Atlantic Cape Community College

About: Atlantic Cape Community College is a education organization based out in Mays Landing, New Jersey, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Oyster & Bioenergetics. The organization has 7 authors who have published 11 publications receiving 1917 citations.

The oyster genome reveals stress adaptation and complexity of shell formation

Abstract: The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas belongs to one of the most species-rich but genomically poorly explored phyla, the Mollusca. Here we report the sequencing and assembly of the oyster genome using short reads and a fosmid-pooling strategy, along with transcriptomes of development and stress response and the proteome of the shell. The oyster genome is highly polymorphic and rich in repetitive sequences, with some transposable elements still actively shaping variation. Transcriptome studies reveal an extensive set of genes responding to environmental stress. The expansion of genes coding for heat shock protein 70 and inhibitors of apoptosis is probably central to the oyster's adaptation to sessile life in the highly stressful intertidal zone. Our analyses also show that shell formation in molluscs is more complex than currently understood and involves extensive participation of cells and their exosomes. The oyster genome sequence fills a void in our understanding of the Lophotrochozoa.

The pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii genome and multi-omic analyses provide insights into biomineralization.

Abstract: Nacre, the iridescent material found in pearls and shells of molluscs, is formed through an extraordinary process of matrix-assisted biomineralization. Despite recent advances, many aspects of the biomineralization process and its evolutionary origin remain unknown. The pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii is a well-known master of biomineralization, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie its production of shells and pearls are not fully understood. We sequenced the highly polymorphic genome of the pearl oyster and conducted multi-omic and biochemical studies to probe nacre formation. We identified a large set of novel proteins participating in matrix-framework formation, many in expanded families, including components similar to that found in vertebrate bones such as collagen-related VWA-containing proteins, chondroitin sulfotransferases, and regulatory elements. Considering that there are only collagen-based matrices in vertebrate bones and chitin-based matrices in most invertebrate skeletons, the presence of both chitin and elements of collagen-based matrices in nacre suggests that elements of chitin- and collagen-based matrices have deep roots and might be part of an ancient biomineralizing matrix. Our results expand the current shell matrix-framework model and provide new insights into the evolution of diverse biomineralization systems.

Facultq-Based Advising: An Important Factor in Community College Retention:

Abstract: Community college students are an at-risk group because of their lack of preparation and lack of a firm connection to the institution. Using the literature on student retention that equates a caring and concerned faculty with student satisfaction, the Arts and Humanities department at Atlantic Cape Community College initiated an intense academic advisement outreach to students in the majors of studio arts, humanities, performing arts, and history. Surveys were sent to the general student population as well as the recipients of the initiative. The resulting data revealed a stronger sense of connection to the institution by the Arts and Humanities students than by the general student poulation and a higher rate of retention than exhibited in previous semesters. This research tended to validate earlier studies that equated student satisfaction with retention in the community college setting. ********** This article recounts the efforts by the Arts and Humanities (A&H) department at Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) to increase student retention in the spring of 2001 by personalizing academic advisement for the students seeking degrees in studio arts, humanities, history, or performing arts. Discussion of the retention issues concerning the community college is vital since an increasing number of students are using the community college as their entree into the world of higher education (Cohen, 1998). According to Laanan (2001), more than 50% of the students in higher education begin their career at the two-year level, yet only 29.5% of these students actually receive a degree (Tinto, 1987). In many cases, a community college student is an at-risk student (Cohen & Brawer, 1987) facing almost insurmountable barriers to academic success. Potential impediments to degree completion may include being a first-generation college student, having poor academic skills, being burdened by family and work pressures, being a language minority student, and lacking a consistent connection to the college. The most obvious of these hurdles is the lack of adequate preparation for college-level work. A poor high school record (Bean, 1980) or the passage of time and the commensurate erosion of academic skills are indications of overwhelming hindrances to academic success. In addition, most adult students are faced with competing demands on their time (Stewart, Merril, & Saluri, 1985). The pressures of family and employment responsibilities can easily frustrate the returning adult student. Another factor that can inhibit the success of the community college student is that community colleges are designed for the commuting student rather than for participants in a residential life program. Most community college students come to the campus for classes and leave as soon as classes are over. The support group that residential students might form is rarely as developed for the commuting student. When the classes are over, the commuter will typically return to an environment where the support for continued education may be minimal and where a dozen other constituencies may be competing for the student's time and attention (Stewart et al., 1985). For a residential student, leaving college may mean packing up, getting out of a lease, and leaving friends (Stewart et al., 1985), while a community college student can simply stop attending. Retention and Faculty Discussions on community college issues tend to downplay the significance that extracurricular activities play in student satisfaction. One research report (Hagedorn, Maxwell, Rodriguez, Hocevar, & Fillpot, 2000) states that "student clubs and government, concerts and artistic events, and athletics do not figure prominently in the community college students' campus priorities. The classroom is the main point of student contact with the college" (p. 591). The literature is consistent when emphasizing the importance of the faculty in student retention. …

Diversity and evolution of living oysters

Abstract: Oysters are difficult to classify because of plasticity in shell morphology. Difficulties in classification have hindered the understanding of oyster diversity and evolution. Recent molecular studies of living oysters have revealed high genetic diversity at species, population, and genome levels. New and cryptic species have been discovered, revealing surprisingly high species diversity under similar shell morphology. Genetic analyses have identified several species complexes where low genetic divergence indicates recent or ongoing speciation during the past 3–4 million years. Ongoing speciation is also supported by exceptionally high population divergence within some species. The oyster genome is highly polymorphic and gene-rich, with extensive expansion of genes related to stress and immune responses. High levels of genetic diversity and gene expansion in oysters are likely adaptations to variable environments. Local adaptation in oysters may be pervasive but countered by strong gene flow and b...

A Comparison of Grading Patterns between Full- and Part-Time Humanities Faculty: A Preliminary Study

Abstract: The author analyzed grades submitted over three consecutive spring semesters by 6 full-time and 12 part-time humanities faculty at a community college in New Jersey to determine if differences coul...