Pesticide changes odds of interactions between native and invasive ants

BACKGROUND: A variety of facial nerve grading scales have been developed over the years with the intended goals of objectively documenting facial nerve function,tracking recovery, and facilitating communication between practitioners. Numerous scales have been proposed; however, all are subject to limitation because of varying degrees of subjectivity, reliability, or longitudinal applicability. At present, such scales remain the only widely accessible modalities for facial functional assessment. The authors' objective was to ascertain which scales(s) best accomplish the goals of objective assessment. METHODS: A systematic review of the English language literature was performed to identify facial nerve grading instruments. Each system was evaluated against the following criteria: convenience of clinical use, regional scoring, static and dynamic measures, features secondary to facial palsy (e.g., synkinesis), reproducibility with low interobserver and intraobserver variability, and sensitivity to changes over time and/or following interventions. Results : From 666 articles, 19 facial nerve grading scales were identified. Only the Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale satisfied all criteria. The Facial Nerve Grading Scale 2.0 (or revised House-Brackmann Scale) fulfilled all criteria except intraobserver reliability, which has not been assessed. CONCLUSIONS: Facial nerve grading scales intend to provide objectivity and uniformity of reporting to otherwise subjective analysis. The Facial Nerve Grading Scale 2.0 requires further evaluation for intraobserver reliability. The Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale has been robustly evaluated with respect to the criteria prescribed in this article. Although sophisticated technology-based methodologies are being developed for potential clinical application,the authors recommend widespread adoption of the Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale as the current standard in reporting outcomes of facial nerve disorders

Molecular analysis of CHX10 and MFRP in Chinese subjects with primary angle closure glaucoma and short axial length eyes

Molecular Vision141313-131

Raman coupler for a trapped two-component quantum-degenerate Fermi gas

We investigate theoretically the Raman coupling between two internal states of a trapped low-density quantum-degenerate Fermi gas. In general, the trap frequencies associated with the two internal states can be different, leading to the onset of collapses and revivals in the population difference of the two internal states. This behavior can be changed drastically by two-body collisions. In particular, we show that under appropriate conditions they can suppress the dephasing leading to the collapse of the population difference, and restore almost full Rabi oscillations between the two internal states. These results are compared and contrasted to those for a quantum-degenerate bosonic gas.Comment: 7 pages incl. 7 PostScript figures (.eps), LaTeX using RevTeX4, submitted to Phys. Rev. A, modified versio

Investigating Genres and Perspectives in HCI Research on the Home

The home and domestic experiences have been studied from multiple points of view and disciplines, with an array of methodologies in the past twenty-five years in HCI. Given the attention to the home and the volume of research, what further areas of research might there be? Based on a critical analysis of 121 works on the topic, we present seven genres of domestic technology research in HCI: social routines in the home, ongoing domestic practices, the home as a testing ground, smart homes, contested values of a home, the home as a site for interpretation, and speculative visions of the home. We articulate dominant research perspectives in HCI, and we offer two complementary perspectives about how to investigate the domestic experience in future research: the material perspective and the first person perspective

Nearest Neighbor Distances on a Circle: Multidimensional Case

We study the distances, called spacings, between pairs of neighboring energy levels for the quantum harmonic oscillator. Specifically, we consider all energy levels falling between E and E+1, and study how the spacings between these levels change for various choices of E, particularly when E goes to infinity. Primarily, we study the case in which the spring constant is a badly approximable vector. We first give the proof by Boshernitzan-Dyson that the number of distinct spacings has a uniform bound independent of E. Then, if the spring constant has components forming a basis of an algebraic number field, we show that, when normalized up to a unit, the spacings are from a finite set. Moreover, in the specific case that the field has one fundamental unit, the probability distribution of these spacings behaves quasiperiodically in log E. We conclude by studying the spacings in the case that the spring constant is not badly approximable, providing examples for which the number of distinct spacings is unbounded.Comment: Version 2 is updated to include more discussion of previous works. 17 pages with five figures. To appear in the Journal of Statistical Physic

Separation and purification of curcumin using novel aqueous two-phase micellar systems composed of amphiphilic copolymer and cholinium ionic liquids

Novel aqueous two-phase micellar systems (ATPMS) composed of Pluronic F68, a triblock amphiphilic copolymer, and cholinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) were formulated and applied for separation/purification of curcumin (CCM). CCM stability in the presence of ATPMS components was also evaluated. CCM is stable up to 24 h in copolymer (1.0 10.0 wt%) and ILs (0.1 3.0 M) aqueous solutions. Very mild phase separation conditions (close to room temperature) were achieved by adding cholinium ILs to the Pluronic F68 + McIlvaine buffer at pH 6.0 solution. The decrease of cloud-point temperature is dependent on the relative hydrophobicity of IL anion, [Hex] > [But] > [Prop] > [Ac] > Cl. ATPMS composed of more hydrophobic ILs ([Ch][Hex] > [Ch][But] > [Ch][Prop]) are most efficient in the partition of commercial CCM into polymeric micelles-rich phase. The best ATPMS (0.70 M [Ch][But] and 0.60 M [Ch][Hex]-based ATPMS) were then used to purify CCM from a crude extract of Curcuma longa L. Both systems were very selective to separate CCM from protein-based contaminants (selectivity values 25; purification yields 12-fold). Pluronic F68-based ATPMS are promising for selective separation of hydrophobic biomolecules by using cholinium-based ILs as adjuvants to adjust phase separation temperatures and biomolecules partition.This study was funded by the Coordination for Higher Level Graduate Improvements (CAPES/Brazil, finance code 001), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/Brazil) and the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP/Brazil, processes #2014/16424-7, #2017/10789-1, #2018/10799-0, #2018/05111-9; #2019/05624-9, and #2019/08549-8). A.M. Lopes and J.F.B. Pereira are grateful for the language revision of native speaker H.S. Pacheco Neto.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perceptions of trekking tourism and social and environmental change in Nepal's Himalayas

The Himalayas are among the world’s youngest mountain ranges. In addition to the geologic processes of mountain building and erosion, they are also highly vulnerable to human influenced change, occurring at local, national, regional, and international scales. A photo-elicitation methodology is employed to show how residents perceive those changes from historical perspectives, as well as their current conditions and impacts on their daily lives. Nepal’s Khumbu region has undergone major social and environmental transformations since the 1960s when international trekking first began to influence the area's economy. The current perceptions of Khumbu residents of these changes is assessed through photo-elicitation interviews. Their responses are placed in the historical context of: (i) institutional and political changes, much of which have been driven by national government policies; (ii) social and economic changes, for which the tourism economy has been central; and (iii) environmental changes, reflecting the impacts of resource management and climate change. The mostly positive perceptions of Khumbu residents toward how their region has changed reflects general improvements in the physical and cultural landscapes of the Khumbu over time, as well as its continuing geographic isolation, which has helped to slow the rate of globalization, while also keeping the region a dynamic and popular tourist destination

A DHODH inhibitor increases p53 synthesis and enhances tumor cell killing by p53 degradation blockage

ML, CD, IvL, GP, TM, SD, MS, APF, CT, DL, MAH, KL and SL: project grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Society and the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation. MHi and JC: Cancer Research UK (C8/A6613). MC, EP and WE: Wellcome Trust (073915). MN and BV: projects MEYS-NPS-LO1413 and GACR P206/12/G151. EMC, MP, MMS, ZF and PG: Norwegian Cancer Society (182735, 732200) and Helse Vest (911884, 911789). RB and SC: NIH (R01 CA95684), the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Waxman Foundation. NW, AH, Ad’H: Cancer Research UK (C21383/A6950) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Doctoral Training Program. JL and YZ: Cancer Research UK (C240/A15751). MH and BW: SARomics Biostructures ABUY, KF: DDDP SciLife, Sweden. LJ, MHa, RS and A-LG: CBCS, Sweden. VP: SciLife fellowship. AT: Breast Cancer Research Scotland.The development of non-genotoxic therapies that activate wild-type p53 in tumors is of great interest since the discovery of p53 as a tumor suppressor. Here we report the identification of over 100 small-molecules activating p53 in cells. We elucidate the mechanism of action of a chiral tetrahydroindazole (HZ00), and through target deconvolution, we deduce that its active enantiomer (R)-HZ00, inhibits dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). The chiral specificity of HZ05, a more potent analog, is revealed by the crystal structure of the (R)-HZ05/DHODH complex. Twelve other DHODH inhibitor chemotypes are detailed among the p53 activators, which identifies DHODH as a frequent target for structurally diverse compounds. We observe that HZ compounds accumulate cancer cells in S-phase, increase p53 synthesis, and synergize with an inhibitor of p53 degradation to reduce tumor growth in vivo. We, therefore, propose a strategy to promote cancer cell killing by p53 instead of its reversible cell cycle arresting effect.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe