The Effect of 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin on Post-Thaw Parameters of Cryopreserved Jack and Stallion Semen

Cyclodextrins improve post-thaw viability and motility of semen as well as mediate cholesterol efflux and subsequent acrosome reaction in spermatozoa from several species. The objectives of this study were: (a) to assess the effect of prefreeze addition of 60 mM hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on post-thaw viability and motility of jack and stallion semen cryopreserved in ethylene glycol-based freezing extenders containing 5% or 20% (v/v) egg yolk (LEY and HEY, respectively), and (b) to evaluate the ability of 1 μM calcium ionophore A23187 and/or 60 mM β-CD to induce acrosome reaction in thawed jack and stallion spermatozoa. Post-thaw motility of spermatozoa cryopreserved in HEY was higher (P \u3c .05) for jack but lower (P \u3c .05) for stallion spermatozoa when compared with LEY. Jack and stallion spermatozoa both exhibited higher (P \u3c .05) motility when cryopreserved in 60 mM β-CD than without β-CD. Curvilinear velocity was faster (P \u3c .05) for jack and stallion spermatozoa cryopreserved in LEY than in HEY. A treatment × time interaction affected (P \u3c .05) the proportion of spermatozoa that underwent acrosome reaction. Post-thaw incubation of jack and stallion spermatozoa with β-CD for 90 minutes induced acrosome reaction in 85% and 22% of viable sperm cells, respectively; however, only 32% of jack and 8% of stallion spermatozoa incubated with calcium ionophore underwent acrosome reaction. This study is the first to evaluate the effect of β-CD (not loaded with cholesterol) on jack semen cryopreservation, and results reveal that β-CD may be a useful tool to enhance semen cryopreservation and to induce post-thaw acrosome reaction in jack spermatozoa

IMPROVING STATE MANDATED TEST SCORES BY IMPLEMENTING A RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION PLAN

The Response to Intervention (RTI) framework is a tiered method that focuses on prevention and intervention to close academic gaps in students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. This study focused on how a small school in McMinnville, TN used a color-coded tracking system to analyze RTI data and help close the students’ gaps so that they perform on grade-level. This resulted in the school going from a Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS) overall growth score of 1 for the 2016-2017 school year to an overall growth score of a 5 for the 2017-2018 school year. TVAAS scores are determined by assessing students’ progress from year to year as well as their end of year scores on state testing (Tennessee Department of Education, N.D. e). I focused on how well the students did on their end of the year test, TNReady. I compared the number of students in the Below/Approaching level and On-track/Mastered level for the 2016-2017 school year, which was before the tracking system intervention and the 2017-2018 school year, which was after the intervention. I also looked at teacher opinions on why they believe the school was able to make huge gains in their TVAAS scores. I asked questions that related to how the teachers and administration analyzed data before and after the implementation of the color-coded tracking system.M.A

The Impact of Light Pollution on Observational Resources

The 1-meter telescope at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach campus is the largest university-based research telescope in Florida. In ideal conditions, it should have some of the best observational abilities in the state. However, the light pollution and lighting practices from facilities and outdoor light fixtures greatly interfere with these abilities. Our team works to identify the greatest contributors to light pollution on campus so that we can develop cost effective and accessible solutions to increase the quality of our data. The results of this project will be shared with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University leadership in hopes that improvements can be made. Using a Unihedron Sky Quality Meter, we measured the severity of the light pollution under various locations and conditions. These conditions include measurements with and without temporary light covers, yellow cellophane light filters, and shades applied to the Mori Hosseini Student Union. We additionally compare spectroscopy data analysis from before and after the construction of the Mori Hosseini Student Union. Our project is new, and therefore ongoing. We require more data to thoroughly investigate our results before reporting our findings. However, as of now, our preliminary analysis suggests that improvements to the lighting practices around the College of Arts and Sciences, particularly with the Mori Hosseini Student Union, would greatly enhance the capabilities of the 1-meter telescope. Using covers on outdoor light fixtures to redirect light and using yellow light filters have been shown to reduce the light pollution. The final solution is still currently under investigation

