Does a Simple Lattice Protein Exhibit Self-Organized Criticality?

There are many unanswered questions when it comes to protein folding. These questions are interesting because the tertiary structure of proteins determines its functionality in living organisms. How do proteins consistently reach their final tertiary structure from the primary sequence of amino acids? What explains the complexity of tertiary structures? Our research uses a simple hydrophobic-polar lattice-bound computational model to investigate self-organized criticality as a possible mechanism for generating complexity in protein folding and protein tertiary structures

Musical Actions of Dihedral Groups

The sequence of pitches which form a musical melody can be transposed or inverted. Since the 1970s, music theorists have modeled musical transposition and inversion in terms of an action of the dihedral group of order 24. More recently music theorists have found an intriguing second way that the dihedral group of order 24 acts on the set of major and minor chords. We illustrate both geometrically and algebraically how these two actions are {\it dual}. Both actions and their duality have been used to analyze works of music as diverse as Hindemith and the Beatles.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures. To appear in the American Mathematical Monthly

Human Psychological Response to and Benefits of Interior Water Features

Water features such as water fountains, water walls, fish tanks, and fish ponds are being installed more commonly in interior spaces, but limited research on how these interior water features psychologically affect individuals has been conducted. The hypothesis assumes that individuals have an overall positive reaction to interior water features. Water features have been used in a variety of places such as healthcare facilities, childcare centers, adult centers, and commercial spaces to create a calming environment. Sounds of softly trickling water have replaced background music in some facilities in order to promote a healing atmosphere. Because water features are installed in many places, it is important to establish if these features do positively affect individuals psychologically. In order to study individuals\u27 psychological responses to interior water features, two surveys were conducted. The first survey, administered by a West Coast university in 2013, polled individuals on a variety of topics pertaining to interior water features. The second survey, issued in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 2016, included questions from the first survey in the Gulf Coast region. These questions examined demographic information and personal preferences toward interior water features. Over 550 total individuals were polled for their responses. The data was gathered and analyzed to gain a better understanding of general preferences

Did You Get the Message?: Influence of Study Abroad Marketing to Prospective Students in Maryville College Study Abroad Demographics

Despite the increased institutional marketing and outreach to students on study abroad benefits and the visibility of successful returned students, long-term and short-term study abroad program interest has not grown past 25% of each graduating class at Maryville College – a small, liberal arts institution in Maryville, Tennessee. To better understand how early exposure to study abroad information may influence students’ decisions to go abroad at Maryville College, I examined college promotional materials, admissions staff practices and study abroad perceptions, as well as students’ memories of study abroad marketing during their prospective phase and their decision-making process. The findings suggest four main barriers to study abroad at Maryville College, which include a lack of diversity and inclusion in marketing, little understanding of academic relevance of study abroad and the study abroad financial structure, along with over-emphasizing the international community at Maryville College

The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of the Rise of Cyberculture

Book review of The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of the Rise of Cyberculture by Brian Dear

Increasing Access to Potable Water: A Question of Economics and Governance in Bo District, Sierra Leone

This paper analyzes existing supply gaps that are impeding rural water access in Bo District, Sierra Leone. On a national and district level, Sierra Leone has failed to meet the target of 70% access to potable water inspired by the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals. This paper focuses on Bo District due to its near total inclusion in the Sewa River basin and split urban and rural population. Given the existing political and economic constraints, this paper identifies the most feasible way to sustainably increase access to potable water in Bo. To develop the recommendations, current supply gaps in rural Bo District were quantified at the village level, and the economic viability of potential delivery systems were evaluated. A series of policy recommendations were evaluated that each balanced predicted cost with greatest need in different ways. Pricing structures are viewed as a vehicle to ensure system sustainability, making certain that progress made on MDG 7 is not undone when systems need to be replaced at the end of their lifetime

Functional Resting State Connectivity in Individuals At-Risk for Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have examined the connectivity between the hippocampus (HIPP) and the posterior cingulate (PC) in individuals with Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and younger individuals at risk for AD. The present study aimed to examine the functional connectivity between these two memory structures and targets of AD neurodegeneration in cognitively intact elders at risk for AD (positive for ApolipoE protein (ε4) and family history of dementia), MCI, and healthy controls. Seeds and regions of interest were defined in the bilateral hippocampus and posterior cingulate, and the time courses were cross-correlated to generate a value of functional connectivity between two structures for comparisons across groups. Results indicate the presence of greater functional connectivity between the left HIPP and PC in healthy elders at risk compared to patients with MCI and healthy controls and a general reduction in functional connectivity between bilateral HIPP and PC in patients with MCI. This marker of increased functional connectivity, during the resting state of the brain, found in cognitively intact elders at risk compared to cognitively intact controls and symptomatic patients with MCI might be an important diagnostic tool to identify those most vulnerable for the development of AD

LRH1 as a Driving Factor for Cancer Development

LRH1 as a driving factor for cancer development Alissa Margraf, Qi Tang, Qiushi Lin, Xiaoqun Dong Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, The University of Rhode Island, Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881 USA Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide. Colon cancer ranks as the third most common causes of cancer mortality in the United States, with an estimated 96,830 new cases and 50,310 deaths in 2014. Colon cancer develops in the digestive tract where benign growths called polyps transform into malignant tumors. Colon cancer cells invade and destroy nearby tissue and can even migrate, forming new metastatic tumors in other parts of the body. However, the molecular mechanism of colon tumorigenesis is poorly understood and the prognosis is very bad due to multiple drug resistance. Therefore, there is urgent need to identify a novel therapeutic target for colon cancer treatment. This application focuses on gaps in knowledge regarding the cellular pathogenesis in an attempt to identify new molecular targets for therapy of this serious disease. Recently, LRH1 (liver receptor homolog 1), an orphan nuclear receptor, has been identified as a key regulator for intestinal function with implications to common intestinal diseases including colorectal cancer. Research shows that LRH1 can induce cell proliferation through promoting the cell cycle progression by the induction of proteins cyclin D1 and E1 in the intestine. This action is mediated by Wnt/β-catenin/Tcf4 signaling pathway. Through investigations on the role of LRH1 in the pancreas, we have observed overexpression of LRH1 correlated with reduced survival and more aggressive phenotype of pancreatic cancer patients. Because the pancreas, liver and intestine (colon and rectum) are derived from a common precursor during embryonic development and differentiation, LRH1 may be a central signaling molecule during the development and progression of colon cancer. In this regard, LRH1 overexpression is proposed to sensitize mucosa cells, lining the inside of the colon, to genomic alterations-driven malignant formation and progression. The oncogenic role of LRH1 has been demonstrated by up-regulating the expression of markers of cancer stem cells, enhancing sphere formation, as well as promoting tumor formation, angiogenesis and liver metastasis in pancreatic cancer. We hypothesize that overexpressed LRH1 also promotes colon tumorigenesis by initiating cancer stem cells formation. Because these cells originate from the same progenitor cell type and share similar characteristics, it is reasonable to incorporate recent studies on LRH1 in pancreatic cancer to the current application with the tumorigenesis of colon cancer. New findings will link the dysfunction of colon development/differentiation signaling pathways with tumorigenesis by clarifying the crosstalk between LRH1 and cancer stem cell initiation. If successful, the information gained from this study has important clinical implications for pancreatic, liver, colon and other cancers with dysregulated LRH1 network. The project will provide foundation for future development of novel therapies targeting LRH1-related signaling pathways in pancreatic, liver and colon cancer, which will translate our basic scientific discovery (from bench to bedside) to pre-clinical trials to treat cancer patients

Ideas equivocadas sobre la trata de personas en épocas de crisis

Muchos piensan que las crisis naturales y las provocadas por el hombre constituyen el principal escenario de la trata de personas. Sin embargo, existen pocas pruebas que lo demuestren