[Review of] Ramsay Burt. Alien Bodies: Representations of Modernity, Race, and Nation in Early Modern Dance

In Alien Bodies, Burt uses interdisciplinary methods to consider the issues of modernity and modernism in relation to the work of several makers of early modern dance. In nine chapters, he carefully examines the social constructions of nation, race, class, and gender as they were inscribed upon the dancing body. The Atlantic is the space and the period between the two great wars the time of this book\u27s focus

Common Interests or Common Polities? Reinterpreting the Democratic Peace

The central claim of a rapidly growing literature in international relations is that members of pairs of democratic states are much less likely to engage each other in war or in serious disputes short of war than are members of other pairs of states. Our analysis does not support this claim. Instead, we find that the dispute rate between democracies is lower than is that of other country pairs only after World War II. Before 1914 and between the World Wars, there is no difference between the war rates of members of democratic pairs of states and those of members of other pairs of states. We also find that there is a higher incidence of serious disputes short of war between democracies than between nondemocracies before 1914. We attribute this cross-temporal variation in dispute rates to changes in patterns of common and conflicting interests across time. We use alliances as an indicator of common interests to show that cross-temporal variation in dispute rates conforms to variations in interest patterns for two of the three time periods in our sample.

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Pregnant Women and Their Newborns in Las Vegas, Nevada

Colonization and infection by resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus are being reported in epidemic proportions. The goal of this study was to determine the local prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in pregnant women in southern Nevada and how it correlates with colonization and infection of their neonates. Signed consent was obtained, and a brief questionnaire was administered by the medical staff to each pregnant woman to collect demographic data and pertinent medical, family and social history. Nasal and vaginal specimens were obtained from pregnant women at ≥35 weeks gestation, and nasal and umbilicus specimens were obtained from their newborns. Specimens were cultured onto two selective media for S. aureus and MRSA. Potential MRSA isolates were further evaluated for susceptibility to antibiotics. Specimens from 307 pregnant women and 174 neonates were collected, resulting in 172 mother-neonate paired specimens. A total of 278 questionnaires were received from study participants. MRSA prevalence in pregnant women was 1.0% and 0.3% for nasal and vaginal specimens, respectively. The MRSA prevalence in neonates was 0% and 0.6% for nasal and umbilical specimens, respectively. Four different antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were observed among the MRSA isolates. The results did not show transmission of MRSA from pregnant women to their newborns, or infections of newborns with MRSA. It is expected that the results of this study will inform future decisions on surveillance, treatment and prevention of MRSA infections in Nevada

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Agent Susceptibility of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Healthy Pediatric Outpatients in Las Vegas

Colonization and infection by community-associated resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus are being reported in epidemic proportions. The purpose of this study was to determine the local prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in children and to characterize the MRSA isolates in the laboratory with regard to antimicrobial agent susceptibility patterns, and the presence of the mecA and the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes. Nasal swabs were collected at two pediatric clinics from a total of 505 children during health maintenance visits. A brief questionnaire was administered to collect demographic data and pertinent medical, family, and social history. Samples were cultured onto 2 selective media for S. aureus and MRSA. Potential MRSA isolates were further evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and for susceptibility to eight antibiotics by disk diffusion. Culture results showed that MRSA was present in 15 of the 505 specimens (3.0%). Six different antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were observed among the MRSA isolates. PCR amplification results showed that all 15 MRSA isolates were positive for the presence of the mecA gene, and 10 MRSA isolates contained the PVL gene. Understanding local prevalence rates and the role of colonization in infection are needed to develop effective interventions to reduce MRSA infections

The response to chemical stress: development of preclinical and translational biomarkers of Nrf2 activity

Nrf2 is a transcription factor that plays a vital role in the cytoprotective response to oxidative stress. Under basal conditions Nrf2 is sequestered in the cytosol by Keap1, a molecule which targets Nrf2 for ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. Following oxidative insult, Keap1 is no longer able to facilitate the breakdown of Nrf2. Nrf2 accumulates in the cell and is free to translocate to the nucleus where it binds to the antioxidant response element (ARE) in a range of genes resulting in their expression. Nrf2 regulates genes encoding phase II enzymes, proteins important for glutathione synthesis and antioxidants. Nrf2 knockout (KO) mice have been shown to be more susceptible to the toxicity associated with a range of different compounds, in the liver as well as in other organs. Conversely, pharmacological activation of Nrf2 has been shown to be protective in mouse models of hepatotoxicity. Drug induced liver injury (DILI) is a major concern for the pharmaceutical industry, and there is a clear imperative to improve existing preclinical models of DILI. Oxidative stress is known to result from the administration of a number of model hepatotoxins and has also been associated with cases of idiosyncratic DILI. Biomarkers of Nrf2 activity have potential utility in preclinical models investigating the role of oxidative stress in hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, such biomarkers could also have applications in studies determining the importance and variability of Nrf2 in the human population. Consequently the aim of the work described in this thesis was to characterise the hepatic profiles of mice in which Nrf2 activity had been modulated in order to identify candidate biomarkers of Nrf2 activity. iTRAQ analysis was employed in order to identify the proteins that were differentially expressed in the livers of wild type (WT) and Nrf2 KO mice. Subsequent pathway analysis identified cytoprotection and lipid metabolism as the processes that were most significantly perturbed in the livers of KO animals, with lipid metabolism found to be negatively regulated by Nrf2. The development of an LC-MS/MS assay for the determination of hepatic GSH and GSSG levels in liver homogenates showed that basal GSH levels were reduced by 21.5% in Nrf2 KO mice when compared to their WT counterparts. GC-FID analysis identified a number of fatty acids with levels that differed in the livers of WT and Nrf2 KO animals, constitutively and following carbohydrate restriction. Preliminary lipidomic analysis also identified differences in the wider hepatic lipid profile of the animals. iTRAQ was further employed to investigate the hepatic proteomic profile of mice following the administration of a single 3mg/kg dose of the Nrf2 inducer, CDDO-Me. 5 proteins were found to be regulated at both the basal and inducible level and so have significant potential to be used in the development of biomarkers indicative of Nrf2 activity. The work described in this thesis highlights the importance of the roles that Nrf2 plays in the regulation of hepatic homeostasis in terms of both cytoprotection and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, it has identified proteins and pathways that have potential applications in the development of biomarkers of Nrf2 activity. Such biomarkers would have utility in preclinical assays and in investigations into the importance of the transcription factor in the human population

Vertical distribution of temperature and humidity over the Caribbean Sea

The observations presented and discussed in this paper were obtained as part of a research project conducted under contract NObs-2083 with the Bureau of Ships of the U. S. Navy by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The observations and their original reduction were carried out under the direction of Jeffries Wyman. The airplane soundings were undertaken by Kenneth McCasland and Alfred Woodcock. The sea surface temperature was measured on the surface ships by David F. Barnes and Roger Patterson. The necessary airplane (PBY-SA) and surface boats (PC's) were made available by the U. S. Navy. All observations were made during the spring of 1946 at about 19.5°N latitude, 66°W longitude, north of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and at about lO°N latitude, 79.5°W longitude, north of Coco Solo, Panama. An extensive preliminary report on the results of the expedition with a limited circulation was prepared by Wyman and his collaborators during the summer of 1946. The present paper deals with certain phases of the work in a more detailed fashion. Special attention is given to the temperature and humidity distributions in the vertical and to their interpretation in the light of meteorological principles. A discussion of atmospheric turbulence based on airplane measurements has already been published elsewhere (Langwell, 1948), and an application of the airplane soundings to the theory of cumulus clouds has been studied by Stommel (1947). The second and third chapters of this publication deal with the description of observational techniques used by the expedition, with the methods of reduction and present the data on which the later discussion is based. It has been thought desirable to publish these data in extenso because they may be of interest to other meteorologists in view of the sparsity of upper-air observations in this region. The actual preparation of Chapters II and III is largely the work of Bunker and Stommel. In order to show how the observations made off Puerto Rico fit into the general pattern of climatic and weather conditions in the Caribbean area Chapter iv presents a survey of the climate of this region and of the weather conditions during the time when the observations were taken. This Chapter was contributed by Joanne Malkus. It is pertinent to include in this general introduction the conclusion drawn in Chapter IV namely that the weather situations encountered represented, in general, a relatively undisturbed trade-wind regime of early spring. The homogeneous layer of nearly dry-adiabatic lapse-rate of temperature and almost constant mixing ratio is one of the most characteristic phenomena in the lowest atmosphere of this region. It is also of utmost importance for the energy budget of the hydrosphere and the atmosphere. Therefore, a special discussion of this layer by Bunker is given in Chapter V. Because of the nearly dry-adiabatic lapse-rate in the homogeneous layer most of the heat transfer between water and air in the trade-wind zone must be in the form of latent heat of vaporization, a conclusion whose thermodynamic implications were discussed thoroughly by Ficker (1936). For this reason the distribution of water vapor deserves special attention, and Chapter VI deals with this variable as a problem in turbulent mass exchange. The analysis presented in this chapter is due to Haurwitz and Stommel

Programs for Families with Parental Mental Illness: Results of a US National Survey

Summary: Survey of programs in the U.S. for parents with mental illness

Mfsd14a disruption causes globozoospermia

The Mfsd14a gene, previously called Hiat1, encodes a transmembrane protein of unknown function with homology to the solute carrier protein family. To study the function of the MFSD14A protein, mutant mice (Mus musculus, strain 129S6Sv/Ev) were generated with the Mfsd14a gene disrupted with a LacZ reporter gene. Homozygous mutant mice are viable and healthy, but males are sterile due to a 100-fold reduction in the number of spermatozoa in the vas deferens. Male mice have adequate levels of testosterone and show normal copulatory behaviour. The few spermatozoa that are formed show rounded head defects similar to those found in humans with globozoospermia. Spermatogenesis proceeds normally up to the round spermatid stage, but the subsequent structural changes associated with spermiogenesis are severely disrupted with failure of acrosome formation, sperm head condensation and mitochondrial localization to the mid-piece of the sperm. Staining for β-galactosidase activity as a surrogate for Mfsd14a expression indicates expression in Sertoli cells, suggesting that MFSD14A may transport a solute from the bloodstream that is required for spermiogenesis.This work was funded by a Ford Physiology Fund Endowment (WHC).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Bioscientifica via http://dx.doi.org/10.1530/REP-15-055

Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: Mapping Examples of Use in Practice

The Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: a national framework for local action was originally released in 2015 and relaunched in 2021 for an additional five years. Developed through partnership, the Framework provides a vision for action focused on six ambitions underpinned by eight foundations. This report shares findings from a project about how people have used the Framework in England. It involved mapping exercise based on a survey to identify examples of practice of how the Framework. There are examples of services using the Framework across England. The majority of examples came from hospice and/or specialist palliative care settings. Each person is seen as an individual (Ambition 1) was most frequently identified as a primary focus for services. Each community is prepared to help (Ambition 6) was least frequently identified as a primary focus. The report includes case studies for each Ambition; they have not been evaluated as part of this project and are therefore not presented as examples of ‘best practice’. The Framework is most frequently being used to provide guiding principles and to support education and training. Examples of use in local policy, commissioning and developing business cases were also identified. Survey respondents identified the Framework as having a role in enabling a process of service development from strategic conception to practical delivery, although there are persistent concerns about how ambitions can be meaningfully operationalised, measured, and resourced. Overall, the Framework appears to be well received by survey respondents. It is perceived to provide a shared language about what matters in palliative and end of life care. There is appetite for further education and knowledge exchange about the Framework and how people have used it. More work could be done to embed the use of the Framework in local strategies and partnership development, as well as supporting initiatives to realise Ambition 6. Suggested next steps include further research; encouraging the use of the Framework at strategy and commissioning levels; additional education, training and knowledge exchange; and focusing on carers and communities. Further in-depth case study analysis and additional research will be conducted by the project team starting in April 2022. This will focus on how a range of stakeholders understand, interpret, and implement the Framework