Storing Flaxseed in Farm-type Bins in South Texas.

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The Legalization of Abortion and Subsequent Youth Homicide: A Time Series Analysis

In this article, we examine the association between the legalization of abortion with the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and youth homicide in the 1980s and 1990s. An interrupted time series design was used to examine the deaths of all U.S. 15- to 24-year-olds that were classified as homicides according to the International Classification of Diseases (codes E960-969) from 1970 to 1998. The legalization of abortion is associated over a decade later with a gradual reduction in the homicides of White and non-White young men. The effect on the homicides of young women is minimal. We conclude that the 1990s decline in the homicide of young men is statistically associated with the legalization of abortion. Findings are not consistent with several alternative explanations, such as changes in the crack cocaine drug market. It is almost inconceivable that in the United States of today, policies affecting the choice to have children would be justified as a means to control crime. Yet, if the legalization of abortion had this unintended effect, the full range of policy implications needs to be discussed

Modeling cancer genomic data in yeast reveals selection against ATM function during tumorigenesis

The DNA damage response (DDR) comprises multiple functions that collectively preserve genomic integrity and suppress tumorigenesis. The Mre11 complex and ATM govern a major axis of the DDR and several lines of evidence implicate that axis in tumor suppression. Components of the Mre11 complex are mutated in approximately five percent of human cancers. Inherited mutations of complex members cause severe chromosome instability syndromes, such as Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome, which is associated with strong predisposition to malignancy. And in mice, Mre11 complex mutations are markedly more susceptible to oncogene- induced carcinogenesis. The complex is integral to all modes of DNA double strand break (DSB) repair and is required for the activation of ATM to effect DNA damage signaling. To understand which functions of the Mre11 complex are important for tumor suppression, we undertook mining of cancer genomic data from the clinical sequencing program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which includes the Mre11 complex among the 468 genes assessed. Twenty five mutations in MRE11 and RAD50 were modeled in S. cerevisiae and in vitro. The mutations were chosen based on recurrence and conservation between human and yeast. We found that a significant fraction of tumor-borne RAD50 and MRE11 mutations exhibited separation of function phenotypes wherein Tel1/ATM activation was severely impaired while DNA repair functions were mildly or not affected. At the molecular level, the gene products of RAD50 mutations exhibited defects in ATP binding and hydrolysis. The data reflect the importance of Rad50 ATPase activity for Tel1/ATM activation and suggest that inactivation of ATM signaling confers an advantage to burgeoning tumor cells

Temporal diabetes-induced biochemical changes in distinctive layers of mouse retina

To discover the mechanisms underlying the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), a more comprehensive understanding of the biomolecular processes in individual retinal cells subjected to hyperglycemia is required. Despite extensive studies, the changes in the biochemistry of retinal layers during the development of DR are not well known. In this study, we aimed to determine a more detailed understanding of the natural history of DR in Akita/+ (type 1 diabetes model) male mice with different duration of diabetes. Employing label-free spatially resolved Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) chemical imaging engaged with multivariate analysis enabled us to identify temporal-dependent reproducible biomarkers of the individual retinal layers from mice with 6 weeks,12 weeks, 6 months, and 10 months of age. We report, for the first time, the nature of the biochemical alterations over time in the biochemistry of distinctive retinal layers namely photoreceptor retinal layer (PRL), inner nuclear layer (INL), and plexiform layers (OPL, IPL). Moreover, we present the molecular factors associated with the changes in the protein structure and cellular lipids of retinal layers induced by different duration of diabetes. Our paradigm provides a new conceptual framework for a better understanding of the temporal cellular changes underlying the progression of DR

Dynamic optical lattices: two-dimensional rotating and accordion lattices for ultracold atoms

We demonstrate a novel experimental arrangement which rotates a 2D optical lattice at frequencies up to several kilohertz. Ultracold atoms in such a rotating lattice can be used for the direct quantum simulation of strongly correlated systems under large effective magnetic fields, allowing investigation of phenomena such as the fractional quantum Hall effect. Our arrangement also allows the periodicity of a 2D optical lattice to be varied dynamically, producing a 2D accordion lattice.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, final versio

“Thank you, Marojejy:” affective learning outcomes of student participants in place-based field trips to Marojejy National Park

