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Tardigrada is an ecdysozoan lineage famed for its resilience. Tardigrades can tolerate high doses of radiation, low-oxygen environments, desiccation, and both high and low temperatures under a dormant state called "anhydrobiosis", which is a reversible halt of metabolism upon almost complete desiccation. A large amount of research has focused on the genetic pathways related to these capabilities, and a number of genes have been identified and linked to the extremotolerant response of tardigrades. However, the history of these genes is unclear, and the origins and history of extremotolerant genes within Tardigrada remain a mystery. Here, we generate the first phylogenies of six separate protein families linked with desiccation and radiation tolerance in Tardigrada: cytosolic abundant heat-soluble protein, mitochondrial abundant heat-soluble protein, secretory abundant heat-soluble protein, meiotic recombination 11 homolog, and the newly discovered Echiniscus testudo abundant heat-soluble proteins (alpha and beta). The high number of independent gene duplications found amongst the six gene families studied suggests that tardigrades have a complex history with numerous independent adaptations to cope with aridity within the limnoterrestrial environment. Our results suggest that tardigrades likely transitioned from a marine environment to a limnoterrestrial environment only twice, once in stem Eutardigrada and once in Heterotardigrada, which explains the unique adaptations to anhydrobiosis present in both classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the common good constitutionalism theory highlighted by law professor Adrian Vermeule in his 2022 book "Common Good Constitutionalism." It discussed the moral interpretation of the U.S. Constitution proposed by philosopher Ronald Dworkin, the way originalists fail to recognize the need for political morality in constitutional interpretation according to Vermeule, and the planned development of a liberal common good constitutionalism appropriate for polarized times.

Background: The aim of this study was to correlate peripheral blood gene expression profile (GEP) results during the first post‐transplant year with outcomes after kidney transplantation. Methods: We conducted a prospective, multicenter observational study of obtaining peripheral blood at five timepoints during the first post‐transplant year to perform a GEP assay. The cohort was stratified based on the pattern of the peripheral blood GEP results: Tx‐all GEP results normal, 1 Not‐TX had one GEP result abnormal and >1 Not‐TX two or more abnormal GEP results. We correlated the GEP results with outcomes after transplantation. Results: We enrolled 240 kidney transplant recipients. The cohort was stratified into the three groups: TX n = 117 (47%), 1 Not‐TX n = 59 (25%) and >1 Not‐TX n = 64 (27%). Compared to the TX group, the >1 Not‐TX group had lower eGFR (p <.001) and more chronic changes on 1‐year surveillance biopsy (p =.007). Death censored graft survival showed inferior graft survival in the >1 Not‐TX group (p <.001) but not in the 1 Not‐TX group. All graft losses in the >1 Not‐TX group occurred after 1‐year post‐transplant. Conclusions: We conclude that a pattern of persistently Not‐TX GEP assay correlates with inferior graft survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of phylogenetic data has greatly expanded in recent years. As a result, a new era in phylogenetic analysis is dawning—one in which the methods we use to analyse and assess our data are the bottleneck to producing valuable phylogenetic hypotheses, rather than the need to acquire more data. This makes the ability to accurately appraise and evaluate new methods of phylogenetic analysis and phylogenetic artefact identification more important than ever. Incongruence in phylogenetic reconstructions based on different datasets may be due to two major sources: biological and methodological. Biological sources comprise processes like horizontal gene transfer, hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting, while methodological ones contain falsely assigned data or violations of the assumptions of the underlying model. While the former provides interesting insights into the evolutionary history of the investigated groups, the latter should be avoided or minimized as best as possible. However, errors introduced by methodology must first be excluded or minimized to be able to conclude that biological sources are the cause. Fortunately, a variety of useful tools exist to help detect such misassignments and model violations and to apply ameliorating measurements. Still, the number of methods and their theoretical underpinning can be overwhelming and opaque. Here, we present a practical and comprehensive review of recent developments in techniques to detect artefacts arising from model violations and poorly assigned data. The advantages and disadvantages of the different methods to detect such misleading signals in phylogenetic reconstructions are also discussed. As there is no one‐size‐fits‐all solution, this review can serve as a guide in choosing the most appropriate detection methods depending on both the actual dataset and the computational power available to the researcher. Ultimately, this informed selection will have a positive impact on the broader field, allowing us to better understand the evolutionary history of the group of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public databases such as the NCBI's GenBank have been used as repositories for genomic studies for more than 30 years. In this time, our understanding of the natural world, and especially the genomic world, has expanded vastly, and the size of these databases represent this genomic revolution. Databases like GenBank now help populate many molecular studies, supplementing a researcher's newly gathered data with publicly available sequences. Despite this, older sequence records, particularly those from understudied taxa, are frequently not updated in line with this burgeoning understanding, and this means that analyses that leverage this public data – from BLAST through to phylogenetic analyses – cannot do so with the full force of its collective understanding. This is particularly true for environmental DNA (eDNA) records, where older sequence records may identify sequences only to the phylum level, limiting their use in many studies. Here, with a case study of tardigrade 18S sequences, the family identities of 630 sequences, previously only identified to the phylum level, were established using 501 family, genus and species level 18S sequences, effectively doubling the depth and taxonomic resolution of tardigrade 18S sequences in GenBank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Compositional heterogeneity—when the proportions of nucleotides and amino acids are not broadly similar across the dataset—is a cause of a great number of phylogenetic artefacts. Whilst a variety of methods can identify it post-hoc, few metrics exist to quantify compositional heterogeneity prior to the computationally intensive task of phylogenetic tree reconstruction. Here we assess the efficacy of one such existing, widely used, metric: Relative Composition Frequency Variability (RCFV), using both real and simulated data. Results: Our results show that RCFV can be biased by sequence length, the number of taxa, and the number of possible character states within the dataset. However, we also find that missing data does not appear to have an appreciable effect on RCFV. We discuss the theory behind this, the consequences of this for the future of the usage of the RCFV value and propose a new metric, nRCFV, which accounts for these biases. Alongside this, we present a new software that calculates both RCFV and nRCFV, called nRCFV_Reader. Availability and implementation: nRCFV has been implemented in RCFV_Reader, available at: https://github.com/JFFleming/RCFV%5fReader. Both our simulation and real data are available at Datadryad: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsbpn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reference intervals were derived from LabCorp's large database of patient test results. • Reference intervals are age and gender based inclusive of neonatal and geriatric populations. • The modified indirect method of Hoffmann was used to determine the reference intervals. • The population used for the calculation was diverse and distributed across the United States. • Patient test results were pulled from a nation-wide system of laboratories. • The patient population is unbiased with respect to age, gender, race or geography. • Assays used in the calculations are standardized to instrument, method, and calibration. • The reference intervals include 266 analytes representing over 2700 age bracket. • Age brackets are calculated with significant N values utilizing 72 M test results. • Reference intervals tabulated represent multiple laboratory disciplines. For many years, clinical laboratories have either verified or estimated reference intervals (RI) for laboratory tests. Those calculations have largely been performed by direct sampling analysis of ostensibly healthy individuals or by post-analysis biochemical screening. Recently however, indirect calculations have come to the forefront as an IFCC endorsed method by using normal and abnormal patient data. Using a large database of patient test results from Laboratory Corporation of America, age and gender based RIs, inclusive of neonatal, pediatric, and geriatric populations, were determined using a modified indirect method of Hoffmann, and represent a diverse population distributed across the United States from a nation-wide system of laboratories and is unbiased with respect to age, gender, race or geography. The tabulation of RIs using big data by an indirect method represent 72 M patient test results. The table includes 266 individual analytes consisting of approximately 2,700 age categories, including tests across multiple medical disciplines. To our knowledge, this is the largest collection of RIs that were calculated by an indirect method representing clinical chemistry, endocrinology, coagulation, and hematology analytes that have been derived with very powerful "Ns" for each age bracket. This process provides more robust RIs and allows for the determination of pediatric and geriatric RIs that would otherwise be difficult to obtain using traditional direct RI determinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanaidaceans are small benthic crustaceans that mainly inhabit diverse marine environments, and they comprise one of the most diverse and abundant macrofaunal groups in the deep sea. Tanaidacea is one of the most thread-dependent taxa in the Crustacea, constructing tubes, spun with their silk, for shelter. In this work, we sequenced and assembled the comprehensive transcriptome of 23 tanaidaceans encompassing 14 families and 4 superfamilies of Tanaidacea, and performed silk proteomics of Zeuxo ezoensis to search for its silk genes. As a result, we identified two families of silk proteins that are conserved across the four superfamilies. The long and repetitive nature of these silk genes resembles that of other silk-producing organisms, and the two families of proteins are similar in composition to silkworm and caddisworm fibroins, respectively. Moreover, the amino acid composition of the repetitive motifs of tanaidacean silk tends to be more hydrophilic, and therefore could be a useful resource in studying their unique adaptation of silk use in a marine environment. The availability of comprehensive transcriptome data in these taxa, coupled with proteomic evidence of their silk genes, will facilitate evolutionary and ecological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular genetic data have recently been incorporated in attempts to reconstruct the ecology of the ancestral snake, though this has been limited by a paucity of data for one of the two main extant snake taxa, the highly fossorial Scolecophidia. Here we present and analyze vision genes from the first eye-transcriptomic and genome-wide data for Scolecophidia, for Anilios bicolor , and A. bituberculatus , respectively. We also present immunohistochemistry data for retinal anatomy and visual opsin-gene expression in Anilios. Analyzed in the context of 19 lepidosaurian genomes and 12 eye transcriptomes, the new genome-wide and transcriptomic data provide evidence for a much more reduced visual system in Anilios than in non-scolecophidian (=alethinophidian) snakes and in lizards. In Anilios , there is no evidence of the presence of 7 of the 12 genes associated with alethinophidian photopic (cone) phototransduction. This indicates extensive gene loss and many of these candidate gene losses occur also in highly fossorial mammals with reduced vision. Although recent phylogenetic studies have found evidence for scolecophidian paraphyly, the loss in Anilios of visual genes that are present in alethinophidians implies that the ancestral snake had a better-developed visual system than is known for any extant scolecophidian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Essay argues that civic education is crucial to remedying what Jack Balkin, in The Cycles of Constitutional Time, diagnoses as "constitutional rot" in the United States. A twenty-first century civic education must meet challenges of polarization and growing diversity and inequality and equip people for forms of democratic participation necessary to the health of constitutional democracy. Some commentators have called the insurrection on January 6, 2021, a "Sputnik moment for teaching civics"--seeing a link between the whitesupremacist/conspiracy-theory mob's actions and the failure to instill civic virtue in "We the People." To be capable of spurring national reconciliation and renewal, civic education must reckon with systemic racism and with how to strive to overcome it. This Essay critiques the model of "patriotic education" set out in The 1776 Report as a signal of, rather than a cure for, constitutional rot. The Report's attacks on "identity politics" and critical race theory as incompatible with "authentic" civics education echo in recent proposed or enacted state and local laws prescribing whether and how teachers may teach students about racism and sexism. A better model of civic education, we