GUBS, a Behavior-based Language for Open System Dedicated to Synthetic Biology

In this article, we propose a domain specific language, GUBS (Genomic Unified Behavior Specification), dedicated to the behavioral specification of synthetic biological devices, viewed as discrete open dynamical systems. GUBS is a rule-based declarative language. By contrast to a closed system, a program is always a partial description of the behavior of the system. The semantics of the language accounts the existence of some hidden non-specified actions possibly altering the behavior of the programmed device. The compilation framework follows a scheme similar to automatic theorem proving, aiming at improving synthetic biological design safety.Comment: In Proceedings MeCBIC 2012, arXiv:1211.347

The Effects of Aromatherapy on Alertness in an Inclusion Setting

Many adolescents place their heads down and close their eyes throughout the duration of a class period. Sleeping during instructional time directly affects the academic performance of a student. Participation is very difficult for those who have low attention levels. To ensure each student is provided with the greatest opportunity to achieve their highest potential academic learning gain, it is vital that each student is actively engaged throughout the lesson plan. Increasing a student’s potential to master the material relies heavily on the level in which the student is interacting with the three predominate learning styles: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. If a student is sleeping during the instructional period in which these learning styles are being addressed, the student’s potential to master the criteria decreases significantly. Individuals who have low attention levels force teachers to disrupt the learning environment of other students as the teacher interrupts their instruction time to provide verbal cues for a student to sit up or wake up. Teachers are often at a loss when faced with the dilemma of how to avoid disrupting their instructional time by continually having to pause the lesson in order prompt motivation and maintain the attention of students who perpetually sleep during the duration of the class period without breaking the attention and learning environment of the other students within the classroom. Research within the field of aromatherapy places an emphasis on investigating the effect of different essential oils on precise brain centers. The available research indicates the effectiveness of aromatherapy and the use of essential oils, such as eucalyptus and peppermint, to stimulate specific brain centers that are known to regulate an individual’s attention level. It is the lack of research regarding the effects of aromatherapy on alertness across multiple settings that makes the research of the effects of aromatherapy on alertness in an inclusion classroom vital. This research will provide further insight to not only how specific essential oils stimulate the brain to enhance alertness, but also the effects of specific fragrances of aromatherapy on alertness in various settings

Strain Effects on Coherent Excitons in Organic Crystalline Thin Films

For this thesis the effects of strain on excitons in organic thin film semiconductors is investigated.A hollow-capillary pen writing technique was used to create highly ordered thin films depositedon a flexible substrate. Metal-free octabutoxy-phthalocyanine (H2OBPc) was chosen for thisstudy because it forms long chains of molecules with strong π −π interactions. Absorbance andlinear dichroism measurements were performed on films with varying levels of strain applied alongthe stacking axis, with the total strain averaging 8%. A k-vector study was also conducted toinvestigate whether the molecular stacking angle is changing due to strain. It was hypothesizedthat strain applied along the stacking axis would cause a peak shift in the absorbance spectrum,and could potentially cause a shift in the molecular stacking angle of each molecule relative tothe substrate. Red-shifting of the exciton peaks was observed in both the absorbance and lineardichroism spectra. An overall reduction in the linear dichroism was observed regardless of theincident angle in the k-vector study, indicating that the molecular stacking angle is changing

Improving Utilization of InterQual among Case Managers/Patient Care Coordinators at Santa Clara Medical Center

Problem: The utilization management department at Santa Clara Medical Center had low compliance with InterQual criteria, at 35%. This resulted in inconsistent care decisions, poor resource allocation, and regulatory penalties, affecting patient care and performance. Context: The project aimed to enhance InterQual utilization, aligning with Santa Clara Medical Center\u27s goals of evidence-based, patient-centered care. The initiative was guided by Jesuit values and ANA ethical standards, focusing on service, justice, excellence, patient advocacy, and professional responsibility. Interventions: The project implemented three main interventions: comprehensive training programs, regular audits, and performance recognition. These interventions aimed to address gaps and ensure the effective use of InterQual criteria in patient care decisions. Measures: Effectiveness was measured using several metrics: the percentage increase in InterQual utilization, the number of case managers completing InterQual training, the number of cases using InterQual criteria, and feedback on InterQual usability. Results: Compliance rates increased from 35% at baseline to 81% by Week 8, demonstrating the effectiveness of the training programs, audits, and performance recognition. Conclusions: The project significantly improved InterQual utilization, resulting in more consistent and evidence-based care decisions. Sustaining these improvements will involve ongoing training, regular audits, and performance recognition. There is a high potential for these interventions to be applied in other departments and institutions

