Fourth and Fifth Grade Departmentalization: A Transition to Middle School

The difficulties involved in the transition for students leaving elementary school, where there typically exists little departmentalization, to the middle school, where departmentalization is the primary structure, have often been noted by scholars. While some studies cited in this work indicated a decrease in student achievement with the implementation of departmentalization, this approach should not be categorically rejected. In this regard, this study examines how elementary students can begin to be better prepared in fourth and fifth grades to enter the departmentalization system

An Improved Canine Genome and a Comprehensive Catalogue of Coding Genes and Non-Coding Transcripts

The domestic dog, Canis familiaris, is a well-established model system for mapping trait and disease loci. While the original draft sequence was of good quality, gaps were abundant particularly in promoter regions of the genome, negatively impacting the annotation and study of candidate genes. Here, we present an improved genome build, canFam3.1, which includes 85 MB of novel sequence and now covers 99.8% of the euchromatic portion of the genome. We also present multiple RNA-Sequencing data sets from 10 different canine tissues to catalog ∼175,000 expressed loci. While about 90% of the coding genes previously annotated by EnsEMBL have measurable expression in at least one sample, the number of transcript isoforms detected by our data expands the EnsEMBL annotations by a factor of four. Syntenic comparison with the human genome revealed an additional ∼3,000 loci that are characterized as protein coding in human and were also expressed in the dog, suggesting that those were previously not annotated in the EnsEMBL canine gene set. In addition to ∼20,700 high-confidence protein coding loci, we found ∼4,600 antisense transcripts overlapping exons of protein coding genes, ∼7,200 intergenic multi-exon transcripts without coding potential, likely candidates for long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) and ∼11,000 transcripts were reported by two different library construction methods but did not fit any of the above categories. Of the lincRNAs, about 6,000 have no annotated orthologs in human or mouse. Functional analysis of two novel transcripts with shRNA in a mouse kidney cell line altered cell morphology and motility. All in all, we provide a much-improved annotation of the canine genome and suggest regulatory functions for several of the novel non-coding transcripts

The Genomics of Disulfide Bonding and Protein Stabilization in Thermophiles

Thermophilic organisms flourish in varied high-temperature environmental niches that are deadly to other organisms. Recently, genomic evidence has implicated a critical role for disulfide bonds in the structural stabilization of intracellular proteins from certain of these organisms, contrary to the conventional view that structural disulfide bonds are exclusively extracellular. Here both computational and structural data are presented to explore the occurrence of disulfide bonds as a protein-stabilization method across many thermophilic prokaryotes. Based on computational studies, disulfide-bond richness is found to be widespread, with thermophiles containing the highest levels. Interestingly, only a distinct subset of thermophiles exhibit this property. A computational search for proteins matching this target phylogenetic profile singles out a specific protein, known as protein disulfide oxidoreductase, as a potential key player in thermophilic intracellular disulfide-bond formation. Finally, biochemical support in the form of a new crystal structure of a thermophilic protein with three disulfide bonds is presented together with a survey of known structures from the literature. Together, the results provide insight into biochemical specialization and the diversity of methods employed by organisms to stabilize their proteins in exotic environments. The findings also motivate continued efforts to sequence genomes from divergent organisms

Identifying flares in rheumatoid arthritis: Reliability and construct validation of the OMERACT RA Flare Core Domain Set

Objective: To evaluate the reliability of concurrent flare identification using 3 methods (patient, rheumatologist and Disease Activity Score (DAS)28 criteria), and construct validity of candidate items representing the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) RA Flare Core Domain Set. Methods: Candidate flare questions and legacy measures were administered at consecutive visits to Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort (CATCH) patients between November 2011 and November 2014. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) core set indicators were recorded. Concordance to identify flares was assessed using the agreement coefficient. Construct validity of flare questions was examined: convergent (Spearman's r); discriminant (mean differences between flaring/non-flaring patients); and consequential (proportions with prior treatment reductions and intended therapeutic change postflare). Results: The 849 patients were 75% female, 81% white, 42% were in remission/low disease activity (R/LDA), and 16-32% were flaring at the second visit. Agreement of flare status was low-strong (κ's 0.17-0.88) and inversely related to RA disease activity level. Flare domains correlated highly (r's≥0.70) with each other, patient global (r's≥0.66) and corresponding measures (r's 0.49-0.92); and moderately highly with MD and patient-reported joint counts (r's 0.29-0.62). When MD/patients agreed the patient was flaring, mean flare domain between-group differences were 2.1-3.0; 36% had treatment reductions prior to flare, with escalation planned in 61%. Conclusions: Flares are common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and are often preceded by treatment reductions. Patient/MD/DAS agreement of flare status is highest in patients worsening from R/LDA. OMERACT RA flare questions can discriminate between patients with/without flare and have strong evidence of construct and consequential validity. Ongoing work will identify optimal scoring and cut points to identify RA flares

