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Rice University bioscientist and synthetic biologist James Chappell has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to develop RNA programming methods to improve human health and the environment.

Synthetic biology has progressed a lot in the past decade, and weve gotten really good at genetically programming microbes in confined laboratory environments where conditions are ideal, said Chappell, an assistant professor both of biosciences and of bioengineering. But, of course, most microbes on the planet don't live in pure cultures where the temperature is always 37 degrees (Celsius).

With the CAREER, were trying to think about programming in more complex environments, he said. The question is, Can we use the engineered RNA systems weve developed to start programming communities of microbes in more messy environments?

CAREER awards, the NSFs most prestigious early-career honors, recognize young scientists who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. Only about 500 CAREER Awards are given across all academic disciplines each year, and Chappell is one of nine Rice faculty to garner one in 2023.

Chappell, who joined Rice in 2017, researches RNA systems and biotechnologies. RNA, like DNA, are molecules made of long chains of nucleotides. Both DNA and RNA encode information based upon the sequence of nucleotides in their chains, but DNA is the medium cells use to store genetic information, and RNA is the medium for accessing and acting on that stored information. Cells also use RNA to turn genes on and off, catalyze chemical reactions, and sense molecular and environmental cues.

As a discipline, synthetic biology has frameworks to genetically program model microbes in the laboratory, he said. We need analogous frameworks to program the native microbial communities that are all around us in soils, rivers, our built environment and even our own bodies.

Microbial communities are groups of microbes, like bacteria, that share a common living space and either coexist peacefully or and work together in symbiotic partnership.

Microbial communities are found almost everywhere, and they underlie processes that are critical for humans, Chappell said.

For example, microbial communities in our intestines help digest food. Microbial communities called biofilms can damage surfaces like the enamel on our teeth or the finishes on our buildings. And on a larger scale, Chappell said microbial communities play critical roles in agriculture, sewage treatment and ecosystem health.

Having the ability to genetically manipulate such communities will allow us to study and better understand them, he said. We could also program them with new or improved functions that improve human health, crop yields and global sustainability.

For example, Chappell and Rice Biosciences colleague Joff Silberg recently won a three-year grant from the Kleberg Foundation to create RNA programs that will act as genetically encoded antibiotics. The idea is for individual bacteria to readily copy and share the antibiotic programs, which will selectively kill disease-causing bacteria thanks to a triggering mechanism that recognizes virulence genes or other pathogen-specific biomarkers.

In the CAREER research, Chappells lab will focus on creating a new method for genetically programming microbial communities that live in soil, wastewater and other messy environments.

Engineered RNA systems will be used in the laboratory to study how various genetic programs propagate through undomesticated microbial communities in such complex media. Chappells team will work to implement spatiotemporal control in these environments, creating genetic programs that can be selectively activated at specific times or in specific places.

After we develop these methods, we plan to combine and apply them in a proof-of-concept demonstration where well use RNA programming to enhance the ability of a microbial community to harvest clean energy directly from human or animal waste, Chappell said.

The project research will be integrated with an educational plan that will bring community college students into the lab to take an active role in the research so they can decide if they are interested in pursuing an advanced degree or career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Chappell said there are advantages to developing an RNA-based technology for programming microbial communities.

RNA is a very versatile molecule in terms of functionality, he said. If we invest time and figure out how to program with it, its likely well be able to write programs that do a lot of different things. We also expect RNA programming to be functionally portable, meaning it can work in a lot of diverse contexts. Thats big for us, because were thinking about how to program complex communities of microbes, and functional portability means an RNA program that works in one messy environment has a good chance of working in another.

Chappell said theres also a good chance the team could eventually use artificial intelligence or other computational techniques to automate the design of microbial programming.

The design rules for RNA are pretty simple, he said. A lot of the systems we work with depend on two RNA molecules coming together. How they interact when they come together is based on the simple rules of Watson-Crick base-pairing, where A (adenine) pairs with T (thymine) and G (guanine) pairs with C (cytosine). Its super simple, which means theres a good chance we can learn it well enough to create computational algorithms that predict and design RNA function directly from sequence.

CAREER: Selective activation of catalytic RNA to control energy flow in microbial consortia | NSF Division of Molecular and Cellular Bioscience

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2237512

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/03/0327_CHAPPELL-Fit3-lg.jpg CAPTION: James Chappell (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/03/0327_CHAPPELL-Fit5-lg.jpg CAPTION: James Chappell (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2023/03/0327_CHAPPELL-Fig-lg.jpg CAPTION: James Chappells research group at Rice University uses RNA technologies to transfer genetic programs between individual microbes in order to control and program communities of microbes that coexist or work together in a common living space. Chappell won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award that includes a five-year research grant for his lab to investigate renewable energy applications of RNA programs that selectively control the flow of energy in microbial consortia.

Rice team eyes cells for sophisticated data storage Aug. 18, 2022https://news.rice.edu/news/2022/rice-team-eyes-cells-sophisticated-data-storage

Rice bioscientist Chappell awarded Sloan Research Fellowship Feb. 15, 2018https://news2.rice.edu/2018/02/15/rice-bioscientist-chappell-awarded-sloan-research-fellowship/

Chappell Lab: https://www.chappell-lab.org

Rice Department of BioSciences: https://biosciences.rice.edu

Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https://naturalsciences.rice.edu/

George R. Brown School of Engineering: https://engineering.rice.edu/

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nations top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 4,240 undergraduates and 3,972 graduate students, Rices undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplingers Personal Finance.

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James Chappell wins NSF CAREER Award | Rice News | News and ... - Rice News

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2023) The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is excited to announce final speakers, presenters and panels for next weeks in-person Global Chemical Regulations Conference and Exhibition (GlobalChem) beginning on Monday, April 3, 2023.

GlobalChem will host a preconference webinar on Tuesday, March 28 with members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics technical team providing GlobalChem attendees with tips and tricks for navigating EPAs Central Data Exchange (CDX). OPPT experts will offer in-person demonstrations and answer questions on Tuesday, April 4 in the GlobalChem Exhibition Hall.

The GlobalChem Conference begins Monday, April 3 with TSCA 101 Workshops. This full day of educational workshops is ideal for those new to chemical regulations or want a refresher on the basics of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Hear directly from regulators and industry experts as the workshop aims to guide GlobalChem attendees through the major sections of TSCA and the PMN submission process.

ACC President & CEO Chris Jahn will deliver a keynote speech Tuesday morning to kick off GlobalChem 2023, highlighting the importance of consistent, objective and transparent domestic and global chemical management regulations. Among Tuesdays speakers and panels, there will be a session exploring the evolving landscape for setting occupational exposure limits (OELs) and their application in assessing and managing occupational risk.

On the final day of GlobalChem 2023, Jacqueline Alvarez with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will deliver Wednesday mornings keynote address, highlighting the importance of engagement by the chemical industry and other stakeholders in UNEP and the UNs global programs. GlobalChem 2023 will conclude with sessions on trade and the supply chain, global chemicals management strategy, air quality monitoring and environmental justice.

GlobalChem is the industry's premier conference on chemicals management and regulatory policy. Coupled with the GlobalChem Exhibition and pre-conference workshops, this annual gathering of industry professionals offers a valuable opportunity to examine recent developments in domestic and global chemicals management policy and EPAs continued implementation of the 2016 TSCA amendments. With GlobalChem returning to an in-person format, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and reconnect with leaders and experts in chemical regulation.

We are pleased to welcome everyone back to an in-person GlobalChem Conference and Exhibition, said Dr. Kimberly Wise White, ACCs Vice President for Regulatory and Scientific Affairs. From the preconference CDX webinar and in-person demonstrations to the keynote speeches, panel discussions and breakout sessions, GlobalChem attendees will have the opportunity to hear from industry and government experts on the challenges and opportunities present in the ever-changing landscape of domestic and international chemical management policies.

The 2023 agenda includes presentations and breakout sessions on risk management under TSCA; tiered data collection; risk communication; the New Chemicals Collaborative Research Program (NCCRP); confidential business information, and much more. The theme for this years GlobalChem Conference is The Changing Landscape of Chemicals Management: Exploring Risks & Opportunities.

Beveridge & Diamond PC is the principal sponsor of 2023 GlobalChem Conference and Chemical Watch is the media sponsor.

To learn more about the conference agenda and to register, please visit the GlobalChem website. All members of the media are invited to request credentials by registering here.

For a deeper dive into TSCA and chemicals management policies, please visit ACCs TSCA webpage.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in themultibillion-dollarbusiness of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products, technologies and services that make people's lives better, healthierandsafer.ACC is committed to improved environmental, health, safety and security performance through Responsible Care; common sense advocacy addressing major public policy issues; and health and environmental research and product testing. ACC members and chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development, and areadvancing products, processes and technologies to address climate change, enhance air and water quality, and progress toward a more sustainable, circular economy.

