Mid-Career Adult Learners in an Online Doctoral Program and the Drivers of Their Academic Self-Regulation: The Importance of Social Support and Parent Education Level

Adult professionals enroll in online graduate programs and rely on social support and on their ability to self-regulate to be successful. The literature on academic self-regulation among emerging adults (traditional college age) is ample, but we do not know how social support interacts with academic self- regulation among adult graduate students at mid-career, particularly among those students who are first generation college goers. This study addressed the following questions: (1) To what degree do parental education level and cohort progression predict academic self-regulation? and (2) What sources of social support – family, friends, loved one (significant other), and classmates – are predictive of academic self- regulation for adult students in an online doctoral program? Findings include evidence that the influence of parental educational level on academic self-regulation persists through midlife. Also, that perceived social support from family, friends, and peers predicts academic self-regulation. We conclude with implications for the design of online programs

Possibilities for Engineered Insect Tissue as a Food Source

Due to significant environmental concerns associated with industrial livestock farming, it is vital to accelerate the development of sustainable food production methods. Cellular agriculture may offer a more efficient production paradigm by using cell culture, as opposed to whole animals, to generate foods like meats, eggs, and dairy products. However, the cost-effective scale-up of cellular agriculture systems requires addressing key constraints in core research areas: (1) cell sources, (2) growth media, (3) scaffolding biomaterials, and (4) bioreactor design. Here we summarize work in the area of insect cell cultures as a promising avenue to address some of these needs. We also review current applications of insect cell culture and tissue engineering, provide an overview of insect myogenesis and discuss various properties of insect cells that indicate suitability for use in food production systems. Compared to mammalian or avian cultures, invertebrate cell cultures require fewer resources and are more resilient to changes in environmental conditions, as they can thrive in a wide range of temperature, pH and osmolarity conditions. Alterations necessary for large-scale production are relatively simple to achieve with insect cells, including immortalization, serum-free media adaptation and suspension culture. Additional benefits include ease of transfection, nutrient density, and relevance to seafood organisms. To advance insect-based tissue engineering for food purposes, it is necessary to develop methods to regulate the differentiation of insect cells into relevant cell types, characterize cell interactions with biomaterials with an eye toward 3D culture, design supportive bioreactor systems and quantify nutritional profiles of cultured biomass

The discovery of I-BRD9, a selective cell active chemical probe for bromodomain containing protein 9 inhibition

Acetylation of histone lysine residues is one of the most well-studied post-translational modifications of chromatin, selectively recognized by bromodomain “reader” modules. Inhibitors of the bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) family of bromodomains have shown profound anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties, generating much interest in targeting other bromodomain-containing proteins for disease treatment. Herein, we report the discovery of I-BRD9, the first selective cellular chemical probe for bromodomain-containing protein 9 (BRD9). I-BRD9 was identified through structure-based design, leading to greater than 700-fold selectivity over the BET family and 200-fold over the highly homologous bromodomain-containing protein 7 (BRD7). I-BRD9 was used to identify genes regulated by BRD9 in Kasumi-1 cells involved in oncology and immune response pathways and to the best of our knowledge, represents the first selective tool compound available to elucidate the cellular phenotype of BRD9 bromodomain inhibition

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Formulation, stabilisation and encapsulation of bacteriophage for phage therapy

