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YYS acknowledges support from the Funds for Women Graduates (GA-00558). FG and CJB acknowledge support from EPSRC through Grants EP/M029077/1 and EP/S027270/1. RS acknowledges financial support from the Scottish Funding Council through SRD-Grant HR07003. On-surface synthesis with designer precursor molecules is considered an effective method for preparing graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) of well-defined widths and with tunable electronic properties. Recent reports have shown that the band gap of ribbons doped with heteroatoms (such as boron, nitrogen, and sulfur) remains unchanged in magnitude in most cases. Nevertheless, theory predicts that a tunable band gap may be engineered by hydrogenation, but experimental evidence for this is so far lacking. Herein, surface-confined hydrogenation studies of 7-armchair graphene nanoribbons (7-AGNRs) grown on Au(111) surfaces, in an ultrahigh vacuum environment, are reported. GNRs are first prepared, then hydrogenated by exposure to activated hydrogen atoms. High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images reveal a self-limited hydrogenation process. By means of a combination of bond-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (BRSTM) imaging and tip-induced site-specific dehydrogenation, the hydrogenation mechanism is studied in detail, and density-functional theory (DFT) calculation methods are used to complement the experimental findings. In all cases, the results demonstrate the successful modification of the electronic properties of the GNR/Au(111) system by edge and basal-plane hydrogenation, and a mechanism for the hydrogenation process is proposed. Publisher PDF

Adventive populations of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) have been detected in the eastern and western United States including the western states of Washington, Oregon, California, and Utah. These populations may provide classical biological control for the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), which can cause economic loss to many specialty crops in western North America. Idaho has not previously been surveyed for the exotic T. japonicus or native parasitoids of H. halys. In July 2021, T. japonicus was discovered emerging from wild H. halys egg masses in Star, Idaho (43.69788, −116.49427), and was detected on yellow sticky cards from July to September. This is the first record of T. japonicus in the state of Idaho. T. japonicus constituted only a small portion of Trissolcus species detected; other species included T. euschisti (Ashmead), T. hullensis (Harrington), and T. utahensis (Ashmead). Genetic population level analysis of T. japonicus specimens from Idaho supports the likelihood of its expansion inland from the west coast, inhabiting ecozones previously considered unsuitable due to high temperatures and low humidity. This report opens the prospect of an effective biological control agent for H. halys in Idaho and potentially other hot and dry geographic regions and expands documentation of the presence of adventive T. japonicus populations in North America.

Adventive populations of Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) have been detected in eastern and western United States including the western states of Washington, Oregon, California, and Utah. These populations may provide classical biological control for the invasive stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål) which can cause severe damage and economic loss, especially to specialty crops in western North America. Idaho has previously been un-surveyed for the exotic T. japonicus and native parasitoids of H. halys. To assess the presence of stink bug parasitoids in Idaho, we deployed yellow sticky cards at nine sites in southwestern Idaho between June and October 2021. We discovered T. japonicus on sticky cards and emerging from wild H. halys egg masses. This is the first record of T. japonicus in the state of Idaho. Trissolcus japonicus constituted only 5% of Trissolcus species detected; other species included T. euschisti, T. hullensis, and T. utahensis. In other studies, native Trissolcus have been found to provide low parasitism rates of H. halys in invaded regions. Through genetic population level analysis, specimens from this study may suggest that T. japonicus is expanding inland from the West Coast, inhabiting ecozones previously considered unsuitable due to high temperatures and low humidity. These findings open the prospect of an effective biological control agent for H. halys in Idaho and potentially other hot and dry geographic regions and expands documentation of the presence of adventive T. japonicus populations in North America.

M.T. gratefully acknowledges financial support from Lubrizol Limited and thanks the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant EP/L015307/1 for the Molecular Analytical Science Centre for Doctoral Training (MAS-CDT). C.G. acknowledges the use of the Euler cluster at ETH Zurich for the DFT calculations. F.G. acknowledges funding from the EPSRC (grant EP/S027270/1). The interaction of benzotriazole (BTAH) with Cu(100) has been studied as a function of BTAH exposure in a joint experimental and theoretical effort. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been combined to elucidate the structural and chemical characteristics of this system. BTAH is found to deprotonate upon adsorption on the copper surface and to adopt an orientation that depends on the molecular coverage. Benzotriazolate (BTA) species initially lie with their planes parallel to the substrate but, at a higher molecular coverage, a transition occurs to an upright adsorption geometry. Upon increasing the BTAH exposure, different phases of vertically aligned BTAs are observed with increasing molecular densities until a final, self-limiting monolayer is developed. Both theory and experiment agree in identifying CuBTA and Cu(BTA)2 metal-organic complexes as the fundamental building blocks of this monolayer. This work shows several similarities with the results of previous studies on the interaction of benzotriazole with other low Miller index copper surfaces, thereby ideally completing and concluding them. The overall emerging picture constitutes an important starting point for understanding the mechanism for protection of copper from corrosion. Publisher PDF