argue, is the call for "reflective patriotism" set out in the Educating for American Democracy Initiative. This model combines "love of country with clear-eyed wisdom about our successes and failures in order to chart our path forward." It helps students to engage with "hard histories" of inclusion and exclusion and to understand how the constitutional order has become more democratic because of the efforts of social movements. It seeks to educate young people "to participate in and sustain our constitutional democracy." This model offers hope for addressing constitutional rot and preparing students to face present-day challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a 7-day training and/or competition period, macronutrient intake and distribution was assessed using food diaries, supported by remote food photography and 24-hr multiple pass recalls of youth tennis players categorised by under 12s, under 14s and under 16+ age groups (n = 27). Total energy did not differ between age groups nor type of day (training [TD], competition day [CD]), irrespective of a significant increase in body mass reported in the older players (U16+; p < 0.05). Average intakes were consistently below 2250 kcal⋅day-1 (range 1965 ± 317-2232 ± 612 kcal⋅day-1). Carbohydrate consumption was below guidelines for all groups (<6g⋅kg-1). Conversely, protein intake met or exceeded guidelines throughout, with intakes >2 g⋅kg-1 for both the U12 and U14 age groups on both days. Protein intake was ~17% higher on TDs than CDs (p < 0.05), with protein intake at lunch significantly higher on TDs than CDs (p < 0.05). No further differences were observed between breakfast, lunch or dinner between group or day. Inconsistent snacking was reported, with players consuming snacks on less than half of the days reported (46 ± 12% of TDs and 43 ± 30% of CDs). In conclusion, youth tennis players present sub-optimal nutrition practices, appearing to under fuel and under consume carbohydrate for performance, adaptation, recovery and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opsins are light-sensitive proteins involved in many photoreceptive processes, including, but not limited to, vision and regulation of circadian rhythms. Arthropod (e.g. insects, spiders, centipedes, and crabs) opsins have been extensively researched, but the relationships and function of opsins found in lineages that are evolutionarily closely related to the arthropods remains unclear. Multiple, independent, opsin duplications are known in Tardigrada (the water bears), evidencing that protostome opsin duplications are not limited to the Arthropoda. However, the relationships, function, and expression of these new opsins are still unknown. Here, we use two tardigrade transcriptomes with deep coverage to greatly expand our knowledge of the diversity of tardigrade opsins. We reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of the tardigrade opsins and investigate their ontogenetic expression. We found that while tardigrades have multiple opsins that evolved from lineage-specific duplications of well-understood arthropod opsins, their expression levels change during ontogeny such that most of these opsins are not co-temporally expressed. Co-temporal expression of multiple opsins underpins color vision in Arthropoda and Vertebrata. Our results clearly show duplications of both rhabdomeric and ciliary opsins within Tardigrada, forming clades specific to both the Heterotardigrada and Eutardigrada in addition to multiple independent duplications within genera. However, lack of co-temporal, ontogenetic, expression suggests that while tardigrades possess multiple opsins, they are unlikely to be able to distinguish color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Nonadherence is a leading cause of death-censored allograft loss in kidney transplant recipients. Strong associations have tied tacrolimus intrapatient variability (IPV) to degree of nonadherence and high tacrolimus IPV to clinical endpoints such as rejection and allograft loss. Nonadherence is a dynamic, complex problem best targeted by multidimensional interventions, including mobile health (mHealth) technologies. Methods This was a secondary planned analysis of a 12-month, parallel, 2-arm, semiblind, 1:1 randomized controlled trial involving 136 adult kidney transplant recipients. The primary aims of the TRANSAFE Rx study were to assess the efficacy of a pharmacist-led, mHealth-based intervention in improving medication safety and health outcomes for kidney transplant recipients as compared to usual care. Results Patients were randomized equally to 68 patients per arm. The intervention arm demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in tacrolimus IPV over time as compared to the control arm (P = 0.0133). When analyzing a clinical goal of tacrolimus IPV of less than 30%, the 2 groups were comparable at baseline (P = 0.765), but significantly more patients in the intervention group met this criterion at month 12 (P = 0.033). In multivariable modeling, variables that independently impacted tacrolimus IPV included time, treatment effect, age, and warm ischemic time. Conclusion This secondary planned analysis of an mHealth-based, pharmacist-led intervention demonstrated an association between the active intervention in the trial and improved tacrolimus IPV. Further prospective studies are required to confirm the mutability of tacrolimus IPV and impact of reducing tacrolimus IPV on long-term clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tardigrada are a clade with a disputed and complex taxonomy. The three traditional tardigrade classes are the Heterotardigrada, Eutardigrada and the dubious, monotypic Mesotardigrada. A recent molecular study by Guil et al (Zoologica Scripta, 48, 2019, 120) suggested that the Apochela, previously considered an order of Eutardigrada, should become a new class, Apotardigrada, with the Parachela becoming THE new Eutardigrada. This new diagnosis was presented alongside compelling morphological evidence. Here, we test the assumptions of the molecular evidence for Apotardigrada by analysing tardigrade 18S and 28S data under four separate conditions, along with new BUSCO data, across both Bayesian‐ and maximum‐likelihood phylogenetic approaches. We found variable conclusions regarding the status of Apotardigrada could be drawn by comparing the ribosomal RNA and BUSCO results, and caution against using branch length data to determine taxonomic hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article author talks about photography that is uniquely fluid when compared to other visual arts. Topics include considered that photography has been a tool for swaying and holding public opinion as it has documented the twentieth century causes and ideologies, their impacts, and their atrocitie.

The article talks about photography and languages in the Twenty-First-Century. Topics include the old movements concerning themselves with images-pictures of mythologies, nudes, religion and landscapes; and ancient people's values, ways, and beliefs being conveyed through images; and the Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, and other civilizations being used words and pictures.

