Bigger is not always better

A book review of Economy, Efficiency, and Equality: The Myths of Rural School and District Consolidation, by Jonathan P. Sher and Rachel B. Tompkins

Lower critical field measurements in YBa2Cu3O(6+x) single crystals

The temperature dependence of the lower critical field in YBa2Cu3O(6+x) single crystals was determined by magnetization measurements with the applied field parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis. Results are compared with data from the literature and fitted to Ginzberg-Landau equations by assuming a linear dependence of the parameter kappa on temperature. A value of 7 plus or minus 2 kOe was estimated for the thermodynamic critical field at T = O by comparison of calculated H (sub c2) values with experimental data from the literature

Measurement of H(sub c1) in a single crystal of YBa2Cu3O7 with low pinning

The measurement of H(sub c1) in barium yttrium copper oxide (BYCO) is often ambiguous because the presence of large pinning forces makes it difficult to discern exactly where the first deviation from linearity occurs. In addition there are complications because demagnetizing factors are often not well known. By utilizing a single crystal of YBCO with a nearly cubic shape, the uncertainty in the demagnetizing factor was minimized. In addition, the crystal used exhibited a very small amount of pinning with H applied perpendicular to the c axis, and a sharp break in the initial magnetization vs. field curve could be observed over a wide range of temperature. This allowed a precise determination of H(sub c1). The measured values of H(sub c1) could be well described by the Abrikosov relation with a Ginzburg-Landau parameter which varied linearly with temperature

Creating a Model for Faculty Success: Faculty Advancement Initiative for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color at the University at Albany

The Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color (BILPOC) Faculty Advancement Initiative at UAlbany focuses on mentoring, retention, and promotion of BILPOC Faculty. Our faculty-led association is providing a safe and supportive space for faculty who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx and people of color. This association serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas that is also helping UAlbany BILPOC faculty with professional growth and career advancement. We also see our group as a retention mechanism. Since inception, BILPOC has made a significant contribution to the University and Faculty as evidenced through its growth, programming, community engagement, and research proposal efforts. What began with a group of seven faculty members has blossomed to over 50 within one year. BILPOC faculty are interested in collaboration across disciplines on meaningful topics for their communities. They are also interested in mentorship, writing groups, social meetups, and outreach efforts, all of which this faculty advancement initiative provides. We believe that our newly established BILPOC community provides opportunities that support our diverse workforce, while also creating a positive and sustainable scholarly environment, which might serve as a model for other institutions

A Bayesian Belief Network to assess rate of changes in coral reef ecosystems

It is crucial to identify sources of impacts and degradation to maintain functions and services that the physical structure of coral reef provides. Here, a Bayesian Network approach is used to evaluate effects that anthropogenic and climate change disturbances have on coral reef structure. The network was constructed on knowledge derived from the literature and elicited from experts, and parameterised on independent data. Evaluation of the model was conducted through sensitivity analyses and data integration was fundamental to obtain a balanced dataset. Scenario analyses, conducted to assess the effects of stressors on the reef framework state, suggested that calcifying organisms and carbonate production, rather than bioerosion, had the largest influence on the reef carbonate budgetary state. Despite the overall budget remaining positive, anthropogenic pressures, particularly deterioration of water quality, affected reef carbonate production, representing a warning signal for potential changes in the reef state

A functional and transcriptomic analysis of NET1 bioactivity in gastric cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>NET1, a RhoA guanine exchange factor, is up-regulated in gastric cancer (GC) tissue and drives the invasive phenotype of this disease. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of NET1 in GC by monitoring the proliferation, motility and invasion of GC cells in which NET1 has been stably knocked down. Additionally, we aimed to determine NET1-dependent transcriptomic events that occur in GC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An in vitro model of stable knockdown of NET1 was achieved in AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells via lentiviral mediated transduction of short-hairpin (sh) RNA targeting NET1. Knockdown was assessed using quantitative PCR. Cell proliferation was assessed using an MTS assay and cell migration was assessed using a wound healing scratch assay. Cell invasion was assessed using a transwell matrigel invasion assay. Gene expression profiles were examined using affymetrix oligonucleotide U133A expression arrays. A student's t test was used to determine changes of statistical significance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>GC cells were transduced with NET1 shRNA resulting in a 97% reduction in NET1 mRNA (p < 0.0001). NET1 knockdown significantly reduced the invasion and migration of GC cells by 94% (p < 0.05) and 24% (p < 0.001) respectively, while cell proliferation was not significantly altered following NET1 knockdown. Microarray analysis was performed on non-target and knockdown cell lines, treated with and without 10 μM lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) allowing us to identify NET1-dependent, LPA-dependent and NET1-mediated LPA-induced gene transcription. Differential gene expression was confirmed by quantitative PCR. Shortlisted NET1-dependent genes included STAT1, TSPAN1, TGFBi and CCL5 all of which were downregulatd upon NET1 downregulation. Shortlisted LPA-dependent genes included EGFR and PPARD where EGFR was upregulated and PPARD was downregulated upon LPA stimulation. Shortlisted NET1 and LPA dependent genes included IGFR1 and PIP5K3. These LPA induced genes were downregulated in NET1 knockdown cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>NET1 plays an important role in GC cell migration and invasion, key aspects of GC progression. Furthermore, the gene expression profile further elucidates the molecular mechanisms underpinning NET1-mediated aggressive GC cell behaviour.</p

The impact of transposable element activity on therapeutically relevant human stem cells

Human stem cells harbor significant potential for basic and clinical translational research as well as regenerative medicine. Currently ~ 3000 adult and ~ 30 pluripotent stem cell-based, interventional clinical trials are ongoing worldwide, and numbers are increasing continuously. Although stem cells are promising cell sources to treat a wide range of human diseases, there are also concerns regarding potential risks associated with their clinical use, including genomic instability and tumorigenesis concerns. Thus, a deeper understanding of the factors and molecular mechanisms contributing to stem cell genome stability are a prerequisite to harnessing their therapeutic potential for degenerative diseases. Chemical and physical factors are known to influence the stability of stem cell genomes, together with random mutations and Copy Number Variants (CNVs) that accumulated in cultured human stem cells. Here we review the activity of endogenous transposable elements (TEs) in human multipotent and pluripotent stem cells, and the consequences of their mobility for genomic integrity and host gene expression. We describe transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms antagonizing the spread of TEs in the human genome, and highlight those that are more prevalent in multipotent and pluripotent stem cells. Notably, TEs do not only represent a source of mutations/CNVs in genomes, but are also often harnessed as tools to engineer the stem cell genome; thus, we also describe and discuss the most widely applied transposon-based tools and highlight the most relevant areas of their biomedical applications in stem cells. Taken together, this review will contribute to the assessment of the risk that endogenous TE activity and the application of genetically engineered TEs constitute for the biosafety of stem cells to be used for substitutive and regenerative cell therapiesS.R.H. and P.T.R. are funded by the Government of Spain (MINECO, RYC-2016- 21395 and SAF2015–71589-P [S.R.H.]; PEJ-2014-A-31985 and SAF2015–71589- P [P.T.R.]). GGS is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health of the Federal Republic of Germany (FKZ2518FSB403)