Thermodynamic and kinetic insights into stop codon recognition by release factor 1.

Stop codon recognition is a crucial event during translation termination and is performed by class I release factors (RF1 and RF2 in bacterial cells). Recent crystal structures showed that stop codon recognition is achieved mainly through a network of hydrogen bonds and stacking interactions between the stop codon and conserved residues in domain II of RF1/RF2. Additionally, previous studies suggested that recognition of stop codons is coupled to proper positioning of RF1 on the ribosome, which is essential for triggering peptide release. In this study we mutated four conserved residues in Escherichia coli RF1 (Gln185, Arg186, Thr190, and Thr198) that are proposed to be critical for discriminating stop codons from sense codons. Our thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of these RF1 mutants showed that the mutations inhibited the binding of RF1 to the ribosome. However, the mutations in RF1 did not affect the rate of peptide release, showing that imperfect recognition of the stop codon does not affect the proper positioning of RF1 on the ribosome

Female Mate Choice is Influenced by Male Sport Participation

Sexual selection theory argues that females invest more heavily in reproduction than males and thus tend to be choosier in terms of mate choice. Sport may provide a context within which females can gain information about male quality to inform this choice. Males may be able to display attractive traits such as athleticism, strength, and physique to females while participating in sport. We predicted that females would favor males that participated in team sports over individual sports and non-athletes because team sport athletes may be more likely to display qualities such as the ability to work well with others and role acceptance. We used a questionnaire, a photograph, and manipulated descriptions to gauge the effects of sport involvement, attractiveness, and status on 282 females’ willingness to participate in various types of relationships. Team sport athletes were perceived as being more desirable as potential mates than individual sport athletes and non-athletes. It is suggested that team sport athletes may have traits associated with good parenting such as cooperation, likeability, and role acceptance, and/or these athletes may be better able to assert dominance in a team setting. Results are discussed in terms of further implications and future research

A Practice-Based Research Approach to Explore the Relationship of Preoperative Warming to the Incidence of Surgical Site Infection in the Ambulatory Surgical Patient

Surgical site infections are a financial burden to society and are the second most frequently reported Health Associated Infection (HAI) that increases hospital stays and the chief cause of preventable death (Agency of Health Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2009; National Priorities Partnership [NPP], 2008). It is branded as the top national priority for the United States Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) and the AHRQ. Unplanned perioperative hypothermia (UPH) is associated with a 68 percent increase in the incidence of surgical site infections (Kurz, Sessler, & Lenhardt, 1996; Pikus & Hooper, 2010). The prevention of UPH and promotion of perioperative normothermia has come to the national forefront as a quality measurement designated by the Surgical Care Improvement Program (SCIP) (2005; n.d). The incidence of SSI\u27s in the ambulatory surgical population has not been well researched (AHRQ, 2009; Barie, 2010). Therefore, the PICO question that the researcher is trying to solve is: In adult patients undergoing ambulatory surgery, do patients who are prewarmed during surgery have fewer SSIs than those that are not? Purpose The purpose of this DNP project was to determine the incidence of UPH and SSI in the ambulatory surgery population. In addition, a relationship of Preoperative patient warming to the incidence of UPH (intraoperatively) and SSI in the ambulatory surgery population was determined. The goal of the project was to identify whether the standard of care (the SCIP measures/intraoperative warming methods) was met in an adult ambulatory surgical population and whether there was a relationship between hypothermia occurrence and the subsequent development of an SSI

Developing An Outdoor Mindful Activity-Based Curriculum For English Language Learners

Many English Language Learner (ELL) students have endured trauma which inflicted deficiencies in their cognitive function. The restorative effects of nature combined with mindful activities can be employed to enhance ELL academic success and support emotional needs. This capstone project seeks to answer the question of, how can outdoor activities support the academic and emotional needs of elementary level English Language Learner students? Studies have shown that the cognitive benefits of nature included an improved ability to make decisions, a greater ability to concentrate, can foster reduced stress, and help increase positive self-esteem. Studies also confirm that comprehensive support within school systems was rarely afforded for ELL students. This outdoor mindful activity curriculum was created to support the academic and emotional needs of ELL students through outdoor mindful activities. These activities help improve cognitive function leading to improved emotional regulation and greater academic success. Research on the benefits of nature in combination with mindful activities can be the alternative instruction which can give ELL students the support they need

