When the Senate plays politics with Supreme Court vacancies this hurts the public’s perceptions of the Court

The recent US Senate confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court has shown how politicized such hearings have become. But how do these more contentious hearings influence how the American public thinks about the Supreme Court itself? In new survey research, Miles T. Armaly and Elizabeth A. Lane examine reactions to the US Senate’s approach to filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat. They find that respondents who were told about the politicization of a past vacancy were less likely to express support for the Supreme Court and to favor reforms which would reduce its power

The Trypanosoma cruzi enzyme TcGPXI is a glycosomal peroxidase and can be linked to trypanothione reduction by glutathione or tryparedoxin.

Trypanosoma cruzi glutathione-dependent peroxidase I (TcGPXI) can reduce fatty acid, phospholipid, and short chain organic hydroperoxides utilizing a novel redox cycle in which enzyme activity is linked to the reduction of trypanothione, a parasite-specific thiol, by glutathione. Here we show that TcGPXI activity can also be linked to trypanothione reduction by an alternative pathway involving the thioredoxin-like protein tryparedoxin. The presence of this new pathway was first detected using dialyzed soluble fractions of parasite extract. Tryparedoxin was identified as the intermediate molecule following purification, sequence analysis, antibody studies, and reconstitution of the redox cycle in vitro. The system can be readily saturated by trypanothione, the rate-limiting step being the interaction of trypanothione with the tryparedoxin. Both tryparedoxin and TcGPXI operate by a ping-pong mechanism. Overexpression of TcGPXI in transfected parasites confers increased resistance to exogenous hydroperoxides. TcGPXI contains a carboxyl-terminal tripeptide (ARI) that could act as a targeting signal for the glycosome, a kinetoplastid-specific organelle. Using immunofluorescence, tagged fluorescent proteins, and biochemical fractionation, we have demonstrated that TcGPXI is localized to both the glycosome and the cytosol. The ability of TcGPXI to use alternative electron donors may reflect their availability at the corresponding subcellular sites

Institutional Critique: A Rhetorical Methodology for Change

We offer institutional critique as an activist methodology for changing institutions. Since institutions are rhetorical entities, rhetoric can be deployed to change them. In its effort to counter oppressive institutional structures, the field of rhetoric and composition has focused its attention chiefly on the composition classroom, on the department of English, and on disciplinary forms of critique. Our focus shifts the scene of action and argument to professional writing and to public discourse, using spatial methods adapted from postmodern geography and critical theory

The effects of purchasing alcohol and marijuana among adolescents at-risk for future substance use

BACKGROUND: Among high-risk youth, those who may be at increased risk for adverse alcohol and other drug (AOD) use outcomes may benefit from targeted prevention efforts; how youth acquire AOD may provide an objective means of identifying youth at elevated risk. METHODS: We assessed how youth acquired alcohol and marijuana (purchasing vs. other means), demographics, AOD behaviors/consequences, and environment among adolescents referred to a diversion program called Teen Court (N = 180) at two time points (prior to the program and 180 days from baseline). Participants were predominantly White and Hispanic/Latino(a). RESULTS: In cross-sectional analyses among alcohol and marijuana users, purchasing marijuana was associated with more frequent marijuana use and consequences, time spent around teens who use marijuana, higher likelihood of substance use disorders, and lower resistance self-efficacy compared to non-purchasers. Teens who purchased both alcohol and marijuana experienced similar outcomes to those who purchased only marijuana, and also reported more frequent and higher quantity of drinking, greater alcohol-related consequences, time spent around teens who use other drugs, and prescription drug misuse. Longitudinally, purchasing alcohol and marijuana at baseline was associated with more frequent and higher quantity of drinking compared to non-purchasers at follow-up. Marijuana only purchasers had a greater likelihood of substance use disorders at follow-up compared to non-purchasers. CONCLUSIONS: In an era where drinking is commonplace and attitudes towards marijuana use are becoming more tolerant, it is essential to evaluate how accessibility to AOD and subsequent purchasing behaviors affect youth consumption and intervene accordingly to prevent future consequences

A Case Study Analysis of a Regional Food System: The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium for Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program

The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium for Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program (SACH) was designed to carry out an experiment by five 1890 Land-Grant Universities in partnership with five farmer based cooperatives in five states to assess marketing fruits and vegetables to Walmart from a regional perspective. Using the Consortium as a case study, this study assessed the Consortium within the framework of implementation evaluation; data were collected using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study answered questions such as, what did the Consortium do, and what were some of the accomplishments of the Consortium? The farmers were able to: negotiate price points; develop a cold chain management system; properly package and store produce; and cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship with the buyer. Benefits derived from the Consortium included: providing supplemental income for the participating farmers; expansion of the existing regional food system; and promotion of good farm management practices. Key Words: Historically Disadvantaged Farmers, Regional Food Systems, Collaborative Marketing, 1890 Land-Grant Universities, Small Farmers and Commercial Market

Cell origin-dependent cooperativity of mutant Dnmt3a and Npm1 in clonal hematopoiesis and myeloid malignancy.

In adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the acquisition of driver somatic mutations may be preceded by a benign state termed clonal hematopoiesis (CH). To develop therapeutic strategies to prevent leukemia development from CH, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which CH-driving and AML-driving mutations cooperate. Here, we use mice with inducible mutant alleles common in human CH (DNMT3AR882; mouse Dnmt3aR878H) and AML (NPM1c; mouse Npm1cA). We find that Dnmt3aR878H/+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), but not multipotent progenitor cell (MPP) subsets, have reduced cytokine expression and proinflammatory transcriptional signatures and a functional competitive advantage over their wild-type counterparts. Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSCs are the most potent cell type transformed by Npm1cA, generating myeloid malignancies in which few additional cooperating somatic mutation events were detected. At a molecular level, Npm1cA, in cooperation with Dnmt3aR878H, acutely increased the accessibility of a distinct set of promoters in HSCs compared with MPP cells. These promoters were enriched for cell cycling, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, stem cell signatures, and targets of transcription factors, including NFAT and the chromatin binding factor HMGB1, which have been implicated in human AML. These results demonstrate cooperativity between preexisting Dnmt3aR878H and Npm1cA at the chromatin level, where specific loci altered in accessibility by Npm1cA are dependent on cell context as well as Dnmt3a mutation status. These findings have implications for biological understanding and therapeutic intervention in the transformation from CH to AML

The Ursinus Weekly, June 8, 1906

A dream of Heaven • The Baccalaureate sermon • Song recital • Class Day • The junior oratorical contest • Commencement • The Charmidean banquet • Society notes • Baseball • Alumni Day • Commencement game • Literary Supplement: A twentieth century renaissance; The college man in public life; Formation of the Schuylkill Valley; Does prevalence of natural science tend to check poetic spirit?; Janice Meredith and the modern girlhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/2983/thumbnail.jp

Draft genomes of 12 Bifidobacterium isolates from human IBD fecal samples

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How far back do we need to look to capture diagnoses in electronic health records? A retrospective observational study of hospital electronic health record data

Objectives: Analysis of routinely collected electronic health data is a key tool for long-term condition research and practice for hospitalised patients. This requires accurate and complete ascertainment of a broad range of diagnoses, something not always recorded on an admission document at a single point in time. This study aimed to ascertain how far back in time electronic hospital records need to be interrogated to capture long-term condition diagnoses. Design: Retrospective observational study of routinely collected hospital electronic health record data. Setting: Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (UK)-linked data held by the PIONEER acute care data hub. Participants: Patients whose first recorded admission for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation (n=560) or acute stroke (n=2142) was between January and December 2018 and who had a minimum of 10 years of data prior to the index date. Outcome measures: We identified the most common International Classification of Diseases version 10-coded diagnoses received by patients with COPD and acute stroke separately. For each diagnosis, we derived the number of patients with the diagnosis recorded at least once over the full 10-year lookback period, and then compared this with shorter lookback periods from 1 year to 9 years prior to the index admission. Results: Seven of the top 10 most common diagnoses in the COPD dataset reached >90% completeness by 6 years of lookback. Atrial fibrillation and diabetes were >90% coded with 2–3 years of lookback, but hypertension and asthma completeness continued to rise all the way out to 10 years of lookback. For stroke, 4 of the top 10 reached 90% completeness by 5 years of lookback; angina pectoris was >90% coded at 7 years and previous transient ischaemic attack completeness continued to rise out to 10 years of lookback. Conclusion: A 7-year lookback captures most, but not all, common diagnoses. Lookback duration should be tailored to the conditions being studied