tap Emmy and Tony-winning Leslie Uggams tapped for virtual reading of Noël Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ to benefit The Actors Fund By www.nydailynews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 23:44:08 +0000 ‘Hamilton’ star Renee Elise Goldsberry, Drama Desk Award winner Montego Glover, Thom Sesma, Angel Desai, Kendyl Ito, William Jackson Harper, Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will join Uggams in the comedy about a wealthy novelist who invites the eccentric clairvoyant to his home to conduct a séance, hoping to gather material for his next book. And Uggams is playing the medium, named Madame Arcati. Full Article
tap Former UCLA lineman Christaphany Murray commits to Oklahoma By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 2 Apr 2020 17:53:15 -0400 Former UCLA offensive lineman Christaphany Murray announces he has committed to Oklahoma, where he will rejoin former Bruins teammate Theo Howard. Full Article
tap For some UCLA football players, game tapes may hold the key to their chances of being drafted By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 9 Apr 2020 19:57:30 -0400 For some UCLA players hoping to be selected in the NFL draft this month, their fates may largely be determined from tapes during the regular season. Full Article
tap Stay out! 10 images of caution tape in places you wouldn't expect to see it By www.latimes.com Published On :: Tue, 7 Apr 2020 12:31:34 -0400 It's our visual prompt to stay away, but stay-at-home orders have given new purpose to caution tape. Full Article
tap 'Slave Play' in L.A.: Mark Taper Forum will have the first production outside N.Y. By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:00:23 -0400 Center Theatre Group lands Jeremy O. Harris' provocative hit 'Slave Play' for a 2020-21 season still full of coronavirus-driven questions. Full Article
tap Max Verstappen opens up on F1 returning behind closed doors as warning fired to rivals By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:01:00 +0100 Max Verstappen is eager to get back out on track as soon as possible. Full Article
tap Max Verstappen lifts lid on life in lockdown as Red Bull star picks between F1 and esports By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 08:00:00 +0100 Max Verstappen is keeping himself busy by taking part in esports races. Full Article
tap Max Verstappen would have 'died at least three or four times' in old Formula One cars By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 11:40:00 +0100 Max Verstappen is renowned for his aggressive driving style in Formula One. Full Article
tap Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel labelled 'nervous' by Max Verstappen's father By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 14:02:00 +0100 Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have enjoyed some interesting battles over the years. Full Article
tap Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel ‘nervous’ about one thing Max Verstappen does By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 17:05:00 +0100 Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have a fight on their hands in F1 with Max Verstappen. Full Article
tap ‘Lewis Hamilton will switch to Ferrari’ with Max Verstappen as main F1 title challenger By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00 +0100 Lewis Hamilton has been linked with a move to Ferrari when his contract at Mercedes comes to an end. Full Article
tap Letters: Homeless Indianapolis youth can tap resources for help By rssfeeds.indystar.com Published On :: Thu, 26 Dec 2019 11:00:34 +0000 In 2019, we connected young people to shelter, food, counseling, a non-judgmental listening ear and more, a letter to the editor says. Full Article
tap New Hydrogen on Tap technology to reduce gasoline usage and lower emissions By rssfeeds.indystar.com Published On :: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 10:00:38 +0000 Kurt Koehler, founder and president of AlGalCo, shows his HOT (Hydrogen on Tap) system. Full Article
tap Prom at the Palladium: How graduating seniors can avoid missing a high school staple By rssfeeds.indystar.com Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 18:08:56 +0000 The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel invites the class of 2020 from across Central Indiana to a prom this August. Full Article
tap Daredevil Brewing to bring restaurant/taproom to Ironworks Hotel By rssfeeds.indystar.com Published On :: Wed, 20 Jun 2018 22:45:30 +0000 Indianapolis chef Neal Brown will head the kitchen at the family-friendly restaurant. Full Article
tap Instapaper 4: Deciding to Read By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:37:45 +0000 Introducing Instapaper 4.0 for iPad and iPhone The lede here is that my pal, Marco, has just released the stellar new 4.0 version of his Instapaper suite. This is fantastic news, and–as if you needed one more of Marco’s beta testers to say so–I do sincerely hope you’ll mark the occasion (and support his hard work) by purchasing the Instapaper iOS app(s). I promise you’ll be treating yourself to a massive update to an already excellent product. Now, it’s fortunate and appropriate that you’ll be hearing this advice at length from a lot of people this week. Because, if it’s not already obvious, Marco’s little app (and its associated services) enjoys a rabid fanbase of sundry paragraph cultists who are as eager as I am to spread the word; and, yes, we do want you to join the Reading Nerd cult. But, I also want to mark the occasion by adding a few thoughts on exactly what Instapaper has done, and continues to do, for me. (As you may already know, I’m a big Marco fan.) Thing is, I want to tell you how Marco has made a magical machine for people who have decided to read. Long-Time Fan For