The Mesoamerican Ball Game: A Deadly Sport

My presentation is part of the research event “Bridging Cultures in Latin America: Maya and Colonial Heritage in Guatemala and Belize.” This work was conducted during the 2017 Maymester study abroad program in Central America with faculty from UT Austin’s Mesoamerica Center and UT research center Casa Herrera, located in Antigua, Guatemala. While abroad I spent my time analyzing how the sport of the Maya ballgame was differentiated through different areas of Mesoamerica. The structure of the game itself varied by time period and the location of the court. The game is significant because it represents a public display of power. Maya ballgame was often used as a political move in order to establish a hierarchy between individuals of a similar region. It is a common misconception that the loser of the game would be sacrificed. However, there is no evidence that sacrifices were the result of ball games. The game itself is played with a large rubber ball. The players must get the ball up high into the ring by only using their hips, elbows and knees. The ball was quite heavy causing a great deal of pain to the players. This is why the game symbolizes the relationship between life and death. The ball courts themselves symbolize the entrance to the underworld. Maya culture has a meticulous fascination with rituals and deities. Ball courts represent an entrance to the underworld. The game is seen as a battle between the underworld and the living. A common post-classic design of a ball court was a capital “I” shape. The court was sunken into the ground. The court was built this way in order to metaphorically represent the underworld when it rained and filled with water. When the courts were fill of water there was an understanding of the presence of the Hero Twins. The Hero Twins were descendants of great ball players. The Hero Twins themselves also became great ball players. However, the often angered the Lords of the underworld because of their rambunctious attitudes. The Lords were threatened by their great ball playing skills and their confidence that came along with it. They called out for the Hero Twins and challenged them to a game. Beforehand, they put the twins through a series of tests because the ultimate goal of the Lords was to sacrifice them. The Hero Twins are very smart and they often were able to outwit the Lords. The story of the Hero Twins is significant because Maya rulers claimed they were descendants of the twins. There are a lot of misconceptions about Maya ball game. The basics of the game are universal. Depending on the location as well as the time period the specific rules of the game are varied. It is relevant that some sites placed a larger significance on the game than others. However, there was a universal understanding that the winners were those of great power and authority.Anthropolog

Telomere length measurement by a novel monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR method

The current quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) assay of telomere length measures telomere (T) signals in experimental DNA samples in one set of reaction wells, and single copy gene (S) signals in separate wells, in comparison to a reference DNA, to yield relative T/S ratios that are proportional to average telomere length. Multiplexing this assay is desirable, because variation in the amount of DNA pipetted would no longer contribute to variation in T/S, since T and S would be collected within each reaction, from the same input DNA. Multiplexing also increases throughput and lowers costs, since half as many reactions are needed. Here, we present the first multiplexed QPCR method for telomere length measurement. Remarkably, a single fluorescent DNA-intercalating dye is sufficient in this system, because T signals can be collected in early cycles, before S signals rise above baseline, and S signals can be collected at a temperature that fully melts the telomere product, sending its signal to baseline. The correlation of T/S ratios with Terminal Restriction Fragment (TRF) lengths measured by Southern blot was stronger with this monochrome multiplex QPCR method (R2 = 0.844) than with our original singleplex method (R2 = 0.677). Multiplex T/S results from independent runs on different days were highly reproducible (R2 = 0.91)

County pneumonia cases surged during Army tests

Donor supplied date: between 1950 and 1959[Fort McClellan]Originally scanned to TIFF at 400 dpi on 2014-01-18. Original scan in preservation repository

2 bacteria reported used in 1952 testing

Donor supplied date.Digital reproduction of: print, 7.5 x 1 in[Fort McClellan]Originally scanned to TIFF at 400 dpi on 2014-01-18. Original scan in preservation repository

Investigation of Atg11 and its interaction with Ypt1 in autophagy

Autophagy is a cellular process conserved in eukaryotes that involves the trafficking of intracellular material from the cytosol to the vacuole/lysosome. This material is wrapped in a double membraned vesicle called an autophagosome, which ls constructed at the pre-autophagosomal structure. Many proteins are Involved In autophagy, one of them being Atgll. This protein is crucial in the selective autophagy pathway, and is responsible for proper formation of the pre-autophagosomal structure as well as recruiting the material intended for degradation to the autophagosome. Atgl 1 interacts with many other autophagy proteins, but it Is unknown whether it interacts with these binding partners spatially or temporally. To better understand the mechanism of Atg11\u27 s interactions, it was tested against Yptl, an upstream regulator whose Interaction with Atgll is crucial for selective autophagy. Yptl with an N-terminal 6-histidine tag was expressed and purified using Rosetta cells, yielding a concentration of 0. 242 mg/ml seems low. This protein was then used in an in vitro binding test with pure GST ·Atgl1CC2·3 and imaged via Western blot using primary antibodies rabbit antihistidine {raHis) and rabbit anti-GST (raGST}, and secondary antibody goat anti-rabbit (Gar). The blot showed no Interaction between the proteins in vitro, so the interaction was tested in vivo using a yeast 2-hybrid screen with a multiple-knockout strain. BO-Yptl was tested against AD-Atg11CC2-3, pseudo-positive control AD-Atgll, and negative control AD-empty. Contrary to previous literature, i no interaction showed between the two proteins in any of the strains. This indicates that another type of selection must be used, or there might be another protein involved in the interaction.

Assessment Accommodations for English Language Learners: The Case of Former-LEPs

Within the U.S. public school system, English Language Learners (ELL) represent the fastest growing student population. Many of these students struggle to access grade-level content due to Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Although policy regarding LEP status varies state-to-state, most states impose a short time limit on how long a student can be designated LEP. Consequently, students may lose their LEP status before gaining full proficiency in English. Current policy does not allow for test accommodations for former-LEP students, raising concerns about whether language factors within the tests may prevent students who are not fully proficient in English from successfully accessing the content of the tests. The purpose of this article is to identify education placement and assessment policies that lead to reduced assessment language support for former-LEP students. Using the state of Texas as a case example, we identify potential impact points for former-LEP students who are required to participate in English-only assessments. We then review ELL assessment accommodations literature and propose extension of assessment policies to provide options for former-LEP student population. Accessed 17,458 times on https://pareonline.net from October 12, 2010 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right