Integrative Approach for a Transformative Freshman-Level STEM Curriculum

In 2014 Wesley College adopted a unified undergraduate program of evidence-based high-impact teaching practices. Through foundation and federal and state grant support, the college completely revised its academic core curriculum and strengthened its academic support structures by including a comprehensive early alert system for at-risk students. In this core, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty developed fresh manifestations of integrated concept-based introductory courses and revised upper-division STEM courses around student-centered learning. STEM majors can participate in specifically designed paid undergraduate research experiences in directed research elective courses. Such a college-wide multi-tiered approach results in institutional cultural change

Blocking microglial pannexin-1 channels alleviates morphine withdrawal in rodents

Opiates are essential for treating pain, but termination of opiate therapy can cause a debilitating withdrawal syndrome in chronic users. To alleviate or avoid the aversive symptoms of withdrawal, many of these individuals continue to use opiates. Withdrawal is therefore a key determinant of opiate use in dependent individuals, yet its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood and effective therapies are lacking. Here, we identify the pannexin-1 (Panx1) channel as a therapeutic target in opiate withdrawal. We show that withdrawal from morphine induces long-term synaptic facilitation in lamina I and II neurons within the rodent spinal dorsal horn, a principal site of action for opiate analgesia. Genetic ablation of Panx1 in microglia abolished the spinal synaptic facilitation and ameliorated the sequelae of morphine withdrawal. Panx1 is unique in its permeability to molecules up to 1 kDa in size and its release of ATP. We show that Panx1 activation drives ATP release from microglia during morphine withdrawal and that degrading endogenous spinal ATP by administering apyrase produces a reduction in withdrawal behaviors. Conversely, we found that pharmacological inhibition of ATP breakdown exacerbates withdrawal. Treatment with a Panx1-blocking peptide (10panx) or the clinically used broad-spectrum Panx1 blockers, mefloquine or probenecid, suppressed ATP release and reduced withdrawal severity. Our results demonstrate that Panx1-mediated ATP release from microglia is required for morphine withdrawal in rodents and that blocking Panx1 alleviates the severity of withdrawal without affecting opiate analgesia

Influence of Climate and Coastal Flooding on Eastern Red Cedar Growth along a Marsh-Forest Ecotone

Coastal forests in the Mid-Atlantic region are threatened by sea level rise through chronic and episodic salinization and hydrologic alterations, leading to inland marsh migration and the occurrence of ghost forests. This study uses dendrochronology to explore the impact of rising sea level on the annual growth of Juniperus virginiana (the Eastern red cedar) at the St. Jones component of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve in Dover, DE. Chronologies from low and high elevations were developed, and a difference chronology (high–low) was generated. A rapid field assessment of tree stress indicated greater stress in low elevation trees, and low elevation soil tests showed higher soil moisture and salt content compared to samples from high elevation. Ring width indices were analyzed in relation to water level, precipitation, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, and temperature, with Pearson’s correlation analysis. Trees growing at low elevation showed greater climate sensitivity and responded favorably to cool, wet summers. Over time, correlations between growth and climate variables decreased, while negative correlations with tidal water level increased—a pattern that presented nearly a decade earlier in the low elevation system. Given the widespread distribution of the Eastern red cedar and its sensitivity to changes in sea level, this species may be particularly useful as a sentinel of change in coastal landscapes as sea levels rise