Stay up-to-date and engaged with the latest industry-related news.

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GlobalChem Returns In-Person Next Week - American Chemistry Council

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CLEVELAND Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure.

Even more concerning, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are on the rise.

When it comes to high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy, there are three that are most common.

First is chronic hypertension, which is when a woman is diagnosed with hypertension before pregnancy or early in pregnancy before 20 weeks, said Oluwatosin Goje, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist for Cleveland Clinic. Then there is gestational hypertension, which is hypertension after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Those with gestational hypertension can eventually develop what we call preeclampsia.

According to the CDC, high blood pressure is seen in one in every 12 to 17 pregnancies among women ages 20 to 44 in the United States. Preeclampsia occurs in around one in 25 pregnancies.

Dr. Goje said preeclampsia is the more severe type of hypertension in pregnancy and can potentially impact organ function and the placenta.

To avoid complications, she stresses women must be screened for high blood pressure before, during and after pregnancy.

Dr. Goje explained those over the age of 40 have an increased risk of developing hypertensive disorders during pregnancy as well as those with diabetes, immune system disorders like lupus or women who went through in vitro fertilization.

She noted Black women are also at an increased risk.

So how can a woman lower her risk for high blood pressure?

You can control your blood pressure by staying active, exercising and eating a healthy diet. When it comes to diet, I tell patients youre not fasting or starving but youre eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more water, Dr. Goje said. Its also crucial to reduce stress. Stress has been known to complicate a lot of maternal morbidity conditions, especially in Black women.

Dr. Goje said its important to take measures before pregnancy to control blood pressure levels and decrease the risk of complications.

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High Blood Pressure Disorders in Pregnancy Rising - Cleveland Clinic Newsroom

As the holy month of Ramadan commences, the recent controversial remarks made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, denying the existence of a Palestinian people, and his speech behind a map showing Jordan as part of the Land of Israel, have sparked a surge of outrage among Arab countries with peace treaties with Israel. There has been a rise of voices calling to terminate these agreements and expel Israeli ambassadors from respective countries. Alternatively, some have proposed downgrading diplomatic relations with Israel and avoiding meetings with high-ranking officials, such as ministers and Knesset members.

The Jordanian parliament has passed a resolution calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from the kingdom. However, the approval of King Abdullah II is required for this resolution to take effect, and it is currently uncertain whether the king will grant his consent due to his busy schedule.

The United Arab Emirates has expressed its concerns regarding the statements made by Smotrich and Ben Gvir, as well as their intention to ascend the Temple Mount. To convey their position to Israel, the Emirates sent a senior adviser to President Mohammed bin Zayed to Jerusalem. The adviser made it clear that the UAE does not accept the words of senior members of the Israeli government and expressed surprise at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahus silence in response to statements that could potentially harm relations with important Arab countries.

Egypt has also taken a stance on cancellation of the disengagement law in the West Bank and sent a harsh message to Netanyahu through its president. The message conveyed Egypts concerns about the announcement made by Netanyahus office after cancellation of the law was approved, particularly regarding Smotrichs words, which asserted that Jews have a historical right to the whole Land of Israel.

Revoking the West Bank disengagement a day after the Sharm el-Sheikh summit was viewed by Egypt with great severity. Cairo perceived the move as a disrespectful gesture toward its efforts, together with Amman, to achieve stability in the region.

Additionally, while expressing gratitude to Israeli President Isaac Herzog for his warm wishes for the month of Ramadan, the king of Morocco clarified that he had no interest in engaging in dialogue with Netanyahu. Furthermore, he denied Herzogs request to visit his country at the end of Ramadan.

Israels current political standing in relation to Arab countries and friendly Islamic countries is at a low. Most leaders are reluctant to take calls from Netanyahu, and a considerable number of countries refuse to host Foreign Minister Eli Cohen for official visits. These countries claim that Cohens statements in Hebrew differ from his statements in Arabic and English on his official social media accounts, which has led to concerns regarding his credibility.

Furthermore, several countries have instructed their foreign ministries to lower the level of official meetings with Israel and instead focus on maintaining existing security and economic committees that handle commercial affairs and business relationships.

