84 research outputs found
Dr. Scott Meiners
No full textDr. Scott Meiners is a Professor of Biological Science at Eastern Illinois University. Meiners is a featured author at the Authors@EIU event at Booth Library. He shares his recent publication- Tree By Tree Saving North America\u27s Eastern Foresthttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/authors_at_eiu_feb2024/1004/thumbnail.jp
Dr. Scott Meiners
No full textDr. Scott Meiners presents an author talk on his recently published book- Tree By Tree Saving North America\u27s Eastern Foresthttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/authors_at_eiu_feb2024/1005/thumbnail.jp
Sea-ice core and under-ice optical measurements from ice stations conducted during RV Polarstern PS117 voyage
No full textProgress Code: completedStatement: Sampling and analyses followed standard procedures (e.g. Miller et al. 2015). No problems were encountered.<b>Purpose</b><br/>Combined these measurements aimed i) to describe physical-chemical-biological conditions in summer sea ice in the Weddell Sea and ii) to develop algorithms to estimate sea-ice Chlorophyll-a content from transmitted irradiance data (see for example Melbourne-Thomas et al. 2015, Meiners et al. 2017).Sea-ice cores (0.09 m internal diameter) were sampled during Polarstern voyage PS117 to the Weddell Sea during December 2018 to January 2019. Ice core measurements include position, snow thickness, ice thickness, ice core temperature and bulk-salinity profiles, macro-nutrient concentrations as well as Chlorophyll-a pigment content. In addition on each ice station downwelling (surface) and under-ice irradiances were measured with a hyperspectral radiometer
Collation of existing (historical) Antarctic fast ice core Chlorophyll a data
No full textProgress Code: completedThe Antarctic Fast Ice Algae Chlorophyll-a (AFIAC) dataset is a compilation of currently available sea ice chlorophyll-a data from land-fast sea ice (i.e., excluding pack ice (see ASPeCt-Bio, Meiners et al. 2012)) cores collected at circum-Antarctic locations during the period 1970 to 2015. Data come from peer-reviewed publications, field-reports, data repositories and direct contributions by field-research teams. During all campaigns the chlorophyll-a concentration (in micrograms per litre) was measured from melted ice-core sections, using standard procedures, e.g., by melting the ice at less than 5 degrees C in the dark; filtering samples onto glassfibre filters; and fluorometric analysis according to standard protocols [Holm-Hansen et al., 1965; Evans et al., 1987]. Ice samples were melted either directly or in filtered sea water, which does not yield significant differences in chlorophyll-a concentration [Dieckmann et al., 1998]. The dataset consists of 888 geo-referenced ice cores, consisting of 5718 individual ice core sections, and including 404 full vertical profiles with a minimum of three sections. Samples/sections from the remaining cores represent: i) bottom 0.05 m only (n= 32), ii) bottom 0.1 m only (n = 301), complete cores (n = 66), as well as intermittent profiles (n = 85) with at least 3 sections but gaps in-between them. <br/>For questions about this dataset please contact: Klaus Meiners and Martin Vancoppenolle<br/>This data compilation was carried out under the auspices of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research - ASPeCt program and the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR) working group on Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at the Sea-Ice Interfaces (WG-140). It also contributes to SCOR WG-152 on Measuring Essential Climate Variables in Sea Ice (ECV-Ice).<br/><br/>An update to this dataset was submitted in September, 2018
The Extracellular Matrix Glycoprotein Tenascin-C Is Beneficial for Spinal Cord Regeneration
No full textTenascin-C (TNC), a major component of the extracellular matrix, is strongly upregulated after injuries of the central nervous system (CNS) but its role in tissue repair is not understood. Both regeneration promoting and inhibiting roles of TNC have been proposed considering its abilities to both support and restrict neurite outgrowth in vitro. Here, we show that spontaneous recovery of locomotor functions after spinal cord injury is impaired in adult TNC-deficient (TNC(-/-)) mice in comparison to wild-type (TNC(+/+)) mice. The impaired recovery was associated with attenuated excitability of the plantar Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex), reduced glutamatergic input, reduced sprouting of monaminergic axons in the lumbar spinal cord and enhanced post-traumatic degeneration of corticospinal axons. The degeneration of corticospinal axons in TNC(-/-) mice was normalized to TNC+/+ levels by application of the alternatively spliced TNC fibronectin type III homologous domain D (fnD). Finally, overexpression of TNC-fnD via adeno-associated virus in wild-type mice improved locomotor recovery, increased monaminergic axons sprouting, and reduced lesion scar volume after spinal cord injury. The functional efficacy of the viral-mediated TNC indicates a potentially useful approach for treatment of spinal cord injury
The design and fabrication of novel polyanhydride blend scaffolds for peripheral nerve repair
