Economical genotyping of little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) clades from feather-based DNA

Determination of clade membership is a crucial requirement for many research questions addressing phylogeography, population structure, mating patterns, speciation, and hybridisation. The little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) can be separated into two deeply divergent clades. However, assigning clade membership in little blue penguins requires molecular methods. Genetic sequencing can be used to identify clade membership but is expensive. Here, we present an economical alternative to the use of sequencing to determine little blue penguin clade membership. We extracted DNA from feathers using a method that produced reasonable quantities of DNA. We then amplified the D-loop section of the mitochondrial control region from total genomic DNA extracts, using the primers 'C L-tRNAglu' and 'D H-Dbox' followed by digestion with the restriction enzyme AluI. When visualised on a gel, distinctive banding patterns clearly indicated clade membership. We sequenced a subset of our samples and verified the accuracy of this method. The methods we present should facilitate little blue penguin research through a cost-effective approach to clade analysis as well as a successful technique to extract DNA from feathers when blood or tissue samples are not available

Nursing Home Quality as a Public Good

There has been much debate among economists about whether nursing home quality is a public good across Medicaid and private-pay patients within a common facility. However, there has been only limited empirical work addressing this issue. Using a unique individual level panel of residents of nursing homes from seven states, we exploit both within-facility and within-patient variation in payer source and quality to examine this issue. We also test the robustness of these results across states with different Medicaid and private-pay rate differentials. Across our various identification strategies, the results generally support the idea that quality is a public good within nursing homes. That is, within a common nursing home, there is very little evidence to suggest that Medicaid-funded residents receive consistently lower quality care relative to their private-paying counterparts.

Quantum Information Processing with Delocalized Qubits under Global Control

Any technology for quantum information processing (QIP) must embody within it quantum bits (qubits) and maintain control of their key quantum properties of superposition and entanglement. Typical QIP schemes envisage an array of physical systems, such as electrons or nuclei, with each system representing a given qubit. For adequate control, systems must be distinguishable either by physical separation or unique frequencies, and their mutual interactions must be individually manipulable. These difficult requirements exclude many nanoscale technologies where systems are densely packed and continuously interacting. Here we demonstrate a new paradigm: restricting ourselves to global control pulses we permit systems to interact freely and continuously, with the consequence that qubits can become delocalized over the entire device. We realize this using NMR studies of three carbon-13 nuclei in alanine, demonstrating all the key aspects including a quantum mirror, one- and two-qubit gates, permutation of densely packed qubits and Deutsch algorithms.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Combined SIRT3 and SIRT5 deletion is associated with inner retinal dysfunction in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes

Abstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness in working adults in the industrialized world. In addition to vision loss caused by macular edema and pathological angiogenesis, DR patients often exhibit neuronal dysfunction on electrophysiological testing, suggesting that there may be an independent neuronal phase of disease that precedes vascular disease. Given the tremendous metabolic requirements of the retina and photoreceptors in particular, we hypothesized that derangements in metabolic regulation may accelerate retinal dysfunction in diabetes. As such, we induced hyperglycemia with streptozotocin in mice with monoallelic Nampt deletion from rod photoreceptors, mice lacking SIRT3, and mice lacking SIRT5 and tested multiple components of retinal function with electroretinography. None of these mice exhibited accelerated retinal dysfunction after induction of hyperglycemia, consistent with normal-appearing retinal morphology in hyperglycemic Sirt3 −/− or Sirt5 −/− mice. However, mice lacking both SIRT3 and SIRT5 (Sirt3 −/− Sirt5 −/− mice) exhibited significant evidence of inner retinal dysfunction after induction of hyperglycemia compared to hyperglycemic littermate controls, although this dysfunction was not accompanied by gross morphological changes in the retina. These results suggest that SIRT3 and SIRT5 may be involved in regulating neuronal dysfunction in DR and provide a foundation for future studies investigating sirtuin-based therapies

High-Pressure Synthesis of a Pentazolate Salt

The pentazolates, the last all-nitrogen members of the azole series, have been notoriously elusive for the last hundred years despite enormous efforts to make these compounds in either gas or condensed phases. Here we report a successful synthesis of a solid state compound consisting of isolated pentazolate anions N5-, which is achieved by compressing and laser heating cesium azide (CsN3) mixed with N2 cryogenic liquid in a diamond anvil cell. The experiment was guided by theory, which predicted the transformation of the mixture at high pressures to a new compound, cesium pentazolate salt (CsN5). Electron transfer from Cs atoms to N5 rings enables both aromaticity in the pentazolates as well as ionic bonding in the CsN5 crystal. This work provides a critical insight into the role of extreme conditions in exploring unusual bonding routes that ultimately lead to the formation of novel high nitrogen content species

Altitude-Related Change in Endotracheal Tube Cuff Pressures in Helicopter EMS

INTRODUCTION: Over-inflation of endotracheal tube (ETT) cuffs has the potential to lead to scarring and stenosis of the trachea.1, 2,3, 4 The air inside an ETT cuff is subject to expansion as atmospheric pressure decreases, as happens with an increase in altitude. Emergency medical services helicopters are not pressurized, thereby providing a good environment for studying the effects of altitude changes ETT cuff pressures. This study aims to explore the relationship between altitude and ETT cuff pressures in a helicopter air-medical transport program. METHODS: ETT cuffs were initially inflated in a nonstandardized manner and then adjusted to a pressure of 25 cmH2O. The pressure was again measured when the helicopter reached maximum altitude. A final pressure was recorded when the helicopter landed at the receiving facility. RESULTS: We enrolled 60 subjects in the study. The mean for initial tube cuff pressures was 70 cmH2O. Maximum altitude for the program ranged from 1,000-3,000 feet above sea level, with a change in altitude from 800-2,480 feet. Mean cuff pressure at altitude was 36.52 +/- 8.56 cmH2O. Despite the significant change in cuff pressure at maximum altitude, there was no relationship found between the maximum altitude and the cuff pressures measured. CONCLUSION: Our study failed to demonstrate the expected linear relationship between ETT cuff pressures and the maximum altitude achieved during typical air-medical transportation in our system. At altitudes less than 3,000 feet above sea level, the effect of altitude change on ETT pressure is minimal and does not require a change in practice to saline-filled cuffs

Teaching Accounting Courses Online: One Instructors Experience

Accounting programs at colleges and universities across the country are offering more online courses, and in some cases entire degree programs. Given increasing enrollments in online accounting education, it is important that accounting educators become aware of the things that work and the things that dont work when delivering courses over the internet. This paper addresses the good and bad aspects of teaching accounting online. It looks at optimal ways to integrate state-of-the-art technology into an online teaching model and explores ways to increase effectiveness of online delivery as compared to traditional courses. This paper examines teaching accounting courses online at a small liberal arts school. Our research identifies features in the course that led to its effectiveness