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Presented at the July 2021 Snowmass Process, this paper describes the frontier of physics theories for the next decade, presenting problems with the Standard Model of physics and the condition that the BSM (“beyond the standard model”) will need to meet. This includes the asymmetry of matter and dark matter within the universe, a reason behind the flavor structures of subatomic quarks and leptons, and “the origin of the neutrino masses.” See the full list of authors and read “TF08 Snowmass Report: BSM Model Building” at ArXiv.
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These researchers have discovered that a radical S-adenosylmethionine oxygenase operates in aerobic cells, and not only in anaerobic environments. This process was observed in “a ribosomally synthesized, post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP),” darobactin A. See the full list of authors and read their paper, “Characterization of a Radical SAM Oxygenase for the Ether Crosslinking in Darobactin Biosynthesis,” at ACS Publications.
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‘Mechanisms of Isoform-Specific Residue Influence on GTP-Bound HRas, KRas, and NRas’
“HRas, KRas, and NRas are GTPases with a common set of effectors that control many cell-signaling pathways, including proliferation through Raf kinase. Their G-domains are nearly identical in sequence, with a few isoform-specific residues that have an effect on dynamics and biochemical properties. Here, we use accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) simulations consistent with solution x-ray scattering experiments to elucidate mechanisms through which isoform-specific residues associated with each Ras isoform affects functionally important regions connected to the active site.” Find the paper and the full list of authors at Biophysical Journal.
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‘Left Versus Right: Exploring the Effects of Chiral Threading Intercalators Using Optical Tweezers’
Building on previous research they have conducted on “Small-molecule DNA-binding drugs,” the authors here present a study on the “the left-handed enantiomer… ΛΛ-P for short, to study the effects of chirality on DNA threading intercalation.” This paper contributes to “a better understanding of how chirality affects binding to DNA and may contribute to the development of enhanced potential cancer treatment drug designs.” Read “Left versus right: Exploring the effects of chiral threading intercalators using optical tweezers” and find the full list of authors in Biophysical Journal.
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‘Compressive Stress Drives Adhesion-Dependent Unjamming Transitions in Breast Cancer Cell Migration’
This article examines cellular unjamming, “the collective fluidization of cell motion… linked to many biological processes, including development, wound repair, and tumor growth.” Because of the complex, linked effects between various cellular mechanisms, “the role of compressive stress in unjamming transitions during cancer progression remains unknown. Here, [the authors] investigate which mechanism dominates in a [single] dense, mechanically stressed” layer. Their findings add nuance to models of “collective cell motion in tumor development and breast cancer progression.” Find the paper and the full list of authors at Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
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Structuring family businesses to last
Edmund (Ted) Clark, executive director of the Northeastern University Center for Family Business and senior academic specialist of entrepreneurship and innovation, recently published an article titled “Your Family Business’s Resiliency Depends on Its Structure” in the Harvard Business Review. Clark presents three structural models for family-owned businesses, and “provides resilience strategies for each type of family business, to help ensure successful transitions across generations.”
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When creditors’ rights are weakened, opportunists move in
In an article from Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, Kandarp Srinivasan, in collaboration with Radhakrishnan Gopalan and Xiumin Martin from Washington University in St. Louis, describes how “In institutional regimes with weak creditors’ rights, some company insiders might take advantage of bankruptcy rules by intentionally making their companies look less valuable. This creates problems for creditors and makes it harder for these companies to succeed in the future.”
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Identifying problems before they happen in biotech products
Biotechnology products, including many pharmaceuticals, “are produced in living organisms or cells.” But how do biotechnologists verify the quality of the host cells, and that these cells do not have harmful effects on the resulting products? The authors “take a closer look at specific analytical technologies and tools to analyze these host cell proteins.” See the full list of authors and read their research paper, “Analytical Characterization of Host Cell Proteins (HCPs),” at Chromatography Online.
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Training faculty to foster inclusive classrooms
In “Using Cognitive Psychological Principles to Foster Inclusive Learning,” Christie Chung, Associate Dean for Research, Scholarship, & Partnerships at Mills College, writes about how faculty and other academic leaders can design inclusive, yet challenging academic environments for students. Key elements include factoring in others’ perspectives, cultural competency, “Microresistance to Microaggressions,” and more.
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‘Functional Network Antagonism and Consciousness’
This article proposes “that anticorrelations are the physiological expression of the concept of segregation, namely the brain’s capacity to show selectivity in the way areas will be functionally connected.” The perspectives presented in this paper hope to illuminate the “connectivity interactions” within the brain. The authors “believe that this link between anticorrelations and the underlying physiology will help not only to comprehend how consciousness happens, but also conceptualize effective interventions for treating consciousness disorders.” Find this paper and the full list of authors in Network Neuroscience.
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‘Displaying Geographic Variability of Peri-Urban Agriculture Environmental Impacts in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona’
“Peri urban agriculture (peri-UA) can supply food locally and potentially more sustainably than far-away conventional agricultural systems. It can also introduce significant environmental impacts depending on the local biophysical conditions and resources required to implement it and, on the crops managing practices, which could vary widely among growers. Sophisticated methods to account for such variability while assessing direct (on-site) and indirect (up/down stream) environmental impacts of peri-UA implementation are thus needed.” Read the paper and see the full list of authors in Science of the Total Environment.
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When the devices we speak to lie to us
In “Exploring Deceptive Design Patterns in Voice Interfaces,” the authors investigate “deceptive design practices,” user interface elements that deceive the user into performing an action they may not have intended. The authors “identify… key characteristics of voice interfaces that may enable deceptive design patterns, and surfac[e] existing and theoretical examples of such patterns.” In the results of “a scenario-based user survey with 93 participants,” the authors “found that overall, the majority of participants did not view our deceptive scenarios as problematic.” Find the paper and the full list of authors at the Association for Computing Machinery.
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‘Associations Between Sedentary Behavior and Negative Emotions in Adolescents During Home Confinement’
“Previous research suggests, in general, that sedentary behavior can increase negative emotions. However, the specific mechanism driving the relationship between sedentary behavior and negative emotions is still relatively unclear. Social support and sleep quality might partly explain the effect of sedentary behavior on negative emotions. Thus, the current study aimed to examine the associations between sedentary behavior and negative emotions, and to investigate if social support and sleep quality mediate such a relationship.” Read the paper and see the full list of authors in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology.
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Antibiotic accumulates in patients with obesity
When taking vancomycin—an antibiotic—current medical guidance suggests “early and frequent… monitoring in patients with obesity.” This study sought to evaluate the accumulation of this drug in patients with a high body mass index, concluding that dangerous levels of accumulation can occur. “Clinicians should use frequent monitoring of vancomycin ,” they write, “and use caution when interpreting early concentrations in patients with obesity.” See the full list of authors and read their research, “Evaluation of Vancomycin Accumulation in Patients With Obesity,” in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
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Could Bayesian analysis improve antibiotic expedience?
This study looks at the time it took to make vancomycin (a Staphylococcus aureus antibiotic) area-under-the-curve estimations, comparing Bayesian analysis with more traditional pharmacokinetic software. They conclude that, “Without EHR [electronic health record] integration, Bayesian software was more time-consuming to assess vancomycin dosing than PK [pharmacokinetic] equations.” See the full list of authors and read their research, “Vancomycin Area under the Concentration-Time Curve Estimation Using Bayesian Modeling versus First-Order Pharmacokinetic Equations: A Quasi-Experimental Study,” in the journal Antibiotics.
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How diversifying academic leadership diversifies institutions
Christie Chung, Associate Dean of Research, Scholarship, and Partnerships at Mills, writes here about the importance of diversifying academic leadership, and the knock-on effects this can have on an altogether more diverse campus culture. Chung argues that “Creating a more inclusive discipline” takes four qualities, which she elaborates upon in this article, titled “Diversifying leadership through impactful practices.”
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Combating bias in early childhood educators
Urbani, et al., argue that pre-school and serve as an on-ramp to two results: inclusive education on the one hand, and the “school-to-prison nexus” on the other. To support the latter and mitigate the former, they demonstrate how developing a “critical consciousness, particularly around the intersections of race and disability,” in early childhood educators, and early classrooms, is crucial to making pre-school a welcome, inclusive environment for all students. See the full list of authors and read their research paper, “Building the on-ramp to inclusion: Developing critical consciousness in future early childhood educators,” at Research Connections.
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‘Mechanism of Halide Exchange in Reactions of CpRu(PPh3)2Cl With Haloalkanes’
“Kinetic measurements of the reaction between CpRu(PPh3)2Cl (1a) and 1-bromobutane reveal a nearly first order dependence on the concentration of haloalkane and a negative entropy of activation, ΔS† < 0. The rate of halide exchange … is two orders of magnitude lower than the rate of phosphine dissociation. … DFT calculations are consistent with either oxidative addition or σ-bond metathesis as lower energy pathways than single electron transfer and formation of a radical pair.” Find the paper and the full list of authors in the New Journal of Chemistry.