Mary Beth Taylor in a Senior Voice Recital

This is the program of the senior voice recital of Mary Beth Taylor. Pianist Helen Reed assisted the performance. This recital took place on April 20, 1959, in Mitchell Hall Auditorium

Semiselective Optoelectronic Sensors for Monitoring Microbes

Sensor systems are under development for use in real-time detection and quantitation of microbes in water without need for sampling. These systems include arrays of optical sensors; miniature, portable electronic data-acquisition circuits; and optoelectronic interfaces between the sensor arrays and data-acquisition circuits. These systems are intended for original use in long-term, inline monitoring of waterborne micro-organisms in water-reclamation systems aboard future spacecraft. They could also be adapted to similar terrestrial uses with respect to municipal water supplies, stored drinking water, and swimming water; for detecting low-level biological contamination in biotechnological, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical process streams; and in verifying the safety of foods and beverages. In addition, they could be adapted to monitoring of airborne microbes and of surfaces (e.g., to detect and/or quantitate biofilms). The designs of the sensors in these systems are based partly on those of sensors developed previously for monitoring airborne biological materials. The designs exploit molecular- recognition and fluorescence-spectroscopy techniques, such that in the presence of micro-organisms of interest, fluorescence signals change and the changes can be measured. These systems are characterized as semiselective because they respond to classes of micro-organisms and can be used to discriminate among the classes. This semiselectivity is a major aspect of the design: It is important to distinguish between (1) the principle of detection and quantitation of classes of micro-organisms by use of these sensors and (2) the principle of detection and quantitation of individual microbiological species by means of prior immuno-diagnostic and/or molecular-biology techniques. Detection of classes (in contradistinction to species) is particularly valuable when the exact nature of a contaminant is unknown

Family Meal Frequency, Diet, and Family Functioning:A Systematic Review With Meta-analyses

ObjectiveTo examine the direction and magnitude of the relation between family meal frequency and dietary and family functioning outcomes in children (aged 2–18 years).DesignSystematic literature review with meta-analysis.MethodsIndependent electronic searches, 1 for each outcome of interest, were conducted across 5 databases: PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed and published in English in the US through December 2018.Main Outcome MeasuresDiet and family functioning.ResultsDietary outcomes showed some evidence of a positive association between family meal frequency and fruits, vegetables, fruits and vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, and the Healthy Eating Index. There was less clear evidence of this relation in snacks, fast food, and desserts. A positive association was found between family meal frequency or dinner family meal frequency and family functioning outcomes. All studies included had cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs.Conclusions and ImplicationsThere is some evidence to show a positive relation between family meal frequency and dietary outcomes. There is stronger evidence for the relation with family functioning outcomes. Most articles included in the systematic reviews were excluded from meta-analysis owing to inadequate data and high methodological diversity across exposure and outcome variables

Family Meal Frequency, Diet, and Family Functioning:A Systematic Review With Meta-analyses

ObjectiveTo examine the direction and magnitude of the relation between family meal frequency and dietary and family functioning outcomes in children (aged 2–18 years).DesignSystematic literature review with meta-analysis.MethodsIndependent electronic searches, 1 for each outcome of interest, were conducted across 5 databases: PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed and published in English in the US through December 2018.Main Outcome MeasuresDiet and family functioning.ResultsDietary outcomes showed some evidence of a positive association between family meal frequency and fruits, vegetables, fruits and vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, and the Healthy Eating Index. There was less clear evidence of this relation in snacks, fast food, and desserts. A positive association was found between family meal frequency or dinner family meal frequency and family functioning outcomes. All studies included had cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs.Conclusions and ImplicationsThere is some evidence to show a positive relation between family meal frequency and dietary outcomes. There is stronger evidence for the relation with family functioning outcomes. Most articles included in the systematic reviews were excluded from meta-analysis owing to inadequate data and high methodological diversity across exposure and outcome variables

Clinical and Professional Reasoning Development in Level II Fieldwork: Occupational Therapy Assistant Students’ Perception

Occupational therapy academic programs are tasked with preparing occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students to develop and use clinical and professional reasoning in practice. A component of this academic education, Level II fieldwork (FW), develops clinical and professional reasoning by allowing students to practice this skill. Although numerous studies have investigated this topic in occupational therapy students, only one small study has previously investigated this in OTA students during Level II FW. Thus, we designed a mixed methods study of OTA students during Level II FW (n = 58) to confirm and expand our knowledge of learning experiences that develop clinical and professional reasoning skills. Six major aspects of Level II FW were identified by participants as contributing to the development of their clinical and professional reasoning skills: “hands-on experience,” “thinking on your feet,” “the value of community-based placements,” “the supervision approach of the FW educator,” “application of evidence-based practice,” and “interprofessional interactions.” Three of these themes were novel as they did not emerge from the previous study. According to most participants their clinical and professional reasoning development was positively impacted when their FW educator chunked information (88.5%), modeled best practice (84.6%), asked questions (84.6%), or engaged in story-telling (84.6%), with the latter two being perceived as most impactful. The study results suggest that the development of clinical and professional reasoning may be highly individualized and driven by what students experience

The Effect of 17beta Estradiol on Glut1 Expression In The Right Ventricle Of Rats With Severe Pulmonary Hypertension

poster abstractPulmonary hypertension (PH) is a devastating disease that is characterized by a rise of blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lung. This puts significant strain on the right ventricle (RV) of the heart. If untreated, PH can lead to right heart failure and death. One of the hallmarks of right heart failure in PH is the development of cytoplasmic glycolysis in the cardiac muscle cells (myocytes) of the RV. This describes a compensatory process where glucose uptake into the mitochondria is inhibited, thereby leading to its conversion to lactate in the cytoplasm. Importantly, cytoplasmic glycolysis is associated with an increase in a protein called glucose transporter 1 (Glut 1). 17beta estradiol (E2) can ameliorate experimental PH, but its effects on RV glut 1 expression are not yet known. The aim of this project is to determine the RV expression of Glut 1 in a rat model of severe PH, and to investigate whether this is decreased by E2 treatment. We assessed Glut 1 via immunofluorescence staining in cryosections of RV tissue from control rats, untreated PH rats, and E2-treated PH rats. Cell nuclei were stained with DAPI (Diamidinophenyl-indole), cell membranes were stained with WGA (wheat germ agglutinin), and Glut1 was stained with a Glut1 antibody conjugated to a red immunofluorescent dye. Nuclei are stained blue; cell membranes are stained green. Glut 1 quantification occurs via visual inspection and determination of red staining via specific software (Metamorph). We were able to successfully establish the protocol for Glut1 staining. In pilot experiments, there was little Glut1 staining present in normal RVs, but we detected up-regulation of Glut 1 in the RV of animals with PH. Whether this is affected by E2 is currently under investigation

Post-Wildfire Recovery of an Upland Oak-Pine Forest on the Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky, USA

Background: Many forests within the southern Appalachian region, USA, have experienced decades of fire exclusion, contributing to regeneration challenges for species such as oaks (Quercus spp. L.) and pines (Pinus spp. L.), and threatening the maintenance of oak-dominated forests in the future. While the use of prescribed fire as a forest management tool is increasing within this region, there remains a lack of information on the potential role of wildfire. A wildfire within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, USA, provided an opportunity to investigate how wildfire affected forest vegetation response. Results: We examined the effects of fire severity, quantified using composite burn index (CBI), on basal area, stem density, and sapling recruitment for several key species. We also examined the effects of fire severity on understory species richness and illuminated the consequence of non-native species invasions following fire. Our results demonstrated a negative relationship between fire severity and basal area (stems ≥ 2 cm diameter at breast height; P ≤ 0.001), and a positive relationship with the recruitment of oak and pine saplings (both P ≤ 0.001), oak sapling density (P = 0.012), and non-woody understory species richness (P ≤ 0.001). We also found that increasing fire severity heightened likelihood of invasion by non-native species, specifically princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa [Thunb.] Siebold & Zucc. ex. Steud; P = 0.009) and Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis Andersson; P = 0.028). Conclusions: Where it is feasible, public land managers may be able to generate a range of fire severity during future prescribed fires that approximate some characters of wildfire. These fires, when implemented in southern Appalachian upland forests, may help recruit oaks and pines and boost their potential as future canopy dominants. However, the increased occurrence of non-native invasive species invasion following fire conveys the importance of targeted and timely eradication treatments before new populations of non-native species may become established or reproduce, contradicting the ecological benefits of fire

Achieving Equity: An Evaluation of a Multi-Component, Lower Division Student Success Program

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an academic support program that aims to improve persistence and graduation for lower-division students who are low income, first generation, and/or underrepresented. Students were organized in 10 academies that serve as a “school within a school” and have three main elements: a pathway of two linked general education courses that students follow, cohort-style, over four semesters; wraparound student services integrated into the classroom; and a 45-hour faculty development process. Program participants (n = 2,281) were compared to a matched comparison group (n = 2,276). Multimodal logistic regression analyses showed that program participants statistically significantly outperformed the comparison group on every outcome measure: GPA, completion of developmental coursework, persistence toward graduation, and graduation rates

Citizen and Community Science Approaches to Understanding Changes in Coastal Habitats Using Anecdata.org

Coastal ecosystems are facing increasing threats from human activities and environmental changes. Climate change, in particular, presents challenges for policymaking as it is causing significant changes to the oceans and coastlines, with social, economic, and environmental impacts on coastal communities. However, there is often a lack of data at the appropriate scales to address these concerns. Online tools that support the collection of citizen science and community science data can provide stakeholders and policymakers with a wealth of information and data on ocean-related topics, such as water quality, marine biodiversity, and ocean health. Citizen science platforms, like Anecdata.org, can facilitate data collection, raise public awareness, and encourage the engagement of stakeholders in ocean policymaking. Anecdata.org is a citizen science platform developed in Maine that supports data collection and project management for coastal conservation efforts worldwide. This community-driven platform promotes effective, open, and democratized science, hosting numerous active projects with users who are helping to address critical coastal issues. Here, we review Maine coastal projects on the Anecdata platform, examine the environmental trends highlighted in these projects, and discuss how citizen science data can play a role in coastal decision-making. These case studies will demonstrate the utility of citizen and community science approaches to monitoring Maine coastal ecosystems, understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change, and informing policymaking for coastal conservation. Taken together, these projects provide diverse, critically important data as well as a meaningful way for individuals and communities to engage in protecting and preserving Maine’s iconic coastal resources