Unorthodox but Functional Tools Used for the Ecological Design and Implementation of Pollinator Gardens

This project examines existing pollinator habitats on the University of Kentucky campus and identifies areas of need based on the connectivity of the existing habitats with the use of nontraditional landscape design methods. Pollinators are crucial to Kentucky ecosystems and the pollination of native plants. Given Kentucky’s central location, it offers an abundance of opportunity to create more pollinator habitats and aid in pollinator migration. This study examines the overall size and quality of existing pollinator habitats on campus to identify areas fit for the implementation of new gardens. Pollinators such as bees are unable to travel the long distances that Monarchs and other migrating pollinators can. For this reason, it is important to have enough healthy and diverse habitat to support a range of pollinator species on campus and eliminate some of the barriers of travel many of these species face to gather pollen, nectar, and reproduce. The hope of conducting this study is to raise awareness of pollinator gardens on campus and gain support for the application of more native pollinator species on campus. As a result of this research and the index of campus gardens GIS map, a pollinator garden at the Jacob’s Science Building was constructed to demonstrate the multi departmental approach that can be taken to produce a functional pollinator habitat. The team considered year-round bloom time, ease of maintenance, and the implementation of research plots to fit a multitude of spatial niches. This garden design was developed using easy to access digital visualization tools such as Google Earth Pro for aerial photos and aerial calculations; QGIS for mapping; Excel for plant list and calculations; and Procreate for individual plant’s character and plan rendering to compare and to illustrate which plants bloom in each season. These tools provide access to others outside the landscape architecture field to design, create, and install breathtaking and practical gardens. This approach can provide an easy and inexpensive way to create more pollinator gardens on the University of Kentucky campus in which a multitude of disciplines can participate

Developmental roles and molecular mechanisms of Asterix/GTSF1

Maintenance of germline genomic integrity is critical for the survival of animal species. Consequently, many cellular and molecular processes have evolved to ensure genetic stability during the production of gametes. Here, we describe the discovery, characterization, and emerging molecular mechanisms of the protein Asterix/Gametocyte-specific factor 1 (GTSF1), an essential gametogenesis factor that is conserved from insects to humans. Beyond its broad importance for healthy germline development, Asterix/GTSF1 has more specific functions in the Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA)-RNA interference pathway. There, it contributes to the repression of otherwise deleterious transposons, helping to ensure faithful transmission of genetic information to the next generation. This article is categorized under: Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > RNAi: Mechanisms of Action Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA-Protein Complexes RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications

Identifying Behavioral Health Needs of Individuals Screened at the Booking Counter of Montgomery County Jail

Background: Many of the individuals who are released from incarceration are re-arrested and re-incarcerated within three years of release. Challenges that predispose individuals to re-arrest and re-incarceration include lack of education, employment opportunities, decent affordable housing, and treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) and/or mental illness. This report summarizes the behavioral health needs of newly arrested individuals in Montgomery County, Ohio.Methods: For this project, 4,809 adult individuals arrested for non-violent crimes received behavioral health screening and case management at booking in the Montgomery County Jail. Criminogenic assessment using the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) tool was conducted with 484 arrestees. Descriptive statistics and chi square statistics were calculated for gender, race, referrals made, education level, employment status, housing status, alcohol and other drug use, and mental health status.Results: As a group, the arrestees were undereducated, underemployed, and homeless. Based on RNR assessment, 67% had an SUD,and 60% required mental health treatment. Significant gender and racial differences were found among the arrestees, with womensignificantly more likely to have SUD and mental health issues.Conclusions: Individuals arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Jail experience a complex interaction among mental health, poly-substance use, medical, employment, and housing needs that must be addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated funding manner. This interactive complexity of issues demand a response from an integrated service delivery system that would best benefit the person served and the community

Rapid generation of drug-resistance alleles at endogenous loci using CRISPR-Cas9 indel mutagenesis

Genetic alterations conferring resistance to the effects of chemical inhibitors are valuable tools for validating on-target effects in cells. Unfortunately, for many therapeutic targets such alleles are not available. To address this issue, we evaluated whether CRISPR-Cas9-mediated insertion/deletion (indel) mutagenesis can produce drug-resistance alleles at endogenous loci. This method takes advantage of the heterogeneous in-frame alleles produced following Cas9-mediated DNA cleavage, which we show can generate rare alleles that confer resistance to the growth-arrest caused by chemical inhibitors. We used this approach to identify novel resistance alleles of two lysine methyltransferases, DOT1L and EZH2, which are each essential for the growth of MLL-fusion leukemia cells. We biochemically characterized the DOT1L mutation, showing that it is significantly more active than the wild-type enzyme. These findings validate the on-target anti-leukemia activities of existing DOT1L and EZH2 inhibitors and reveal a simple method for deriving drug-resistance alleles for novel targets, which may have utility during early stages of drug development

Evaluation of the starting point of the Lombard Effect.

Speakers increase their vocal effort when their communication is disturbed by noise. This adaptation is termed the Lombard effect. The aim of the present study was to determine whether this effect has a starting point. Hence, the effects of noise at levels between 20 and 65 dB(A) on vocal effort (quantified by sound pressure level) and on both perceived noise disturbance and perceived vocal discomfort were evaluated. Results indicate that there is a Lombard effect change-point at a background noise level (Ln) of 43.3 dB(A). This change-point is anticipated by noise disturbance, and is followed by a high magnitude of vocal discomfort

A Validated Method for Identifying Unplanned Pediatric Readmission

Objective To validate the accuracy of pre-encounter hospital designation as a novel way to identify unplanned pediatric readmissions and describe the most common diagnoses for unplanned readmissions among children. Study design We examined all hospital discharges from 2 tertiary care children's hospitals excluding deaths, normal newborn discharges, transfers to other institutions, and discharges to hospice. We performed blinded medical record review on 641 randomly selected readmissions to validate the pre-encounter planned/unplanned hospital designation. We identified the most common discharge diagnoses associated with subsequent 30-day unplanned readmissions. Results Among 166 994 discharges (hospital A: n = 55 383; hospital B: n = 111 611), the 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 10.3% (hospital A) and 8.7% (hospital B). The hospital designation of “unplanned” was correct in 98% (hospital A) and 96% (hospital B) of readmissions; the designation of “planned” was correct in 86% (hospital A) and 85% (hospital B) of readmissions. The most common discharge diagnoses for which unplanned 30-day readmissions occurred were oncologic conditions (up to 38%) and nonhypertensive congestive heart failure (about 25%), across both institutions. Conclusions Unplanned readmission rates for pediatrics, using a validated, accurate, pre-encounter designation of “unplanned,” are higher than previously estimated. For some pediatric conditions, unplanned readmission rates are as high as readmission rates reported for adult conditions. Anticipating unplanned readmissions for high-frequency diagnostic groups may help focus efforts to reduce the burden of readmission for families and facilities. Using timing of hospital registration in administrative records is an accurate, widely available, real-time way to distinguish unplanned vs planned pediatric readmissions

Decoding the 5' nucleotide bias of PIWI-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are at the center of a small RNA-based immune system that defends genomes against the deleterious action of mobile genetic elements (transposons). PiRNAs are highly variable in sequence with extensive targeting potential. Their diversity is restricted by their preference to start with a Uridine (U) at the 5' most position (1U-bias), a bias that remains poorly understood. Here we uncover that the 1U-bias of Piwi-piRNAs is established by consecutive discrimination against all nucleotides but U, first during piRNA biogenesis and then upon interaction with Piwi's specificity loop. Sequence preferences during piRNA processing also restrict U across the piRNA body with the potential to directly impact target recognition. Overall, the uncovered signatures could modulate specificity and efficacy of piRNA-mediated transposon restriction, and provide a substrate for purifying selection in the ongoing arms race between genomes and their mobile parasites

Asterix/Gtsf1 links tRNAs and piRNA silencing of retrotransposons.

The Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway safeguards genomic integrity by silencing transposable elements (transposons) in the germline. While Piwi is the central piRNA factor, others including Asterix/Gtsf1 have also been demonstrated to be critical for effective silencing. Here, using enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (eCLIP) with a custom informatic pipeline, we show that Asterix/Gtsf1 specifically binds tRNAs in cellular contexts. We determined the structure of mouse Gtsf1 by NMR spectroscopy and identified the RNA-binding interface on the protein's first zinc finger, which was corroborated by biochemical analysis as well as cryo-EM structures of Gtsf1 in complex with co-purifying tRNA. Consistent with the known dependence of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons on tRNA primers, we demonstrate that LTR retrotransposons are, in fact, preferentially de-repressed in Asterix mutants. Together, these findings link Asterix/Gtsf1, tRNAs, and LTR retrotransposon silencing and suggest that Asterix exploits tRNA dependence to identify transposon transcripts and promote piRNA silencing