NATUS • CULTUS • CIVIS: A Holistic Community Plan for the Beausoleil First Nation

Sustainability is not a contemporary concept, rather it was a guiding principle all cultures lived by to maintain balance with the natural world and more importantly survive. Evidently architecture was a tangible expression of a way of life as indigenous people developed place specific vernacular that adapted to various climates, exploited local raw materials and created comfortable living conditions that were responsive as much to the inner environment of culture and social interaction as they were to the external environmental forces. Natus • Cultus • Civis explores the significance of place in developing a contemporary sustainable architecture and the potential for a new and authentic regional expression rooted in a relationship between the knowledge, technologies and traditions of Native and Euro-Canadian people. These two distinct models of vernacular reveal considerable differences in the worldviews of the people they represent but together they offer a rich source of sustainable strategies and dynamic responses to the diverse environmental conditions of Canada. Situated within a context plagued by imposed and often problematic Eurocentric models and furthermore isolated on Christian Island in Georgian Bay, Ontario, the Beausoleil First Nation community has fallen victim to unemployment, substance abuse, distressing high school completion rates and a disappearing cultural identity. The residents recognize the need for a community plan and are committed to nurturing and protecting resources in a sustainable manner in addition to creating opportunities for economic growth and cultural nourishment. As such the thesis culminates in a holistic community plan and the design of a learning centre, to be developed in collaboration with the Beausoleil First Nation, which aspires to empower the community economically and culturally. Rooted in the discussion of sustainability, region and tectonics, the learning centre will be designed by referencing local vernacular traditions, exploring new technologies and encompassing the contextual landscape, history, culture and climatic conditions of the site

A novel MSMB-related microprotein in the postovulatory egg coats of marsupials

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early marsupial conceptuses differ markedly from those of eutherian mammals, especially during cleavage and early blastocyst stages of development. Additionally, in marsupials the zona pellucida is surrounded by two acellular layers, the mucoid coat and shell, which are formed from secretions from the reproductive tract.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We report the identification of a novel postovulatory coat component in marsupials, which we call uterinesecreted microprotein (USM). USM belongs to a family of disulfide-rich microproteins of unconfirmed function that is found throughout deuterostomes and in some protostomes, and includes β-microseminoprotein (MSMB) and prostate-associated microseminoprotein (MSMP). We describe the evolution of this family in detail, including USM-related sequences in other vertebrates. The orthologue of <it>USM </it>in the tammar wallaby, <it>USM1</it>, is expressed by the endometrium with a dynamic temporal profile, possibly under the control of progesterone.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>USM appears to have evolved in a mammalian ancestor specifically as a component of the postovulatory coats. By analogy with the known properties of MSMB, it may have roles in regulating sperm motility/survival or in the immune system. However, its C-terminal domain is greatly truncated compared with MSMB, suggesting a divergent function.</p

Preoperative Factors Associated with Target Lesion Revascularization following Endovascular Therapy of the Superficial Femoral Artery.

Objectives: In patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), endovascular revascularization of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) is the most frequent intervention. A major drawback of endovascular procedures is clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR), which may cause recurrence of symptoms, re-hospitalizations, and re-interventions. Outcome studies comparing endovascular modalities are heterogeneous and focus more on intraoperative rather than preoperative aspects. Studies have not examined potential risk factors in patients' phenotype before an intervention to prevent CD-TLR. Design: Monocentric, retrospective cohort study of 781 patients with symptomatic PAOD referred to an endovascular intervention of the SFA between 2000 and 2018. Methods: The study aim was to identify risk factors and phenotypes leading to symptomatic PAOD in patients with de novo lesions of the SFA and ≥1 CD-TLR within 12 months post-index procedure. Two groups were differentiated: patients without CD-TLR and with ≥1 CD-TLR. Patient phenotype was compared for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, age, gender, and renal function. Results: 662 patients (84.8%) (age 73.5 ± 11.2 years; 243 women (36.7%)) with no CD-TLR were compared to 119 patients (15.2%) with ≥1 CD-TLR (age 70.9 ± 12.4 years; 55 women (46.2%)). Women, as well as subjects with dyslipidemia, had each a 1.8-time higher odds ratio of receiving multiple interventions within one year than men or subjects without dyslipidemia. Older subjects (per decade) had a lower odds ratio (0.7) for multiple interventions. Subjects with an eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) &lt;30 mL/min had 3.8 times higher and subjects with eGFR ≥30 and &lt;60 mL/min had a 2.4 higher odds ratio of receiving multiple interventions than subjects with eGFR values ≥90 mL/min. Conclusion: Our data indicate that younger women, patients with dyslipidemia, or those with renal insufficiency are at risk for recurrent midterm CD-TLR after endovascular therapy of the SFA

False versus True Statin Intolerance in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND Statin intolerance (SI) is often documented in patients' charts but rarely confirmed by objective methods. OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify the rate of true SI in a large population with peripheral artery disease (PAD) as well as the subsequent use of such drugs and the impact on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS Patients with PAD and reported SI were retrospectively classified in those with "probable/possible" (pp) and "unlikely" (u) SI, after the application of the "Statin Myalgia Clinical Index Score" (SAMS-CI). Both groups were compared after 62 months (date of observation period?). RESULTS Among the 4,505 included patients, 139 (3%) had been reported as having SI. Of those, 33 (24%) had ppSI, and 106 (76%) had uSI. During the observation period, statin use decreased in patients with both ppSI (from 97% to 21%; p &lt; 0.0001) and uSI (from 87% to 53%; p &lt; 0.0001). At the end of the observation period, patients with ppSI more often received PCSK9 inhibitors (55% vs. 7%; p &lt; 0.0001), had a stronger decrease in LDL-C from baseline to follow-up (1.82 ± 1.69 mmol/L vs. 0.85 ± 1.41 mmol/L; p &lt; 0.01), and a lower rate of mortality (3% vs. 21%; p = 0.04) than those with uSI. CONCLUSIONS SI is low in PAD patients (3.1%), with only one quarter fulfilling the criteria of ppSI. The overdiagnosis of SI is related to an underuse of statins and an increased mortality in a short time period

Trusted CI: The NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Engagement Report

The final report for the Trusted CI engagement with American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).NSF #1547272Ope

Trusted CI: The NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) Engagement Report

Trusted CI final report of the 2018 engagement with the Environmental Data Initiative.NSF #1547272Ope

Trusted CI Experiences in Cybersecurity and Service to Open Science

This article describes experiences and lessons learned from the Trusted CI project, funded by the US National Science Foundation to serve the community as the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. Trusted CI is an effort to address cybersecurity for the open science community through a single organization that provides leadership, training, consulting, and knowledge to that community. The article describes the experiences and lessons learned of Trusted CI regarding both cybersecurity for open science and managing the process of providing centralized services to a broad and diverse community.Comment: 8 pages, PEARC '19: Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing, July 28-August 1, 2019, Chicago, IL, US