The purpose of this study was to analyze professional, Japanese, female soccer athletes’ views on second career development and perceived support from the Women’s Empowerment Professional Football League, Japan. This study was underpinned by occupational socialization theory and utilized a qualitative, collective case study design through demographic questionnaires, in-depth face-to-face semistructured interviews, and reflexive thematic analysis. Participants were six current professional soccer players of one professional team of the Women’s Empowerment League. Three themes were generated from the data: (a) avoiding washout effects in second career opportunities, (b) the importance of dual-career pathway opportunities, and (c) professional development and second career training. These findings reflected how participants’ first career as a professional athlete became ingrained within their identity and shaped future desires and preparations for second careers. They also reflect the difficulty participants experienced balancing a professional athletic career with part-time office work for financial stability as well as planning for a second career linked to soccer. Players expressed a need for second career preparation to be facilitated by their clubs and the Women’s Empowerment League, and we provide implications and recommendations to support this work.

Selection intensity and generation interval were evaluated in a Hereford cattle herd made up of 14 inbred lines and 14 linecross groups corresponding to the lines of inbred sires at the Suan Juan Basin Research Center, Hesperus, Colorado. Selection indexes practiced were calculated in retrospect. Analyses of the records collected from 1946 through 1973 involved weaning weight (WW) and postweaning traits in males and females. Analyses by line were performed for the inbreds, while pooled analyses were done on the inbred and linecross populations. From records of 1,239 calves weaned, age of sire averaged 3.75 yr compared with 4.52 yr for age of dam, showing faster generation turnover for sires than for dams. Generation interval determined as actual age of midparent was 4.13 yr. Selection applied for WW, evaluated as annual selection differentials within inbred lines and then pooled over all lines, averaged .55 standard deviations (sigma)/generation for sires. For females, selection was much less intense. Midparent selection differential amounted to .33 sigma/generation. For sires, pooled standardized selection differentials per generation over all lines during the postweaning gain period were .49 sigma, .46 sigma, .40 sigma, -.20 sigma, -.10 sigma and .69 sigma, respectively, for initial weight, final weight, feed consumed, feed efficiency (FE, unadjusted and adjusted) and average daily gain (ADG). Selection of females for postweaning traits was not intense. Selection index actually practiced in retrospect for sires was: IS = .4461 (WW) - .0092 (FE) + .6126 (ADG). The indexes for dams included WW, 12-mo weight (12W), 18-mo weight (18W), mature spring weight (SPW) and mature fall weight (FAW) and were: for inbred dams, ID = .1824 (WW) - .0284 (12W) + .0736 (18W) - .1097 (SPW) - .1097 (FAW); for linecross dams, ID = .2693 (WW) - .2960 (12W) + .0147 (18W) + .1185 (SPW) - .0354 (FAW). The corresponding index selection differentials were .818, .203 and .209. Sire index selection differentials represent about 79% of the total selection differentials.

Data from 14 inbred lines and 14 linecross groups of Hereford cattled at the San Juan Basin Research Centre, Hesperus, were used to evaluate expected and realized response in birth and weapling fraits and post weaning traits in males and females over a 28-year period. There were large differences in the means and variations of the performance traits among the inbreds and lineerosses, the inbreds showing in breeding depression and greater variability while the linecrosses manifested within-breed heterosis. Except for gain from weaning to 12 months, genetic progress was expected in all traits studied, mainly due to sire selection. Regressions of annual trait means on years indicated positive phenotypic trends in the inbreds for heart girth circumference, adjusted weaning weight (adjusted for inbreeding), weaning score, final weight and feed consumption of males and the yearling weights and gains of females. Changes were negative for other traits. In the linecross group phenotypic trends were positive in all traits except heart girth circumference, weaning age, initial test weight and feed efficiency. Estimated genetic progress per generation due to within line selection was negative in the inbreds but was considerably positive for the linecrosses in most of the traits. As expected, between line selection yielded greater genetic improvement in the inbred than in the linecross population. The dissimilar patterns of response in the two populations are attributed to high rates and levels of inbreeding. Although variable, the actual progress was below prediction in most of the traits studied.