Matters of Trust: Examination of the Patient-Provider Relationship in Cancer Care

Background: The intangible concept of trust is critical in the patient-provider relationship. Cancer patients may experience positive and negative impacts of trust in this relationship to a higher degree due to the inherently serious nature of their disease and the level of dependence upon treatment providers. Objective: The goal of this study was to compare colorectal cancer patients’ levels of trust in their primary care physician and oncologist, along with examining trust differences associated with demographics and other characteristics. Methods: Colorectal cancer patients (n=158) treated at Nebraska Medicine and consented into the Integrated Cancer Repository for Cancer Research IRB 253-13-EP (iCaRe2) database were surveyed. The TiOS instrument measures five domains of trust using a 5-point Likert scale. Possible rural and urban differences, as well as other data characteristic patterns, were examined using descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, and t-tests. Results: There was a measurable difference observed between oncologist and primary care provider (PCP) trust levels for all domains (except Competence), with trust in the oncologist reported higher. The overall Global domain measured a higher level of patient trust in the oncologist (3.65) compared to the PCP (2.96) with a P-value of 0.003. Due to the small sample size, statistical tests were not conducted comparing mean trust between oncologist and PCP within the sociodemographic and geographic variables. Conclusion: The higher levels of trust reported for four out of five domains suggest that cancer patients feel more trust toward their oncologist than toward their PCP. The difference in trust in the Global domain suggests that cancer patients feel a deeper trust in their oncologist that includes aspects of Fidelity, Honesty, and Caring. Future studies should seek to further understand the impact of trust in the patient-provider relationship as well as the factors that influence trust. The findings from this study contribute to the current knowledge of patient-provider trust in the cancer patient population and provide valuable information for future studies

Classroom Structure as an Environmental Effect on Creative Production of College Students

Little research has been done to explore creativity in the classroom environment. The present study investigated the effects of three classroom settings (formal, intermediate, and informal) on the creative production of college students. Ninety students were tested using Sternberg and Lubart\u27s (1995) Creativity Assessments both before and after participation in a teaching session. No significant changes were found between classes mean creativity scores after the experimental session. In the intermediate classroom, there was a significant decrease in scores before and after the session; however, in the other two classrooms, formal and informal, there was no significant change found

Organic sulfur: a spatially variable and understudied component of marine organic matter

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Longnecker, K., Oswald, L., Soule, M. C. K., Cutter, G. A., & Kujawinski, E. B. Organic sulfur: a spatially variable and understudied component of marine organic matter. Limnology and Oceanography Letters, (2020), doi:10.1002/lol2.10149.Sulfur (S) is a major heteroatom in organic matter. This project evaluated spatial variability in the concentration and molecular‐level composition of organic sulfur along gradients of depth and latitude. We measured the concentration of total organic sulfur (TOS) directly from whole seawater. Our data reveal high variability in organic sulfur, relative to established variability in total organic carbon or nitrogen. The deep ocean contained significant amounts of organic sulfur, and the concentration of TOS in North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) decreased with increasing age while total organic carbon remained stable. Analysis of dissolved organic matter extracts by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry revealed that 6% of elemental formulas contained sulfur. The sulfur‐containing compounds were structurally diverse, and showed higher numbers of sulfur‐containing elemental formulas as NADW moved southward. These measurements of organic sulfur in seawater provide the foundation needed to define the factors controlling organic sulfur in the global ocean.We thank Catherine Carmichael, Winifred Johnson, and Gretchen Swarr for assistance with sample collection and processing, and Joe Jennings for the analysis of inorganic nutrients. The help of the captain and crew of the R/V Knorr and the other cruise participants during the “DeepDOM” cruise is appreciated. Two anonymous reviewers and Patricia Soranno provided thorough comments that greatly improved the manuscript. The ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry samples were analyzed at the WHOI FT‐MS Users' Facility that is funded by the National Science Foundation (grant OCE‐0619608) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GMBF1214). This project was funded by NSF grants OCE‐1154320 (to EBK and KL), the W.M. Marquet Award (to KL), and OCE‐1435708 (to GAC). The authors declare no conflicts of interest