bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A national comparison of learning objectives and outcome assessment of the biochemistry and molecular biology capstone experience: building the ASBMB Concept Inventory (618.13)
Authors: Aguanno Ann , Mertz Pamela , Martin Debra , Bell Ellis 
Published: June 2021

Recognizing the increasingly integrative nature of the molecular life sciences, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) recommends that Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) programs develop curriculum based on concepts, content, topics and expected student outcomes, rather than courses. Several reports, including Vision and Change, endorse this “big idea” approach to undergraduate life science education. ASBMB recently developed an accreditation program to provide a national outcome‐based mechanism to accredit B.S and B.A. degrees and acknowledge undergraduate BMB programs which fulfill the expectations of the ASBMB recommended curriculum. Currently, ASBMB is a building a BMB Concept Inventory which will contain validated assessment tools based on foundational and discipline specific knowledge and essential skills for the molecular life science undergraduate. The capstone experience is an essential part of molecule life science undergraduate programs. Although capstone experiences are commonly defined as an attempt to measure student ability to synthesize and integrate acquired knowledge, the format, implementation, learning goals and approach to outcome assessment are quite varied across the nation. Here we report a national comparison of capstone experiences and align the results with both the ASBMB recommended BMB curriculum and the findings of the national workshops driving the development of the BMB Concept Inventory.Grant Funding Source: NSF‐ 0957205 RCN‐UBE
Outcomes of networking: RCN‐UBE: promoting concept‐driven teaching strategies in biochemistry and molecular biology through concept assessments (618.24)
Authors: Wright Ann , Bell Ellis , Bailey Cheryl , Caldwell Ben , Elliott Samantha , Sensibaugh Cheryl , Sirum Karen 
Published: June 2021

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology instructors like all higher education faculty members, face challenges of becoming more effective instructors. They have very few opportunities or time to share their professional lives with others in education. However, when one collaborates in BMB research, there is always communication between scientists: exchanging information; collaborating on projects; and disseminating results. Therefore, why not use the same type of networking to share pedagogical knowledge? In addition to reporting outcomes of the RCN sessions at the Seattle Education meeting, this poster will describe an effective social networking which began in 2010 supported by a grant from the NSF (Undergraduate Biology Education track in the Research Coordination Network program) “Promoting Concept Driven Teaching Strategies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through Concept Assessments. “The social network is effective because the project steering committee monitor the way that individuals are situated in the network and support social ties so individuals can provide feedback and have access to valued resources (Coleman, 1990; Portes, 1998). By following network models used to create standard‐setting documents, such as Vision and Change and PCAST Report, grant administers use a network of selected experts to form Learning Goals and Objectives (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, September/October 2013) and to build a website Toolkit for empirically proven best practices and learning activities. NSF Grant 0957205 to EB supported this work.Grant Funding Source: Supported by RCN‐UBE NSF Grant 0957205
The “flipped” undergraduate research lab: teaching core molecular biology techniques with descriptive protocols and videos (618.30)
Authors: Beckman Matthew 
Published: June 2021

Many researchers at primarily undergraduate institutions face a dilemma—how to balance the teaching, service and research loads. As the size of the research laboratory grows it becomes increasingly necessary to develop efficient strategies to train newer students coming into the lab. Historically, many lab heads have taken the approach where older, more seasoned students introduce new students to methods and techniques. In situations where the lab head is either starting a new laboratory, or is not able to recruit a steady stream of students, continuity between students or cohorts of students coming into the lab may not exist. I am developing two types of assistive tools to introduce undergraduate research students to the core methods and techniques in molecular biology using highly descriptive protocols that include images and narrated videos that demonstrate methods visually. While these tools will never serve as a replacement for mentorship, they will provide students with details about methods that can be reviewed at will and when the mentor is not available. These tools will be made freely available to other researchers through open‐access pipelines such as YouTube and our website.Grant Funding Source: Supported by start up funds from the Dean's Office.
The Vetvip consortium of the EU‐Lifelong Learning Programme presents: “Death by Broken Heart” (618.4)
Authors: Küch Eva‐Maria , Branitzki‐Heinemann Katja , Brogden Graham , von Köckritz‐Blickwede Maren , Naim Hassan , ‐ Consortium Vetvip EU‐Lifelong Learning Programme 
Published: June 2021

