Developmental Evolution of the Progamic Phase in Nymphaeales

The period between pollination and fertilization, or the progamic phase, is a critical life history stage in seed plants and innovations in this life history stage are hypothesized to have played an important role in the diversification of flowering plants. Over the course of this dissertation research, I investigated programic phase development in Nymphaeales (water lilies), an ancient angiosperm lineage that diverged from the basalmost or next most basal node of the angiosperm phylogenetic tree and that is represented in the oldest angiosperm fossil record. I used field experiments and microscopy to document pollination biology, breeding system, and reproductive developmental traits in two families of Nymphaeales: Cabombaceae (Brasenia, Cabomba) and Hydatellaceae (Trithuria). Nymphaeales exhibits considerable variation in reproductive traits and true carpel closure, wind-pollination, and a primarily selfing breeding system have arisen independently in the lineage. Pollen tube pathway length, timing of stigma receptivity, and pollen tube growth rates are conspicuous traits that have undergone considerable modification in concert with shifts in pollination biology and breeding system. Post-pollination developmental processes in Nymphaeales appear to experience selective pressures similar to those experienced by more derived angiosperms and to evolve in similar ways. Nymphaeales also exhibits traits, such as accelerated pollen tube growth, callosic pollen tube walls, and the formation of callose plugs, that are almost certainly plesiomorphic in angiosperms and may have facilitated modification of carpel structure and progamic phase ontogenies. The finding that pollen tube traits that underlie developmental flexibility were already in place before the divergence of Nymphaeales supports the hypothesis that innovations in male gametophyte development were instrumental in facilitating early angiosperm diversification

Teaching While White: White Identity Development and Antiracism for Educators

This project explores the use of mindfulness in antiracist professional development for educators, documenting the development and implementation of workshop curriculum across three conference settings. The purpose of the project was to engage White educators in the important inner work of understanding White racial conditioning and actively challenging the institutional and structural racism inherent in our education system. Beginning with an understanding of race, racism and Critical Race Theory, the curriculum was designed to support White educators in developing their own racial identities to further their own personal development. The workshop focuses on White Identity development (Helms, 1990) to support participants in developing awareness of their own racial conditioning, introducing Whiteness Identity Development (Helms, 1990), White privilege (McIntosh, 1989), and White fragility (DiAngelo, 2011) while addressing common impacts of White racial conditioning - including silencing, colorblindness, color muteness, and the use of racially coded language. The curriculum explores concepts related to race and racism while offering mindfulness practice as a means of supporting self-reflection and skillful engagement with discomfort and difficult discussion. Participants were challenged to explore their own awareness of and role in addressing racism. Through this process White educators can begin to deconstruct racism in themselves and in the educational spaces where they work. It is only through this crucial inner work, that we as educators can begin the outer work of addressing “educational debt” (Ladson-Billings, 2006)

Low prevalence of SEC detected in various Staphylococcus aureus strains.

Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from bacteria swabs collected from participants at Concordia University St. Paul for this study. Isolated Staphylococcus aureus was then run through genomic prep to gather DNA from each strain. Collected DNA was amplified using PCR with specific primers to the targeted sec gene. The amplified sec gene was then transferred to gel electrophoresis, establishing whether the original strain contained the sec gene

Barriers to the use of a diagnostic oral microbiology laboratory by general dental practitioners

OBJECTIVE: To identify barriers on the use of diagnostic microbiology facilities in general dental practice. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using a postal questionnaire. SETTING: Primary/secondary care interface between the diagnostic oral microbiology laboratory, University of Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, Glasgow and dental practitioners within the surrounding health boards, 1998. SUBJECTS: All GDPs (797) within Argyll and Clyde, Ayrshire and Arran, Lanarkshire and Greater Glasgow Health Boards. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The responses were expressed as both absolute and relative frequencies. RESULTS: Responses were received from 430 (55%). The most frequent reason for failure to use the service was lack of information, with more than half of the respondents claiming to be unaware of the facility. Lack of request forms and sampling equipment were also viewed as barriers to using the service. CONCLUSIONS: The laboratory is failing to successfully communicate its role in addressing the growing burden of antibiotic resistance in the community and must be more proactive in encouraging appropriate use and increasing accessibility of the service to GDPs

Project ESCPe - Evaluating Spacesuit CPR Performance

Astronauts may need to perform Basic Life Support (BLS) on a crewmember, which consists of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and External Chest Compressions (ECC). In an emergency, astronauts will not have time to remove their spacesuits or let their heart rates return to their resting conditions, and would have to perform CPR while already physically exerted. This investigation aims to evaluate the effect of physical exertion on rescuer performance as they perform ECCs over 6 minutes while wearing a commercially available spacesuit supplied by Final Frontier Design

Experiences of Minority Primary Care Physicians With Managed Care: A National Survey

OBJECTIVES: To determine if ethnic minority physicians experience more barriers in acquiring and maintaining managed care contracts than white physicians, and to determine if the physician\u27s perceptions of his or her ability to provide appropriate care to patients varies with physician ethnicity. STUDY DESIGN: Using a national sample, we identified 4 research areas germane to this topic and analyzed them by physician ethnic group. METHODS: Analysis involved a pre-existing data set from a national survey that employed a random sampling approach to achieve reasonably accurate national population estimates with acceptable margins of error (95% CI = +/- 2). RESULTS: A total of 1032 primary care physicians completed the survey (response rate of 48%). After controlling for confounding variables, we found that Asian physicians have the most difficulty keeping managed care contracts. Type of practice varies with physician ethnicity, and solo practitioners have more problems securing contracts than physicians in other types of practices. Board-certified physicians are more likely to have managed care contracts than those who are not. Latino physicians have significantly fewer managed care patients than primary care physicians who are white, African American, or Asian. The perceptions of the physicians of their ability to deliver appropriate care overall did not vary by ethnicity, but 2 major subcategories of this item did vary by physician ethnicity: quality of care, and limitations to providing care. CONCLUSIONS: Although we did not find overwhelming evidence of discrimination against ethnic minority physicians, differences in rates of termination, type of practice, board certification rates, and managed care affiliation were related to physician ethnicity