Regional Differences in Relational Aggression: The Role of Culture

It is becoming increasingly clear that relational aggression has just as much potential to cause harm as overt verbal and physical aggression. Though the literature base on relational aggression is growing, far fewer studies have been conducted with late adolescents and adults as compared with children and early adolescents. Moreover, the role of culture in relational aggression has received limited attention. The current study aimed to examine the potential impact of one aspect of culture on relational aggression by focusing on North-South regional differences in the United States. Differing norms and expectations for social behavior between Northern and Southern U.S. may translate into differences in aggressive behavior. Two-hundred and eighty-eight undergraduate students from a Southern university and 217 students from a university in the Northeast completed self-report measures of relational aggression, overt aggression, normative beliefs about relational aggression, and gender role attitudes online. Results indicated that Southern participants reported greater levels of both general/peer and romantic relational aggression compared to the Northern sample. Southerners also reported more traditional gender role attitudes compared to Northerners. There was not a significant difference between Northern and Southern participants on normative beliefs about relational aggression. Traditional gender role attitudes were positively correlated with both general/peer and romantic relational aggression. Finally, gender role attitudes were a significant predictor of general/peer relational aggression but not of relational aggression in romantic contexts

Current status and unanswered questions on the use of Denosumab in giant cell tumor of bone

Denosumab is a monoclonal antibody to RANK ligand approved for use in giant cell tumour (GCT) of bone. Due to its efficacy, Denosumab is recommended as the first option in inoperable or metastatic GCT. Denosumab has also been used pre-operatively to downstage tumours with large soft tissue extension to allow for less morbid surgery. The role of Denosumab for conventional limb GCT of bone is yet to be defined. Further studies are required to determine whether local recurrence rates will be decreased with the adjuvant use of Denosumab along with surgery. The long term use and toxicity of this agent is unknown as is the proportion of patients with primary or secondary resistance. It is advised that complicated cases of GCT requiring Denosumab treatment should be referred and followed up at expert centres. Collaborative studies involving further clinical trials and rigorous data collection are strongly recommended to identify the optimum use of this drug

Management of cytoskeleton architecture by molecular chaperones and immunophilins

Cytoskeletal structure is continually remodeled to accommodate normal cell growth and to respond to pathophysiological cues. As a consequence, several cytoskeleton-interacting proteins become involved in a variety of cellular processes such as cell growth and division, cell movement, vesicle transportation, cellular organelle location and function, localization and distribution of membrane receptors, and cell-cell communication. Molecular chaperones and immunophilins are counted among the most important proteins that interact closely with the cytoskeleton network, in particular with microtubules and microtubule-associated factors. In several situations, heat-shock proteins and immunophilins work together as a functionally active heterocomplex, although both types of proteins also show independent actions. In circumstances where homeostasis is affected by environmental stresses or due to genetic alterations, chaperone proteins help to stabilize the system. Molecular chaperones facilitate the assembly, disassembly and/or folding/refolding of cytoskeletal proteins, so they prevent aberrant protein aggregation. Nonetheless, the roles of heat-shock proteins and immunophilins are not only limited to solve abnormal situations, but they also have an active participation during the normal differentiation process of the cell and are key factors for many structural and functional rearrangements during this course of action. Cytoskeleton modifications leading to altered localization of nuclear factors may result in loss- or gain-of-function of such factors, which affects the cell cycle and cell development. Therefore, cytoskeletal components are attractive therapeutic targets, particularly microtubules, to prevent pathological situations such as rapidly dividing tumor cells or to favor the process of cell differentiation in other cases. In this review we will address some classical and novel aspects of key regulatory functions of heat-shock proteins and immunophilins as housekeeping factors of the cytoskeletal network.Fil: Quintá, Héctor Ramiro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Galigniana, Natalia Maricel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Erlejman, Alejandra Giselle. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; ArgentinaFil: Lagadari, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Piwien Pilipuk, Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Galigniana, Mario Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentin

A ligand-specific kinetic switch regulates glucocorticoid receptor trafficking and function

The ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a major drug target for inflammatory disease, but issues of specificity and target tissue sensitivity remain. We now identify high potency, non-steroidal GR ligands, GSK47867A and GSK47869A, which induce a novel conformation of the GR ligand-binding domain (LBD) and augment the efficacy of cellular action. Despite their high potency, GSK47867A and GSK47869A both induce surprisingly slow GR nuclear translocation, followed by prolonged nuclear GR retention, and transcriptional activity following washout. We reveal that GSK47867A and GSK47869A specifically alter the GR LBD structure at the HSP90-binding site. The alteration in the HSP90-binding site was accompanied by resistance to HSP90 antagonism, with persisting transactivation seen after geldanamycin treatment. Taken together, our studies reveal a new mechanism governing GR intracellular trafficking regulated by ligand binding that relies on a specific surface charge patch within the LBD. This conformational change permits extended GR action, probably because of altered GR–HSP90 interaction. This chemical series may offer anti-inflammatory drugs with prolonged duration of action due to altered pharmacodynamics rather than altered pharmacokinetics

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Construc on Industry in the Philippines

Construction emerged as a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns imposed by the Philippine government aimed at curbing the community transmission of the virus. Construction activities declined by 34 percent in the second quarter of 2020, and more than half of employment losses in industrial activities came from job losses in construction. The government rolled out several programs that provided income replacement, wage subsidy, and direct cash transfers to affected and displaced workers. However, only a few received financial support from the national and local governments. Meanwhile, construction companies are still reeling from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. Many are stilloperating at reduced capacity as they face reduction in the size of their labor force due to a host of factors. Using a uniquely designed questionnaire, the study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns affected jobs, incomes, and working conditions of workers employed in selected construction projects in Metro Manila, and the forms of support they received during the pandemic. The survey findings suggest that the lockdowns resulted in work suspension for a majority of the survey respondents. Those who were able to return to work when lockdowns eased experienced reduced earnings. On the bright side, worker safety during the pandemic appears to be a top priority among the construction projects covered by the survey. Nonetheless, more needs to be done in terms of establishing occupational safety and health (OSH) committees in many workplaces and in instituting worker representation in these committees. Finally, the pandemic may have exacerbated the difficulties faced by trade unions in organizing workers in the construction industry, but the massive infrastructure programs that have been included in the Philippine government’s COVID-19 economic recovery program makes the industry a greenfield for organizing. The survey disclosed that construction workers are willing to be organized into various forms of worker organizations for the protection of their rights and security at work, especially during a pandemic

Writing DNA with GenoCAD™

Chemical synthesis of custom DNA made to order calls for software streamlining the design of synthetic DNA sequences. GenoCAD™ (www.genocad.org) is a free web-based application to design protein expression vectors, artificial gene networks and other genetic constructs composed of multiple functional blocks called genetic parts. By capturing design strategies in grammatical models of DNA sequences, GenoCAD guides the user through the design process. By successively clicking on icons representing structural features or actual genetic parts, complex constructs composed of dozens of functional blocks can be designed in a matter of minutes. GenoCAD automatically derives the construct sequence from its comprehensive libraries of genetic parts. Upon completion of the design process, users can download the sequence for synthesis or further analysis. Users who elect to create a personal account on the system can customize their workspace by creating their own parts libraries, adding new parts to the libraries, or reusing designs to quickly generate sets of related constructs