Phosphonopeptides Revisited, in an Era of Increasing Antimicrobial Resistance

Given the increase in resistance to antibacterial agents, there is an urgent need for the development of new agents with novel modes of action. As an interim solution, it is also prudent to reinvestigate old or abandoned antibacterial compounds to assess their efficacy in the context of widespread resistance to conventional agents. In the 1970s, much work was performed on the development of peptide mimetics, exemplified by the phosphonopeptide, alafosfalin. We investigated the activity of alafosfalin, di-alanyl fosfalin and β-chloro-L-alanyl-β-chloro-L-alanine against 297 bacterial isolates, including carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) (n = 128), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (n = 37) and glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GRE) (n = 43). The interaction of alafosfalin with meropenem was also examined against 20 isolates of CPE. The MIC50 and MIC90 of alafosfalin for CPE were 1 mg/L and 4 mg/L, respectively and alafosfalin acted synergistically when combined with meropenem against 16 of 20 isolates of CPE. Di-alanyl fosfalin showed potent activity against glycopeptide-resistant isolates of Enterococcus faecalis (MIC90; 0.5 mg/L) and Enterococcus faecium (MIC90; 2 mg/L). Alafosfalin was only moderately active against MRSA (MIC90; 8 mg/L), whereas β-chloro-L-alanyl-β-chloro-L-alanine was slightly more active (MIC90; 4 mg/L). This study shows that phosphonopeptides, including alafosfalin, may have a therapeutic role to play in an era of increasing antibacterial resistance

World Health Organization infant and young child feeding indicators and their associations with child anthropometry: a synthesis of recent findings

As the World Health Organization (WHO) infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators are increasingly adopted, a comparison of country-specific analyses of the indicators\u27 associations with child growth is needed to examine the consistency of these relationships across contexts and to assess the strengths and potential limitations of the indicators. This study aims to determine cross-country patterns of associations of each of these indicators with child stunting, wasting, height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and weight-for-height z-score (WHZ). Eight studies using recent Demographic and Health Surveys data from a total of nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa (nine), Asia (three) and the Caribbean (one) were identified. The WHO indicators showed mixed associations with child anthropometric indicators across countries. Breastfeeding indicators demonstrated negative associations with HAZ, while indicators of diet diversity and overall diet quality were positively associated with HAZ in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Zambia (P \u3c 0.05). These same complementary feeding indicators did not show consistent relationships with child stunting. Exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months of age was associated with greater WHZ in Bangladesh and Zambia (P \u3c 0.05), although CF indicators did not show strong associations with WHZ or wasting. The lack of sensitivity and specificity of many of the IYCF indicators may contribute to the inconsistent associations observed. The WHO indicators are clearly valuable tools for broadly assessing the quality of child diets and for monitoring population trends in IYCF practices over time. However, additional measures of dietary quality and quantity may be necessary to understand how specific IYCF behaviours relate to child growth faltering

Playing by white rules of racial equality:student athlete experiences of racism in British university sport

Inequalities related to racial identity are consistently reported across social institutions, not least education, and sport. These inequalities consistently challenge ‘post-race’ narratives that rationalise racism down to individual prejudices and poor decision-making. This paper presents part of the findings from a wider a twelve-month research project commissioned by British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) to explore race equality. This wider research privileged the voices of non-White students and staff in an exploration of race and equality in British UK university sport. ‘Non-white’ was chosen as a race identifier to focus on Whiteness, the normalised, raceless power that reproduces itself both knowingly and unknowingly, to ensure racial ‘others’ remain subordinate. This paper presents the findings of the student voices. In this study a research team of academic and student researchers explored the experiences of 38 students across five universities. Generating case studies from each university, the data was analysed from an Intersectional and Critical Race Theory perspective. Two core themes relating to negotiating Whiteness were developed from the data analysis which reflected experiences of university sport as predominantly White spaces; ‘Play by the Rules’ and ‘Keep You Guessing’. Racial abuse was subtle, camouflaged in comments and actions that happened momentarily and hence were implausible to capture and evidence. For incidents to be addressed, evidence had to meet a ‘beyond doubt’ standard. Students were required to consciously negotiate racial bias and abuse to ensure they did not provide a justification for abuse. Navigating racialisation and stereotypes, plus White denial, was additional emotional labour for students. This mechanism of silencing the victim served to normalise racism for both the abused and perpetrator. The conclusion explores potential ways of disrupting these mechanisms of Whiteness in placing students’ welfare at the heart of university sport

A Tale of Four Departments: Interdisciplinary Faculty Learning Communities Informing Mathematics Education

As a result of the Curriculum Foundations Project and the SUMMIT-P consortium, faculty from four different departments at Lee University created a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) with the goal of improving students’ attitudes toward undergraduate mathematics courses, including students’ perception of the utility of mathematics in their lives and the feelings of anxiety that they experience in these courses. The interdisciplinary collaborations resulted in introducing novel activities and manipulatives in various mathematics courses (Introduction to Statistics, Concepts of Mathematics I and II, and Algebra for Calculus). This paper first describes the efforts of creating the inter-departmental FLC. Second, it discusses the interventions that were introduced in the mathematics courses. Finally, it reflects on the lessons learned while participating in the learning community. The goal is to guide and challenge readers to consider how similar collaborative opportunities can be initiated at their own institutions

Friends or Strangers? A Feasibility Study of an Innovative Focus Group Methodology

