Investment Fraud in the Mountain West

This fact sheet focuses on investment fraud data in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The original report includes data from “The 2023 State of Investment Fraud” study conducted by Carlson Law

Student and Faculty Diversity at Public Research Universities in the Mountain West

This fact sheet examines data on student and faculty diversity at public research universities in the Mountain West region. This fact sheet examines data from a New America report by Olivia Cheche which explores data on the 106 R1 (Research Very High) universities in the U.S. as designated by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Photoreduction of CO2 with a Formate Dehydrogenase Driven by Photosystem II Using a Semi-artificial Z-Scheme Architecture.

Solar-driven coupling of water oxidation with CO2 reduction sustains life on our planet and is of high priority in contemporary energy research. Here, we report a photoelectrochemical tandem device that performs photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate. We employ a semi-artificial design, which wires a W-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) cathode to a photoanode containing the photosynthetic water oxidation enzyme, Photosystem II, via a synthetic dye with complementary light absorption. From a biological perspective, the system achieves a metabolically inaccessible pathway of light-driven CO2 fixation to formate. From a synthetic point of view, it represents a proof-of-principle system utilizing precious-metal-free catalysts for selective CO2-to-formate conversion using water as an electron donor. This hybrid platform demonstrates the translatability and versatility of coupling abiotic and biotic components to create challenging models for solar fuel and chemical synthesis.ERC Consolidator Grant, EPSRC, Christian Doppler Research Association (Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development), the OMV group, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, European Union's Horizon 2020 MSCA, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal), COMPETE2020/POCI and European Union’s Horizon 202

Federal Grants & Loans Received By Nevada Higher Education Institutions

This fact sheet examines data on federal funding provided to public colleges and universities in Nevada. The original HEA Group report includes data on federal funding for public and for-profit higher education institutions in the U.S

Reliability of Unilateral Isometric and Dynamic Leg Press Force and Power

Strength and power are critical components of athletic performance. Athletes commonly perform sport-specific movements off a single leg, but there are few reliable, easily administered unilateral leg force and power assessments. PURPOSE: To determine 1) the reliability of unilateral leg press maximal isometric force (MIF) and peak power tests and 2) the percentage of MIF that elicits unilateral peak power during a dynamic throw. We hypothesized that the tests would be reliable for the assessment of unilateral MIF and peak power and that unilateral peak power would be achieved at 50% of MIF. METHODS: Eighteen apparently healthy, recreationally active adults (17M: 1F; 27.4 ± 5.0 years; 1.78 ± 0.01 m; 93.5 ± 22.5 kg; 3159 ± 807 N bilateral MIF) completed three testing sessions. After a brief standardized warm-up, each subject performed three maximal unilateral isometric leg presses (MIF) with each leg at 90° of knee flexion on a modified leg press sled equipped with a force plate, linear encoder, and magnetic brake. Subsequently, the sled was unlocked and loaded in ascending fashion with 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70% of MIF; with an initial knee angle of 90°, subjects used maximal effort to throw each load twice, unilaterally, with each leg. Subjects rested and reset for 10-30 s between efforts. Data were sampled at 300 Hz, low pass filtered at 4 Hz, and peak instantaneous power (W) was calculated for each throw using the measured sled force and velocity. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were computed for the highest force and power repetition at each load across the three sessions. The ICC (95% CI) and peak power output were determined for both right and left legs. ICCs were considered excellent if ≥ 0.95, high if ≥ 0.90, good if ≥ 0.80, fair if ≥ 0.70, poor if ≤ 0.70, and very poor if ≤ 0.40. RESULTS: MIF showed good reliability between sessions [ICC: 0.85 (0.62, 0.94; left leg); 0.86 (0.58, 0.95; right leg)]. Unilateral peak power also showed good to high reliability between sessions across all loads: ICC (left leg) 30%: 0.91 (0.81, 0.96); 40%: 0.91 (0.81, 0.96); 50%: 0.95 (0.88, 0.98); 60%: 0.93 (0.86, 0.97); 70%: 0.81 (0.64, 0.92); (right leg) 30%: 0.95 (0.89, 0.98); 40%: 0.94 (0.87, 0.97); 50%: 0.92 (0.84, 0.97); 60%: 0.92 (0.84, 0.97); 70%: 0.90 (0.80, 0.96). Across all three sessions, peak power by the left leg was achieved at: 30% (11 of 18 participants); 40% (6 of 18); 50% (1 of 18). Peak power by the right leg was achieved at: 30% (13 of 18 participants); 40% (4 of 18); 50% (1 of 18). CONCLUSION: Unilateral leg press MIF and peak power can be reliably assessed with a modified leg press equipped with a force plate, linear encoder, and magnetic brake in a recreationally active population. Sport teams and coaches can use single leg isometric presses and throws as reliable methods to test their athletes’ unilateral force and peak power, respectively, with loads of 30-50% MIF appropriate for peak power measurement