years, Instapaper has been one of the best made, most used, and most beloved apps in my iOS ecosystem. It’s always lived on my iPhone’s home page, and, as you can surmise, that’s because I use Instapaper a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Specifically, I use Instapaper a lot because it helps me do four things extremely well. Four things that work together to make my life a little better. In that typically annoying mixed order I can’t seem to stop doing, here goes. 2. Deciding WHEN to read Second, and most obviously, I use Instapaper maybe five to ten times a day to catch up on my reading. Which is great. This is what Instapaper is actually for, right? You read stuff. Long articles, smaller features, short books, big piles of documentation, and really just anything that I would like to read…later. More saliently, these are things that I have decided to read. This decision part’s important, but more on that in a couple minutes. But, how does all this “stuff” I’ve decided to read get in to Instapaper? 1. Deciding WHAT to read See, this is the really important first part. Because as much as I use Instapaper for all manner of reading, its use as an ephemeral destination for mostly ephemeral content wouldn’t be nearly so useful if I didn’t have so many ways to collect all that stuff. So, that flexibility in collecting material is where I end up using some form of Instapaper dozens of times each day. Examples? I have a bookmarklet for adding items to Instapaper in 4 browsers on 7 devices. I have (and use the hell out of) the “Send to Instapaper” services that are built in to everything from Google Reader to Reeder to Flipboard to Instacast to Tweetbot to Zite to you name it. I can automate in or out of Instapaper with If This Then That, I can email items directly to Instapaper–hell, I can even just copy a URL from iOS Safari, and paste it directly into the motherscratching Instapaper app. Suffice it to say, there are many ways to get “stuff” into Instapaper. E.g.: But, that banner dump only tells part of the story. Yes, a big part of this is about ubiquity and ease-of-use. But, the practical result is that all those little entrees to Instapaper are available to me everywhere I might need them, and they each represent a single little click that silently adds an item of “stuff” to my Instapaper pile. Each button is one more simple opportunity for me to decide to read. 3. Deciding WHERE to read Now, the third part of this magic is less immediately obvious, not least because the reading experience of the Instapaper iOS apps is, for my own purposes, perfect. But, there’s more. Because, all that support for getting stuff into Instapaper is mirrored by an endless number of ways to get stuff back out. To, in fact, read. That thing I decided to read is now everywhere. However I ended up deciding to read something, seconds after that *click*, the real magic starts happening, and–through whatever inscrutable black art and transmogrification is happening inside the fearsome celestial engine Marco has made–that decision to read is expressed in the most elegant of results and in a startlingly broad variety of convenient places. It’s readable on a website; it’s readable on an iPhone, and 2 iPads; it’s readable on a Kindle 3; it’s readable on the crazy number of apps and services that display Instapaper items. And, it’s even preserved for posterity in my private Pinboard archive. So, for practical purposes, this stuff that I’ve decided to read can now go whooshing through a network of customized tubes, and gently land practically anywhere that well-formed bits may reside. 4. Just…Deciding to Read I know most of you know these things. I know you’re familiar with the many “Features and Benefits” of Instapaper. And, I even know that most of you reading this are probably already using Instapaper–perhaps even to read this very article. So, the point here is not simply that Instapaper is flexible, idiot-proof, and sanity-savingly redundant. Although it is all those things and many more. The point is that my life always gets better when I decide to read things–and then actually read those things I decided to read. This is not a trivial point. We’re all busy, and we’re all bombarded with 10,000 potential calls on our attention every day. Some days, we handle that better than others. Some days, we don’t handle it all. All I know, is that, throughout my life, deciding to read has made that life better. It made my life better at 7 with Henry Huggins. It made my life better at 16 with Slaughterhouse-Five. It made my life better at 20 with Absalom, Absalom!. And, it made my life way better at 25 with A Confederacy of Dunces (cf.). And, now, for the past few years–following over a decade during which I read way more href tags than actual prose paragraphs–my life has gotten better, in part, due to Instapaper. I’ve finally gotten my hands around this “too much stuff” issue, at least insofar as it relates to words of theoretical interest. Now, I know where it goes. It goes into Instapaper. Because, now? Yeah. Twenty-some years after a college career sucking down over 1,000 pages a week, I am finally returning to reading a lot more. Because, I am deciding to read a lot more. Instapaper means there’s no excuse for not reading a lot more. Period. How about you? What Are YOU Deciding? When you’re in line at the ATM or the professional sporting event, what do you do? If you’re like a lot of people, you hit your mobile device like a pigeon on a goddamned pellet. Then, you decide what happens. You can decide to throw birds at pigs. You can decide to check in on which strangers are pretending to like you today. You may even decide to see what you would look like if you were really fat. Thing is, you could also decide to read. Just for a couple minutes. Maybe more. Maybe