Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 students in 12 colleges and schools: liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, education, music, college of professional advancement, law, theology, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and health professions. Mercer is a member of the Georgia Research Alliance and has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest collegiate honors society.Mercer has four major campuses: the historic (main) campus in Macon, a graduate and professional campus in Atlanta, and four-year campuses of the School of Medicine in Savannah and Columbus. Mercer also has regional academic centers in Henry County and Douglas County; the Mercer University School of Law on its own campus in Macon; teaching hospitals in Macon, Savannah, and Columbus; a university press and a performing arts center, the Grand Opera House, in Macon; and the Mercer Engineering Research Center in Warner Robins. The Mercer University Health Sciences Center encompasses Mercer's medical, pharmacy, nursing, and health professions programs in Macon, Atlanta, Savannah, and Columbus.U.S. News & World Report has ranked Mercer among the top two private universities in Georgia for approximately 25 years. Overall, U.S. News & World Report (2021 edition) ranks Mercer 160th among the 389 National Universities, 49th in terms of undergraduate teaching; and 35th best value in terms of education relative to cost; Mercer is the 6th highest ranked private research University in the South. Mercer has been cited by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its community engagement and was among the 113 institutions listed on the 2015 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. Princeton Review has ranked Mercer as one of the best colleges in the nation for 18 years. Mercer is classified as a "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".Mercer University alumni include 21 United States Representatives, 12 Governors, four United States Senators, two Pulitzer Prize winners, two Rhodes Scholars and a U.S. Attorney General.Mercer has an NCAA Division I athletic program and fields teams in eight men's and ten women's sports; all university-sponsored sports compete in the Southern Conference except women's sand volleyball, which is not sponsored by the SoCon, and thus competes in the ASUN Conference.S.S.S.S.S.S.S..
Free-fatty acid receptor 4 (FFA4/GPR120), a G-protein-coupled receptor activated by medium to long-chain free-fatty acids (FFA) including ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, regulates many metabolic and anti-inflammatory processes, and has also been linked to diverse neurophysiological functions. Here, we investigated the expression and functional role of FFA4 in dopaminergic systems using PC12 cells, rat striatal tissue, and an in vivo 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). FFA4 mRNA and protein were expressed in rat caudate-putamen and colocalized with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine biosynthesis. Agonism of FFA4 by the endogenous agonist docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or the selective synthetic agonist TUG-891 significantly increased phosphorylation of TH-Ser40 in PC12 cells and rat striatal minces, without elevating cAMP, suggesting non-canonical signaling of FFA4 to TH. In PC12 cells, TUG-891 attenuated 6-OHDA-induced cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner, concomitant with reductions in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and NF-κB transcriptional activity, effects that were reversed by the FFA4 antagonist AH-7614. In an in vivo rat 6-OHDA model of PD, TUG-891 administration significantly mitigated apomorphine-induced rotational asymmetry and motor deficits in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats, while preserving striatal TH immunoreactivity. These findings identify FFA4 as a novel modulator of dopaminergic neuron integrity that may operate through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory signals to preserve cell function, warranting further exploration of FFA4 in dopaminergic degeneration and PD.
The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) engaged 53 teams of students from across the United States to fly experiments on high-altitude balloons for the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses. By many measures, NEBP was a successful project. However, the teams did encounter challenges. To better understand what could be improved for similar future projects, this study engaged project partners in examining strengths, challenges, and recommendations across four topics: project structure, education and research approach, broadening participation, and funding. Analysis of the topics was completed through written comments followed by remote focus group discussions. The project director and evaluator then synthesized the written and focus group comments to provide the results shared here. Identified strengths included a project structure facilitating regional-scale collaboration within a national network and a focus on providing undergraduate students with innovative, mission-based experiences. Partners also identified challenges including, for example, making in-depth engagement with analyzing project data and drawing scientific conclusions accessible to undergraduate students. Key recommendations include the need for real-world interdisciplinarity, a leadership group that reflects team types, a robust communication platform used at all levels, a modular approach for participation levels and time lengths, and flexibility in funding choices.
While neoplasms of the submandibular gland (SMG) are rare, there is a nearly 50
