New State Record and Notable Range Extension for \u3ci\u3eLibellula Semifasciata\u3c/i\u3e (Odonata: Libellulidae)

The painted skimmer, Libellula semifasciata Burmeister (Odonata: Libellulidae), is an eastern species of dragonfly that has never been documented in Iowa. In this note we report two observations and the collection of a voucher for this species in southeast Iowa in the last three years. Based on other records of this species, including those from neighboring states and more northerly latitudes, we propose that these observations are evidence of a range extension

New State Record and Notable Range Extension for \u3ci\u3eLibellula Semifasciata\u3c/i\u3e (Odonata: Libellulidae)

The painted skimmer, Libellula semifasciata Burmeister (Odonata: Libellulidae), is an eastern species of dragonfly that has never been documented in Iowa. In this note we report two observations and the collection of a voucher for this species in southeast Iowa in the last three years. Based on other records of this species, including those from neighboring states and more northerly latitudes, we propose that these observations are evidence of a range extension

Factors Related to User Ratings and User Downloads of Mobile Apps for Maternal and Infant Health: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Mobile health apps related to maternal and infant health (MIH) are prevalent and frequently used. Some of these apps are extremely popular and have been downloaded over 5 million times. However, the understanding of user behavior and user adoption of these apps based on consumer preferences for different app features and categories is limited. Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between MIH app characteristics and users’ perceived satisfaction and intent to use. Methods: The associations between app characteristics, ratings, and downloads were assessed in a sample of MIH apps designed to provide health education or decision-making support to pregnant women or parents and caregivers of infants. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the relationship between app characteristics and user ratings, and ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between app characteristics and user downloads. Results: The analyses of user ratings and downloads included 421 and 213 apps, respectively. The average user rating was 3.79 out of 5. Compared with the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store was associated with high user ratings (beta=.33; P =.005). Apps with higher standardized user ratings (beta=.80; P <.001), in-app purchases (beta=1.12; P =.002), and in-app advertisements (beta=.64; P =.02) were more frequently downloaded. Having a health care organization developer as part of the development team was neither associated with user ratings (beta=−.20; P =.06) nor downloads (beta=−.14; P =.63). Conclusions: A majority of MIH apps are developed by non–health care organizations, which could raise concern about the accuracy and trustworthiness of in-app information. These findings could benefit app developers in designing better apps and could help inform marketing and development strategies. Further work is needed to evaluate the clinical accuracy of information provided within the apps. [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2020;8(1):e15663

The ABCs of the Atypical Fam20 Secretory Pathway Kinases

The study of extracellular phosphorylation was initiated in late 19th century when the secreted milk protein, casein, and egg-yolk protein, phosvitin, were shown to be phosphorylated. However, it took more than a century to identify Fam20C, which phosphorylates both casein and phosvitin under physiological conditions. This kinase, along with its family members Fam20A and Fam20B, defined a new family with altered amino acid sequences highly atypical from the canonical 540 kinases comprising the kinome. Fam20B is a glycan kinase that phosphorylates xylose residues and triggers peptidoglycan biosynthesis, a role conserved from sponges to human. The protein kinase, Fam20C, conserved from nematodes to humans, phosphorylates well over 100 substrates in the secretory pathway with overall functions postulated to encompass endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis, nutrition, cardiac function, coagulation, and biomineralization. The preferred phosphorylation motif of Fam20C is SxE/pS, and structural studies revealed that related member Fam20A allosterically activates Fam20C by forming a heterodimeric/tetrameric complex. Fam20A, a pseudokinase, is observed only in vertebrates. Loss-of-function genetic alterations in the Fam20 family lead to human diseases such as amelogenesis imperfecta, nephrocalcinosis, lethal and nonlethal forms of Raine syndrome with major skeletal defects, and altered phosphate homeostasis. Together, these three members of the Fam20 family modulate a diverse network of secretory pathway components playing crucial roles in health and disease. The overarching theme of this review is to highlight the progress that has been made in the emerging field of extracellular phosphorylation and the key roles secretory pathway kinases play in an ever-expanding number of cellular processes

Domain-Independent Design Theory and Methodology to Boost the Adoption of Design Methods

Since its inception, research on design methods has encompassed a number of objectives and fields. In this fragmentary and evolving landscape, a reflection was apparently needed on the chance to provide a general framework and understand the progress (if any) towards a unified and domain-independent design theory and methodology. The issue was discussed by the authors, among the others, during a workshop organized by the Society of Design and Process Science. The paper reports the most important points that emerged in the debate, which was kicked off by panellists’ talks providing different perspectives on domain-independent design and the adoption of design methods by industry and practitioners. The discussion highlighted the relevance of design education, individual factors, as well as the role of designers in nowadays’ changing world. A major take-away from the workshop is the forecast that, in the foreseeable future, a shared design knowledge will be developed, but this will be juxtaposed by peculiar and bespoke design practices

Branching out: redox strategies towards the synthesis of acyclic α-tertiary ethers

Acyclic α-tertiary ethers represent a highly prevalent functionality, common to high-value bioactive molecules, such as pharmaceuticals and natural products, and feature as crucial synthetic handles in their construction. As such their synthesis has become an ever-more important goal in synthetic chemistry as the drawbacks of traditional strong base- and acid-mediated etherifications have become more limiting. In recent years, the generation of highly reactive intermediates via redox approaches has facilitated the synthesis of highly sterically-encumbered ethers and accordingly these strategies have been widely applied in α-tertiary ether synthesis. This review summarises and appraises the state-of-the-art in the application of redox strategies enabling acyclic α-tertiary ether synthesis

Are Preserved Farms Actively Engaged in Agriculture and Conservation?

This study addresses the question of whether farms enrolled in land preservation programs are actively engaged in agricultural or conservation activities. Data are drawn from an original survey administered to preserved farm owners in the states of New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware in 2011. “Actively engaged” is defined as investment in conservation projects, buildings, equipment, or irrigation since the land was preserved. Affirmative answers to the survey’s investment questions range from a low of 19% for irrigation to a high of 69% for equipment. Special attention was paid to differences between lifestyle farmers and small and large commercial farmers, which are classified using the USDA typology developed in 2000. Regression analysis estimates differences in investment behavior across these groups as well as farm tenure categories, controlling for farm size, program/state location, and demographic variables. Only owners who employ tenants or managers exclusively on their land were found to invest significantly less than the largest professional farmers, and they did so across all four types of investment. This study’s findings support preservation goals articulated by legislators and program administrators, because (1) agricultural and land stewardship investments appear to be widespread on preserved farms, partly due to administrators’ preference for larger parcels, (2) there is no evidence that “hobby farmers” are disproportionately attracted to farmland preservation programs – in fact the opposite seems to be true – while those that exist in our sample behave similarly to the largest commercial farmers, (3) although tenant farming is associated in the sample with lower rates of investment, it is less common on preserved farms than on all farms in the three study states. The matter of land tenure, highlighted in this as in other studies, has not yet become a primary focus of either farm-behavioral research or state agricultural policy

A global analysis of genetic interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract Background Understanding gene function and genetic relationships is fundamental to our efforts to better understand biological systems. Previous studies systematically describing genetic interactions on a global scale have either focused on core biological processes in protozoans or surveyed catastrophic interactions in metazoans. Here, we describe a reliable high-throughput approach capable of revealing both weak and strong genetic interactions in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Results We investigated interactions between 11 'query' mutants in conserved signal transduction pathways and hundreds of 'target' genes compromised by RNA interference (RNAi). Mutant-RNAi combinations that grew more slowly than controls were identified, and genetic interactions inferred through an unbiased global analysis of the interaction matrix. A network of 1,246 interactions was uncovered, establishing the largest metazoan genetic-interaction network to date. We refer to this approach as systematic genetic interaction analysis (SGI). To investigate how genetic interactions connect genes on a global scale, we superimposed the SGI network on existing networks of physical, genetic, phenotypic and coexpression interactions. We identified 56 putative functional modules within the superimposed network, one of which regulates fat accumulation and is coordinated by interactions with bar-1(ga80), which encodes a homolog of β-catenin. We also discovered that SGI interactions link distinct subnetworks on a global scale. Finally, we showed that the properties of genetic networks are conserved between C. elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but that the connectivity of interactions within the current networks is not. Conclusions Synthetic genetic interactions may reveal redundancy among functional modules on a global scale, which is a previously unappreciated level of organization within metazoan systems. Although the buffering between functional modules may differ between species, studying these differences may provide insight into the evolution of divergent form and function