The recent developments suggest that senior Israeli officials statements are not well-considered and lack coordination with the Prime Ministers Office. This has put Israeli emissaries in an awkward position, as their attempts to mitigate the situation have been unsuccessful. It appears that the lack of a cohesive and coordinated message from the Israeli government has created confusion and frustration among its partners in the international community.

Senior Arab officials have revealed that Jordan is currently leading an effort to coordinate the positions of Arab and Islamic countries that have diplomatic ties with Israel. The objective of this coordination is to impose a boycott on Israeli government ministers and officials until the Israeli government clarifies its stance on the Palestinian issue and demonstrates its commitment to respecting peace agreements and international commitments it has signed.

The United Arab Emirates has expressed deep concern over Israeli ministers recent statements that deny any possibility of dialogue and understanding, particularly remarks made by the finance minister regarding the erasure of the village of Huwara and the nonexistence of a Palestinian people. The Emiratis also condemn any actions that threaten the status quo in Jerusalem, particularly those led by Ben-Gvir. While the UAE recently established the House of Abraham in Abu Dhabi as a symbol of interfaith understanding, it has faced criticism from other Islamic nations. It sees these Israeli actions as a betrayal of the spirit of the Abraham Accords, which are based on acceptance of the other and dialogue between religions in the Middle East.

The Israeli prime minister would be wise to heed the Emiratis when they call on Israel to reconsider its approach and respect the principles of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect between all peoples and religions.

Originally posted here:
Opinion: Bibi, Take Control of Your Government - The Media Line

Stormy Daniels exits the United States District Court Southern District of New York for a hearing related to Michael Cohen on April 16, 2018 in New York City. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Opinion by Lauren Leader

03/27/2023 01:30 PM EDT

Lauren Leader is co-founder and CEO of All In Together, a nonprofit womens civic education organization. She tweets at @LaurenLeaderAIT.

History has a habit of overlooking the contributions of powerful women. Which is why, this week, its worth considering Stormy Daniels, who refused to do what women involved in political sex scandals have so often done: Stay silent.

After the media broke news of her alleged affair with former President Donald Trump and his alleged payment to her to keep quiet about it, Daniels leaned into the spotlight, taking control of her narrative and speaking out on her own terms, loudly and unabashedly, with humor and candor. And in the end, shes coming out on top, while men involved in the Daniels-Trump scandal have either ended up in jail or are now at risk of being indicted. When this whole sordid episode is over, will a porn star have rewritten the rules on women, sex and power?

From time immemorial, women involved with philandering men, especially powerful ones, have been vilified, branded as sluts, homewreckers and vixens. That has certainly applied to political sex scandals as well. Monica Lewinsky, a 22-year-old intern when she had an affair with President Bill Clinton, was eviscerated in the public square, hounded by the media and called a tramp, slut, whore, tart, bimbo, floozy and even a spy. New York Posts Page Six labeled her the portly pepper pot. Under such intense and sexist scrutiny, she remained silent, speaking about the affair only to her lawyers and family.

It was 10 years before she finally broke that silence. Speaking at the Forbes 30 under 30 conference, she delivered a powerful speech about bullying and her experience surviving shame and public humiliation. Later she wrote an essay for Vanity Fair after the death of Roger Ailes, the man who had orchestrated much of her public torment at emerging Fox News. The media were able to brand me. And that brand stuck, in part because it was imbued with power, she wrote. (Lewinsky has focused much of her time since writing and speaking about the effects of bullying, shame and silence on young women.)

Years before Lewinsky, Donna Rice, a 29-year-old actress and model, became the central female figure in the first political sex scandal of the TV age. After the Miami Herald broke the story of Democratic presidential nominee Gary Harts affair with Rice, she was endlessly dragged through the mud. As they would later do to Lewinsky, the press hounded Rice for years following her, camping out at her home and tracking her every move. Pictures of her in skimpy bathing suits were splashed on every TV screen and magazine cover. She was lambasted as a bimbo. (Hart didnt fare so well either; he ended his presidential campaign just a few days after the story was made public.)

Rice herself didnt speak publicly about the affair until 31 years later, after a Hollywood studio made a movie about the scandal starring Hugh Jackman without consulting her. I chose silence. I chose the high road, she told ABCs Amy Robach in 2018. But the price she paid for taking that high road was steep. The pictures and images of her fit the narrative that I was a temptress, a bimbo. She told People, I felt I was put on trial. My reputation was destroyed worldwide. (Rice has spent much of her professional life running a non-profit called Enough is Enough, aimed at making the internet safer for families and children.)

