Digital learning objects: a local response to the California State University system initiative

The purpose of this paper is to present a virtual library plan created by library directors of the 23 California State University (CSU) system campuses. The information literacy portion of the project offers a repository of high quality interactive digital learning objects (DLOs) in the MERLOT repository. Therefore, DLOs created locally at the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library at San José State University (SJSU) focus on topics that supplement the “core” DLO collection

Laboratory evaluations of a wild crucifer Barbarea vulgaris as a management tool for the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

The term ‘dead-end trap cropping' has recently been proposed to identify a plant that is highly attractive for oviposition by an insect pest, but on which offspring of the pest cannot survive. The potential of the wild crucifer Barbarea vulgaris R. Br. to allure and serve as a dead-end trap crop for the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.), an important pest of cruciferous crops worldwide, was examined in laboratory experiments. When P. xylostella adults were provided with a dual-choice of plants of B. vulgaris, and Chinese cabbage Brassica campestris (L.), in one arena, adult moths laid 2.5-6.8 times more eggs on the former than on the latter. When P. xylostella adults were provided with a dual-choice of plants of B. vulgaris and common cabbage Brassica oleracea L., adult moths laid virtually all their eggs on the former and ignored the latter. Nearly all P. xylostella eggs laid on the three species of plants hatched successfully, but nearly all individuals on plants of B. vulgaris died as neonates or early instar larvae, while 87-100% of the larvae on Chinese cabbage and common cabbage survived to pupation. Dual choice tests with a Y-tube olfactometer showed that volatiles from B. vulgaris were much more attractive to P. xylostella adults than those from common cabbage. The results demonstrate that B. vulgaris has a great potential as a dead-end trap crop for improving management of P. xylostella. Factors that may influence the feasibility of using B. vulgaris as a trap crop in the field are discussed, and ways to utilize this plant are propose

Implementation of hospital level evaluation specification management to realize sustainable development

目的  通过医院等级评审，提高医院综合实力与整体水平。方法  通过对评审标准的分解，严格规范化管理，制定相应措施，在临床工作中认真实施。结果  以评促建，以评促改，促进医院规范化建设，提升管理、诊疗和服务水平，使患者利益更大限度地得到保障。结论  通过医院等级评审，可促进医院可持续发展。Objective: To improve the comprehensive strength and overall level of hospital through the hospital grade evaluation. Methods: Through decomposing the standards of evaluation, we achieved strict standardized management, drawn up corresponding measures, and then put them into practice seriously in the clinical work. Results: Assessing the purpose of promoting construction, assessing the purpose of reform, promoted standardization construction of hospital, improved the level of management, diagnosis and service, and protected the patients’ interests as much as possible. Conclusion: The grade evaluation of hospital promoted sustainable development of the hospital

Bis(2-chloro-1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)(thio­cyanato-κN)zinc (2-chloro-1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)tris­(thio­cyanato-κN)zincate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Zn(NCS)(C12H7ClN2)2][Zn(NCS)3(C12H7ClN2)], contains two cations and two anions. In the cations, the ZnII ions have distorted trigonal–bipyramidal environments formed by four N atoms from two 2-chloro-1,10-phenanthroline (cphen) ligands and one N atom from a thio­cyanate ligand. The ZnII atoms in the complex anions also have distorted trigonal–bipyramidal environments, formed by two N atoms from a cphen ligand and three N atoms from three thio­cyanato ligands. The crystal packing exhibits π–π inter­actions between the rings of the cphen ligands [shortest centroid–centroid distance = 3.586 (5) Å] and short inter­molecular S⋯Cl [3.395 (5) Å] and S⋯S [3.440 (4) Å] contacts

Bis(2,4-dibromo-6-formyl­phenolato-κ2 O,O′)copper(II)

In the title compound, [Cu(C7H3Br2O2)2], the CuII atom, which lies on an inversion centre, is coordinated by four O atoms from two chelating bidentate 2,4-dibromo-6-formyl­phenolate ligands in a slightly distorted square-planar coordination geometry. In the crystal structure, short inter­molecular Br⋯Br [3.516 (4) and 3.653 (4) Å] and Cu⋯Br [3.255 (1) Å] contacts together with C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds generate a three-dimensional network

Significance of the lipid profile and endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in the pathogenesis of microvascular angina