Standard treatments have shown dismal activity against pancreatic cancer (PC), due in part to the development of a dense stroma (desmoplasia). This perspective discusses the development of the di-2-pyridylketone thiosemicarbazones that overcomes bidirectional oncogenic signaling between PC cells and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), which is critical for desmoplasia development. This activity is induced by the up-regulation of the metastasis suppressor, N-myc downstream-regulated gene-1 (NDRG1), which inhibits oncogenic signaling via HGF, IGF-1 and Sonic Hedgehog pathway. More recent studies have deciphered additional pathways including those mediated by Wnt and tenascin C that are secreted by PSCs to activate β-catenin and YAP/TAZ signaling in PC cells. Suppression of bidirectional signaling between cell types presents a unique therapeutic opportunity.

Purpose Health care providers have highlighted the need for tools and resources that support promotion of exercise behavior within comprehensive multiple sclerosis (MS) care. This study involved a final quality improvement evaluation of exercise promotion models and materials for inclusion within this setting. Methods and materials Our research team distributed a paper-based survey containing Likert scales, open answer questions, and copies of the models for editing. We distributed this survey among health care providers across the United States. We conducted a novel mixed-methods analysis evaluating quantitative, qualitative, and creative data. Results We received completed surveys from 13 health care providers who strongly rated the clarity and applicability of the models and materials, and reported that no major improvements were necessary. The minor improvements were specific per comprehensive MS care center. The feedback indicated that the "Exercise in Medicine" models and materials are guides such that the processes should be integrated into real world practice by amending roles and responsibilities with the team members and structure per comprehensive MS care center. Conclusion This paper presents finalized models and materials for exercise promotion within comprehensive MS care that are ready to be tested for feasibility and efficacy in a clinical trial.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONHealth care providers require support to promote exercise within the context of comprehensive MS care.The practice models in this article provide guides regarding how to promote exercise in this context.Implementing these exercise promotion guides can reduce the burden of neurologists, and ensure patients receive exercise support from appropriate providers.These guides should be implemented within the context of each individual care center, and not as an explicit step by step guide as each care center is unique.

This field review examines how African American mobile journalism became a model for marginalized people’s political communication across the United States. The review explores how communication scholars’ theories about mobile journalism and media witnessing evolved since 2010 to include ethnocentric investigations of the genre. Additionally, it demonstrates how Black people’s use of the mobile device to document police brutality provided a brilliant, yet fraught, template for modern activism. Finally, it shows how Black mobile journalism created undeniable counternarratives that challenged the journalism industry in 2020 and presented scholars with a wealth of researchable questions. Taken together, the review complicates our understanding of Black mobile journalism as a great equalizer—pushing us to also consider what we lose when we lean too heavily on video testimony as a tool for political communication.

Background Cervical cancer is the second cause leading of malignancy-related death among Mexican women. The present study determined the population-based prevalence of high risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and associated cofactors in female beneficiaries of the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) attending the Program for HPV Screening and Early Detection of Cervical Cancer and registered in the Women’s Cancer Detection System (SIDECAM). Methods In a cross-sectional study, cervical samples from 115,651 female users of the program for HPV screening and early detection of cervical cancer recruited in 23 ISSSTE care centers were analyzed for HR-HPV. Logistic regression analyses, adjusting for potential confounders, were performed to determine the association of HR-HPV infection with sexual health and behavior variables and with positivity to cervical premalignant lesions by cytology. Results The overall prevalence of HR-HPV infection among female ISSSTE beneficiaries in the 2013–2015 period was 13%. A bivariate analysis of relevant variables for HR-HPV infection showed a statistically significant association for age, number of sexual partners, use of hormonal contraceptives and smoking. A statistical association was found between infection by HR-HPV with the use of hormonal contraceptives, number of sexual partners and smoking and association of HPV 16 and other non-16/18 HR-HPV infection with number of lifetime sexual partners and tobacco use adjusted for age, history of hormonal contraception, number of sexual partners and tobacco use with the exception of exposition variable itself. Similarly, an association was found between HR-HPV infection, regardless of the virus genotype, with positivity to cervical premalignant lesions adjusted for age, number of lifetime sexual partners, history of hormonal contraception and tobacco use. Conclusions HR-HPV prevalence in female ISSSTE Women’s Cancer Program users is similar to the population-based prevalence previously reported in Mexican women without cervical alterations. The ISSSTE robust screening and early detection program, based on cytology studies and HPV co-testing, allows us to know the prevalence of HR-HPV infection among female users of the service.