less. Who knows. It’s your decision. A Nudge Towards “Better” But, if you have followed the circuitous skeins of yarn comprising this little sweater you’ve been reading, it comes down to this: If you’ve decided that you want to read, Marco’s app will really help you. He’s removed any phony barriers you’ve built about “not having time” or “not having it with you” or “not knowing where to put it.” There are no excuses, apart from the superficial animated ones you’ve constructed out of cartoon birds. As for me? In the last week alone, I decided to read a lot of things in Instapaper. A small sampling: I decided to read about an American family’s educational experiment in Russia. I decided to read about what Heidegger means by Being-in-the-World. I decided to read about why toasters are so bad. I decided to read about responsive web design. I decided to read about why Charlie Kaufman wrote Being John Malkovich. I decided to read about how Open Data could make San Francisco Public Transportation better. I decided to read about how John Siracusa remembers Steve Jobs. I decided, and then I read. I read, and I read. So, thanks, Marco. You’ve made my life better by making it easier to decide to read. Then, you made it way easier to do the actual reading. And, to you–the kind readers-of-prose-paragraphs who were inexplicably patient enough to decide to read this long article–please consider supporting Marco’s work. Please get an account at Instapaper and, if you have an iOS dingus, please do buy the Instapaper app. In addition to having exquisite taste in app icons and a lovely speaking voice, Marco’s just a very good human. And, good humans more than deserve our support. Buy Instapaper 4.0 by Marco Arment. ”Instapaper 4: Deciding to Read” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on October 17, 2011. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?" Full Article Decision-Making Instapaper Marco Arment reading
tap BREAKING: New Docs Prove Obama Knew Details Of Flynn Wiretapping…Newly Surfaced Video Shows Obama Explaining How He Stays Out Of FBI Investigations By 100percentfedup.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 16:25:07 +0000 The following article, BREAKING: New Docs Prove Obama Knew Details Of Flynn Wiretapping…Newly Surfaced Video Shows Obama Explaining How He Stays Out Of FBI Investigations, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com. Barack Obama knew. Documents released yesterday that were used to exonerate President Trump’s new NSA General Flynn, prove that President Barack Obama was aware of the details of Michael Flynn’s intercepted phone calls on December 16 with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. On January 5, 2017, then-Deputy Attorney General, Sally Yates attended an Oval Office meeting […] Continue reading: BREAKING: New Docs Prove Obama Knew Details Of Flynn Wiretapping…Newly Surfaced Video Shows Obama Explaining How He Stays Out Of FBI Investigations ... Full Article Featured Left News Political Correctness
tap Structure-based discovery of a small-molecule inhibitor of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus virulence [Molecular Biophysics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 The rapid emergence and dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains poses a major threat to public health. MRSA possesses an arsenal of secreted host-damaging virulence factors that mediate pathogenicity and blunt immune defenses. Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and α-toxin are exotoxins that create lytic pores in the host cell membrane. They are recognized as being important for the development of invasive MRSA infections and are thus potential targets for antivirulence therapies. Here, we report the high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of both PVL and α-toxin in their soluble, monomeric, and oligomeric membrane-inserted pore states in complex with n-tetradecylphosphocholine (C14PC). The structures revealed two evolutionarily conserved phosphatidylcholine-binding mechanisms and their roles in modulating host cell attachment, oligomer assembly, and membrane perforation. Moreover, we demonstrate that the soluble C14PC compound protects primary human immune cells in vitro against cytolysis by PVL and α-toxin and hence may serve as the basis for the development of an antivirulence agent for managing MRSA infections. Full Article
tap The hibernating 100S complex is a target of ribosome-recycling factor and elongation factor G in Staphylococcus aureus [Protein Synthesis and Degradation] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 The formation of translationally inactive 70S dimers (called 100S ribosomes) by hibernation-promoting factor is a widespread survival strategy among bacteria. Ribosome dimerization is thought to be reversible, with the dissociation of the 100S complexes enabling ribosome recycling for participation in new rounds of translation. The precise pathway of 100S ribosome recycling has been unclear. We previously found that the heat-shock GTPase HflX in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is a minor disassembly factor. Cells lacking hflX do not accumulate 100S ribosomes unless they are subjected to heat exposure, suggesting the existence of an alternative pathway during nonstressed conditions. Here, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence that two essential translation factors, ribosome-recycling factor (RRF) and GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G), synergistically split 100S ribosomes in a GTP-dependent but tRNA translocation-independent manner. We found that although HflX and the RRF/EF-G pair are functionally interchangeable, HflX is expressed at low levels and is dispensable under normal growth conditions. The bacterial RRF/EF-G pair was previously known to target only the post-termination 70S complexes; our results reveal a new role in the reversal of ribosome hibernation that is intimately linked to bacterial pathogenesis, persister formation, stress responses, and ribosome integrity. Full Article
tap The hibernating 100S complex is a target of ribosome-recycling factor and elongation factor G in Staphylococcus aureus [Protein Synthesis and Degradation] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 The formation of translationally inactive 70S dimers (called 100S ribosomes) by hibernation-promoting factor is a widespread survival strategy among bacteria. Ribosome dimerization is thought to be reversible, with the dissociation of the 100S complexes enabling ribosome recycling for participation in new rounds of translation. The precise pathway of 100S ribosome recycling has been unclear. We previously found that the heat-shock GTPase HflX in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is a minor disassembly factor. Cells lacking hflX do not accumulate 100S ribosomes unless they are subjected to heat exposure, suggesting the existence of an alternative pathway during nonstressed conditions. Here, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence that two essential translation factors, ribosome-recycling factor (RRF) and GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G), synergistically split 100S ribosomes in a GTP-dependent but tRNA translocation-independent manner. We found that although HflX and the RRF/EF-G pair are functionally interchangeable, HflX is expressed at low levels and is dispensable under normal growth conditions. The bacterial RRF/EF-G pair was previously known to target only the post-termination 70S complexes; our results reveal a new role in the reversal of ribosome hibernation that is intimately linked to bacterial pathogenesis, persister formation, stress responses, and ribosome integrity. Full Article
tap Specificity and affinity of the N-terminal residues in staphylocoagulase in binding to prothrombin [Computational Biology] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-04-24T06:08:45-07:00 In Staphylococcus aureus–caused endocarditis, the pathogen secretes staphylocoagulase (SC), thereby activating human prothrombin (ProT) and evading immune clearance. A previous structural comparison of the SC(1–325) fragment bound to thrombin and its inactive precursor prethrombin 2 has indicated that SC activates ProT by inserting its N-terminal dipeptide Ile1-Val2 into the ProT Ile16 pocket, forming a salt bridge with ProT's Asp194, thereby stabilizing the active conformation. We hypothesized that these N-terminal SC residues modulate ProT binding and activation. Here, we generated labeled SC(1–246) as a probe for competitively defining the affinities of N-terminal SC(1–246) variants preselected by modeling. Using ProT(R155Q,R271Q,R284Q) (ProTQQQ), a variant refractory to prothrombinase- or thrombin-mediated cleavage, we observed variant affinities between ∼1 and 650 nm and activation potencies ranging from 1.8-fold that of WT SC(1–246) to complete loss of function. Substrate binding to ProTQQQ caused allosteric tightening of the affinity of most SC(1–246) variants, consistent with zymogen activation through occupation of the specificity pocket. Conservative changes at positions 1 and 2 were well-tolerated, with Val1-Val2, Ile1-Ala2, and Leu1-Val2 variants exhibiting ProTQQQ affinity and activation potency comparable with WT SC(1–246). Weaker binding variants typically had reduced activation rates, although at near-saturating ProTQQQ levels, several variants exhibited limiting rates similar to or higher than that of WT SC(1–246). The Ile16 pocket in ProTQQQ appears to favor nonpolar, nonaromatic residues at SC positions 1 and 2. Our results suggest that SC variants other than WT Ile1-Val2-Thr3 might emerge with similar ProT-activating efficiency. Full Article
tap Structure-based discovery of a small-molecule inhibitor of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus virulence [Molecular Biophysics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 The rapid emergence and dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains poses a major threat to public health. MRSA possesses an arsenal of secreted host-damaging virulence factors that mediate pathogenicity and blunt immune defenses. Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and α-toxin are exotoxins that create lytic pores in the host cell membrane. They are recognized as being important for the development of invasive MRSA infections and are thus potential targets for antivirulence therapies. Here, we report the high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of both PVL and α-toxin in their soluble, monomeric, and oligomeric membrane-inserted pore states in complex with n-tetradecylphosphocholine (C14PC). The structures revealed two evolutionarily conserved phosphatidylcholine-binding mechanisms and their roles in modulating host cell attachment, oligomer assembly, and membrane perforation. Moreover, we demonstrate that the soluble C14PC compound protects primary human immune cells in vitro against cytolysis by PVL and α-toxin and hence may serve as the basis for the development of an antivirulence agent for managing MRSA infections. Full Article
