are more immunogenic than native FVIII for both the B cell and T cell responses

Inclusion in neuroscience through high impact courses

Recognizing that STEM disciplines, including neuroscience, have a long way to go to attract and retain diverse talent, educators can take action by being more intentional about their departmental curricula, course design, and pedagogical strategies. A deep body of research suggests that one way we can promote inclusion is through the use of high impact practices (HIPs). These active learning teaching practices promote deep learning and student engagement and have been shown to have a positive differential impact on historically underserved student populations. Here we describe the characteristics of two different types of HIP courses, makerspace classes, and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). In addition, we provide ideas for how these courses can be structured to help all students engage and learn. With experience overseeing a large campus-wide program introducing these course types to the curriculum, we also provide insights about faculty experiences and assessment. We propose that including these types of courses in a curriculum can engage a more diverse group of students to choose neuroscience as a major and as a career