Ambient Positional Instability Among Teachers in Minnesota Public Schools: 2010-2011 to 2014-2015

This work is a preliminary investigation as part of a larger project on Ambient Positional Instability (API) among teachers in public schools in the United States, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and undertaken by the University of Pennsylvania. API tracks the number of teachers who change school, grade and subject(s) they teach, as well as those who leave the profession. In this paper, API is analyzed through teacher retention and churn. Retention is defined as the proportion of teachers who remain in the system each year over the period covered in analysis, whereas churn is the ratio of the newcomers and leavers to the total numbers of teachers in the system in the previous year. Detailed formulae are provided later in this paper. The purpose of this paper is to examine teacher retention and churn in the state of Minnesota from 2010 to 2015. Specifically, this paper examines 1) the retention of full-time public school teachers at the state level, district level, and school level, 2) teacher cohort retention trends in different subjects and grade levels, and finally, 3) teacher retention in the 5 largest districts of Minnesota. To analyze these issues, publicly-accessible administrative data on education staff in Minnesota from 2010 to 2015 was used. This paper proceeds as follows. First, the rationale of the API project is described. Some of the reasons for teacher retention and churn are explored and the consequences of high teacher churn and turnover are explained. Next, detailed description of the data structure, our considerations in deciding how to reconfigure the data, and the process of data reconfiguration are described. Here, we also explain the challenges we faced while working with the data files. Thereafter, the findings regarding the three issues mentioned above are summarized. Finally, the conclusions drawn from the analysis and our next steps are presented

UniPrimer: A Web-Based Primer Design Tool for Comparative Analyses of Primate Genomes

Whole genome sequences of various primates have been released due to advanced DNA-sequencing technology. A combination of computational data mining and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to validate the data is an excellent method for conducting comparative genomics. Thus, designing primers for PCR is an essential procedure for a comparative analysis of primate genomes. Here, we developed and introduced UniPrimer for use in those studies. UniPrimer is a web-based tool that designs PCR- and DNA-sequencing primers. It compares the sequences from six different primates (human, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, gibbon, and rhesus macaque) and designs primers on the conserved region across species. UniPrimer is linked to RepeatMasker, Primer3Plus, and OligoCalc softwares to produce primers with high accuracy and UCSC In-Silico PCR to confirm whether the designed primers work. To test the performance of UniPrimer, we designed primers on sample sequences using UniPrimer and manually designed primers for the same sequences. The comparison of the two processes showed that UniPrimer was more effective than manual work in terms of saving time and reducing errors

Treatment of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus in a Dog with Human Intravenous Immunoglobulin

Background: Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a common canine autoimmune skin disease, in which systemic manifestations are absent. Skin Lesions are usually present on the nasal planum, and characterised by erythema, depigmentation, erosion, ulceration, and crusting. The diagnosis is based on histopathological results, which should demonstrate lymphoplasmacytic lichenoid-interface dermatitis. Human intravenous immunoglobulin (hIVIg) has been used in veterinary medicine to treat cutaneous diseases including erythema multiforme, PF, and severe adverse cutaneous drug reactions. In human medicine, it has been effective to treat DLE. This report firstly describes the clinical response to hIVIg in a dog with DLE resistant to common immunosuppressive drugs.Case: A 5-year-old, intact female Shih Tzu presented with a 1-month history of slowly progressive black crusting on the nasal planum, chin, and claw. Based on the results of a dermatologic examination, superficial pyoderma was diagnosed. The skin lesions did not improve during and after anti-infective treatment. After removing the crusts, a skin biopsy was obtained from the muzzle. Histopathology of lesional skin biopsy specimens revealed lymphoplasmacytic interface dermatitis at the dermoepidermal junction. Microscopic examination also revealed vacuolar changes and pigmentary incontinence of the basal layer as a lichenoid tissue reaction. No mites or fungi were detected on the skin section. The absence of acantholytic cells excluded pemphigus foliaceus, which is also characterised by the lesions of the nasal planum. Based on the distribution of the lesions, histopathology and exclusion of other dermatoses, the dog was diagnosed with DLE. The skin lesions temporarily improved after treatment with prednisolone (2 mg/kg PO q12h). However, after tapering the dose of prednisolone, new black crusts developed on the nasal planum and claw. Although the dog was successively treated with other immunosuppressive drugs, including azathioprine, cyclosporin with dexamethasone, and mycophenolate mofetil, black crusts still remained. Due to the low efficacy of these immunosuppressive drugs, hIVIg was administered at 0.5 g/kg once daily for 4 days, for a total dose of 2 g/kg. During hIVIg administration, the crusted lesions gradually improved. After the hIVIg administration, the dog was treated with prednisolone (1 mg/kg PO q12h). The lesions were almost in complete remission at 21 days after an additional application of prednisolone. The skin lesions did not recur, and the treatment was eventually discontinued after 6 weeks of additional prednisolone application.Discussion: The standard treatment of canine DLE includes glucocorticoids, and second-line immunosuppressive drugs, such as azathioprine and cyclosporine, are usually added in cases resistant to steroids. This case suggests that hIVIg may be beneficial as an adjunctive treatment option for canine DLE, especially when the application of standard immunosuppressive drugs is limited due to adverse effects or low efficacy. There is evidence from several studies that the steroid-sparing effect of hIVIg is significant in human patients. In the current case, the effective dose of prednisolone was reduced to 2 mg/kg/day after hIVIg administration, and prednisolone therapy was finally discontinued completely. The hIVIg appears to lower the daily steroid dose requirement in this dog. Keywords: autoimmune skin disease, discoid lupus erythematosus, canine dermatology, immunosuppressive drug, human intravenous immunoglobulin

DNA microarrays on a dendron-modified surface improve significantly the detection of single nucleotide variations in the p53 gene

Selectivity and sensitivity in the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are among most important attributes to determine the performance of DNA microarrays. We previously reported the generation of a novel mesospaced surface prepared by applying dendron molecules on the solid surface. DNA microarrays that were fabricated on the dendron-modified surface exhibited outstanding performance for the detection of single nucleotide variation in the synthetic oligonucleotide DNA. DNA microarrays on the dendron-modified surface were subjected to the detection of single nucleotide variations in the exons 5–8 of the p53 gene in genomic DNAs from cancer cell lines. DNA microarrays on the dendron-modified surface clearly discriminated single nucleotide variations in hotspot codons with high selectivity and sensitivity. The ratio between the fluorescence intensity of perfectly matched duplexes and that of single nucleotide mismatched duplexes was >5–100 without sacrificing signal intensity. Our results showed that the outstanding performance of DNA microarrays fabricated on the dendron-modified surface is strongly related to novel properties of the dendron molecule, which has the conical structure allowing mesospacing between the capture probes. Our microarrays on the dendron-modified surface can reduce the steric hindrance not only between the solid surface and target DNA, but also among immobilized capture probes enabling the hybridization process on the surface to be very effective. Our DNA microarrays on the dendron-modified surface could be applied to various analyses that require accurate detection of SNPs

Application of CRISPR-Based C-to-G Base editing in rice protoplasts

Recently, new types of base editors, C-to-G base editors (CGBEs), that enable cytosine transversions that are unachievable with cytosine base editors (CBEs) and adenosine base editors (ABEs), have been developed in human cells. However, despite their importance in crop genome editing, the efficacy of CGBEs has not yet been extensively evaluated. In our study, based on the previously reported plant-compatible CBE and human CGBE, we demonstrated that our monocot plant-compatible CGBEs (PcCGBEs) enable cytosine transversions (C-to-G) in rice protoplasts. For all targets tested, PcCGBEs (monocot plant-compatible CGBEs) appeared to have substantial levels of C-to-G editing activity. PcCGBE showed a much higher C-to-G base editing activity and C-to-G specificity among C-to-D conversions than the mini-version of PcCGBE. Our demonstration of PcCGBE could provide a platform for the further development of enhanced CGBEs for reliable application as a new crop breeding technology.This work was supported by the Creative-Pioneering Researchers Program of Seoul National University, National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant (2019R1F1A1046305), and New Breeding Technologies Development Program (PJ016542) through the Rural Development Administration (RDA), Republic of Korea

Suicide associated with COVID-19 infection: an immunological point of view

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic and leading cause of death. Beyond the deaths directly caused by the virus and the suicides related to the psychological response to the dramatic changes as socioeconomic related to the pandemic, there might also be suicides related to the inflammatory responses of the infection. Infection induces inflammation as a cytokine storm, and there is an increasing number of studies that report a relationship between infection and suicide. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched the World Health Organization status report and the PubMed database for keywords (COVID-19, suicide, infection, inflammation, cytokines), and reviewed five cytokine pathways between suicide and inflammation using two meta-analyses and two observational studies starting from November 31, 2020, focusing on the relationship between suicide and inflammation by infection. First, we discussed existing evidence explaining the relationship between suicidal behaviors and inflammation. Second, we summarized the inflammatory features found in COVID-19 patients. Finally, we highlight the potential for these factors to affect the risk of suicide in COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: Patients infected with COVID-19 have high amounts of IL-1β, IFN-γ, IP10, and MCP1, which may lead to Th1 cell response activation. Also, Th2 cytokines (e.g., IL-4 and IL-10) were increased in COVID-19 infection. In COVID-19 patients, neurological conditions, like headache, dizziness, ataxia, seizures, and others have been observed. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a significant environmental factor contributing directly to increased suicide risk; the role of inflammation by an infection should not be overlooked

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV