Preparing Undergraduates for Research Careers: Using Astrobites in the Classroom

Because undergraduate participation in research is a longstanding and increasingly important aspect of the career path for future scientists, students can benefit from additional resources to introduce them to the culture and process of research. We suggest the adoption of the web resource Astrobites as a classroom tool to increase the preparation of undergraduate physics and astronomy students for careers in research. We describe the content and development of the website, discuss previous university courses that have made use of Astrobites, and suggest additional strategies for using Astrobites in the classroom.Comment: Published in the Astronomy Education Revie

N-terminal α Dystroglycan (αDG-N): A Potential Serum Biomarker for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Biological Sciences: 2nd Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)Background: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, progressive, neuromuscular disorder of childhood. While a number of serum factors have been identified as potential biomarkers of DMD, none, as yet, are proteins within the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein (DAG) complex. Objectives: We have developed an immobilized serum ELISA assay to measure the expression of a constitutively cleaved and secreted component of the DAG complex, the N-terminal domain of α dystroglycan (αDG-N), and assayed relative expression in serum from muscular dystrophy patients and normal controls. Methods: ELISAs of immobilized patient or mouse serum and Western blots were used to assess αDG-N expression. Results: Immobilization of diluted serum on ELISA plates was important for this assay, as methods to measure serum αDG-N in solution were less robust. αDG-N ELISA signals were significantly reduced in DMD serum (27±3% decrease, n=9, p<0.001) relative to serum from otherwise normal controls (n=38), and calculated serum αDG-N DMD concentrations were reduced in DMD relative to normal (p<0.01) and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (n=11, p<0.05) patient serum. By contrast, ELISA signals from patients with Inclusion Body Myositis were not different than normal (4±3% decrease, n=8, p=0.99). αDG-N serum signals were also significantly reduced in utrophin-deficient mdx mice as compared to mdx and wild type mice. Conclusions: Our results are the first demonstration of a component of the DAG complex as a potential serum biomarker in DMD. Such a serum measure could be further developed as a tool to help reflect overall muscle DAG complex expression or stability.No embarg

Cats are always kittens

A poem about cats submitted by a member of the Class of 1995, College of Veterinary Medicine

Identification and characterisation of microRNAs expressed in articular cartilage and osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease suffered by millions of people around the world. It affects the whole joint but is defined in part by a degradation of cartilage which becomes more pronounced as the disease progresses. The initiation and progression of OA is still not fully characterised. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules which are known to regulate gene expression, however, at the moment it is unclear exactly how many may be expressed in cartilage or how their expression may alter during osteoarthritis. Using human OA cartilage and cells derived from it, we have optimised small RNA purification and have shown that there is a clear difference between microRNA expression in cartilage compared with cell isolates, with miR-140 most highly expressed in cells immediately after digestion. This may suggest a stress-type response. RNA purified from chondrocytes immediately after digestion from cartilage was utilised for Illumina GIIX deep sequencing in an attempt to identify novel microRNAs in addition to expressed known microRNAs. 990 previously documented and 1621 potential novel microRNAs were discovered and 16 novel candidates were chosen for further validation. Validation was carried out using northern blotting and qRT-PCR on a number of samples and tissue types. In addition, the selected candidates were also examined in chondrogenesis models, and one candidate was probed in mouse embryo in situ hybridisation in an attempt to localise the candidate to cartilage tissue. Three of the candidates with the most promising validation results were analysed for function using a whole genome microarray combined with computational target search analysis. A number of likely targets obtained from the array were further validated by subcloning and luciferase assays, resulting in the discovery of ITGA5 as a target of candidate novel 11. The outcomes from this research provide us with an increased understanding of the miRNome of human OA cartilage and could impact upon future drug development and the use of microRNAs as biomarkers

Abundance and Distribution of Commensal Amphipods From Common Marine Sponges of Southeast Florida

Marine sponges were examined from shallow waters of southeast Florida and the Florida Keys to determine species composition and distribution of commensal amphipod crustaceans from shallow reef, mangrove, and seagrass habitats. Twenty sponge species were investigated during this study, sixteen of which housed amphipods in the families Colomastigidae and/or Leucothoidae. Six species of commensal amphipods were identified. Leucothoe spinicarpa (Abildgaard) species complex was the most dominant amphipod commensal, representing 63% of the total amphipods collected. The L. spinicarpa complex contains four local morphotypes, which are diagnosed and briefly described. Common sponge hosts included Callyspongia vaginalis, Mycale sp., and Myriastra kallitetilla

Oxidative Stress Resulting From Helicobacter pylori Infection Contributes to Gastric Carcinogenesis.

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium that infects the stomach and can lead to, among other disorders, the development of gastric cancer. The inability of the host to clear the infection results in a chronic inflammatory state with continued oxidative stress within the tissue. Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species produced by the immune and epithelial cells damage the host cells and can result in DNA damage. H pylori has evolved to evoke this damaging response while blunting the host's efforts to kill the bacteria. This long-lasting state with inflammation and oxidative stress can result in gastric carcinogenesis. Continued efforts to better understand the bacterium and the host response will serve to prevent or provide improved early diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer

The decay of a dipolar vortex in a weakly dispersive environment

A simple model is presented for the evolution of a dipolar vortex propagating horizontally in a vertical-slice model of a weakly stratified inviscid atmosphere, following the model of Flierl & Haines (Phys. Fluids, vol. 6, 1994, pp. 3487–3497) for a modon on the beta-plane. The dipole is assumed to evolve to remain within the family of Lamb–Chaplygin dipoles but with varying radius and speed. The dipole loses energy and impulse through internal wave radiation. It is argued, and verified against numerical solutions of the full equations, that an appropriately defined centre vorticity for the dipole is closely conserved throughout the flow evolution. Combining conservation of centre vorticity with the requirement that the dipole energy loss balances the work done on the fluid by internal wave radiation gives a model that captures much of the observed dipole decay. Similar results are noted for a cylindrical dipole propagating along the axis of a rotating fluid when the dipole axis is perpendicular to the axis of rotation and for a spherical vortex propagating horizontally in a weakly stratified fluid. The model extends to fluids of small viscosity and so provides an estimate for the relative importance of wave drag and dissipation in dipole decay

CubeSat Measures World's First Ice Cloud Map to Support Climate Research

Virginia Diodes, Inc. received NASA SBIR Awards to fund research and development for a lesser developed region of the electromagnetic spectrumterahertz waves. Their work led to funding from NASA ESTO, and the resulting CubeSat (named IceCube) captured the worlds first ice cloud map, which will contribute to our understanding of Earths climat