Breaking Bread: Holistically Meeting Needs to Increase Writing Tutorial Success and Engagement

Students need writing tutoring, yet attendance for tutoring is epidemically low. Learn how an embedded tutoring program/center for English and ESL students increases student success and attendance for tutoring by providing “Brain Food” during tutoring sessions. Learn how breaking bread on your campus can meet students’ needs and change everything

Whole Genome Association Studies of Residual Feed Intake and Related Traits in the Pig

Background Residual feed intake (RFI), a measure of feed efficiency, is the difference between observed feed intake and the expected feed requirement predicted from growth and maintenance. Pigs with low RFI have reduced feed costs without compromising their growth. Identification of genes or genetic markers associated with RFI will be useful for marker-assisted selection at an early age of animals with improved feed efficiency. Methodology/Principal findings Whole genome association studies (WGAS) for RFI, average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), back fat (BF) and loin muscle area (LMA) were performed on 1,400 pigs from the divergently selected ISU-RFI lines, using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip. Various statistical methods were applied to find SNPs and genomic regions associated with the traits, including a Bayesian approach using GenSel software, and frequentist approaches such as allele frequency differences between lines, single SNP and haplotype analyses using PLINK software. Single SNP and haplotype analyses showed no significant associations (except for LMA) after genomic control and FDR. Bayesian analyses found at least 2 associations for each trait at a false positive probability of 0.5. At generation 8, the RFI selection lines mainly differed in allele frequencies for SNPs near (\u3c0.05 Mb) genes that regulate insulin release and leptin functions. The Bayesian approach identified associations of genomic regions containing insulin release genes (e.g., GLP1R, CDKAL, SGMS1) with RFI and ADFI, of regions with energy homeostasis (e.g., MC4R, PGM1, GPR81) and muscle growth related genes (e.g., TGFB1) with ADG, and of fat metabolism genes (e.g., ACOXL, AEBP1) with BF. Specifically, a very highly significantly associated QTL for LMA on SSC7 with skeletal myogenesis genes (e.g.,KLHL31) was identified for subsequent fine mapping. Conclusions/significance Important genomic regions associated with RFI related traits were identified for future validation studies prior to their incorporation in marker-assisted selection programs

Genome Wide Association Studies for Residual Feed Intake Traits in Pigs

Residual feed intake (RFI), a measure of feed efficiency, is the difference between observed feed intake and the expected feed requirements computed based ongrowth and maintenance of the pig. Efficient animals with low RFI can be selected at an early age with genetic markers. Hence, the present study in 1400 pigs used several statistical methods to find the associations between more than 50,000 genetic markers and RFI, and its related traits such as average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), back fat (BF) and loin muscle area (LMA). Associations were observed for a combination of genetic markers on chromosomal regions containing insulin release genes (e.g., GLP1R, CDKAL, SGMS1) with RFI and ADFI, energy balance (e.g., MC4R, PGM1, GPR81) and muscle growth related genes (e.g., TGFB1) with ADG, fat related genes (e.g., ACOXL, AEBP1) with BF and skeletal muscle development genes (e.g., KLHL31) with LMA. Overall, these studies identified important chromosomal regions for further scrutiny to consider them for selection of pigs for RFI and its related traits

PI3K Orchestrates T Follicular Helper Cell Differentiation in a Context Dependent Manner: Implications for Autoimmunity