A plethora of studies indicate that iron metabolism is dysregulated in Parkinson's disease (PD). The literature reveals well-documented alterations consistent with established dogma, but also intriguing paradoxical observations requiring mechanistic dissection. An important fact is the iron loading in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), which are the cells primarily affected in PD. Assessment of these changes reveal increased expression of proteins critical for iron uptake, namely transferrin receptor 1 and the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), and decreased expression of the iron exporter, ferroportin-1 (FPN1). Consistent with this is the activation of iron regulator protein (IRP) RNA-binding activity, which is an important regulator of iron homeostasis, with its activation indicating cytosolic iron deficiency. In fact, IRPs bind to iron-responsive elements (IREs) in the 3ꞌ untranslated region (UTR) of certain mRNAs to stabilize their half-life, while binding to the 5ꞌ UTR prevents translation. Iron loading of dopaminergic neurons in PD may occur through these mechanisms, leading to increased neuronal iron and iron-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The “gold standard” histological marker of PD, Lewy bodies, are mainly composed of α-synuclein, the expression of which is markedly increased in PD. Of note, an atypical IRE exists in the α-synuclein 5ꞌ UTR that may explain its up-regulation by increased iron. This dysregulation could be impacted by the unique autonomous pacemaking of dopaminergic neurons of the SNpc that engages L-type Ca+2 channels, which imparts a bioenergetic energy deficit and mitochondrial redox stress. This dysfunction could then drive alterations in iron trafficking that attempt to rescue energy deficits such as the increased iron uptake to provide iron for key electron transport proteins. Considering the increased iron-loading in PD brains, therapies utilizing limited iron chelation have shown success. Greater therapeutic advancements should be possible once the exact molecular pathways of iron processing are dissected.

M.T. gratefully acknowledges financial support from Lubrizol Limited and, together with J.E., thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant EP/L015307/1 for the Molecular Analytical Science Centre for Doctoral Training (MAS-CDT). C.G acknowledges the Euler cluster managed by the HPC team at ETH Zurich for computational resources and is grateful for computational support from the UK national high performance computing service, ARCHER, for which access was obtained via the UKCP consortium and funded by EPSRC grant EP/P022561/1. Benzotriazole (BTAH) has been used for several industrial applications, but most commonly as a corrosion inhibitor for copper, since the 1950s. However, the mechanism of its interaction with copper surfaces at the atomistic scale is still a matter of debate. Here, the adsorption of BTAH onto a clean Cu(110) surface has been investigated by a combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Different supramolecular structures have been observed depending on molecular coverage and annealing. In the low coverage regime, flat lying deprotonated species are formed which give way to benzotriazolate molecules in an upright configuration by increasing the BTAH exposure. The ensuing monolayer is self-limiting but, upon annealing above 150 °C, transforms into a highly ordered nano-ridge structure resulting from a significant in-plane and out-of-plane reconstruction of the surface. All structures are characterised by a strong molecule-substrate interaction and the high coverage phases are dominated by the formation of metal-organic complexes between copper adatoms and benzotriazolate species. These findings shed light on the nature and strength of the interaction occurring between BTAH and copper which lies at the basis of the effectiveness of this prototypical corrosion inhibitor. Postprint

Chapter 2 traces the genealogy of black witnesses through three overlapping eras of domestic terrorism against African Americans: slavery, lynching, and police brutality. Black storytellers in each of these timeframes leveraged the technologies of their day to produce emancipatory news. In this manner, advocacy journalism has remained a central component of black liberation for more than 200 years—from slave narratives to smartphones.

We present an audit of public awareness, freedom of choice and health behavior change relating to high heel wear subsequent to a major public awareness campaign in the summer of 2017. Substantial reductions in workplace high heel wear were found, whereby increasingly those who wear high heels regularly at work have freely chosen to do so, although certain issues of social expectations remain in certain sectors. Largely, freedom of choice has greatly increased in workplaces in line with increased public and employer awareness. However, high heel wear has not substantially reduced in social settings, and progress has not been made with social expectation and explicit requirement to wear high heels at social events.

In this perspective piece, we discuss the politics of fashion in the cultural West. We cover issues of social expectation and individual freedom. We comment on where society draws the line with regard to public decency. We also comment on how the approach taken by society to health and public safety issues related to fashion differs markedly from that taken to other similar items.

Funding: Scottish Funding Council (through EaStCHEM and SRD-Grant HR07003) and from EPSRC (PhD studentship for JAGT, EP/M506631/1). We present a new method for calculating the frequencies and intensities of the vibrational modes of adsorbates on surfaces. Our method is based on density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) and provides accurate estimates of the vibrational intensities even when the vibrations are strongly anharmonic. Furthermore, it does so at a negligible additional computation cost compared to conventional DFPT calculation. We illustrate our method by calculating the vibrational spectra of three example systems — ethylidyne on Rh(111), benzene on Rh(111) coadsorbed with CO, and terephthalic acid (TPA) on Cu(100) — and comparing them to experimental measurements performed using High-Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (HREELS). We find excellent agreement between our predictions and the experimentally measured frequencies and intensities in all three cases. Postprint Postprint

FG has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement nº 312284 for part of the research leading to these results (NEXAFS, photoelectron spectroscopy). The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is acknowledged for the funding of CRL’s PhD studentship (EP/M506631/1). Prof. Christopher J. Baddeley (University of St Andrews) and Dr. Silvano Lizzit (SuperESCA beam line, Elettra) are thanked for fruitful discussions. The reactivity of benzotriazole with copper on a gold surface has been studied by a combination of surface sensitive methods with support from DFT (density functional theory) calculations. For some time benzotriazole has been known to enhance the corrosion resistance of copper at the monolayer level, although the exact mechanism is still a matter of discussion and disagreement in the literature. A single crystal Au(111) surface allows to evaluate the interaction of weakly physisorbed, intact benzotriazole molecules with copper atoms dosed to sub-monolayer amounts. These interactions have been characterised, in the temperature range ca. 300 – 650 K, by scanning tunnelling microscopy, high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and synchrotron-based X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and near-edged X-ray absorption fine structure studies. Supporting DFT calculations considered the stability of isolated, gas-phase, benzotriazole/Cu species and their corresponding spectroscopic signature at the N K absorption edge. In agreement with previous investigations, benzotriazole physisorbs on a clean Au(111) surface at room temperature forming a hydrogen-bonded network of flat-lying BTAH molecules, relatively weakly bonded to the underlying gold surface. However, in the presence of co-adsorbed copper atoms, proton removal from the molecules leads to species better described as BTA- interacting directly with Cu atoms. In these situations the molecules adopt a more upright orientation and Cu(BTA)2 and -[Cu(BTA)]n- species are formed, depending on temperature and coverage of the adsorbed species. These species are stable to relatively high temperatures, 550 – 600 K. Postprint

Endogenous glucocorticoid action is important in the structural and functional maturation of the fetal heart. In fetal mice, although glucocorticoid concentrations are extremely low before E14.5, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is expressed in the heart from E10.5. To investigate whether activation of cardiac GR prior to E14.5 induces precocious fetal heart maturation, we administered dexamethasone in the drinking water of pregnant dams from E12.5 to E15.5. To test the direct effects of glucocorticoids upon the cardiovascular system we used SMGRKO mice, with Sm22-Cre-mediated disruption of GR in cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle. Contrary to expectations, echocardiography showed no advancement of functional maturation of the fetal heart. Moreover, litter size was decreased 2 days following cessation of antenatal glucocorticoid exposure, irrespective of fetal genotype. The myocardial performance index and E/A wave ratio, markers of fetal heart maturation, were not significantly affected by dexamethasone treatment in either genotype. Dexamethasone treatment transiently decreased the myocardial deceleration index (MDI; a marker of diastolic function), in control fetuses at E15.5, with recovery by E17.5, 2 days after cessation of treatment. MDI was lower in SMGRKO than in control fetuses and was unaffected by dexamethasone. The transient decrease in MDI was associated with repression of cardiac GR in control fetuses following dexamethasone treatment. Measurement of glucocorticoid levels in fetal tissue and hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) mRNA levels suggest complex and differential effects of dexamethasone treatment upon the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis between genotypes. These data suggest potentially detrimental and direct effects of antenatal glucocorticoid treatment upon fetal heart function.

Although many doctoral students in counselor education (CE) programs successfully complete their programs and obtain a doctoral degree, some students drop out for a variety of reasons (Protivnak & Foss, 2009). Given the negative consequences that accompany doctoral student attrition for non-completers and their university (Willis & Carmichael, 2011), scholars have begun to explore students’ experiences in CE doctoral programs (Hoskins & Goldberg, 2005; Protivnak & Foss, 2009). Despite the growing body of literature on students’ program experiences in CE doctoral programs, in general, little emphasis has been placed on how programs prepare students for success. In particular, to date, the literature related to how CE-sponsored programming orients students for doctoral training in CE is largely unknown. Such knowledge has the potential to shed light on student attrition and retention and further professional development issues in students. As such, this study aimed to fill this void by exploring aspects of CE doctoral student orientations and students’ perceptions of the degree to which these orientations met their needs.

