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Aim Corallococcus species are diverse in the natural environment with 10 new Corallococcus species having been characterized in just the last 5 years. As well as being an abundant myxobacterial genus, they produce several secondary metabolites, including Corallopyronin, Corramycin, Coralmycin, and Corallorazine. We isolated a novel strain Corallococcus spp RDP092CA from soil in South Wales, UK, using Candida albicans as prey bait and characterized its predatory activities against pathogenic bacteria and yeast. Methods and results The size of the RDP092CA genome was 8.5 Mb with a G + C content of 71.4%. Phylogenetically, RDP092CA is closely related to Corallococcus interemptor, C. coralloides , and C. exiguus. However, genome average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values are lower than 95% and 70% when compared to those type strains, implying that it belongs to a novel species. The RDP092CA genome harbours seven types of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and 152 predicted antimicrobial peptides. In predation assays, RDP092CA showed good predatory activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii , and Staphylococcus aureus but not against Enterococcus faecalis. It also showed good antibiofilm activity against all five bacteria in biofilm assays. Antifungal activity against eight Candida spp. was variable, with particularly good activity against Meyerozyma guillermondii DSM 6381. Antimicrobial peptide RDP092CA_120 exhibited potent antibiofilm activity with >50% inhibition and >60% dispersion of biofilms at concentrations down to 1 μg/ml. Conclusions We propose that strain RDP092CA represents a novel species with promising antimicrobial activities, Corallococcus senghenyddensis sp. nov. (=NBRC 116490T =CCOS 2109T), based on morphological, biochemical, and genomic features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Virginia consistently ranks in the top two nationally for per capita antibiotic prescription rates in both pediatric and adult outpatient populations. We present the first descriptive analysis evaluating outpatient prescription rates within the WV pediatric Medicaid population, which demonstrated significant antibiotic prescribing variability by provider type, specialty, and geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latinx and American Indians experience high rates of chronic health conditions. Family members play a significant role as informal caregivers for loved ones with chronic conditions and both patients and family caregivers report poor psychosocial outcomes. This systematic review synthesizes published studies about psychosocial interventions for Latinx and American Indian care dyads to determine: (i) the benefits of these interventions; (ii) their distinguishing features or adaptations, and; (iii) recommendations for future intervention development. Out of 366 records identified, seven studies met inclusion criteria. Interventions demonstrated benefits to outcomes such as disease knowledge, caregiver self-efficacy and burden, patient and caregiver well-being, symptom distress, anxiety and depression, and dyadic communication. Distinguishing features included tailoring to cultural values, beliefs, and delivery preferences, participants' level of acculturation, and population-specific issues such as migratory stressors and support networks. Based upon this review, six recommendations for future intervention development are put forth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of grocery sales show that consumers of store brands switch to (price) discounted national brands more than consumers of national brands switch to discounted store brands. Such asymmetric price competition can be explained with numerous mechanisms proposed here and elsewhere. We report a choice experiment that replicates asymmetric price competition favoring higher-quality competitors and demonstrates asymmetric quality competition favoring lower-quality competitors. Also demonstrated are multiple mechanisms contributing to competitive asymmetries, where dominance involving the otherwise preferred brand is particularly potent (e.g., when a higher-quality competitor matches the price of an otherwise preferred lower-quality brand). The findings implicate modifications to (1) theories of decision making when extended to repeat choice, (2) empirical models of secondary purchase data, and (3) strategies for positioning and attacking brands. Whereas improving competitive disadvantages often attracts consumers from competitors more than does improving competitive advantages, this benefit must be weighed against the differentiation sacrificed by improving competitive disadvantages (improving competitive advantages, in contrast, increases differentiation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primarily on the basis of research from noncompetitive settings, it is generally believed that nonsubstantive advertising features are ineffective when consumers engage in issue-relevant thinking. Experiment 1 of the current study replicated prior research. Neither spokesperson fame nor the vividness of advertising copy influenced attitudes in noncompetitive settings. However, these same features proved effective in the context of balanced competition. When brands were homogenous (experiment 2) or characterized by large price-quality trade-offs (experiment 3), nonsubstantive features improved attitudes and choice probabilities despite issue-relevant thinking. When trade-offs were small, however, nonsubstantive features were again ineffective. The results suggest that balanced competition can neutralize the effects of substantive features, increase indecision, and promote perceptual contrast. These effects then empower nonsubstantive features to serve as heuristics and/or reduce the risk of postpreference regret. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent replication projects in other disciplines have uncovered disturbingly low levels of reproducibility, suggesting that those research literatures may contain unverifiable claims. The conditions contributing to irreproducibility in other disciplines are also present in ecology. These include a large discrepancy between the proportion of "positive" or "significant" results and the average statistical power of empirical research, incomplete reporting of sampling stopping rules and results, journal policies that discourage replication studies, and a prevailing publish-or-perish research culture that encourages questionable research practices. We argue that these conditions constitute sufficient reason to systematically evaluate the reproducibility of the evidence base in ecology and evolution. In some cases, the direct replication of ecological research is difficult because of strong temporal and spatial dependencies, so here, we propose metaresearch projects that will provide proxy measures of reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article synthesises progress made in the description of spoken (especially conversational) grammar over the 20 years since the authors published a paper in this journal arguing for a re-thinking of grammatical description and pedagogy based on spoken corpus evidence. We begin with a glance back at the 16th century and the teaching of Latin grammar in England, with its emphasis on speaking the target language. Later grammars were dominated by written standards, a situation that persisted till the 20th century, when recording technology and spoken corpora enabled new insights into the grammar of everyday speaking. We highlight those insights which especially challenge grammars derived only or mainly from written sources. We evidence the view that conversational grammar is non-sentence-based, co-constructed and highly interactive, and that it poses questions concerning metalanguage. We briefly review debates concerning spoken grammar and ELT/ESL pedagogy. We then consider 21st-century Internet technologies and e-communication, and implications for the spoken/written grammar distinction, arguing that description and pedagogy may need to undergo further re-thinking in light of the multi-modality which characterises e-language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Poststroke guidelines recommend moderate-intensity, continuous aerobic training (MCT) to improve aerobic capacity and mobility after stroke. High-intensity interval training (HIT) has been shown to be more effective than MCT among healthy adults and people with heart disease. However, HIT and MCT have not been compared previously among people with stroke. Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and justification for a definitive randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing HIT and MCT in people with chronic stroke. Design. A preliminary RCT was conducted. Setting. The study was conducted in a cardiovascular stress laboratory and a rehabilitation research laboratory. Patients. Ambulatory people at least 6 months poststroke participated. Intervention. Both groups trained 25 minutes, 3 times per week, for 4 weeks. The HIT strategy involved 30-second bursts at maximum-tolerated treadmill speed alternated with 30-to 60-second rest periods. The MCT strategy involved continuous treadmill walking at 45% to 50% of heart rate reserve. Measurements. Measurements included recruitment and attendance statistics, qualitative HIT acceptability, adverse events, and the following blinded outcome variables: peak oxygen uptake, ventilatory threshold, metabolic cost of gait, fractional utilization, fastest treadmill speed, 10-Meter Walk Test, and Six-Minute Walk Test. Results. During the 8-month recruitment period, 26 participants consented to participate. Eighteen participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the HIT group (n= 13) or the MCT group (n=5). Eleven out of the 13 HIT group participants attended all sessions. Participants reported that HIT was acceptable and no serious adverse events occurred. Standardized effect size estimates between groups were moderate to very large for most outcome measures. Only 30% of treadmill speed gains in the HIT group translated into overground gait speed improvement. Limitations. The study was not designed to definitively test safety or efficacy. Conclusions. Although further protocol optimization is needed to improve overground translation of treadmill gains, a definitive RCT comparing HIT and MCT appears to be feasible and warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparative political economy, the patience of capital investment has often been explained with the political activity of stakeholders. Such scholarship attributes investment preferences to either set assumptions about what various actors are likely to want from their pension systems or to macro-level institutional factors. Comparing the preferences of business and labor actors in the occupational pension systems in Finland, the Netherlands, and the USA, we argue that preferences are better explained more dynamically and emerge from meso-level institutional forces. We find that financing needs and capacities, governance capacities and financial regulations explain changes in labor and business preferences with regard to fund investment. In each of the cases, a combination of these three institutional factors explains a preference shift toward more varied and more impatient investing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac toxicity is a widely reported complication of fluoropyrimidine chemotherapies (5-fluorouracil and capecitabine); however, Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is less widely reported. There is little data available describing the viability of fluoropyrimidine rechallenge after fluoropyrimidine-induced TS. We report the case of Ms X, a 41-year-old woman with metastatic oesophageal cancer, who developed acute onset left ventricular dysfunction, with a measured left ventricular ejection fraction of 15% on cycle 1 day 3 of FOLFOX chemotherapy, after disconnection of the fluorouracil infusion pump. Her symptoms resolved over 2 days, and an echocardiogram returned to normal within 2 weeks. 5-Fluorouracil was discontinued, and replaced with capecitabine, without recurrence of symptoms. The remainder of her treatment was uneventful. This is the second case to describe successful capecitabine retreatment following 5-fluorouracil-induced TS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Although its impact on individual survivors and caregivers is well understood, few studies have examined how it affects both members of a couple and how the experience may differ according to age and duration of a couple's relationship. This study reports findings from qualitative interviews of couples coping with stroke. Sixty-two survivors and spouses (that is, 31 couples) between the ages of 31 and 93 years described the impact of stroke on their own life, their spouse's life, and their lives as a couple. Qualitative analysis methods were used, through the lens of biographical disruption theory, to extract themes. Four primary themes were identified: (1) practical and emotional challenges, (2) relationship challenges, (3) unexpected changes to couples' anticipated life course, and (4) mobilization of emotional and relationship resources after stroke. Participants experienced these themes differently according to their ages and duration of their relationship. The article ends with a discussion of implications for social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific mutations in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein can cause palivizumab resistance. We assessed the incidence of sequence polymorphisms and palivizumab resistance in clinical RSV isolates collected from immunoprophylaxisnaive subjects. Polymorphismswere identified at lowfrequency, and only polymorphic mutations in antigenic site A (<1% of all polymorphisms) conferred palivizumab resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is the most common psychological challenge faced by many individuals and families following stroke. Fortunately, poststroke depression is treatable, and even preventable, if social work and other rehabilitation practitioners understand the most common risk factors and become familiar with measures for assessing for depression among patients with medical comorbidities such as stroke. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness among readers about the strong potential for depression following stroke and to provide an overview of common assessment measures. On the basis of increasing numbers of patients being cared for by informal caregivers following discharge from inpatient care facilities, growing evidence of the interconnectedness of couples' emotional well-being and the significance of couples-level factors like relationship quality and coping in the well-being of couples experiencing stroke, and current needs for effective interventions for poststroke depression, a secondary purpose of this article is to describe the importance of assessing and treating survivors in the context of their committed relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Palivizumab is a US Food and Drug Administration–approved monoclonal antibody for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory disease in high-risk infants. Motavizumab, derived from palivizumab with enhanced antiviral activity, has recently been tested in humans. Although palivizumab escape mutants have been generated in the laboratory, the development of resistant RSV in patients receiving palivizumab has not been reported previously.Methods. We generated palivizumab and motavizumab escape mutants in vitro and examined the development of resistant mutants in RSV-breakthrough patients receiving immunoprophylaxis. The effect of these mutations on neutralization by palivizumab and motavizumab and in vitro fitness was studied.Results. Antibody-resistant RSV variants selected in vitro had mutations at position 272 of the fusion protein, from lysine to asparagine, methionine, threonine, glutamine, or glutamate. Variants containing mutations at positions 272 and 275 were detected in breakthrough patients. All these variants were resistant to palivizumab, but only the glutamate variant at position 272 demonstrated resistance to motavizumab. Mixtures of wild-type and variant RSV soon lost the resistant phenotype in the absence of selection.Conclusions. Resistant RSV variants were detected in a small subset (∼5%) of RSV breakthrough cases. The fitness of these variants was impaired, compared to wild-type RSV. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background. Agents that block the CCR5 coreceptor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have demonstrated potent antiretroviral activity. In early clinical studies, the CCR5 antagonist vicriviroc proved to be a safe and effective component of combination antiretroviral therapy. Methods. This double-blind, dose-ranging, phase 2 trial randomized subjects to receive 30 mg or 20 mg of vicriviroc or placebo once daily plus re-optimized background therapy containing a protease inhibitor with ritonavir. Subjects were adults infected with CCR5-tropic HIV who were experiencing failure of triple antiretroviral regimens. The primary end point was mean change in baseline log10 HIV RNA level at 48 weeks, based on an intent-totreat analysis. Results. One hundred fourteen persons received vicriviroc at 30 mg (n=39), vicriviroc at 20 mg (n=40), or placebo (n=35). The mean change in baseline HIV RNA level at week 48 was -1.77 log10 copies/mL for 30 mg of vicriviroc and -1.75 log10 copies/mL for 20 mg of vicriviroc, compared with -0.79 log10 copies/mL for placebo (P=.002 and P=.003, respectively, compared with placebo). Mean CD4 counts increased by 102, 136, and 63 cells/mm3 for 30 mg vicriviroc, 20 mg vicriviroc, and placebo, respectively (Pp.260 and Pp.039, respectively, compared with placebo). Rates of adverse events (mostly mild-to-moderate) were 111.4, 112.5, and 147.4 events per 100 subject-years, respectively. Conclusions. Vicriviroc administered with a protease inhibitor plus ritonavir-containing regimen shows potent antiretroviral and immunologic activity sustained over 48 weeks in treatment-experienced patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Augustine's posthumous influence on Christianity is immense and wide ranging, the authority he exercises among his contemporaries is far more modest and contextual. Subsequent generations overestimate Augustine's actual authority largely because we approach him as readers of a written, monological corpus that has consolidated his power. In his own context, however, Augustine's authority as preacher and bishop lay in complex social dynamics that are dialogical, mutually responsive, and limiting. Although we can no longer hear Augustine as those in his congregation did, we can work to develop hermeneutical practices that retrieve differences in the way written and spoken words generate distinct patterns of authority. Not only is Augustine aware of such differences, but in his practice of exegesis and preaching, the authority of scripture itself functions variously within a range of written and verbal registers. His treatment of the psalms especially emphasizes their status as a living voice inviting the hearer into dialogue with the divine other. An amplified sense of how authority operates in Augustine's work: (1) contributes to historical studies that argue the exercise of episcopal power in the late fourth, early fifth centuries was in fact quite restricted; (2) coheres with theoretical studies that insist the nature of religious power is constituted by multidirectional social and symbolic relations; and (3) comports with theological studies that regard divine revelation as lying not solely in the biblical text but also in the very communicative processes where that text comes to life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with a study which examined relationships between and mammalian assemblages and fragmentation landscapes in southeastern Australia. Implications of landscape context and patch area effects on the conservation of mammals and remnant vegetation; Materials and methods; Results and discussion.

Evaluates the impact of Norwalk-like virus infection on military forces. Major cause of outbreaks and sporadic disease among crowded United States troops in the 1991 war with Iraq; Cause of acute gastroenteritis in other ground and shipboard deployments; Large outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers between 1992 and 1997; Major cause of acute morbidity in military forces.

Focuses on the emphasis of English grammar instruction on spoken language. Need for language students to be given choices between written and spoken grammar; Difference between written and spoken grammars; Identification of several grammatical features.

Recurring outbreaks of acute hepatitis have been a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among Peruvian military personnel stationed in the Amazon Basin region of Peru. The role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection was investigated as the possible cause of acute hepatitis among 88 military patients stationed at four different jungle outposts during 1992–1993. Analysis of serum markers indicated that 95% (84/88) had evidence of acute HBV infection; 64% (54/84) were also infected with HDV. Genetic analysis of PCR-amplified HDV and HBV fragments showed exclusively HDV genotype III and HBV genotype F. Furthermore, HDV RNA sequences were similar among patients from the same outpost but different from those at other jungle locations. The data suggested focal sources of HDV infection in the jungle environment of the outposts and, further, confirmed the unique association of HDV genotype III with severe cases of human disease in northern South America. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A newlydevelopedWestern blot assay for antibody to hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV) was used to evaluate 39 cases of acute pediatric hepatitis and 39 control patients in Khartoum, Sudan. The mean age of cases was 6.5 years (range, 2–14); 64% were male. Acute hepatitis A (IgM antiHAV- positive) was diagnosed in 13 cases, acute hepatitis B (IgM anti-HBc-positive) in 1, and acute hepatitis E (positive for IgM anti-HEV) in 23 (59%).None of the cases with IgM anti-HAV or IgM anti-HBc had IgM anti-HEV; 3 controls had IgM anti-HEV. Acute hepatitis E was associated with recent contact with a family member or acquaintance with jaundice and the presence of indoor plumbing. The newly developed hepatitis E assay appeared to be specificfor the diagnosis of acute icteric non-A, non-B hepatitis. Hepatitis E was found to be the most common cause of acute sporadic hepatitis in children living in an urban area of Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: Hypersensitivity to DNaseI digestion is a hallmark of open chromatin, and DNaseI-seq allows the genome-wide identification of regions of open chromatin. Interpreting these data is challenging, largely because of inherent variation in signal-to-noise ratio between datasets. We have developed PeaKDEck, a peak calling program that distinguishes signal from noise by randomly sampling read densities and using kernel density estimation to generate a dataset-specific probability distribution of random background signal. PeaKDEck uses this probability distribution to select an appropriate read density threshold for peak calling in each dataset. We benchmark PeaKDEck using published ENCODE DNaseI-seq data and other peak calling programs, and demonstrate superior performance in low signal-to-noise ratio datasets.Availability and implementation: PeaKDEck is written in standard Perl and runs on any platform with Perl installed. PeaKDEck is also available as a standalone application written in Perl/Tk, which does not require Perl to be installed. Files, including a user guide, can be downloaded at: www.ccmp.ox.ac.uk/peakdeck.Contact: chris.ocallaghan@ndm.ox.ac.ukSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Staphylococcus aureus (SA) pneumonia imposes significant morbidity and mortality in mechanically ventilated, intensive care unit (MV ICU) patients despite best clinical care. We assessed efficacy, PK, AT-neutralizing antibodies (AT NAbs), and safety of suvratoxumab (suvra) in MV ICU subjects in the placebo-controlled, randomized Phase 2 SAATELLITE study (NCT02296320; EudraCT 2014-001097-34). Methods Subjects with PCR-confirmed SA colonization of the lower respiratory tract were randomized to either a single intravenous infusion of 5,000 mg suvra (n = 96) or placebo (n = 100) and followed for 190 days post dose. Efficacy endpoints were Endpoint Adjudication Committee-determined relative risk reduction (RRR) of SA pneumonia incidence in suvra vs. placebo recipients within 30 days post dose (primary endpoint, tested at 2-sided α = 0.1), incidence of all-cause pneumonia, and all-cause pneumonia or death. Serum suvra PK and levels of AT NAbs were measured through 90 days post dose and analyzed for statistical correlation. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and serious AEs (SAEs) were assessed through 190 days post dose. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Suvra provided 31.9% RRR in incidence of SA pneumonia vs. placebo (17.7% vs. 26%; P = 0.166), 30% RRR (P = 0.146) in incidence of all-cause pneumonia, and 23% RRR (P = 0.164) in incidence of all-cause pneumonia or death. Suvra reduced mean hospital stay and ICU duration by 3.0 and 2.4 days, resp. vs. placebo. Mean serum ± SD suvra level was 296 ± 131 µg/mL at 30 days post dose. Serum AT Nab ± SD levels reached 156.03 ± 72.48 IU/mL at 2 days post dose, declining slowly to 33.74 ± 16.04 IU/mL by 90 days post dose. AT NAbs correlated with PK (r 2 = 0.7), thereby confirming functional activity of suvra over time. Proportion of subjects with TEAEs or SAEs was similar between groups: ≥1 TEAE (93.8% suvra; 93.0% placebo); ≥1 serious; and/or ≥grade 3 severity SAE (66.7% suvra; 58.0% placebo). Conclusion A single intravenous dose of suvra produced a trend toward reduced incidence of SA pneumonia, health resource savings, sustained functional exposure in serum, and an acceptable safety profile. These results support continued development of suvra in MV ICU patients. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oerskovia species, once thought to be nocardiform-like bacteria, have been only rarely associated with human infection. In this report we describe a case of central venous catheter—associated infection that was successfully treated with antibiotics. With the increased use of indwelling devices, these organisms may be more commonly recognized causes of infection. Appropriate antibiotic therapy appears to successfully treat oerskovia infection and may decrease the need for removal of some indwelling access devices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Thyrotoxicosis is most commonly caused by Graves' disease, toxic multinodular goitre, a functioning thyroid adenoma, or thyroiditis. Extrinsic infiltrative conditions affecting the thyroid gland are typically destructive, and associated with thyroid hypofunction. We describe the case of a 61-year-old woman who presented to our hospital with symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, neck swelling and thyroid function tests consistent with hyperthyroidism. An ultrasound revealed a multinodular goitre with retrosternal extension, but CT imaging suggested thyroid gland infiltration, with cervical lymphadenopathy. An excisional lymph node biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma causing infiltrative thyrotoxicosis. Treatment with six cycles of Rituximab-CHOP lead to rapid normalization of symptoms, imaging, and thyroid function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]