SECURING AMERICA’S CAPITAL

The concrete barriers, sewer pipes, and chain-link fencing that prompted the National Capital Planning Commission’s security efforts inconvenienced city residents, workers, and visitors and degraded the appearance of one of the most carefully designed and naturally beautiful cities in the world. And yet, what made these barriers intolerable was their underlying message—that the nation’s capital would allow terrorists to limit the American hallmark of open access. The National Capital Planning Commission does not ask federal agencies to ignore the threat reality, but it does ask that agencies cease to install monuments of fear and retrenchment. As the capital’s watchful steward, the Commission is committed to preserving urban design ideals and cultivating Washington’s two-hundredyear-old planning tradition

HII Region Oxygen Abundances in Starbursting Transition Dwarf Galaxies

We present empirical HII region oxygen abundances for a sample of low-luminosity starburst galaxies which are in a short lived evolutionary state. All five galaxies are characterized by centrally concentrated star formation, which is embedded in smooth stellar envelopes resembling dE-like systems. The galaxies also have small gas contents with typical M_{HI}/L_{B} ~ 0.1 resulting in gas exhaustion timescales less than 1 Gyr, even when molecular gas is considered. We find, compared to other morphologically similar systems, the galaxies of this sample have surprisingly high oxygen abundances with 12 + log(O/H) ~ 9.0. We propose that these objects are a subclass of evolved blue compact dwarfs, which have exhausted most of their gas supply while retaining their metals. We further propose that we are seeing these objects during a short phase in which they are nearing the end of their starburst activity, and could become early-type dwarfs.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted by ApJ Letter

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 43, No. 2

• The America\u27s Industrial Heritage Project: A Model for Cultural Tourism • The Harmonists are Waiting for You • The Quest for Authenticity in Tourism and Folklife Studies • Tourism and the Old Order Amish • The Log Cabin: Notes on its Structure and Dissemination • On the Making of Die Union Choral Harmonie (1833): Evidence from Henry C. Eyer\u27s Working Papers • In Memoriam: Paul R. Wieand, a True Artisthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1139/thumbnail.jp

Stabilization of angiotensin-(1-7) by key substitution with a cyclic non-natural amino acid

Angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)], a heptapeptide hormone of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), is a promising candidate as a treatment for cancer that reflects its antiproliferative and anti-angiogenic properties. However, the peptide’s therapeutic potential is limited by the short half-life and low bioavailability resulting from rapid enzymatic metabolism by peptidases including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and dipeptidyl peptidase 3 (DPP 3). We report the facile assembly of three novel Ang-(1-7) analogues by solid-phase peptide synthesis which incorporates the cyclic non-natural δ-amino acid ACCA. The analogues containing the ACCA substitution at the site of ACE cleavage exhibit complete resistance to human ACE, while substitution at the DDP3 cleavage site provided stability against DPP 3 hydrolysis. Furthermore, the analogues retain the anti-proliferative properties of Ang-(1-7) against the 4T1 and HT-1080 cancer cell lines. These results suggest that ACCA-substituted Ang-(1-7) analogues which show resistance against proteolytic degradation by peptidases known to hydrolyze the native heptapeptide may be novel therapeutics in the treatment of cancer

Evolutionary Status of Dwarf ``Transition'' Galaxies

We present deep B, R and Halpha imaging of 3 dwarf galaxies: NGC3377A, NGC4286, and IC3475. Based on previous broadband imaging and HI studies, these mixed-morphology galaxies were proposed by Sandage & Hoffman (1991) to be, respectively, a gas-rich low surface brightness Im dwarf, a nucleated dwarf that has lost most of its gas and is in transition from Im to dS0,N, and the prototypical example of a gas-poor ``huge low surface brightness'' early-type galaxy. From the combination of our broadband and Halpha imaging with the published information on the neutral gas content of these three galaxies, we find that (1) NGC3377A is a dwarf spiral; (2) NGC3377A and NGC4286 have comparable amounts of ongoing star formation, as indicated by their Halpha emission, while IC3475 has no detected HII regions to a very low limit; (3) the global star formation rates are at least a factor of 20 below that of 30 Doradus for NGC3377A and NGC4286; (4) while the amount of star formation is comparable, the distribution of star forming regions is very different between NGC3377A and NGC4286; (5) given their current star formation rates and gas contents, both NGC3377A and NGC4286 can continue to form stars for more than a Hubble time; (6) both NGC3377A and NGC4286 have integrated total B-R colors that are redder than the integrated total B-R color for IC3475, and thus it is unlikely that either galaxy will ever evolve into an IC3475 counterpart; and (7) IC3475 is too blue to be a dE. We thus conclude that we have not identified potential precursors to galaxies such as IC3475, and unless signifcant changes occur in the star formation rates, neither NGC3377A nor NGC4286 will evolve into a dwarf elliptical or dwarf spheroidal within a Hubble time.Comment: 34 pages, 6 jpg figures, 3 postscript figures, and 4 tables, uses AASTeX, ApJ, in pres

Anomalous Evolution of the Dwarf Galaxy HIPASS J1321-31

We present HST/WFPC2 observations of the dwarf galaxy HIPASS J1321-31. This unusual galaxy lies in the direction of the Centaurus A group of galaxies, and has a color-magnitude diagram with a distinctive red plume of luminous stars. This feature could arise from (a) a red giant branch if the galaxy were much nearer than previously recognized, (b) a peculiar asymptotic giant branch, or, (c) an ~1 Gigayear old population of intermediate mass red supergiants, which we find to be the most likely explanation. However, the lack of equally luminous blue stars requires that the star formation has dropped substantially since these stars were formed. Evidently HIPASS J1321-31 experienced an episode of enhanced star formation rather recently in its star formation history followed by a period of relative quiescence which has led to the evolution of the main sequence stars into the red supergiant branch. The stellar populations in HIPASS J1321-31 reflect a star formation history that is uncommon in star forming dwarf galaxies. This is the first time such a star formation history has been noted, although the literature contains a small number of other dwarf galaxies with similar color-magnitude diagrams. Therefore, HIPASS J1321-31 and these other galaxies represent a different path of dwarf galaxy evolution that has not been well-explored and an important probe into how dwarf galaxies evolve.Comment: 5 pages, including 3 figures and 1 table, emulateapj5/apjfonts style. Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal Letter

Comparison of Skeletal Effects of Ovariectomy Versus Chemically Induced Ovarian Failure in Mice

Bone loss associated with menopause leads to an increase in skeletal fragility and fracture risk. Relevant animal models can be useful for evaluating the impact of ovarian failure on bone loss. A chemically induced model of menopause in which mice gradually undergo ovarian failure yet retain residual ovarian tissue has been developed using the chemical 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD). This study was designed to compare skeletal effects of VCD-induced ovarian failure to those associated with ovariectomy (OVX). Young (28 day) C57Bl/6Hsd female mice were dosed daily with vehicle or VCD (160 mg/kg/d, IP) for 15 days (n = 6–7/group) and monitored by vaginal cytology for ovarian failure. At the mean age of VCD-induced ovarian failure (∼6 wk after onset of dosing), a different group of mice was ovariectomized (OVX, n = 8). Spine BMD (SpBMD) was measured by DXA for 3 mo after ovarian failure and OVX. Mice were killed ∼5 mo after ovarian failure or OVX, and bone architecture was evaluated by μCT ex vivo. In OVX mice, SpBMD was lower than controls 1 mo after OVX, whereas in VCD-treated mice, SpBMD was not lower than controls until 2.9 mo after ovarian failure (p < 0.05). Both VCD-induced ovarian failure and OVX led to pronounced deterioration of trabecular bone architecture, with slightly greater effects in OVX mice. At the femoral diaphysis, cortical bone area and thickness did not differ between VCD mice and controls but were decreased in OVX compared with both groups (p < 0.05). Circulating androstenedione levels were preserved in VCD-treated mice but reduced in OVX mice relative to controls (p < 0.001). These findings support that (1) VCD-induced ovarian failure leads to trabecular bone deterioration, (2) bone loss is attenuated by residual ovarian tissue, particularly in diaphyseal cortical bone, and (3) the VCD mouse model can be a relevant model for natural menopause in the study of associated bone disorders

Uncovering treatment burden as a key concept for stroke care: a systematic review of qualitative research

&lt;b&gt;Background&lt;/b&gt; Patients with chronic disease may experience complicated management plans requiring significant personal investment. This has been termed ‘treatment burden’ and has been associated with unfavourable outcomes. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the qualitative literature on treatment burden in stroke from the patient perspective.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Methods and findings&lt;/b&gt; The search strategy centred on: stroke, treatment burden, patient experience, and qualitative methods. We searched: Scopus, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO. We tracked references, footnotes, and citations. Restrictions included: English language, date of publication January 2000 until February 2013. Two reviewers independently carried out the following: paper screening, data extraction, and data analysis. Data were analysed using framework synthesis, as informed by Normalization Process Theory. Sixty-nine papers were included. Treatment burden includes: (1) making sense of stroke management and planning care, (2) interacting with others, (3) enacting management strategies, and (4) reflecting on management. Health care is fragmented, with poor communication between patient and health care providers. Patients report inadequate information provision. Inpatient care is unsatisfactory, with a perceived lack of empathy from professionals and a shortage of stimulating activities on the ward. Discharge services are poorly coordinated, and accessing health and social care in the community is difficult. The study has potential limitations because it was restricted to studies published in English only and data from low-income countries were scarce.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Conclusions&lt;/b&gt; Stroke management is extremely demanding for patients, and treatment burden is influenced by micro and macro organisation of health services. Knowledge deficits mean patients are ill equipped to organise their care and develop coping strategies, making adherence less likely. There is a need to transform the approach to care provision so that services are configured to prioritise patient needs rather than those of health care systems