A Method for the Acute and Rapid Degradation of Endogenous Proteins.

Methods for the targeted disruption of protein function have revolutionized science and greatly expedited the systematic characterization of genes. Two main approaches are currently used to disrupt protein function: DNA knockout and RNA interference, which act at the genome and mRNA level, respectively. A method that directly alters endogenous protein levels is currently not available. Here, we present Trim-Away, a technique to degrade endogenous proteins acutely in mammalian cells without prior modification of the genome or mRNA. Trim-Away harnesses the cellular protein degradation machinery to remove unmodified native proteins within minutes of application. This rapidity minimizes the risk that phenotypes are compensated and that secondary, non-specific defects accumulate over time. Because Trim-Away utilizes antibodies, it can be applied to a wide range of target proteins using off-the-shelf reagents. Trim-Away allows the study of protein function in diverse cell types, including non-dividing primary cells where genome- and RNA-targeting methods are limited

Mindfulness in a digital math learning game:Insights from two randomized controlled trials

BackgroundMindfulness practices enhance executive function skills and academic achievement, spurring interest in integrating mindfulness interventions into education. Embedding mindfulness practice into a digital math game may provide a low-cost, scalable way to induce mindfulness and boost game-based learning, yet this approach remains unexplored.ObjectivesWe investigated the learning benefits of integrating mindfulness exercises in a digital math learning game and examined how students' trait mindfulness might moderate the outcomes.MethodsTwo classroom studies were conducted with 404 5th and 6th grade students from six public schools in the U.S. (nStudy 1 = 227, nStudy 2 = 177). The two randomized controlled experiments assigned students to one of the three conditions: passive control (playing the digital learning game Decimal Point), story-enriched active control, or mindfulness-enriched condition. Trait mindfulness, learning gains, and in-game problem-solving (including problem-solving duration, error count and correctness after reminder) were assessed. Study 2 included a manipulation check to better understand the effects of the mindfulness intervention.ResultsFindings showed no significant differences in learning gains, problem-solving duration or error count among the conditions. Students' trait mindfulness did not moderate these outcomes. Mindfulness reminders in the mindfulness-enriched game led to more correct answers after errors than jokes in the story-enriched game. Study 2 revealed that we failed to induce higher state mindfulness through the mindfulness inductions.ConclusionsMindfulness prompts could be especially beneficial for students experiencing frustration during gameplay, warranting more exploration for digital game-based instruction. We highlight barriers and future directions for fostering mindfulness through computer-based instruction in classrooms

Dam if you do, dam if you don't: politics and floods in the shadow of COVID-19 in Sudan

No abstract available

Predicting Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review

The ability to predict student performance in a course or program creates opportunities to improve educational outcomes. With effective performance prediction approaches, instructors can allocate resources and instruction more accurately. Research in this area seeks to identify features that can be used to make predictions, to identify algorithms that can improve predictions, and to quantify aspects of student performance. Moreover, research in predicting student performance seeks to determine interrelated features and to identify the underlying reasons why certain features work better than others. This working group report presents a systematic literature review of work in the area of predicting student performance. Our analysis shows a clearly increasing amount of research in this area, as well as an increasing variety of techniques used. At the same time, the review uncovered a number of issues with research quality that drives a need for the community to provide more detailed reporting of methods and results and to increase efforts to validate and replicate work.Peer reviewe

Spinel group minerals in metamorphosed ultramafic rocks from Río de Las Tunas belt, Central Andes, Argentina

In the Río de Las Tunas belt, Central Andes of Argentina, spinel group minerals occur in metaperidotites and in reaction zones developed at the boundary between metaperidotite bodies and their country-rocks. They comprise two types: i) Reddish-brown crystals with compositional zonation characterized by a ferritchromite core surrounded by an inner rim of Cr-magnetite and an outer rim of almost pure magnetite. ii) Green crystals chemically homogeneous with spinel (s.s.) and/or pleonaste compositions. The mineral paragenesis Fo+Srp+Cln+Tr+Fe-Chr and Fo+Cln+Tr+Tlc±Ath+Fe-Chr observed in the samples indicate lower and middle grade amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions. Nonetheless, the paragenesis (green)Spl+En+Fo±Di indicates that granulite facies conditions were also reached at a few localities. Cr-magnetite and magnetite rims in zoned reddish-brown crystals and magnetite rims around green-spinel/pleonaste grains are attributed to a later serpentinization process during retrograde metamorphism. The chemical composition of spinel group minerals in the ultramafic reaction zones is determined by the mineral zone where they crystallize. Green pleonaste occurs in the chlorite zone, ferritchromite predominates in the amphibole zone, whereas Crmagnetite and magnetite are more common in the carbonate zone. The mineral paragenesis of the Río de Las Tunas metaperidotites together with the chemical characteristics of the spinel group minerals support a clockwise P-T path evolution for the ultramafic protoliths during the Paleozoic regional metamorphic cycle of this are

AMP-IMA04: a revised Hypercard program to determine the name of an amphibole from electron microprobe and wet chemical analyses according to the 2004 International Mineralogical Association scheme.

In 2004, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) amended the IMA 97 amphibole classification and nomenclature scheme by adding a fifth group to include the recently discovered B(LiNa) amphiboles ferriwhittakeriite and ferri-ottoliniite, which cannot be fitted into the four major amphibole groups. New root-names such as sodic-pedrizite in the Mg-Fe-Mn-Li group and obertiite and dellaventuraite in the sodic group along with two new prefixes, parvo and magno have also been added. As result it has become necessary to modify the AMPH-IMA97 amphibole-naming program. The new program (AMPH-IMA04) allows single input or automatic input of as many amphibole analyses as are available following a set input format. Any of three different calculation schemes for dealing with an amphibole analysis can be chosen: (1) complete chemical analyses can be calculated to 24(O,OH,F,Cl); (2) analyses with determined FeO and Fe2O3, MnO and Mn2O3 but without H2O can be calculated to 23(O); and (3) electron microprobe analyses with only total Fe determined and without H2O can be calculated to 23(O) with IMA97-recommended normalization for Fe3+ and Fe2+ values. In addition a stoichiometric calculation of Mn2+ and Mn3+ is considered and implemented for the Mn-bearing sodic amphiboles in order to take care of electron microprobe analyses of such amphiboles where the total Mn is given as Mn2+