The NBS bromination of 1,4-dimethoxy-2,3-dimethylbenzene has been examined under a variety of conditions in both 1,1,1-trichloroethane and benzotrifluoride. Four different bromination products have been isolated including the previously unknown 1-bromo-4-bromomethyl-2,5-dimethoxy-3-methylbenzene whose single crystal X-ray structure is presented. The synthetically useful 2,3-bis(bromomethyl)-1,4-dimethoxybenzene is readily prepared using either solvent and it has been converted into new sulfur-containing quinone derivatives Postprint

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is acknowledged for the funding of FG (EP/M029077/1) and RM (EP/506631/1). FG also acknowledges the European Union for funding the SURMOF project under which part of this work was undertaken (contract number NMP4-CT-2006-032109). The structure and surface chemistry of ultrathin metallic films of one metal on another are strongly influenced by factors such as lattice mismatch and the formation of near-surface alloys. New morphologies may result in modified chemical properties which in turn open up different routes for molecular adsorption, desorption and surface functionalization, with important consequences in several fields of application. The Cu/Au(111) system has received the attention of many studies, only a few however have been performed in ultra-high vacuum (UHV), using surface sensitive techniques. In this contribution, the room temperature deposition of copper onto the (22×√3)-Au(111) surface, from submonolayer to thick film, is investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). The onset of copper adsorption is seen to occur preferentially at alternate herringbone elbows, with a preference for hcp sites. With increasing coverage, copper-rich islands exhibit a reconstructed surface reminiscent of the clean Au(111) herringbone reconstruction. Disordered, pseudo-ordered and ordered surface layers are observed upon annealing. Models for the initial adsorption/incorporation mechanism, formation of adlayers and evolution with increasing coverage and annealing are qualitatively discussed. Further, the reactivity of copper-doped Au(111) systems is considered towards the adsorption of organic molecules of interest in nanotechnology and their catalytic applications. Publisher PDF

Background Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) covers a spectrum of rare congenital anomalies characterised by a non-apex forming left ventricle and stenosis/atresia of the mitral and aortic valves. Despite many studies, the causes of HLHS remain unclear and there are conflicting views regarding the role of flow, valvar or myocardial abnormalities in its pathogenesis, all of which were proposed prior to the description of the second heart field. Our aim was to re-evaluate the patterns of malformation in HLHS in relation to recognised cardiac progenitor populations, with a view to providing aetiologically useful sub-groupings for genomic studies. Results We examined 78 hearts previously classified as HLHS, with subtypes based on valve patency, and re-categorised them based on their objective ventricular phenotype. Three distinct subgroups could be identified: slit-like left ventricle (24%); miniaturised left ventricle (6%); and thickened left ventricle with endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE; 70%). Slit-like ventricles were always found in combination with aortic atresia and mitral atresia. Miniaturised left ventricles all had normally formed, though smaller aortic and mitral valves. The remaining group were found to have a range of aortic valve malformations associated with thickened left ventricular walls despite being described as either atresia or stenosis. The degree of myocardial thickening was not correlated to the degree of valvar stenosis. Lineage tracing in mice to investigate the progenitor populations that form the parts of the heart disrupted by HLHS showed that whereas Nkx2–5-Cre labelled myocardial and endothelial cells within the left and right ventricles, Mef2c-AHF-Cre, which labels second heart field-derived cells only, was largely restricted to the endocardium and myocardium of the right ventricle. However, like Nkx2–5-Cre, Mef2c-AHF-Cre lineage cells made a significant contribution to the aortic and mitral valves. In contrast, Wnt1-Cre made a major contribution only to the aortic valve. This suggests that discrete cardiac progenitors might be responsible for the patterns of defects observed in the distinct ventricular sub-groups. Conclusions Only the slit-like ventricle grouping was found to map to the current nomenclature: the combination of mitral atresia with aortic atresia. It appears that slit-like and miniature ventricles also form discrete sub-groups. Thus, reclassification of HLHS into subgroups based on ventricular phenotype, might be useful in genetic and developmental studies in investigating the aetiology of this severe malformation syndrome.

A dihydro-TTF derivative with four acetyl-protected thiol ligands was synthesised and adsorbed on Au(111) under UHV conditions. Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy show that self-organised structures are formed following annealing to 333 K, with each pair of bidentate thiolate ligands bonding to a single gold adatom in a S-Auad-S complex. Due to the lack of a direct orbital overlap between the dihydro-TTF moieties and the surface, relatively little charge transfer between TAT-TTF and the gold surface occurs.

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones, essential in mammals to prepare for life after birth. Blood levels of glucocorticoids (cortisol in most mammals including humans; corticosterone in rats and mice) rise dramatically shortly before birth. This is mimicked clinically in the routine administration of synthetic glucocorticoids to pregnant women threatened by a preterm birth or to preterm infants to improve neonatal survival. Whilst effects on lung are well documented and essential for postnatal survival, those on heart are less well known. In this study, we review recent evidence for a crucial role of glucocorticoids in late gestational heart maturation. Either insufficient or excessive glucocorticoid exposure before birth may alter the normal glucocorticoid-regulated trajectory of heart maturation with potential life-long consequences.

The issues related toward advancing the information economy in Turkmenistan are organized using the STEPE model (i.e., social, technical, economic, political, and ecological matters). An analysis, using these five factors, can give insight into the likely future of the information economy within this country. Many of the observations focus on contrasts rather than similarities since the Presidential library ban of June 2005 (see Richardson, John V. ‘The library and information economy of Turkmenistan.’ IFLA Journal 32(2) 2006: 131–139).

We acknowledge the support of the Wellcome Trust for a grant to RL, CPP and NVR to support some of this work. The properties of commercially prepared heparin as an anticoagulant and antithrombotic agent in medicine are better understood than is the physiological role of heparin in its native form, where it is uniquely found in the secretory granules of mast cells. In the present study we have isolated and characterised the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) released from degranulating rat peritoneal mast cells. Analysis of the GAGs by NMR spectroscopy showed the presence of both heparin and the galactosaminoglycan dermatan sulphate; heparinase digestion profiles and measurements of anticoagulant activity were consistent with this finding. The rat peritoneal mast cell GAGs significantly inhibited accumulation of leukocytes in the rat peritoneal cavity in response to IL-1β (p

The development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) following an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI) is an increasingly recognized clinical problem. Inhibition of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) protects renal function in animal models of AKI and has become a viable therapeutic strategy in AKI. However, the impact of TLR4 inhibition on the chronic sequelae of AKI is unknown. Consequently, we examined the chronic effects of TLR4 inhibition in a model of ischemic AKI. Mice with a TLR4-deletion on a C57BL/6 background and wild-type (WT) background control mice (C57BL/6) were subjected to bilateral renal artery clamping for 19 min and reperfusion for up to 6 weeks. Despite the acute protective effect of TLR4 inhibition on renal function (serum creatinine 1.6 ± 0.4 mg/dL TLR4-deletion vs. 2.8 ± 0.3 mg/dL·WT) and rates of tubular apoptosis following ischemic AKI, we found no difference in neutrophil or macrophage infiltration. Furthermore, we observed significant protection from microvascular rarefaction at six weeks following injury with TLR4-deletion, but this did not alter development of fibrosis. In conclusion, we validate the acute protective effect of TLR4 signal inhibition in AKI but demonstrate that this protective effect does not mitigate the sequential fibrogenic response in this model of ischemic AKI.

The efficacy of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonism in the treatment of certain patients with heart failure has highlighted the pivotal role of aldosterone and MR in heart disease. The glucocorticoid (GC) receptor (GR) is also expressed in heart, but the role of cardiac GR had received much less attention until recently. GR and MR are highly homologous in both structure and function, although not in cellular readout. Recent evidence in animal models has uncovered a tonic role for GC action via GR in cardiomyocytes in prevention of heart disease. Here, we review this evidence and the implications for a balance between GR and MR activation in the early life maturation of the heart and its subsequent health and disease.

A vertically and horizontally well-integrated quality improvement team is essential for effective quality data collection and implementation of improvement measures. We outline the quality structure of a large academic pathology department and describe successful projects across multiple divisions made possible by this tightly integrated structure. The physician vice chair for quality organizes departmental quality efforts and provides representation at the hospital level. The department has an independent continuous quality improvement unit and each laboratory of the department has a staff quality improvement representative. Faculty and staff experts have interacted to produce improvements such as accurate container labeling, efficient triage of specimens, and reduction of unnecessary testing. Specialized task forces such as the Courier Task Force are producing concrete recommendations for process improvement. All phases of pathology patient care are represented by faculty and staff who are trained in quality improvement, and each position touches and communicates actively with levels above and below itself. The key to the department’s approach has been the daily attention to quality efforts in all of its activities and the close association of faculty and staff to accomplish the goals of greater efficiency, safety, and cost savings.

Historical reviews suggest that tanning first became fashionable in the 1920s or 1930s. To quantitatively and qualitatively examine changes in tanning attitudes portrayed in the popular women's press during the early 20th century, we reviewed summer issues of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar for the years 1920, 1927, 1928, and 1929. We examined these issues for articles and advertisements promoting skin tanning or skin bleaching and protection. We found that articles and advertisements promoting the fashionable aspects of tanned skin were more numerous in 1928 and 1929 than in 1927 and 1920, whereas those promoting pale skin (by bleaching or protection) were less numerous. These findings demonstrate a clear shift in attitudes toward tanned skin during this period.

The purpose of this article is to reveal the nature and extent of the official English language websites of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the motivating factors for this practice. The main reasons for the relatively large number of English language sites are considered to be the promotion of tourism, a desire for international scientific cooperation, and increased financial dealings. The paper provides information on the English language content of the main Iranian government websites, identifies some of the obstacles to effective access to this content, and argues for improvements in Iranian website design, so that the Iranian government can fully achieve its goals.

In three experiments, a rat's lever presses could postpone timeouts from food pellets delivered on response-independent schedules. In Experiment 1, the pellets were delivered at variable-time (VT) rates ranging from VT 0.5 to VT 8 min. Experiment 2 replicated the VT 1 min and VT 8 min conditions of Experiment 1 with new subjects. Finally, subjects in Experiment 3 could postpone timeouts from delivery of pellets that differed in quality rather than quantity (unsweetened versus sweetened pellets). In general, response rates and success in avoiding increased as a function of the rate and quality of the pellets. Also, performance efficiency increased as the experiments progressed, that is, the avoidance response occurred later and later in the response-timeout interval. The results support the conclusion that timeout from reinforcement has functional properties similar to those of more commonly studied aversive stimuli (e.g., shock).

The experimenters investigated whether dysphoric and nondysphoric persons differentially exhibited the traditional instruction-induced schedule-insensitivity effect (rule-governed behavior). Dysphoric and nondysphoric participants were given instructions to perform a matching-to-sample task (four blocks, 40 trials each). The instructions in the first half of the study were correct and in the second half, incorrect. Participants were assigned to one of two instructional control conditions in which they read the instruction either privately (tracking condition) or out loud to the experimenter (pliance condition). Dysphoric individuals demonstrated greater schedule sensitivity (less rule-governed behavior) than did nondysphoric persons. No other differences were found. Results indicate that deficits in rule-governed behavior may contribute to depression; however, this experiment did not incorporate procedures to directly test the role of rule-governed experiential avoidance.

Insufficient alveolar gas exchange capacity is a major contributor to lung disease. During lung development, a population of distal epithelial progenitors first produce bronchiolar-fated and subsequently alveolar-fated progeny. The mechanisms controlling this bronchiolar-to-alveolar developmental transition remain largely unknown. We developed a novel grafting assay to test if lung epithelial progenitors are intrinsically programmed or if alveolar cell identity is determined by environmental factors. These experiments revealed that embryonic lung epithelial identity is extrinsically determined. We show that both glucocorticoid and STAT3 signalling can control the timing of alveolar initiation, but that neither pathway is absolutely required for alveolar fate specification; rather, glucocorticoid receptor and STAT3 work in parallel to promote alveolar differentiation. Thus, developmental acquisition of lung alveolar fate is a robust process controlled by at least two independent extrinsic signalling inputs. Further elucidation of these pathways might provide therapeutic opportunities for restoring alveolar capacity., Highlighted Article: Glucocorticoid receptor and STAT3 signalling act in parallel, but cross-regulated, pathways to control epithelial differentiation during lung alveolar development in mice.

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, which controls programs regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. We have identified an unexpected role for GR in mitosis. We discovered that specifically modified GR species accumulate at the mitotic spindle during mitosis in a distribution that overlaps with Aurora kinases. We found that Aurora A was required to mediate mitosis-driven GR phosphorylation, but not recruitment of GR to the spindle. GR was necessary for mitotic progression, with increased time to complete mitosis, frequency of mitotic aberrations, and death in mitosis observed following GR knockdown. Complementation studies revealed an essential role for the GR ligand-binding domain, but no clear requirement for ligand binding in regulating chromosome segregation. The GR N-terminal domain, and specifically phosphosites S203 and S211, were not required. Reduced GR expression results in a cell cycle phenotype, with isolated cells from mouse and human subjects showing changes in chromosome content over prolonged passage. Furthermore, GR haploinsufficient mice have an increased incidence of tumor formation, and, strikingly, these tumors are further depleted for GR, implying additional GR loss as a consequence of cell transformation. We identified reduced GR expression in a panel of human liver, lung, prostate, colon, and breast cancers. We therefore reveal an unexpected role for the GR in promoting accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis, which is causally linked to tumorigenesis, making GR an authentic tumor suppressor gene.

A report on the current national, university, and school libraries situation in Turkmenistan, covering the social, political, economic, and technological constraints in the development of its information economy. This account includes details of the 2000 national information policy law and the off-the-cuff Presidential remarks of April 2005 as well as several recommendations for improving the state of affairs.