Insulin and GLP-1 infusions demonstrate the onset of adipose-specific insulin resistance in a large fasting mammal: potential glucogenic role for GLP-1.

Prolonged food deprivation increases lipid oxidation and utilization, which may contribute to the onset of the insulin resistance associated with fasting. Because insulin resistance promotes the preservation of glucose and oxidation of fat, it has been suggested to be an adaptive response to food deprivation. However, fasting mammals exhibit hypoinsulinemia, suggesting that the insulin resistance-like conditions they experience may actually result from reduced pancreatic sensitivity to glucose/capacity to secrete insulin. To determine whether fasting results in insulin resistance or in pancreatic dysfunction, we infused early- and late-fasted seals (naturally adapted to prolonged fasting) with insulin (0.065 U/kg), and a separate group of late-fasted seals with low (10 pM/kg) or high (100 pM/kg) dosages of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) immediately following a glucose bolus (0.5g/kg), and measured the systemic and cellular responses. Because GLP-1 facilitates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, these infusions provide a method to assess pancreatic insulin-secreting capacity. Insulin infusions increased the phosphorylation of insulin receptor and Akt in adipose and muscle of early and late fasted seals; however the timing of the signaling response was blunted in adipose of late fasted seals. Despite the dose-dependent increases in insulin and increased glucose clearance (high dose), both GLP-1 dosages produced increases in plasma cortisol and glucagon, which may have contributed to the glucogenic role of GLP-1. Results suggest that fasting induces adipose-specific insulin resistance in elephant seal pups, while maintaining skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, and therefore suggests that the onset of insulin resistance in fasting mammals is an evolved response to cope with prolonged food deprivation

"Our own visions": August Wilson, Lloyd Richards, and the O'Neill--the making of Ma Rainey and a playwright

In this dissertation I examine the creation of August Wilson's first commercially and critically successful play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and the essential roles of his mentor--director Lloyd Richards--and the O'Neill Theater Center in that creation. A three-part chronology gives detailed biographical sketches of the two men, including their work at the O'Neill Center and their similar familial backgrounds, as well as an overview of American theater in the twentieth century, with a special emphasis on African-American drama, placing Wilson's and Richards' work in context. Drawing on interviews and articles about these men and their working relationship, a close view is given of the in-depth revision that Wilson and Richards practiced on Ma Rainey and subsequently on the six plays that they produced together; revision began as soon as Wilson completed a draft of the play and continued well into rehearsals and even performances as each production travelled around the country, ending with a run on Broadway. After working together on the Ma Rainey script for almost two years after meeting at the O'Neill, Wilson and Richards staged the play first at Yale and finally on Broadway in October 1984. The many changes made to Ma Rainey between the time Wilson first submitted the play for consideration for the National Playwrights Conference at the O'Neill and the Broadway script was finalized reveal the profound influence of Richards in terms of overall structure, characterization, scope of stage directions, tone, and message, and other aspects of the play. The program that Richards shaped as artistic director of the O'Neill was focused on extensive rewriting within a workshop environment for playwrights; this approach was the foundation for the way he and Wilson worked together and made it possible for the playwright to realize ambitions that had eluded him. With Richards' genius for working with playwrights--his own original success was with Lorraine Hansberry and A Raisin in the Sun--and his powerful connections in the theater world, he was able to propel his discovery, Wilson, to become one of the most acclaimed American playwrights in history

Examining Turnover Intent Among Young Federal Employees: Organizational Support, Satisfaction, Psychological Safety, and Burnout Interplay

This study examined factors influencing turnover intentions among federal employees under 40 years old, focusing on perceived organizational support, employee satisfaction, psychological safety, and burnout. The theory that grounded this study included the organizational support theory. Structural equation modeling was applied to archival 2022 Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey data. Key results revealed strong positive associations between perceived organizational support and employee satisfaction, with both factors significantly negatively related to turnover intentions. Psychological safety and burnout showed statistically significant but small moderation effects, limited by model fit issues and multicollinearity. Unexpectedly, burnout positively associated with employee satisfaction and negatively with turnover intentions, contrary to theoretical expectations. These findings underscore the importance of organizational support and employee satisfaction in retaining younger federal employees. They also highlight potential limitations in current measurements of burnout and psychological safety within the OPM FEVS. Recommendations included refining construct measurements, conducting longitudinal studies, and exploring agency-specific variations. This research contributes to positive social change by potentially informing strategies to enhance job attitudes and reduce turnover among young federal employees. Improved retention could lead to a more stable, experienced federal workforce, potentially enhancing public service delivery and increasing the attractiveness of federal careers to younger generations. These outcomes may ultimately contribute to more effective and efficient government operations, benefiting society at large

Anti-Bias Work on Self-Identity in a Primary Montessori Classroom

This research sought to determine the effect of implementing an anti-bias curriculum on the selfidentity of children in a private primary Montessori classroom. Twenty-two students aged three to six from a highly concentrated urban community in a northeastern coastal city participated in the study. Pre and post discussion questions, a running log of personal observations, visible child-produced artifacts, and an attribute checklists were the four tools used in this study. These tools determined the effect of the anti-bias work on each child’s ability to self-identify. The interactions and artifacts produced specific and traceable data on children’s thoughts and perceptions before and during the implementation of anti-bias work. Data analysis concluded that the study impacted the student’s ability to self-identify positively. To further investigate this work, I will continue to present anti-bias materials, engage in discussions, and provide diverse works for all children to explore in the inclusive environment

Effects of patch size and light conditions on the visitation rates of flying pollinators to common marigolds (Claendula officinalis).

