Becoming Adults: One-Year Impact Findings from the Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation

Young adults with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody experience poor outcomes across a number of domains, on average, relative to their peers. While government funding for services targeting these groups of young people has increased in recent years, research on the effectiveness of such services is limited, and few of the programs that have been rigorously tested have been found to improve outcomes. The Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation is testing whether the Transitional Living program, operated by the social service organization Youth Villages, makes a difference in the lives of young people with histories of foster care or juvenile justice custody. The program, which was renamed "YVLifeSet" in April 2015, is intended to help these young people make a successful transition to adulthood by providing intensive, individualized, and clinically focused case management, support, and counseling

The applicability of stable carbon isotope analysis to measure the water use efficiency of Melaleuca Preissiana populations on the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia

Stable carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis is a tool used to understand the water use efficiency (WUE) of plants. The advantage of measuring the carbon isotope composition in plant tissue over other measures of WUE (such as the ratio of photosynthesis to transpiration) is that it provides a time-integrated, rather than an instantaneous measure of plant-water relations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the applicability of using δ13C analysis in natural populations of the fringing tree Melaleuca preissiana based on short and long term sampling methods. There were three components to this study; a controlled, glasshouse experiment which established whether a relationship existed between δ13C and instantaneous WUE in M. preissiana, and two field studies which evaluated the use of time-integrated, short and long term sampling methods of δ13C in M. preissiana populations along a hydrological gradient. The glasshouse experiment compared measures of instantaneous WUE and time-integrated δ13C of M. preissiana seedlings. undergoing a drying regime (two five-week drying intervals) to those in a control (regular watering). The seedlings undergoing the drying regime became more water use efficient (using instantaneous measures) as soil moisture decreased. Time-integrated δ13C measurements of the same seedlings also increased significantly over the duration of the experiment. This established the positive relationship between δ13C and instantaneous WUE in M. preissiana, and supported the inverse relationship between water availability and δ13C, which has been documented by many researchers. Light intensity was also a likely factor influencing the δ13C discrimination of the seedlings. Future studies need to account for light variations when isolating water availability as the primary factor affecting δ13C. Short term sampling for δ13C of natural M. preissiana populations involved collecting recently-formed xylem tissue for isotopic analysis. Trees situated along a hydrological gradient (from areas of high to low relative water availability) at three wetlands were sampled for δ13C. δ13C of trees decreased significantly from areas of low to high water availability. Seasonal sampling also showed that δ13C of the trees decreased significantly from the dry to wet season. This suggested that short term δ13C measurements indicated a physiological response in WUE in M. preissiana, due to spatial and temporal variations in water availability. Long term δ13C measurements involved sampling annual growth ring tissue from the same M. preissiana populations sampled for short term δ13C. This provided a record of the trees WUE across annual periods of growth. Direct relationships between ring δ13C and historical water availability were not significant, however δ13C of annual rings did indicate a physiological response to past, episodic events such as fire and prolonged drought periods. From these results, it was concluded that short and long term δ13C measurements of M. preissiana populations were indicative of spatial and temporal variations in water availability. It was supported that the degree of isotopic discrimination in M. preissiana was inversely related to water availability due to the various physiological processes occurring during carbon assimilation. The applicability of the approaches used for measuring δ13C would increase by accounting for tree morphological factors such as age, size and health, and external environmental factors such as light intensity, all of which additionally influence δ13C discrimination

The role of Chmp1 in Drosophila melanogaster

Chmp1A has recently been linked to pancreatic cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in humans. Pancreatic tumors have lowered Chmp1A expression, and it has been described as a tumor suppressor. Chmp1A is also a member of ESCRT III (Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport), a conserved protein complex involved in the degradation and recycling of activated transmembrane receptors. There is a single Chmp1 protein in Drosophila that is homologous to vertebrate Chmp1A; however, Chmp1 hasn’t been studied in Drosophila. The objective of this study was to characterize Chmp1 in Drosophila using gene knockdown and over-expression. We used an RNAi fly line to knockdown Chmp1 in the wing of the fly and created a transgenic fly line to look at over-expression. Our results suggest that Chmp1 may be regulating the Epidermal Growth Factor pathway and Notch-Delta signaling, as well as the Frizzled-Planar Cell Polarity pathway

Is There a Counterpoint to Culture?

