Analyzing The Regulation, Stability And Functional Differences Between Sin3 Isoforms In Drosophila

SIN3 is a master transcriptional regulator, conserved from yeast to mammals, that acts as a scaffold protein for a histone modifying complex. In Drosophila, a single Sin3A gene is alternatively spliced to produce distinct SIN3 isoforms; SIN3 220, SIN3 190 and SIN3 187, that differ only at their C-terminus. These isoforms are differentially expressed during development. We have shown that there is an interplay between the predominant isoforms of SIN3, SIN3 220 and SIN3 187, that possibly regulates the overall level of SIN3 in the cell. Exogenous expression of SIN3 187 reduces the level of transcript and accelerates the proteasomal degradation of endogenous SIN3 220. This feedback can possibly ensure that the appropriate isoform is present during the correct developmental stage during embryogenesis. Differential expression of the SIN3 isoforms during embryo development suggests that they perform unique and specialized functions. The SIN3 proteins form distinct isoform specific complexes. SIN3 187 interacts with a single catalytic enzyme, the HDAC RPD3, while SIN3 220 interacts with two enzymes, RPD3 and the HDM dKDM5/LID. This differential interaction of SIN3 isoforms with distinct histone modifying activities may play a role in the non-redundant functions performed by SIN3. Using previously published transcriptome data, we have identified common and unique gene targets of SIN3 and LID. In Drosophila S2 cells, knockdown of LID results in an increase in the level of H3K9ac, H3K14ac and H3K27ac at genes commonly regulated by SIN3 and LID. Since LID preferentially interacts with the SIN3 220 complex, we have investigated the histone modification patterns established by the SIN3 isoform specific complexes. We have established Drosophila cultured cells which express either the SIN3 187 or the SIN3 220 complex. The SIN3 187 and SIN3 220 complexes establish distinct histone modification patterns at target genes and differentially regulate the expression of these genes. It is possible, that the differential histone modification patterns and the consequent alteration of expression of target genes contributes to the functional differences between the SIN3 isoforms. This work enhances our understanding of SIN3 isoform function and provides further insight into the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic control of gene expression by histone modifying complexes

Mortality Risks, Health Endowments, and Parental Investments in Infancy: Evidence from Rural India

This paper examines whether increased background mortality risks induce households to make differential health investments in their high- versus low-endowment children. We argue that increases in background mortality risks may disproportionately affect the survival of the low-endowment sibling, consequently increasing the mortality gap between the high- and low-endowment siblings. This increase in mortality gap may induce households to investment more in their high endowment children. We test this hypothesis using nationally representative data from rural India. We use birth size as a measure of initial health endowment, immunization & breastfeeding as measures of childhood investments and infant mortality rate in the child’s village as a measure of mortality risks. We find that in villages with high mortality risks, small-at-birth children in a family are 6 - 17 percent less likely to be breastfed or immunized compared to their large-at-birth siblings. In contrast, we find no significant within family differences in investments in villages with low mortality risks.

Analyzing the multipath of GPS time series to study snow properties

Thousands of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers worldwide record signals sent by satellites to infer how each receiver (and the ground they are attached to) moves over time. The motion of GPS receivers are used for many purposes, including studying tectonic deformation and changes in Earth\u27s shape caused by surface loading. In this project, reflected wave arrivals contained within the multipath signal of GPS time series are extracted and analyzed to advance understanding of snow properties in mountainous regions of Montana/Idaho, USA. Analyzing reflected signals in GPS series has potential to reveal properties of local snowpack, such as height, water content, snow surface temperature, dielectric properties, and density. Improving our ability to monitor physical characteristics of snowpack and how they evolve over space and time is essential as properties of snow are key to understanding the slippage of one layer on another, which impacts avalanche hazard. Moreover, snowpack monitoring provides information about availability of water resources and snow hydrology. This project focuses on analyzing the ray paths and attenuation of reflected GPS signals, also using reflections to infer properties of snow. Traditionally, to study snow properties, one must manually dig a snow pit to study the snowpack and/or use expensive remote-sensing technologies (e.g. InSAR). However, digging snow pits can be dangerous due to avalanche risk as well as costly and time inefficient. Relatively low-cost GPS stations that are now widely deployed worldwide present new opportunities to study snow properties, including in developing nations with fewer financial resources. We will use GPS interferometric reflectometry (GPS-IR) software developed by Kristine Larson (CCAR) to infer snow depth data from GPS multipath. Results will be validated with nearby instruments, such as Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) and a co-located weather station, as well as by visiting the site in person to measure snow properties manually

