Digital Repositories and Open Access: Information Without Limits

For many libraries, the Digital Repository has become the main storage center for materials created by the community they serve. Such materials can include important historical records, local newspapers, community newsletters, as well as articles, presentations, data sets, images, videos and other multimedia items. In this way, the repository takes on a central role in placing free, open access materials into the hands of the public. While many repositories are currently managed by universities, their benefits reach beyond the walls of academia to include K-12 students as well as the public at large. Thus, all librarians are encouraged to utilize the materials housed in repositories during their educational programming. Doing so has the advantage of providing reliable information at no cost to their patrons while at the same time creating ties between the university and the local community. Furthermore, the use of open access materials during instruction sessions and reference interactions presents the librarian with many opportunities to discuss the increased importance of fair use and intellectual property issues

Cost-benefit Analysis of a Genetic Marker on Cow-calf Operations Differentiated by Pasture and Breed

Genetic sequencing in beef cattle (Bos taurus L.) is expected to aid producers with selecting breeding stock. Using data from experimental trials conducted with Angus, Brahman, and their reciprocal cross, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) P450 C994G marker expression was investigated for use in selecting genetics suited to grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. L.) compared to bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) pasture. The study is unique in the sense that actual cow-calf breeding failure rates (open cows were not culled) were tracked from 1991 to 1997 on herds that were bred to calf in spring and were either exposed to fungal endophyte-infected (Acremonium coenophialum L.) tall fescue grazing and hay or not. The study used the Forage and Cattle Analysis and Planning (FORCAP) decision support software to assess economic performance driven by birth weight, weaning weight, and breeding failure rate differences across treatment. Results suggest that for reciprocal cross herds primarily grazing bermudagrass pastures, the P450 C994C genotype (CC) was most favorable; whereas, the P450 G994C genotype (GC) was more profitable with tall fescue. Adding genetic market information when selecting a production strategy led to approximately $15/head in added profitability. In comparison to the prorated cost of$2.40/head over the life of a dam, the collection, interpretation, and management of genetic information under the conditions observed in this study may be worthwhile

Use of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program for Substance Abuse Monitoring and Pain Management

Abstract The United States is in an opioid epidemic. The comitant use of opiates and benzodiazepines can ultimately result in death. This project consisted of a quality improvement approach addressing the continued need to educate prescribers on coprescribing benzodiazepines and opioids to the adult population. A qualitative and quantitative descriptive analysis was utilized for data collection. The results will assist in determining if accessing the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) and utilizing evidence-based guidelines before prescribing treatment compared to the nonutilization of the PDMP and evidence-based guidelines aid in the reduction of mortality and overdose rates within a three-month period. The significance of this project was aimed at increasing the use of the PDMP in providing treatment to patients. The recognition of the misuse and abuse of opioids and benzodiazepines, concurrently, indicate the need for a higher level of care and alternative treatment options, therefore, assisting in the reduction in the mortality and overdose rate. Keywords: opioids, benzodiazepines, misuse, substance use disorder, prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP), substance use treatment provider, primary care provider (PCP), Nurse Pactitioner (NP), Physician Assistant (PA), pain specialist, psychiatrist, and pharmacis

Transition Strategies in Early Childhood Settings

The purpose of this research was to determine if daily lessons in yoga, mindfulness, and transition skills positively affect the transition from lunch to recess in a Montessori environment. The seven‐week study involved 17 children between two and a half to five years old. Data collection included a pre-and post‐assessment and observations which documented the type of disruptions, amount of disruptions, and the resolution to the disruptions. Results of the pre-and post‐assessments revealed that practice of the skills needed in a transition resulted in more independence. The mindfulness exercises resulted in less distractions while waiting in line during a transition. Observation data showed there was little decrease in the amount of disruptions during a transition, but an overall increase in the children’s independent and child assisted resolutions to disruption. Suggestions for further research include a longer length of time for a study, more clarified data collection, a video recording for observing, and further study concerning needed and unneeded adult interventions

The HI Mass Function and Velocity Width Function of Void Galaxies in the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey

We measure the HI mass function (HIMF) and velocity width function (WF) across environments over a range of masses $7.2<\log(M_{HI}/M_{\odot})<10.8$, and profile widths $1.3\log(km/s)<\log(W)<2.9\log(km/s)$, using a catalog of ~7,300 HI-selected galaxies from the ALFALFA Survey, located in the region of sky where ALFALFA and SDSS (Data Release 7) North overlap. We divide our galaxy sample into those that reside in large-scale voids (void galaxies) and those that live in denser regions (wall galaxies). We find the void HIMF to be well fit by a Schechter function with normalization $\Phi^*=(1.37\pm0.1)\times10^{-2} h^3Mpc^{-3}$, characteristic mass $\log(M^*/M_{\odot})+2\log h_{70}=9.86\pm0.02$, and low-mass-end slope $\alpha=-1.29\pm0.02$. Similarly, for wall galaxies, we find best-fitting parameters $\Phi^*=(1.82\pm0.03)\times10^{-2} h^3Mpc^{-3}$, $\log(M^*/M_{\odot})+2\log h_{70}=10.00\pm0.01$, and $\alpha=-1.35\pm0.01$. We conclude that void galaxies typically have slightly lower HI masses than their non-void counterparts, which is in agreement with the dark matter halo mass function shift in voids assuming a simple relationship between DM mass and HI mass. We also find that the low-mass slope of the void HIMF is similar to that of the wall HIMF suggesting that there is either no excess of low-mass galaxies in voids or there is an abundance of intermediate HI mass galaxies. We fit a modified Schechter function to the ALFALFA void WF and determine its best-fitting parameters to be $\Phi^*=0.21\pm0.1 h^3Mpc^{-3}$, $\log(W^*)=2.13\pm0.3$, $\alpha=0.52\pm0.5$ and high-width slope $\beta=1.3\pm0.4$. For wall galaxies, the WF parameters are: $\Phi^*=0.022\pm0.009 h^3Mpc^{-3}$, $\log(W^*)=2.62\pm0.5$, $\alpha=-0.64\pm0.2$ and $\beta=3.58\pm1.5$. Because of large uncertainties on the void and wall width functions, we cannot conclude whether the WF is dependent on the environment.Comment: Accepted for publication at MNRAS, 14 pages, 12 figure

An unfolded protein-induced conformational switch activates mammalian IRE1.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) adjusts the cell's protein folding capacity in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) according to need. IRE1 is the most conserved UPR sensor in eukaryotic cells. It has remained controversial, however, whether mammalian and yeast IRE1 use a common mechanism for ER stress sensing. Here, we show that similar to yeast, human IRE1α's ER-lumenal domain (hIRE1α LD) binds peptides with a characteristic amino acid bias. Peptides and unfolded proteins bind to hIRE1α LD's MHC-like groove and induce allosteric changes that lead to its oligomerization. Mutation of a hydrophobic patch at the oligomerization interface decoupled peptide binding to hIRE1α LD from its oligomerization, yet retained peptide-induced allosteric coupling within the domain. Importantly, impairing oligomerization of hIRE1α LD abolished IRE1's activity in living cells. Our results provide evidence for a unifying mechanism of IRE1 activation that relies on unfolded protein binding-induced oligomerization