T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are a specialized population of CD4+ T cells that provide help to B cells for the formation and maintenance germinal centers, and the production of high affinity class-switched antibodies, long-lived plasma cells, and memory B cells. As such, Tfh cells are essential for the generation of successful long-term humoral immunity and memory responses to vaccination and infection. Conversely, overproduction of Tfh cells has been associated with the generation of autoantibodies and autoimmunity. Data from gene-targeted mice, pharmacological inhibitors, as well as studies of human and mice expressing activating mutants have revealed that PI3Kδ is a key regulator of Tfh cell differentiation, acting downstream of ICOS to facilitate inactivation of FOXO1, repression of Klf2 and induction of Bcl6. Nonetheless, here we show that after acute LCMV infection, WT and activated-PI3Kδ mice (Pik3cdE1020K/+) show comparable ratios of Tfh:Th1 viral specific CD4+ T cells, despite higher polyclonal Tfh cells in Pik3cdE1020K/+ mice. Thus, the idea that PI3K activity primarily drives Tfh cell differentiation may be an oversimplification and PI3K-mediated pathways are likely to integrate multiple signals to promote distinct effector T cell lineages. The consequences of dysregulated Tfh cell generation will be discussed in the context of the human primary immunodeficiency “Activated PI3K-delta Syndrome” (APDS), also known as “p110 delta-activating mutation causing senescent T cells, lymphadenopathy and immunodeficiency” (PASLI). Overall, these data underscore a major role for PI3K signaling in the orchestration of T lymphocyte responses

CMS distributed computing workflow experience

The vast majority of the CMS Computing capacity, which is organized in a tiered hierarchy, is located away from CERN. The 7 Tier-1 sites archive the LHC proton-proton collision data that is initially processed at CERN. These sites provide access to all recorded and simulated data for the Tier-2 sites, via wide-area network (WAN) transfers. All central data processing workflows are executed at the Tier-1 level, which contain re-reconstruction and skimming workflows of collision data as well as reprocessing of simulated data to adapt to changing detector conditions. This paper describes the operation of the CMS processing infrastructure at the Tier-1 level. The Tier-1 workflows are described in detail. The operational optimization of resource usage is described. In particular, the variation of different workflows during the data taking period of 2010, their efficiencies and latencies as well as their impact on the delivery of physics results is discussed and lessons are drawn from this experience. The simulation of proton-proton collisions for the CMS experiment is primarily carried out at the second tier of the CMS computing infrastructure. Half of the Tier-2 sites of CMS are reserved for central Monte Carlo (MC) production while the other half is available for user analysis. This paper summarizes the large throughput of the MC production operation during the data taking period of 2010 and discusses the latencies and efficiencies of the various types of MC production workflows. We present the operational procedures to optimize the usage of available resources and we the operational model of CMS for including opportunistic resources, such as the larger Tier-3 sites, into the central production operation

Sniff-synchronized, gradient-guided olfactory search by freely moving mice.

For many organisms, searching for relevant targets such as food or mates entails active, strategic sampling of the environment. Finding odorous targets may be the most ancient search problem that motile organisms evolved to solve. While chemosensory navigation has been well characterized in microorganisms and invertebrates, spatial olfaction in vertebrates is poorly understood. We have established an olfactory search assay in which freely moving mice navigate noisy concentration gradients of airborne odor. Mice solve this task using concentration gradient cues and do not require stereo olfaction for performance. During task performance, respiration and nose movement are synchronized with tens of milliseconds precision. This synchrony is present during trials and largely absent during inter-trial intervals, suggesting that sniff-synchronized nose movement is a strategic behavioral state rather than simply a constant accompaniment to fast breathing. To reveal the spatiotemporal structure of these active sensing movements, we used machine learning methods to parse motion trajectories into elementary movement motifs. Motifs fall into two clusters, which correspond to investigation and approach states. Investigation motifs lock precisely to sniffing, such that the individual motifs preferentially occur at specific phases of the sniff cycle. The allocentric structure of investigation and approach indicates an advantage to sampling both sides of the sharpest part of the odor gradient, consistent with a serial-sniff strategy for gradient sensing. This work clarifies sensorimotor strategies for mouse olfactory search and guides ongoing work into the underlying neural mechanisms

Genomic regions associated with pseudorabies virus infection status in naturally infected feral swine (Sus scrofa)

