Engendering meaning within the high school experience: A consideration of movement and dance

Dance, movement, and kinesthetic learning are among the most powerful ways in coming to know, yet they are amid the most ignored processes at the high school level. Dance has the power to change lives as it offers aesthetic ways of viewing and connecting with the world through its creative, reflective, and imaginative embodied experiences. I have observed these valuable outcomes and address the nature and power of them with the following questions: (1) How has dance and movement influenced my journey? (2) How has this influence affected the high school experience of my students? The heuristic method of qualitative research is utilized to analyze data such as my personal narrative and reflections, observations, and analysis of existing lessons plans, scope and sequence descriptions, assignments, assessments, and existing student work. The data supports a clear evolution of my definition of dance, the design and implementation of its curriculum, and the valuable experiences of my students. Through this research it is evident that dance engenders meaning in dynamic ways at the high school level and that experiences like those offered through dance education play an integral part in meeting the needs of the 21 st century and the Conceptual Age

Conservation and Function of the Histone Methyltransferase Set2

Histone methylation is an important post-translational modification involved in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. While many methylation sites on histone proteins have been identified to play roles in both gene activation and repression, the enzymes mediating these modifications and their exact functions are just beginning to be discovered. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, methylation of histone H3 at lysine 36 (H3K36) by the histone methyltransferase Set2 has been linked to the process of transcription elongation. Previous findings indicate that through an interaction with the elongating RNA polymerase, Set2 targets H3K36 for methylation in the coding region of genes. However, the exact functions for this enzyme and its modification were largely unknown. In these studies, I demonstrate that Set2 methylation of H3K36 is highly conserved and associated with elongating RNA polymerase II in organisms distinct from budding yeast. These results reveal that Set2 and H3K36 methylation have a conserved role in the transcription elongation process. Furthermore, I have contributed to the finding that Set2 regulates global histone acetylation patterns by recruiting a small Rpd3 deacetylase (Rpd3S) complex to the coding region of genes. This is among one of the first studies to identify a functional mechanism for Set2-mediated H3K36 methylation in transcription elongation. Finally, I have identified a novel and conserved modification on H3K36. Independent of being methylated, my studies reveal H3K36 is acetylated by the transcriptional co-activator Gcn5 at promoter regions. Collectively, these results suggest that distinct modifications on H3K36 play diverse roles in the transcription process

A Permutation Test for Compound Symmetry with Application to Gene Expression Data

The development and application of a permutation test for compound symmetry is described. In a simulation study the permutation test appears to be a level-α test and is robust to non-normality. However, it exhibits poor power, particularly for small samples

Nanocuration workflows: Establishing best practices for identifying, inputting, and sharing data to inform decisions on nanomaterials

There is a critical opportunity in the field of nanoscience to compare and integrate information across diverse fields of study through informatics (i.e., nanoinformatics). This paper is one in a series of articles on the data curation process in nanoinformatics (nanocuration). Other articles in this series discuss key aspects of nanocuration (temporal metadata, data completeness, database integration), while the focus of this article is on the nanocuration workflow, or the process of identifying, inputting, and reviewing nanomaterial data in a data repository. In particular, the article discusses: 1) the rationale and importance of a defined workflow in nanocuration, 2) the influence of organizational goals or purpose on the workflow, 3) established workflow practices in other fields, 4) current workflow practices in nanocuration, 5) key challenges for workflows in emerging fields like nanomaterials, 6) examples to make these challenges more tangible, and 7) recommendations to address the identified challenges. Throughout the article, there is an emphasis on illustrating key concepts and current practices in the field. Data on current practices in the field are from a group of stakeholders active in nanocuration. In general, the development of workflows for nanocuration is nascent, with few individuals formally trained in data curation or utilizing available nanocuration resources (e.g., ISA-TAB-Nano). Additional emphasis on the potential benefits of cultivating nanomaterial data via nanocuration processes (e.g., capability to analyze data from across research groups) and providing nanocuration resources (e.g., training) will likely prove crucial for the wider application of nanocuration workflows in the scientific community

The application of in utero magnetic resonance imaging in the study of the metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of the developmental origins of health and disease

Observing fetal development in utero is vital to further the understanding of later-life diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a tool for obtaining a wealth of information about fetal growth, development, and programming not previously available using other methods. This review provides an overview of MRI techniques used to investigate the metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis. These methods add to the understanding of the developing fetus by examining fetal growth and organ development, adipose tissue and body composition, fetal oximetry, placental microstructure, diffusion, perfusion, flow, and metabolism. MRI assessment of fetal growth, organ development, metabolism, and the amount of fetal adipose tissue could give early indicators of abnormal fetal development. Noninvasive fetal oximetry can accurately measure placental and fetal oxygenation, which improves current knowledge on placental function. Additionally, measuring deficiencies in the placenta\u27s transport of nutrients and oxygen is critical for optimizing treatment. Overall, the detailed structural and functional information provided by MRI is valuable in guiding future investigations of DOHaD

Racial Variation in the Uptake of Onco type DX Testing for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Oncotype DX (ODX) is a tumor gene-profiling test that aids in adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making. ODX has the potential to improve quality of care; however, if not equally accessible across racial groups, disparities in cancer care quality may persist or worsen. We examined racial disparities in ODX testing uptake

Patient-Centered Communication for Discussing Oncotype DX Testing

Oncotype DX testing (ODX), a tumor gene expression test, may improve breast cancer care, however communicating results remains challenging. We identified patient-centered communication strategies/gaps for discussing ODX results. We applied a patient-centered communication framework to analyze qualitative interviews with oncologists about how they communicate about ODX with patients, using template analysis in Atlas.ti. Overall, providers discussed four patient-centered communication domains: exchanging information, assessing uncertainty, making decisions and cross-cutting themes. Providers did not report discussing emotional aspects of managing uncertainty, assessing decision-making preferences, and evaluating decisions. A patient-centered approach may be a model for communicating about tumor gene expression tests