One Year Later: September 11 and the Internet

Presents findings from a survey that looks at how the terror attacks affected Americans' views about access to online information, Internet use, and the Web after September 11. Contains scholarly studies built around analysis of hundreds of Web sites

Poll results: Is crowdfunding a fad?

The first equity crowdfunding websites were only set up four years ago, but since then the sector has grown phenomenally: from 2012-14, in the UK alone equity crowdfunding grew by 410% (you can read more about this in our introduction to the poll)

Protecting the future of equity crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding has the potential to help entrepreneurs around the world finance innovation and growth, but in many cases, powerful regulators are standing in the way says guest blogger Mary Fo

Protein glycosylation in the gram-negative gamma proteobacterium photorhabdus luminescens

The objective of this research was to investigate the possibility that Photorhabdus luminescens produces glycoproteins and thus contains a protein glycosylation system. P. luminescens is a pathogen of insects and a symbiont of soil nematodes. Adhesion and invasion are very important in the life cycle of the organism and it is speculated that the bacteria may produce glycoproteins to facilitate infection of the host. Proteins from P. luminescens were analysed using lectins for the presence of glycoproteins. Many potential glycoproteins were isolated using lectin affinity chromatography (LAC) and one such protein was identified conclusively using mass spectrometry to be an outer membrane porin, OmpN. No glycoproteins have previously been identified in P. luminescens. The ompN gene was cloned and expressed in both Escherichia coli and P. luminescens. It was found that OmpN purified from P. luminescens was capable of binding the lectins WGA and GSL I, while OmpN purified from E. coli was not. Campylobacter jejuni is the most extensively studied bacteria in terms of protein glycosylation. It contains a pgl locus encoding enzymes involved in the glycosylation of many of its proteins. Orthologues of some Pgl proteins were discovered in P. luminescens. The gene that encodes one of these proteins, wblK, was mutated. LAC was used to examine the effect of this mutation on the glycoproteins produced by the organism. It was found that the glycosylation of at least two proteins was affected by the wblK mutation. These proteins were isolated by LAC using WGA agarose from the wblK mutant strain but not from the wildtype strain. One of the altered proteins was identified as plu3611. It was found to exist in at least two different glycoforms. The results provided evidence that P. luminescens is capable of glycosylating OmpN and plu3611 and so contains a protein glycosylation system

COMPASS: A general purpose computer aided scheduling tool

COMPASS is a generic scheduling system developed by McDonnell Douglas under the direction of the Software Technology Branch at JSC. COMPASS is intended to illustrate the latest advances in scheduling technology and provide a basis from which custom scheduling systems can be built. COMPASS was written in Ada to promote readability and to conform to potential NASA Space Station Freedom standards. COMPASS has some unique characteristics that distinguishes it from commercial products. These characteristics are discussed and used to illustrate some differences between scheduling tools

Design of new highly functional polymer grafted polyhipes for proteins immobilization

PolyHIPE have proven to be useful in a large variety of applications included column filtration/separation, supported organic chemistry, as media for tissue engineering and 3D cell culture.1 The ability to conveniently modify pHIPE surfaces with functional groups is essential to opening new applications areas. The most promising method to conveniently modify pHIPE surface with a high density of functional groups is the “grafting from” approach. Stable polymer brushes covalently attached to the surface posses excellent mechanical and chemical robustness and offer the flexibility to introduce a large variety of functional monomers.2 We developed a new and unique pHIPE platform by incorporation of a polymerizable monomer with amino group into the HIPE available for different post in situ polymerization. The pHIPE with amino groups on the surface (pHIPE-NH2) can be directly used for the ring opening polymerization of amino acids N-carboxyanhydrates (NCAs) monomers to make pHIPE-g-polypeptide (such as pHIPE-g-poly(L-Benzyl Glutamate)) or easily converted to an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator for activators generated electron transfer (AGET) ATRP of tert-Butyl acrylate monomers. The polymers grafted can be deprotected to form pHIPE-g-poly(glutamic acid) or pHIPE-g-poly(acrylic acid) with reactive groups, on the surface of the pHIPE, available for further bioconjugation

Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic

This fourth annual update on America's high school dropout crisis shows that for the first time the nation is on track to meet the goal of a 90 percent high school graduation rate by the Class of 2020 -- if the pace of improvement from 2006 to 2010 is sustained over the next 10 years. The greatest gains have occurred for the students of color and low-income students most affected by the dropout crisis. Many schools, districts and states are making significant gains in boosting high school graduation rates and putting more students on a path to college and a successful career. This progress is often the result of having better data, an understanding of why and where students drop out, a heightened awareness of the consequences to individuals and the economy, a greater understanding of effective reforms and interventions, and real-world examples of progress and collaboration. These factors have contributed to a wider understanding that the dropout crisis is solvable.While progress is encouraging, a deeper look at the data reveals that gains in graduation rates and declines in dropout factory high schools occurred unevenly across states and subgroups of students (e.g. economically disadvantaged, African American, Hispanic, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency). As a result, large "graduation gaps" remain in many states among students of different races, ethnicities, family incomes, disabilities and limited English proficiencies. To repeat the growth in graduation rates in the next ten years experienced in the second half of the last decade, and to ensure progress for all students, the nation must turn its attention to closing the graduation gap by accelerating progress for student subgroups most affected by the dropout crisis.This report outlines the progress made and the challenges that remain. Part 1: The Data analyzes the latest graduation rates and "dropout factory" trends at the state and national levels. Part 2: Progress and Challenge provides an update on the nation's shared efforts to implement the Civic Marshall Plan to reach the goal of at least a 90 percent high school graduation rate for the Class of 2020 and all classes that follow. Part 3: Paths Forward offers recommendations on how to accelerate our work and achieve our goals, with all students prepared for college and career. The report also offers "snapshots" within schools, communities, and organizations from Orlando to Oakland that are making substantial gains in boosting high school graduation rates

EFFECTS OF FOOD ASSISTANCE AND NUTRITION PROGRAMS ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH, VOLUME 2, DATA SOURCES

This is the second of four reports completed by Abt Associates Inc., under the contract "The Nutrition and Health Outcome Study." This report is an evaluation of various data sources for their potential for analyzing the impacts of USDA's food assistance and nutrition programs (FANPs). Data sources are evaluated against three criteria: coverage of both program participants and nonparticipants; identification of participants and determination of eligibility among nonparticipants; and availability of impact measures. Each data source is classified into one of four categories: principal, potential, recognized, and insufficient. Principal and potential sources are discussed and profiled in this report.USDA Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs, data sources, program participation, nutrition outcomes, health outcomes, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty,