Replicating or franchising a STEM afterschool program model: core elements of programmatic integrity.

Background: Designed in 2012 with a first implementation in 2013, NE STEM 4U is a professional development program for post-secondary students/undergraduates, and serves as a source of outreach, content knowledge generation, and STEM literacy for youth in grades kindergarten through 8th grade (ages 5-14). The model empowers post-secondary students as facilitators of inquiry-based learning within the context of an out-of-school time program. This study investigated the potential for replicating or 'franchising' this model by evaluating on the following: (1) Is the model replicable? And, if so, (2) what core elements are necessary for program fidelity? And (3) is there a dependency on a particular setting/participant type (e.

Identification of a Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma Signature: Preliminary Findings With Diagnostic Potential.

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a rare, indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that affects 0. 13 per 100,000 persons annually. Overall survival of SMZL is estimated to reach 8-11 years in most cases, but up to 30% of SMZL cases develop aggressive presentations resulting in greatly diminished time of survival.

Life Science Undergraduate Mentors in NE STEM 4U Significantly Outperform Their Peers in Critical Thinking Skills.

The development of critical thinking skills in recent college graduates is keenly requested by employers year after year. Moreover, improving these skills can help students to better question and analyze data. Consequently, we aimed to implement a training program that would add to the critical thinking skills of undergraduate students: Nebraska Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math 4U (NE STEM 4U).

Deciphering splenic marginal zone lymphoma pathogenesis: the proposed role of microRNA.

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a malignancy of mature B-cells that primarily involves the spleen, but can affect peripheral organs as well. Even though SMZL is overall considered an indolent malignancy, the majority of cases will eventually progress to be more aggressive. In recent years, the gene expression profile of SMZL has been characterized in an effort to identify: 1) the etiology of SMZL, 2) biological consequences of SMZL, and 3) putative therapeutic targets.

Caveolin-1 is dispensable for early lymphoid development, but plays a role in the maintenance of the mature splenic microenvironment.

Objective: Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is known for its role as both a tumor suppressor and an oncogene, harboring a highly context-dependent role within a myriad of malignancies and cell types. In an immunological context, dysregulation of CAV1 expression has been shown to alter immunological signaling functions and suggests a pivotal role for CAV1 in the facilitation of proper immune responses. Nonetheless, it is still unknown how Cav1-deficiency and heterozygosity would impact the development and composition of lymphoid organs in mice.

Using Murine Models to Investigate Tumor-Lymphoid Interactions: Spotlight on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma.

The role of the tumor microenvironment in leukemias and lymphomas is well established, yet the intricacies of how the malignant cells regulate and influence their non-malignant counterparts remain elusive. For example, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is an expansion of malignant CD5CD19 B cells, yet the non-malignant T cells play just as large of a role in disease presentation and etiology. Herein, we review the dynamic tumor cell to lymphoid repertoire interactions found in two non-Hodgkin's lymphoma subtypes: CLL and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

How do undergraduate STEM mentors reflect upon their mentoring experiences in an outreach program engaging K-8 youth?

Background: Many university students are becoming involved in mentoring programs, yet few studies describe the impact of mentoring on the mentor. Additionally, many studies report that students graduating from college are not prepared to enter the workforce in terms of key career skills and/or content knowledge. Herein, we examine the impact of our program, NE STEM 4U (Nebraska Science, Technology, Engineering and Math for You), in which undergraduate (UG) mentors engage K-8 youth in after-school STEM experiments.

Murine Models of Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma: A Role for ?

Dozens of murine models of indolent and aggressive B-cell lymphomas have been generated to date. These include those manifesting chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), as well as xenografts of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). These models have led to an improved understanding of disease etiology, B-cell biology, immunomodulation, and the importance of the tumor microenvironment.

Burrowing through the Heterogeneity: Review of Mouse Models of PTCL-NOS.

Currently, there are 19 different peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) entities recognized by the World Health Organization; however, ~70% of PTCL diagnoses fall within one of three subtypes [i.e., peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma].

Correction: Conserved Molecular Underpinnings and Characterization of a Role for Caveolin-1 in the Tumor Microenvironment of Mature T-Cell Lymphomas.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Conserved Molecular Underpinnings and Characterization of a Role for Caveolin-1 in the Tumor Microenvironment of Mature T-Cell Lymphomas.

Neoplasms of extra-thymic T-cell origin represent a rare and difficult population characterized by poor clinical outcome, aggressive presentation, and poorly defined molecular characteristics. Much work has been done to gain greater insights into distinguishing features among malignant subtypes, but there also exists a need to identify unifying characteristics to assist in rapid diagnosis and subsequent potential treatment. Herein, we investigated gene expression data of five different mature T-cell lymphoma subtypes (n = 187) and found 21 genes to be up- and down-regulated across all malignancies in comparison to healthy CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell controls (n = 52).

Absence of caveolin-1 leads to delayed development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Eμ-TCL1 mouse model.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult leukemia in the United States. The tissue microenvironment, specifically the lymph nodes, influences the biological and clinical behavior of CLL cells. Gene expression profiling of CLL cells from peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes revealed Cav-1 as one of the genes that might be involved in the pathogenesis of CLL.

Integrating interactive computational modeling in biology curricula.

While the use of computer tools to simulate complex processes such as computer circuits is normal practice in fields like engineering, the majority of life sciences/biological sciences courses continue to rely on the traditional textbook and memorization approach. To address this issue, we explored the use of the Cell Collective platform as a novel, interactive, and evolving pedagogical tool to foster student engagement, creativity, and higher-level thinking. Cell Collective is a Web-based platform used to create and simulate dynamical models of various biological processes.

Design, Assessment, and in vivo Evaluation of a Computational Model Illustrating the Role of CAV1 in CD4(+) T-lymphocytes.

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is a vital scaffold protein heterogeneously expressed in both healthy and malignant tissue. We focus on the role of CAV1 when overexpressed in T-cell leukemia. Previously, we have shown that CAV1 is involved in cell-to-cell communication, cellular proliferation, and immune synapse formation; however, the molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated.

Amyloid precursor-like protein 2 suppresses irradiation-induced apoptosis in Ewing sarcoma cells and is elevated in immune-evasive Ewing sarcoma cells.

Despite surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy treatments, the children, adolescents, and young adults who are diagnosed with metastasized Ewing sarcoma face a dismal prognosis. Amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) has recently been implicated in the survival of cancer cells and in our current study, APLP2's contribution to the survival of Ewing sarcoma cells was examined. APLP2 was readily detected in all Ewing sarcoma cell lines analyzed by western blotting, with the TC71 Ewing sarcoma cells expressing the lowest level of APLP2 among the lines.

Tumor-induced host immunosuppression: special focus on CLL.

Malignant cells are able to suppress host immune responses in an effort to avoid immune detection in vivo. Tumor-induced immunosuppression can be achieved at the molecular, cellular, and/or physiological levels. Herein the contribution of immune-tolerant genes and regulatory cells to immunosuppression related to alterations of T-cells and antigen-presentation is reviewed.