Focus groups are useful tools for examining perceptions, feelings, and suggestions about topics, products, or issues. Typically, focus groups are held in formal facilities with “strangers” or participants who do not know each other. Recent work suggests that “friendship groups” may provide an innovative alternative for collecting group-level qualitative data. This approach involves recruiting a single “source participant” who hosts a group in his/her home and recruits friends possessing the characteristics desired for the study. In order to examine the feasibility of friendship groups as a defensible research methodology, we conducted a series of four friendship groups as a feasibility study. Our analysis examined data from questionnaires about demographics, levels of acquaintanceship, and experience taking part in the group; transcripts; observational data; and the time and costs for recruiting. Using these data, we examined group dynamics, implementation issues, and recruitment time and costs. Based on these analyses, our study determined that friendship groups have the potential to be a viable and cost-effective method of qualitative inquiry

Strong trait correlation and phylogenetic signal in North American ground beetle (Carabidae) morphology

Functional traits mediate species’ responses to, and roles within, their environment and are constrained by evolutionary history. While we have a strong understanding of trait evolution for macrotaxa such as birds and mammals, our understanding of invertebrates is comparatively limited. Here, we address this gap in North American beetles with a sample of ground beetles (Carabidae), leveraging a large-scale collection and digitization effort by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). For 154 ground beetle species, we measured seven morphological traits, which we placed into a recently developed effect–response framework that characterizes traits by how they predict species’ effects on their ecosystems or responses to environmental stressors. We then used cytochrome oxidase 1 sequences from the same specimens to generate a phylogeny and tested the evolutionary tempo and mode of the traits. We found strong phylogenetic signal in, and correlations among, ground beetle morphological traits. These results indicate that, for these species, beetle body shape trait evolution is constrained, and phylogenetic inertia is a stronger driver of beetle traits than (recent) environmental responses. Strong correlations among effect and response traits suggest that future environmental drivers are likely to affect both ecological composition and functioning in these beetles

Ignition Risks of Biomass Dust on Hot Surfaces

Combustible biomass dusts are formed at various handling stages, and accumulations of these dusts can occur on hot surfaces of electrical and mechanical devices and can pose fire risks. This study evaluates the ignition characteristics of dust from two types of biomass commonly used in the U.K. power stations: herbaceous miscanthus and woody pine. The ignition risks of the individual biomass and their blends in two different weight ratios, 90 wt % pine to 10 wt % miscanthus and 50 wt % pine to 50 wt % miscanthus, were investigated. Biomass–biomass blends represent the power plant scenario where a number of biomass are fired under daily operation, and thus, dust sedimentation could consist of material blends. The influence of washing pretreatment (particularly to remove catalytic potassium) on the ignition behavior of these dusts was investigated. Fuel characterization via proximate and ultimate analyses was performed on all fuels and combustion characteristics via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The risk of self-ignition propensity of both untreated and washed biomass was ranked graphically using the activation energy (Ea) for combustion and the temperature of maximum weight loss (TMWL) determined from the derivative TGA (DTG) curve. It was found that the TMWL and Ea of washed biomass were higher than those of the untreated biomass, implying a lower self-ignition risk. Similar analyses were performed on untreated and washed blends, and comparable results were observed. The ignition characteristics were studied following the British Standard test methods for determining the minimum ignition temperature of a 5 mm dust layer on a heated surface. It was found that the washed individual biomass and their blends revealed slightly higher dust ignition temperatures than their respective untreated counterparts, a 20 and 10 °C difference for individual biomass and blends, respectively. The effect of washing on the ignition delay time was more obvious for pine than for miscanthus, but the time difference between the untreated and washed biomass never exceeded 4 min for all biomass and blends. The biomass pretreatment method of washing did change the combustion and self-ignition characteristics of biomass dust, and there was evidence of potassium being leached from the fuels upon washing (particularly miscanthus). This is considered the main reason for the increase in the minimum ignition temperature. While the washed biomass is found to have a lower ignition risk, it should be noted that the result (validated for up to 5 mm thickness) is not significant enough to influence plant operations for the ignition risk from thin dust layers according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard

The illusion of competency versus the desirability of expertise: Seeking a common standard for support professions in sport

In this paper we examine and challenge the competency-based models which currently dominate accreditation and development systems in sport support disciplines, largely the sciences and coaching. Through consideration of exemplar shortcomings, the limitations of competency-based systems are presented as failing to cater for the complexity of decision making and the need for proactive experimentation essential to effective practice. To provide a better fit with the challenges of the various disciplines in their work with performers, an alternative approach is presented which focuses on the promotion, evaluation and elaboration of expertise. Such an approach resonates with important characteristics of professions, whilst also providing for the essential ‘shades of grey’ inherent in work with human participants. Key differences between the approaches are considered through exemplars of evaluation processes. The expertise-focused method, although inherently more complex, is seen as offering a less ambiguous and more positive route, both through more accurate representation of essential professional competence and through facilitation of future growth in proficiency and evolution of expertise in practice. Examples from the literature are also presented, offering further support for the practicalities of this approach

Understanding Sow Sexual Behavior and the Application of the Boar Pheromone to Stimulate Sow Reproduction

In this chapter, we review the sexual behavior of domestic pigs, and the visible or measurable anatomical features of the pig that will contribute to detecting sows in estrus. We also summarize olfactory organs, and the effects of a sexual pheromone on pig’s biology and sow reproductive performance. We discuss the role of a live boar in the heat detection where the female is in breeding crates. However, there is an increasing interest in being able to breed sows without a boar present. Farm workers must be trained on the fine points of estrus detection so that they can work in a safe and productive setting. After a review of olfactory biology of the pig, the chapter explains how new pheromonal technology, such as BOARBETTER®, aids in the process of heat detection with or without a live boar. To achieve reproductive success, the persons breeding must assimilate all fine points of pig sexual behavior and possess a clear understanding of what they should be looking for in each sow they expect to breed