tap The hibernating 100S complex is a target of ribosome-recycling factor and elongation factor G in Staphylococcus aureus [Protein Synthesis and Degradation] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 The formation of translationally inactive 70S dimers (called 100S ribosomes) by hibernation-promoting factor is a widespread survival strategy among bacteria. Ribosome dimerization is thought to be reversible, with the dissociation of the 100S complexes enabling ribosome recycling for participation in new rounds of translation. The precise pathway of 100S ribosome recycling has been unclear. We previously found that the heat-shock GTPase HflX in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is a minor disassembly factor. Cells lacking hflX do not accumulate 100S ribosomes unless they are subjected to heat exposure, suggesting the existence of an alternative pathway during nonstressed conditions. Here, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence that two essential translation factors, ribosome-recycling factor (RRF) and GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G), synergistically split 100S ribosomes in a GTP-dependent but tRNA translocation-independent manner. We found that although HflX and the RRF/EF-G pair are functionally interchangeable, HflX is expressed at low levels and is dispensable under normal growth conditions. The bacterial RRF/EF-G pair was previously known to target only the post-termination 70S complexes; our results reveal a new role in the reversal of ribosome hibernation that is intimately linked to bacterial pathogenesis, persister formation, stress responses, and ribosome integrity. Full Article
tap Structure-based discovery of a small-molecule inhibitor of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus virulence [Molecular Biophysics] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:06:09-07:00 The rapid emergence and dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains poses a major threat to public health. MRSA possesses an arsenal of secreted host-damaging virulence factors that mediate pathogenicity and blunt immune defenses. Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and α-toxin are exotoxins that create lytic pores in the host cell membrane. They are recognized as being important for the development of invasive MRSA infections and are thus potential targets for antivirulence therapies. Here, we report the high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of both PVL and α-toxin in their soluble, monomeric, and oligomeric membrane-inserted pore states in complex with n-tetradecylphosphocholine (C14PC). The structures revealed two evolutionarily conserved phosphatidylcholine-binding mechanisms and their roles in modulating host cell attachment, oligomer assembly, and membrane perforation. Moreover, we demonstrate that the soluble C14PC compound protects primary human immune cells in vitro against cytolysis by PVL and α-toxin and hence may serve as the basis for the development of an antivirulence agent for managing MRSA infections. Full Article
tap Ryhor Astapenia By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 12:33:53 +0000 Robert Bosch Stiftung Academy Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme Biography Ryhor’s research examines the roles of the Belarusian political elites in the decision-making process within the country, and their interaction with the European Union institutions.Ryhor is founder of the Centre for New Ideas, a Minsk-based nonpartisan CSO promoting democratic reforms in Belarus. He received his PhD in Political Science at the University of Warsaw and previously worked as a development director and analyst at the Ostrogorski Centre, a Belarusian think tank.Ryhor has cooperated with a number of civil society organisations in Eastern Europe and has written for Belarusian and Western media outlets and think tanks, including the Washington Post, the Guardian, the European Council on Foreign Relations, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Areas of expertise Belarusian domestic politicsBelarusian foreign policyBelarusian political economyTransformations in post-Soviet space Past experience 2012 - presentFounder, Centre for New Ideas2013-18PhD in Political Science, Warsaw University2012-17Analyst and development director, Ostrogorski Centre Email @ryhorastapenia LinkedIn Full Article
tap Ryhor Astapenia By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 12:33:53 +0000 Robert Bosch Stiftung Academy Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme Biography Ryhor’s research examines the roles of the Belarusian political elites in the decision-making process within the country, and their interaction with the European Union institutions.Ryhor is founder of the Centre for New Ideas, a Minsk-based nonpartisan CSO promoting democratic reforms in Belarus. He received his PhD in Political Science at the University of Warsaw and previously worked as a development director and analyst at the Ostrogorski Centre, a Belarusian think tank.Ryhor has cooperated with a number of civil society organisations in Eastern Europe and has written for Belarusian and Western media outlets and think tanks, including the Washington Post, the Guardian, the European Council on Foreign Relations, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Areas of expertise Belarusian domestic politicsBelarusian foreign policyBelarusian political economyTransformations in post-Soviet space Past experience 2012 - presentFounder, Centre for New Ideas2013-18PhD in Political Science, Warsaw University2012-17Analyst and development director, Ostrogorski Centre Email @ryhorastapenia LinkedIn Full Article
tap How to taper opioids By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thu, 11 Oct 2018 08:10:59 +0000 There is very little guidance on withdrawing or tapering opioids in chronic pain (not caused by cancer). People can fear pain, withdrawal symptoms, a lack of social and healthcare support, and they may also distrust non-opioid methods of pain management. This can mean that patients receive repeat opioid prescriptions for extended periods of... Full Article
