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\"Twenty science and nature essays that represent the best examples of the form published in 2022.\" -- Provided by publisher.

The influence of the microbiome on the development of cancer is well-documented with many if not all published studies reporting either a positive or a negative impact. None of the published studies, however, presented data on the influence of the microbiome on the development of heritable cancer. We find that the microbiota has no influence on cancer development in two models of spontaneous cancers driven by germline Trp53 deficiency and constitutive Wnt1 signaling.

The 2014 chikungunya outbreak in the Dominican Republic resulted in intense local transmission, with high postoutbreak seroprevalence. The resulting population immunity will likely minimize risk for another large outbreak through 2035, but changes in population behavior or environmental conditions or emergence of different virus strains could lead to increased transmission.

Both viruses and bacteria produce “pathogen associated molecular patterns” that may affect microbial pathogenesis and anti-microbial responses. Additionally, bacteria produce metabolites, while viruses could change the metabolic profiles of the infected cells. Here, we used an unbiased metabolomics approach to profile metabolites in spleens and blood of murine leukemia virus-infected mice monocolonized with Lactobacillus murinus to show that viral infection significantly changes the metabolite profile of monocolonized mice. We hypothesize that these changes could contribute to viral pathogenesis or to the host response against the virus and thus open a new avenue for future investigations.

The influence of the microbiota on viral transmission and replication is well appreciated. However, its impact on retroviral pathogenesis outside of transmission/replication control remained unknown. Using Murine Leukemia Virus (MuLV), we found that some commensal bacteria promoted the development of leukemia induced by this retrovirus. The promotion of leukemia development by commensals was due to suppression of the adaptive immune response through upregulation of several negative regulators of immunity. These negative regulators included Serpinb9b and Rnf128, which are associated with a poor prognosis of some spontaneous human cancers. Upregulation of Serpinb9b was mediated by sensing of bacteria by NOD1/NOD2/RIPK2 pathway. Using an unbiased metabolomics approach, we also identified various metabolites whose presence and abundances in the periphery is mediated by both bacterial colonization and MuLV infection. Highlighting the potential for metabolites to also influence virally induced leukemia development. This work describes a novel mechanism by which the microbiota enhances tumorigenesis within gut-distant organs and points at potential new targets for cancer therapy.

This study explores and addresses a performance issue at an operational military education institution. Currently, the school faces significant challenges employing data-informed approaches to curriculum development to validate instructional outcomes. Data-driven decision making is a command priority, yet limited data hinders the school’s ability to clearly articulate program outcomes to senior leadership. Without actionable insights, the school risks missed opportunities for evidence-based curriculum improvements and to demonstrate its impact on mission readiness. Addressing this issue is essential for ensuring informed decision-making, enhancing instructional quality, and maintaining the school's reputation as a leader in agile, high impact education for the force. The study leverages action research as a strategic approach to identify challenges, test interventions, and refine practices through iterative cycles of data collection and reflection. This problem-oriented approach is particularly relevant in a dynamic military education setting where complex problems require context-specific solutions. The Human Performance Technology (HPT) model served as the conceptual framework for analyzing the root causes of limited data, designing interventions, and implementing data-driven, actionable, and measurable solutions. Both action research and the HPT model emphasize stakeholder participation to ensure that those most affected by the issue contribute to understanding the problem and shaping solutions.Integrating qualitative analysis with the Human Performance Technology (HPT) model provided an in-depth, contextual understanding of the problem. Qualitative methods are particularly effective for exploring underlying meanings and patterns in relationships (Babbie, 2021). This method enabled the collection and interpretation of narrative and visual data, uncovering organizational, cultural, and environmental factors that influence human performance (Bloomberg, 2022). Rather than seeking to generalize findings, this study aimed to generate rich, descriptive insights into the school’s processes, identifying areas for improvement specific to its context. The school is an agile military institution that adapts its educational products to meet contemporary operational challenges. Unlike more traditional professional military education institutions, which follow standardized curricula, the school maintains flexible learning processes. This adaptability necessitates a tailored approach to performance improvement, reinforcing the need for qualitative research to capture nuanced perspectives on existing processes, inefficiencies, and opportunities for enhancement (Bloomberg, 2022).Data was triangulated from multiple perspectives to identify organizational strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, comprehensive questionnaires captured diverse viewpoints during the gap and cause analysis phases of the HPT model. This approach facilitated an in-depth examination of processes and workflows, shedding light on how work is actually performed and where improvements can be made. Performance analysis findings revealed critical gaps in courseware management, assessment, and instructional design. The absence of structured, codified processes for tracking course modifications impairs the school’s ability to make data driven decisions. Without defined roles, responsibilities, workflows, and centralized storage, any new assessment tools will likely be ineffective in capturing accurate data or supporting informed decision-making. Further, without reliable data, instructional improvements rely on assumptions rather than empirical evidence, limiting the school’s capacity for continuous improvement. The root causes of the problem point to four underlying issues that contribute to this problem. The first challenge is cultural resistance to standardized instructional systems design practice. Secondly, the unclear division of responsibilities between Instructional Systems Designers (ISD) and cadre leads to inefficiencies in courseware management and evaluation. The third challenge, disorganized storage and inconsistent data collection, hinders instructional continuity and evaluation. Finally, a lack of performance metrics and associated governance structures leads to inconsistent adherence to instructional design standards. Intervention selection followed a structured, collaborative process involving key stakeholders. A targeted solution set was developed, a Courseware Management Program (CMP) comprised of performance support and learning interventions. The CMP establishes a centralized courseware management system (CMS), supported by structured documentation, formalized workflows, and role definitions. It provides a standardized and accessible repository for instructional content, ensuring consistent practices across departments and enhancing transparency, efficiency, and curriculum continuity. The accompanying Data Management & Storage Standards ensure reliable data collection and use, improving the accuracy of instructional evaluations and enabling evidence-based decision-making. The CMP aims to standardize courseware development, enhance data governance, and embed systematic instructional design practices based on the ADDIE model.Addressing all these challenges simultaneously would be difficult for a military school with limited resources that concurrently supports broader missions. Implementation of the Courseware Management Program (CMP) followed a phased approach designed to prioritize foundational changes and generate early successes to build momentum. Initial formative evaluation efforts informed meaningful refinements to the CMP and yielded measurable indicators of its success. The phased implementation continues, with summative and confirmative evaluations scheduled to assess long-term impact and sustainability.

This dissertation is a collection of three articles exploring maternal futurity through a praxis of remembering that draws upon maternal theoria, motherlines, matricultures, mythos, maternal art, and poiesis. The major paradigms, ontologies, epistemologies, methodologies, and theories that influence this dissertation, on an emergent, transdisciplinary, multi-theoretical field of maternal ethics for mothering futures, are presented. In this work, mythopoeic matrignosis is invoked as a (re)turn to matristic consciousness, retrievable through in-depth examination of subjugated matricultural knowledge and suppressed histories—reauthored, and reintegrated with contemporary notions of self, society, and transformation. (R)evolutionary matrisophy is modeled and introduced as a reconstructive renegotiating practice that weaves cultural transformation theory, maternal ethics, and multiple matricentric fields of inquiry, with metaformia and metatheoretical approaches to human mammalian baselines. These processes uncover dimensions of interrelatedness, inextricability, and relational interdependence through which human beings can recognize and recenter matristic ways of knowing, being, and doing. These are shown as indispensable for creating regenerative egalitarian cultures of care to nurture wisdom, dignity, resilience, and kinship for those embedded in them and impacted by them.The three articles are included as separate chapters preceded by an overview. The conclusion and addendum offer personal reflections on my journey to publication and discuss ideas for future work and research.

Microbial impact on tumorigenesis of heritable cancers proximal to the gut is well documented. Whether the microbiota influences cancers arising from inborn mutations at sites distal to the gut is undetermined. Using two models of heritable cancer, we found the microbiota to be inconsequential for tumor development. However, the type of tumor that develops may be influenced by the microbiota. This work furthers our understanding of the microbial impact on tumor development.

The Againness of Vietnam in Contemporary United States Antiwar Choreography examines eight twentieth- and twenty-first century postmodern antiwar choreographies in order to uncover the reverberations of Vietnam antiwar protests in these dances. The choreographies I examine in this study are Yvonne Rainer’s 1970 M-Walk and 1970 (and 1999) Trio A with Flags, Wendy Rogers’ 1970 Black Maypole, Ann Carlson’s 1990 Flag and 2006 Too Beautiful A Day, Miguel Gutierrez’s 2001, 2008, and 2009 Freedom of Information (FOI), Jeff McMahon’s 1991 Scatter and Victoria Mark’s 2006 Action Conversations: Veterans. I theorize a concept called “againness,” in order to think through the multiple ways that repetitions specific to these particular choreographies continue to exist and to enact effects through time. I argue that repeated choreographic embodiment offers immediacy, nuanced response over time, expression through the bodies of former soldiers, and sites of mediated resistance such as live-streamed dance protest, to the United States public’s commentary on and critique of war. I conclude that choreography’s irregular and inexact repetitions are one of the ways that dance is especially apt for commenting on the large, never-ending, and ongoing traumas of the world such as war. My research extends established discussions about choreographic repetition and ephemerality, exchanging in questions of exactitude for conversations about impact. In particular, I show how the changes inherent to bodily repetitions reflect societal change, raise energy, garner power, and/or respond to current events. I study how politicized dances do not disappear after the time/space event of the initial performance, but instead linger on and reappear in unexpected moments. I thus parse out the many unbounded ways that protest choreographies happen again and again.

Both viruses and bacteria produce pathogen associated molecular patterns that may affect microbial pathogenesis and anti-microbial responses. Additionally, bacteria produce metabolites while viruses could change metabolic profiles of the infected cells. Here, we used an unbiased metabolomics approach to profile metabolites in spleens and blood of Murine Leukemia Virus-infected mice monocolonized with Lactobacillus murinus to show that viral infection significantly changes the metabolite profile of monocolonized mice. We hypothesize that these changes could contribute to viral pathogenesis or to the host response against the virus and thus, open a new avenue for future investigations.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.