Spatial Equilibrium Analysis of the U.S. Hard Red Spring Wheat Industry under Alternative Transportation Rate Structures

Industrial Organization,

Merits of Creating a Revised CTE National Research Agenda for 2020

This article promotes the idea that clearly focused scholarly inquiry needs direction developed through a collaborative and informative process. The authors propose that the National CTE Research Agenda adopted in 2008 should be revised and updated to reflect the contemporary issues and policies of the career and technical education profession. The aim of this discussion is to propose a systematic research approach with the potential to influence policy for career and technical education. The challenge for our profession will be to create a united and informed agenda that will transform policy, promote innovation in scholarly endeavors, and foster improved outcomes for all CTE stakeholders

Synthesis of Aspernigrin A

Aspernigrin A is a compound correlated with inhibiting the growth of cancer cells in the colon. A five-step synthesis was designed for aspernigrin A, projected to yield four intermediates and the final product. The intermediates were analyzed by high field 1HNMR and FT-IR spectroscopy before proceeding to the next step. A model pyridone ring system was successfully prepared from a commercially available pyrone precursor in two steps. These results provide a proof of concept that the synthetic scheme should successfully yield the natural product

ECOLOGICAL ANALYSES OF MACROINVERTEBRATES AND FISH SPECIES IN SIX STREAMS ON A LOUISIANA MILITARY BASE FROM 2001 TO 2019

An in-depth ecological analysis of how and why the aquatic community changes over time was conducted for 6 streams on the Fort Polk military base in Louisiana using data collected from 2001 to 2019. Fort Polk is a unique location as nineteen first-order streams are located on the premises belonging to three separate drainages. The primary goal was to determine whether temporal or between-drainage variation has a larger effect on community structure. To accomplish this the effects of disturbance on fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages was determined temporally and between drainages. Several hypotheses were drawn from this: 1) temporally, assemblages exhibit fluctuations in diversity around disturbance events, but eventually recover to a base-state; 2) the 2012 drought caused a reduction in both fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage diversity and overall quantity in comparison to the other years; and 3) fish assemblages will vary between drainages more so than macroinvertebrate assemblages. A secondary goal was to determine the overall assemblage diversity of the drainages. It was found that 1) there was no recognizable pattern to assemblage diversity fluctuations and recovery; 2) the 2012 drought did not cause a significant reduction in fish or macroinvertebrate assemblages compared to subsequent years; and 3) fish assemblages differed by watershed more than macroinvertebrate assemblages, which often differed significantly by year. These ecological analyses present a more comprehensive picture of the ecosystems in the region

Lingual pressure generation in relation to saliva and water swallowing in healthy young adults

Lingual strength and swallowing pressures have been studied extensively in dysphagia rehabilitation literature; however, little research has considered how lingual pressure generation may relate to parameters of swallowing speed and endurance. Additionally, little is known about the ability of the tongue to generate pressure to a given target, known as lingual control. This project collected measures of lingual pressure and measures of swallowing speed and endurance in 10 healthy, young adults. Specifically it explored if lingual strength or control of the anterior and posterior tongue correlate with endurance or speed during saliva and water swallowing tasks. Significant relations among lingual pressures and water swallowing measures were found. Maximal isometric anterior lingual pressures (i.e., tongue strength) were positively correlated with swallowing speed and negatively correlated with endurance during water swallows; however, greater accuracy of lingual control by the anterior tongue to reach small pressure targets correlated with both greater speed and endurance during water swallowing. Results suggest that in healthy adults, both anterior tongue strength and control may contribute to swallowing performance. Therefore, both lingual strength and skill training have potential to advance swallowing rehabilitation, specifically when targeting factors of swallowing speed and endurance

A vocabulary list based on word frequency in fifth and sixth grade textbooks

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Small molecule induced reactivation of mutant p53 in cancer cells

The p53 cancer mutant Y220C is an excellent paradigm for rescuing the function of conformationally unstable p53 mutants because it has a unique surface crevice that can be targeted by small-molecule stabilizers. Here, we have identified a compound, PK7088, which is active in vitro: PK7088 bound to the mutant with a dissociation constant of 140 μM and raised its melting temperature, and we have determined the binding mode of a close structural analogue by X-ray crystallography. We showed that PK7088 is biologically active in cancer cells carrying the Y220C mutant by a battery of tests. PK7088 increased the amount of folded mutant protein with wild-type conformation, as monitored by immunofluorescence, and restored its transcriptional functions. It induced p53-Y220C-dependent growth inhibition, cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Most notably, PK7088 increased the expression levels of p21 and the proapoptotic NOXA protein. PK7088 worked synergistically with Nutlin-3 on up-regulating p21 expression, whereas Nutlin-3 on its own had no effect, consistent with its mechanism of action. PK7088 also restored non-transcriptional apoptotic functions of p53 by triggering nuclear export of BAX to the mitochondria. We suggest a set of criteria for assigning activation of p53

Exploiting transient protein states for the design of small-molecule stabilizers of mutant p53

The destabilizing p53 cancer mutation Y220C creates an extended crevice on the surface of the protein that can be targeted by small-molecule stabilizers. Here, we identify different classes of small molecules that bind to this crevice and determine their binding modes by X-ray crystallography. These structures reveal two major conformational states of the pocket and a cryptic, transiently open hydrophobic subpocket that is modulated by Cys220. In one instance, specifically targeting this transient protein state by a pyrrole moiety resulted in a 40-fold increase in binding affinity. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that both open and closed states of this subsite were populated at comparable frequencies along the trajectories. Our data extend the framework for the design of high-affinity Y220C mutant binders for use in personalized anticancer therapy and, more generally, highlight the importance of implementing protein dynamics and hydration patterns in the drug-discovery process

Performing Amish Agrarianism: Negotiating Tradition in the Maintenance of Pennsylvania Dairy Farms

Amish people have a reputation for being ecologically and environmentally conscientious. As numerous scholars in Amish and Plain Anabaptist studies have demonstrated, Amish views of the environment are diverse and ultimately anchored in the understanding that God made nature for human use. In these cases, Amish views of the environment could be described as much more anchored in traditional philosophical notions of “agrarianism” than “environmentalism.” In this article, I explore how some Amish approach agrarianism with a turn from more traditional farm life toward necessary economic engagement with multi-faceted operations and diversification. Based on intensive ethnographic research and participant observation, I emphasize the unique place of the dairy farm in sustaining agrarian values that maintain the Amish church Ordnung. I present four case studies that illustrate the negotiation, expression, and maintenance of agrarianism of Amish dairy farmers. Each ethnographic case demonstrates how contemporary challenges are met by creating boundaries between Amish and worldly life. Ultimately, I argue that dairy farming operations are held at a different standard when compared to other occupations, given farming’s historical tie to achieving an ideal agrarian livelihood. In some instances, Amish dairy farmers had to over perform Ordnung standards to stabilize agrarian values. These cases complicate both the traditional definitions of Amish agrarianism and the breadth of participants (Amish/non-Amish) maintaining it. [Abstract by author.