Fluctuation-dissipation ratios in the dynamics of self-assembly

We consider two seemingly very different self-assembly processes: formation of viral capsids, and crystallization of sticky discs. At low temperatures, assembly is ineffective, since there are many metastable disordered states, which are a source of kinetic frustration. We use fluctuation-dissipation ratios to extract information about the degree of this frustration. We show that our analysis is a useful indicator of the long term fate of the system, based on the early stages of assembly.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Providing Foundations for an Educational Revolution: Moving Towards an Integrated Perspective

The pandemic of Spring 2020 necessitated a rapid switch in teaching methods around the world. Most significantly was the revolutionary transition from face to face instruction to remote, distance, or virtual teaching/learning and the resultant online “new normal” that continues to ripple across the academy and society at large. This new reality has necessitated a paradigmatic shift in how scholars, teachers and administrators understand, create, employ, and assess teaching/learning. It has likewise resulted in a shift in how students, parents, families, and employers understand, value, desire, and prefer educational formats and settings. The authors point to the importance of considering aspects of theory, research, and best practices related to this transition. The article surveys resulting first response scholarship and forecast types of questions that loom large regarding the practice of online teaching in the new economic, academic, social framework

Eyewitnesses to the Suddenly Online Paradigm Shift in Education: Perspectives on the Experience, Sustaining Effective Teaching and Learning, and Forecasts for the Future

Introducing this special issue of the Journal of Literacy and Technology, the second part of the two-part special issues focusing on the COVID-19 “suddenly online” transition to remote/virtual eLearning modalities during the Spring of 2020. This article introduces the emergency voices from the field arising from the COVID-19 “suddenly online” transition to remote/virtual eLearning modalities during the Spring of 2020. This rare, and perhaps “once in a lifetime” momentous COVID-19 pandemic induced a paradigmatic shift in teaching and learning modalities. The first-hand eyewitness accounts which emerged from the turbulent months of the “suddenly online” transition in education are important to capture direct reports from participant observers of the experience. That in this case, many of these participant-observers are also trained educators, academic researchers, and able to provide meta-perspectives on those experiences makes recollections, reports, and perspectives even more remarkable and essential

Clinical Comparison of Retinopathy-Positive and Retinopathy-Negative Cerebral Malaria

AbstractCerebral malaria (CM) is a severe and often lethal complication of falciparum malaria. A classic malaria retinopathy is seen in some (retinopathy-positive [RP]) children but not others (retinopathy-negative [RN]), and is associated with increased parasite sequestration. It is unclear whether RN CM is a severe nonmalarial illness with incidental parasitemia or a less severe form of the same malarial illness as RP CM. Understanding the clinical differences between RP and RN CM may help shed light on the pathophysiology of malarial retinopathy. We compared clinical history, physical examination, laboratory findings, and outcomes of RP (N = 167) and RN (N = 87) children admitted to Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. Compared with RN children, RP children presented with a longer history of illness, as well as physical examination and laboratory findings indicative of more severe disease and organ damage. The hospital course of RP children was complicated by longer coma duration and a greater transfusion burden than RN children. Mortality did not differ significantly between RP and RN children (14.4% versus 8.0%, P = 0.14). Further, severity of retinal hemorrhage correlated with the majority of variables that differed between RP and RN children. The data suggest that RP and RN CM may reflect the spectrum of illness in CM, and that RN CM could be an earlier, less severe form of disease

Meckel’s diverticulum: the lead point of intrauterine intussusception with subsequent intestinal atresia in a newborn

Intussusception is a known complication of Meckel’s diverticulum. However, intrauterine intussusception secondary to Meckel’s diverticulum has unknown incidence. Our case describes the medical and surgical management of a newborn with intrauterine intussusception of a Meckel’s diverticulum as a cause of the vascular malformation leading to ileal atresia. To our knowledge, this is the fifth case report of this phenomenon. In all cases, definitive management required exploratory laparotomy, bowel resection, and intestinal primary anastomosis

Rehabilitating Your Organization’s Image: Public Relations Professionals’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness and Ethicality of Image Repair Strategies in Crisis Situations

