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In March 2022, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was amended and emended. The phylum was expanded by two new families (bunyaviral Discoviridae and Tulasviridae), 41 new genera, and 98 new species. Three hundred forty-nine species were renamed and/or moved. The accidentally misspelled names of seven species were corrected. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as now accepted by the ICTV.

Williamson ether experiments are commonly performed by students in undergraduate organic chemistry instructional laboratory courses. In this multioutcome experiment, students were provided 4-bromophenol and one of three alkyl halides: 1-bromopentane, 1-bromobutane, or 1-bromo-3-methylbutane. The alkyl halides served as the unknown component of the experiment, and students were given these three as unknown candidates. After isolating the product from the reaction mixture, students analyzed their products using FT-IR and benchtop [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopies. The experimental results herein summarize the inclusion of this experiment in the large enrollment second-semester organic chemistry laboratory course over four semesters.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a retinal-cerebellar degenerative disorder caused by CAG-polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat expansions in the ataxin-7 gene. As many SCA7 clinical phenotypes occur in mitochondrial disorders, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy of patients revealed altered energy metabolism, we considered a role for mitochondrial dysfunction. Studies of SCA7 mice uncovered marked impairments in oxygen consumption and respiratory exchange. When we examined cerebellar Purkinje cells in mice, we observed mitochondrial network abnormalities, with enlarged mitochondria upon ultrastructural analysis. We developed stem cell models from patients and created stem cell knockout rescue systems, documenting mitochondrial morphology defects, impaired oxidative metabolism, and reduced expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) production enzymes in SCA7 models. We observed NAD+ reductions in mitochondria of SCA7 patient NPCs using ratiometric fluorescent sensors and documented alterations in tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism in patients. Our results indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction, stemming from decreased NAD+, is a defining feature of SCA7.

Single-outcome experiments are used in the undergraduate instructional laboratory, particularly for large lectures associated with multiple sections of instructional laboratories, due in large part to efficiencies associated with chemical purchases, experiment preparations, and assessments. Despite the practical advantages, single-outcome experiments are not effective in encouraging students to critically analyze and interpret their acquired individual results. Instead, students are satisfied if their results are the same as or similar to all of their classmates' results, limiting the opportunity for engagement with the laboratory content. In contrast, multioutcome experiments (MOEs) require students to explore the same chemical reaction or transformation but obtain individual results. Individualization of results is accomplished by using a set of starting materials or reagents, one of which is assigned to each student. Students do not know the identity of the assigned component but may be given possible options for its identity. Students elucidate the identity of their individualized products, using modern analytical techniques such as gas chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and deduce the unknown component of their experiment. An example MOE for the oxidation of alcohols is described herein. A traditional single-outcome experiment that utilized a common household oxidizing agent (hypochlorite bleach), rather than a heavy metal-containing alternative, was modified. For the MOE modification, one unknown secondary alcohol (2-pentanol, 3-pentanol, or 3-methyl-2-butanol) was oxidized using bleach. Each student pair was assigned one of three possible unknown alcohols, all of which were constitutional isomers of secondary alcohols. Students knew the identities of the three possible alcohols. Analysis of their oxidation products was accomplished using FTIR and benchtop 1H NMR spectroscopies. Students interpreted their spectra and deduced the identity of the unknown alcohol they were assigned. This experiment provides a tangible framework to understand the applicability of the oxidation reaction and the utility of FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopies.

[Superscript 1]H NMR analysis is an important analytical technique presented in introductory organic chemistry courses. NMR instrument access is limited for undergraduate organic chemistry students due to the size of the instrument, price of NMR solvents, and the maintenance level required for instrument upkeep. The University of Georgia Chemistry Department recently acquired three picoSpin desktop [Superscript 1]H NMR instruments for the undergraduate organic laboratories. These instruments can sit on a standard lab bench, can analyze samples without NMR solvents, and are easily maintained. In this Fischer esterification experiment, students used unknown starting alcohols to synthesize esters through Fischer esterification. Upon completion of the reaction, students identified the unknown starting alcohol via spectral analyses of the products. Over the course of 4 semesters, 704 out of 940 students (75%) correctly identified the starting alcohol and 71% of students surveyed indicated that [superscript 1]H NMR spectrum was the most helpful identification tool in their analyses. This experiment established for students the utility of NMR spectral analysis and provided them with the opportunity to employ technology commonly used in academic research facilities.

The authors have developed "sequence response applications" for classroom response systems (CRSs) that allow instructors to engage and actively involve students in the learning process, probe for common misconceptions regarding lecture material, and increase interaction between instructors and students. "Guided inquiry" and "discovery-based learning" are based on the premise that the best learning occurs when students are actively engaged in developing hypotheses and arriving at conclusions for themselves, rather than learning in a passive lecture format. In this regard, we use CRSs to actively engage large lectures of 300+ students, where the traditional interaction between students and instructors is commonly limited to the first several rows of the lecture hall. Moreover, series response applications allow a nearly free response format for questioning students, as opposed to the traditional multiple-choice question format commonly used with CRSs. As such, we have observed that students are more engaged and actively involved in answering questions. This paper provides several examples to illustrate how our stepwise technique can be used to demonstrate the depth of insight into student understanding, even of multistep thought processes, afforded through this stepwise analysis.

The acknowledgment of world Englishes highlights the need for engendering greater linguistic flexibility among students and educators. Pertaining to listening, such flexibility can be addressed partially through materials and experiences providing increased familiarity with varieties of world Englishes. Examples of world Englishes should be provided while maintaining their integrity. Publishers overlook opportunities for increasing familiarity with world Englishes when materials are created that do not depict the Englishes from the regions they are attempting to portray. In addition, institutions often overlook the resources available in their own environment, focusing learner attention on Englishes provided by members of the Inner Circle, and ignoring the rich bounty they have within their own evironment. Increased exposure to English varieties is one step. Global listeners must also be reminded to recognize the validity of varieties of English. In particular, they must be reminded to acknowledge and accept the validity of their own. This paper describes the methods used in Chukyo University's Department of World Englishes for developing familiarity and acceptance of English varieties, including students' own.

Planning is essential to creating safe schools and it is required by the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation (U.S. Department of Education, 2004) and implemented via district local education action plans. The implementation of these plans involves continuous monitoring and reevaluation of information pertinent to each campus. As such, this process is facilitated by the availability of measures that are simple to administer, inexpensive, and whose psychometric properties have been evaluated. The California School Climate and Safety Survey (CSCSS), originally developed by M. J. Furlong, R. Morrison, and S. Boles (1991), was specifically developed for these purposes. The CSCSS is a student self-report questionnaire created to measure general school climate and personal safety-related experiences. In this article, we present the results of an evaluation of the CSCSS including exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. These analyses reduced the original CSCSS research version from 102 items to 54 items. The psychometric properties of this CSCSS-SF (Short Form) are presented. (Contains 6 tables.)

This paper explores interactions between social welfare programs and associated supportive taxation programs. Focus was on the effect of one program on another, effects of one program on a set of other programs, effects of tax and benefit reduction rates, and effects of interacting programs on the governments that create/maintain them. (TJH)

The changeability of intracellular development in chlamydiae affects the growth of this organism, which causes the persistence of the pathogen in the host cell. Examinations of various cultures indicate the nature of the relationship between chlamydiae and the host cell. Information on particular characteristics of the pathogens enables a detailed understanding of the interactions between the pathogens and the host cells.

Treatment of host cells with interferon (IFN)-gamma before infection with Chlamydia trachomatis results in the formation of abnormal reticulate bodies that fail to differentiate into infection progeny. In vitro experiments were conducted to evaluate morphologic and antigenic features of chlamydiae INF-gamma-treated, Chlamydia-infected cells. The results showed that although INF-gamma treatment caused a loss of chlamydial infectivity accompanied by morphologic changes, the cells remained viable. The in vitro findings suggest that in vivo, local production of interferon-gamma can contribute to chlamydial persistence and chronic hypersensitivity.

The article outlines and illustrates some methods a classroom teacher can use to modify final exams to better meet the needs of mainstreamed secondary learning disabled students. (SB)