Its easy to see why neither Rice nor Lewinsky felt they had anything to gain from trying to tell their side of the story or defend themselves, given the vast power imbalance of their circumstances. They were women alone, up against an entire media establishment hell bent on getting ratings off public shaming. They were on the wrong side of powerful political figures and living in a world that needed them to be the vixens.

All of which is why the Stormy Daniels scandal stands apart. From the beginning, powerful men tried to keep her silent, yet she repeatedly and doggedly fought to tell the world her story. Her first effort came in 2011, when she reportedly struck a deal with In Touch magazine, even taking a lie detector test to validate the story. Trumps attorney Michael Cohen reportedly threatened to sue, and In Touch killed the story.

Undeterred, Daniels tried again in 2016 when Trump was running for president, contacting the National Enquirer to make a deal. But instead, editor in chief David Pecker, a Trump ally, allegedly collaborated with Michael Cohen to offer her a catch and kill deal. They would buy the rights to her story in exchange for $130,000 and a non-disclosure agreement. The details of how that money was initially paid by Cohen and reimbursed by Trump from the White House in 2017 are at the heart of Trumps legal peril now. (Trump denies having an affair with Daniels.)

Daniels initially complied with the non-disclosure deal she signed. But in 2018, the Wall Street Journal broke the story of Trumps alleged payment to Cohen, publishing images of the checks. When Trump claimed he never signed the agreement, Daniels saw an opening. She challenged the validity of the NDA head on, suing to invalidate it. Then she wrote a tell-all book, doing interviews with media outlets and forging lucrative business deals and a massive social media following along the way.

Since then, Daniels has leveraged her platform to emasculate Trump at every turn, first by revealing salacious details about his manhood in her book and then by mastering Twitter, where she refers to him only as Tiny to her 1.2 million followers, cutting him where it hurts most his macho persona. Several times a day she confronts her trolls and harassers, reasserting her story, using humor and sarcasm to disarm the haters. Examples are too numerous and inappropriate for these pages but its worth a scroll.

Obviously, Daniels is no saint or altruist. Shes making every possible dollar off the scandal. Merch sales and movie promotions feature prominently on her social media accounts. But there is also something admirable about her chutzpah, her refusal to back down, be sidelined, silenced, ignored or underestimated. She has persisted.

So far, the strategy has worked, and things have not gone well for the men who have tried to intimidate her. Cohen went to jail for his role in buying her silence. Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, tried to defraud her, stealing her book advance by forging documents with her name on them. But he also landed in jail. And now Trump may end up a loser too. Daniels assisted prosecutors in the case against Trump. But perhaps as importantly, she might have assisted in influencing the court of public opinion. An Economist/YouGov March poll found 46 precent of Americans believe Trump should be indicted for his actions.

Why was Daniels able to break the cycle of silence that has held women back for so long? For one, by choosing a career in porn, she had already rejected social norms and sexual mores, embracing a life of maximum exposure. That set her up to challenge a sexist social convention in ways that other women who preferred not to have their sex lives exposed could not.

Still, its easy to say that as a porn star, Daniels had nothing to lose by speaking out. But that would diminish the courage it takes to confront powerful bullies. Challenging Trump, who has an uncanny ability to unleash hate and even violence against those who go up against him, can be especially dangerous. Even if, in a post #MeToo age, traditional media might be less apt to pillory Daniels than it was Lewinsky or Rice, she faced plenty of real danger in speaking out. In recent weeks, she has had to increase her personal security in response to threats against her.

To consider Daniels a kind of feminist hero may seem discordant on the surface. Shes immensely self-interested and works in an industry that can be profoundly exploitive and abusive of women. Still, in many ways shes exactly what feminism espouses: A self-possessed woman in full control of her choices, sexually liberated, free and confident enough to do as she pleases with her body, career, life and voice.

It remains to be seen whether Daniels has made it easier for other women to speak out on their own terms and break the cycle of shame and silence that has held us back for too long. Perhaps she is uniquely able to break norms because she never accepted them in the first place. But its just as possible that she forged a new paradigm where the cycle of womens evisceration in the public square has ended.

Heres hoping.

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Opinion | Stormy Daniels, Feminist Hero? - POLITICO - POLITICO