When crisis hits an organization, public relations professionals are called upon as communication experts to play a key role in mitigating damage to and maintaining stakeholder confidence in the organization. The relevance of crisis and post-crisis communication research to public relations practitioners lies in its utility in identifying factors that influence stakeholders’ perceptions before, during, and after organizational crises, and in identifying processes and strategies that are effective in maintaining or restoring an organization’s reputation and image. These brand and image repair strategies rely on effective use of language, persuasive message strategies, and symbolic actions. This study offers evidence-based decision making from empirical research based on practicing public relations professionals’ reported perceptions and use of specific strategies in different types of crisis situations. The use of crisis communication strategies among public relations professionals, focusing on judgments about which strategies are ethical, which strategies professionals are likely to use and recommend, and which strategies are most effective, is contextualized within three common reputation crisis scenarios (accidents, product safety, and illegal activity)

The acute transcriptome response of the midbrain/diencephalon to injury in the adult mummichog (\u3cem\u3eFundulus heteroclitus\u3c/em\u3e)

Adult fish produce new cells throughout their central nervous system during the course of their lives and maintain a tremendous capacity to repair damaged neural tissue. Much of the focus on understanding brain repair and regeneration in adult fish has been directed at regions of the brainstem and forebrain; however, the mesencephalon (midbrain) and diencephalon have received little attention. We sought to examine differential gene expression in the midbrain/diencephalon in response to injury in the adult fish using RNA-seq. Using the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus), we administered a mechanical lesion to the midbrain/diencephalon and examined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at an acute recovery time of 1 h post-injury. Comparisons of whole transcriptomes derived from isolated RNA of intact and injured midbrain/diencephalic tissue identified 404 DEGs with the vast majority being upregulated. Using qPCR, we validated the upregulation of DEGs pim-2-like, syndecan-4-like, and cd83. Based on genes both familiar and novel regarding the adult brain response to injury, these data provide an extensive molecular profile giving insight into a range of cellular processes involved in the injury response of a brain regenerative-capable vertebrate

The acute transcriptome response of the midbrain/diencephalon to injury in the adult mummichog (\u3cem\u3eFundulus heteroclitus\u3c/em\u3e)

Adult fish produce new cells throughout their central nervous system during the course of their lives and maintain a tremendous capacity to repair damaged neural tissue. Much of the focus on understanding brain repair and regeneration in adult fish has been directed at regions of the brainstem and forebrain; however, the mesencephalon (midbrain) and diencephalon have received little attention. We sought to examine differential gene expression in the midbrain/diencephalon in response to injury in the adult fish using RNA-seq. Using the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus), we administered a mechanical lesion to the midbrain/diencephalon and examined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at an acute recovery time of 1 h post-injury. Comparisons of whole transcriptomes derived from isolated RNA of intact and injured midbrain/diencephalic tissue identified 404 DEGs with the vast majority being upregulated. Using qPCR, we validated the upregulation of DEGs pim-2-like, syndecan-4-like, and cd83. Based on genes both familiar and novel regarding the adult brain response to injury, these data provide an extensive molecular profile giving insight into a range of cellular processes involved in the injury response of a brain regenerative-capable vertebrate

Enhancement of Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated Gene Therapy Using Hydroxychloroquine in Murine and Human Tissues.

The therapeutic effects of gene therapy using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are dependent on the efficacy of viral transduction. Currently, we have reached the safe limits of AAV vector dose, beyond which damaging inflammatory responses are seen. To improve the efficacy of AAV transduction, we treated mouse embryonic fibroblasts, primate retinal pigment epithelial cells, and human retinal explants with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) 1 h prior to transduction with an AAV2 vector encoding GFP driven by a ubiquitous CAG promoter. This led to a consistent increase in GFP expression, up to 3-fold, compared with vector alone. Comparing subretinal injections of AAV2.CAG.GFP vector alone versus co-injection with 18.75 μM HCQ in paired eyes in mice, mean GFP expression was 4.6-fold higher in retinae co-treated with HCQ without retinal toxicity. A comparative 5.9-fold effect was seen with an AAV8(Y733F).GRK1.GFP vector containing the photoreceptor-specific rhodopsin kinase promoter. While the mechanism of action remains to be fully elucidated, our data suggest that a single pulse of adjunctive HCQ could safely improve AAV transduction in vivo, thus providing a novel strategy for enhancing the clinical effects of gene therapy