Our ability to correctly reconstruct a phylogenetic tree is strongly affected by both systematic errors and the amount of phylogenetic signal in the data. Current approaches to tackle tree reconstruction artifacts, such as the use of parameter-rich models, do not translate readily to single-gene alignments. This, coupled with the limited amount of phylogenetic information contained in single-gene alignments, makes gene trees particularly difficult to reconstruct. Opsin phylogeny illustrates this problem clearly. Opsins are G-protein coupled receptors utilized in photoreceptive processes across Metazoa and their protein sequences are roughly 300 amino acids long. A number of incongruent opsin phylogenies have been published and opsin evolution remains poorly understood. Here, we present a novel approach, the canary sequence approach, to investigate and potentially circumvent errors in single-gene phylogenies. First, we demonstrate our approach using two well-understood cases of long-branch attraction in single-gene data sets, and simulations. After that, we apply our approach to a large collection of well-characterized opsins to clarify the relationships of the three main opsin subfamilies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a book "Who's the Bigot? Learning from Conflicts over Marriage and Civil Rights Law" by Linda C. McClain and U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. It mentions bigotry in analyzing opposition to gay and lesbian rights and decision of U.S. Supreme Court in the case Obergefell v. Hodges on laws not extending the fundamental right to marry to same-sex couples unconstitutionally denied equal dignity.

• Naturalistic data collected in a small-scale study to evaluate driver models. • Following models with preferred headways show a poor fit to naturalistic data. • Following models based on limits on time-to-collision perform better in practice. • Cornering models with lateral acceleration bounds show good fits to real-world data. • Implications for design of driver assistance systems are discussed. Accurate understanding of driver behaviour is crucial for future Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. For user acceptance it is important that ADAS respect individual driving styles and adapt accordingly. Using data collected during a naturalistic driving study carried out at the University of Southampton, we assess existing models of driver acceleration and speed choice during car following and when cornering. We observe that existing models of driver behaviour that specify a preferred inter-vehicle spacing in car-following situations appear to be too prescriptive, with a wide range of acceptable spacings visible in the naturalistic data. Bounds on lateral acceleration during cornering from the literature are visible in the data, but appear to be influenced by the minimum cornering radii specified in design codes for UK roadway geometry. This analysis of existing driver models is used to suggest a small set of parameters that are sufficient to characterise driver behaviour in car-following and curve driving, which may be estimated in real-time by an ADAS to adapt to changing driver behaviour. Finally, we discuss applications to adaptive ADAS with the objectives of improving road safety and promoting eco-driving, and suggest directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colour vision is known to have a risen only twice—once in Vertebrata and once within the Ecdysozoa, in Arthropoda. However, the evolutionary history of ecdysozoan vision is unclear. At the molecular level, visual pigments, composed of a chromophore and a protein belonging to the opsin family, have different spectral sensitivities and these mediate colour vision. At the morphological level, ecdysozoan vision is conveyed by eyes of variable levels of complexity; from the simple ocelli observed in the velvet worms (phylum Onychophora) to the marvellously complex eyes of insects, spiders, and crustaceans. Here, we explore the evolution of ecdysozoan vision at both the molecular and morphological level; combining analysis of a large-scale opsin dataset that includes previously unknown ecdysozoan opsins with morphological analyses of key Cambrian fossils with preserved eye structures. We found that while several non-arthropod ecdysozoan lineages have multiple opsins, arthropod multi-opsin vision evolved through a series of gene duplications that were fixed in a period of 35–71 million years (Ma) along the stem arthropod lineage. Our integrative study of the fossil and molecular record of vision indicates that fossils with more complex eyes were likely to have possessed a larger complement of opsin genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correspondence paper introduces a novel multi-objective controller, which regulates A/C system operation in a tradeoff between vehicle cabin comfort and fuel consumption for a conventional vehicle with internal combustion engine. The controller has been developed and tested in a simulated environment, where an energy-based model of the A/C system is combined with a thermal dynamic model of the cabin, which considers heat transfer to the environment. The control algorithm proposed herein is compared with two widely used control techniques in the industry, respectively the thermostat and PI control, under different driving cycles. This novel method is implementable in real-time, and simulation results show a reduction of up to 2% in A/C system fuel consumption compared to existing methods with similar thermal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the laser-induced fluorescence spectrum of the fluoroformyl radical (FCO). Three separate procedures for preparation of FCO; Observation of the same spectral features from all three production schemes confirming the assignment of FCO as the spectral carrier; Lower frequency stretching mode; Resolved emission from the longest wavelength prominent bandhead.

