Molecular Excitation and Differential Gas-Phase Depletions in the IC 5146 Dark Cloud

We present a combined near-infrared and molecular-line study of 25' x 8' area in the Northern streamer of the IC 5146 cloud. Using the technique pioneered by Lada et al 1994, we construct a Gaussian smoothed map of the infrared extinction with the same resolution as the molecular line observations in order to examine correlations of integrated intensities and molecular abundances with extinction for C17O, C34S, and N2H+. We find that over a visual extinction range of 0 to 40 magnitudes, there is good evidence for the presence of differential gas-phase depletions in the densest portions of IC 5146. Both CO and CS exhibit a statistically significant (factor of ~3) abundance reduction near Av ~ 12 magnitudes while, in direct contrast, at the highest extinctions, Av > 10 magnitudes, N2H+ appears relatively undepleted. Moreover, for Av < 4 magnitudes there exists little or no N2H+. This pattern of depletions is consistent with the predictions of chemical theory.Comment: 36 pages (13 figures), accepted by the Astrophysical Journa

Static axially symmetric solutions of Einstein-Yang-Mills equations with a negative cosmological constant: black hole solutions

We investigate static axially symmetric black hole solutions in a four-dimensional Einstein-Yang-Mills-SU(2) theory with a negative cosmological constant $\Lambda$. These solutions approach asymptotically the anti-de Sitter spacetime and possess a regular event horizon. A discussion of the main properties of the solutions and the differences with respect to the asymptotically flat case is presented. The mass of these configurations is computed by using a counterterm method. We note that the $\Lambda=-3$ configurations have an higher dimensional interpretation in context of $d=11$ supergravity. The existence of axially symmetric monopole and dyon solutions in a fixed Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter background is also discussed. An exact solution of the Einstein-Yang-Mills equations is presented in Appendix.Comment: 47 pages, 47 figure

Alumnae Association Bulletin of the School of Nursing, 1973

Alumnae Calendar The President\u27s Message Officers and Chairmen of Committees Financial Report Annual Reports Named to Academy of Nursing Alumnae Association Relief Fund Benefits Sesquicentennial - A Celebration and a Challenge Progress of the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital 1972-1973 Report of the Patient Services Department Changes in the Department of Radiation Therapy Annual Luncheon Committee Reports Administration Missing Alumnae Members Salute to Life Members The Class of 1973 Ways and Means Committee Report Resume of Minutes of Alumnae Association Meetings Class Notes Marriages Births In Memoriam Notice

Registered nurses' perceptions and experiences of autonomy: a descriptive phenomenological study

Background Professional autonomy is a key concept in understanding nurses’ roles in delivering patient care. Recent research exploring the role of autonomy in the nursing work environment indicated that English and American nurses had differing perceptions of autonomy. This qualitative study aimed to explore the understanding and experiences of autonomy of nurses working in England. Methods A descriptive phenomenological analysis of data from 48 semi-structured interviews with registered nurses from two National Health Service (NHS) hospitals (purposive sample) was used to explore the concept of autonomy. Results Six themes were identified: working independently; working in a team; having professional skills and knowledge; involvement in autonomy; boundaries around autonomy; and developing autonomy requires support. A key finding was that nurses related autonomy to their clinical work and to the immediate work environment of their ward, rather than to a wider professional context. Nurses also perceived that autonomy could be turned off and on rather than comprising an integrated aspect of nursing. Conclusions Findings suggest that nurses in England, as framed by the sample, had a local ward-focused view of autonomy in comparison to nurses in America, who were reported to relate autonomy to a wider involvement in hospital level committees. Findings further indicate that autonomy was practiced occasionally, rather than incorporated into practice. Findings highlight the need for nurses in England to adopt a broader perspective and actively contribute to writing hospital guidelines and policies that recognise the importance of autonomy to nurse training and practice

Bostonia: The Boston University Alumni Magazine. Volume 9

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

SHIV-1157i and passaged progeny viruses encoding R5 HIV-1 clade C env cause AIDS in rhesus monkeys

Background: Infection of nonhuman primates with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or chimeric simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) strains is widely used to study lentiviral pathogenesis, antiviral immunity and the efficacy of AIDS vaccine candidates. SHIV challenges allow assessment of anti-HIV-1 envelope responses in primates. As such, SHIVs should mimic natural HIV-1 infection in humans and, to address the pandemic, encode HIV-1 Env components representing major viral subtypes worldwide. Results: We have developed a panel of clade C R5-tropic SHIVs based upon env of a Zambian pediatric isolate of HIV-1 clade C, the world's most prevalent HIV-1 subtype. The parental infectious proviral clone, SHIV-1157i, was rapidly passaged through five rhesus monkeys. After AIDS developed in the first animal at week 123 post-inoculation, infected blood was infused into a sixth monkey. Virus reisolated at this late stage was still exclusively R5 tropic and mucosally transmissible. Here we describe the long-term follow-up of this initial cohort of six monkeys. Two have remained non-progressors, whereas the other four gradually progressed to AIDS within 123–270 weeks post-exposure. Two progressors succumbed to opportunistic infections, including a case of SV40 encephalitis. Conclusion: These data document the disease progression induced by the first mucosally transmissible, pathogenic R5 non-clade B SHIV and suggest that SHIV-1157i-derived viruses, including the late-stage, highly replication-competent SHIV-1157ipd3N4 previously described (Song et al., 2006), display biological characteristics that mirror those of HIV-1 clade C and support their expanded use for AIDS vaccine studies in nonhuman primates

Recombinant Acid Ceramidase Reduces Inflammation and Infection in Cystic Fibrosis.

Rationale: In cystic fibrosis the major cause of morbidity and mortality is lung disease characterized by inflammation and infection. The influence of sphingolipid metabolism is poorly understood with a lack of studies using human airway model systems. Objectives: To investigate sphingolipid metabolism in cystic fibrosis and the effects of treatment with recombinant human acid ceramidase on inflammation and infection. Methods: Sphingolipids were measured using mass spectrometry in fully-differentiated cultures of primary human airway epithelial cells and co-cultures with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In situ activity assays, Western blotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to investigate function and expression of ceramidase and sphingomyelinase. Effects of treatment with recombinant human acid ceramidase on sphingolipid profile and inflammatory mediator production were assessed in cell cultures and murine models. Measurements and Main Results: Ceramide is increased in cystic fibrosis airway epithelium due to differential function of enzymes regulating sphingolipid metabolism. Sphingosine, a metabolite of ceramide with antimicrobial properties, is not upregulated in response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa by cystic fibrosis airway epithelia. Tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 is increased in the apical membrane of cystic fibrosis epithelia and activates NF-κB signaling, generating inflammation. Treatment with recombinant human acid ceramidase, to decrease ceramide, reduced both inflammatory mediator production and susceptibility to infection. Conclusions: Sphingolipid metabolism is altered in airway epithelial cells cultured from people with cystic fibrosis. Treatment with recombinant acid ceramidase ameliorates the two pivotal features of cystic fibrosis lung disease, inflammation and infection, and thus represents a therapeutic approach worthy of further exploration. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Amniotic fluid embolism incidence, risk factors and outcomes: a review and recommendations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a rare but severe complication of pregnancy. A recent systematic review highlighted apparent differences in the incidence, with studies estimating the incidence of AFE to be more than three times higher in North America than Europe. The aim of this study was to examine population-based regional or national data from five high-resource countries in order to investigate incidence, risk factors and outcomes of AFE and to investigate whether any variation identified could be ascribed to methodological differences between the studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed available data sources on the incidence of AFE in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the USA. Where information was available, the risk factors and outcomes of AFE were examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The reported incidence of AFE ranged from 1.9 cases per 100 000 maternities (UK) to 6.1 per 100 000 maternities (Australia). There was a clear distinction between rates estimated using different methodologies. The lowest estimated incidence rates were obtained through validated case identification (range 1.9-2.5 cases per 100 000 maternities); rates obtained from retrospective analysis of population discharge databases were significantly higher (range 5.5-6.1 per 100 000 admissions with delivery diagnosis). Older maternal age and induction of labour were consistently associated with AFE.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Recommendation 1: Comparisons of AFE incidence estimates should be restricted to studies using similar methodology. The recommended approaches would be either population-based database studies using additional criteria to exclude false positive cases, or tailored data collection using existing specific population-based systems.</p> <p>Recommendation 2: Comparisons of AFE incidence between and within countries would be facilitated by development of an agreed case definition and an agreed set of criteria to minimise inclusion of false positive cases for database studies.</p> <p>Recommendation 3: Groups conducting detailed population-based studies on AFE should develop an agreed strategy to allow combined analysis of data obtained using consistent methodologies in order to identify potentially modifiable risk factors.</p> <p>Recommendation 4: Future specific studies on AFE should aim to collect information on management and longer-term outcomes for both mothers and infants in order to guide best practice, counselling and service planning.</p

A longitudinal cohort study of malaria exposure and changing serostatus in a malaria endemic area of rural Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Measurements of anti-malarial antibodies are increasingly used as a proxy of transmission intensity. Most serological surveys are based on the use of cross-sectional data that, when age-stratified, approximates historical patterns of transmission within a population. Comparatively few studies leverage longitudinal data to explicitly relate individual infection events with subsequent antibody responses. METHODS: The occurrence of seroconversion and seroreversion events for two Plasmodium falciparum asexual stage antigens (MSP-1 and AMA-1) was examined using three annual measurements of 691 individuals from a cohort of individuals in a malaria-endemic area of rural east-central Tanzania. Mixed-effect logistic regression models were employed to determine factors associated with changes in serostatus over time. RESULTS: While the expected population-level relationship between seroprevalence and disease incidence was observed, on an individual level the relationship between individual infections and the antibody response was complex. MSP-1 antibody responses were more dynamic in response to the occurrence and resolution of infection events than AMA-1, while the latter was more correlated with consecutive infections. The MSP-1 antibody response to an observed infection seemed to decay faster over time than the corresponding AMA-1 response. Surprisingly, there was no evidence of an age effect on the occurrence of a conversion or reversion event. CONCLUSIONS: While the population-level results concur with previously published sero-epidemiological surveys, the individual-level results highlight the more complex relationship between detected infections and antibody dynamics than can be analysed using cross-sectional data. The longitudinal analysis of serological data may provide a powerful tool for teasing apart the complex relationship between infection events and the corresponding immune response, thereby improving the ability to rapidly assess the success or failure of malaria control programmes

Sacred turf: the Wimbledon tennis championships and the changing politics of Englishness

© 2015 Taylor & Francis. This article is about ‘Wimbledon’, widely celebrated – not least in its own publicity material – as the world’s premier tennis tournament. It examines ‘Wimbledon’ essentially as a text (hence the inverted commas), viewed politically and historically. In this context, ‘Wimbledon’ is seen as a signifier of a certain kind of Englishness, carefully adapted to meet changing social and economic circumstance. Loose parallels are drawn between the cultural trajectory of ‘Wimbledon’ and that of the British royal family. The transmutations of ‘Wimbledon’ as a tennis championship are also seen as reflecting Britain’s decline as a world power during the twentieth century