Homelessness Assessment of the Mountain West, 2023

This fact sheet examines 2023 homelessness assessment data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for five Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah

Hydrothermal origin of halogens at Home Plate, Gusev Crater

In the Inner Basin of the Columbia Hills, Gusev Crater is Home Plate, an 80 m platform of layered clastic rocks of the Barnhill class with microscopic and macroscopic textures, including a bomb sag, suggestive of a phreatomagmatic origin. We present data acquired by the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover by Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), Mössbauer Spectrometer, Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini- TES), and Panoramic Camera (Pancam) for the Barnhill class rocks and nearby vesicular Irvine class basalts. In major element concentrations (e.g., SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, and FeO*), the two rock classes are similar, suggesting that they are derived from a similar magmatic source. The Barnhill class, however, has higher abundances of Cl, Br, Zn, and Ge with comparable SO3 to the Irvine basalts. Nanophase ferric oxide (np ox) and volcanic glass were detected in the Barnhill class rocks by Mössbauer and Mini-TES, respectively, and imply greater alteration and cooling rates in the Barnhill than in the Irvine class rocks. The high volatile elements in the Barnhill class agree with volcanic textures that imply interaction with a briny groundwater during eruption and (or) by later alteration. Differences in composition between the Barnhill and Irvine classes allow the fingerprinting of a Na-Mg-Zn-Ge-Cl-Br (±Fe ± Ca ± CO2) brine with low S. Nearby sulfate salt soils of fumarolic origin may reflect fractionation of an acidic S-rich vapor during boiling of a hydrothermal brine at depth. Persistent groundwater was likely present during and after the formation of Home Plate

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland

Evidence for montmorillonite or its compositional equivalent in Columbia Hills, Mars

During its exploration of the Columbia Hills, the Mars Exploration Rover ‘‘Spirit’’ encountered several similar samples that are distinctly different from Martian meteorites and known Gusev crater soils, rocks, and sediments. Occurring in a variety of contexts and locations, these ‘‘Independence class’’ samples are rough-textured, iron-poor (equivalent FeO 4 wt%), have high Al/Si ratios, and often contain unexpectedly high concentrations of one or more minor or trace elements (including Cr, Ni, Cu, Sr, and Y). Apart from accessory minerals, the major component common to these samples has a compositional profile of major and minor elements which is similar to the smectite montmorillonite, implicating this mineral, or its compositional equivalent. Infrared thermal emission spectra do not indicate the presence of crystalline smectite. One of these samples was found spatially associated with a ferric sulfate-enriched soil horizon, possibly indicating a genetic relationship between these disparate types of materials. Compared to the nearby Wishstone and Watchtower class rocks, major aqueous alteration involving mineral dissolution and mobilization with consequent depletions of certain elements is implied for this setting and may be undetectable by remote sensing from orbit because of the small scale of the occurrences and obscuration by mantling with soil and dust

Single-cell multi-omics reveals dyssynchrony of the innate and adaptive immune system in progressive COVID-19.

Dysregulated immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2 virus are instrumental in severe COVID-19. However, the immune signatures associated with immunopathology are poorly understood. Here we use multi-omics single-cell analysis to probe the dynamic immune responses in hospitalized patients with stable or progressive course of COVID-19, explore V(D)J repertoires, and assess the cellular effects of tocilizumab. Coordinated profiling of gene expression and cell lineage protein markers shows that S100