Hostile Architecture

This project is centered around the concept of public spaces and architecture that is intentionally designed to prevent unhoused people from having unlimited access to the environment for survival purposes

GENETIC REMOVAL OF TOXIN AND INTEGRASE GENES FROM A STAPHYLOCOCCAL BACTERIOPHAGE

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacterial cells. Phages are the most numerous biological entities on Earth, with an estimated population size of 1031 (1). Discovery, purification, and characterization of phages illuminate the composition of the microbial world and provide potential applications in medicine. To combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, phages are being investigated as supplements or alternatives to antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a commonly acquired infection in hospitals that has become difficult to treat due to its resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary S. aureus infections (20). Bacteriophage, JB, isolated from dairy cow hair samples by Tyler Nygaard at Montana State University, has the ability to infect MRSA USA300 strain LAC. Genome annotation of this phage characterized it as a 42,683 bp circularly permuted genome with 68 putative protein coding genes, and a G/C content of 35.2%. Through bioinformatic analysis it was discovered that in a cluster of reverse transcribed (genes 30-33), putative integrase and toxin genes were present (21). In order for this phage to be used therapeutically in mammalian organisms, the deletion of these genes is essential to prevent the possibility for the phage to produce viable lysogen bacterial cells with enhanced pathogenicity. Genetic engineering to remove genes 30-33 was performed using type the type II CRISPR-Cas9 system to generate a strictly lytic deletion mutant JB bacteriophage, JBΔ30-33. The creation of the lytic derivative of JB bacteriophage, JBΔ30-33, was confirmed by clear plaque morphology, polymerase chain reaction, and DNA sequencing

Open for Business: Offering Physical Library Spaces in the COVID Era

Objective: Our goal was to safely reopen physical library spaces at the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library for use by various Emory University user groups including students, faculty, and staff during the COVID pandemic of 2020. Because our university brought a subset of students back to campus, we felt it was important to offer safe, socially distanced seating and workstations in the library. Methods: In collaboration with Emory University’s environmental and safety health officers, we made determinations of the number of seats that could safely be offered. Seating was removed or cordoned off or otherwise signposted. We implemented a reservations system to limit the number of people in the library at one time and to ensure that all library visitors had completed the University’s requirements for returning to campus. In addition, cleaning materials were distributed around the library for easy access by library staff and users. Library staff monitor user behavior and issue reminders as needed. Results: We were able to open the library on July 6th at approximately 25% of our normal capacity. Students adhere to library expectations and we have been able to gradually offer additional spaces. Conclusions: With careful planning and collaboration with other University service points, libraries can partially reopen their physical spaces and create a climate of safety, compliance, and comfort for their users

Curation and Characterization of a Collection of Mycobacteriophages

Bacteriophages are the most abundant biological entity on earth, with an estimated number of 1031. Bacteriophages specifically kill bacteria. Phages that infect M.smegmatis could potentially be used as an alternative to antibiotics.https://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/urp_aug_2018/1012/thumbnail.jp

Under God: Political Views and Experiences Among Young Adults Attending an Evangelical College

While polarization has increased the saliency of political values, political meaning-making has been scarcely addressed in higher education literature and training. Additionally, even though the political orientation of evangelicals has been back in the spotlight since the 2016 presidential campaign, little research has been done to explore the interplay of faith commitments and political values among students at an evangelical college. This study examined religiosity, ideology, political attitudes, the salience of political identity, and experience with political differences among students at an evangelical Christian liberal arts institution (n = 223). Descriptive data confirmed the salience of religious belief and practice among the surveyed students and revealed that they endorsed the views that cross partisan boundaries, suggesting that they were more complicated politically than their ideology, party affiliation, or voting decisions would convey. While political identity was not an important part of personhood for most students, ideology predicted conflict, open-mindedness, and self-censorship

Impulsivity Relates to Relative Preservation of Mesolimbic Connectivity in Patients with Parkinson Disease.

IntroductionThe relationship between Parkinson Disease (PD) pathology, dopamine replacement therapy (DRT), and impulse control disorder (ICD) development is still incompletely understood. Given the sensorimotor-lateral substantia nigra (SN) selective degeneration associated with PD, we posit that a relative sparing of the limbic-medial SN in the context of DRT drives impulsive, reward-seeking behavior in PD patients with recent history of severe impulsivity.MethodsImpulsive and control participants were selected from a consecutive list of PD patients receiving pre-operative deep brain stimulation (DBS) planning scans including 3T structural MRI and 64 direction diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Using previously identified substantia nigra (SN) subsegment network connectivity profiles to develop classification targets, split-hemisphere target-based SN segmentation with probabilistic tractography was performed. The relative subsegment volumes and strength of connectivity between the SN and the limbic, associative, and motor network targets were compared.ResultsOur results show that there is greater probability of connectivity between the SN and limbic network targets relative to motor and associative network targets in PD patients with recent history of severe impulsivity as compared to PD patients without impulsivity (P = 0.0075). We did not observe relative volumetric subsegment differences across groups.ConclusionFirstly, our results suggest that fine-grained, atlas-derived classification targets may be used in PD to parcellate and classify functionally distinct subsegments of the SN, with the apparent preservation of previously reported topographical limbic-medial SN, associative-ventral SN, and sensorimotor-lateral SN orientation. We suggest that relative, as opposed to absolute, degeneration amongst SN-associated dopaminergic networks relates to the impulsivity phenotype in PD

Evaluating the Function of an Understudied Family of Antiviral Proteins

Human immune responses to viral infections are associated with the interferon system, which induces the expression of as many as 300 proteins. Many of these proteins are believed to have antiviral functions, yet many of the interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) remain poorly characterized. The goal of this research is to identify the functional role of ISGs that are members of the tripartite motif (TRIM) family of proteins. Here, we report the progress of TRIM gene cloning into plasmids used in the yeast two-hybrid assays. We hypothesize that protein-protein interactions identified in these assays will provide unbiased insights into the functional role of these putative antiviral proteins. The yeast-two hybrid assay is the cornerstone for a research pipeline designed to more fully characterize the TRIM proteins.https://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/urp_aug_2017/1002/thumbnail.jp

Traditional Knowledge about Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in Northwestern Alaska

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are an iconic Arctic species, but residents of Arctic coastal communities are among the few who have opportunities to observe their behavior for extended periods of time. Documenting traditional knowledge about polar bears is thus an important research approach, especially in light of recent rapid changes to summer sea ice extent. We interviewed polar bear hunters in seven Alaska Native communities along the coast of the northern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea. Our study confirmed findings from similar research conducted in the mid-1990s and added information about the responses of polar bears to more recent environmental change. The distribution and local abundance of polar bears have changed over time, though different communities report different patterns. Polar bears arrive from the north later in fall than previously. Despite substantial changes in sea ice and other aspects of polar bear habitat, the animals generally appear to be in good body condition, and cubs continue to be observed regularly. While polar bears continue to feed primarily on seals, they have been observed eating a diverse range of foods, including eggs, greens, fish, berries, and other foods as available. Reduction in harvest levels due to environmental, economic, and social factors is the overriding trend; however, in years when bears are particularly abundant around villages, this pattern is temporarily reversed. Polar bears remain important spiritually and culturally for the indigenous communities of northern and western Alaska.Les ours polaires (Ursus maritimus) constituent une espèce iconique de l’Arctique, mais les résidents des collectivités côtières de l’Arctique figurent parmi les quelques personnes qui ont l’occasion d’observer leur comportement pendant des périodes prolongées. C’est pourquoi la consignation des connaissances traditionnelles sur les ours polaires représente un aspect important de la recherche, surtout à la lumière des changements rapides caractérisant l’étendue de la glace de mer en été. Nous avons interviewé des chasseurs d’ours polaires de sept collectivités autochtones de l’Alaska situées le long de la côte nord de la mer de Béring et de la mer des Tchouktches. Notre étude a permis de confirmer les observations émanant de travaux de recherche similaires réalisés dans le milieu des années 1990 ainsi que d’enrichir l’information sur la réaction des ours polaires vis-à-vis des changements environnementaux plus récents. La répartition et l’abondance locale d’ours polaires ont changé au fil du temps, bien que les tendances diffèrent d’une collectivité à l’autre. À l’automne, les ours polaires arrivent du Nord plus tard qu’avant. Malgré les importants changements qui caractérisent les glaces de mer et d’autres aspects de l’habitat de l’ours polaire, les animaux semblent généralement en bon état corporel, et l’on continue d’observer des oursons régulièrement. Même si les ours polaires continuent de s’alimenter principalement de phoques, on les a vus en train de manger divers aliments, dont des oeufs, des plantes vertes, du poisson, des petits fruits et d’autre nourriture, selon les disponibilités. Les taux de récolte à la baisse en raison de facteurs environnementaux, économiques et sociaux constituent la tendance prépondérante. Cependant, au cours des années pendant lesquelles les ours sont nombreux autour des villages, cette tendance est renversée temporairement. Par ailleurs, les ours polaires continuent de revêtir une importance spirituelle et culturelle pour les collectivités indigènes du nord et de l’ouest de l’Alaska

Annotation of Bacteriophage BigPaolini

Bacteriophages were discovered nearly 100 years ago. With new interest in phages many phages are being analyzed and annotated to understand the diversity within the phage world.https://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/urp_aug_2018/1010/thumbnail.jp

A meta-analysis on the heritability of vertebrate telomere length

Telomere dynamics are linked with both cellular and organismal senescence, and life history, individual quality and health. Telomere dynamics, particularly telomere length, have therefore garnered much research interest in evolutionary biology. To examine the evolution of telomere length, it is important to quantify its heritability, the proportion of total variation explained by additive genetic effects. Many studies have quantified telomere length heritability, but estimates are varied, and no general conclusion has been drawn. Additionally, it is unclear whether biological and methodological factors influence telomere length heritability estimates. We present the first meta-analysis of telomere length heritability, using 104 estimates from 43 studies over 18 vertebrate species. We calculated an overall mean heritability and examined how estimates varied by study, phylogeny, species-specific ecology, environmental setting, age at sampling, laboratory methods, statistical methods, sex and repeated measurements. Overall heritability was moderate (44.9%, 95% CI: 25.2-64.7%), and there was considerable heterogeneity in heritability estimates, in particular among studies and estimates. Laboratory method influenced heritability estimates, with in-gel hybridization TRF yielding higher heritabilities than qPCR and Southern blot TRF. There was also an effect from statistical method, with twin-based and SNP-based estimates lower than correlation-based or pedigree-based estimates. Our results highlight an overall heritable basis of telomere length, and we recommend future research on a wider range of taxa, and the use of variance-partitioning methods with relatedness or SNP data over correlation methods to minimize heritability estimation bias