2018 Artist in Residence Biennial (Exhibition Catalogue)

The presence of acclaimed artists—who have lived and worked in major cultural centers across the country—enhances the educational opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the University of Tennessee School of Art. With daily contact over the course of a full semester, resident artists develop a unique relationship with the student body which complements the creative stimulation offered by guest lecturers and the School of Art’s faculty. Representing diverse ethnic, cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds, these resident artists introduce another layer of candor and a fresh artistic standard for the students who, though early in their formal art studies, are beginning to develop their own perceptions, skills, and theories in connection with the making of art. 2018 exhibiting Artists were Dana DeGiulio, Ezra Tessler, Clare Grill, and Caitlin Cherry

2020 Artist In Residence Biennial (Exhibition Catalogue)

The presence of acclaimed artists—who have lived and worked in major cultural centers across the country—enhances the educational opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the University of Tennessee School of Art. With daily contact over the course of a full semester, resident artists develop a unique relationship with the student body which complements the creative stimulation offered by guest lecturers and the School of Art’s faculty. Representing diverse ethnic, cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds, these resident artists introduce another layer of candor and a fresh artistic standard for the students who, though early in their formal art studies, are beginning to develop their own perceptions, skills, and theories in connection with the making of art. The 2020 exhibiting artists were Dana Lok, Fox Hysen, Tracy Thomason, and Caitlin MacBride

Investigating Bdellovibrio predation: novel isolates and bioinformatics studies of predatory enzymes

Bdellovibrio are predatory bacteria that replicate within the periplasm of their Gram-negative bacterial prey. They exhibit a biphasic lifestyle existing as free-swimming cells and inter-periplasmic growing cells. There is great interest in Bdellovibrio spp. due to their potential as antibacterial therapeutics in the current era of increasing levels of antibiotic resistance. These predators are ubiquitous in nature, being found in environments from freshwater, to soil, to the GI tracts of humans. This study isolated novel Bdellovibrio spp. from the GI tract of farm animals and completed initial characterization of these isolates: one isolate from reindeer was found to have greater predation efficiency in a microaerophilic environment and at 37 oC, which contrasts with the well-characterized strains of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus which grow best in an aerobic environment at 29 °C. This isolate represents the first reported Bdellovibrio spp. that preferentially undergoes a predatory lifecycle under microaerophilic conditions. This study has led us to hypothesize that isolation of novel Bdellovibrio isolates from the proposed environment for future applications may result in the identification of new strains that may be more optimal for future use because they are more likely to have adapted to the environmental conditions they would encounter. The Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus HD100 genome encodes a large catalogue of hydrolytic enzymes which are hypothesized to play a major role in the degradation of the contents of prey cells for uptake as nutrients for growth by the Bdellovibrio. In this study a bioinformatics approach was used to further classify and group these enzymes by similar domain structure. Potential predatory candidates were identified based on previous transcriptomic studies to determine putative roles of each enzyme within the predatory lifecycle. This study will guide the direction of future molecular studies into the functions of the Bdellovibrio enzyme catalogue. This work has combined experimental and bioinformatic approaches to study the diversity of Bdellovibrio and other predatory bacteria as well as the genomic complement of hydrolytic enzymes they encode. Taken together, these two approaches have highlighted the potential of Bdellovibrio as both an antimicrobial in itself and as a putative source of putative antibacterial enzymes

Investigating Bdellovibrio predation: novel isolates and bioinformatics studies of predatory enzymes

Bdellovibrio are predatory bacteria that replicate within the periplasm of their Gram-negative bacterial prey. They exhibit a biphasic lifestyle existing as free-swimming cells and inter-periplasmic growing cells. There is great interest in Bdellovibrio spp. due to their potential as antibacterial therapeutics in the current era of increasing levels of antibiotic resistance. These predators are ubiquitous in nature, being found in environments from freshwater, to soil, to the GI tracts of humans. This study isolated novel Bdellovibrio spp. from the GI tract of farm animals and completed initial characterization of these isolates: one isolate from reindeer was found to have greater predation efficiency in a microaerophilic environment and at 37 oC, which contrasts with the well-characterized strains of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus which grow best in an aerobic environment at 29 °C. This isolate represents the first reported Bdellovibrio spp. that preferentially undergoes a predatory lifecycle under microaerophilic conditions. This study has led us to hypothesize that isolation of novel Bdellovibrio isolates from the proposed environment for future applications may result in the identification of new strains that may be more optimal for future use because they are more likely to have adapted to the environmental conditions they would encounter. The Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus HD100 genome encodes a large catalogue of hydrolytic enzymes which are hypothesized to play a major role in the degradation of the contents of prey cells for uptake as nutrients for growth by the Bdellovibrio. In this study a bioinformatics approach was used to further classify and group these enzymes by similar domain structure. Potential predatory candidates were identified based on previous transcriptomic studies to determine putative roles of each enzyme within the predatory lifecycle. This study will guide the direction of future molecular studies into the functions of the Bdellovibrio enzyme catalogue. This work has combined experimental and bioinformatic approaches to study the diversity of Bdellovibrio and other predatory bacteria as well as the genomic complement of hydrolytic enzymes they encode. Taken together, these two approaches have highlighted the potential of Bdellovibrio as both an antimicrobial in itself and as a putative source of putative antibacterial enzymes

An equivalence framework for an age-structured multi-stage representation of the cell cycle

We develop theoretical equivalences between stochastic and deterministic models for populations of individual cells stratified by age. Specifically, we develop a hierarchical system of equations describing the full dynamics of an age-structured multi-stage Markov process for approximating cell cycle time distributions. We further demonstrate that the resulting mean behaviour is equivalent, over large timescales, to the classical McKendrick-von Foerster integro-partial differential equation. We conclude by extending this framework to a spatial context, facilitating the modelling of travelling wave phenomena and cell-mediated pattern formation. More generally, this methodology may be extended to myriad reaction-diffusion processes for which the age of individuals is relevant to the dynamics

Diverse Roles of Mitochondria in Immune Responses: Novel Insights Into Immuno-Metabolism

Lack of immune system cells or impairment in differentiation of immune cells is the basis for many chronic diseases. Metabolic changes could be the root cause for this immune cell impairment. These changes could be a result of altered transcription, cytokine production from surrounding cells, and changes in metabolic pathways. Immunity and mitochondria are interlinked with each other. An important feature of mitochondria is it can regulate activation, differentiation, and survival of immune cells. In addition, it can also release signals such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) to regulate transcription of immune cells. From current literature, we found that mitochondria can regulate immunity in different ways. First, alterations in metabolic pathways (TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and FAO) and mitochondria induced transcriptional changes can lead to entirely different outcomes in immune cells. For example, M1 macrophages exhibit a broken TCA cycle and have a pro-inflammatory role. By contrast, M2 macrophages undergo β-oxidation to produce anti-inflammatory responses. In addition, amino acid metabolism, especially arginine, glutamine, serine, glycine, and tryptophan, is critical for T cell differentiation and macrophage polarization. Second, mitochondria can activate the inflammatory response. For instance, mitochondrial antiviral signaling and NLRP3 can be activated by mitochondria. Third, mitochondrial mass and mobility can be influenced by fission and fusion. Fission and fusion can influence immune functions. Finally, mitochondria are placed near the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in immune cells. Therefore, mitochondria and ER junction signaling can also influence immune cell metabolism. Mitochondrial machinery such as metabolic pathways, amino acid metabolism, antioxidant systems, mitochondrial dynamics, mtDNA, mitophagy, and mtROS are crucial for immune functions. Here, we have demonstrated how mitochondria coordinate to alter immune responses and how changes in mitochondrial machinery contribute to alterations in immune responses. A better understanding of the molecular components of mitochondria is necessary. This can help in the development of safe and effective immune therapy or prevention of chronic diseases. In this review, we have presented an updated prospective of the mitochondrial machinery that drives various immune responses

Cooperation Between Systemic and Mucosal Antibodies Induced by Virosomal Vaccines Targeting HIV-1 Env: Protection of Indian Rhesus Macaques Against Low-Dose Intravaginal SHIV Challenges.

A virosomal vaccine inducing systemic/mucosal anti-HIV-1 gp41 IgG/IgA had previously protected Chinese-origin rhesus macaques (RMs) against vaginal SHIVSF162P3 challenges. Here, we assessed its efficacy in Indian-origin RMs by intramuscular priming/intranasal boosting (n=12/group). Group K received virosome-P1-peptide alone (harboring the Membrane Proximal External Region), Group L combined virosome-rgp41 plus virosome-P1, and Group M placebo virosomes. Vaccination induced plasma binding but no neutralizing antibodies. Five weeks after boosting, all RMs were challenged intravaginally with low-dose SHIVSF162P3 until persistent systemic infection developed. After SHIV challenge #7, six controls were persistently infected versus only one Group L animal (vaccine efficacy 87%; P=0.0319); Group K was not protected. After a 50% SHIV dose increase starting with challenge #8, protection in Group L was lost. Plasmas/sera were analyzed for IgG phenotypes and effector functions; the former revealed that protection in Group L was significantly associated with increased binding to FcγR2/3(A/B) across several time-points, as were some IgG measurements. Vaginal washes contained low-level anti-gp41 IgGs and IgAs, representing a 1-to-5-fold excess over the SHIV inoculum's gp41 content, possibly explaining loss of protection after the increase in challenge-virus dose. Virosomal gp41-vaccine efficacy was confirmed during the initial seven SHIV challenges in Indian-origin RMs when the SHIV inoculum had at least 100-fold more HIV RNA than acutely infected men's semen. Vaccine protection by virosome-induced IgG and IgA parallels the cooperation between systemically administered IgG1 and mucosally applied dimeric IgA2 monoclonal antibodies that as single-agents provided no/low protection - but when combined, prevented mucosal SHIV transmission in all passively immunized RMs

Think / Make / Think (Exhibition Catalogue)

This exhibition featured the work of current professors in the University of Tennessee School of Art. Exhibiting faculty were: Joshua Bienko, Emily Bivens, Sally Brogden, Jason S. Brown, Paul Harrill, Paul Lee, Sarah Lowe, Beauvais Lyons, Frank Martin, Althea Murphy-Price, John Powers, Deborah Shmerler, Jered Sprecher, Cary Staples, Claire Stigliani, David Wilson, Karla Wozniak, Koichi Yamamoto, and Sam Yates

The UK needs a sustainable strategy for COVID-19

The UK is well into the second wave of COVID-19, with 60 051 lives lost to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection to date, according to provisional data from the&nbsp;Office for National Statistics. Official UK Government&nbsp;data&nbsp;show that cases have been rising exponentially since late August, 2020, with increases across all regions in England in recent weeks. &nbsp;As of Nov 4, 2020, the UK had 25 177 confirmed daily cases. These are almost certainly underestimates as between Oct 17 and Oct 23, 2020, England alone had 52 000 estimated daily cases. &nbsp;Estimates of the effective reproduction number in England vary between 1·1 and 1·6.</p