Using cellular fitness to map the structure and function of a major facilitator superfamily effluxer.

The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) effluxers are prominent mediators of antimicrobial resistance. The biochemical characterization of MFS proteins is hindered by their complex membrane environment that makes in vitro biochemical analysis challenging. Since the physicochemical properties of proteins drive the fitness of an organism, we posed the question of whether we could reverse that relationship and derive meaningful biochemical parameters for a single protein simply from fitness changes it confers under varying strengths of selection. Here, we present a physiological model that uses cellular fitness as a proxy to predict the biochemical properties of the MFS tetracycline efflux pump, TetB, and a family of single amino acid variants. We determined two lumped biochemical parameters roughly describing Km and Vmax for TetB and variants. Including in vivo protein levels into our model allowed for more specified prediction of pump parameters relating to substrate binding affinity and pumping efficiency for TetB and variants. We further demonstrated the general utility of our model by solely using fitness to assay a library of tet(B) variants and estimate their biochemical properties

Extreme weather events in Myanmar: data needs for more effective humanitarian action

Extreme weather events, such as floods and cyclones, have increased in number in recent years. At the same time, there is growing evidence that providing for anticipatory humanitarian action – rather than post-event action – can give the affected populations more dignity, security and time in dealing with the impact of these shocks. Such anticipatory action, however, requires accurate weather forecasts, as well as mechanisms to provide financial resources on an ongoing basis. David MacLeod, Evan Easton-Calabria, Erin Coughlan de Perez and Catalina Jaime present research findings that evaluate both these factors in the context of Myanmar, one of the countries most at risk in its region

Protoplanetary Disks in ρ\rho Ophiuchus as Seen From ALMA

We present a high angular resolution ($\sim 0.2^{\prime\prime}$), high sensitivity ($\sigma \sim 0.2$ mJy) survey of the 870 $\mu$m continuum emission from the circumstellar material around 49 pre-main sequence stars in the $\rho$ Ophiuchus molecular cloud. Because most millimeter instruments have resided in the northern hemisphere, this represents the largest high-resolution, millimeter-wave survey of the circumstellar disk content of this cloud. Our survey of 49 systems comprises 63 stars; we detect disks associated with 29 single sources, 11 binaries, 3 triple systems and 4 transition disks. We present flux and radius distributions for these systems; in particular, this is the first presentation of a reasonably complete probability distribution of disk radii at millimeter-wavelengths. We also compare the flux distribution of these protoplanetary disks with that of the disk population of the Taurus-Auriga molecular cloud. We find that disks in binaries are both significantly smaller and have much less flux than their counterparts around isolated stars. We compute truncation calculations on our binary sources and find that these disks are too small to have been affected by tidal truncation and posit some explanations for this. Lastly, our survey found 3 candidate gapped disks, one of which is a newly identified transition disk with no signature of a dip in infrared excess in extant observations.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Beyond the forecast: knowledge gaps to anticipate disasters in armed conflict areas with high forced displacement

Although conflict-affected populations are often exposed to and severely impacted by disasters, little is known about their perceptions and practices concerning early warning and early action (EWEA) or how EWEA strategies can protect communities affected by conflict- and climate-related disasters. This is particularly problematic as, due to the multiple challenges posed by conflict and compound crises in these contexts, early warnings of weather hazards do not often translate in early actions. This comprehensive literature review examined 384 peer reviewed papers produced between 2004 and 2022, focused on the 20 countries most affected by non-international armed conflict and exposed to climate hazards. This paper answers the question: what is the state of knowledge of EWEA for climate hazards in countries affected by armed conflict and high levels of forced displacement? Findings demonstrate that most research focuses on climate science rather than social science across six elements of the EWEA value chain: 1. hazards analysis, 2. understanding vulnerability and exposure, 3. warning communication and dissemination, 4. forecasting availability and monitoring, 5. early action planning, and 6. financing systems. In total, 75.65% of the research studies focused on hazard analysis, forecast availability, and monitoring. There has been a strong increase in academic research on EWEA in conflict-affected countries since 2004. However, we identify that most of this research has been in Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Nigeria which, although severely affected by conflict, also have a higher level of economic development and stability. In contrast, there is little research focused on EWEA in most of the remaining countries. Across all thematic areas, there is a lack of consideration of conflict dynamics in EWEA research. This paper contributes to evidence on the need to recognize people affected by conflict in disaster risk reduction, as called for in the Sendai Framework for Action midterm review, with the aim of enhancing EWEA investments to enable tailored approaches appropriate for conflict-affected states

COVID-19 and shortened integrated clinical experiences: impacts on acute care confidence and interpersonal communication