Background: To investigate the significance of lipid disorders and endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of microvascular angina. Methods: Levels of plasma lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins were assessed in 21 patients with microvascular angina and 24 healthy subjects as controls. Also, the endothelium-dependent vasodilatation function was determined with high-resolution ultrasound in both groups. Results: Levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100) and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in microvascular angina group were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects (each p < 0.05). The flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in brachial arteries in patients with microvascular angina declined significantly as compared with that in control subjects (4.7 &#177; 1.9% vs. 12.8 &#177; 3.7%, p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in response to nitroglycerin between groups (19.7 &#177; 8.1% vs. 21.2 &#177; 6.6%; p > 0.05). Linear correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between the FMD of brachial arteries and the serum levels of LDL-C and Lp(a) in the microvascular angina group (r = -0.5125 and -0.4271, respectively, both p < 0.001). Subsequently, all subjects were pooled and divided into two groups (groups A and B) according to the degree of FMD in brachial arteries (A &#163; 4% and B > 4%). The serum LDL-C level was found to be significantly higher in group A than in group B (4.09 &#177; 0.65 mmol/L vs. 2.59 &#177; 0.49 mmol/L; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Plasma lipid disorders and vascular endothelial dysfunction may play important roles in the development of microvascular angina. The dysfunction of endothelium-dependent vasodilation was mainly associated with anomalies in LDL-C and Lp(a), and myocardial endothelial dysfunction was aggravated by lipid abnormalities in patients with microvascular angina

Sulodexide Protects Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells from Oxidative Stress-Induced Injury via Upregulating Klotho Expression at an Early Stage of Diabetic Kidney Disease

The hypoalbuminuric effect of sulodexide (SDX) on diabetic kidney disease (DKD) was suggested by some clinical trials but was denied by the Collaborative Study Group. In this study, the diabetic rats were treated with SDX either from week 0 to 24 or from week 13 to 24. We found that 24-week treatment significantly decreased the urinary protein and HAVCR1 excretion, inhibited the interstitial expansion, and downregulated the renal cell apoptosis and interstitial fibrosis. Renoprotection was also associated with a reduction in renocortical/urinary oxidative activity and the normalization of renal klotho expression. However, all of these actions were not observed when SDX was administered only at the late stage of diabetic nephropathy (from week 13 to 24). In vitro, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) dose-dependently enhanced the oxidative activity but lowered the klotho expression in cultured proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTECs). Also, H2O2 could downregulate the expression of klotho in a dose-dependent manner. However, overexpression of klotho reduced the HAVCR1 production and the cellular apoptosis level induced by AGEs or H2O2. Our study suggests that SDX may prevent the progression of DKD at the early stage by upregulating renal klotho expression, which inhibits the tubulointerstitial injury induced by oxidative stress

Predicting taxonomic and functional structure of microbial communities in acid mine drainage.

Predicting the dynamics of community composition and functional attributes responding to environmental changes is an essential goal in community ecology but remains a major challenge, particularly in microbial ecology. Here, by targeting a model system with low species richness, we explore the spatial distribution of taxonomic and functional structure of 40 acid mine drainage (AMD) microbial communities across Southeast China profiled by 16S ribosomal RNA pyrosequencing and a comprehensive microarray (GeoChip). Similar environmentally dependent patterns of dominant microbial lineages and key functional genes were observed regardless of the large-scale geographical isolation. Functional and phylogenetic β-diversities were significantly correlated, whereas functional metabolic potentials were strongly influenced by environmental conditions and community taxonomic structure. Using advanced modeling approaches based on artificial neural networks, we successfully predicted the taxonomic and functional dynamics with significantly higher prediction accuracies of metabolic potentials (average Bray-Curtis similarity 87.8) as compared with relative microbial abundances (similarity 66.8), implying that natural AMD microbial assemblages may be better predicted at the functional genes level rather than at taxonomic level. Furthermore, relative metabolic potentials of genes involved in many key ecological functions (for example, nitrogen and phosphate utilization, metals resistance and stress response) were extrapolated to increase under more acidic and metal-rich conditions, indicating a critical strategy of stress adaptation in these extraordinary communities. Collectively, our findings indicate that natural selection rather than geographic distance has a more crucial role in shaping the taxonomic and functional patterns of AMD microbial community that readily predicted by modeling methods and suggest that the model-based approach is essential to better understand natural acidophilic microbial communities