Properties of the thioredoxin fold superfamily are modulated by a single amino acid residue

The ubiquitous thioredoxin fold proteins catalyze oxidation, reduction, or disulfide exchange reactions depending on their redox properties. They also play vital roles in protein folding, redox control, and disease. Here, we have shown that a single residue strongly modifies both the redox properties of thioredoxin fold proteins and their ability to interact with substrates. This residue is adjacent in three-dimensional space to the characteristic CXXC active site motif of thioredoxin fold proteins but distant in sequence. This residue is just N-terminal to the conservative cis-proline. It is isoleucine 75 in the case of thioredoxin. Our findings support the conclusion that a very small percentage of the amino acid residues of thioredoxin-related proteins are capable of dictating the functions of these proteins

La mort fang au Gabon (un phénomène social total à l'épreuve des interactions tradition/modernité)

A partir de l'élaboration d'une approche conceptuelle multiréférenciellearticulant de manière dialectique l'espace urbain et l'espace rural, certains modèles d'analyse des paradigmes théoriques sélectionnés dans leur enrichissement mutuel (du matérialisme historique, de la sociologie dynamique et critique, du structuralisme génétique, de l'approche fonctionnelle et stratégique, de l'individualisme méthodologique), des techniques de collecte des données (questionnaire, entretien, observations, approche biographique, collecte des statistiques, approche documentaire), des modes de système discursifs (quantitatif, qualitatif, compréhension/explication), l'objectif fondamental du présent travail est de démontrer qu'en tant que phénomène de classe- la mort fang- au travers des représentations (langage, paroles, mythes, énoncés et fragments de discours construits) et les pratiques (modes de prise en charge sociale et les procédures rituelles)-...BESANCON-BU Lettres (250562101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Diversity of bacterial communities on sunken woods in the Mediterranean Sea

7 páginas, 4 figuras, 1 tabla.Sunken woods are very rich and diverse ecosystems supporting large macrofaunal diversity and representing a source of carbon and energy for any heterotrophic organism able to consume plant material, and those relying on specialized microbial taxa. However, relatively little is known about the microbial communities that degrade sunken woods and produce reduced compounds that serve as energy sources for chemosynthetic lifestyles. The purpose of this study was to explore the bacterial diversity developing on and within sunken woods in a NW Mediterranean submarine canyon and its adjacent slope by using 16S rRNA genes survey. We described communities from Pine wood immerged at 1200 m deep in the Blanes Canyon and its adjacent open slope, as well as from material filling wood boring bivalve burrows. We demonstrate that bacterial communities were very different from each other in each of the three wood ecosystems. These highly diverse wood communities contained all the major bacterial phyla, but Alphaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria were dominant in the open slope and the canyon, respectively. The burrows had more Gamma- and Epsilonproteobacteria. In summary, highly diverse bacterial communities with potentially wide metabolic capabilities colonized wood sunken in the Blanes Canyon and its adjacent open slopes in the Mediterranean Sea.The work of P.E.G. is supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) project MICADO (ANR-11JSV7- 003-01). The GDRE DIWOOD (CNRS European Research Group on sunken woods and associated fauna) supported the Master’s project of Sandrine Bessette. The present work was developed within the framework of the RECS II (REN2002- 04556-C02-01), PROMETEO (CTM 2007-66316-C02-02/MAR) and DOS MARES (CTM2010-21810-C03-03/MAR) projects funded by the Spanish MICINN, and is a contribution of the 3rd and 4th authors to the Consolidated Research Group 2009SGR665 of the Generalitat de Catalunya.Peer reviewe

Microbial communities associated with the degradation of oak wood in the Blanes submarine canyon and its adjacent open slope (NW Mediterranean)

