Enterovirus infections are quite common in the United States, causing approximately 10-15 million symptomatic infections every year. Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), a member of the picornavirus family and enterovirus genus, has been shown to be responsible for viral myocarditis, aseptic meningitis, and pancreatitis in humans. The mechanism responsible for CVB3 persistence in the host (chronic / sporadic viral replication or viral latency) remains unclear. Therefore, we utilized the inherent long-term instability of our recombinant coxsackievirus expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP-CVB3) in two mouse models (BALB/c and B cell knockout mice) to determine the mechanism of virus persistence in the heart. These studies may help to determine if antiviral treatment during persistent infection may be productive in patients suffering from chronic viral myocarditis. Also, we genetically engineered a unique molecular marker - "Fluorescent timer" protein - within our infectious viral clone and isolated a high-titer viral stock (Timer-CVB3) following transfection in HeLa cells. "Fluorescent timer" protein changes its fluorescence from green to red over time. Timer-CVB3-infected HeLa cells, neural progenitor and stem cells (NPSCs), or C2C12 myoblast cells slowly changed fluorescence from green to red over 72 hours, as determined by fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometric analysis. The slow change in fluorescence for Timer-CVB3- infected HeLa cells could be interrupted by fixation, suggesting that the fluorophore associated with "fluorescent timer" protein was stabilized by formalin cross-linking reactions. Induction of a type I interferon response reduced the progression of cell-to-cell infection in both HeLa cells and NPSCs. Time lapse photography of partially differentiated NPSCs infected with Timer-CVB3 revealed substantial intracellular membrane remodeling and the assembly of discreet virus replication organelles which changed fluorescence color in an asynchronous fashion within the cell. Unexpectedly, Timer-CVB3 infection of partially differentiated NPSCs or C2C12 myoblast cells induced the release of numerous extracellular microvesicles containing viral material which may represent a novel route of dissemination. Through the use of this novel recombinant virus, we hope to gain a better understanding of CVB3 tropism, alterations in host cell organization, and virus dissemination within the host. Finally, we wished to determine if a previous CVB3 infection during the neonatal period may provide a "fertile field" for the acceleration or exacerbation of subsequent neurodegenerative and autoimmune disease in the aging host. We hypothesized that a previous neurotropic infection which persists in the host may aggravate a subsequent neurological disease in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, and separately in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The induction of key inflammatory and cytokine genes during persistent infection, and the nature of the neurological disease may be important determinants for enhancement or reduction of disease following neonatal CVB3 infection

[No abstract]

In this mixed-method study the researcher sought to explore answers to the following research questions:

What is the effect of an arts integration approach on diverse freshman students’ perceptions of learning, motivation/engagement, school attendance, and academic achievement?Are there changes that occur in the quality of classroom instructional processes, including emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support when an arts integration approach is being utilized?

 

As a quasi-experimental mixed-method study, the study utilized observations, focus groups, student questionnaires, field notes, and data obtained from the NYC IRB on student attendance, student demographics, and academic achievement data in a diverse high school in NYC public schools where 90% of the students were classified as non-white students.  Among the 231 participating freshman students, 3% were part of the ELL program (n = 4); 22% of the students had some disability (n = 41); and the majority of the students were receiving a free or reduced lunch (n = 111, 61%).  One of the 9^th grade academies was selected as the control group and another as the treatment group.  Teachers in the treatment group received a limited amount of professional development on arts integration using a small group project based implementation approach.  Results indicate that the teachers in the treatment group increased levels of instructional support and differentiated learning formats in their classroom as compared to the teachers in the control group.  Additionally, students in the treatment group outperformed the control group students in 3 out of the 4 subject area achievement outcomes that were compared.  There was no significant difference found in student attendance between the control and treatment group students even though a snowstorm and a hurricane occurred during the semester this study was implemented.  Data from the student questionnaires, the focus groups, field notes, and observations was triangulated and supported the quantitative data.  The qualitative data provided a deeper understanding on how the experience had impacted student’s self-beliefs and emotional engagement.  Additionally, there was a significant increase in their behavioral engagement that was both observed and self-reported by students.  This study makes a significant contribution to research identifying which aspects of instructional support seem to increase when teachers implement arts integration.  Additionally, it extends other arts integration research examining diverse/disadvantaged student engagement and achievement even when adversity is experienced in a school.

Los Angeles: Privately printed, 2007 224 pp., 280 illus., $29.95 (cloth)

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.