Analyzing the multipath of GPS time series to study snow properties

Thousands of Global Positioning System (GNSS) receivers worldwide record signals sent by satellites to infer how each receiver (and the ground they are attached to) moves over time. The motion of GNSS receivers is used for many purposes, including studying tectonic deformation and changes in Earth\u27s shape caused by surface loading. In this project, reflected wave arrivals contained within the multipath signal of GNSS time series are extracted and analyzed to advance understanding of snow properties in mountainous regions of Montana/Idaho, USA. Analyzing reflected signals in GNSS series has the potential to reveal properties of local snowpack, such as height, water content, snow surface temperature, dielectric properties, and density. Improving our ability to monitor the physical characteristics of snowpack and how they evolve over space and time is essential as properties of snow are key to understanding the slippage of one layer on another, which impacts avalanche hazard. Moreover, snowpack monitoring provides information about the availability of water resources and snow hydrology. This project focuses on analyzing the ray paths and attenuation of reflected GNSS signals, also using reflections to infer properties of snow. Traditionally, to study snow properties, one must manually dig a snow pit to study the snowpack and/or use expensive remote-sensing technologies (e.g. InSAR). However, digging snow pits can be dangerous due to avalanche risk as well as costly and time inefficient. Relatively low-cost GNSS stations that are now widely deployed worldwide present new opportunities to study snow properties, including in developing nations with fewer financial resources. We will use GNSS interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR) software developed by Kristine Larson (CCAR) to infer snow depth data from GNSS multipath. Results will be validated with snow-height data from nearby Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) stations

Automatic Grading of Programming Assignments

Solving practical problems is one of the important aspects of learning programming languages. But the assessment of programming problems is not straightforward. It involves time consuming and tedious steps required to compile and test the solution. In this project, I have developed a online tool, Javabrat that allows the students and language learners to practice Java and Scala problems. Javabrat automatically assesses the user\u27s program and provides the instant feedback to the user. The users can also contribute their own programming problems to the existing problem set. I have also developed a plugin for a learning management system, Moodle. This plugin allows the instructors to create the Java programming assignments in Moodle. The Moodle plugin also facilitates automatic grading of the Java problems

PHARMACOGNOSTIC AND PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF CASSIA ABSUS SEED EXTRACTS

Objective: To carry out the pharmacognostic and phytochemical analysis of different extracts of seeds of Cassia absus (CA).Methods: The CA plant material (seeds) was studied for its organoleptic, microscopic and physicochemical parameters. The seeds of CA were crushed, and their extraction was carried out in succession with 4 solvents of increasing polarities, viz hexane, ethyl acetate, alcohol, and hydro alcohol. Preliminary phytochemical screening as per standard methods was carried out on all the extracts. Thin layer chromatography of the extracts revealed their qualitative nature. Quantitative estimation of their phenol, flavonoid and sterol contents was carried out. Their antioxidant capacities were evaluated with the help of DPPH and reducing power assays. Their anti-glycation and anti-inflammatory activities were also measured.Results: Qualitative phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids and steroids in the extracts. The hydroalcoholic extract showed higher phenolic content and DPPH activity among other extracts. The flavonoid, sterol and alkaloid content, and Ferric reducing power were found to be higher in ethyl acetate extract. The hexane extract displayed a higher anti-glycation activity, followed by the ethyl acetate extract.Conclusion: A complete phytochemical screening, along with the evaluation of macroscopic and microscopic characters was carried out for 4 extracts of the seeds of Cassia absus. Quantitative estimation of flavonoid, phenol, sterol and alkaloid content was carried out. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-glycation capacities of the extracts were tested. Alkaloids were successfully extracted from the defatted seeds.Â