Also CSST Working Paper #101.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/51275/1/510.pd

Microstructure and mechanical properties of bulk yttria-partially-stabilized zirconia

A commercially available bulk 4.5 mole percent yttria-(Y2O3) partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) was studied by light microscopy, X-ray analysis, microhardness measurement, and fracture toughness testing. The growth of the precipitates and the phase transformations were studied as a function of aging in air at 1500 C. Aging curves were constructed for both the as received and the solution annealed and quenched materials; the curves showed hardness peaks at 1397 and 1517 Kg/sq mm respectively. The rectangular plate shaped tetragonal precipitates were found to have a 110 habit plane. A total of twelve different types of tetragonal precipitates were found. Grinding of the Y2O3 PSZ into powder did not cause a significant amount of metastable tetragonal precipitates to transform into the monoclinc phase, thus indicating that transformation toughening is not a significant mechanism for the material

DETERMINING THE EFFECTS OF GLYCOCALYX MODIFICATIONS ON THE ELECTROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have gained popularity in clinical trials due to their multipotent differentiation characteristics, ability to secrete bioactive molecules, migrate into diseased or damaged tissues, and their immunosuppressive properties. HMSC cultures are heterogeneous, containing stem cells, partially differentiated progenitor cells, and fully differentiated cells. One of the major challenges with hMSCs therapeutic potential is the inability to select specific cell subpopulations due to an insufficient number of biomarkers. Often the biomarkers used, like those for fluorescence-activated cell sorting, are not sufficient to define hMSCs because they overlap with other cell types. Consequently, there is a need to develop alternative biomarkers and sorting technology to reduce hMSCs heterogeneity through cell identification and selection. Recently, electrophysiological properties such as membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity have emerged as biomarkers to identify subsets of stem cells using dielectrophoresis (DEP), a label-free cell analysis technique. DEP uses electric fields to align ions around the surface of cells and induces cell movement. One key feature of the cell surface is the glycocalyx, a biointerface composed of glycolipids and glycoproteins surrounding the membrane of cells. This work focuses on modifying the cell-specific glycosylation patterns that make up the glycocalyx using treatments of either Kifunensine or N-Acetylglucosamine to further develop membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity as contenders for label-free biomarkers. Measurements collected by modifications made to the glycocalyx using DEP to investigate the contributions of the glycocalyx to membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity. Adipose tissue, (AT) was assessed throughout this experiment to determine if the changes undergone by treatment and differentiation can be accessed. Transient slope, a new parameter from DEP measurements, is evaluated as a third potential label-free biomarker. Modified and unmodified hMSCs will be differentiated into adipocytes and osteocytes, and RT-qPCR analysis of differentiation-related genes was performed to determine if the glycocalyx impacts cell fate. The results demonstrate that DEP can be used as a good engineering tool that provides label-free biomarkers, membrane capacitance, cytoplasm conductivity, and transient slope, as identifiers of hMSCs subpopulations

PLC Code Vulnerabilities Through SCADA Systems

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are widely used in automated manufacturing and in all areas of our nation\u27s infrastructure. Applications range from chemical processes and water treatment facilities to oil and gas production and electric power generation and distribution. Current research on SCADA system security focuses on the primary SCADA components and targets network centric attacks. Security risks via attacks against the peripheral devices such as the Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) have not been sufficiently addressed. Our research results address the need to develop PLC applications that are correct, safe and secure. This research provides an analysis of software safety and security threats. We develop countermeasures that are compatible with the existing PLC technologies. We study both intentional and unintentional software errors and propose methods to prevent them. The main contributions of this dissertation are: 1). Develop a taxonomy of software errors and attacks in ladder logic 2). Model ladder logic vulnerabilities 3). Develop security design patterns to avoid software vulnerabilities and incorrect practices 4). Implement a proof of concept static analysis tool which detects the vulnerabilities in the PLC code and recommend corresponding design patterns