The ERK1/2 cell signaling pathway is highly conserved and a prominent regulator of processes like cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. During nervous system development, the ERK1/2 cascade is activated by the binding of growth factors to receptor tyrosine kinases, leading to the sequential phosphorylation of intracellular protein kinases in the pathway and eventually ERK1 and ERK2, the effectors of the pathway. Well-defined germline mutations resulting in hyperactive ERK1/2 signaling have been implicated in a group of neurodevelopmental disorders called RASopathies. RASopathic individuals often display features such as developmental delay, intellectual disability, cardio-facial abnormalities, and motor deficits. In addition, loss-of-function in ERK1/2 can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability. To better understand the pathology of these neurodevelopmental disorders, the role of ERK1/2 must be examined during the development of specific neuronal and glial subtypes. In this study, we bred transgenic mice with conditional deletion of ERK1/2 in cholinergic neuronal populations to investigate whether ERK1/2 mediates the survival or activity of basal forebrain and striatal cholinergic neurons during postnatal development. By postnatal day 10, we found that ERK1/2 did not seem to mediate cholinergic neuron number within the basal forebrain or striatum. In addition, we showed that expression of FosB, a neuronal activity-dependent transcription factor and target of ERK1/2, was not yet observed in cholinergic neurons within either of these anatomical regions by P10. Finally, our preliminary data suggested that FosB expression within layer IV of the somatosensory cortex, a target domain for basal forebrain cholinergic projections, also did not appear to be mediated by ERK1/2 signaling. However, since cholinergic neuron development is not yet complete by P10, future work should explore whether ERK1/2 plays any role in the long-term survival and function of basal forebrain and striatal cholinergic neurons in adulthood. This will hopefully provide more insight into the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders and inform future therapeutic strategies.

This report summarizes the development of a lifting body aircraft configuration, referred to as ‘LBA’, aimed to serve the long-haul airliner market. This study was conducted in response to the aerospace industry’s goal to reduce global aviation’s emissions by 2050, as well as considered market potential. The report covers the preliminary sizing and design considerations for the LBA as well as practical testing against current conventionally configured long haul aircraft, specifically the Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A330-900 NEO. To test the effectiveness of a lifting body configuration, the wind tunnel at Arizona State University was used to compare models of the LBA, A330, and 787. The result quality from the wind tunnel was constrained due to its limitations and challenges to accurately scale Reynolds Number to that of a transonic regime. This renders the data with low fidelity, and therefore rather insufficient. However, the observed trends are promising and could rationalize expanded research into the application of a lifting body fuselage to improve aircraft efficiency.

As Clifford Geertz describes it, culture is comprised of the social structures of which we attach significance to that ultimately gives our lives meaning. In the case of Taiwan, a 20th century democratic revolution, coupled with the introduction of modernism into Taiwanese literature, attaches significance to feelings of nostalgia, the importance of memories, and the struggle to find one's personal identity in a rapidly changing environment. This essay explores these themes under the guise of Bai Xian-Yong's "Taipei People" and Zhu Tian-Xin's "The Old Capital." Despite being written nearly forty years apart, these two books use modernist storytelling to directly challenge each other's idea of the Taiwanese collective consciousness, which greatly contributes to the narration of the formation of Taiwanese culture post-1949. What emerges from a tumultuous 20th century is an assured, independent Taiwanese culture that both accepts foreign influence and also expresses a distinct personality.