3,716 research outputs found
Spontaneous ATM gene reversion in A-T iPSC to produce an isogenic cell line
No full textA spontaneously reverted iPSC line was identified from an A-T subject with heterozygous ATM truncation mutations. The reverted iPSC line expressed ATM protein and was capable of radiation-induced phosphorylation of CHK2 and H2A.X. Genome-wide SNP analysis confirmed a match to source T-cells and also to a distinct, non-reverted iPSC line from the same subject. Rearranged T-cell receptor sequences predict that the iPSC culture originated as several independently reprogrammed cells that resolved into a single major clone, suggesting that gene correction likely occurred early in the reprogramming process. Gene expression analysis comparing ATM-/- iPSC lines to unrelated ATM+/- cells identifies a large number of differences but comparing only the isogenic pair of A-T iPSC lines reveals that the primary pathway affected by loss of ATM is a diminished expression of p53-related mRNAs. Gene reversion in culture, while likely a rare event, provided a novel, reverted cell line for studying ATM function.Peer reviewe
Publicpension governance and performance : lessons for developing countries
No full textThe author examines the relationship between public sector pension plan performance and management practices to improve the design and governance of public pensions in developing countries. Understanding this relationship is important because better yields on public pension plan investment reduce the need for additional taxes to support retirees - and well-funded plans stand a better chance of paying promised benefits. The author's model relates investment returns on public pension assets, as well as plan funding status, to features characterizing the pension systems'governance structure and authority, using new data set on U.S. state and local public sector plans. The following findings stand out. The higher the fraction of retirees elected to the pension board, the stronger the negative effect on investment return in 1990, and the more variable the returns. Systems fared about the same whether they had in-house or external money managers, or independent performance analysis (even if the external managers were drawn from the top 10). But public pensions performed better when fund and actuarial computations were done by professional actuarial and investment counselors rather than relying on former or current employees to choose investment strategies. Social investment rules hurt public pension yields. Public pension plans which mandated that a certain portion of investments be director to instate projects generated much lower returns. The data show that many public pension systems funded their plans satisfactorily but others did not. The results show the following. Fiscal stress reduced stock funding ratios. Stock funding rates were lower, the higher the fraction of elected retirees and elected active workers represented on the pension system board. Stock funding ratios were higher when a system had in-house actuaries, when the board authorized benefit levels, and when board members had liability insurance. Stock funding rates were unaltered by state statutes guaranteering that benefits be guaranteed by law, or by legally set funding requirements, or by the state's ability to carry budget deficits from one year to the next. Nor did they vary when dedicated or special taxes were earmarked for pension revenue. Policymakers in developing countries can profit from the mistakes made and lessons learned by U.S. pension analysis. Although no single package of pension plan practices can optimize investment performance for all systems across all time periods, care must be taken when designing the regulatory and investment environment in which these plans operate. Developing countries should study the work of the U.S. Government Accounting Standards Board. The author discusses some of the complex issues that must be confronted when establishing funding norms for defined benefit pension plans in the public sector.ICT Policy and Strategies,Financial Intermediation,Economic Theory&Research,Pensions&Retirement Systems,Economic Stabilization
A Comparative Analysis of the Equity Outcomes in Three Sugarcane–Ethanol Systems
No full textThis article identifies equity outcomes associated with three biofuel systems in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. Acknowledging that winners and losers are socially and politically generated, the article identifies some of the factors behind the distribution of winners and losers along different stages of three sugarcane–ethanol supply chains. Analyzing the outcomes for equity within each case study reveals an uneven distribution that, we argue, is related to the procedure and structure of the given sugarcane–ethanol system, and the recognition of the impacts on different actors within those structures. Increasing equity in sugarcane–ethanol systems will require greater openness in decision-making processes, in order that multiple voices are taken into account in the promotion, production, and consumption of biofuels—particularly those of smaller and less powerful actors
Geochemical-hydromechanical couplings during water-serpentinized harzburgite interactions at 20°C and 30 bars
No full textInteraction of groundwater with the serpentinized harzburgites of the upper mantle plays an important role in the geologic carbon cycle and serpentinization processes. In this study, an intact serpentinized harzburgite with more than 60% lizardite from the Semail ophiolite in Oman was reacted with water at near neutral pH and low PCO2 to observe its dissolution behavior and reaction path within the CaO-MgO-SiO2-CO2-H2O system at 20 °C and 30 bars. In the experiment, mass (i.e. H2O, ions) transfer is by diffusion and the selected temperature and pressure conditions mimic water-rock interactions at the shallow portions of most ultramafic rock hosted aquifers. Equilibrium activity-activity diagrams and thermodynamic data were used to compare the experimentally determined reaction path with the theoretical stability boundaries for minerals involved to investigate the evolution of bulk chemical composition, mineralogy, and water composition. The experiments demonstrated that (i) the water-rock interactions increased the pH of the aqueous phase from 5.9 to 7.5 over a period of 18 weeks; (ii) the dissolution of lizardite, orthopyroxene (enstatite), and clinopyroxene (diopside and augite) increased the concentration of Mg, Ca, and Si in the aqueous phase; (iii) the dissolution was incongruent with respect to Mg and Si, favoring Si release at pH > 6 due to (a) breaking of more reactive cation‑oxygen bonds that is consistent with the stoichiometry of magnesium for proton exchange reaction which favors a surface that is enriched in Mg at basic conditions, and (b) preferential dissolution of clinopyroxene Mg1.30Ca0.52Fe0.06Si2O6; (iv) the aqueous phase was undersaturated with respect to carbonate (e.g. calcite, magnesite, and hydromagnesite) and hydrous (e.g. lizardite, chrysotile, brucite, and talc) minerals; (v) the bulk chemical composition and mineralogy of the intact serpentinized harzburgite matrix did not change; (vi) the thermodynamic data can successfully predict water-intact serpentinized harzburgite behavior if the water chemical composition can be constrained; and (vii) no detectable macroscopic form of damage (e.g. microcracks forming as a result of differential stress fields due to changes in volume during chemical reaction) was observed
Intermittent Fasting Promotes Fat Loss with Lean Mass Retention, Increased Hypothalamic Norepinephrine Content, and Increased Neuropeptide Y Gene Expression in Diet-Induced Obese Male Mice
No full textClinical studies indicate alternate day, intermittent fasting (IMF) protocols result in meaningful weight loss in obese individuals. To further understand the mechanisms sustaining weight loss by IMF, we investigated the metabolic and neural alterations of IMF in obese mice. Male C57/BL6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD; 45% fat) ad libitum for 8 weeks to promote an obese phenotype. Mice were divided into 4 groups and either maintained on ad libitum HFD (HFD), received alternate day access to HFD (IMF- HFD), switched to ad libitum low fat diet (LFD; 10% fat), or received IMF of LFD (IMF- LFD). After 4 weeks, IMF-HFD (~13%) and IMF-LFD (~18%) had significantly lower body weights than HFD. Body fat was also lower (~40-52%) in all diet interventions. Lean mass was increased in the IMF-LFD (~12-13%) compared with HFD and IMF-HFD groups. Oral glucose tolerance AUC was lower in the IMF-HFD (~50%), whereas insulin tolerance AUC was reduced in all diet interventions (~22-42%). HPLC measurements of hypothalamic tissue homogenates indicated higher (~55-60%) norepinephrine (NE) content in the anterior regions of the medial hypothalamus of IMF compared with ad libitum fed groups, whereas NE content was higher (~19-32%) in posterior regions in the IMF-LFD group only. Relative gene expression of Npy in the arcuate nucleus was increased (~65-75%) in IMF groups. Our novel findings indicate that intermittent fasting produces alterations in hypothalamic NE and NPY, suggesting an involvement in the counter regulatory processes of short-term weight loss are associated with an IMF dietary strategy.Peer reviewe
Investigation of electrically small antennas designed for directive radiation from transient signaling
No full textSubmission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01The student, David Mitchell, accepted the attached license on 2025-02-28 at 11:09.The student, David Mitchell, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-02-28 at 11:17.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-03-04 at 15:44.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21653 on 2025-10-19 at 19:52:23Electrically small antennas are a useful subset of antennas because of their small physical size; however, they are inherently limited in their performance because of the relation between electrical size and bandwidth. Many authors have recently sought to improve the performance of electrically small antennas by introducing nonlinear or time-varying components, using transient signaling, or increasing the directivity of the antenna. This work explores an antenna system that leverages the inherent narrowband nature of an electrically small antenna to achieve directive radiation from the transient ringing of the antenna system. This novel antenna is first explored through simulation. Next, a circuit model for predicting the operating frequency of this antenna is developed. Several versions of this antenna are then manufactured and characterized. Finally, a method for characterizing the transient behavior of an antenna is described and used to demonstrate the directive transient radiation of this antenna. This dissertation demonstrates the design of an antenna shown to have directive radiation with both continuous and transient excitations and methods for characterizing that radiation
Primate pigmentation: Understanding the genetic basis of convergent coat color phenotypes
No full textPrimate pigmentation: Understanding the genetic basis of convergent coat color phenotypes
No full textTagging of Biomedical Articles on CiteULike: A Comparison of User, Author and Professional Indexing
No full textThis paper examines the context of online indexing from the viewpoint of three different groups: users, authors, and professional indexers. User tags, author keywords and descriptors were collected from academic journal articles, which were both indexed in Pubmed and tagged on CiteULike, and analysed. Descriptive statistics, informetric measures, and thesaural term comparison shows that there are important differences in the use of keywords between the three groups in addition to similarities which can be used to enhance support for search and browse. While tags and author keywords were found that matched descriptors exactly, other terms which did not match but provided important expansion to the indexing lexicon were found. These additional terms could be used to enhance support for searching and browsing in article databases as well as to provide invaluable data for entry vocabulary and emergent terminology for regular updates to indexing systems. Additionally, the study suggests that tags support organisation by association to task, projects and subject while making important connections to traditional systems which classify into subject categories
