DDGS Based 3D Printing Biocomposite Filament

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a rapidly evolving technology with applications in many different industries. The market for 3D printing material, filament, is expected to grow to $4.4 billion by 2023. This undergraduate research project explores the development of new biobased 3D printing filaments composed of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS), polylactic acid (PLA), and plasticizers. Formulations of these materials were extruded with a twin-screw extruder into filament. The filament was then 3D printed into parts and test specimens for property categorization. Successfully developing a DDGSPLA filament could generate$325 million in revenue for North Dakota.North Dakota Corn Counci

DDT Used in Farm Production

Excerpt from the report Introduction: One of the most widely used insecticides in the United States and in the world is DDT. It is effective against a large number of pests whose control is important to assure adequate supplies of food and fiber. Its broad spectrum insecticidal properties, combined with long residual life and relative safety in handling, make it desirable for many control purposes. DDT is a recommended control for at least 150 pests which can damage economic crops. DDT decomposes very slowly under certain conditions, is almost insoluble in water, and has a tendency to accumulate in the fatty tissue of warm-blooded animals including man. There is some concern that certain types of wildlife may be adversely affected by this tendency. This report shows recent use of DDT in U.S. farm production and indicates trends in total U.S. production of DDT and its overall use

Logic Models for Major Programs of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center

This is a project summary about the creation of logic models for each of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center's (PWCC) major programs, and to gain insight into the data collected and evaluation tools currently in use. After learning about logic model content and process, the Research Assistant worked with PWCC staff to create the models, which will help illustrate to funders and other stakeholders the impact of PWCC's work with children, families, and the North Minneapolis community, as well as inform PWCC's internal program evaluation and improvement work.Conducted on behalf of Phyllis Wheatley Community Center. Supported by the Communiversity program at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), University of Minnesota.Eichers, Catherine. (2007). Logic Models for Major Programs of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/195642

Plymouth Youth Center Longitudinal Study Year 3 Report

The purpose of this study is to track the long-term education and vocational outcomes of Plymouth Youth Center (PYC) high school students. The first report (Spring 2005) summarized data from 19 former students who left PYC during the 2003-2004 school year. The second report described educational and employment trends for 18 former students, including 7 who left PYC during the 2004-2005 academic year and 11 who left during the 2003-2004 year. CURA supported research on this third report, which summarizes data from two groups of students: (1) the 25 students who responded to the Year 3 survey, including 9 who left PYC in 2005-2006, 8 who left in 2004-2005, and 8 who left in 2003-2004; and (2) all of the students who responded to the survey in their first year after leaving PYC throughout the three years of the study. Highlights of the results from both groups are summarized.Prepared in partnership with the Plymouth Christian Youth Center. Funded by a Communiversity Personnel Grant from the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), University of Minnesota.Eichers, Catherine. (2008). Plymouth Youth Center Longitudinal Study Year 3 Report. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/195674

Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous inherited human disorder displaying a pleotropic phenotype. Many of the symptoms characterized in the human disease have been reproduced in animal models carrying deletions or knock-in mutations of genes causal for the disorder. Thinning of the cerebral cortex, enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles, and structural changes in cilia are among the pathologies documented in these animal models. Ciliopathy is of particular interest in light of recent studies that have implicated primary neuronal cilia (PNC) in neuronal signal transduction. In the present investigation, we tested the hypothesis that areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory formation would differentially exhibit PNC abnormalities in animals carrying a deletion of the Bbs4 gene (Bbs4-/-). Immunohistochemical localization of adenylyl cyclase-III (ACIII), a marker restricted to PNC, revealed dramatic alterations in PNC morphology and a statistically significant reduction in number of immunopositive cilia in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice compared to wild type (WT) littermates. Western blot analysis confirmed the decrease of ACIII levels in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice, and electron microscopy demonstrated pathological alterations of PNC in the hippocampus and amygdala. Importantly, no neuronal loss was found within the subregions of amygdala and hippocampus sampled in Bbs4-/- mice and there were no statistically significant alterations of ACIII immunopositive cilia in other areas of the brain not known to contribute to the BBS phenotype. Considered with data documenting a role of cilia in signal transduction these findings support the conclusion that alterations in cilia structure or neurochemical phenotypes may contribute to the cognitive deficits observed in the Bbs4-/- mouse mode. © 2014 Agassandian et al

Human genetics and clinical aspects of neurodevelopmental disorders

This chapter traverses contemporary understandings of the genetic architecture of human disease, and explores the clinical implications of the current state of knowledge. Many different classes of genetic mutations have been implicated as being involved in predisposition to certain diseases, and researchers are continually uncovering other means by which genetics plays an important role in human disease, such as with somatic genetic mosaicism. Putative “de novo” mutations can represent cases of parental mosaicism (including in the germline), which could be revealed by careful genotyping of parental tissues other than peripheral blood lymphocytes. There is an increasingly rich literature regarding rare mutations with seemingly large phenotypic effects. Privacy concerns have added to the difficulties of implementing genomics-guided medicine. With the advent of exome and whole genome sequencing (WGS), one needs to focus again on families over several generations, so as to attempt to minimize genetic differences, locus heterogeneity and environmental influences

Unraveling the Genetics of Human Obesity

The use of modern molecular biology tools in deciphering the perturbed biochemistry and physiology underlying the obese state has proven invaluable. Identifying the hypothalamic leptin/melanocortin pathway as critical in many cases of monogenic obesity has permitted targeted, hypothesis-driven experiments to be performed, and has implicated new candidates as causative for previously uncharacterized clinical cases of obesity. Meanwhile, the effects of mutations in the melanocortin-4 receptor gene, for which the obese phenotype varies in the degree of severity among individuals, are now thought to be influenced by one's environmental surroundings. Molecular approaches have revealed that syndromes (Prader-Willi and Bardet-Biedl) previously assumed to be controlled by a single gene are, conversely, regulated by multiple elements. Finally, the application of comprehensive profiling technologies coupled with creative statistical analyses has revealed that interactions between genetic and environmental factors are responsible for the common obesity currently challenging many Westernized societies. As such, an improved understanding of the different “types” of obesity not only permits the development of potential therapies, but also proposes novel and often unexpected directions in deciphering the dysfunctional state of obesity

Inventory Management by Selected Retail Farm Supply Co-ops -- Area III -- Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Northern Iowa

Excerpt from the report: This study was the third in a series on inventory management in farm supply cooperatives conducted by Farmer Cooperative Service. The purpose of this one was to: 1. Determine purchasing policies and practices that affect inventory acquisition. 2. Determine successful practices for storing and handling inventories. 3. Determine sales policies and practices which affect inventory turnover. 4. Recommend useful policies and practices for efficient inventory management