Objective:This study assessed barriers and facilitators to telehealth utilization among patients living in New York City public housing with chronic conditions and a gap in clinical care. Methods:Community health workers performed outreach to eligible patients by telephone between January and March 2021. Consenting respondents answered questions about telehealth barriers, including internet and cell phone access, ownership of digital devices, comfort with using digital devices, comfort with telehealth, cost, awareness, and availability of written materials in patients' preferred language. We obtained demographic and medical information from patients' electronic health records. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the association of barriers with the odds of self-reported prior telehealth utilization. Results:A total of 304 consenting patients participated in the program. The average patient had 3.1 telehealth barriers; 76% reported at least one barrier. Regression analysis showed sizable reductions in prior telehealth utilization associated with the barriers of unlimited cell phone minutes (odds ratio [OR]: 0.21 [0.05–0.88], p = 0.033), technological comfort (OR: 0.33 [0.13–0.82], p = 0.016), conceptual comfort with telehealth (OR: 0.15 [0.04–0.54], p = 0.004), and materials in the patient's preferred language (OR: 0.23 [0.07–0.79], p = 0.02). Discussion:With a high prevalence of telehealth barriers, patients with limited income, a chronic condition, and a care gap may benefit from greater technological access and supportive programs for awareness, telehealth comfort, and navigation support. Addressing telehealth barriers could increase the quality of medical care and improve health outcomes for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Up to 77% of liver transplantation candidates experience pain, and the majority are prescribed opioids. Previous studies have shown increased readmissions and mortality in liver transplant recipients who were prescribed opioids before transplantation. Our aim was to identify specific populations that are at the highest risk for deleterious outcomes with opioid use before transplantation.Study Design: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of adult receiving liver transplants between 2010 and 2016 to assess the impact of pretransplantation opioid use on mortality and graft loss after liver transplantation.Results: A total of 446 liver transplant recipients were included in the study, 148 (33%) of which were identified as pretransplantation opioid users. Opioid use increased significantly during the course of the study. There were no differences in the overall cohort between opioid users and non-opioid users with regard to graft or patient outcomes. However, the influence of opioid use on outcomes varied based on Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and functional status. In patients with any MELD exception, opioid use was an independent predictor of time to graft loss or death (adjusted hazard ratio 2.36; 95% CI 1.05 to 5.28; p = 0.037). It also independently predicted time to graft loss or death in patients with low laboratory MELD scores (adjusted hazard ratio 2.38; 95% CI 1.10 to 5.13; p = 0.027).Conclusions: In our 6-year retrospective cohort, pretransplantation opioid use based on medication reconciliation was independently associated with time to graft loss or mortality in liver transplant recipients with MELD exceptions and laboratory MELD scores ≤15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background With the advent of effective antivirals against cytomegalovirus ( CMV), use of CMV hyperimmune globulin (HIG) has decreased. Although antiviral prophylaxis in patients at high risk for CMV is effective, many patients still have late infection, never developing antibodies sufficient to achieve immunity. Utilizing a combination of antiviral and CMV HIG may allow patients to achieve immunity and decrease late CMV infections. Methods This was a prospective randomized, open-label, pilot study comparing valganciclovir ( VGCV) prophylaxis for 200 days vs VGCV for 100 days followed by CMV HIG in abdominal transplant recipients at high risk for CMV. The primary outcome was a comparison of late CMV disease. Results Forty patients were randomized to VGCV for 200 days (n = 20) or VGCV for 100 days followed by 3 doses of monthly CMV HIG (n = 20). Numerically, more overall CMV infections occurred in the CMV HIG group (45 vs 20%, P = .09). No differences in overall CMV infections or late CMV disease were seen between groups (20% vs 15%, P = 1.00 and 0 vs 0, P = 1.00). All CMV disease occurred within 200 days, with 63% occurring while patients were on VGCV. No differences were found in toxicities, graft function, or rejection between groups. Patients with CMV infection at any time had a higher body weight than those who did not have an infection (82 vs 95 kg, P = .049). Conclusion Use of CMV HIG sequentially with prophylaxis may be an effective and affordable prophylactic regimen in abdominal transplant recipients at high risk for CMV, and warrants larger prospective study. Increased monitoring for patients with obesity may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This national survey sought to determine the practices and policies pertaining to opioid and opioid substitution therapy (OST) use in the selection of liver transplant (LT) candidates. Of 114 centers, 61 (53.5%) responded to the survey, representing 49.2% of the LT volume in 2016. Only two programs considered chronic opioid (1 [1.6%]) or OST use (1 [1.6%]) absolute contraindications to transplant, while 63.9% and 37.7% considered either one a relative contraindication, respectively. The majority of programs did not have a written policy regarding chronic opioid use (73.8%) or OST use (78.7%) in LT candidates. Nearly half (45.9%) of centers agreed that there should be a national consensus policy addressing opioid and OST use. The majority of responding LT centers did not consider opioid or OST use in LT candidates to be absolute contraindications to LT, but there was significant variability in center practices. These surveys also demonstrated a lack of written policies in the assessment of the candidacy of such patients. The results of our survey identify an opportunity to develop a national consensus statement regarding opioid and OST use in LT candidates to bring greater uniformity and equity into the selection of LT candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological data provide the onlymeans of classifying the majority of life's history, but the choice between competing phylogenetic methods for the analysis of morphology is unclear. Traditionally, parsimony methods have been favoured but recent studies have shown that these approaches are less accurate than the Bayesian implementation of the Mk model. Here we expand on these findings in several ways: we assess the impact of tree shape andmaximum-likelihood estimation using theMk model, aswell as analysing data composed of both binary and multistate characters. We find that all methods struggle to correctly resolve deep clades within asymmetric trees, and when analysing small character matrices. The Bayesian Mk model is the most accurate method for estimating topology, but with lower resolution than other methods. Equal weights parsimony is more accurate than implied weights parsimony, and maximum-likelihood estimation using theMk model is the least accurate method. We conclude that the Bayesian implementation of the Mk model should be the default method for phylogenetic estimation from phenotype datasets, and we explore the implications of our simulations in reanalysing several empirical morphological character matrices. A consequence of our finding is that high levels of resolution or the ability to classify species or groups with much confidence should not be expected when using small datasets. It is now necessary to depart from the traditional parsimony paradigms of constructing character matrices, towards datasets constructed explicitly for Bayesian methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biography of Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby, a Swedish-American meteorologist who discovered the planetary waves called Rossby waves, is presented. He was born on December 28, 1898 in Stockholm. He was born on December 28, 1898 in Stockholm, Sweden and studied mathematics, mechanics, and astronomy at Stockholm University. Other topics include the American-Scandinavian Foundation fellowship he won in 1926 that brought him to the U.S. and his interest in climatic change and variability.

Six chiral MOP-phosphonites have been synthesised and compared via experimental and computational methods in an effort to quantify their differing structural and electronic profiles. They were found to be electron-poor ligands in comparison to their arylphosphine analogues and have a larger trans influence in square planar Pt(ii) complexes. Four [Rh(LP)(η2:η2-cod)Cl] complexes were synthesised and characterised by NMR, HRMS and X-ray crystallography. Two [Rh(LP)2]BF4 complexes were prepared where one ligand acts as a chelating P,C-π-donor; detailed NMR studies demonstrated a hemilabile η6-coordination mode, which in one case was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Rh(i) complexes were used as catalysts in asymmetric hydrogenation and hydroformylation reactions and in the addition of phenyl boronic acid to an isatin. Pd(ii) complexes were successfully employed in asymmetric Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions yielding binaphthyl products. Two [Pd(LP)2Cl2] complexes were synthesised and characterised by X-ray crystallography, both adopting cis orientations, with one of the complexes crystallising as two pseudo-polymorphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Malignant tumour in upper lid is a surgical challenge to oculoplastic surgeon. Full thickness defect created after removal of large tumour promptly treated with modified cutler beard procedure using autogenous auricular cartilage. Surgical procedure is two staged: In first stage, removal of the tumour followed by full thickness flap repaired; In second stage, opening the closed lid with lid margin repair. Post-operatively, there is good anatomical, functional and cosmetic restoration of the eyelid similar to the other eye. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of the modified Cutler-Beard procedure using autogenous ear cartilage for tarsal plate reconstruction in the repair of 70-100% upper eyelid defects. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, interventional case series of 16 patients over a period of three years. Patients with upper eyelid defects, secondary to removal of tumour, greater than or equal to 70% were included. Of these patients, those with lymph node involvement, distant metastasis, lower eyelid involvement, corneal infiltration or intra-orbital extension were excluded. FNAC was done in all the cases. Created defect was measured in mm (length and width) and later expressed in percentage. Pre and Post-operative measurement of Levator Palpebrae Superioris (LPS) was done. Pre and Post-operative measurement of Margin to Reflex Distance (MRD1) were also noted. Results: Upper eyelid recreation was successful in all patients without complications. Pre-operative LPS action ranged from 0-4 mm, while post-operative LPS action was 12-14 mm. Preoperative MRD1 ranged from -4 millimeters to -1 mm, while post-operative MRD1 was +3 to +4 millimeters. The follow-up period ranged from six months to two years. Every patient had a successful upper eyelid reconstruction. Conclusion: The modified Cutler-Beard procedure using an autogenous auricular cartilage graft is an effective procedure for repair of large upper eyelid defects, with acceptable functional and cosmetic results. Furthermore, it is particularly useful in resource-poor areas, due to lower cost than other available options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of research exploring post-transplant process optimization to reduce readmissions and increasing readmission rates at our center from 2009 to 2013 led to this study, aimed at assessing the effect of patient and process factors on 30-d readmission rates after kidney transplantation. This was a retrospective case-control study in adult kidney transplant recipients. Univariate and multivariate analyses were utilized to assess patient and process determinants of 30-d readmissions. 384 patients were included; 30-d readmissions were significantly associated with graft loss and death (p = 0.001). Diabetes (p = 0.049), pharmacist identification of poor understanding or adherence, and prolonged time on hemodialysis prior to transplant were associated with an increased risk of 30-d readmissions. After controlling for risk factors, readmission rates were only independently predicted by pharmacist identification of patient lack of understanding or adherence regarding post-transplant medications and dialysis exposure for more than three yr ( OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.10-4.71, p = 0.026 and OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.22, 3.70, respectively), both of which were significantly modified by history of diabetes. Thirty-d readmissions are attributable to both patient and process-level factors. These data suggest that a lack of post-transplant medication knowledge in high-risk patients drives early hospital readmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is a lack of conclusive evidence to suggest if calcineurin inhibitor ( CNI) withdrawal or minimization with sirolimus is the best strategy for African Americans. Methods This was a randomized, prospective, open-label, pilot study comparing the two mammalian target of rapamycin ( mTOR) transition strategies in adult African Americans between six and 24 wk post-transplant. The primary outcome was a comparison of the eGFR at one yr after conversion. Results Forty patients were randomized and analyzed in an intent-to-treat fashion. Median day of transition was day 96 (withdrawal) and 68 (minimization). Patients in the CNI-withdrawal group (n = 23) had significantly higher eGFR at one yr compared to the CNI-minimization group (n = 17, 73 vs. 56 mL/min, p = 0.03), as well as a significantly larger increase in eGFR from baseline (12 vs. 5 mL/min, p = 0.03). There were no differences in infections, acute rejection, death, or graft loss. Both regimens were constrained by disproportionately high discontinuation rates despite modest toxicity profiles. Conclusion In spite of considerable withdrawal rate across both study arms, African American kidney transplant recipients who underwent early transition to a sirolimus-based CNI-withdrawal regimen had significantly better graft function at one yr compared to those transitioned to a sirolimus-based CNI-minimization regimen. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01005706. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of enantiopure MOP-phosphonite ligands, with tailored steric profiles, have been synthesised and are proven to be very successful in high-yielding, regio- and enantioselective catalytic hydrosilylation reactions of substituted styrenes, affording important chiral secondary alcohols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of moral reading in constitutional interpretation. Topics discussed include role of five major methodological approaches including originalism, precedent, longstanding practice, judicial restraint, and living constitutionalism in constitutional interpretation; brief information on the book "Fidelity to Our Imperfect Constitution: For Moral Readings and Against Originalisms;" and difference between exclusive and inclusive conceptions of originalism.

In this review we will consider the developments in the field of primary phosphine chemistry over the past 10 years. A significant section is devoted to the number of newly developed air-stable primary phosphines, and a DFT-based model will be presented which aims to rationalise the oxidative resistance of certain primary phosphines. Chiral and fluorescent examples of primary phosphines will be reviewed, along with some interesting examples of reactivity. Finally, a collection of coordination compounds from across the periodic table which contain primary phosphines will be highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations face declines commonly attributed to pesticide, pathogen, and parasite stress. One way beekeepers combat these stressors is by providing supplemental protein diets to honey bee colonies to ensure adequate colony nutrition. However Nosema spp., a microsporidian parasite of the honey bee, is thought to be associated closely with a colony’s nutritional intake, thus possibly negating any benefit the bees otherwise would have received from a nutritional supplement. Through three objectives, we examined how adult bees’ consumption of wildflower pollen or commercial pollen substitute diets affected Nosema levels in the bees’ midguts. For our first objective, we investigated how method of inoculation with Nosema affects infection levels in inoculated bees. Bees were infected with spores of Nosema four days after emergence. On day 15, bees were collected from the cages and Nosema spores were quantified. We found that inoculation through the pollen diet resulted in the highest Nosema levels in inoculated bees. In our second and third objectives, we provided the test diets to caged, newly emerged bees for a period of 15 days. Bees consuming pollen and a sucrose solution had more Nosema in their midguts than did bees consuming the sucrose solution alone (control). The overall volume of diet consumed by the bees did not correlate with the level of Nosema in their midguts. The level of Nosema was higher in bees fed certain commercial pollen substitute diets than in bees fed wildflower pollen. Our study illustrates how providing nutritional supplements to adult honey bees can impact the intensity of Nosema in their midguts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To develop and implement a quality control protocol using real-time patient data with immediate failure analysis and prevention of releasing results that exceed the allowable total error. Design and methods Patient data are analyzed in real time using algorithms that incorporate moving medians and moving means for selected chemistry analytes. Simulation software was developed to determine optimal algorithms, establish error limits, and number of patient results for calculation of a single cumulative datum point. Algorithms for moving median (MovMed) and mean (MovMen) were chosen and validated for each analyte. Error limits (TE a ) were established using biological and analytical variation with a goal of greater than 90% error detection rate during simulation runs. Middleware software was developed to prohibit the release of patient results upon error detection. Results A block size of 50 was determined to be the optimal number of patient results used in cumulative calculations. The application of MovMed and MovMen algorithms achieved 0% false rejection for 24 out of 28 tests (85.7%) during the simulation phase. Four tests had a false rejection rate ranging from 0.2 to 1.0%. Error detection rates of 100% were achieved for 16 out of 28 tests (57.1%). Twelve tests had error detection rates ranging from 94.5 to 99.8%. Traditional QC material utilization was reduced by approximately 75–85% and repeat analysis was reduced by approximately 50%. Conclusions We successfully developed and implemented a real-time quality control protocol using patient results with true error detection and without release of erroneous results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe the application of a data-mining statistical algorithm for calculation of clinical laboratory tests reference intervals. Methods: Reference intervals for eight different analytes and different age and sex groups (a total of 11 separate reference intervals) for tests that are unlikely to be ordered during routine screening of disease-free populations were calculated using the modified algorithm for data mining of test results stored in the laboratory database and compared with published peer-reviewed studies that used direct sampling. The selection of analytes was based on the predefined criteria that include comparability of analytical methods with a statistically significant number of observations. Results: Of the 11 calculated reference intervals, having upper and lower limits for each, 21 of 22 reference interval limits were not statistically different from the reference studies. Conclusions: The presented statistical algorithm is shown to be an accurate and practical tool for reference interval calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In thinking about fidelity and change in constitutional interpretation, many have framed the basic choice as being between originalism and living constitutionalism. Consider, for example, Jack M. Balkin's Living Originalism, Robert W. Bennett and Lawrence B. Solum's Constitutional Originalism: A Debate, and John O. McGinnis and Michael B. Rappaport's Originalism and the Good Constitution. I shall argue for the superiority of what Ronald Dworkin called "moral readings of the Constitution" and what what Sotirios A. Barber and I have called a "philosophic approach" to constitutional interpretation. By "moral reading" and "philosophic approach," I refer to conceptions of the Constitution as embodying abstract moral and political principles - not codifying concrete historical rules or practices - and of interpretation of those principles as requiring normative judgments about how they are best understood - not merely historical research to discover relatively specific original meanings. I shall argue that Dworkin's and my conceptions of fidelity and change are superior to those of originalism in its many varieties. For our moral readings enable us to see what originalisms (besides Balkin's) obscure or deny: that one of the main purposes of the Constitution is to exhort us to change in order to honor our aspirational principles and affirmatively to pursue good things like the ends proclaimed in the Preamble. Thus, the aspiration to fidelity requires rather than forbids change. It aims for something better than preventing "rot," as Scalia famously put it. I shall attempt to make good on these claims by arguing that moral readings help us better understand the Constitution as both a framework for change and a charter of aspirations to which we owe fidelity. They enable us to see how the multiple modalities of argument in constitutional interpretation (including original public meaning and precedent), rather than preventing change, are sites in which we argue about, and sources through which we justify, change: in particular, how best to realize and thus to be faithful to our constitutional aspirations. Or, as Dworkin put it, how to interpret the Constitution so as to make it the best it can be. In sum, my topic is fidelity without originalism and change without living constitutionalism. I also ponder the reasons for the grip of originalism in our constitutional culture as contrasted with its rejection elsewhere. I shall suggest that the reasons commonly offered in fact demonstrate the grip of the aspiration to fidelity, not the grip of originalism itself And I shall contend that those reasons in fact show the need for a moral reading or philosophic approach that conceives fidelity as redeeming the promise of our constitutional commitments, not an authoritarian originalist conception of fidelity as following the relatively specific original meaning (or original expected applications) of the Constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses various reports within the journal on legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin's book "Religion Without God," the relationship between law and religion, and issues related to reproductive freedom and same-sex marriage in America.

The article focuses on firearms laws in the U.S. and the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. Topics include the creation of a pathological rights culture through the U.S. Constitution, constitutional interpretation, and the securing of ordered liberty. Information is provided on theories of rights.

The article presents a response to Michael C. Dorf's review essay entitled "Liberalism's Errant Theodicy" which appears in a 2013 issue of the Boston University Law Review and discusses the authors' book "Ordered Liberty: Rights, Responsibilities, and Virtues." Several liberal theories of rights are addressed, including irresponsibility, neutrality, and absoluteness. Autonomy is examined, along with the Griswold v. Connecticut case which deals with a married couple's right to use contraception.

An essay is presented on the similarities and differences between Abner S. Greene's book "Against Obligation: The Multiple Sources of Authority in a Liberal Democracy" and Louis Michael Seidman's treatise "On Constitutional Disobedience" as of 2013. Fidelity, deference to legal precedent, and justification are assessed in relation to constitutional interpretation. Greene's argument against an interpretive obligation to follow the past is examined, along with legal theorist Ronald Dworkin.

In recent years, some have asked." "Are we all originalists now?" My response is: "I hope not!" In this Article, I explain why. But first, I show that there is a trick in the question: Even to pose the question "Are we all originalists now?" suggests that one is presupposing what I shah call "the originalist premise. "" To answer the question affirmatively certainly shows that one is presupposing it. The originalist premise is the assumption that originalism, rightly conceived, is the best, or indeed the only, conception of fidelity in constitutional interpretation. Put more strongly, it is the assumption that originalism, rightly conceived, has to be the best, or indeed the only, conception of constitutional interpretation. Why so? Because originalism, rightly conceived, just has to be. By definition. In the nature of things--in the nature of the Constitution, in the nature of law, in the nature of interpretation, in the nature of fidelity in constitutional interpretation! I will sketch some of the problematic assumptions underlying this premise (and thus underlying the projects of many scholars who seek to reconstruct originalism or to put forward new originalisms). Worse yet, raising the question "Are we all originalists now?" may presuppose that we all have come around to Justice Antonin Scalia's and Robert Bork's ways of thinking, without conceding that many versions of originalism themselves have been moving targets that have moved considerably toward the positions of their critics. If I hope we are not all originalists now, what do I hope we (at least some of us) are? Much of the best work in constitutional theory today is not originalist in either an old or a new sense; rather, it is what I have called "constructivist. " I am interested in developing a constructivist account of the uses of history in constitutional interpretation. A constructivist world would look somewhat like the pre-originalist world (that is, the pre-Borkian world), although it would be far more sophisticated theoretically than that world was. It would treat original meaning as one source of constitutional meaning among several, not the exclusive source, let alone the exclusive legitimate theory. It would use history for what it teaches rather than for what it purportedly decides for us. In a constructivist world, we would understand that history is a jumble of open possibilities, not authoritative, determinate answers. We would understand that we--self-styled originalists no less than the rest of us--always read the past selectively, from the standpoint of the present, in anticipation of the future. We look to the past, not for authoritative answers, but for illumination about our experience and our commitments. Finally, we would understand that it dishonors the past to pretend--in the name of originalism--that it authoritatively decides questions for us, and to pretend that it avoids the burden of making normative arguments about the meaning of our commitments to abstract moral principles and ends. I argue that fidelity in interpreting the Constitution as written requires a philosophic approach to constitutional interpretation. No approach--including no version of originalism--can responsibly avoid philosophic reflection and choice in interpreting the Constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the story of how a moderately sized social enterprise has been set up by a GP who saw a gap in service provision for his patients who were isolated, unemployed or needed support with life skills. It is this GP's life's work. He is fascinated by how much more than the contractual requirements a GP practice can add to its community. The work of the social enterprise is explained along with the outcomes and plans for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ours is not the first generation to ponder geoengineering. Intentional weather and climate manipulation has a checkered history linked, in many cases, to militarization of the atmosphere. This paper examines proposals, practices, and warnings about geoengineering from the Cold War era in order to derive lessons applicable to today's situation. In the two decades following 1945, the new transformative technologies of nuclear power, digital computing, chemical cloud seeding and access to space emboldened a generation of scientists and engineers seeking control of nature and dominance over their superpower rivals. If today's would-be geoengineers are seeking security and peace, they need to study this history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a bench-scale high-expansion aqueous foam generator and integrated it into a traditional cup burner apparatus. Foam expansion ratios ranging from 50:1 to 590:1 could be achieved using air flow rates from 16 l/min to 38 l/min and liquid foam solution flow rates of 50 ml/min to 140 ml/min. The flow rates, foam expansion ratios, and cup burner flame extinction behavior with nitrogen provide a suitable bench-scale platform for controlled, systematic investigations of foam/flame interactions for a range of foam properties. Foams with an expansion ratio of 200:1 contain 81% water by mass. When evaporated completely, this amount of water should be insufficient to extinguish propane flames in oxidizer streams with 60% oxygen based on extinction of these flames by water mist. However, the 200:1 foam easily extinguishes a propane flame even in 100% oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]