Oklahoma's recovery from the Great Recession: Trends in rural vs. urban areas

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Oklahoma high school achievement: Do small schools perform better or worse?

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Synthesis and Properties of Bio-based 3D Printable Resins

A photopolymer resin is a monomer that, when introduced to light of a certain wavelength, starts to polymerize into a solid. This has become a growing part of the 3D printing industry. There have been many advancements in the field of 3D printing, however, a lot of these resins are not environmentally friendly and even harmful if not handled in the correct manner. Plant based resins are becoming more and more popular because of their biodegradability and for the possibility of using renewable resources. Glycerol is a plant-based compound that is produced in excess in industry. Glycerol obtained from bioethanol production as waste and can be used for value-added chemicals. Also, changing the wavelength of light required to polymerize means that researchers are trying to move away from using UV light because it is very harmful to human skin and can even damage a person’s vision. Also, UV light creates ozone as a by-product which can be harmful to the environment. This combination can have multiple real-world applications, not limited to 3D printing. It can possibly be used for gas separation and even polymer batteries. In this presentation, we converted glycerol based secondary alcohol into photopolymerizable resins. For preliminary studies, we varied the alkyl groups of the secondary alcohol containing ether and photopolymerized with different amounts of crosslinkers. We also used plant-based resin to get 3D printed polymers to see their properties. Finally, our synthesized resins mixed with commercial plant-based resins will be used to get 3D printed structures. Synthesis and characterization of these resins will be shown in the presentation

Root bacterial endophytes alter plant phenotype, but not physiology

Plant traits, such as root and leaf area, influence how plants interact with their environment and the diverse microbiota living within plants can influence plant morphology and physiology. Here, we explored how three bacterial strains isolated from the Populus root microbiome, influenced plant phenotype. We chose three bacterial strains that differed in predicted metabolic capabilities, plant hormone production and metabolism, and secondary metabolite synthesis. We inoculated each bacterial strain on a single genotype of Populus trichocarpa and measured the response of plant growth related traits (root:shoot, biomass production, root and leaf growth rates) and physiological traits (chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis, net photosynthesis at saturating light–Asat, and saturating CO2–Amax). Overall, we found that bacterial root endophyte infection increased root growth rate up to 184% and leaf growth rate up to 137% relative to non-inoculated control plants, evidence that plants respond to bacteria by modifying morphology. However, endophyte inoculation had no influence on total plant biomass and photosynthetic traits (net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content). In sum, bacterial inoculation did not significantly increase plant carbon fixation and biomass, but their presence altered where and how carbon was being allocated in the plant host

Rene Girard and Atonement : A Dialogue

This three-way dialogue follows a conference and symposium supported by the Institute for the Study of Christian Culture of Kinjo Gakuin University. The dialogue explores the profound impact of Girard’s mimetic theory, especially his concepts of “sacred violence” and “scapegoating,” on both historical and emerging understandings of Christ’s atonement. The authors situate Girard’s “anthropology of the cross” in relation to their own backgrounds and groundshifting encounters with Girard’s thought, to scripture and theology (including the traditional atonement theories), and to the world at large

The Grizzly, April 17, 2008

Owen Gingerich Discusses Religion and Evolution at UC • Breakaway Presents P.S. We\u27ve Missed You at UC! • Kennedy Speaks • Achievement Gap: An Issue Left Behind? • All Dogs Go to Heaven: Review of Black Lab Bistro • UC Theater Dances in an Irish Spring • Opinions: Want Change? Vote Obama; Elitists in Government? Yes Please! • A Swingin\u27 Season for UC Tennishttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1762/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, February 28, 2008

Tragedy Strikes at Northern Illinois University • Safety at Ursinus College in Light of the NIU Massacre • Anti-HIV Gel Fails Clinical Trial, Opens Doors • Investigating the Seven-Day Itch • Great Wall vs. China Jade: Local Chinese Dining • Third Annual CoSA Celebration Hits Ursinus in April • Review of SPINTfest at UC • Opinions: NME Scandal: An Outsider\u27s Take; Why Kosovo\u27s Independence Matters • Strong Champs for UC Swim • Gymnastics Prepares for Nationalshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1757/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 24, 2008

Ursinus College Dance Company Kicks Off Tonight! • CoSA at UC! • Charity Events in the Classroom • Red Sky in Morning • Another Collegeville Restaurant Review: BonJung • Ursinus Graduate Awarded Watson Fellowship • Achievement Gap: Close to Home • Opinions: Bush / Clinton Dynasty? • Weekend Success and Dubb Appreciation Week • UC Softball Flying High After Wins Against Gettysburg • Great Success Strikes Men\u27s Laxhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1763/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, December 6, 2007

Students: Fresh Produce on Sale Now • Relay for Life Kicks Off in Fanfare • Wings for Wishes Hosts Competitive Eating Contest • Balancing Act: Avoiding Weight Gain in College • Beer and the Bedroom • Soulja Boy to the Rescue • Trappe Tavern: It\u27s a Trap! • Hell is Other People • Ursinus Student Video Blogs in Japan • Opinions: Why Terrorists Do What They Do; New Homepage Long Overdue • Bears Off to a 1-0 Start in League • Fresh Faces on the Women\u27s Court • Preview of UC Winter Sportshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1752/thumbnail.jp

Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Stimulates Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation and Proliferation by Activating Separate Serum Response Factor Co-factors

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid agonist that regulates smooth muscle cell (SMC) and endothelial cell functions by activating several members of the S1P subfamily of G-protein-coupled Edg receptors. We have shown previously that SMC differentiation is regulated by RhoA-dependent activation of serum response factor (SRF). Because S1P is a strong activator of RhoA, we hypothesized that S1P would stimulate SMC differentiation. Treatment of primary rat aortic SMC cells with S1P activated RhoA as measured by precipitation with a glutathione S-transferase-rhotekin fusion protein. In SMC and 10T1/2 cells, S1P treatment up-regulated the activities of several transiently transfected SMC-specific promoters, and these effects were inhibited by the Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y-27632. S1P also increased smooth muscle alpha-actin protein levels in SMC but had no effect on SRF binding to the smooth muscle alpha-actin CArG B element. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR showed that S1P treatment of SMC or 10T1/2 cells did not increase the mRNA level of either of the recently identified SRF co-factors, myocardin or myocardin-related transcription factor-A (MRTF-A). MRTF-A protein was expressed highly in SMC and 10T1/2 cultures, and importantly the effects of S1P were inhibited by a dominant negative form of MRTF-A indicating that S1P may regulate the transcriptional activity of MRTF-A. Indeed, S1P treatment increased the nuclear localization of FLAG-MRTF-A, and the effect of MRTF-A overexpression on smooth muscle alpha-actin promoter activity was inhibited by dominant negative RhoA. S1P also stimulated SMC growth by activating the early growth response gene, c-fos. This effect was not attenuated by Y-27632 but could be inhibited by the MEK inhibitor, UO126. S1P enhanced SMC growth through ERK-mediated phosphorylation of the SRF co-factor, Elk-1, as measured by gel shift and Elk-1 activation assays. Taken together these results demonstrate that S1P activates multiple signaling pathways in SMC and regulates proliferation by ERK-dependent activation of Elk-1 and differentiation by RhoA-dependent activation of MRTF-A