Fostering students’ motivation and interest in higher education composition classes is vital to sustain student engagement. However, short-term motivation does not necessarily determine long-term success; recent research has found that an individual’s level of grit plays a significant role in his or her long-term success (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). To investigate the role of grit in writing classrooms, we are exploring how writing instructors can foster students’ grit for a greater chance of long-term success. Because Duckworth et al. (2007) consider interest and effort to be crucial factors in grit, we chose to examine whether or not service-learning (SL) can foster students’ grit, as SL been shown to increase student engagement in the past. Using Duckworth et al.’s eight-question grit scale, this project investigated the impact of SL on the grit of students in basic writing classes at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, comparing three SL classes (Group 1) and two non-SL classes (Group 2). Data was analyzed using t-tests to compare the average grit scores between the groups at mid- and post-semester. Although results indicated no significant correlation between grit and SL, this study suggests that grit stems more from internal rather than external motivators. Thus, this research can potentially open up a conversation about factors and influences that affect an individual’s grit.

While HIV-related immunosuppression is a well-studied risk factor of tuberculosis (TB) infection and reactivation, other forms of immune system modulation have yet to be explored in great depth. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) infects one third of the global population, with 5-10% developing active TB. Understanding risk factors of a high burden infectious disease such as TB is critical to improving control and prevention in humans. This study uses a population of biomedical macaques to explore the relationship between pregnancy history and TB susceptibility. A correlation between the factors would flag pregnant women as a unique high-risk population. It is anticipated that the number of pregnancies will be predictive of increased TB susceptibility, with individuals who have had multiple pregnancies more likely to be infected with MTBC. Individuals without a history of pregnancy are expected to have similar rates of infection as males in our study. Nonhuman primate(s) (NHP) are used as models of human infectious diseases and are also susceptible to infection with MTBC. The Oral Swab PCR (OSP) uses a buccal swab to sample saliva and cells from the interior of a subject’s mouth. This protocol has been previously validated for the detection of MTBC in NHP and humans. We used an extensive archive of buccal swabs collected from biomedical macaques to screen for MTBC. Following OSP screening for MTBC, statistical tests were run to test for A) sex-specific differences in infection and B) the impact of number and frequency of pregnancies on infection within females. An association between pregnancy and TB supports existing research and furthers the question on how pregnancy relates to the reactivation of latent TB. Currently, mechanisms for reactivation of latent TB are poorly understood making it difficult to predict how, or why TB reactivation occurs. Further research is needed to examine immunosuppression and reactivation.

Treponema pallidum pertenue, an endemic treponemal disease, also known as yaws, is considered a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). Approximately 65,000 new cases of yaws occur each year in thirteen endemic countries, with almost 85% of all infections occurring in Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. The disease is predominantly seen in children, transmitted by direct contact with the skin. Wild nonhuman primates (NHP) in Africa have been shown to be infected with T. pallidum pertenue. These African NHP cases of infection add to the speculation that free-ranging NHP may serve as a mammalian reservoir of the pathogen. Interestingly, human and NHP cases of T. pallidum pertenue in Africa often occur in areas where the groups are sympatric. In Asia, the human-NHP interface is generally more widespread and diverse, characterized by pet primates, temple monkeys, and wild and urban primates. Yaws infections in humans continues to be pervasive in many of the areas where humans and NHP interact. The goal of our project’s screening efforts is to further characterize whether these Asian monkey populations are infected with T. pallidum pertenue. Using standard serological assays to detect treponemal antibodies, we have screened approximately 800 NHP serum samples from eight countries representing six contexts and ten species. Our preliminary results indicate that T. pallidum pertenue can be detected in discreet NHP populations particularly where there is enhanced interaction between the human and NHP populations, and the disease is still largely endemic in the human population. In order for a disease to become eradicable, it is imperative that there be no mammalian reservoir. As the WHO seeks to eradicate the disease via a second global campaign, this research will be able to tell us whether treponemal infections are present in NHP populations.

Epileptic encephalopathies (EE) are severe forms of childhood epilepsies. Recent studies have shown that some cases of pediatric EE are caused by copy number variants (CNV), which are chromosomal deletions, duplications, or insertions of DNA. CNVs may contain genes that are important for neural health, causing disease when there is a copy number change. I am investigating rare CNVs in EE patients where the genetic cause is not known. I will screen EE patients for CNVs using a technique called array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) to identify rare CNVs that may be disease-causing. If a CNV is found, I will conduct aCGH on parents to determine if the CNV is de novo (arising for the first time in that individual and not inherited from either parent). We also expect that in cases with multiple affected family members, patients may inherit rare mutations from an affected parent. Preliminary results show that out of 69 patients screened thus far, 15 rare CNVs that range in size and number of genes affected have been identified in 13 patients. Of these, 3 de novo CNVs were identified that include a single exon deletion of the gene SLC2A1, a partial deletion of the gene NRXN1, and a 2.4 mb deletion in chromosomal region 7q11.23, affecting 40 genes. In addition, 2 patients each have a 1.4-1.5 mb deletion encompassing the region 16p13.11, which has been reported to be associated with epilepsy and developmental delay. Parental and segregation testing is ongoing for many patients. Rare CNVs can highlight genes implicated for proper neural function and development. This will help advance our understanding of the pathology and genetic basis of epilepsy. Furthermore, identification of particular pathogenic genes will be useful in the clinical setting for genetic counseling of affected patients and families.

M. tuberculosis (TB) infects one third of the global population and causes 1.5 million deaths annually. Most of the disease burden occurs in low-income countries. Although TB is curable, the lack of proper diagnostic tools in developing areas restricts treatment and propagates the spread of this highly contagious airborne disease. Currently, the gold standard for pulmonary TB detection is a sputum culture, which is not only time intensive, invasive, and requires a clinical setting with laboratory analysis, but also increases risk of transmission and is difficult to obtain. In collaboration with Dr. James Lai of UW Bioengineering and Dr. David Horne of UW Global Health, we are developing a noninvasive and highly sensitive TB test for point-of-care settings. We propose a sequence specific capture modality of TB transrenal DNA (trDNA) in easily collected urine samples. Recent literature has shown the ability to detect TB trDNA in patient urine samples, but the current methods target long trDNA fragments which are unlikely to pass through the renal system and lack both sensitivity and specificity. As a result from specific DNA capture and targeting short DNA fragments, the proposed protocol allows detection of TB trDNA fragments from urine at a thousand-fold lower concentration.