Collaborative Language Planning Project: Report from First Meeting

Report from the first meeting of the Collaborative Language Planning Project, held May 17, 2018 at the University of Montana\u27s Native American Center

Identifying low density lipoprotein cholesterol associated variants in the Annexin A2 (ANXA2) gene.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Annexin-A2 (AnxA2) is an endogenous inhibitor of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9 (PCSK9). The repeat-one (R1) domain of AnxA2 binds to PCSK9, blocking its ability to promote degradation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-receptors (LDL-R) and thereby regulate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Here we identify variants in ANXA2 influencing LDL-C levels and we determine the molecular mechanisms of their effects. RESULTS: The ANXA2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype-phenotype association was examined using the Second-Northwick-Park Heart Study (NPHSII) (n∼2700) and the UCL-LSHTM-Edinburgh-Bristol (UCLEB) consortium (n∼14,600). The ANXA2-R1 domain coding-SNP rs17845226 (V98L) associated with LDL-C, homozygotes for the minor allele having ≈18.8% higher levels of LDL-C (p = 0.004), and higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) (p = 0.04). The SNP is in modest linkage disequilibrium (r(2) > 0.5) with two intergenic SNPs, rs17191344 and rs11633032. Both SNPs showed allele-specific protein binding, and the minor alleles caused significant reduction in reporter gene expression (≈18%, p < 0.001). In the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) study, minor allele homozygotes have significantly lower levels of ANXA2-mRNA expression (p = 1.36 × 10(-05)). CONCLUSIONS: Both rs11633032 and rs17191344 SNPs are functional variants, where the minor alleles create repressor-binding protein sites for transcription factors that contribute to reduced ANXA2 gene expression. Lower AnxA2 levels could increase plasma levels of PCSK9 and thus increase LDL-C levels and risk of CHD. This supports, for the first time in humans, previous observations in mouse models that changes in the levels of AnxA2 directly influence plasma LDL-C levels, and thus implicate this protein as a potential therapeutic target for LDL-C lowering

Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory

The Arctic Energy Technology Development Laboratory was created by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in response to a congressionally mandated funding opportunity through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), specifically to encourage research partnerships between the university, the Alaskan energy industry, and the DOE. The enabling legislation permitted research in a broad variety of topics particularly of interest to Alaska, including providing more efficient and economical electrical power generation in rural villages, as well as research in coal, oil, and gas. The contract was managed as a cooperative research agreement, with active project monitoring and management from the DOE. In the eight years of this partnership, approximately 30 projects were funded and completed. These projects, which were selected using an industry panel of Alaskan energy industry engineers and managers, cover a wide range of topics, such as diesel engine efficiency, fuel cells, coal combustion, methane gas hydrates, heavy oil recovery, and water issues associated with ice road construction in the oil fields of the North Slope. Each project was managed as a separate DOE contract, and the final technical report for each completed project is included with this final report. The intent of this process was to address the energy research needs of Alaska and to develop research capability at the university. As such, the intent from the beginning of this process was to encourage development of partnerships and skills that would permit a transition to direct competitive funding opportunities managed from funding sources. This project has succeeded at both the individual project level and at the institutional development level, as many of the researchers at the university are currently submitting proposals to funding agencies, with some success

Practical Challenges for Digital Watermarking Applications

<p/> <p>The field of digital watermarking has recently seen numerous articles covering novel techniques, theoretical studies, attacks, and analysis. In this paper, we focus on an emerging application to highlight practical challenges for digital watermarking applications. Challenges include design considerations, requirements analysis, choice of watermarking techniques, speed, robustness, and the tradeoffs involved. We describe common attributes of watermarking systems and discuss the challenges in developing real world applications. Our application uses digital watermarking to connect ordinary toys to the digital world. The application captures important aspects of watermarking systems and illustrates some of the design issues faced.</p

Impacts of Water Level Fluctuations on Kokanee Reproduction in Flathead Lake; Effects of Operation of Kerr and Hungry Horse Dam on Reproductive Success, 1983 Annual Report.