Pseudorabies virus (PRV)—the causative agent of Aujeszky’s disease—was eliminated from commercial pig production herds in the United States (US) in 2004; however, PRV remains endemic among invasive feral swine (Sus scrofa). The circulation of PRV among abundant, widespread feral swine populations poses a sustained risk for disease spillover to production herds. Risk–based surveillance has been successfully implemented for PRV in feral swine populations in the US. However, understanding the role of host genetics in infection status may offer new insights into the epidemiology and disease dynamics of PRV that can be applied to management strategies. Genetic mechanisms underlying host susceptibility to PRV are relatively unknown; therefore, we sought to identify genomic regions associated with PRV infection status among naturally infected feral swine using genome–wide association studies (GWAS) and gene set enrichment analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism data (GSEA–SNP). Paired serological and genotypic data were collected from 6,081 feral swine distributed across the invaded range within the contiguous US. Three complementary study populations were developed for GWAS: 1) comprehensive population consisting of feral swine throughout the invaded range within the contiguous US; 2) population of feral swine under high, but temporally variable PRV infection pressure; and 3) population of feral swine under temporally stable, high PRV infection pressure. We identified one intronic SNP associated with PRV infection status within candidate gene AKAP6 on autosome 7. Various gene sets linked to metabolic pathways were enriched in the GSEA–SNP. Ultimately, improving disease surveillance efforts in feral swine will be critical to further understanding of the role host genetics play in PRV infection status, helping secure the health of commercial pork production

Unagreement is an illusion

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11049-015-9311-yThis paper proposes an analysis of unagreement, a phenomenon involving an apparent mismatch between a definite third person plural subject and first or second person plural subject agreement observed in various null subject languages (e.g. Spanish, Modern Greek and Bulgarian), but notoriously absent in others (e.g. Italian, European Portuguese). A cross-linguistic correlation between unagreement and the structure of adnominal pronoun constructions suggests that the availability of unagreement depends on whether person and definiteness are hosted by separate heads (in languages like Greek) or bundled on a single head (i.e. pronominal determiners in languages like Italian). Null spell-out of the head hosting person features high in the extended nominal projection of the subject leads to unagreement. The lack of unagreement in languages with pronominal determiners results from the interaction of their syntactic structure with the properties of the vocabulary items realising the head encoding both person and definiteness. The analysis provides a principled explanation for the cross-linguistic distribution of unagreement and suggests a unified framework for deriving unagreement, adnominal pronoun constructions, personal pronouns and pro

A Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) of Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Validated by Clinician Ratings

BackgroundA composite metric for the quality of glycemia from continuous glucose monitor (CGM) tracings could be useful for assisting with basic clinical interpretation of CGM data.MethodsWe assembled a data set of 14-day CGM tracings from 225 insulin-treated adults with diabetes. Using a balanced incomplete block design, 330 clinicians who were highly experienced with CGM analysis and interpretation ranked the CGM tracings from best to worst quality of glycemia. We used principal component analysis and multiple regressions to develop a model to predict the clinician ranking based on seven standard metrics in an Ambulatory Glucose Profile: very low-glucose and low-glucose hypoglycemia; very high-glucose and high-glucose hyperglycemia; time in range; mean glucose; and coefficient of variation.ResultsThe analysis showed that clinician rankings depend on two components, one related to hypoglycemia that gives more weight to very low-glucose than to low-glucose and the other related to hyperglycemia that likewise gives greater weight to very high-glucose than to high-glucose. These two components should be calculated and displayed separately, but they can also be combined into a single Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) that corresponds closely to the clinician rankings of the overall quality of glycemia (r = 0.95). The GRI can be displayed graphically on a GRI Grid with the hypoglycemia component on the horizontal axis and the hyperglycemia component on the vertical axis. Diagonal lines divide the graph into five zones (quintiles) corresponding to the best (0th to 20th percentile) to worst (81st to 100th percentile) overall quality of glycemia. The GRI Grid enables users to track sequential changes within an individual over time and compare groups of individuals.ConclusionThe GRI is a single-number summary of the quality of glycemia. Its hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia components provide actionable scores and a graphical display (the GRI Grid) that can be used by clinicians and researchers to determine the glycemic effects of prescribed and investigational treatments

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI