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The main objective of this article is to analyse the importance given to student guidance and diversity in the standards and criteria used in the quality accreditation and evaluation processes in Europe and the US. Agencies selected in this study are the members of ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), EQAR (European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education) and regional and programme accrediting organisations in the US that are recognised by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The data were analysed by means of qualitative and content analysis of the principles, standards and criteria published in the guidelines of the respective agencies. The results of this study reveal that guidance and attention to diversity are included in the quality evaluation guidelines for university study programmes and for higher education institutions in different ways. The main conclusion is that most guidelines include general criteria about guidance and diversity. In order to assist HEIs in the way to plan this support, guidelines should include specific criteria for the provision of academic, career and personal guidance within general student support services. Additionally, criteria should specify the actions to be taken and the resources to respond to diversity.

Youth-adult partnerships (Y-APs) for organizational and community change represent an innovative practice in the United States. Innovations are typically a challenge to implement, so it is not surprising that youth organizations are seeking guidance on how to adopt and sustain Y-APs. This article brings contemporary scholarship to bear on the issue. Through a synthesis of theory, research, and field-based data, it identifies six managerial guidelines for adopting and beginning to implement the innovative practice of Y-APs: (1) gain clarity and consensus on the purpose of Y-AP, (2) mobilize and coordinate a diverse range of stakeholders, (3) create favorable narratives about Y-AP, (4) construct theories and stories of organizational change, (5) affirmatively address issues of power, and (6) institutionalize new roles for youth. These guidelines depend on stakeholders having adequate time for shared organizational learning. Time for reflective dialogue, however, is a precious commodity in youth organizations, one that is rarely financed by public agencies or private foundations. A major challenge for the future, in terms of the wide-scale adoption and implementation of innovation, specifically Y-AP, may therefore lie in the creation of incentives and support for organizational reflection.

This article serves as an introduction to the special issue and to the emerging topic of intergenerational relationships and partnerships in community programs. Our aim is to offer a frame in which to consider theory and practice on the topic. Toward that end, we focus on the multiple purposes of intergenerational relationships, adult strategies for creating strong relationships, and the organizational supports necessary to support relationships and partnerships. This analysis highlights program examples from the 10 articles included in this volume. We conclude by identifying key issues that researchers may explore to further enhance our understanding of youth-adult relationships and partnerships.

Trichomonas vaginalis infections in men are traditionally considered to be benign and consequently have been overlooked. However, men with this common sexually transmitted infection can experience urethritis, prostatitis, reduced fertility, and amplified human immunodeficiency virus risk. In addition, men are often asymptomatic and can unknowingly spread the infection to their female sexual partners. With advances in T. vaginalis diagnostics, more men are being diagnosed, yet the optimal method of treatment in men remains unknown. The purpose of this review is to discuss the epidemiology, natural history, diagnosis, and treatment of T. vaginalis among men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T cells and NK cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) have demonstrated potent clinical efficacy in patients with hematological malignancies. One of the issues to overcome in the treatment of solid tumors using CARs is the lack of a process that generates large amounts of CAR-T cells, reduces cell exhaustion and differentiation, and improves long term survival after infusion into patients. Previously, Torres Chavez et al. demonstrated in a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments, performed in both hematologic and solid tumor models, the profound qualitative impact on CAR-T cell performance after using human platelet lysate (hPL) as a cell growth supplement. T cells expanded with their hPL showed a good proliferative capacity and enhanced long-term in vivo persistence compared to Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) or human AB Serum (ABS), resulting in superior anti-tumor effects. Additionally, this group demonstrated that the transduction of T cells to generate the CAR-T cells was significantly improved by the use of hPL. Mill Creek's human platelet lysate (hPL) is produced using expired human platelets obtained from accredited blood banks in the United States. These platelets were originally intended for use in patient transfusion. The safety of platelets used in transfusion is managed by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB). These organizations set standards, including testing for transmissible diseases. The United States record for blood safety is well established, with extremely low rates of disease transmission, making the platelet units used for hPL manufacture low risk. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased awareness of emerging infectious diseases, even though transmission of Covid-19 via blood transfusion has not been documented. For that reason, we developed gamma irradiated version of our products, which offer an additional safety measure in the clinic. Previously, we have shown that the use of our platelet lysates has the potential of significantly impacting T cell manufacture by improving the quality and potency of the end product. In this study, we compare the phenotypic profile of different subsets of peripheral blood lymphocytes cultured using our different hPL products versus serum derived products. Additionally we establish a protocol for large scale suspension culture, which could be used for expansion of allogeneic CAR cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of the life and works of climate scientist Eunice Newton Foote. It mentions that she was an American scientist and inventor who discovered the effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, in addition to being a defender of the rights of the women of Seneca Falls, New York. It also mentions that she was the third female member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In the 1990s, many premised that the advent of the information age would lead to the demise of the nation-state through the erosion of state power and, as a result, state sovereignty. Moreover, the Internet and a space many today call “cyber” would enable the emergence of the sovereign citizen, free of the political, economic, and security demands of the all-powerful state. Yet, such predictions not only didnottranspire—they became the poster child of the old adage “be careful what you wish for” in today's age of global terrorism and sophisticated organized criminal activity. Certainly cyberspace has empowered individuals around the world, for both good and bad. Yet, it has also given states a new domain or environment in which to expand their power and in which to compete with one another. State sovereignty, while far from undermined, today boasts a more porous character reminiscent of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when states were certainly the most powerful actors on the international stage but not the only actors with influence. Through its three core sessions, the 2014 Roundtable explores many of these dynamics and interplays, highlighting pending policy dilemmas or putting forward a series of recommendations about the future direction of U.S. foreign policy and strategy in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage-gated potassium channels such as Shaker help to control electrical signalling in neurons by regulating the passage of K+ across cell membranes. Ion flow is controlled by a voltage-dependent gate at the intracellular side of the pore, formed by the crossing of four a-helices-the inner-pore helices. The prevailing model of gating is based on a comparison of the crystal structures of two bacterial channels-KcsA in a closed state and MthK in an open state-and proposes a hinge motion at a conserved glycine that splays the inner-pore helices wide open. We show here that two types of intersubunit metal bridge, involving cysteines placed near the bundle crossing, can occur simultaneously in the open state. These bridges provide constraints on the open Shaker channel structure, and on the degree of movement upon opening. We conclude that, unlike predictions from the structure of MthK, the inner-pore helices of Shaker probably maintain the KcsA-like bundle-crossing motif in the open state, with a bend in this region at the conserved proline motif (Pro-X-Pro) not found in the bacterial channels. A narrower opening of the bundle crossing in Shaker K+ channels may help to explain why Shaker has an approximately tenfold lower conductance than its bacterial relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a conceptual framework that identifies the daily interpersonal and organizational processes through which intolerance is directed to teenagers in the United States. Effects to teenager's exposure to ongoing developmental supports and opportunities; Typologies for understanding the processes inherent in subtle forms of intolerance.

Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) is a prevalent spinal disorder, often requiring surgical intervention. Accurately predicting surgical outcomes is crucial to guide clinical decision-making, but this is challenging due to the multifactorial nature of postoperative results. Traditional risk assessment tools have limitations, and with the advent of machine learning, there is potential to enhance the precision and comprehensiveness of preoperative evaluations. We aimed to develop a machine-learning algorithm to predict surgical outcomes in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) undergoing spinal fusion surgery, only using preoperative data. Retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients with DLS undergoing lumbar spinal fusion surgery. This study aimed to predict the occurrence of lower back pain (LBP) ≥4 on the numeric analogue scale (NAS) 2 years after surgery. LBP was evaluated as the average pain patients experienced at rest in the week before questioning. NAS ranges from 0 to 10, 0 representing no pain and 10 representing the worst pain imaginable. We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively enrolled patients who underwent spinal fusion surgery for degenerative lumbar spondylolistheses at our institution in the United States between January 2016 and December 2018. The initial patient characteristics to be included in the training of the model were chosen by clinical expertise and through a literature review and included demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and radiologic features. The data was split into a training and validation datasets using a 60/40 split. Four different machine learning models were trained, including the modern XGBoost model, logistic regression, random-forest, and support vector machine (SVM). The models were evaluated according to the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. An AUC of 0.7 to 0.8 was considered fair, 0.8 to 0.9 good, and ≥ 0.9 excellent. Additionally, a calibration plot and the Brier score were calculated for each model. A total of 135 patients (66% female) were included. A total of 38 (28%) patients reported LBP ≥ 4 after 2 years, representing the positive class. The XGBoost model demonstrated the best performance in the validation set with an AUC of 0.81 (95% CI 0.67–0.95). The other machine learning models performed significantly worse: with an AUC of 0.52 (95% CI 0.37–0.68) for the SVM, 0.56 (95% CI 0.37–0.76) for the logistic regression and an AUC of 0.56 (95% CI 0.37–0.78) for the random forest. In the XGBoost model age, composition of the erector spinae, and severity of lumbar spinal stenosis as were identified as the most important features. This study represents a novel approach to predicting surgical outcomes in spinal fusion patients. The XGBoost demonstrated a better performance compared with classical models and highlighted the potential contributions of age and paraspinal musculature atrophy as significant factors. These findings have important implications for enhancing patient care through the identification of high-risk individuals and modifiable risk factors. As the incorporation of machine learning algorithms into clinical decision-making continues to gain traction in research and clinical practice, our insights reinforce this trajectory by showcasing the potential of these techniques in forecasting surgical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cactaceae comprise a diverse and iconic group of flowering plants which are almost exclusively indigenous to the New World. The wide variety of growth forms found amongst the cacti have led to the trafficking of many species throughout the world as ornamentals. Despite the evolution and physiological properties of these plants having been extensively studied, little research has focused on cactus-associated viral communities. While only single-stranded RNA viruses had ever been reported in cacti, here we report the discovery of cactus-infecting single-stranded DNA viruses. These viruses all apparently belong to a single divergent species of the family Geminiviridae and have been tentatively named Opuntia virus 1 (OpV1). A total of 79 apparently complete OpV1 genomes were recovered from 31 different cactus plants (belonging to 20 different cactus species from both the Cactoideae and Opuntioideae clades) and from nine cactus-feeding cochineal insects ( Dactylopius sp.) sampled in the USA and Mexico. These 79 OpV1 genomes all share > 78.4% nucleotide identity with one another and < 64.9% identity with previously characterized geminiviruses. Collectively, the OpV1 genomes display evidence of frequent recombination, with some genomes displaying up to five recombinant regions. In one case, recombinant regions span ~40% of the genome. We demonstrate that an infectious clone of an OpV1 genome can replicate in Nicotiana benthamiana and Opuntia microdasys. In addition to expanding the inventory of viruses that are known to infect cacti, the OpV1 group is so distantly related to other known geminiviruses that it likely represents a new geminivirus genus. It remains to be determined whether, like its cactus hosts, its geographical distribution spans the globe.

Members of the family Circoviridae, specifically the genus Circovirus, were thought to infect only vertebrates; however, members of a sister group under the same family, the proposed genus Cyclovirus, have been detected recently in insects. In an effort to explore the diversity of cycloviruses and better understand the evolution of these novel ssDNA viruses, here we present five cycloviruses isolated from three dragonfly species (Orthetrum sabina, Xanthocnemis zealandica and Rhionaeschna multicolor) collected in Australia, New Zealand and the USA, respectively. The genomes of these five viruses share similar genome structure to other cycloviruses, with a circular ~1.7 kb genome and two major bidirectionally transcribed ORFs. The genomic sequence data gathered during this study were combined with all cyclovirus genomes available in public databases to identify conserved motifs and regulatory elements in the intergenic regions, as well as determine diversity and recombinant regions within their genomes. The genomes reported here represent four different cyclovirus species, three of which are novel. Our results confirm that cycloviruses circulate widely in winged-insect populations; in eight different cyclovirus species identified in dragonflies to date, some of these exhibit a broad geographical distribution. Recombination analysis revealed both intra- and inter-species recombination events amongst cycloviruses, including genomes recovered from disparate sources (e.g. goat meat and human faeces). Similar to other well-characterized circular ssDNA viruses, recombination may play an important role in cyclovirus evolution.