Grunt variation in the oyster toadfish Opsanus tau: effect of size and sex

As in insects, frogs and birds, vocal activity in fishes tends to be more developed in males than in females, and sonic swimbladder muscles may be sexually dimorphic, i.e., either larger in males or present only in males. Male oyster toadfish Opsanus tau L produce a long duration, tonal boatwhistle advertisement call, and both sexes grunt, a short duration more pulsatile agonistic call. Sonic muscles are present in both sexes but larger in males. We tested the hypothesis that males would call more than females by inducing grunts in toadfish of various sizes held in a net and determined incidence of calling and developmental changes in grunt parameters. A small number of fish were recorded twice to examine call repeatability. Both sexes were equally likely to grunt, and grunt parameters (sound pressure level (SPL), individual range in SPL, number of grunts, and fundamental frequency) were similar in both sexes. SPL increased with fish size before leveling off in fish \u3e200 g, and fundamental frequency and other parameters did not change with fish size. Number of grunts in a train, grunt duration and inter-grunt interval were highly variable in fish recorded twice suggesting that grunt parameters reflect internal motivation rather than different messages. Grunt production may explain the presence of well-developed sonic muscles in females and suggests that females have an active but unexplored vocal life

Project C.O.R.E.: Coaching Opportunities with Real Experiences

Retention and graduation rates of VCU men of color (MOC) is significantly lower than white men and women of color. Due to demonstrated significant attrition occurring after the sophomore year, Project C.O.R.E. (Coaching Opportunities with Real Experiences) is proposed as a sophomore-focused program that builds upon an existing freshman course on professional development for MOC. While the first-year course introduces students to a VCU support network, Project C.O.R.E. aims to increase university retention by expanding the student support network to members of the local community. Students are paired with community coaches, predominantly VCU alumni, to enhance their career and life-skills development. This program provides continued community, guidance, and support to encourage MOC to continue on the path to graduation

Leadership, Teaching, Self Efficacy, and Networking: Untapped Benefits of Membership in Extension Volunteer Networks

The Cooperative Extension Service has long been aware of the value of Extension service networks for developing women\u27s skills in traditional home and family areas. Little is known about the relationship between leadership skills and these volunteer or service organizations. A study of Extension Homemakers/Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) groups was conducted to determine benefits of membership. Benefits can be categorized into four categories: leadership, teaching, personal efficacy, and networking. These surpass skill and knowledge gained about homemaking and parenting. Results suggest Extension should consider developing service groups throughout the country as hothouses for developing the leadership of volunteers, particularly women

A Chemical Biology Approach to Phosphoinositide Metabolic Analysis

Lipids serve a diverse array of functions including maintaining cellular structure and compartmentalization, regulating post-translational modifications of proteins, and as members of complex signaling networks. Despite their importance there is minimal understanding of how bioactive lipids and lipid pathways systematically regulate biological processes. Phosphoinositides (PIPs) are a diverse class of lipid signaling molecule implicated in nearly all facets of cell signaling including migration, proliferation, and apoptosis. Mutations in numerous PIP modifying enzymes occur frequently in human disease, especially cancers, though the effects of these mutations on the global metabolic system have been poorly defined. Likewise, heterogeneous protein expression and undefined feedback loops further complicate obtaining a global view of metabolism and understanding the PIP metabolic pathway’s role in disease. Current approaches have been unsuccessful in obtaining a systems-wide analysis due to various technical challenges including low sensitivity, use of indirect measurements of activity, and a lack of validated reporters and delivery methods. We have developed a new approach to systematic PIP analysis including synthesis and validation of fluorescent reporters, novel PIP delivery methods, and applying these methods to analyze PIP metabolism in breast cancer cell lines. We have shown that hydrophobicity is a key determinant in the ability of fluorescent reporters to serve as substrates for phosphoinositides modifying enzymes, which proceed via interfacial catalysis, through chemical synthesis of fluorescent phosphoinositides with varied hydrophobicity in the diacylglycerol (DAG) side chain and examined their propensity to serve as substrates towards various enzymes. We used these findings to develop a suite of fluorescent reporters that could subsequently be used as standards and reporters in future experimentation. To achieve our goal of systematically analyzing cellular metabolism, we examined a variety of delivery methods for fluorescent PIPs as previously reported techniques have failed to achieve a level of delivery sufficient for metabolic analysis. We further developed a fluorescent model phospholipid that allowed us to explore novel delivery techniques including intramolecular charge masking and photocaging methods while simultaneously exploring previously published methods including liposomes and charge altering releasable transporters (CARTs) for the delivery of PIPs. A PIP2:CART complex was demonstrated to efficiently deliver fluorescent PIP2 to cells, which were then analyzed for their metabolite distribution. This method was effective in achieving conversion of the fluorescent reporter to a variety of PIP substrates as judged by comparison with synthetic standards. We further applied this system to preliminary studies on breast cancer cell lines possessing unique mutations in PIP modifying enzymes. We have thus far been successful in demonstrating a platform using fluorescent PIP reporters, novel delivery techniques that lead to a variety of metabolites than can be analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (CE) or thin layer chromatography (TLC). This system could be a powerful tool in future studies of PIP metabolism in human disease with potential diagnostic applications.Doctor of Philosoph

EVALUATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON AS A COMMERCIAL DRUG DISPOSAL PRODUCT USING LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY–TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY

At present, pharmaceuticals, synthetic organic compounds, and endocrine disrupting compounds are ubiquitous in our environment. These have been introduced by consumers and manufacturers directly and indirectly for decades. There is plenty of published literature addressing the presence of these compounds, the development of newer and more sensitive techniques to detect them at low concentrations, as well as studies showing their effects in the environment and in human health. However, these studies are based on the measurement and detection of these compounds after the fact; and even though some have addressed the need to decrease these pollutants in the environment, procedures to minimize the presence of these compounds in the environment have not been firmly established yet at the consumer level. Consequently, the study of processes to decrease the introduction of these pollutants is well justified. The purpose of this project was to develop a series of methods and experiments to measure the adsorption capacity of a commercial drug disposal product, composed primarily of activated carbon in an acidified solution. Some sample bottles were obtained commercially and contained a proprietary formula, and some sample bottles containing activated carbon in acidified solution were prepared in house. A liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry method was developed and applied for the simultaneous quantification of 24 drugs, which included opiates, barbiturates, statins, amphetamine, and benzodiazepine. For this method, 8-oz bottles containing a proprietary composition were loaded with expired or unused prescription drugs by a third party and the residual was quantified. Additionally, this method was used to measure the loading capacity of activated carbon in 8-oz bottle samples and in 1-gal jug samples. In the case of 8-oz samples, the effect of different acids was also investigated. The loading experiment consisted of the addition of a known amount of acetaminophen in solution every 48 hours or longer, followed by the extraction of the supernatant. A 1-gal jug sample was also prepared in house with known amounts of activated carbon and acidified solution. The 1-gal jug sample was loaded with acetaminophen (500 mg) caplets in solid form instead of acetaminophen in solution. In all of these loading experiments, acetaminophen was chosen because it is used in higher doses in comparison to other drugs (codeine, hydrocodone, etc). In the same manner, aliquots from the 1-gal jug sample were extracted prior to the addition of more acetaminophen caplets. Furthermore, a second method was built to study the adsorption capacity for removal of bioactive species (cannabinoids) from plant matter. In this case, 8-oz bottles were prepared in-house with known composition of activated carbon and acidified solution. 8-oz bottles were loaded by a third party and residuals were tested. The outcome showed that the drug disposal formulations are able to sequester the active ingredient of 24 (solid and liquid forms) drugs and biologically active cannabinoids successfully. Furthermore, the results of studies used to investigate the loading capacity of large volume formulations demonstrated that adsorption is slow, and that the capacity of the formulation was not reached within 48 hours. If allowed to stand longer, the adsorption increased, but further experiments are needed to investigate these results