Customizable Hydrogel Coating of ECM-Based Microtissues for Improved Cell Retention and Tissue Integrity.

Overcoming the oxygen diffusion limit of approximately 200 µm remains one of the most significant and intractable challenges to be overcome in tissue engineering. The fabrication of hydrogel microtissues and their assembly into larger structures may provide a solution, though these constructs are not without their own drawbacks; namely, these hydrogels are rapidly degraded in vivo, and cells delivered via microtissues are quickly expelled from the area of action. Here, we report the development of an easily customized protocol for creating a protective, biocompatible hydrogel barrier around microtissues.

Long-read genome assemblies for the study of chromosome expansion: , , , and .

Flow cytometry estimates of genome sizes among species of show a 3-fold variation, ranging from ∼127 Mb in to ∼400 Mb in . However, the assembled portion of the Muller F Element (orthologous to the fourth chromosome in ) shows a nearly 14-fold variation in size, ranging from ∼1.3 Mb to > 18 Mb.

Student Attitudes Contribute to the Effectiveness of a Genomics CURE.

The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) engages students in a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). To better understand the student attributes that support success in this CURE, we asked students about their attitudes using previously published scales that measure epistemic beliefs about work and science, interest in science, and grit. We found, in general, that the attitudes students bring with them into the classroom contribute to two outcome measures, namely, learning as assessed by a pre- and postquiz and perceived self-reported benefits.

Achieving STEM diversity: Fix the classrooms.

Outdated teaching methods amount to discrimination.