Entanglement generation in a quantum network at distance-independent rate

We develop a protocol for entanglement generation in the quantum internet that allows a repeater node to use $n$-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) projective measurements that can fuse $n$ successfully-entangled {\em links}, i.e., two-qubit entangled Bell pairs shared across $n$ network edges, incident at that node. Implementing $n$-fusion, for $n \ge 3$, is in principle not much harder than $2$-fusions (Bell-basis measurements) in solid-state qubit memories. If we allow even $3$-fusions at the nodes, we find---by developing a connection to a modified version of the site-bond percolation problem---that despite lossy (hence probabilistic) link-level entanglement generation, and probabilistic success of the fusion measurements at nodes, one can generate entanglement between end parties Alice and Bob at a rate that stays constant as the distance between them increases. We prove that this powerful network property is not possible to attain with any quantum networking protocol built with Bell measurements and multiplexing alone. We also design a two-party quantum key distribution protocol that converts the entangled states shared between two nodes into a shared secret, at a key generation rate that is independent of the distance between the two parties

An Analysis of African American Football Players Perception of their Non-Athletic Career Readiness Post-Graduation from a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Institution.

AbstractThe NCAAs core values indicate their commitment to the academic success and career development of their student-athletes. They assure the student-athletes academic and career readiness takes precedence over their athletic competitiveness. However, with the increasing commercialization, the relationship between college athletics and higher education is similar to an uneasy marriage, with student-athletes caught in the middle of this strenuous relationship. This is evident because of the lower graduation rate and career maturity levels of African-American student-athletes. This problem is also magnified as African-American student-athletes are graduating at a lower rate than their White counterparts. This trend has to be reversed, hence, this study analyzes the African American football players perception of their non-athletic career readiness post-graduation from a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision institution. The study also assesses the processes and procedures African-American football players use to prepare themselves for a non-athletic career post-graduation and the factors that play a significant role in their career readiness

A Detailed Study on Aggregation Methods used in Natural Language Interface to Databases (NLIDB)

Historically, databases have been the most crucial issue in the study of information systems, and they constitute an essential part of all information management systems. Since, it complicated due to restricting the number of potential users, particularly non-expert database users who must comprehend the database structure to submit such queries. Natural language interface (NLI), the simplest method to retrieve information, is one possibility for interacting with the database. The transformation of a natural language query into a Structured Query (SQL) in a database is known as a "Natural Language Interface to Database" (NLIDB). This study uses NLIDB to handle the works performed under various aggregations with aggregation functions, a grouping phrase, and a possessing clause. This study carefully examines the numerous systematic aggregation approaches utilized in the NLIDB. This review provides extensive information about the many methods, including query-based, pattern-based, general, keyword-based NLIDB, and grammar-based systems, to extract data for a dissertation from a generic module for use in such systems that support query execution utilizing aggregations

Using The Tenets Of Problem Based Learning In The Development Of Small Group Experiences In The Rehabilitative Environment

Purpose. Professional health science educational programs have utilized numerous learning strategies including journals, practice patterns, problem-based learning (PBL), case-studies, and hypothesis-oriented algorithm for clinicians (HOAC) (Shepard et al., 2002). While, these learning strategies have found a place in the health science educational curriculums they have not been utilized in the clinic with patients. This essay provides a brief overview on the tenets of small group work associated with PBL and offers insight into how small groups may be used in the clinic as a teaching strategy.  Importance. While this essay does not offer data to support the use of small group work as a learning technique for the promotion of patient problem solving it does provide a medium for the exchange of ideas which may lead to future research in this area