General EcologyBiotic pollination takes place in 87.5% of all angiosperms and utilizes animals to transfer pollen. Our study focused on how patch size and light conditions affect pollinator visitation rates to common marigolds. We hypothesized that patches receiving more sunlight would receive more pollinators than shaded patches and that larger patches would receive more pollinators than smaller patches. We manipulated patch size and light conditions by placing marigold plots of different sizes (small, medium, and large) onto a field in areas that received differing amounts of sunlight throughout the day. We then counted the number of pollinators visiting each patch for 10 minute intervals four times a day. A linear regression analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between light availability and pollinators, supporting our first hypothesis. The results of an ANOVA test demonstrated a significant difference between the number of pollinators visiting the large patches over the small patches, supporting our second hypothesis. Our findings corroborate studies of a similar nature that examine patch size and light conditions in correlation with pollinator visitation rates. These studies have global implications for the management of agricultural lands.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116613/1/Gallagher_Reaume_Tift_Tisdale_2015.pd

Development Enhances Hypometabolism and the Dive Response in Northern Elephant Seal Pups (Mirounga Angustirostris)

Purpose of the Study: Several studies have investigated the development of oxygen storage capacity in diving animals, but few studies have examined the development of oxygen store usage in these animals. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are known to be air-breathing marine predators which exhibit continuous, long-duration, deep dives in the pelagic Pacific Ocean. Despite several previous attempts to calculate the duration allotted towards diving in an aerobic state, these animals consistently surpass this diving duration and repeatedly exhibit short surface intervals between dives. This information, suggests these animals are dramatically reducing their oxygen consumption (V02) during diving, compared to the V02 data used to predict aerobic dive durations. Additionally, little work has been done investigating the development of the "dive response" in marine mammals. This basic, physiological response to breath-holding and submersion allow individuals to achieve a greater reduction in V02• Information regarding the developmental aspects of this diving response in concert with an understanding on V02 reductions during a diving state can assist in understanding the energetic demands and processes these animals face. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of development on; a) the diving response and b) the ability to reduce V02 during breath-holds.Procedure: To determine the role of development on both the diving response and VOl during breath-holds, this study investigated V02 and blood-gas use during voluntary rest-associated apneas and voluntary submergences in 17 weaned northern elephant seal pups. Pups were either early in their weaning period (2 weeks post weaning) or late in their weaning period (7 weeks post weaning). Standard blood gas analysis and flow-through respirometry were used during both breath-hold types. Findings: When compared to early-weaned animals, there was a mean reduction of 17% in V02 during the breath-holds of older animals. This suggests a large role in the developmental period on the ability to reduce oxygen consumption during breath-holds in northern elephant seals. The maximum reduction of breath-hold V02 from resting VOl was a 53% reduction, seen in an older animal. Blood-oxygen depletion rates during submergences occurred 24% slower, when compared to rest-associated apneas. Additionally, pC02 values obtained from the end of breathholds were statistically similar across durations and between sexes, ages and breath-hold type. This implies the final pC02 value of 59 ± 5.8 mmHg during a breath-hold, is the value which triggers chemoreceptors to initiate breathing and terminate the breath-hold.Conclusions: The developmental period in northern elephant seals is a critical time frame in which the animals build O2 stores and enhance their ability to utilize these stores in a manner which extends the time they spend in an aerobic state. This will allow these air-breathing predators to prolong their dive durations at sea and condense the time at the surface needed to clear anaerobic byproducts, resulting in more time available for foraging and less time available exposed to surface-predators.Tift, Michael S. 2011. Development Enhances Hypometabolism and the Dive Response in Northern Elephant Seal Pups (Mirounga Angustirostris). Department of Biology, Sonoma State University

2014 Kennesaw State Festival of New Music

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents the 2014 Kennesaw State Festival of New Music with featured guest composer, Chen Yi.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1374/thumbnail.jp

Relationship between red blood cell lifespan and endogenous carbon monoxide in the common bottlenose dolphin and beluga

Certain deep-diving marine mammals (i.e., northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirosis), Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii)) have blood carbon monoxide (CO) levels that are comparable to those of chronic cigarette smokers. Most CO produced in humans is a by-product of heme degradation, which is released when red blood cells (RBC) are destroyed. Elevated CO can occur in humans when RBC lifespan decreases. The contribution of RBC turnover to CO concentrations in marine mammals is unknown. Here, we report the first RBC lifespans in two healthy, marine mammal species with different diving capacities and heme stores, the shallow diving bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and deep-diving beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and relate the lifespans to the levels of CO in blood and breath. The belugas, with high blood heme stores, had the longest mean RBC lifespan compared to humans and bottlenose dolphins. Both cetacean species were found to have three times higher blood CO content compared to humans. The estimated CO production rate from heme degradation indicates some marine mammals may have additional mechanisms for CO production, or delay CO removal from the body, potentially from long duration breath-holds