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Probiotics are microorganisms that are safe and stable under product development conditions and are used as adjuncts to food and drugs to promote health, including the acceleration of nutrient digestion. Here, we present evidence on the ability of two isolates, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei BCRC-16100 and L. paracasei ZFM54, to (1) enhance carbohydrate digestion, (2) tolerate processing conditions, and (3) demonstrate safety in terms of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These approaches include whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis, gene expression, and bioactivity assays. WGS revealed genes encoding enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion, tolerance to processing conditions, and AMR. The ability of the two strains to digest carbohydrates was confirmed by glucose release when cultured alongside starch. The isolates also showed versatility across a range of temperatures and alcohol concentrations, indicating their suitability for product development. Genes cause AMR, particularly against vancomycin, through three mechanisms: transporter control, transcriptional regulation, and efflux pumps. Furthermore, promoter, gene expression, and transposable element analyses showed that some upregulated AMR genes in the presence of antimicrobials were transposable. Altogether, we show the potential of the two isolates for incorporation into products as probiotics to improve carbohydrate digestion, while considering precautions regarding mobile AMR genes that may compromise safety.

I. INTRODUCTION 95 II. CY PRES AND CHARITABLE TRUSTS 99 A. The Origins of Cy Pres 99 B. Cy Pres in America 101 C. Religious Purpose Trusts in America 106 [...], Author's Synopsis: In the law of charitable trusts, courts wield exceptional power with respect to two equitable remedies: cy pres and the closely related doctrine of deviation. Courts can grant these equitable remedies for trusts that have purposes or terms rendered ineffectual, and either doctrine allows the court to prolong the trust's life, perhaps forever. Historically, the invocation of these remedies was anathema to American courts. But increasingly, they have contemplated the possibility of extending the life of charitable trusts through application of these doctrines. In many ways, the evolution of these doctrines is owing to the jurisprudence involving trusts created for the benefit of a religious congregation or charity. Yet, this connection and the implications of judicial decisions regarding the right to these remedies has not garnered much attention until now. In this study, I analyze the extent to which courts have applied these equitable remedies to religious purpose charitable trusts via an econometric analysis of a universe of cases with a published opinion from an American court from the nation's founding through 2019. This study provides a novel analysis of these equitable remedies and the history of religious purpose charitable trusts along a considerable timeline in American history. First, it explores how the equitable remedies of cy pres and deviation were shaped by and shaped the caselaw around religious purpose charitable trusts, revealing simultaneously that each is a valid remedy and trust. Second, it examines the possible bias of the courts in awarding these remedies to certain religious groups but not others, ultimately finding that trusts created for the benefit of Catholic churches and charities were deemed less worthy of these remedies by the courts, all else equal. These findings have implications not only for understanding the application of these equitable remedies more deeply but also for uncovering the implicit and overt bias of the courts in cases where it has no actual basis.

Access Foundation Programmes are a widening-participation initiative designed to encourage engagement in higher education among underrepresented groups, including those with socioeconomic and educational disadvantage. In particular, mature students enrolled in these programmes experience greater difficulties making the transition to tertiary education, especially when they opt to study disciplines traditionally considered difficult. Computer programming is perceived as a traditionally difficult subject with typically lower pass rates and progression rates than other subjects. This paper describes the first of a three-cycle action research study examining the perceived effects of a structured Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Programme for mature students enrolled in a computer science programming module for an Access Foundation Programme in an Irish University. The focus of this qualitative study was to evaluate the perceived effect of a PAL programme on learning and whether it offered a positive learning support structure. Findings from our study suggest that PAL programmes have an overall positive effect on subject comprehension as well as enhanced learner confidence for mature Access Foundation students. Furthermore, PAL sessions offered students a support structure that helped with their transition and acculturation to tertiary education. This study also highlights the importance the PAL leader's role has on the perceived effectiveness of the PAL sessions as well as the impact of the students' shared history on the near-peer bond. The study concludes that the implementation of PAL programmes for Access Foundation Programmes has the potential to offer mature students a supportive learning environment and to improve their learning experience.

Abstract Identifying sensitive and specific measures that can quantify myelin are instrumental in characterizing microstructural changes in neurological conditions. Neuroimaging transcriptomics is emerging as a valuable technique in this regard, offering insights into the molecular basis of promising candidates for myelin quantification, such as myelin water fraction (MWF). We aimed to demonstrate the utility of neuroimaging transcriptomics by validating MWF as a myelin measure. We utilized data from a normative MWF brain atlas, comprised of 50 healthy subjects (mean age = 25 years, range = 17–42 years) scanned at 3 Tesla. Magnetic resonance imaging data included myelin water imaging to extract MWF and T1 anatomical scans for image registration and segmentation. We investigated the inter-regional distributions of gene expression data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas in conjunction with inter-regional MWF distribution patterns. Pearson correlations were used to identify genes with expression profiles mirroring MWF. The Single Cell Type Atlas from the Human Protein Atlas was leveraged to classify genes into gene sets with high cell type specificity, and a control gene set with low cell type specificity. Then, we compared the Pearson correlation coefficients for each gene set to determine if cell type-specific gene expression signatures correlate with MWF. Pearson correlation coefficients between MWF and gene expression for oligodendrocytes and adipocytes were significantly higher than for the control gene set, whereas correlations between MWF and inhibitory/excitatory neurons were significantly lower. Our approach in integrating transcriptomics with neuroimaging measures supports an emerging technique for understanding and validating MRI-derived markers such as MWF.

Introduction Hypertension increases all-cause mortality, and blood pressure (BP) is a major modifiable risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and renal disease. Options for the treatment of [...], Half of adults in the United States have hypertension as defined by clinical practice guidelines. Interestingly, women are generally more likely to be aware of their hypertension and have their blood pressure controlled with treatment compared with men, yet hypertension-related mortality is greater in women. This may reflect the fact that the female sex remains underrepresented in clinical and basic science studies investigating the effectiveness of therapies and the mechanisms controlling blood pressure. This Review provides an overview of the impact of the way hypertension research has explored sex as a biological variable (SABV). Emphasis is placed on epidemiological studies, hypertension clinical trials, the genetics of hypertension, sex differences in immunology and gut microbiota in hypertension, and the effect of sex on the central control of blood pressure. The goal is to offer historical perspective on SABV in hypertension, highlight recent studies that include SABV, and identify key gaps in SABV inclusion and questions that remain in the field. Through continued awareness campaigns and engagement/education at the level of funding agencies, individual investigators, and in the editorial peer review system, investigation of SABV in the field of hypertension research will ultimately lead to improved clinical outcomes.

Although decentralized wastewater and distributed water reuse professionals represent a key part of environmental public health and environmental engineering, an understanding of workforce challenges has remained elusive. Here we begin to address the critical need of understanding education, training, and outreach needs for decentralized wastewater and distributed water reuse. We specifically engaged professionals working in health departments and other government agencies, industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations. We examined workforce characteristics related to education, training, and outreach. We found that 37% of decentralized wastewater and distributed water reuse professionals plan to retire within 5 years, approximately 25% of these professionals do not hold any type of certification, and education and training are insufficient to meet current workforce demands. We further report 10 problem statements associated with timely education, training, and outreach needs, which represent important opportunities for improving the practice of decentralized wastewater and distributed water reuse. Strategic education, training, and outreach activities are necessary to ensure workforce preparedness, to promote education with owners of onsite technologies, and to expand advanced training and translational research programs in decentralized wastewater and distributed water reuse. Our findings can specifically support decision making aimed at sustaining and advancing the decentralized wastewater and distributed water reuse workforce., Introduction Decentralized--or onsite--wastewater and distributed water reuse is a core part of environmental public health and environmental engineering, which is commonly managed by environmental health practitioners at the local level [...]