Layering Sel(f)ves: Finding Acceptance, Community and Praxis through Collage

There are multiple aspects that shape one’s experience as a student teacher; however often as teacher educators, we focus on the intellectual rather than the emotional nature of the experience. Within this a/r/tographical inquiry, we render a story of what can happen when teacher educators intentionally engage the multidimensional nature of the student teaching experience through the integration of arts-informed epistemologies within the context of the student teaching seminar. Student teachers entered into a dialogic space of reflexivity and praxis where they discovered that their experiences mattered and did not occur in isolation. This project has implications for considering ways to help student teachers and teacher educators bridge the gaps between the personal, social, artistic, and academic that is teaching

An Stomatin, Prohibitin, Flotillin, and HflK/C-Domain Protein Required to Link the Phage-Shock Protein to the Membrane in Bacillus subtilis

Membrane surveillance and repair is of utmost importance to maintain cellular integrity and allow cellular life. Several systems detect cell envelope stress caused by antimicrobial compounds and abiotic stresses such as solvents, pH-changes and temperature in bacteria. Proteins containing an Stomatin, Prohibitin, Flotillin, and HflK/C (SPFH)-domain, including bacterial flotillins have been shown to be involved in membrane protection and membrane fluidity regulation. Here, we characterize a bacterial SPFH-domain protein, YdjI that is part of a stress induced complex in Bacillus subtilis. We show that YdjI is required to localize the ESCRT-III homolog PspA to the membrane with the help of two membrane integral proteins, YdjG/H. In contrast to classical flotillins, YdjI resides in fluid membrane regions and does not enrich in detergent resistant membrane fractions. However, similarly to FloA and FloT from B. subtilis, deletion of YdjI decreases membrane fluidity. Our data reveal a hardwired connection between phage shock response and SPFH proteins

A Comparison of Wine Purchasing Behaviors in Ireland and California When the Celtic Tiger Roared

In 2006 the Irish wine market was growing rapidly along with its Celtic Tiger economy (Euromonitor, 2008). Total wine sales in Ireland more than quadrupled in the seventeen-year span from 1990 to 2007 (Geraghty and Torres, 2009). While wine consumption in Ireland was growing at a rapid rate, US consumption was growing, but at a slower rate. (Euromonitor, 2010). According to Moran, Ireland’s increased consumption of wine was due primarily to improved accessibility, affordability, and branding of wine. Geraghty and Torres conducted research in Galway Ireland in 2006 among 307 wine consumers and identified three clusters of wine consumers in Ireland: the casual wine buyer, the value seeking wine buyer, and the wine traditionalist (Geraghty , 2009). These clusters provided insight into the consumers behind the increase in wine consumption. The recent recession however, has caused the wine sector in Ireland to plummet (Euromonitor, 2010)

Proposal for Quantum Simulation via All-Optically Generated Tensor Network States

We devise an all-optical scheme for the generation of entangled multimode photonic states encoded in temporal modes of light. The scheme employs a nonlinear down-conversion process in an optical loop to generate one- and higher-dimensional tensor network states of light. We illustrate the principle with the generation of two different classes of entangled tensor network states and report on a variational algorithm to simulate the ground-state physics of many-body systems. We demonstrate that state-of-the-art optical devices are capable of determining the ground-state properties of the spin-1/2 Heisenberg model. Finally, implementations of the scheme are demonstrated to be robust against realistic losses and mode mismatch.Comment: 6 pages main text plus 6 pages Supplementary Material and many figures. Updated to published version. Comments welcom

Adiposity, Cardiometabolic Risk, and Vitamin D Status: The Framingham Heart Study

OBJECTIVE: Because vitamin D deficiency is associated with a variety of chronic diseases, understanding the characteristics that promote vitamin D deficiency in otherwise healthy adults could have important clinical implications. Few studies relating vitamin D deficiency to obesity have included direct measures of adiposity. Furthermore, the degree to which vitamin D is associated with metabolic traits after adjusting for adiposity measures is unclear. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We investigated the relations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations with indexes of cardiometabolic risk in 3,890 nondiabetic individuals; 1,882 had subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volumes measured by multidetector computed tomography (CT). RESULTS: In multivariable-adjusted regression models, 25(OH)D was inversely associated with winter season, waist circumference, and serum insulin (P < 0.005 for all). In models further adjusted for CT measures, 25(OH)D was inversely related to SAT (−1.1 ng/ml per SD increment in SAT, P = 0.016) and VAT (−2.3 ng/ml per SD, P < 0.0001). The association of 25(OH)D with insulin resistance measures became nonsignificant after adjustment for VAT. Higher adiposity volumes were correlated with lower 25(OH)D across different categories of BMI, including in lean individuals (BMI <25 kg/m2). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (25[OH]D <20 ng/ml) was threefold higher in those with high SAT and high VAT than in those with low SAT and low VAT (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D status is strongly associated with variation in subcutaneous and especially visceral adiposity. The mechanisms by which adiposity promotes vitamin D deficiency warrant further study.National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (N01-HC-25195, R01-DK-80739): American Heart Associatio

Exploring the Impact of Galaxy Interactions over Seven Billion Years with CAS

We explore galaxy assembly over the last seven billion years by characterizing "normal" galaxies along the Hubble sequence, against strongly disturbed merging/interacting galaxies with the widely used CAS system of concentration (C), asymmetry (A), and 'clumpiness' (S) parameters, as well as visual classification. We analyze Hubble Space Telescope (HST) ACS images of ~4000 intermediate and high mass (> 10^9 solar masses) galaxies from the GEMS survey, one of the largest HST surveys conducted to date in two filters. We explore the effectiveness of the CAS criteria [A>S and A>~0.35] in separating normal and strongly disturbed galaxies at different redshifts, and quantify the recovery and contamination rate. We also compare the average star formation rate and the cosmic star formation rate density as a function of redshift between normal and interacting systems identified by CAS.Comment: ASP conference proceedings of 2007 Bash Symposium. Latex with asp2006.sty. 4 pages, 4 figure

Matching scope, purpose and uses of planetary boundaries science

Background: The Planetary Boundaries concept (PBc) has emerged as a key global sustainability concept in international sustainable development arenas. Initially presented as an agenda for global sustainability research, it now shows potential for sustainability governance. We use the fact that it is widely cited in scientific literature (>3500 citations) and an extensively studied concept to analyse how it has been used and developed since its first publication. Design: From the literature that cites the PBc, we select those articles that have the terms 'planetary boundaries' or 'safe operating space' in either title, abstract or keywords. We assume that this literature substantively engages with and develops the PBc. Results: We find that 6% of the citing literature engages with the concept. Within this fraction of the literature we distinguish commentaries—that discuss the context and challenges to implementing the PBc, articles that develop the core biogeophysical concept and articles that apply the concept by translating to sub-global scales and by adding a human component to it. Applied literature adds to the concept by explicitly including society through perspectives of impacts, needs, aspirations and behaviours. Discussion: Literature applying the concept does not yet include the more complex, diverse, cultural and behavioural facet of humanity that is implied in commentary literature. We suggest there is need for a positive framing of sustainability goals—as a Safe Operating Space rather than boundaries. Key scientific challenges include distinguishing generalised from context-specific knowledge, clarifying which processes are generalizable and which are scalable, and explicitly applying complex systems' knowledge in the application and development of the PBc. We envisage that opportunities to address these challenges will arise when more human social dimensions are integrated, as we learn to feed the global sustainability vision with a plurality of bottom-up realisations of sustainability

About lanthanoid fluoride selenide oxoselenotantalates with the composition Ln3F2Se2TaO4 (Ln = La - Nd)

After solid-state reactions of the light lanthanoid metals, their oxides and fluorides as well as selenium in sealed tantalum ampoules with sodium chloride as a fluxing agent at 850 °C for 8 days needle-shaped single crystals of Ln3F2Se2TaO4 (Ln = La - Nd) were obtained. They crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pnma analogous to La3F2Se2NbO4 with a = 1133-1120 pm, b = 400-393 pm and c = 1812-1778 pm (Ln = La - Nd) for Z = 4 as the first known quinary lanthanoid(III) oxoselenotantalates(V) with fluoride and selenide anions. The three crystallographically different Ln3+ cations are all surrounded by nine anions (O2-, F- and Se2-) each. Tantalum resides in an octahedral chalcogen coordination by forming trans-vertex oxygen-connected [TaO5Se]7- polyhedra, which build up chains 1∞{[TaOV2/2Ot3/1Set1/1]5-} along [010]. The sites of the four crystallographically different oxygen atoms and the two distinct fluoride anions were established by bond-valence calculations. One fluorine and three oxygen atoms are surrounded tetrahedrally by cations, while another fluoride and oxide anion exhibit just triangular non-planar coordination spheres. The two independent Se2- anions have five or six cationic neighbors.Projekt DEA

Tissue S100/calgranulin expression and blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in dogs with lower urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is the most common neoplasm of the canine lower urinary tract, affecting approximately 2% of dogs. Elderly female patients of certain breeds are predisposed, and clinical signs of UC can easily be confused with urinary tract infection or urolithiasis. Diagnosis and treatment are challenging given the lack of disease-specific markers and treatments. The S100A8/A9 complex and S100A12 protein are Ca2+-binding proteins expressed by cells of the innate immune system and have shown promise as urinary screening markers for UC. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can also aid in distinguishing certain neoplastic from inflammatory conditions. Our study aimed to evaluate the tissue expression of S100/calgranulins and the blood NLR in dogs with UC. Urinary bladder and/or urethral tissue samples from dogs with UC (n = 10), non-neoplastic inflammatory lesions (NNUTD; n = 6), and no histologic changes (n = 11) were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Blood NLRs were analyzed in dogs with UC (n = 22) or NNUTD (n = 26). RESULTS Tissue S100A12-positive cell counts were significantly higher in dogs with lower urinary tract disease than healthy controls (P = 0.0267 for UC, P = 0.0049 for NNUTD), with no significant difference between UC and NNUTD patients. Tissue S100A8/A9-positivity appeared to be higher with NNUTD than UC, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. The S100A8/A9+-to-S100A12+ ratio was significantly decreased in neoplastic and inflamed lower urinary tract tissue compared to histologically normal specimens (P = 0.0062 for UC, P = 0.0030 for NNUTD). NLRs were significantly higher in dogs with UC than in dogs with NNUTD, and a cut-off NLR of ≤ 2.83 distinguished UC from NNUTD with 41% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Higher NLRs were also associated with a poor overall survival time (P = 0.0417). CONCLUSIONS These results confirm that the S100/calgranulins play a role in the immune response to inflammatory and neoplastic lower urinary tract diseases in dogs, but the tissue expression of these proteins appears to differ from their concentrations reported in urine samples. Further investigations of the S100/calgranulin pathways in UC and their potential as diagnostic or prognostic tools and potential therapeutic targets are warranted. The NLR as a routinely available marker might be a useful surrogate to distinguish UC from inflammatory conditions

The RIPI-f (Reporting Integrity of Psychological Interventions delivered face-to-face) checklist was developed to guide reporting of treatment integrity in face-to-face psychological interventions.

Objectives: Intervention integrity is the degree to which the study intervention is delivered as intended. This article presents the RIPI-f checklist (Reporting Integrity of Psychological Interventions delivered face-to-face) and summarizes its development methods. RIPI-f proposes guidance for reporting intervention integrity in evaluative studies of face-to-face psychological interventions. Study Design and Setting: We followed established procedures for developing reporting guidelines. We examined 56 documents (reporting guidelines, bias tools, and methodological guidance) for relevant aspects of face-to-face psychological intervention integrity. Eighty four items were identified and grouped as per the template for intervention description and replication (TIDieR) domains. Twenty nine experts from psychology and medicine and other scholars rated the relevance of each item in a single-round Delphi survey.Amultidisciplinary panel of 11 experts discussed the survey results in three online consensus meetings and drafted the final version of the checklist. Results: We propose RIPI-f, a checklist with 50 items. Our checklist enhances TIDieR with important extensions, such as therapeutic alliance, provider’s allegiance, and the adherence of providers and participants. Conclusion: RIPI-f can improve the reporting of face-to-face psychological interventions. The tool can help authors, researchers, systematic reviewers, and guideline developers. We suggest using RIPI-f alongside other reporting guidelines.post-print504 K