Contributions of student organization experiences on leader capacity development
No full textAs higher education institutions aim to prepare graduates for successful employment and active citizenship, the co-curricular college environment remains a crucial conduit through which students develop their capacity for successful leadership. Student organizations serve as one avenue of co-curricular involvement that positively contribute to developing students’ leader capacity. Existing research related to student organization involvement often focuses on general connections to leadership development. Few studies explore specific nuances of student experiences and environmental influences on students’ leadership learning and practice. Leader capacity represents the knowledge, skills, and behaviors associated with effective leadership, and can be understood through the three constructs of leader self-efficacy, motivation to lead, and leadership skill (Keating, Rosch, & Burgoon, 2014). This dissertation presents three papers related to the collective purpose of describing the contributions of student organization experiences on leader capacity among college students. Each paper uses a distinct lens to understand influences on leader capacity – the individual, the organization, and the institution.
The first paper explores the contributions of individual behaviors to leader capacity. Using data collected from 1,198 participants in the LeaderShape Institute before the Institute and three months after, this study investigated the extent to which engagement in passive and active leader behaviors contributed to students’ leader capacity growth. A principle component analysis confirmed the distinction between passive and active behaviors to refine eight leader behaviors. Controlling for participants’ gender, race, class year, and campus involvement, ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions produced models indicating that female, Latinx, sophomore, and senior students reported significant gains in leader capacity. Among the leader behaviors, active leader behaviors were associated with less change in students’ leader capacity over the three months after the Institute. When exploring differences in each behavior based on students’ gender and race, few differences emerged. These findings suggest that a multitude of other factors beyond leader behaviors contribute to students’ leader capacity development.
The second paper examines the relationship between the environmental context of distinct types of student organizations and students’ leader self-efficacy. This study used data collected among eight Big Ten institutions as part of the 2018 Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL). Among the 5,328 participants, 90% indicated involvement in at least one of 11 different types of student organizations. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model explaining 32% of the variance in leader self-efficacy controlled for students’ gender, race, class year, international student status, and academic major to explore differences in leader self-efficacy based on the type of organization in which they indicated involvement. Students involved in six of the eleven types of organizations reported greater leader self-efficacy than students not involved in that type of organization. These results imply that peer interactions and an organization’s environment positively contribute to students’ leader confidence.
The third paper investigates the extent to which the institutional context of the campus environment contributes to variance in leader capacity. This study included data collected from 3,347 students before their participation in the LeaderShape Institute. This cross-section of data focused on the differences across institutions regardless of students’ leader capacity growth after the Institute. Several ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions explored the relationship between eight institutional factors and leader capacity and extent of campus involvement while controlling for gender, race, and campus involvement. Only institutional selectivity and academic support expenses were associated with increased leader capacity. Religious affiliation was a negative predictor, and institutional selectivity was a positive predictor of participation in student organizations. Carnegie classification and academic support expenses emerged as negative predictors for holding leadership positions in organizations. Each model explained a small percent of the variance in the dependent variables, implying that other factors beyond the scope of this study are more reliable predictors of leader capacity and campus involvement.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2022-05-01The student, Jennifer Smist, accepted the attached license on 2020-04-27 at 10:49.The student, Jennifer Smist, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2020-04-27 at 10:51.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2020-04-27 at 16:34.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #15000 on 2020-08-25 at 17:27:39Made available in DSpace on 2020-08-26T23:54:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3
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Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 115722
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Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 115722
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Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemAuthor requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Onl
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