There are now 176 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in northeastern Ontario, and seven deaths.

The following is a guest post by Martha H. Kennedy, Curator of Popular & Applied Graphic Art, Prints & Photographs Division. During Will Eisner Week, March 1-7, 2020, the Library of Congress joins art schools, libraries, universities, and museums in a global celebration of this legendary creator’s contributions to the world of comic art and […]

The following is a guest post by Katherine Blood, Curator of Fine Prints, Prints & Photographs Division. As the Library of Congress marks its 220th year of serving the nation, the publication of a new guide tells two stories: how staff have for decades worked with art professionals to build the collections and how by […]

The following is a post by Kristi Finefield, Reference Specialist in the Prints & Photographs Division, and member of the Picture This blog team. As the Library of Congress marks its 220th year, we take the opportunity to explore one example of its efforts to sustain and celebrate the arts in its physical spaces. Above […]

Successful modification of the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) after two-step BAC engineering is confirmed in two separate polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). The first reaction (5' co-integrate PCR) uses a forward 5' co-integrate primer (a sequence located upstream of the 5' end of the A-box) and a reverse 3' primer on the vector (175PA+50AT) or within the reporter sequence or mutated region as appropriate. The second reaction (3' co-integrate PCR) uses a forward 5' primer on the recA gene (RecA1300S) and a reverse 3' co-integrate primer (a sequence located downstream from the 3' end of the B-box). Those colonies shown to be positive in PCR analysis are further tested for sensitivity to UV light. After the resolution, colonies that have lost the excised recombination vector including sacB and recA genes become UV light sensitive.

Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones are rendered electrocompetent and transformed with the recombinant shuttle vector, pLD53SCAB/AB-box. Cointegrates are selected by growth on chloramphenicol and ampicillin to ensure recombination of the shuttle vector into the BAC.

Plasmid DNA is prepared from the recombinant shuttle vector pLD53.SCAB/A-B created by cloning of the A and B homology arms for two-step bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) engineering. To confirm that the A-box and B-box arms have been successfully incorporated into pLD53.SCAB, the pattern of enzyme digestion of the modified plasmid is compared with that of the unmodified pLD53.SCAB. Once the shuttle vector is shown to carry the proper sequences, it is ready for transfer into the BAC host.

This protocol describes the preparation of the shuttle vector before its introduction into bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) host cells for BAC two-step engineering. The homology arm sequences, prepared previously, are introduced by ligation into the digested shuttle vector DNA to provide sites for recombination within the BAC clone. Crude lysates of individual bacterial transformants serve as templates in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis to confirm the presence of the homology arms in the recombinant shuttle vector.

The 700-bp A homology arm (A-box) and the 700-bp B homology arm (B-box) are amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using purified bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) DNA as template for two-step BAC engineering. The resulting A-box PCR product contains an AscI site at its 5' end (the 5' primer incorporates an AscI site, and the 3' primer does not incorporate any restriction sites). The B-box PCR product contains an XmaI site at its 3' end (the 5' primer does not incorporate any restriction sites, and the 3' primer incorporates an XmaI site). The amplification products are then digested with the appropriate restriction endonucleases to render them suitable for cloning into the shuttle vector.

In two-step bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) engineering, a single plasmid is introduced into the BAC-carrying cell lines. The shuttle vector pLD53.SCAB (or pLD53.SCAEB) carries the recA gene and the R6K origin, which requires the protein to replicate. PIR2 cells, expressing , are typically used for the amplification of the vector and maintain about 15 copies/cell of the donor vector, which is relatively stable in this host.

The National Book Festival Presents series was created to provide a book festival experience to lovers of the event on a year-round basis. Because these programs can no longer be held at the Library, we are offering a virtual multipart series, with authors who have written books about widespread diseases and the worldwide response to them.

Our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival continues with Poets Laureate Tracy K. Smith and Robert Hass discussing the making of poetry, the position of Poet Laureate and their new books, "American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time" (edited by Smith) and "A Little Book on Form: An Exploration into the Formal Imagination of Poetry" (Hass), on the Poetry & Prose stage at the 2018 Festival.

Architects and planners from the Netherlands are advising coastal cities worldwide on how to live with water

Application deadline: 17 May 2020 | Banking Settlements Centre | Location: Basel, Switzerland

BIS Press Release - Easing trade tensions lift sentiment: BIS Quarterly Review, 8 December 2019

Press release: CPMI report sets out considerations for developers of wholesale digital tokens, 12 December 2019

BIS Press Release - Shaping the future of payments: BIS Quarterly Review, 1 March 2020

CPMI Press release "How fintech can promote financial inclusion - a new report on the opportunities and challenges", 14 April 2020

BCBS Press release "Basel Committee issues progress report on banks' implementation of the 'Principles for effective risk data aggregation and reporting'", 29 April 2020

It works like a very fine "molecular knob" able to modulate the electrical activity of the neurons of our cerebral cortex, crucial to the functioning of our brain.

Tissue engineering has a unique set of tools and technologies for developing preventive strategies, diagnostics, and treatments that can play an important role during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Geriatrics Society annually honors researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older people.

In a pandemic, it’s not just truth against misinformation. Every choice is an experiment.

The last time Charlene Chiddenton saw her father in person was on March 7 — visitor restrictions at long-term care homes during the pandemic had kept them apart — and less than two months later, she was saying goodbye to her father by video call.

Holland America and Princess cruise lines issued notices this week cancelling the remainder of the season in Atlantic Canada, citing global health concerns, and that's taking a huge bite out of the Port of Sydney's budget.

People in Truro, N.S., are reeling after the disappearance of three-year-old Dylan Ehler as the community tries to come to grips with another potential tragedy in the area.

A number of fishing zones in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have been closed after North Atlantic right whales were sighted earlier this week.

A woman who lost her sister to COVID-19 at the start of the month is thanking the staff at Northwood who took "excellent" care of her in her final days. Jean Harrigan, 90, is being remembered for her caring and lively nature.

Police say efforts to find the driver of an abandoned car in Kings County last week likely saved his life.

As Nova Scotians gazed up at the Canadian Forces Snowbirds soaring through the clouds last weekend, Matt MacKenzie was looking down and feeling the weight of successive tragedies that had enveloped his home province. 

Quebecers, like the rest of the world, are growing accustomed to the uncertainty that's accompanied the pandemic. But they may not appreciate their government adding to that already hefty burden.

The provincially appointed trustee of the English Montreal School Board says the Quebec government made the “right decision” when it postponed the reopening of Montreal-area elementary schools to May 25.

As the Montreal area continues to be the Canadian epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, anyone showing symptoms of the virus is being asked to get tested.

Sheltering in place doesn’t mean you have to give up the best of wine country's offerings

Overcoming scorching heat and little rain, experimental vineyards teach winemakers to cope with climate change

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a surge in nationwide shipments of specialities from legendary restaurants

The Metuchen Farmers Market, like many others, has moved to online orders and drive-thru pickups during the coronavirus pandemic

Live professional baseball games could be televised in the United States as early next week, with South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reporting Monday that ESPN and the Korea Baseball Organization are nearing an agreement.

Major League Baseball could hold a rescheduled opening day between mid-June and July 4 and play at least 80 games this season, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday.

Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson spoke to CBC's John Northcott about the realities of running a funeral home during the pandemic.

Major League Baseball owners will discuss a length for the amateur draft next week and are likely to start the selections on the original date of June 10, a person familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press.

The Cleveland Indians held a video conference with players and other team officials to lay out the provisional plan for returning to organized workouts with designs on being ready for a potential 2020 opening day of July 1, according to The Athletic.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority delayed a vote at Winnipeg's city council after it sent a request to move a dispute on development at Polo Park to the provincial municipal board, saying it was doing so "in the name of the government of Canada." But the government of Canada say the WAA can't speak on its behalf.

We can expect to see more seasonable temperatures by next weekend, says a meteorologist from Environment Canada.

Winnipeg will soon test "small cell" technology to improve cellular reception in parts of Winnipeg, ahead of a possible future transition to 5G service. 

They're not necessarily treating sick patients in hospitals, but a number of Manitoba-based scientists are working long hours and facing incredible pressure to battle the novel coronavirus from their labs and research facilities.

Google soon will require all advertisers to prove their legitimacy, regardless of the advertising content. All advertisers will have to verify their identity, submit personal IDs and business verification documents, said John Canfield, Google's director of product management for ads integrity. Google began requiring political advertisers to verify their identity in the runup to the 2018 elections.

All of P.E.I.'s 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19 are now considered recovered, said Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison.

Artists from Michigan and around the world are painting 50 murals in Flint to refocus the city's image on art rather than the lead-tainted water crisis.

All remaining criminal charges of city and state officials stemming from the Flint Water Crisis have been dismissed.