Discourse on measurement.

Measurement literacy is required for strong scientific reasoning, effective experimental design, conceptual and empirical validation of measurement quantities, and the intelligible interpretation of error in theory construction. This discourse examines how issues in measurement are posed and resolved and addresses potential misunderstandings. Examples drawn from across the sciences are used to show that measurement literacy promotes the goals of scientific discourse and provides the necessary foundation for carving out perspectives and carrying out interventions in science.

Stereoelectronic Effect of Protecting Groups on the Stability of Galactosyl Donor Intermediates.

Using methods of DFT, we investigated the effect of electron withdrawing and electron donating groups on the relative stability of tentative glycosyl donor reaction intermediates. The calculation shows that by changing the stereoelectronic properties of the protecting group, we can influence the stability of the dioxolenium type of intermediates by up to 10 kcal mol, and that by increasing nucleophillicity of the 4--Bz group, the dioxolenium intermediate becomes more stable than a triflate-donor pair. We exploited this mechanism to design galactosyl donors with custom protecting groups on O2 and O4, and investigated the outcome of the reaction with cyclohexanol.

Direct and Indirect Protein Interactions Link FUS Aggregation to Histone Post-Translational Modification Dysregulation and Growth Suppression in an ALS/FTD Yeast Model.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are incurable neurodegenerative disorders sharing pathological and genetic features, including mutations in the gene. FUS is an RNA-binding protein that mislocalizes to the cytoplasm and aggregates in ALS/FTD. In a yeast model, FUS proteinopathy is connected to changes in the epigenome, including reductions in the levels of H3S10ph, H3K14ac, and H3K56ac.

Backbone Hydration of -Helical Peptides: Hydrogen-Bonding and Surface Hydrophobicity/Hydrophilicity.

The stability of proteins and small peptides depends on the way they interact with the surrounding water molecules. For small peptides, such as -helical polyalanine (polyALA), water molecules can weaken the intramolecular hydrogen-bonds (HB) formed between the peptide backbone O and NH groups which are responsible for the -helix structure. Here, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to study the hydration of polyALA, polyserine (polySER), and other homopolymer peptide -helices at different temperatures and pressures.

Optimal sigmoid function models for analysis of transspinal evoked potential recruitment curves recorded from different muscles.

Recruitment input-output curves of transspinal evoked potentials that represent the net output of spinal neuronal networks during which cortical, spinal and peripheral inputs are integrated as well as motor evoked potentials and H-reflexes are used extensively in research as neurophysiological biomarkers to establish physiological or pathological motor behavior and post-treatment recovery. A comparison between different sigmoidal models to fit the transspinal evoked potentials recruitment curve and estimate the parameters of physiological importance has not been performed. This study sought to address this gap by fitting eight sigmoidal models (Boltzmann, Hill, Log-Logistic, Log-Normal, Weibull-1, Weibull-2, Gompertz, Extreme Value Function) to the transspinal evoked potentials recruitment curves of soleus and tibialis anterior recorded under four different cathodal stimulation settings.

MaveDB 2024: a curated community database with over seven million variant effects from multiplexed functional assays.

Multiplexed assays of variant effect (MAVEs) are a critical tool for researchers and clinicians to understand genetic variants. Here we describe the 2024 update to MaveDB ( https://www.mavedb.

Predicting Robotic Hysterectomy Incision Time: Optimizing Surgical Scheduling with Machine Learning.

Background And Objectives: Operating rooms (ORs) are critical for hospital revenue and cost management, with utilization efficiency directly affecting financial outcomes. Traditional surgical scheduling often results in suboptimal OR use. We aim to build a machine learning (ML) model to predict incision times for robotic-assisted hysterectomies, enhancing scheduling accuracy and hospital finances.

Endocytic tethers modulate unconventional GAPDH secretion.

Yeast cell walls contain both classically-secreted and unconventionally-secreted proteins. The latter class lacks the signal sequence for translocation into the ER, therefore these proteins are transported to the wall by uncharacterized mechanisms. One such protein is the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) which is abundant in the cytosol, but also found in the yeast cell wall where it is enzymatically active.

The Relationship Between School Connectedness and Bullying in U.S. High School Students.

The relationship between school connectedness and bullying among a cohort of American high school students in the COVID and post-COVID eras has yet to be studied. Data from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed to gain insight into this association. Weighted percentages were calculated, and multivariable logistic regression was conducted.

Modeling dissolved organic carbon export from water supply catchments in the northeastern United States.

Natural organic matter (NOM) in rivers is an important energy source to sustain aquatic ecosystem health. However, in surface water supply systems where chlorination is often used for disinfection, NOM is also a precursor for the carcinogenic and mutagenic disinfection byproducts such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. Effective management of NOM in rivers to maintain both aquatic ecosystem functions and high-quality water supply requires better understanding of the NOM transport patterns.

Bending the Curve: Institutional Factors Associated with Graduation Rates.

For decades, educators and policy makers have decried low graduation rates at U.S. colleges, advocating policies and making investments to improve graduation.

Medical Mistrust and Willingness to Use Mental Health Services Among a Cohort of Black Adults.

Objective: Black adults experience depression that is more severe than that of their White counterparts, yet they are less likely to receive treatment from a mental health professional. This study aimed to examine the relationships between medical mistrust or trust and the willingness to seek mental health care.

Methods: The authors conducted an online cross-sectional survey of 1,043 Black adults in the United States.

Proton Transfer Equilibrium in Pseudoprotic Ionic Liquids: Inferences on Ionic Populations.

Nonstoichiometric pseudoprotic ionic liquids (NPPILs) are an emerging class of ionic liquids with interesting physical properties and intriguing prospects for technological applications. However, fundamental questions remain about the proton transfer equilibria that underlie their ionic character. We use a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering to characterize the equilibria of trihexylamine/butyric acid and water/butyric acid mixtures.

Reanalysis of Samburupithecus reveals similarities to nyanzapithecines.

Samburupithecus kiptalami is an ape found in Late Miocene deposits (ca. 9.5 Ma) of northern Kenya.

An intersectional examination of the relationship between racial/ethnic discrimination and psychotic-like experiences: the role of other psychiatric symptoms.

Background: Racial and ethnic experiences of discrimination (EODs) are associated with numerous psychiatric symptoms, including outcomes along the psychosis spectrum; however, less is known about mechanisms by which EODs confer risk for psychotic-like experiences (PLEs; common subthreshold psychotic symptoms). Furthermore, work on gendered racism asserts that the intersection of race and gender impacts the nature of EODs experienced and, in turn, may impact the relationship between EODs and PLEs.

Aims: To utilize an intersectional lens (race and gender) to examine whether psychological correlates of EODs (post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and dissociation) mediate the EOD-PLE relationship.

DNA-binding affinity and specificity determine the phenotypic diversity in BCL11B-related disorders.

BCL11B is a Cys2-His2 zinc-finger (C2H2-ZnF) domain-containing, DNA-binding, transcription factor with established roles in the development of various organs and tissues, primarily the immune and nervous systems. BCL11B germline variants have been associated with a variety of developmental syndromes. However, genotype-phenotype correlations along with pathophysiologic mechanisms of selected variants mostly remain elusive.

Novel Copy Number Deletion Involving Associated With Epilepsy, Tremor, and Intellectual Disability.

Copy number variations (CNVs) contribute to various disorders including intellectual disability, developmental disorders, and cancer. This study identifies a de novo 2.62 Mb deletion at 6q22.

Transspinal stimulation downregulates flexion reflex pathways during walking in healthy humans.

The phase-dependent modulation pattern of the tibialis anterior (TA) flexion reflex was characterized during treadmill walking while transspinal stimulation was delivered at 15, 30, and 50 Hz above and below paresthesia in healthy participants. The flexion reflex was elicited following medial arch foot stimulation with a 30 ms (300 Hz) pulse train. During treadmill walking, the flexion reflex was evoked in the right leg every 3-5 steps, and stimuli were randomly dispersed across the step cycle that was divided into 16 equal bins.

A positive feedback loop between germ cells and gonads induces and maintains sexual reproduction in a cnidarian.

The fertile gonad includes cells of two distinct developmental origins: the somatic mesoderm and the germ line. How somatic and germ cells interact to develop and maintain fertility is not well understood. Here, using grafting experiments and transgenic reporter animals, we find that a specific part of the gonad-the germinal zone-acts as a sexual organizer to induce and maintain de novo germ cells and somatic gonads in the cnidarian .

Editorial for the Special Issue on the Latest Advancements in Semiconductor Materials, Devices and Systems.

The field of semiconductor research is experiencing a paradigm shift as the boundaries of Moore's Law are being approached [...

Study Abroad Angst: A Literature Review on the Mental Health of International Students During COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique and unprecedented challenges for international students, those studying at institutions of higher education outside of their home countries, due to their distinct circumstances and vulnerabilities. This literature review examines the multifaceted mental health burdens they experienced and highlights the need for targeted support and interventions.

Methods: A rigorous search across three databases (i.

Some Open Questions About the Anisotropic Random Walks.

Between 2007 and 2018, we collaborated extensively with Pál Révész and Miklós Csörgő on many of the problems discussed in this paper. Over the past six years, we have continued to explore these issues, and here, we present some of the most intriguing open questions in these areas. This paper compiles key results from a dozen of our previous works, providing the necessary background to frame these compelling unresolved questions.

Genes Associated with the Immune System Affected by Ionizing Radiation and Estrogen in an Experimental Breast Cancer Model.

Breast cancer is a global health issue that, when in the metastasis stage, is characterized by the lack of estrogen receptor-α, the progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth receptor expressions. The present study analyzed the differential gene expression related to the immune system affected by ionizing radiation and estrogen in cell lines derived from an experimental breast cancer model that was previously developed; where the immortalized human breast epithelial cell line MCF-10F, a triple-negative breast cancer cell line, was exposed to low doses of high linear energy transfer α particle radiation (150 keV/μm), it subsequently grew in the presence or absence of 17β-estradiol. Results indicated that interferon-related developmental regulator 1 gene expression was affected in the estrogen-treated cell line; this interferon, as well as the Interferon-Induced Transmembrane protein 2, and the TNF alpha-induced Protein 6 gene expression levels were higher than the control in the Alpha3 cell line.

Additional analyses of stem catarrhine and hominoid dental morphology support Kapi ramnagarensis as a stem hylobatid.

Fossil gibbons are exceedingly rare, with much of the hylobatid fossil record and, consequently, hylobatid evolutionary history remaining unknown. Kapi ramnagarensis was described as a stem hylobatid on the basis of an isolated lower right M from ∼13.0-12.