7 páginas, 5 figuras, 2 tablas.Submarine canyons can trap and concentrate organic falls, like terrestrial debris, including wood. Sunken wood creates a unique ecosystem in the deep sea, which base, i.e. the microbial communities directly degrading this wood, remains poorly studied. Our aim was thus to examine the wood degrading microbial community by comparing oak samples experimentally deployed in experimental mooring arrays in the Blanes Canyon (BC) and its adjacent open slope (NW Mediterranean Sea). We analyzed the microbial community by parallel tag pyrosequencing of the16S rRNA genes from wood samples recovered from different depths after 9 and 12 months of deployment. In this first study of the phylogenetic description of wood associated microbial community by high throughput molecular techniques, we found that the microbial diversity was higher in samples from BC compared to the open slope. The structure of the communities were, however, not significantly different from each other, although we observed an apparent clustering according to time of immersion. Furthermore, an in depth taxonomic analysis revealed that Alphaproteobacteria was the dominant microbial taxa, with the Roseobacter clade seeming to have a specialized role in the degradation of oak in BC and its adjacent slope.The research conducted by SKF and PEG is supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) through the MICADO project (ANR-11-JSV7-003-01).The present work was developed within the PROMETEO (CTM 2007- 66316-C02-02/MAR), DOS MARES (CTM2010-21810-C03-03/ MAR) and HERMIONE (European Community FP7/2007-2013, grant agreement n 226354) projects, and is a contribution of CR and DM to the Consolidated Research Group 2009SRG665 of the ‘‘Generalitat de Catalunya’’. CR was supported by a JAE postdoctoral fellowship. This work was also funded by CNRS and by the UMPC-Fondation TOTAL chair ‘Extreme marine environments, biodiversity and global change’. The LECOB group is part of the GDRE DIWOOD research network supported by CNRS.Peer reviewe

Battery Electric Tractors: Small-Scale Organic Growers’ Preferences, Perceptions, and Concerns

Battery electric tractors (BETs) demonstrate considerable advantages over diesel-fueled tractors, including higher conversion efficiency, higher torque, less maintenance, and no tailpipe emissions. Converting to BETs also requires tradeoffs in the form of the batteries’ high cost, increased weight, limited energy capacity, finite charging cycles, and lengthy charging time. The extent to which small-scale organic vegetable, fruit and cut-flower growers are aware of these tradeoffs is unknown. Little research exists examining these growers’ perceptions, concerns, and willingness to pay for or adopt BETs. Here, we address that gap by conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews with 14 organic growers in the US Midwest, most operating in Michigan. We focus our questions on growers’ motivations, existing tractor-use patterns, and the evaluation of different configurations of a belly-mount open-station cultivating BET. Our results suggest interest in and potential for growers to transition to BETs, including an estimated willingness to pay 14 percent more for a BET compared to a diesel-fueled alternative. This premium is driven by most growers’ preferences for reduced noise, fumes, fuel, and greenhouse gases, as well as beliefs about BETs ultimately being a more sustainable long-term option than diesel-fueled tractors. Growers also identify significant concerns and uncertainty about the long-term performance, maintenance, storage, cost, safety, and weight of the tractors’ battery systems. While growers linked some environmental values and motivations to their interest in BETs, altruistic value signaling was absent, and growers focused considerably more on financial and instrumental concerns and motivations for BET adoption

Battery Electric Tractors: Small-Scale Organic Growers’ Preferences, Perceptions, and Concerns

Battery electric tractors (BETs) demonstrate considerable advantages over diesel-fueled tractors, including higher conversion efficiency, higher torque, less maintenance, and no tailpipe emissions. Converting to BETs also requires tradeoffs in the form of the batteries’ high cost, increased weight, limited energy capacity, finite charging cycles, and lengthy charging time. The extent to which small-scale organic vegetable, fruit and cut-flower growers are aware of these tradeoffs is unknown. Little research exists examining these growers’ perceptions, concerns, and willingness to pay for or adopt BETs. Here, we address that gap by conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews with 14 organic growers in the US Midwest, most operating in Michigan. We focus our questions on growers’ motivations, existing tractor-use patterns, and the evaluation of different configurations of a belly-mount open-station cultivating BET. Our results suggest interest in and potential for growers to transition to BETs, including an estimated willingness to pay 14 percent more for a BET compared to a diesel-fueled alternative. This premium is driven by most growers’ preferences for reduced noise, fumes, fuel, and greenhouse gases, as well as beliefs about BETs ultimately being a more sustainable long-term option than diesel-fueled tractors. Growers also identify significant concerns and uncertainty about the long-term performance, maintenance, storage, cost, safety, and weight of the tractors’ battery systems. While growers linked some environmental values and motivations to their interest in BETs, altruistic value signaling was absent, and growers focused considerably more on financial and instrumental concerns and motivations for BET adoption