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SARS-CoV-2, a member of the family Coronaviridae, is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus that has an [approximately equal to] 30-kb genome (1). During the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has caused [...]

Effectively communicating with diverse groups involved in environmental management is critical to facilitating successful projects. This five-step communication plan is designed to enable resource managers and extension professionals to successfully engage their stakeholders. This plan, which uses oyster reef management as an example, was informed by two primary sources: an expert meeting with stakeholder leaders and coastal residents and a review of relevant literature. By incorporating stakeholder input throughout the planning and implementation of natural resource management projects, new and innovative ideas emerge, and relationships between stakeholders, managers, and extension agents are strengthened.

Targets set by the UK Office for Students require highly academically selective UK universities to enrol a greater percentage of students identified as least likely to participate in higher education. Such students are typically at a disadvantage in terms of levels of academic preparedness and economic, cultural and social capital. Drawing on eighteen interviews with first-generation students at Durham University, we identify five sites of pressure: developing a sense of belonging within the terms of an elite university culture, engagement in student social activities, financial worries, concerns about academic progress, and self-transformation. Based on these insights, we argue that support for first-generation scholars will require that universities recognise and redress elitist cultures that discourage applications from prospective first-generation scholars and prevent those who do enrol from having the best educational and all-round experience.

Ahn Chang Ho (also known by his pen name, Dosan) moved to Riverside, California, in March 1904 and soon established the first Koreatown on the U.S. mainland, known as Dosan's Republic or Pachappa Camp. Dosan helped found a local employment agency and negotiated relations with citrus farmers to find work for Koreans who lived in the community. With steady work available, Riverside became a popular destination for Korean immigrants and was thus an ideal location for the Gongnip Hyeophoe, or Cooperative Association, which Dosan created to foster a sense of community. The Gongnip Hyeophoe later expanded to Korean settlements throughout California and eventually developed into the Korean National Association, which proved especially significant in organizing immigrants to fight for Korea's independence in the wake of Japanese colonization in 1910. Pachappa Camp helped anchor its residents’ identity and supported Koreans’ struggles to support themselves and to fight for Korean sovereignty. The experiences of the Koreans in Pachappa Camp reflected not only exceptional moments in Korean American history, as the first Koreatown in the United States and one of the seats of the independence movement, but also the ubiquitous experiences that typified immigrant lives in the United States. The City of Riverside erected a statue of Ahn Chang Ho in 2001, and designated the original site of the camp as a “Point of Cultural Interest” in 2017, to honor Dosan and to teach about his legacy and connection to Riverside. Because the historic Koreatown no longer exists, the designation and statue stand as the only remembrances of this pioneering community.

Ahn Chang Ho (also known by his pen name, Dosan) moved to Riverside, California, in March 1904 and soon established the first Koreatown on the U.S. mainland, known as Dosan's Republic or Pachappa Camp. Dosan helped found a local employment agency and negotiated relations with citrus farmers to find work for Koreans who lived in the community. With steady work available, Riverside became a popular destination for Korean immigrants and was thus an ideal location for the Gongnip Hyeophoe, or Cooperative Association, which Dosan created to foster a sense of community. The Gongnip Hyeophoe later expanded to Korean settlements throughout California and eventually developed into the Korean National Association, which proved especially significant in organizing immigrants to fight for Korea's independence in the wake of Japanese colonization in 1910. Pachappa Camp helped anchor its residents’ identity and supported Koreans’ struggles to support themselves and to fight for Korean sovereignty. The experiences of the Koreans in Pachappa Camp reflected not only exceptional moments in Korean American history, as the first Koreatown in the United States and one of the seats of the independence movement, but also the ubiquitous experiences that typified immigrant lives in the United States. The City of Riverside erected a statue of Ahn Chang Ho in 2001, and designated the original site of the camp as a “Point of Cultural Interest” in 2017, to honor Dosan and to teach about his legacy and connection to Riverside. Because the historic Koreatown no longer exists, the designation and statue stand as the only remembrances of this pioneering community.

