A Penny Saved Is Mobility Earned

Analyzes data on how one's or one's parents' level of savings affects economic mobility, by income; examines savings incentives and disincentives in the federal tax code and public assistance programs; and recommends policy options to encourage savings

VisualLISA: a visual environment to develop attribute grammars

The focus of this paper is on crafting a new visual language for attribute grammars (AGs), and on the development of the associated programming environment. We present a solution for rapid development of VisualLISA editor using DEViL. DEViL uses traditional attribute grammars, to specify the language’s syntax and semantics, extended by visual representations to be associated with grammar symbols. From these specifications a visual programming environment is automatically generated. In our case, the environment allows us to edit a visual description of an AG that is automatically translated into textual notations, including an XML-based representation for attribute grammars (XAGra), and is intended to be helpful for beginners and rapid development of small AGs. XAGra allows us to use VisualLISA with other compiler-compiler tools

Análise da aplicação de metodologias de avaliação de impactos ambientais em estudos de aterros sanitários

A elevada geração de resíduos sólidos representa uma das grandes preocupações ambientais da atualidade. O Aterro Sanitário é a destinação, dentro das consideradas adequadas, mais utilizada no Brasil para os resíduos sólidos urbanos (RSU) e, por isso, a maior parte dos RSU coletados segue para estes empreendimentos. Não obstante, o aterro é uma obra complexa de engenharia com diversos impactos e riscos associados, os quais são avaliados por meio da elaboração de Estudos de Impactos Ambientais (EIA). Todavia, há um elevado grau de subjetividade à determinação dos impactos e suas relevâncias nos EIAs. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a aplicação de metodologias utilizadas na Avaliação de Impactos Ambientais em cinco diferentes Estudos de Impactos Ambientais de Aterros Sanitários no Brasil. Para isso, foi feita uma comparação entre as diferentes metodologias de Avaliação de Impactos Ambientais e uma comparação entre as quantidades e todos os impactos identificados nos EIAs em estudo, com seus respectivos graus de impactos avaliados. Observou-se principalmente a falta de padronização entre os documentos, no que tange ao número de impactos e definições adotadas, o que dificulta uma comparação eficiente. Por fim, foram apresentadas sugestões de possíveis itens em documentos de Termos de Referência de EIA/RIMA destes empreendimentos, tais quais metodologias, critérios e atividades propostas para a possível padronização destes estudos

Exploring opportunities around climate-smart breeding for future food and nutrition security

There is a 95% chance that warming will exceed 2°C by the end of the century (Raftery et al. 2017). Global crop productivity is projected to fall by 5-10 % per degree of warming (Challinor et al. 2014), with even greater losses likely for some crops in some areas. The challenge of meeting future food demand is increasing, and climate change is already diminishing our ability to adapt through crop breeding (Challinor et al. 2016; Aggarwal et al. 2019). Recent research is suggesting that increases in climate variability are already affecting the number of food-insecure people, and that increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations may affect the nutrient content of some food staples, with serious implications for food and nutrition security (Smith and Myers 2018). New crop varieties will be needed that can deliver higher yields as well as possessing the ability to withstand heat and greater tolerances for the secondary effects of a warmer world, such as increased pressures from drought, water-logging, pests and diseases, and reduced nutritional quality due to higher levels of CO2. The systems for accelerated delivery of climate-resilient varieties into food producers’ hands need to be massively upgraded (Cramer 2018). Innovative holistic breeding strategies for multiple traits will be needed that embrace the full pipeline from trait discovery to varietal deployment and seed system development

Mapping hotspots of climate change and food insecurity in the global tropics

This study was coordinated by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) to identify areas that are food insecure and vulnerable to the impacts of future climate change, across the priority regions for the CGIAR centres. The research was undertaken by a team of scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The study relied on maps: first, of variables that indicate the different aspects of food security (availability, access and utilization), and second, of thresholds of climate change exposure important for agricultural systems. Vulnerability was assessed using a domain approach based upon the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) framework of vulnerability as a function of exposure, sensitivity and coping capacity. Nine domains were identified; for each domain, areas of the tropics were classified by high or low exposure, high or low sensitivity, and high or low coping capacity