Rare Variants Found in Clinical Gene Panels Illuminate the Genetic and Allelic Architecture of Orofacial Clefting

PURPOSE: Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are common birth defects including cleft lip, cleft lip and palate, and cleft palate. OFCs have heterogeneous etiologies, complicating clinical diagnostics because it is not always apparent if the cause is Mendelian, environmental, or multifactorial. Sequencing is not currently performed for isolated or sporadic OFCs; therefore, we estimated the diagnostic yield for 418 genes in 841 cases and 294 controls. METHODS: We evaluated 418 genes using genome sequencing and curated variants to assess their pathogenicity using American College of Medical Genetics criteria. RESULTS: 9.04% of cases and 1.02% of controls had likely pathogenic variants (P \u3c .0001), which was almost exclusively driven by heterozygous variants in autosomal genes. Cleft palate (17.6%) and cleft lip and palate (9.09%) cases had the highest yield, whereas cleft lip cases had a 2.80% yield. Out of 39 genes with likely pathogenic variants, 9 genes, including CTNND1 and IRF6, accounted for more than half of the yield (4.64% of cases). Most variants (61.8%) were variants of uncertain significance , occurring more frequently in cases (P = .004), but no individual gene showed a significant excess of variants of uncertain significance. CONCLUSION: These results underscore the etiological heterogeneity of OFCs and suggest sequencing could reduce the diagnostic gap in OFCs

Mucosally transplanted mesenchymal stem cells stimulate intestinal healing by promoting angiogenesis

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is an emerging field of regenerative medicine; however, it is often unclear how these cells mediate repair. Here, we investigated the use of MSCs in the treatment of intestinal disease and modeled abnormal repair by creating focal wounds in the colonic mucosa of prostaglandin-deficient mice. These wounds developed into ulcers that infiltrated the outer intestinal wall. We determined that penetrating ulcer formation in this model resulted from increased hypoxia and smooth muscle wall necrosis. Prostaglandin I(2) (PGI(2)) stimulated VEGF-dependent angiogenesis to prevent penetrating ulcers. Treatment of mucosally injured WT mice with a VEGFR inhibitor resulted in the development of penetrating ulcers, further demonstrating that VEGF is critical for mucosal repair. We next used this model to address the role of transplanted colonic MSCs (cMSCs) in intestinal repair. Compared with intravenously injected cMSCs, mucosally injected cMSCs more effectively prevented the development of penetrating ulcers, as they were more efficiently recruited to colonic wounds. Importantly, mucosally injected cMSCs stimulated angiogenesis in a VEGF-dependent manner. Together, our results reveal that penetrating ulcer formation results from a reduction of local angiogenesis and targeted injection of MSCs can optimize transplantation therapy. Moreover, local MSC injection has potential for treating diseases with features of abnormal angiogenesis and repair

Neural Circuits Underlying Rodent Sociality: A Comparative Approach

All mammals begin life in social groups, but for some species, social relationships persist and develop throughout the course of an individual’s life. Research in multiple rodent species provides evidence of relatively conserved circuitry underlying social behaviors and processes such as social recognition and memory, social reward, and social approach/avoidance. Species exhibiting different complex social behaviors and social systems (such as social monogamy or familiarity preferences) can be characterized in part by when and how they display specific social behaviors. Prairie and meadow voles are closely related species that exhibit similarly selective peer preferences but different mating systems, aiding direct comparison of the mechanisms underlying affiliative behavior. This chapter draws on research in voles as well as other rodents to explore the mechanisms involved in individual social behavior processes, as well as specific complex social patterns. Contrasts between vole species exemplify how the laboratory study of diverse species improves our understanding of the mechanisms underlying social behavior. We identify several additional rodent species whose interesting social structures and available ecological and behavioral field data make them good candidates for study. New techniques and integration across laboratory and field settings will provide exciting opportunities for future mechanistic work in non-model species

Requiem

Great Lake Review is SUNY Oswego's student-edited literary and art magazine. Great Lake Review is published, in general, every semester, and contains primarily student art, poetry, fiction, and other literary works.NASUNY OswegoN/AFordham, Sar