The development and performance of two mass spectrometry (MS) workflows for the intraoperative diagnosis of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations in glioma is implemented by independent teams at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, and Huashan Hospital, Shanghai. The infiltrative nature of gliomas makes rapid diagnosis necessary to guide the extent of surgical resection of central nervous system (CNS) tumors. The combination of tissue biopsy and MS analysis used here satisfies this requirement. The key feature of both described methods is the use of tandem MS to measure the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) relative to endogenous glutamate (Glu) to characterize the presence of mutant tumor. The experiments i) provide IDH mutation status for individual patients and ii) demonstrate a strong correlation of 2HG signals with tumor infiltration. The measured ratio of 2HG to Glu correlates with IDH-mutant (IDH-mut) glioma (P < 0.0001) in the tumor core data of both teams. Despite using different ionization methods and different mass spectrometers, comparable performance in determining IDH mutations from core tumor biopsies was achieved with sensitivities, specificities, and accuracies all at 100%. None of the 31 patients at Mayo Clinic or the 74 patients at Huashan Hospital were misclassified when analyzing tumor core biopsies. Robustness of the methodology was evaluated by postoperative re-examination of samples. Both teams noted the presence of high concentrations of 2HG at surgical margins, supporting future use of intraoperative MS to monitor for clean surgical margins. The power of MS diagnostics is shown in resolving contradictory clinical features, e.g., in distinguishing gliosis from IDH-mut glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of three wrist‐worn devices for estimating energy expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) during close "Close Quarter Battle" (CQB). Fifty male soldiers (mean ± SD: age 30.9 ± 4.6 years, height: 1.81 ± 0.64 m and body mass 87.3 ± 7.7 kg) wore three activity monitors (Apple Watch 5, Garmin Forerunner® 935 and GENEActiv accelerometer), a Metamax 3B metabolic cart and a Polar chest strap, whilst conducting a CQB training activity (duration: 26.6 ± 5.0 min). EE and HR data from each test device were compared against criterion measures using ordinary least products regression, 95% limits of agreement, equivalence testing and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). Based upon the criterion measure the mean EE for the activity was 372.2 ± 57.6 kcal. All of the devices tested demonstrated fixed and/or proportional bias for EE and a MAPE of >10% (Apple 11.3%, Garmin 15.3%, GENEActiv 57.7%) and therefore did not agree with the criterion. The Apple Watch was a valid method for measuring HR, with a MAPE of 0.6%, and differences with the criterion falling within acceptable limits (≤1 bpm = 83.7%; ≤3 bpm = 97.5% and ≤5 bpm = 97.5%), whereas the Garmin Forerunner® 935 was not valid for measuring HR due to an unacceptable difference compared to the criterion (≤1 bpm = 19.1%; ≤3 bpm = 33.3% and ≤5 bpm = 45.2%). Overall, the Apple Watch 5 can be recommended for measuring HR, but none of the devices are recommended for estimating EE, during CQB. Highlights: The Apple Watch 5, Garmin Forerunner 935 and GENEActiv did not agree with the criterion for estimating energy expenditure during close quarter battle military training.The Garmin Forerunner 935 did not agree with the criterion Polar chest strap for measuring heart rate during close quarter battle military training.The Apple Watch 5 accurately measured heart rate when compared to the Polar chest strap and was found to be a valid method for monitoring heart rate during CQB training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globalization process, accelerated through technology proliferation, has “brought about profound changes in the international context [and] could have far-reaching implications for development” according to Deepak Nayyar.  He argues a myth exists advocating the spread of globalization and global economic wealth convergence; however, globalization is uneven and a sharp divide between rich and poor countries persists. For example, during the 1980s and 1990s poverty increased in most Latin American, Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan African countries. However, not all developing nations have stagnated, some have experienced high sustained economic growth rates. Both China and Botswana have been hailed as such examples in the developing world while some of their neighbors, notably Mongolia and Zimbabwe, have had more trouble. This begs the question, why have some developing countries achieved development while others have not? To begin to address this question, one must look at various development models and case studies. Before trying to achieve rapid economic growth, it is critical that nations have strong institutions embedded within state infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainable development.

BACKGROUND. Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) experience chronic cognitive deficits. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes that regulate cognitive circuitry; however, the role of HDACs in cognitive disorders, including SCZ, remains unknown in humans. We previously determined that HDAC2 mRNA levels were lower in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) tissue from donors with SCZ compared with controls. Here we investigated the relationship between in vivo HDAC expression and cognitive impairment in patients with SCZ and matched healthy controls using [11C]Martinostat positron emission tomography (PET).METHODS. In a case-control study, relative [11C]Martinostat uptake was compared between 14 patients with SCZ or schizoaffective disorder (SCZ/SAD) and 17 controls using hypothesis-driven region-of-interest analysis and unbiased whole brain voxel-wise approaches. Clinical measures, including the MATRICS consensus cognitive battery, were administered.RESULTS. Relative HDAC expression was lower in the DLPFC of patients with SCZ/SAD compared with controls, and HDAC expression positively correlated with cognitive performance scores across groups. Patients with SCZ/SAD also showed lower relative HDAC expression in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal gyrus, and higher relative HDAC expression in the cerebral white matter, pons, and cerebellum compared with controls.CONCLUSIONS. These findings provide in vivo evidence of HDAC dysregulation in patients with SCZ and suggest that altered HDAC expression may impact cognitive function in humans.FUNDING. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Brain and Behavior Foundation, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant Program., IntroductionEpigenetic mechanisms have been associated with cognitive function through postmortem human and preclinical studies (1-3), but no direct associations have been made in the living human brain. This is because [...]