tap Letter of the Day | Tap into the cultural gold mine By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:11:34 -0500 THE EDITOR, Madam: The Jamaican Government and local private-sector power brokers are still way behind and woefully lacking in investing, financially and otherwise, in Jamaica’s number one most powerful, most famous, most influential, and most... Full Article
tap Predictive Value of 18F-Florbetapir and 18F-FDG PET for Conversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer Dementia By jnm.snmjournals.org Published On :: 2020-04-01T06:00:28-07:00 The present study examined the predictive values of amyloid PET, 18F-FDG PET, and nonimaging predictors (alone and in combination) for development of Alzheimer dementia (AD) in a large population of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: The study included 319 patients with MCI from the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. In a derivation dataset (n = 159), the following Cox proportional-hazards models were constructed, each adjusted for age and sex: amyloid PET using 18F-florbetapir (pattern expression score of an amyloid-β AD conversion–related pattern, constructed by principle-components analysis); 18F-FDG PET (pattern expression score of a previously defined 18F-FDG–based AD conversion–related pattern, constructed by principle-components analysis); nonimaging (functional activities questionnaire, apolipoprotein E, and mini-mental state examination score); 18F-FDG PET + amyloid PET; amyloid PET + nonimaging; 18F-FDG PET + nonimaging; and amyloid PET + 18F-FDG PET + nonimaging. In a second step, the results of Cox regressions were applied to a validation dataset (n = 160) to stratify subjects according to the predicted conversion risk. Results: On the basis of the independent validation dataset, the 18F-FDG PET model yielded a significantly higher predictive value than the amyloid PET model. However, both were inferior to the nonimaging model and were significantly improved by the addition of nonimaging variables. The best prediction accuracy was reached by combining 18F-FDG PET, amyloid PET, and nonimaging variables. The combined model yielded 5-y free-of-conversion rates of 100%, 64%, and 24% for the low-, medium- and high-risk groups, respectively. Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET, amyloid PET, and nonimaging variables represent complementary predictors of conversion from MCI to AD. Especially in combination, they enable an accurate stratification of patients according to their conversion risks, which is of great interest for patient care and clinical trials. Full Article
tap An Untapped Pool of Critical U.S. Health-Care Workers in a Time of Pandemic By www.migrationpolicy.org Published On :: Tue, 07 Apr 2020 11:06:18 -0400 As the U.S. health-care system sags under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers are not only on the frontlines fighting the virus, they are also some of the most at-risk individuals, making it more essential than ever to have sufficient numbers of qualified health professionals. While 1.5 million immigrants and refugees are already working in the U.S. health-care system, an additional 263,000 immigrants and refugees in the U.S. with health-related college degrees are working in low-skilled jobs or are out of work. Full Article
tap Tapping the Talents of Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States: Takeaways from Experts Summit By www.migrationpolicy.org Published On :: Wed, 08 Aug 2018 12:19:20 -0400 Economists project a shortage of 5 million U.S. workers with postsecondary education and training by 2020. Yet 2 million immigrant college graduates in the United States are either unemployed or work in jobs that require no more than a high school degree. How can this skill underutilization, known as "brain waste," be remedied? MPI asked the experts, and this report summarizes their discussion and recommendations. Full Article
tap Specificity and affinity of the N-terminal residues in staphylocoagulase in binding to prothrombin [Computational Biology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-04-24T06:08:45-07:00 In Staphylococcus aureus–caused endocarditis, the pathogen secretes staphylocoagulase (SC), thereby activating human prothrombin (ProT) and evading immune clearance. A previous structural comparison of the SC(1–325) fragment bound to thrombin and its inactive precursor prethrombin 2 has indicated that SC activates ProT by inserting its N-terminal dipeptide Ile1-Val2 into the ProT Ile16 pocket, forming a salt bridge with ProT's Asp194, thereby stabilizing the active conformation. We hypothesized that these N-terminal SC residues modulate ProT binding and activation. Here, we generated labeled SC(1–246) as a probe for competitively defining the affinities of N-terminal SC(1–246) variants preselected by modeling. Using ProT(R155Q,R271Q,R284Q) (ProTQQQ), a variant refractory to prothrombinase- or thrombin-mediated cleavage, we observed variant affinities between ∼1 and 650 nm and activation potencies ranging from 1.8-fold that of WT SC(1–246) to complete loss of function. Substrate binding to ProTQQQ caused allosteric tightening of the affinity of most SC(1–246) variants, consistent with zymogen activation through occupation of the specificity pocket. Conservative changes at positions 1 and 2 were well-tolerated, with Val1-Val2, Ile1-Ala2, and Leu1-Val2 variants exhibiting ProTQQQ affinity and activation potency comparable with WT SC(1–246). Weaker binding variants typically had reduced activation rates, although at near-saturating ProTQQQ levels, several variants exhibited limiting rates similar to or higher than that of WT SC(1–246). The Ile16 pocket in ProTQQQ appears to favor nonpolar, nonaromatic residues at SC positions 1 and 2. Our results suggest that SC variants other than WT Ile1-Val2-Thr3 might emerge with similar ProT-activating efficiency. Full Article
tap Charred cabbage with olive and truffle tapenade By www.abc.net.au Published On :: Mon, 16 May 2016 12:44:00 +1000 Cabbage at its best. Full Article ABC Local brisbane Lifestyle and Leisure:Recipes:All Australia:QLD:Brisbane 4000
tap Mathematical Metaphors By decisions-and-info-gaps.blogspot.com Published On :: Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:25:00 +0000 Theories in all areas of science tell us something about the world. They are images, or models, or representations of reality. Theories tell stories about the world and are often associated with stories about their discovery. Like the story (probably apocryphal) that Newton invented the theory of gravity after an apple fell on his head. Or the story (probably true) that Kekule discovered the cyclical structure of benzene after day-dreaming of a snake seizing its tail. Theories are metaphors that explain reality.A theory is scientific if it is precise, quantitative, and amenable to being tested. A scientific theory is mathematical. Scientific theories are mathematical metaphors.A metaphor uses a word or phrase to define or extend or focus the meaning of another word or phrase. For example, "The river of time" is a metaphor. We all know that rivers flow inevitably from high to low ground. The metaphor focuses the concept of time on its inevitable uni-directionality. Metaphors make sense because we understand what they mean. We all know that rivers are wet, but we understand that the metaphor does not mean to imply that time drips, because we understand the words and their context. But on the other hand, a metaphor - in the hands of a creative and imaginative person - might mean something unexpected, and we need to think carefully about what the metaphor does, or might, mean. Mathematical metaphors - scientific models - also focus attention in one direction rather than another, which gives them explanatory and predictive power. Mathematical metaphors can also be interpreted in different and surprising ways.Some mathematical models are very accurate metaphors. For instance, when Galileo dropped a heavy object from the leaning tower of Pisa, the distance it fell increased in proportion to the square of the elapsed time. Mathematical equations sometimes represent reality quite accurately, but we understand the representation only when the meanings of the mathematical terms are given in words. The meaning of the equation tells us what aspect of reality the model focuses on. Many things happened when Galileo released the object - it rotated, air swirled, friction developed - while the equation focuses on one particular aspect: distance versus time. Likewise, the quadratic equation that relates distance to time can also be used to relate energy to the speed of light, or to relate population growth rate to population size. In Galileo's case the metaphor relates to freely falling objects.Other models are only approximations. For example, a particular theory describes the build up of mechanical stress around a crack, causing damage in the material. While cracks often have rough or ragged shapes, this important and useful theory assumes the crack is smooth and elliptical. This mathematical metaphor is useful because it focuses the analysis on the radius of curvature of the crack that is critical in determining the concentration of stress.Not all scientific models are approximations. Some models measure something. For example, in statistical mechanics, the temperature of a material is proportional to the average kinetic energy of the molecules in the material. The temperature, in degrees centigrade, is a global measure of random molecular motion. In economics, the gross domestic product is a measure of the degree of economic activity in the country.Other models are not approximations or measures of anything, but rather graphical portrayals of a relationship. Consider, for example, the competition among three restaurants: Joe's Easy Diner, McDonald's, and Maxim's de Paris. All three restaurants compete with each other: if you're hungry, you've got to choose. Joe's and McDonald's are close competitors because they both specialize in hamburgers but also have other dishes. They both compete with Maxim's, a really swank and expensive boutique restaurant, but the competition is more remote. To model the competition we might draw a line representing "competition", with each restaurant as a dot on the line. Joe's and McDonald's are close together and far from Maxim's. This line is a mathematical metaphor, representing the proximity (and hence strength) of competition between the three restaurants. The distances between the dots are precise, but what the metaphor means, in terms of the real-world competition between Joe, McDonald, and Maxim, is not so clear. Why a line rather than a plane to refine the "axes" of competition (price and location for instance)? Or maybe a hill to reflect difficulty of access (Joe's is at one location in South Africa, Maxim's has restaurants in Paris, Peking, Tokyo and Shanghai, and McDonald's is just about everywhere). A metaphor emphasizes some aspects while ignoring others. Different mathematical metaphors of the same phenomenon can support very different interpretations or insights.The scientist who constructs a mathematical metaphor - a model or theory - chooses to focus on some aspects of the phenomenon rather than others, and chooses to represent those aspects with one image rather than another. Scientific theories are fascinating and extraordinarily useful, but they are, after all, only metaphors. Full Article
tap Trump Taps a Nebraska Education Official for Rehabilitative Services Post By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000 President Donald Trump has tapped Mark Schultz, a deputy commissioner of education in Nebraska, to serve as commissioner of the rehabilitation services administration at the Education Department. Full Article Nebraska