Purpose: Many doctor of physical therapy (DPT) programs limited student clinical experiences, including integrated clinical experiences (ICEs), in 2020 due to the restrictions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, without knowing how the abbreviated clinical exposure would influence student perceptions of psychomotor and interpersonal communication skill development. The purpose of this study was to determine if fewer ICEs resulted in a difference in acute care confidence or interpersonal communication skills for DPT students. Methods: Two cohorts of DPT students completed surveys aimed to measure acute care confidence (Acute Care Confidence Survey [ACCS]) and interpersonal communication skills (Interpersonal Communication Questionnaire [ICQ]) pre- and post- ICE. Students in one of the cohorts completed half of their second ICE experience because of unexpected curricular changes, effectively decreasing their ICEs by 25%. Data was analyzed using paired t-tests and two-way repeated measures ANOVAs. Results: There was a significant interaction on ACCS and ICQ by time. Students gained an average of approximately 440 points on the ACCS and 4.9 points on the ICQ over the course of both ICEs. However, there was not a statistically significant difference between cohort and either acute care confidence or interpersonal communication. Conclusion: Curricular changes resulting in fewer ICEs did not appear to significantly influence student confidence in the acute care environment or with interpersonal communication skills. Students gained self-confidence in acute care practice and improved communication skills when involved in hands-on ICEs. These improvements were not seen during portions of the curriculum that did not involve inpatient experiences

Scalable and Sustainable: How to Build Anticipatory Capacity into Social Protection Systems

Climate shocks contribute to a significant share of the humanitarian burden, and are a key factor in increasing poverty and food insecurity. Social protection is increasingly recognised as an instrument to help build resilience to climate risks through long-term, large-scale national systems. However, most experiences to date have focused on social protection’s role for chronic needs, or at best, shock-response, rather than on anticipation and prevention. This article argues that social protection can support more effective resilience building at scale by integrating early action and preparedness. We propose a concrete solution, namely linking a Forecast-based Financing mechanism to a social protection system to enable anticipatory actions based on forecast triggers and guaranteed funding ahead of a shock. Such a system may enhance scalability, timeliness, predictability and adequacy of social protection benefits. Key considerations for success of this emerging approach include sound analysis of forecast, risks, cost and benefits, and ring-fenced funding

Climate information for humanitarian agencies: some basic principles

Since 2005, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre have had an ongoing partnership with the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) to connect end-users with providers of climate information. This partnership has enabled and encouraged the uptake of climate information in the humanitarian sector. From the perspective of the climate service provider, attempts to address problems of salience, credibility and legitimacy have been made by adopting the following set of principles: prioritize immediate user needs; provide only information that is relevant to the user context; provide decision support; right-scale rather than down-scale; and maintain ownership and partnership in design. Examples are presented of how these principles have been applied, highlighting not only the need to improve forecasts and their presentation, but also to address obstacles to the practical use of climate information

High Resolution 8 mm and 1 cm Polarization of IRAS 4A from the VLA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) Survey

Magnetic fields can regulate disk formation, accretion and jet launching. Until recently, it has been difficult to obtain high resolution observations of the magnetic fields of the youngest protostars in the critical region near the protostar. The VANDAM survey is observing all known protostars in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. Here we present the polarization data of IRAS 4A. We find that with ~ 0.2'' (50 AU) resolution at {\lambda} = 8.1 and 10.3 mm, the inferred magnetic field is consistent with a circular morphology, in marked contrast with the hourglass morphology seen on larger scales. This morphology is consistent with frozen-in field lines that were dragged in by rotating material entering the infall region. The field morphology is reminiscent of rotating circumstellar material near the protostar. This is the first polarization detection of a protostar at these wavelengths. We conclude from our observations that the dust emission is optically thin with {\beta} ~ 1.3, suggesting that mm/cm-sized grains have grown and survived in the short lifetime of the protostar.Comment: Accepted to ApJL. 13 pages, 4 figure

The Grizzly, November 2, 2023

Homecoming Recap • Berman Receives Grant for Upcoming Exhibition • Midweek Meditation • Brave in Season: Jon Volkmer\u27s New Novel is a Damn Good Read • Victims of Duty: Absurdism and Ambiguity • Diving All in on Troubles End Brewing • Weekly Crossword Puzzle • From North Carolina to Southeast PA: The Future of Ursinus Basketball • UC Cross Country Chasing Historyhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/2020/thumbnail.jp

Defining and predicting heat waves in Bangladesh

This paper proposes a heat-wave definition for Bangladesh that could be used to trigger preparedness measures in a heat early warning system (HEWS) and explores the climate mechanisms associated with heat waves. A HEWS requires a definition of heat waves that is both related to human health outcomes and forecastable. No such definition has been developed for Bangladesh. Using a generalized additive regression model, a heat-wave definition is proposed that requires elevated minimum and maximum daily temperatures over the 95th percentile for 3 consecutive days, confirming the importance of nighttime conditions for health impacts. By this definition, death rates increase by about 20% during heat waves; this result can be used as an argument for public-health interventions to prevent heat-related deaths. Furthermore, predictability of these heat waves exists from weather to seasonal time scales, offering opportunities for a range of preparedness measures. Heat waves are associated with an absence of normal premonsoonal rainfall brought about by anomalously strong low-level westerly winds and weak southerlies, detectable up to approximately 10 days in advance. This circulation pattern occurs over a background of drier-than-normal conditions, with below-average soil moisture and precipitation throughout the heat-wave season from April to June. Low soil moisture increases the odds of heat-wave occurrence for 10–30 days, indicating that subseasonal forecasts of heat-wave risk may be possible by monitoring soil-moisture conditions