Evaluations of conservation education programmes are most often concerned within the cognitive domain, where logical learning takes place. In place-based education, emphasis is instead placed on learning in multiple domains, including the cognitive and affective domains. Here, we  quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate student learning in the affective domain following a series of short educational trips to Marojejy National  Park, Northeast Madagascar. Student responses to the prompt “write about your trip to Marojejy” were evaluated for content, including emotional  responses using cultural consensus, saliency scoring, and qualitative evaluation. The most salient term used in responses were “a good trip”. when  tested 1.5 to 2 weeks after their trip. Students wrote about the emotional impact of the trip in four out of five levels of the affective domain. Our findings highlight the value of place-based education for learning in the affective domain. We demonstrated that even over a brief period of three  days, placebased conservation education can have a marked impact on the values and emotions of participants. Les évaluations de programmes d’éducation en matière de préservation sont le plus souvent axées sur le domaine cognitif, là où s’effectue  l’apprentissage logique. Dans l’éducation effectuée sur place, l’accent est au contraire mis sur un apprentissage multidisciplinaire, qui inclut à la  fois les domaines cognitifs et affectifs. Ici, nous évaluons de façon quantitative et qualitative l’apprentissage des étudiants dans le domaine affectif  en suivant une série de brèves excursions à but éducatif au Parc national de Marojejy, dans le Nord-Est de Madagascar. Les réponses des étudiants  à l’instruction « Parlez-nous de votre excursion à Marojejy » ont fait l’objet d’une évaluation tenant également compte des aspects émotionnels, sur  la base du consensus culturel, du score de saillance et du point de vue qualitatif. L’expression la plus saillante utilisée dans les réponses a été «  bonne excursion » dans les tests effectués 1,5 à 2 semaines après leur retour. Les étudiants ont relaté l’impact émotionnel de l’excursion dans  quatre des cinq niveaux du domaine affectif. Nos résultats mettent en évidence la valeur d’une éducation sur place pour un apprentissage au  niveau affectif. Nous avons démontré que même après une brève période de trois jours, l’éducation en matière de préservation peut avoir,  lorsqu’elle est effectuée sur place, un impact significatif sur les valeurs et les émotions des participants

Bragg spectroscopy of a cigar shaped Bose condensate in optical lattices

We study properties of excited states of an array of weakly coupled quasi-two-dimensional Bose condensates by using the hydrodynamic theory. We calculate multibranch Bogoliubov-Bloch spectrums and its corresponding eigenfunctions. The spectrum of the axial excited states and its eigenfunctions strongly depends on the coupling among various discrete radial modes within a given symmetry. This mode coupling is due to the presence of radial trapping potential. The multibranch nature of the Bogoliubov-Bloch spectrum and its dependence on the mode-coupling can be realized by analyzing dynamic structure factor and momentum transferred to the system in Bragg spectroscopy experiments. We also study dynamic structure factor and momentum transferred to the condensate due to the Bragg spectroscopy experiment.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physic

Analytical sensitivity of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests: A case for a robust reference standard

Aggressive diagnostic testing remains an indispensable strategy for health and aged care facilities to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in vulnerable populations. The preferred diagnostic platform has shifted towards COVID-19 rapid antigen tests (RATs) to identify the most infectious individuals. As such, RATs are being manufactured faster than at any other time in our history yet lack the relevant quantitative analytics required to inform on absolute analytical sensitivity enabling manufacturers to maintain high batch-to-batch reproducibility, and end-users to accurately compare brands for decision making. Here, we describe a novel reference standard to measure and compare the analytical sensitivity of RATs using a recombinant GFP-tagged nucleocapsid protein (NP-GFP). Importantly, we show that the GFP tag does not interfere with NP detection and provides several advantages affording streamlined protein expression and purification in high yields as well as faster, cheaper and more sensitive quality control measures for post-production assessment of protein solubility and stability. Ten commercial COVID-19 RATs were evaluated and ranked using NP-GFP as a reference standard. Analytical sensitivity data of the selected devices as determined with NP-GFP did not correlate with those reported by the manufacturers using the median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) assay. Of note, TCID50 discordance has been previously reported. Taken together, our results highlight an urgent need for a reliable reference standard for evaluation and benchmarking of the analytical sensitivity of RAT devices. NP-GFP is a promising candidate as a reference standard that will ensure that RAT performance is accurately communicated to healthcare providers and the public