Rapid liquid AP-MALDI MS profiling of lipids and proteins from goat and sheep milk for speciation and colostrum analysis

Rapid profiling of the biomolecular components of milk can be useful for food quality assessment and for food fraud detection. Differences in commercial value and availability of milk from specific species are often the reasons for the illicit and fraudulent sale of milk whose species origin is wrongly declared. In this study, a fast, MS-based speciation method is presented to distinguish sheep from goat milk and sheep colostrum at different phases. Using liquid atmospheric pressure (AP)-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) MS, it was possible to classify samples of goat and sheep milk with 100% accuracy in one minute of data acquisition per sample. Moreover, an accuracy of 98% was achieved in classifying pure sheep milk samples and sheep milk samples containing 10% goat milk. Evaluating colostrum quality and postnatal stages represents another possible application of this technology. Classification of sheep colostrum samples that were collected within 6 hours after parturition and 48 hours later was achieved with an accuracy of 84.4%. Our data show that substantial changes in the lipid profile can account for the accurate classification of colostrum collected at the early and late time points. This method applied to the analysis of protein orthologs of different species can, as in this case, allow unequivocal speciation analysis

Visualizing translation dynamics at atomic detail inside a bacterial cell

Translation is the fundamental process of protein synthesis and is catalysed by the ribosome in all living cells1. Here we use advances in cryo-electron tomography and sub-tomogram analysis2,3 to visualize the structural dynamics of translation inside the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae. To interpret the functional states in detail, we first obtain a high-resolution in-cell average map of all translating ribosomes and build an atomic model for the M. pneumoniae ribosome that reveals distinct extensions of ribosomal proteins. Classification then resolves 13 ribosome states that differ in their conformation and composition. These recapitulate major states that were previously resolved in vitro, and reflect intermediates during active translation. On the basis of these states, we animate translation elongation inside native cells and show how antibiotics reshape the cellular translation landscapes. During translation elongation, ribosomes often assemble in defined three-dimensional arrangements to form polysomes4. By mapping the intracellular organization of translating ribosomes, we show that their association into polysomes involves a local coordination mechanism that is mediated by the ribosomal protein L9. We propose that an extended conformation of L9 within polysomes mitigates collisions to facilitate translation fidelity. Our work thus demonstrates the feasibility of visualizing molecular processes at atomic detail inside cells

P-type Semiconducting Polymers as Photocathodes: A Comparative Study for Optobioelectronics

Recent studies have shown that p-type polymeric semiconductors enable a new type of wireless, optically triggered interface with cells and tissues. Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) has already been used to create such optobioelectronic interfaces, producing reactive oxygen species and hydrogen peroxide that act as messengers in biological systems to impact cell signaling and proliferation. However, the use of P3HT in biomedical in-vivo applications is limited as its optical absorption does not match the tissue transparency window. This paper compares the performance of P3HT with two low band-gap polymers commonly employed in high-performance organic solar cells, namely Poly[[4,8-bis[5-(2-ethylhexyl)-2-thienyl]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl]-2,5-thiophenediyl[5,7-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4,8-dioxo-4H,8H-benzo[1,2-c:4,5-c′]dithiophene-1,3-diyl]] (PBDB-T) and Poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b] thiophenediyl}) (PTB7). Their photogeneration capabilities are quantified in physiological-like conditions through photocurrent analysis and a hydrogen peroxide assay, finding a superior photocurrent generation and a better H2O2 photogeneration yield in PTB7 as compared to the other two polymers. Spectroscopic and structural investigations are used to compare such differences by comparing their energy levels at the electrochemical interface and their morphologies. Finally, biocompatibility is tested both in dark and illuminated conditions and effective in-vitro intracellular ROS production is demonstrated. These findings provide insight into the physico-chemical properties crucial for the development of novel, less invasive, optically operated bioelectronic interfaces