Comet Shoemaker‐Levy 9: No effect on the Io plasma torus

Observations of the Io plasma torus made before, during, and after the impact of Comet Shoemaker‐Levy 9 with Jupiter reveal no comet‐induced changes. Three weeks of high spectral‐resolution ground‐based visible spectroscopy show no changes larger than typical day‐to‐day variations in the torus densities, ion temperatures, or rotation velocities. Comparison with six months of identically obtained data from 1991 and 1992 also shows no differences

Conflicting interests in the pathogen-host tug of war : fungal micronutrient scavenging versus mammalian nutritional immunity

Funding: The authors are supported by the European Research Council (STRIFE project funded on grant number ERC-2009-AdG-249793, http://erc.europa.eu). AJPB is also supported by the Wellcome Trust (grant numbers 080088, 097377, www.wellcome.ac.uk) and the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant number BB/F00513X/1, www.bbsrc.ac.uk). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Looking for Distributed Star Formation in L1630: A Near-infrared (J, H, K) Survey

We have carried out a simultaneous, multi-band (J, H, K) survey over an area of 1320 arcmin^2 in the L1630 region, concentrating on the region away from the dense molecular cores and with modest visual extinctions (\leq 10 mag). Previous studies found that star formation in L1630 occurs mainly in four localized clusters, which in turn are associated with the four most massive molecular cores (Lada et al. 1991; Lada 1992). The goal of this study is to look for a distributed population of pre-main-sequence stars in the outlying areas outside the known star-forming cores. More than 60% of the pre-main-sequence stars in the active star forming regions of NGC 2024 and NGC 2023 show a near-infrared excess in the color-color diagram. In the outlying areas of L1630, excluding the known star forming regions, we found that among 510 infrared sources with the near-infrared colors ((J-H) and (H-K)) determined and photometric uncertainty at K better than 0.10 mag, the fraction of the sources with a near-infrared excess is 3%--8%; the surface density of the sources with a near-infrared excess is less than half of that found in the distributed population in L1641, and 1/20 of that in the young cluster NGC 2023. This extremely low fraction and low surface density of sources with a near-infrared excess strongly indicates that recent star formation activity has been very low in the outlying region of L1630. The sources without a near-infrared excess could be either background/foreground field stars, or associated with the cloud, but formed a long time ago (more than 2 Myrs). Our results are consistent with McKee's model of photoionization-regulated star formation.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figures To appear in ApJ Oct 1997, Vol 48

Genetic testing for nephrotic syndrome and FSGS in the era of next-generation sequencing

The haploid human genome is composed of three billion base pairs, about one percent of which consists of exonic regions, the coding sequence for functional proteins, also now known as the “exome”. The development of next-generation sequencing makes it possible from a technical and economic standpoint to sequence an individual’s exome but at the cost of generating long lists of gene variants that are not straightforward to interpret. Various public consortiums such as the 1000 Genomes Project and the NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project have sequenced the exomes and a subset of entire genomes of over 2500 control individuals with ongoing efforts to further catalogue genetic variation in humans.1 The use of these public databases facilitates the interpretation of these variant lists produced by exome sequencing and, as a result, novel genetic variants linked to disease are being discovered and reported at a record rate. However, the interpretation of these results and their bearing on diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment is becoming ever more complicated. Here, we discuss the application of genetic testing to individuals with focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), taking a historical perspective on gene identification and its clinical implications along with the growing potential of next-generation sequencing

Transitioning from acute to primary health care nursing: an integrative review of the literature

Aims and objectives This paper seeks to explore the transition experiences of acute care nurses entering employment in primary health care settings. Background Internationally the provision of care in primary health care settings is increasing. Nurses are moving from acute care settings to meet the growing demand for a primary health care workforce. While there is significant research relating to new graduate transition experiences, little is known about the transition experience from acute care into primary health care employment. Design An integrative review, guided by Whittemore and Knafl\u27s (2005) approach, was undertaken. Following a systematic literature search eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Methods Papers which met the study criteria were identified and assessed against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Papers were then subjected to methodological quality appraisal. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify key themes within the data. Results Eight papers met the selection criteria. All described nurses transitioning to either community or home nursing settings. Three themes were identified: (1) a conceptual understanding of transition, (2) role losses and gains and (3) barriers and enablers. Conclusion There is a lack of research specifically exploring the transitioning of acute care nurses to primary health care settings. To better understand this process, and to support the growth of the primary health care workforce there is an urgent need for further well-designed research. Relevance to clinical practice There is an increasing demand for the employment of nurses in primary health care settings. To recruit experienced nurses it is logical that many nurses will transition into primary health care from employment in the acute sector. To optimise retention and enhance the transition experience of these nurses it is important to understand the transition experience

Socioeconomic and demographic factors modify the association between informal caregiving and health in the Sandwich Generation

BACKGROUND: Nearly 50 million Americans provide informal care to an older relative or friend. Many are members of the “sandwich generation”, providing care for elderly parents and children simultaneously. Although evidence suggests that the negative health consequences of caregiving are more severe for sandwiched caregivers, little is known about how these associations vary by sociodemographic factors. METHODS: We abstracted data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to determine how the association between caregiving and health varies by sociodemographic factors, using ordinal logistic regression with interaction terms and stratification by number of children, income, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: The association between informal caregiving and health varied by membership in the “sandwich generation,” income, and race/ethnicity. This association was significant among subjects with one (OR = 1.13, 95% CI [1.04, 1.24]) and two or more children (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.09, 1.26]), but not in those without children (OR = 1.01, 95% CI [0.97, 1.05]). Associations were strongest in those earning $50,000-$75,000 annually, but these income-dependent associations varied by race/ethnicity. In Whites with two or more children, the strongest associations between caregiving and health occurred in lower income individuals. These trends were not observed for Whites without children. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the added burden of caregiving for both children and elderly relatives may be impacted by income and race/ethnicity. These differences should be considered when developing culturally appropriate interventions to improve caregiver health and maintain this vital component of the US health care system

New Clox Systems for rapid and efficient gene disruption in Candida albicans

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Janet Quinn, Lila Kastora, Joanna Potrykus, Michelle Leach, and others for sharing their experiences with the Clox cassettes. We thank Julia Kohler for her kind gift of the NAT1-flipper plasmid pJK863, Claudia Jacob for her advice with In-fusion cloning, and our colleagues in the Aberdeen Fungal Group for numerous stimulating discussions. Data Availability: The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. The sequences of all Clox cassettes are available in GenBank: URA3-Clox (loxP-URA3-MET3p-cre-loxP): GenBank accession number KC999858. NAT1-Clox (loxP-NAT1-MET3p-cre-loxP): GenBank accession number KC999859. LAL (loxP-ARG4-loxP): GenBank accession number DQ015897. LHL (loxP-HIS1-loxP): GenBank accession number DQ015898. LUL (loxP-URA3-loxP): GenBank accession number DQ015899. Funding: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk): S.S., F.C.O., N.A.R.G., A.J.P.B. (080088); N.A.R.G., A.J.P.B. (097377). The authors also received support from the European Research Council [http://erc.europa.eu/]: DSC. ERB, AJPB (STRIFE Advanced Grant; C-2009-AdG-249793). The European Commission also provided funding [http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7]: I.B., A.J.P.B. (FINSysB MC-ITN; PITN-GA-2008-214004). Also the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council provided support [www.bbsrc.ac.uk]: N.A.R.G., A.J.P.B. (Research Grant; BB/F00513X/1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD