Finding Their Way: An Information Resource Guide for New Refugees in Southern Nevada

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (CCSN) is a nonprofit socialservices provider that serves individuals and families in need in the LasVegas area, including over 3,000 refugees each year. Last year, three MLISstudents from the University of Washington reached out to this organizationand helped to identify an information need for new refugees. Although localcity information for refugees is freely available online, this deliverymethod is not beneficial to individuals with limited English languageproficiency or low digital literacy. In partnership with CCSN, we created aphysical informational resource guide for refugees located in SouthernNevada, which can be updated and translated by resettlement organizationsacross the country

Approaches Towards a Total Synthesis of Daphenylline

The following work describes the synthesis of advanced intermediates enroute to daphenylline. Construction of the ABCE tetracyclic skeleton of daphenylline was accomplished in thirteen steps with seven percent overall yield from commercially available (S)-carvone through [3,3]-allyl cyanate-to-isocyanate rearrangement, intramolecular Heck Reaction, and Intermolecular Diels-Alder/benzannulation strategies. Efforts towards the synthesis of daphenylline’s D ring are discussed. A terse introduction to the scientific literature of daphniphyllum alkaloids and a comprehensive overview of selected approaches and all previous syntheses of daphenylline is given. Experimental procedures and spectroscopic data are provided for all new compounds

Letter from R. Houston and J.A. Miskey to James B. Finley

The South Charleston Division #7, Sons of Temperance, extends a formal invitation to Finley to give a series of lectures on temperance. All expenses will be paid. Abstract Number - 1204https://digitalcommons.owu.edu/finley-letters/2184/thumbnail.jp

STIS Spectral Imagery of the OB Stars in NGC 604: Describing the Extraction Technique for a Crowded Stellar Field

We have developed a data reduction procedure to extract multiple spectra from a single two-dimensional Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) image of a crowded stellar field. This paper provides a description of our new technique, utilizing a STIS ultraviolet spectral image, acquired with the G140L grating and the 52 arcsec x 2 arcsec aperture, sampling a concentration of O and B stars in the central region of the NGC 604 starburst in M33. The software routines can disentangle and produce reliable ultraviolet spectra of stars with angular separations as small as 0.055 arcsec. Use of the extraction slit, based upon our model of the spectral cross dispersion profile, generates spectra with slightly higher resolution than the STScI standard processing. Our results clearly show that the spectral imaging capability of STIS represents a powerful tool for studying luminous stars in the star-forming regions of the Local Group.Comment: LaTeX, 23 pages total (including 11 figures and 1 table). To be published in June 2003 of The Astronomical Journal. Companion paper to "STIS Spectral Imagery of the OB Stars in NGC 604: The Most Luminous Stars" by Bruhweiler, Miskey, & Smith Neubi

Rebuilding ORCID Campus Outreach During a Pandemic

Since 2017, ORCID outreach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has stagnated due to insufficient staffing. A new librarian was tasked in early 2020 with facilitating new ORCID campus outreach and education with campus researchers. Simultaneously, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the university campus to shut down, which significantly limited the ability to forge relationships and outreach. Despite these challenges, the new librarian managed to rebuild campus partnerships, establish relationships with library colleagues, and develop an outreach plan that focused on creating virtual services such as workshops and on expanding digital resources such as LibGuides and tutorials to reach faculty and students

Regulation of DNA transposition by CpG methylation and chromatin structure in human cells