Teaching of basic sciences, such as biochemistry, is necessary for medical education and is crucial for supplying students with competent knowledge for professional practice. However, most often the teaching is limited to a presentation of facts with poor correlation to the clinical practice. A close integration between basic and clinical science would improve the teaching quality in veterinary medicine, especially with respect to memory effects and learning motivation of the students. Therefore, an interdisciplinary team of teachers and scientists of biochemistry from different veterinary faculties initiated the project “Use of virtual problems/virtual patients in veterinary basic sciences (Vetvip)” which is funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission. Innovative computer‐based case studies that teach basic scientific concepts with tangible clinical applications have been prepared.The here presented case is about the deadly heart attack of a chimpanzee and incorporates several teaching aims such as the crucial role of oxygen for energy metabolism, the different energy metabolism pathways with particular emphasis on oxidative phosphorylation and the processes which trigger the damage of the myocardial tissue.This project will help to improve veterinary education, boost student motivation and result in increased and long‐lasting learning success rates. www.vetvip.eu
Characterization of Thermotoga maritima maltose binding protein (618.43)
Authors: Masson Laura , Williams Ashley , Dattelbaum Jonathan 
Published: June 2021

Thermotoga martima is a thermophilic, Gram‐negative bacteria found primarily in hot springs and hydrothermal vents. Its thermophilic characteristics mean that proteins found in this bacterium should be extremely stable, even at very high temperatures, making them ideal for manipulation and biosensor design. The protein of interest for our project is the T. maritima maltose binding protein (TmMBP), which is a member of the periplasmic binding protein superfamily. Using site‐directed mutagenesis of residues in and around the binding pocket, we constructed eight single cysteine mutants of TmMBP. The individual Cys residues we covalently modified with environmentally‐sensitive fluorophores to interrogate maltose binding to the protein. The altered fluorescence characteristics were used to determine a dissociation constant for maltose. We used circular dichroism to evaluate the stability of each mutant. Ultimately, we hope to design a TmMBP biosensor that is stable, can bind molecules other than maltose, and will fluoresce when the target molecule is bound.Grant Funding Source: University of Richmond Arts and Sciences
Peptidomic profiling of human and bovine milk and across infant digestion (622.5)
Authors: Dallas David , Guerrero Andres , Khaldi Nora , Parker Evan , Castillo Patricia , Underwood Mark , Bevins Charles , Lebrilla Carlito , German J. , Barile Daniela 
Published: June 2021

Milk co‐evolved with mammalian infants to be nourishing and immunoprotective. Many milk proteins have no known function intact. However, fragments of milk proteins (peptides) released by enzymatic degradation have actions, including immune system modulation and antimicrobial action.The aims of this research were 3‐fold: 1) identify the extent of human and bovine milk protein proteolytic cleavage within the mammary gland and in the infant stomach; 2) identify the mechanisms for their release from the intact protein; and 3) identify peptide actions. Infant gastric aspirates were collected via a naso‐gastric tube 2 hours after feeding. Human milk, bovine milk and gastric aspirates were profiled for peptides by nano‐chip liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (Chip‐Q‐TOF). Hundreds of milk peptides were identified in both human and bovine milks, most of which derived from the casein family. Most peptides were present in all human milks and all bovine milks sampled. Many low abundant milk proteins were the source of numerous peptides, whereas some high abundant proteins yielded no peptides. All peptides were derived from specific portions of the parent protein. These findings suggest a well‐regulated proteolytic system in the mammary gland of both cows and humans. Bioinformatic analysis of the cleavage sites suggested several proteases native to milk were active both within the mammary gland and the infant stomach. In the stomach, despite evidence that the main gastric enzyme, pepsin, is non‐functional in infants, many of the proteolytic sites were consistent with pepsin cleavage. Over 10% of peptides identified in milks and gastric aspirates had over 50% sequence homology with peptides previously annotated for antimicrobial or immunomodulatory function. As an ensemble, human milk peptides inhibited in vitro growth of attenuated pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
Chronic administration of Artemisia annua L. attenuates oxidative stress induced by D‐galactose in mice (629.10)
Authors: Kim Mi Hye , Seo Ji Yeon , Han Mi Kyung , Kang Hye Ryung , Kim Seong Soon , Kim Bo Ram , Zakharova Alexandra , Woo Ji Eun , Kim Jong‐Sang 
Published: June 2021

Artemisia annua L. (AA) is well known to contain a significant level of artemisinin which is an anti‐malarial agent and was also reported to have antitumor activity at high concentration. Our previous study, the ethanolic extract of Artemisia annua. L had in vitro antioxidant effect and induced antioxidant enzyme NQO1 activity in murine hepatoma Hepa1c1c7 cell line. In this study, we investigated whether or not AA attenuates oxidative stress and DNA damage induced by D‐galactose in mouse model. Our results indicated that D‐galactose treatment (6 weeks) caused cognitive impairment in Morris water maze test and produced oxidative stress as is evidenced by the increase of lipid peroxidation and high level of 8‐OH dG in plasma. Furthermore, we found that D‐galactose treatment caused several histological change in some tissues. The treatment for 6 weeks with AA extract attenuated cognitive impairment, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage, and induced some antioxidant enzyme activities in mice injected i.p. with D‐galactose. In conclusion, AA extract suppressed memory impairment induced by D‐galactose in mice, maybe through suppression of ROS generation by D‐galactose.Grant Funding Source: Supported by NRF‐2010‐0027204 and 2011‐0009782 and IPET (High Value‐added Food TechnologyDevelopment Program, 2012, 112066‐3), S. Korea
Elementary school children’s consumption of lower calorie flavored milk, 2010‐2013 (632.1)
Authors: Yon Bethany , Johnson Rachel 
Published: June 2021

USDA requires flavored milk (FM) in schools to be fat‐free. Added sugars (AS) were reduced from 15gm/8oz in 2009‐10 to 6gm/8oz in 2012‐13, reducing FM calories from 170 to 110 kcal/8oz. Milk is an important source of shortfall nutrients, thus it is important to know how well children consume reformulated FMs in school. Annual plate waste studies were conducted (April‐June 2010‐2013) in school districts (n=10) in the north and south as elementary schools moved to fat‐free, low added sugars FM. In 2010, children (grades 3‐5, n=497) consumed 5.8+ SE 0.12oz of the original 170 kcal/8oz FM. In subsequent years, as fat and AS were removed, children consumed 5.2+SE 0.12oz (n=388, 1277, 533). The data were highly skewed and converted to a binary variable. Overall, children in northern schools were more likely to consume >7oz FM (p<0.0001) than children in the south. Boys consumed more FM at lunch than girls (p<0.0001). Using linear mixed models adjusting for sex and region differences, the proportion of children consuming >7oz FM was stable over time (p=0.73). However, consumption patterns differed among schools (p=0.001). Changes to FM formulations to meet USDA standards appear to be successful in reducing fat and AS calories in children’s diets at school without impacting overall milk consumption. However, given the wide variations observed among schools, further monitoring of children’s dietary patterns is warranted.Grant Funding Source: USDA Hatch and Dairy Research Institute
Estimating the cost of scaling up direct nutrition interventions at national and subnational levels: insights from India (632.15)
Authors: McDonald Christine , Menon Purnima , Chakrabarti Suman 
Published: June 2021

Background: Maternal and child undernutrition in India is high. National programs are designed to provide recommended direct nutrition interventions, but current coverage is low and little is known about costs of closing gaps. Costs of scaling up nutrition are calculated at the global level, but they do not capture national policy guidelines, delivery platforms or local unit costs.Objective: To estimate national and state‐level costs of delivering direct nutrition interventions in India and identify local costing needs.Methods: Interventions included for implementation by government through local delivery platforms were costed. Size of target populations (TP) for each intervention were estimated using national data. Unit costs (UC) were derived or obtained from programmatic data &amp; other sources. Cost of delivering an intervention at 100% coverage = (UC*projected TP).Results: Over US$ 5 billion/year is required to deliver chosen interventions in India. Cost estimates are constrained by limited local data on UC rather than data on TP. Differences between government budget &amp; expenditures (B&amp;E) and intervention‐based cost estimates are difficult to calculate because B&amp;E are often not reported by intervention.Conclusion: There is an urgent need for local cost studies on delivery of high‐impact interventions to ensure accurate national and sub‐national nutrition budgeting in India and in other countries.Grant Funding Source: Supported by: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, through POSHAN, led by IFPRI.
Average infant formula and breastmilk intake among WIC infants reflects food package changes (632.9)
Authors: Reat Amanda , Crixell Sylvia , Von Bank Julia , Thornton Hannah , Friedman B.J. 
Published: June 2021

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides food vouchers in “packages” to low‐income, at risk participants. Prior to 2009, food packages for all infants included vouchers for 806 ounces/month of infant formula, regardless of feeding mode, a potential barrier to breastfeeding. In 2009, the WIC packages were modified to improve nutrient intake and to address the historically low rates of breastfeeding among WIC mothers. Formula is now allocated based on feeding mode, with more formula provided to fully formula fed (FF), less to partially formula fed (PF), and none to fully breastfed (BF) infants. The intent of this study was to determine whether formula and breastmilk intake of infants participating in a central Texas WIC clinic reflected this new allocation of formula. Using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test, we analyzed 24‐hour recall data collected from 82 WIC caregivers of infants 4‐12 months using Nutrition Data System for Research. Among infants 4‐6 months, PF and BF infants consumed significantly less formula and more breastmilk than their FF counterparts (P<0.05); BF infants also consumed significantly more breastmilk than PF infants (P<0.05). Among infants 6‐12 months, fully BF consumed significantly less formula than FF infants (P<0.001); the difference in formula intake between PF and BF infants approached significance (P=0.054). Intake of breastmilk was significantly different among all groups; BF infants consumed more breastmilk than PF (P<0.001) and FF infants (P<0.001); PF infants consumed more than FF infants (P=0.001). These results suggest that infants receiving less formula from WIC packages actually consumed less formula and more breastmilk, in accordance with the intent of the policy change.Grant Funding Source: Texas State University Research Enhancement Program
Enhanced aerobic exercise performance in women by a combination of three mineral chelates plus two conditionally essential nutrients (634.7)
Authors: DiSilvestro Robert 
Published: June 2021

Active, young adult women often eat less than optimal levels of iron, zinc and copper, a situation not always corrected by use of multi‐vitamin‐mineral supplements (which often omit iron and often only include zinc and copper in non‐ideal forms). Similarly, intake of carnitine and phosphatidylserine, two conditionally essential nutrients (CENs), may fall below what maximally enhances aerobic energy metabolism. Therefore, a study was done where aerobically fit, young adult, non‐anemic women consumed one of the following for about a month: placebo, glycinate complexes of the 3 minerals + the CENs, or generic versions of the 3 minerals + the CENs. Before and after the treatment, subjects were tested for time in a 3 mile run, followed shortly by distance covered in 25 minutes of stationary biking, followed shortly by performance in a 90 second step test. The mineral glycinates + CENs produced substantial improvements in all three tests (ie mean run time decrease of 54 seconds). The placebo had a significant effect only on the biking distance, though it was less than the mineral glycinates + CENs. The generic minerals + CENs only significantly affected the step test. In summary, a combination of certain mineral complexes plus two non‐essential organic nutrients improved aerobic exercise performance in fit young adult women.Grant Funding Source: Gatorade Institutue
Iodized salt benefits children school readiness: preliminary results from a cluster randomized trial in Ethiopia (635.2)
Authors: Bougma Karim , Marquis Grace , Aboud Frances , Melka Tizita , Samuel Aregash 
Published: June 2021

Iodine deficiency is thought to contribute to delayed mental development. The effectiveness of iodized salt programs in reducing this delay has not been studied in children 6 years and under. Using a randomized cluster design, 1835 children 54 to 60 mo old were sampled from 60 villages in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The iodized salt and control groups were comparable on all baseline variables, including maternal schooling (89.6% had none) and child dietary diversity (mean: 2.2 out of 7 food categories). Once national production of iodized salt began, the project facilitated early delivery to intervention village marketplaces; iodized salt arrived to control village marketplaces approximately 6 months later. The same children (92% of the original sample) were re‐assessed at 69 to 78 mo of age. Intervention group children had a significantly higher score on the 25‐item school readiness test (mean: 8.3 vs 7.8, respectively, p<0.05). No significant differences were found on the two Wechsler tests of reasoning, analyzing raw or standardized scores (0‐19); standardized mean values were very low: Matrix Reasoning (4.0) and Similarities (5.5). In conclusion, along with the exposure to iodized salt, the school readiness skills of 5‐ and 6‐year‐old children benefited possibly because they had exposure to older siblings' literacy and math skills but not to cognitive and verbal reasoning.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Micronutrient Initiative, Canada
In vivo and in vitro evidence that leptin stimulates the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (640.9)
Authors: Zimmerman Arthur , Harris Ruth 
Published: June 2021

We previously reported that glucosamine administration, which activates the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP), causes leptin resistance in rats. Here we tested whether nutrient activation of the HBP results in leptin resistance. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats received intraperitoneal infusions of saline or leptin (40 μg/day) for 12 days and were fed chow or a choice diet of chow, 30% sucrose solution, and lard. The choice diet caused leptin resistance and increased hepatic glutamine fructose 6‐phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT), a rate limiting enzyme in the HBP, and O‐linked N‐acetylglucosamine (O‐GlcNAc) protein modification. Leptin infusion increased GFAT and O‐GlcNAcylation in chow‐fed rats, whereas it had no additive effect in choice rats. To test for direct effects of leptin and glucose, HepG2 cells were incubated with high concentrations of glucose (18.5 mM) or with 5.5 mM glucose and leptin (0, 5, 10, 50, 100 or 500 ng/mL). Both leptin and glucose stimulated cellular GFAT and protein O‐GlcNAcylation. Thus, leptin stimulates the HBP both in vivo and in vitro, and activation of the HBP due to increased nutrient flux is associated with leptin resistance.Grant Funding Source: Supported by NIH grant DK 53903
d‐δ‐Tocotrienol suppresses the differentiation of murine 3T3‐F442A preadipocytes (641.8)
Authors: Mo Huanbiao , Yeganehjoo Hoda , Torabi Sheida 
Published: June 2021

Suppression of adipogenesis is one of the potential approaches in obesity prevention. The statins, competitive inhibitors of 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase, suppress the differentiation of adipocytes via mevalonate deprivation. We hypothesize that d‐δ‐tocotrienol, a vitamin E molecule shown to accelerate the degradation of HMG CoA reductase, suppresses adipocyte differentiation and adipogenic gene expression. Adipo‐Red assay and oil Red O staining showed that an 8‐d incubation with 2.5 ‐ 10 μmol/L d‐δ‐tocotrienol dose‐dependently reduced the intracellular triglyceride content of murine 3T3‐F442A adipocytes, reminiscent of the lovastatin (1.25 μmol/L) effect. Concomitantly, d‐δ‐tocotrienol dose‐dependently inhibited glucose uptake by 3T3‐F442A cells and the expression of GluT4, pAKT, and HMG CoA reductase proteins. Rosiglitazone (1 µmol/L), an agonist of peroxisome proliferator activator receptor‐activated receptor γ ‐ a key mediator of adipocyte differentiation ‐ reversed the effects of d‐δ‐tocotrienol on cellular lipid content and glucose uptake but not those of lovastatin. In contrast, mevalonate (100 µmol/L) reversed the effects of lovastatin. d‐α‐Tocopherol at 10 µmol/L did not have any impact on 3T3‐F442A differentiation. Trypan blue staining showed no changes in cell viability following 48‐h incubation of 3T3‐F442A cells with d‐δ‐tocotrienol (0‐80 µmol/L), suggesting that the adipogenesis‐suppressive activity of d‐δ‐tocotrienol was independent of cytotoxicity. Dietary d‐δ‐tocotrienol may have potential as anti‐adipogenesis compounds.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Texas Department of Agriculture and TWU Research Enhancement Program