Dilation and Asymmetric Relevance

A characterization result of dilation in terms of positive and negative association admits an extremal counterexample, which we present together with a minor repair of the result. Dilation may be asymmetric whereas covariation itself is symmetric. Dilation is still characterized in terms of positive and negative covariation, however, once the event to be dilated has been specified

Computation of Spiral Spectra

A computational linear stability analysis of spiral waves in a reaction-diffusion equation is performed on large disks. As the disk radius R increases, eigenvalue spectra converge to the absolute spectrum predicted by Sandstede and Scheel. The convergence rate is consistent with 1/R, except possibly near the edge of the spectrum. Eigenfunctions computed on large disks are compared with predicted exponential forms. Away from the edge of the absolute spectrum the agreement is excellent, while near the edge computed eigenfunctions deviate from predictions, probably due to finite-size effects. In addition to eigenvalues associated with the absolute spectrum, computations reveal point eigenvalues. The point eigenvalues and associated eigenfunctions responsible for both core and far-field breakup of spiral waves are shown.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, submitted to SIAD

Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture NEH Summer Institute for Teachers July 12-30, 2010

poster abstractThis institute will support the studies of twenty-five talented teachers from across the nation as they join with nationally renowned scholars to explore how religion has shaped, and been shaped by, the American experience. The institute directors, Philip Goff, Arthur Farnsley, and Rachel Wheeler, are all noted scholars in their field, whose work encompasses a wide range of subject matter and methodologies. The institute will enable participants from many different fields to develop new materials on American religion that can be incorporated into their current curricula. An English teacher introducing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for instance, will be better prepared to discuss the nexus of religion and race in the context of nineteenth-century America. A civics teacher focusing on the origins of the American government will be able to incorporate discussion about the religion of the founders and the ways in which the First Amendment has shaped American society

Modulation of endoglin expression in islets of langerhans by VEGF reveals a novel regulator of islet endothelial cell function

BACKGROUND: Endoglin/CD105 is an auxiliary receptor for transforming growth factor-β with established roles in vascular remodelling. It has recently been shown that heterozygous endoglin deficiency in mice decreases insulin secretion in an animal model of obesity, highlighting a potential role for endoglin in the regulation of islet function. We have previously identified two different populations of endoglin expressing cells in human and mouse islets which are: (i) endothelial cells (ECs) and (ii) islet mesenchymal stromal cells. The contribution of islet EC endoglin expression to islet development and sensitivity to VEGF is unknown and is the focus of this study. RESULTS: In vitro culture of mouse islets with VEGF164 for 48 h increased endoglin mRNA levels above untreated controls but VEGF did not modulate VEGFR2, CD31 or CD34 mRNA expression or islet viability. Removal of EC-endoglin expression in vivo reduced islet EC area but had no apparent effect on islet size or architecture. CONCLUSION: EC-specific endoglin expression in islets is sensitive to VEGF and plays partial roles in driving islet vascular development, however such regulation appears to be distinct to mechanisms required to modulate islet viability and size

Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture

poster abstractThe NEH Summer Institute for Teachers will support the studies of twenty-five talented teachers from across the nation as they join with nationally renowned scholars to explore how religion has shaped, and been shaped by, the American experience. The institute directors, Philip Goff, Arthur Farnsley, and Rachel Wheeler, are all noted scholars in their field, whose work encompasses a wide range of subject matter and methodologies. The institute will enable participants from many different fields to develop new materials on American religion that can be incorporated into their current curricula. An English teacher introducing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for instance, will be better prepared to discuss the nexus of religion and race in the context of nineteenth-century America. A civics teacher focusing on the origins of the American government will be able to incorporate discussion about the religion of the founders and the ways in which the First Amendment has shaped American society. The prime goal of The Bible in American Life project is to gain insight for clergy and scholars on Bible-reading as a religious practice. We are particularly interested in how people use the Bible in their personal lives, how religious communities and even the internet shape individuals’ comprehension of scripture, and how individual and communal understandings of scripture influence American public life. Employing both quantitative methods (the General Social Survey and a local survey) and qualitative research (focus-group interviews, historical analysis, and other means), we hope to provide an unprecedented perspective on the Bible’s role outside the context of worship, in the lived religion of a broad cross-section of Americans both now and in the past. Such data will be invaluable to clergy and seminar professors seeking more effective ways to teach and preach scripture in an age saturated with information and technology. The results of the project also will help scholars seeking to understand recent changes in American Christianity

Book reviews

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Stationary Universe

If the Universe contains at least one inflationary domain with a sufficiently large and homogeneous scalar field, then this domain permanently produces new inflationary domains of all possible types. We show that under certain conditions this process of the self-reproduction of the Universe can be described by a stationary distribution of probability, which means that the fraction of the physical volume of the Universe in a state with given properties (with given values of fields, with a given density of matter, etc.) does not depend on time. This represents a strong deviation of inflationary cosmology from the standard Big Bang paradigm.Comment: 12 pages, SU-ITP-93-9 (few misprints removed

A Farm-to-Fork Quantitative Microbial Exposure Assessment of β-Lactam-Resistant \u3ci\u3eEscherichia coli\u3c/i\u3e among U.S. Beef Consumers

Integrated quantitative descriptions of the transmission of β-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli (BR-EC) from commercial beef products to consumers are not available. Here, a quantitative microbial exposure assessment model was established to simulate the fate of BR-EC in a farm-to-fork continuum and provide an estimate of BR-EC exposure among beef consumers in the U.S. The model compared the per-serving exposures from the consumption of intact beef cuts, non-intact beef cuts, and ground beef. Additionally, scenario analysis was performed to evaluate the relative contribution of antibiotic use during beef cattle production to the level of human exposure to BR-EC. The model predicted mean numbers of BR-EC of 1.7 x 10-4, 8.7 x 10-4, and 6.9 x 10-1 CFU/serving for intact beef cuts, non-intact beef cuts, and ground beef, respectively, at the time of consumption. Sensitivity analyses using the baseline model suggested that factors related to sectors along the supply chain, i.e., feedlots, processing plants, retailers, and consumers, were all important for controlling human exposure to BR-EC. Interventions at the processing and post-processing stages are expected to be most effective. Simulation results showed that a decrease in antibiotic use among beef cattle might be associated with a reduction in exposure to BR-EC from beef consumption. However, the absolute reduction was moderate, indicating that the effectiveness of restricting antibiotic use as a standalone strategy for mitigating human exposure to BR-EC through beef consumption is still uncertain. Good cooking and hygiene practices at home and advanced safety management practices in the beef processing and post-processing continuum are more powerful approaches for reducing human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in beef products

Use of an integrated clinical trial database to evaluate the effect of timing of drotrecogin alfa (activated) treatment in severe sepsis

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have indicated that early identification and treatment of patients with severe sepsis using standard supportive care improves outcomes. Earlier treatment with drotrecogin alfa (activated) (DrotAA) may also improve outcomes in severe sepsis. Using a recently constructed integrated severe sepsis database, our objectives in this study were to describe the influence of baseline clinical characteristics on timing of DrotAA treatment in patients with severe sepsis, to evaluate the efficacy of DrotAA with respect to timing of administration, and to examine the association between early intervention with DrotAA and patient outcomes, using adjustments for imbalances. METHODS: The database comprises data from 4,459 patients with severe sepsis (DrotAA, n = 3,228; placebo, n = 1,231) included in five clinical trials conducted in tertiary care institutions in 28 countries. Placebo data came only from randomized trials, whereas data for the DrotAA group came from randomized (PROWESS) and open-label/observational (ENHANCE) trials. RESULTS: Increased time-to-treatment with DrotAA was significantly associated with more organ dysfunction, greater need of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor use, or recent surgery. Earlier treatment was associated with higher baseline Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) scores. Adjusted and unadjusted survival analyses suggested that compared with placebo, DrotAA treatment provided a potential survival benefit, regardless of time to treatment. Survival curves of DrotAA patients treated early compared with those treated late began to separate at 14 days. By 28 days, patients treated earlier had higher survival than those treated later (76.4% versus 73.5%, p = 0.03). Sepsis-induced multiorgan dysfunction was the most common cause of death followed by refractory shock and respiratory failure. Modeling of the treatment effect, as a function of time to treatment, suggested increased benefit with earlier treatment. CONCLUSION: Using an integrated database of five severe sepsis trials and appropriate statistical adjustments to reduce sources of potential bias, earlier treatment with DrotAA seemed to be associated with a lower risk-adjusted mortality than later treatment. These data suggest that earlier treatment with DrotAA may provide most benefit for appropriate patients

Twenty-Four-Month Longitudinal Study Suggests Little to No Horizontal Gene Transfer In Situ between Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant \u3ci\u3eSalmonella\u3c/i\u3e and Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant \u3ci\u3eEscherichia coli\u3c/i\u3e in a Beef Cattle Feedyard

Third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) are preferred treatments for serious human Salmonella enterica infections. Beef cattle are suspected to contribute to human 3GC-resistant Salmonella infections. Commensal 3GC-resistant Escherichia coli are thought to act as reservoirs of 3GC resistance because these strains are isolated more frequently than are 3GC-resistant Salmonella strains at beef cattle feedyards. During each of 24 consecutive months, four samples of pen surface material were obtained from five pens (N = 480) at a Nebraska feedyard to determine to the contribution of 3GC-resistant E. coli to the occurrence of 3GC-resistant Salmonella. Illumina whole genome sequencing was performed, and susceptibility to 14 antimicrobial agents was determined for 121 3GC-susceptible Salmonella, 121 3GC-resistant Salmonella, and 203 3GCresistant E. coli isolates. 3GC-susceptible Salmonella isolates were predominantly from serotypes Muenchen (70.2%) and Montevideo clade 1 (23.1%). 3GC-resistant Salmonella isolates were predominantly from serotypes Montevideo clade 2 (84.3%). One bla gene type (blaCMY-2) and the IncC plasmid replicon were present in 100 and 97.5% of the 3GC-resistant Salmonella, respectively. Eleven bla gene types were detected in the 3GC-resistant E. coli, which were distributed across 42 multilocus sequence types. The blaCMY-2 gene and IncC plasmid replicon were present in 37.9 and 9.9% of the 3GC-resistant E. coli, respectively. These results suggest that 3GC resistance in Salmonella was primarily due the persistence of Salmonella Montevideo clade 2 with very minimal or no contribution from 3GC-resistant E. coli via horizontal gene transfer and that 3GCresistant E. coli may not be a useful indicator for 3GC-resistant Salmonella in beef cattle production environments