Against a backdrop of global antibiotic resistance and increasing awareness of the importance of the human microbiota, there has been resurgent interest in the potential use of bacteriophages for therapeutic purposes, known as phage therapy. A number of phage therapy phase I and II clinical trials have concluded, and shown phages don’t present significant adverse safety concerns. These clinical trials used simple phage suspensions without any formulation and phage stability was of secondary concern. Phages have a limited stability in solution, and undergo a significant drop in phage titre during processing and storage which is unacceptable if phages are to become regulated pharmaceuticals, where stable dosage and well defined pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are de rigueur. Animal studies have shown that the efficacy of phage therapy outcomes depend on the phage concentration (i.e. the dose) delivered at the site of infection, and their ability to target and kill bacteria, arresting bacterial growth and clearing the infection. In addition, in vitro and animal studies have shown the importance of using phage cocktails rather than single phage preparations to achieve better therapy outcomes. The in vivo reduction of phage concentration due to interactions with host antibodies or other clearance mechanisms may necessitate repeated dosing of phages, or sustained release approaches. Modelling of phage-bacterium population dynamics reinforces these points. Surprisingly little attention has been devoted to the effect of formulation on phage therapy outcomes, given the need for phage cocktails, where each phage within a cocktail may require significantly different formulation to retain a high enough infective dose. This review firstly looks at the clinical needs and challenges (informed through a review of key animal studies evaluating phage therapy) associated with treatment of acute and chronic infections and the drivers for phage encapsulation. An important driver for formulation and encapsulation is shelf life and storage of phage to ensure reproducible dosages. Other drivers include formulation of phage for encapsulation in micro- and nanoparticles for effective delivery, encapsulation in stimuli responsive systems for triggered controlled or sustained release at the targeted site of infection. Encapsulation of phage (e.g. in liposomes) may also be used to increase the circulation time of phage for treating systemic infections, for prophylactic treatment or to treat intracellular infections. We then proceed to document approaches used in the published literature on the formulation and stabilisation of phage for storage and encapsulation of bacteriophage in micro- and nanostructured materials using freeze drying (lyophilization), spray drying, in emulsions e.g. ointments, polymeric microparticles, nanoparticles and liposomes. As phage therapy moves forward towards Phase III clinical trials, the review concludes by looking at promising new approaches for micro- and nanoencapsulation of phages and how these may address gaps in the field

Tim Seibles

Image for the Virginia Poets Database Photo by Jennifer Natalie Fish, downloaded from Blue Flower Arts.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/vapoets-images/1000/thumbnail.jp

Mid-Career Adult Learners in an Online Doctoral Program and the Drivers of Their Academic Self-Regulation : The Importance of Social Support and Parent Education Level

Adult professionals enroll in online graduate programs and rely on social support and on their ability to self-regulate to be successful. The literature on academic self-regulation among emerging adults (traditional college age) is ample, but we do not know how social support interacts with academic self-regulation among adult graduate students at mid-career, particularly among those students who are first generation college goers. This study addressed the following questions: (1) To what degree do parental education level and cohort progression predict academic self-regulation? and (2) What sources of social support – family, friends, loved one (significant other), and classmates – are predictive of academic self-regulation for adult students in an online doctoral program? Findings include evidence that the influence of parental educational level on academic self-regulation persists through midlife. Also, that perceived social support from family, friends, and peers predicts academic self-regulation. We conclude with implications for the design of online programs

Capturing the emotional and social experiences of COVID-19 through journal entries: A qualitative study of COVID-19 experiences over six weeks following infection

COVID-19's wide-ranging effects on patients' physical health are well-documented, but comparatively less research has explored the impact on patients' emotional and social experiences. We examined how patients across a multi-state health system experience the emotional and social aspects of COVID-19 during the first six weeks of recovery from infection. We leveraged the larger My COVID Diary project to capture open-ended journal data from an app-based platform available to patients who test positive for COVID-19 within the health system. Our sample was limited to participants with multiple journal entries during the first six weeks after infection, with one entry in the top 5% of all participants for word count to ensure sufficient journal content was available for analysis. We randomly selected 100 eligible participants and coded and analyzed all of their journal entries in weeks 1–6 after infection, utilizing a thematic analysis approach. Despite journal entry prompts' orientation towards physical symptoms, the majority of participants discussed emotional experiences (such as anxiety, depression, and gratitude) and social factors (such as work and family) when describing their COVID-19-related experiences. Physical, emotional, and social experiences related to COVID-19 infection and recovery were often interconnected and overlapping. These findings demonstrate that a holistic understanding of the patient experience that extends beyond physical symptoms is necessary to fully support patient care and recovery