tap Alabama Board Taps Superintendents' Group Leader As Next State Chief By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 The state's last superintendent resigned under pressure after he attempted to take over Montgomery's school system and figure out a way to grade the state's schools. Full Article Alabama
tap Mining for Gifted Students in Untapped Places By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 12 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000 An internationally known gifted-education center is scouting—and helping to develop—gifted students in after-school programs and pullout classes in one of Maryland’s most challenged school districts. Full Article Maryland
tap Mix tape / Jane Sanderson. By www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au Published On :: First loves -- Fiction. Full Article
tap DeVos Taps Haley Barbour, Ex-Governor and RNC Boss, to Oversee 'Nation's Report Card' By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Barbour, who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997, will serve as chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board for a term that lasts until Sept. 30, 2023. Full Article Mississippi
tap Michigan Administrator Tapped to Oversee Federal Special Education Programs By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 11 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 Laurie VanderPloeg, a longtime special education administrator, will take over the office of special education programs starting in November. Full Article Michigan
tap Tapadh leibh airson nach do smoc sibh / design : Biman Mullick. By search.wellcomelibrary.org Published On :: London (33 Stillness Rd, SE23 1NG) : Cleanair, Campaign for a Smoke-free Environment, [198-?] Full Article
tap Tapadh leibh airson nach do smoc sibh / design: Biman Mullick. By search.wellcomelibrary.org Published On :: London (33 Stillness Road London SE23 1NG) : Cleanair Campaign for a Smoke-free Environment, [198-?] Full Article
tap Bengals tap Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow as 1st pick of 2020 NFL Draft By www.cbc.ca Published On :: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:58:38 EDT In this most unique of drafts, filled with technological concerns and even uncertainty when real football might return, there was one constant Thursday night: Joe Burrow. Full Article Sports/Football/NFL
tap How to make beauty treatments from store-cupboard staples By www.heraldscotland.com Published On :: Sun, 26 Apr 2020 05:17:11 +0100 Give your skin a tasty treat and cook up your own beauty recipes, says Sandra Dick Full Article
tap Music reviews: Drake flounders on a surprise mixtape of leaks and demos By www.heraldscotland.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 05:02:18 +0100 DRAKE - DARK LANE DEMO TAPES Full Article
tap Mining for Gifted Students in Untapped Places By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 12 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000 An internationally known gifted-education center is scouting—and helping to develop—gifted students in after-school programs and pullout classes in one of Maryland’s most challenged school districts. Full Article Diversity
tap More Than Calculators and Red Tape: Why Schools Should Pay Attention to Procurement By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 24 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000 The business of buying things for schools is a key part of making sure that hard-fought K-12 funding actually turns into a quality education at the school and classroom level. Full Article District+and+leadership
tap Methicillin-Resistant and Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia and Meningitis in Preterm Infants By pediatrics.aappublications.org Published On :: 2012-03-12T00:07:20-07:00 There is a perception among clinicians that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and/or meningitis result in a greater burden of disease than invasive infections attributed to methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.VLBW infants with MRSA and MSSA bacteremia and/or meningitis have equivalent morbidity and mortality. These findings suggest that allocation of resources for prevention and treatment of both MRSA and MSSA infections among VLBW infants should be comparable. (Read the full article) Full Article
tap Relationship Between Maternal and Neonatal Staphylococcus aureus Colonization By pediatrics.aappublications.org Published On :: 2012-04-02T00:07:13-07:00 Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of infections in infants. Staphylococcal colonization is a known risk factor for infection, but whether maternal colonization plays a role in subsequent colonization in the infant is unclear.This prospective study found that infants born to women colonized with S aureus either during their third trimester of pregnancy or at the time of delivery are more likely to harbor S aureus than are those born to noncolonized women. (Read the full article) Full Article
tap Waning Immunity to Pertussis Following 5 Doses of DTaP By pediatrics.aappublications.org Published On :: 2013-03-11T00:06:34-07:00 Despite high coverage with acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP), rates of pertussis have increased substantially in 7- to 10-year-olds in recent years. Duration of protection with 5 doses of DTaP may wane earlier than expected and is currently not well described.This evaluation reports increasing risk of pertussis in the 6 years after receipt of the fifth DTaP dose, suggesting that waning of vaccine-induced immunity is occurring before the recommended adolescent booster dose at 11 to 12 years of age. (Read the full article) Full Article