Koktneesalmon (Oncorhvnchusnerka), the land-locked form of sockeye salmon, were originally introduced to Flathead Lake in 1916. My 1933, kokanee had become established in the lake and provided a popular summer trolling fishery as well as a fall snagging fishery in shoreline areas. Presently, Flathead Lake supports the second highest fishing pressure of any lake or reservoir in Montana (Montana Department of Fish and Game 1976). During 1981-82, the lake provided 168,792 man-days of fishing pressure. Ninety-two percent of the estimated 536,870 fish caught in Flathead Lake in 1981-82 were kokanee salmon. Kokanee also provided forage for bull trout seasonally and year round for lake trout. Kokanee rear to maturity in Flathead Lake, then return to various total grounds to spawn. Spawning occurred in lake outlet streams, springs, larger rivers and lake shoreline areas in suitable but often limited habitat. Shoreline spawning in Flathead Lake was first documented in the mid-1930's. Spawning kokanee were seized from shoreline areas in 1933 and 21,000 cans were processed and packed for distribution to the needy. Stefanich (1953 and 1954) later documented extensive but an unquantified amount of spawning along the shoreline as well as runs in Whitefish River and McDonald Creek in the 1950's. A creel census conducted in 1962-63 determined 11 to 13 percent of the kokanee caught annually were taken during the spawning period (Robbins 1966). During a 1981-82 creel census, less than one percent of the fishermen on Flathead Lake were snagging kokanee (Graham and Fredenberg 1982). The operation of Kerr Dam, located below Flathead Lake on the Flathead River, has altered seasonal fluctuations of Flathead Lake. Lake levels presently remain high during kokanee spawning in November and decline during the incubation and emergence periods. Groundwater plays an important role in embryo and fry survival in redds of shoreline areas exposed by lake drawdown. Stefanich (1954) and Domrose (1968) found live eggs and fry only in shoreline spawning areas wetted by groundwater seeps. Impacts of the operation of Kerr Dam on lakeshore spawning have not been quantified. Recent studies have revealed that operation of Hungry Horse Dam severely impacted successful kokanee spawning and incubation in the Flathead River above Flathead Lake (Graham et al. 1980, McMullin and Graham 1981, Fraley and Graham 1982 and Fraley and McMullin 1983). Flows from Hungry Horse Dam to enhance kokanee reproduction in the river system have been voluntarily met by the Bureau of Reclamation since 1981. In lakeshore spawning areas in other Pacific Northwest systems, spawning habitat for kokanee and sockeye salmon was characterized by seepage or groundwater flow where suitable substrate composition existed (Foerster 1968). Spawning primarily occurred in shallower depths (<6 m) where gravels were cleaned by wave action (Hassemer and Rieman 1979 and 1980, Stober et al. 1979a). Seasonal drawdown of reservoirs can adversely affect survival of incubating kokanee eggs and fry spawned in shallow shoreline areas. Jeppon (1955 and 1960) and Whitt (1957) estimated 10-75 percent kokanee egg loss in shoreline areas of Pend Oreille Lake, Idaho after regulation of the upper three meters occurred in 1952. After 20 years of operation, Bowler (1979) found Pend Oreille shoreline spawning to occur in fewer areas with generally lower numbers of adults. In studies on Priest Lake, Idaho, Bjornn (1957) attributed frozen eggs and stranded fry to winter fluctuations of the upper three meters of the lake. Eggs and fry frozen during winter drawdown accounted for a 90 percent loss to shoreline spawning kokanee in Donner Lake, California (Kimsey 1951). Stober et al. (1979a) determined irrigation drawdown of Banks Lake, Washington reduced shoreline survival during five of the seven years the system was studied. The goal of this phase of the study was to evaluate and document effects of the operation of Kerr Dam on kokanee shoreline reproduction in Flathead Lake. Specific objectives to meet this goal are: (1) Delineate the extent of successful shoreline spawning in Flathead Lake both on-shore (to an approximate depth of 6.1 m below full pool elevation) and off-shore (approximately 6.1-21.3 m below full pool elevation). (2) Quantify and qualify influence of groundwater on reproductive success of on-shore spawners. The effects of groundwater on spawning and incubation on off-shore spawners will also be studied. Rates of groundwater discharge and groundwater chemistry will be established in spawning and non-spawning areas. Those data will be compared and contrasted in an attempt to delineate parameters affecting spawning site selection and embryo success. (3) Determine the relative contributions of major spawning areas to the total kokanee population

Nickel‐Catalyzed Anionic Cross‐Coupling Reaction of Lithium Sulfonimidoyl Alkylidene Carbenoids With Organolithiums

The mechanistic platform for a novel nickel(0)-catalyzed anionic cross-coupling reaction (ACCR) of lithium sulfonimidoyl alkylidene carbenoids (metalloalkenyl sulfoximines) with organometallic reagents is reported herein, affording substituted alkenylmetals and lithium sulfinamides. The Ni-0-catalyzed ACCR of three different types of metalloalkenyl sulfoximines, including acyclic, axially chiral and exocyclic derivatives, with sp(2) organolithiums and sp(2) and sp(3) Grignard reagents has been studied. The ACCR of metalloalkenyl sulfoximines with PhLi in the presence of the Ni-0-catalyst and precatalyst Ni(PPh3)(2)Cl-2 afforded alkenyllithiums, under inversion of configuration at the C atom and complete retention at the S atom. In a combination of experimental and DFT studies, we propose a catalytic cycle of the Ni-0-catalyzed ACCR of lithioalkenyl sulfoximines. Computational studies reveal two distinctive pathways of the ACCR, depending on whether a phosphine or 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD) is the ligand of the Ni atom. They rectify the underlying importance of forming the key Ni-0-vinylidene intermediate through an indispensable electron-rich Ni-0-center coordinated by phosphine ligands. Fundamentally, we present a mechanistic study in controlling the diastereoselectivity of the alkenyllithium formation via the key lithium sulfinamide coordinated Ni-0-vinylidene complex, which consequently avoids an unselective formation of an alkylidene carbene Ni-complex and ultimately racemic alkenyllithium. T 2019 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhei