Ab Initio Calculations Targeting Chemically Accurate Thermochemical Properties of Actinide Molecules

Actinide molecules are fascinating to study, from their intrinsic role in nuclear energy to their significant relativistic effects. Computational efforts allow these molecules to be explored accurately with significantly fewer risks. Composite methods, such as the Feller-Peterson-Dixon (FPD) method, have had good success previously with accurately determining thermochemical properties of small actinide molecules. Here, FPD is used to explore the electron affinities of ThO and ThPt via the similar orbital character between O and Pt; the electron affinities of ThPtC as well as determine its appropriate ground state structure; and electron affinities, ionization potentials, and bond dissociation energies of uranium oxides and neptunium oxides. The values found were in excellent agreement with experimental measurements, if applicable, so long as the wavefunction could be adequately described as a single determinant. The bonding character of molecules of interest are also analyzed in this work

Reliability Testing of the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) Mobile Application: Results from a pilot study

Globally, approximately 3500 individuals are killed due to a road traffic injury each day, equating to nearly 1.3 million deaths each year and more than a million children are either killed by, or sustain serious injury, from road traffic incidents. School zones are locations where there may be high concentrations of children at certain hours of the day, thereby increasing their exposure to road and pedestrian injuries. The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), an NGO established in 2006, developed the Star Ratings measurement system, which is used globally to provide simple, comparable and objective measurements of the built-in safety of road segments for road users. These ratings are given to governments and other users to inform infrastructure and other road safety programs. Recently, the Star Rating methodology has been adapted for the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) mobile application (an app), which is designed to measure and communicate road and pedestrian safety risks that children and adolescents are exposed to on their journey to and from school. iRAP has brought together several organizations, including Safe Kids Worldwide (SKW), from around the globe to pilot test the SR4S app. This project, in collaboration with SKW, aims to test the reliability of the SR4S app to answer the following questions: 1) Does the SR4S app produce consistent Star Ratings for the same road segments across multiple users? 2) Does training app users increase the reliability of the SR4S app to assess road and pedestrian safety in local school zones? Data collection took place during a two-day workshop in Washington, D.C., where 9 child injury experts with experience working in pedestrian safety advocacy (i.e. Safe Kids Coordinators) conducted multiple safety assessments using the SR4S app at a local elementary school at 10 road segments and received training on how to use the app. Data was collected once before training, and twice post-training. This data is currently being analyzed for inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability. Preliminary results: only 5 of 9 users fully collected the required data and this greatly reduced the reliability of the app. The results of the reliability analysis will be presented to iRAP and the SR4S app developers to inform the development of improved versions of the app which will eventually be rolled out for worldwide use

Prisoners and prison staff express increased support for prison smoking bans following implementation across Scotland: results from the Tobacco In Prisons study

First paragraph: Several jurisdictions have introduced prison smoking bans, responding to concerns around the health of people in custody (hereafter ‘prisoner’ for brevity) and staff, legal challenges and maintenance costs1 2. Fears of disorder following bans are often expressed in advance.3-5 Although generally unfounded,6 7 such fears may reduce the stakeholder support that is vital for successful implementation.8 A complete prisoner smoking ban (staff smoking was already banned) was introduced in all 15 Scottish prisons in November 2018, precipitating no significant incidents.9 It has been evaluated by the three-phase Tobacco In Prisons study (TIPs).3 4 10 TIPs Phase 1 occurred before the ban’s announcement; Phase 2 following the announcement, but before policy implementation (during which rechargeable e-cigarettes became available to prisoners); and Phase 3 following implementation.Output Type: Lette

The microbiome and the pathophysiology of asthma

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease whose prevalence is increasing in the western world. Recently research has begun to focus on the role the microbiome plays in asthma pathogenesis in the hope of further understanding this respiratory disorder. Considered sterile until recently, the lungs have revealed themselves to contain a unique microbiota. A shift towards molecular methods for the quantification and sequencing of microbial DNA has revealed that the airways harbour a unique microbiota with apparent, reproducible differences present between healthy and diseased lungs. There is a hope that in classifying the microbial load of the asthmatic airway an insight may be afforded as to the possible role pulmonary microbes may have in propagating an asthmatic airway response. This could potentially pave the way for new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of chronic lung conditions such as asthma

Characterization of mRNA Polyadenylation in the Apicomplexa

Messenger RNA polyadenylation is a universal aspect of gene expression in eukaryotes. In well-established model organisms, this process is mediated by a conserved complex of 15–20 subunits. To better understand this process in apicomplexans, a group of unicellular parasites that causes serious disease in humans and livestock, a computational and high throughput sequencing study of the polyadenylation complex and poly(A) sites in several species was conducted. BLAST-based searches for orthologs of the human polyadenylation complex yielded clear matches to only two—poly(A) polymerase and CPSF73—of the 19 proteins used as queries in this analysis. As the human subunits that recognize the AAUAAA polyadenylation signal (PAS) were not immediately obvious, a computational analysis of sequences adjacent to experimentally-determined apicomplexan poly(A) sites was conducted. The results of this study showed that there exists in apicomplexans an A-rich region that corresponds in position to the AAUAAA PAS. The set of experimentally-determined sites in one species, Sarcocystis neurona, was further analyzed to evaluate the extent and significance of alternative poly(A) site choice in this organism. The results showed that almost 80% of S. neurona genes possess more than one poly(A) site, and that more than 780 sites showed differential usage in the two developmental stages–extracellular merozoites and intracellular schizonts–studied. These sites affected more than 450 genes, and included a disproportionate number of genes that encode membrane transporters and ribosomal proteins. Taken together, these results reveal that apicomplexan species seem to possess a poly(A) signal analogous to AAUAAA even though genes that may encode obvious counterparts of the AAUAAA-recognizing proteins are absent in these organisms. They also indicate that, as is the case in other eukaryotes, alternative polyadenylation is a widespread phenomenon in S. neurona that has the potential to impact growth and development

Winter Squash

Winter squash comes in many shapes and sizes, round and elongated, scalloped and pear-shaped with flesh that ranges from golden-yellow to brilliant orange. Most winter squashes are vine-type plants. They take longer to mature than summer squash (3 months or more) and are best harvested once the cool weather of fall sets in. They can be stored for months in a cool basement-hence the name winter squash

Seeds and Varieties

To be certified organic you must order organic seed. If for some reason organic seed is not available for a certain plant or variety, you have to write a paragraph stating that organic seed is not available and why that the certain plant or variety is needed for your system

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C

Prison staff and prisoner views on a prison smoking ban: evidence from the Tobacco in Prisons Study

Introduction  In jurisdictions permitting prisoner smoking, rates are high (c75%), with smoking embedded in prison culture, leading to secondhand smoke exposures among staff and prisoners and challenges for smoking cessation. Momentum is building to ban smoking in prisons, but research on staff and prisoner views is lacking. We address this gap, providing evidence on staff and prisoner views throughout all Scottish prisons.  Methods  Data were collected prior to announcement of a (November 2018) prison smoking ban throughout Scotland. Mixed methods were used: surveys of staff (online, N=1,271, ~27%) and prisoners (questionnaire, N=2,512, ~34%); 17 focus groups and two paired interviews with staff in 14 prisons.  Results  Staff were more positive than prisoners about bans and increased smoking restrictions, although prisoner views were more favourable should e-cigarettes be permitted. Non-smokers were more positive than smokers. Whilst 74% staff and 22% prisoners agreed bans were a good idea, both groups acknowledged implementation and enforcement challenges. Staff views were influenced by beliefs about: acceptability of the policy in principle; and whether/how bans could be achieved. Although some voiced doubts about smoke-free policies, staff likened a ban to other operational challenges. Staff raised concerns around needs for appropriate measures, resources and support, adequate lead-in time, and effective communication prior to a ban.  Conclusion  We recommend that regular and open opportunities for dialogue within and between different stakeholder groups are created when preparing for prison smoking bans, and that specific measures to address staff and prisoner concerns are incorporated into plans to create and maintain smoke-free environments. Implications To our knowledge, this study is the first to research staff and prisoner views across a whole prison system prior to implementation of smoke-free policies. The results highlight potential challenges and suggest measures which might help to maximise the success of bans. Our results are relevant for prison service managers responsible for the forthcoming introduction of a ban in Scottish prisons (November 2018) and for other prison systems and comparable institutions planning smoke-free initiatives. Given that prison smoking bans may be contentious, we recommend creating regular and open opportunities for dialogue between stakeholders when preparing for and maintaining smoke-free environments.