No full textImplantable biodegradable nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) are promising alternatives to autograft nerve for tissue regeneration. The conduit scaffolds have the potential to align and support regenerating cells and prevent scar formation. Following laceration, natural peripheral nerve regeneration is an inefficient process involving obstructive scar formation and random axon re-growth. A synthetic nerve graft material must be able to: interact favorably with the cellular components of nerve tissue, be strong and pliable, and ideally biodegrade when regeneration is complete, leaving the biological structure intact. This research is directed towards engineering a biodegradable polymer-based NGC. Initial studies included in vitro bioassays and in vivo material evaluation using a novel α,α’-bis(o-carboxyphenoxy)-p-xylene-based polyanhydride blend NGC material. In vitro cytotoxicity studies with both immortal and primary cells demonstrated that the proposed polyanhydride blend is cytocompatible. Subcutaneous implantation for seven days in rats resulted in an initial fibrin matrix, minimal macrophage presence, and angiogenesis in the surrounding tissues. NGCs fabricated from the proposed polyanhydride blend material prove to serve as favorable biocompatible tissue engineering devices. Subsequent research was focused on developing porous bioactive scaffolds for nerve regeneration. An admixture of polylactide anhydride and a salicylic acid-based poly(anhydride-ester) was fabricated into conduits via a dip-coating technique. The addition of a plasticizer and porogen alleviates brittle mechanical properties and introduces porosity into the biomaterial. Under physiological conditions, the polymer conduit undergoes surface erosion and pH-dependent non-enzymatic hydrolytic bond cleavage. The polymer conduits degrade to release non-steroidal anti-inflammatory active therapeutics for several weeks. The NGCs were fully characterized in preparation for an in vivo study with the mouse femoral nerve model. Lastly, a hollow tissue engineering conduit may be augmented with an interior scaffold to most effectively mimic the native nerve microenvironment and facilitate nerve regeneration. Aligned poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/bioactive-polyanhydride fibrous substrates were fabricated through optimized electrospinning parameters. Neurons and glial cells demonstrated elongated and healthy proliferation in a direction parallel to orientated electrospun fibers with significantly longer outgrowth when compared to randomly orientated fibers. Aligned fiber mats have the potential to supplement the interior lumen of a degradable polymer NGC.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Jeremy Griffi
Long and short splice variants of human tenascin differentially regulate neurite outgrowth. Mol. Cell Neurosc
No full textTenascin-C has been implicated in regulation of neurite outgrowth both during development and after injury; however, its role as permissive vs inhibitory remains controversial. We report that different tenascin splice variants may have dramatically different impacts on neuronal growth. In a cell culture model, the largest and smallest splice variants (TN.L and TN.S) of human tenascin both promoted process extension when surface-bound. In contrast, soluble TN.S inhibited outgrowth, whereas soluble TN.L had no inhibitory effect. Perturbation experiments with antibodies, and outgrowth experiments with recombinant tenascin fragments, indicate that the differential properties of these molecules can be attributed to their distinctive array of FN-III repeats. Monoclonal antibodies were used to demonstrate at least two distinct neurite outgrowth promoting domains within the alternatively spliced region. These results suggest that the effect of tenascin on axon growth is a function of splice variants, as well as the form or conformation of those variants
Improvement of mechanical properties due to increased fibre matrix adhesion in flax fibre reinforced polypropylene
No full textTree By Tree: Saving North America\u27s Eastern Forests
No full textFor decades, the forests of Eastern North America have faced pathogen and insect pests that have functionally removed tree species from the landscape. This book presents the ecological roles that the trees play, the biology of the threats faced, and the approaches that may remediate the problems.
Author Biohttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/authors_at_eiu_books/1001/thumbnail.jp
How Might Adam Smith Pay Professors Today?
No full textAdam Smith’s proposal for paying professors was intended to induce increased faculty knowledge. If students have imperfect information about what they learn, and universities can only imperfectly measure the input of faculty time in student learning, publications may be used to measure faculty knowledge. If professors’ ability to publish is positively related to their ability to produce student learning, which universities can imperfectly measure, publications may be necessary to attract more able professors. Since research signals faculty knowledge, schools that do not value publications per se could require higher publication standards and pay higher wages than schools that value only publications.
- …