BACKGROUND: The activity of transposable elements can be regulated by different means. DNA CpG methylation is known to decrease or inhibit transpositional activity of diverse transposons. However, very surprisingly, it was previously shown that CpG methylation of the Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon significantly enhanced transposition in mouse embryonic stem cells. RESULTS: In order to investigate the unexpected response of SB transposition to CpG methylation, related transposons from the Tc1/mariner superfamily, that is, Tc1, Himar1, Hsmar1, Frog Prince (FP) and Minos were tested to see how transposition was affected by CpG methylation. A significant increase of >20-fold in transposition of SB, FP and Minos was seen, whereas Tc1, Himar1 and Hsmar1 showed no difference in transposition upon CpG-methylation. The terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) of the SB, FP and Minos elements share a common structure, in which each TIR contains two functionally important binding sites for the transposase (termed the IR/DR structure). The group of IR/DR elements showed increased excision after CpG methylation compared to untreated transposon donor plasmids. We found that de novo CpG methylation is not required for transposition. A mutated FP donor plasmid with depleted CpG sites in both TIRs was as efficient in transposition as the wild-type transposon, indicating that CpG sites inside the TIRs are not responsible for altered binding of the factors potentially modulating transposition. By using an in vivo one-hybrid DNA-binding assay in cultured human cells we found that CpG methylation had no appreciable effect on the affinity of SB transposase to its binding sites. However, chromatin immunoprecipitation indicated that CpG-methylated transposon donor plasmids are associated with a condensed chromatin structure characterized by trimethylated histone H3K9. Finally, DNA compaction by protamine was found to enhance SB transposition. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that DNA CpG methylation upregulates transposition of IR/DR elements in the Tc1/mariner superfamily. CpG methylation provokes the formation of a tight chromatin structure at the transposon DNA, likely aiding the formation of a catalytically active complex by facilitating synapsis of sites bound by the transposase

Neuroticism and cognitive constructs as risk factors for repeated episodes of self-injurious behavior

The current project proposed a model to predict repeated episodes of self-injurious behavior (RSIB) integrating the personality variable of neuroticism, and the cognitive factors of a ruminative thinking style and SIB-specific cognitive content. Study 1 evaluated items proposed for inclusion in a measure of SIB-specific cognitions. Internal reliability of the questionnaire was good (α = .87), and values for the four scales ranged from α = .71 to .84. Following revisions, the Self-Injurious Cognitive Content Measure (SCCM) consisted of four scales with six to eight items each. Study 2 evaluated the ability of the proposed model to predict RSIB. First, competing confirmatory factor analyses of the SCCM produced in Study 1 were completed. Results favored a 3-factor model, and item loadings were good to excellent (.78 to .99). Next, a series of regressions supported the hypothesis that ruminative thinking partially mediates the relation of neuroticism to RSIB. Path analyses examining moderating effects of each cognitive content variable on ruminative style revealed only direct effects for the first two cognitions (self-injury is acceptable/necessary, the body and self are disgusting and deserving of punishment). In the final model including ruminative thinking and Cognitive Content 1 and 2, only the belief that self-injury is acceptable significantly and uniquely predicted RSIB over and above neuroticism, a ruminative style, and the belief that the self deserves punishment. This study was the first to propose a measure of SIB-specific cognitions and the first to integrate specific thought content into explanatory models of SIB. Results highlight the importance of further investigation into cognitions unique to SIB and their place within future models

Retargeting transposon insertions by the adeno-associated virus Rep protein

The Sleeping Beauty (SB), piggyBac (PB) and Tol2 transposons are promising instruments for genome engineering. Integration site profiling of SB, PB and Tol2 in human cells showed that PB and Tol2 insertions were enriched in genes, whereas SB insertions were randomly distributed. We aimed to introduce a bias into the target site selection properties of the transposon systems by taking advantage of the locus-specific integration system of adeno-associated virus (AAV). The AAV Rep protein binds to Rep recognition sequences (RRSs) in the human genome, and mediates viral integration into nearby sites. A series of fusion constructs consisting of the N-terminal DNA-binding domain of Rep and the transposases or the N57 domain of SB were generated. A plasmid-based transposition assay showed that Rep/SB yielded a 15-fold enrichment of transposition at a particular site near a targeted RRS. Genome-wide insertion site analysis indicated that an approach based on interactions between the SB transposase and Rep/N57 enriched transgene insertions at RRSs. We also provide evidence of biased insertion of the PB and Tol2 transposons. This study provides a comparative insight into target site selection properties of transposons, as well as proof-of-principle for targeted chromosomal transposition by composite protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions