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Single-molecule and bulk biophysical approaches to study protein-DNA interactions on surface-immobilized nucleic acid templates typically rely on modifying the ends of linear DNA molecules to enable surface-DNA attachments. Unless both strands are constrained, this results in topologically free DNA molecules and the inability to observe supercoiling-dependent biological processes or requires additional means to micromanipulate the free DNA end to impose rotational constraints or induce supercoiling. We developed a method using RecA protein to induce the formation of a circularized compliment-stabilized D-loop. The resulting joint molecule is topologically closed, surface anchorable, and stable under microfluidic flow. Importantly, the method obviates the need for subsequent manipulation of surface-tethered DNA; tethered molecules remain supercoiled and retain accessibility to DNA-binding proteins. This approach adds to the toolkit for those studying processes on DNA that require supercoiled DNA templates or topologically constrained systems.

In bacterial cells, DNA damage tolerance is manifested by the action of translesion DNA polymerases that can synthesize DNA across template lesions that typically block the replicative DNA polymerase III. It has been suggested that one of these translesion DNA synthesis DNA polymerases, DNA polymerase IV, can either act in concert with the replisome, switching places on the β sliding clamp with DNA polymerase III to bypass the template damage, or act subsequent to the replisome skipping over the template lesion in the gap in nascent DNA left behind as the replisome continues downstream. Evidence exists in support of both mechanisms. Using single-molecule analyses, we show that DNA polymerase IV associates with the replisome in a concentration-dependent manner and remains associated over long stretches of replication fork progression under unstressed conditions. This association slows the replisome, requires DNA polymerase IV binding to the β clamp but not its catalytic activity, and is reinforced by the presence of the γ subunit of the β clamp-loading DnaX complex in the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. Thus, DNA damage is not required for association of DNA polymerase IV with the replisome. We suggest that under stress conditions such as induction of the SOS response, the association of DNA polymerase IV with the replisome provides both a surveillance/bypass mechanism and a means to slow replication fork progression, thereby reducing the frequency of collisions with template damage and the overall mutagenic potential.

This paper reviews studies of proposed creative machines applied to a prototypical creative task, i.e., the Alternative Uses Task (AUT). Although one system (OROC) did simulate some aspects of human strategies for the AUT, most recent attempts have not been simulation-oriented, but rather have used Large Language Model (LLM) systems such as GPT-3 which embody extremely large connectionist networks trained on huge volumes of textual data. Studies reviewed here indicate that LLM based systems are performing on the AUT at near or somewhat above human levels in terms of scores on originality and usefulness. Moreover, similar patterns are found in the data of humans and LLM models in the AUT, such as output order effects and a negative association between originality and value or utility. However, it is concluded that GPT-3 and similar systems, despite generating novel and useful responses, do not display creativity as they lack agency and are purely algorithmic. LLM studies so far in this area have largely been exploratory and future studies should guard against possible training data contamination.

Abstract Despite the growing interest in dynamic behaviors at the frequency domain, there exist very few studies on molecular orientation-dependent transient responses of organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors. In this research, we investigated the effect of ion injection directionality on transient electrochemical transistor behaviors by developing a model mixed conductor system. Two polymers with similar electrical, ionic, and electrochemical characteristics but distinct backbone planarities and molecular orientations were successfully synthesized by varying the co-monomer unit (2,2’-bithiophene or phenylene) in conjunction with a novel 1,4-dithienylphenylene-based monomer. The comprehensive electrochemical analysis suggests that the molecular orientation affects the length of the ion-drift pathway, which is directly correlated with ion mobility, resulting in peculiar OECT transient responses. These results provide the general insight into molecular orientation-dependent ion movement characteristics as well as high-performance device design principles with fine-tuned transient responses.

Abstract The evolution and expansion of land plants brought about one of the most dramatic shifts in the history of the Earth system — the birth of modern soils — and likely stimulated massive changes in marine biogeochemistry and climate. Multiple marine extinctions characterized by widespread anoxia, including the Late Devonian mass extinction around 372 million years ago, may have been linked to terrestrial release of the nutrient phosphorus driven by newly-rooted landscapes. Here we use recently published Devonian lake records as variable inputs in an Earth system model of the coupled carbon-nitrogen-phosphorus-oxygen-sulfur biogeochemical cycles to evaluate whether recorded changes to phosphorus fluxes could sustain Devonian marine anoxia sufficient to drive mass extinction. Results show that globally scaled increases in riverine phosphorus export during the Late Devonian mass extinction could have generated widespread marine anoxia, as modeled perturbations in carbon isotope, temperature, oxygen, and carbon dioxide data are generally consistent with the geologic record. Similar results for large scale volcanism suggest the Late Devonian mass extinction was likely multifaceted with both land plants and volcanism as contributing factors.

The science and tools of measuring energy intake and output in humans have rapidly advanced in the last decade. Engineered devices such as wearables and sensors, software applications, and Web-based tools are now ubiquitous in both research and consumer environments. The assessment of energy expenditure in particular has progressed from reliance on self-report instruments to advanced technologies requiring collaboration across multiple disciplines, from optics to accelerometry. In contrast, assessing energy intake still heavily relies on self-report mechanisms. Although these tools have improved, moving from paper-based to online reporting, considerable room for refinement remains in existing tools, and great opportunities exist for novel, transformational tools, including those using spectroscopy and chemo-sensing. This report reviews the state of the science, and the opportunities and challenges in existing and emerging technologies, from the perspectives of 3 key stakeholders: researchers, users, and developers. Each stakeholder approaches these tools with unique requirements: researchers are concerned with validity, accuracy, data detail and abundance, and ethical use; users with ease of use and privacy; and developers with high adherence and utilization, intellectual property, licensing rights, and monetization. Cross-cutting concerns include frequent updating and integration of the food and nutrient databases on which assessments rely, improving accessibility and reducing disparities in use, and maintaining reliable technical assistance. These contextual challenges are discussed in terms of opportunities and further steps in the direction of personalized health.

Single-molecule and bulk biophysical approaches to study protein-DNA interactions on surface-immobilized nucleic acid templates typically rely on modifying the ends of linear DNA molecules to enable surface-DNA attachments. Unless both strands are constrained, this results in topologically free DNA molecules and the inability to observe supercoiling-dependent biological processes or requires additional means to micromanipulate the free DNA end to impose rotational constraints or induce supercoiling. We developed a method using RecA protein to induce the formation of a circularized compliment-stabilized D-loop. The resulting joint molecule is topologically closed, surface anchorable, and stable under microfluidic flow. Importantly, the method obviates the need for subsequent manipulation of surface-tethered DNA; tethered molecules remain supercoiled and retain accessibility to DNA-binding proteins. This approach adds to the toolkit for those studying processes on DNA that require supercoiled DNA templates or topologically constrained systems.

Abstract Viral infections modulate bacterial metabolism and ecology. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that viruses influence the ecology of purple and green sulfur bacteria in anoxic and sulfidic lakes, analogs of euxinic oceans in the geologic past. By screening metagenomes from lake sediments and water column, in addition to publicly-available genomes of cultured purple and green sulfur bacteria, we identified almost 300 high and medium-quality viral genomes. Viruses carrying the gene psbA, encoding the small subunit of photosystem II protein D1, were ubiquitous, suggesting viral interference with the light reactions of sulfur oxidizing autotrophs. Viruses predicted to infect these autotrophs also encoded auxiliary metabolic genes for reductive sulfur assimilation as cysteine, pigment production, and carbon fixation. These observations show that viruses have the genomic potential to modulate the production of metabolic markers of phototrophic sulfur bacteria that are used to identify photic zone euxinia in the geologic past.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how teachers can use their Sgaw Karen students' names as a means to gaining awareness of their students' home culture, language and personal stories. Design/methodology/approach: This case study uses interviews with four Karen families to explore the meanings behind the names and nicknames given to Karen individuals. Findings: The findings of this study reveal that Karen names can provide teachers important insights into Karen culture, history and language. Moreover, Karen names can also provide important biographical information about the student. Research limitations/implications: This study only focuses on Sgaw Karen names and does not include other Karen subgroups like the Pwo Karen, who are also resettling in the USA. This study does not include all Sgaw Karen names, but the authors have made efforts to include Karen names from various regions of Burma and of different religious backgrounds. Practical implications: Teachers and others working with culturally and linguistically diverse students like the Karen will gain a better understanding of the various ways that names are given across cultures. While this paper focuses on one particular ethnic group, it is believed that teachers need to expand their notions about how other non-European groups name their children and how these names may reveal something about the student's heritage culture, history, language and the unique lived experiences of their students. Social implications: Too often teachers and others working cross-culturally do not realize that other cultures follow different naming practices than those used in the USA. Teachers often mispronounce or misunderstand students' names when the student comes from a cultural group unfamiliar to them. This paper helps a general audience better realize the unique approach Karen culture takes to naming children and how these names are often transformed to fit American naming conventions. As the title suggests, Karen students often feel embarrassed and take on a negative opinion of their given name as a result of a lack of awareness by teachers and others. Originality/value: This paper provides a unique perspective in the literature on the ways cultural naming conventions can serve teachers aspiring to incorporate biography-driven instruction into their classroom practices.

Inconsistency in real-world judgments can cause random unfairness, injustice and misallocation of resources. In their recent monograph Kahneman, Sibony, and Sunstein (2021) analyse judgment inconsistency or "Noise," examine its sources and propose remedies. In this commentary on Kahneman et al., we reflect on the major concepts (such as "judgment," "noise," "error," and "bias") used in analysing inconsistency. We place this work in the broader context of applied cognitive psychology, relating it to error typologies and to dual-systems views of thinking. We also compare Kahneman et al.'s heuristics based approach to the linear combination of attributes based approach of Social Judgment Theory (SJT), with particular reference to judgment noise. We conclude that the main contributions of Kahneman et al.'s book are: (1) to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of judgment noise across a range of important real-world areas; (2) to provide a taxonomy of types of noise in terms of system noise versus occasion noise, and level noise versus pattern noise; and (3) to outline useful ways of reducing noise, and thus overall levels of error.

IntroductionThe safety of novel forms of iron in healthy, iron-replete adults as might occur if used in population-based iron supplementation programs was examined. We tested the hypotheses that supplementation with nanoparticulate iron hydroxide adipate tartrate (IHAT), an iron-enriched Aspergillus oryzae product (ASP), or ferrous sulphate heptahydrate (FS) are safe as indicated by erythrocyte susceptibility to malarial infection, bacterial proliferation, and gut inflammation. Responses to FS administered daily or weekly, and with or without other micronutrients were compared.MethodsTwo phases of randomized, double-blinded trials were conducted in Boston, MA. Phase I randomized 160 volunteers to six treatments: placebo, IHAT, ASP, FS, and FS plus a micronutrient powder (MNP) administrated daily at 60 mg Fe/day; and FS administered as a single weekly dose of 420 mg Fe. Phase II randomized 86 volunteers to IHAT, ASP, or FS administered at 120 mg Fe/day. Completing these phases were 151 and 77 participants, respectively. The study was powered to detect effects on primary endpoints: susceptibility of participant erythrocytes to infection by Plasmodium falciparum, the proliferation potential of selected pathogenic bacteria in sera, and markers of gut inflammation. Secondary endpoints for which the study was not powered included indicators of iron status and gastrointestinal symptoms.ResultsSupplementation with any form of iron did not affect any primary endpoint. Regarding secondary endpoints, in Phase I participants taking IHAT more frequently reported abdominal pain (27%, p = 0.008) than other iron forms; those taking the weekly FS dose more frequently reported nausea (20%, p = 0.009) than the other forms and modes of administration. In phase II, no such differences were observed.DiscussionWith respect to the primary endpoints, few differences were found when comparing these forms of iron, indicating that 28 days of 60 or 120 mg/day of IHAT, ASP, or FS may be safe for healthy, iron-replete adults. With respect to other endpoints, subjects receiving IHAT more frequently reported abdominal pain and nausea, suggesting the need for further study.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03212677; registered: 11 July 2017.

The United States resettled over 70,000 ethnic Karen refugees between 2006 and 2019 due to a protracted civil war in Burma. The vast majority of these refugees have been resettled in urban areas despite the fact that most of them are from rural villages. The refugee-resettlement experience can be daunting, but the challenges are often more acute for elders (Johnson 2017). The aim of this study was to examine how a rural lifestyle may help older Karen as they adjust to their new lives in the US. Our findings suggest that rural living may soften the effects of certain acculturation stressors due to the familiarity of rural living and other factors. In particular, a rural lifestyle may mitigate acculturation stress specifically for elders in three ways: (1) promoting a healthy lifestyle; (2) sustaining or building relationships between elders and grandchildren and other youth; and (3) promoting skills and knowledge that can lead to feelings of self-worth and dignity for older people with a refugee background. In this article, we discuss how the experiences of one community of resettled Karen refugees seem to offer a counter-narrative to the “vulnerability trope” (King et al. 2017) that often dominates portrayals of older resettled refugees.

Plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are increasing in distribution and abundance in drylands worldwide, but the underlying drivers remain unknown. We investigate the impacts of extreme drought and CO2 enrichment on the competitive relationships between seedlings of Cylindropuntia imbricata (CAM species) and Bouteloua eriopoda (C4 grass), which coexist in semiarid ecosystems across the Southwestern United States. Our experiments under altered water and CO2 water conditions show that C. imbricata positively responded to CO2 enrichment under extreme drought conditions, while B. eriopoda declined from drought stress and did not recover after the drought ended. Conversely, in well‐watered conditions B. eriopoda had a strong competitive advantage on C. imbricata such that the photosynthetic rate and biomass (per individual) of C. imbricata grown with B. eriopoda were lower relative to when growing alone. A meta‐analysis examining multiple plant families across global drylands shows a positive response of CAM photosynthesis and productivity to CO2 enrichment. Collectively, our results suggest that under drought and elevated CO2 concentrations, projected with climate change, the competitive advantage of plant functional groups may shift and the dominance of CAM plants may increase in semiarid ecosystems.

Abstract Introduction Major surgery accounts for a substantial proportion of health service activity, due not only to the primary procedure, but the longer-term health implications of poor short-term outcome. Data from small studies or from outside the UK indicate that rates of complications and failure to rescue vary between hospitals, as does compliance with best practice processes. Within the UK, there is currently no system for monitoring postoperative complications (other than short-term mortality) in major non-cardiac surgery. Further, there is variation between national audit programmes, in the emphasis placed on quality assurance versus quality improvement, and therefore the principles of measurement and reporting which are used to design such programmes. Methods and analysis The PQIP patient study is a multi-centre prospective cohort study which recruits patients undergoing major surgery. Patient provide informed consent and contribute baseline and outcome data from their perspective using a suite of patient-reported outcome tools. Research and clinical staff complete data on patient risk factors and outcomes in-hospital, including two measures of complications. Longer-term outcome data are collected through patient feedback and linkage to national administrative datasets (mortality and readmissions). As well as providing a uniquely granular dataset for research, PQIP provides feedback to participating sites on their compliance with evidence-based processes and their patients’ outcomes, with the aim of supporting local quality improvement. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been granted by the Health Research Authority in the UK. Dissemination of interim findings (non-inferential) will form a part of the improvement methodology and will be provided to participating centres at regular intervals, including near-real time feedback of key process measures. Inferential analyses will be published in the peer-reviewed literature, supported by a comprehensive multi-modal communications strategy including to patients, policy makers and academic audiences as well as clinicians.

Abstract Drought has long been suspected as playing an important role in the abandonment of pre-Columbian Native American settlements across the midcontinental United States between 1350 and 1450 CE. However, high-resolution paleoclimatic reconstructions reflecting local effective moisture (the ratio of precipitation to evaporation) that are located in proximity to Mississippi period (1050–1450 CE) population centers are lacking. Here, we present a 1600-year-long decadally resolved oxygen isotope (δ18O) record from Horseshoe Lake (Collinsville, IL), an evaporatively influenced oxbow lake that is centrally located within the largest and mostly densely populated series of Mississippian settlements known as Greater Cahokia. A shift to higher δ18O in the Horseshoe Lake sediment record from 1200 to 1400 CE indicates that strongly evaporative conditions (i.e., low effective moisture) were persistent during the leadup to Cahokia’s abandonment. These results support the hypothesis that climate, and drought specifically, strongly impacted agriculturally based pre-Columbian Native American cultures in the midcontinental US and highlights the susceptibility of this region, presently a global food production center, to hydroclimate extremes.

Background Excess visceral adiposity is associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic disorders. Short‐term well‐controlled clinical trials suggest that regular avocado consumption favorably affects body weight, visceral adiposity, and satiety. Methods and Results The HAT Trial (Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial) was a multicenter, randomized, controlled parallel‐arm trial designed to test whether consuming 1 large avocado per day for 6 months in a diverse group of free‐living individuals (N=1008) with an elevated waist circumference compared with a habitual diet would decrease visceral adiposity as measured by magnetic resonance imaging. Secondary and additional end points related to risk factors associated with cardiometabolic disorders were assessed. The primary outcome, change in visceral adipose tissue volume during the intervention period, was not significantly different between the Avocado Supplemented and Habitual Diet Groups (estimated mean difference (0.017 L [−0.024 L, 0.058 L], P=0.405). No significant group differences were observed for the secondary outcomes of hepatic fat fraction, hsCRP (high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein), and components of the metabolic syndrome. Of the additional outcome measures, modest but nominally significant reductions in total and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol were observed in the Avocado Supplemented compared with the Habitual Diet Group. Changes in the other additional and post hoc measures (body weight, body mass index, insulin, very low‐density lipoprotein concentrations, and total cholesterol:high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio) were similar between the 2 groups. Conclusions Addition of 1 avocado per day to the habitual diet for 6 months in free‐living individuals with elevated waist circumference did not reduce visceral adipose tissue volume and had minimal effect on risk factors associated with cardiometabolic disorders. Registration URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03528031.

Often the resection of an anterior maxilla malignancy will result in an oronasal defect with subsequent difficulty in eating, speaking, nasal discharge and poor facial aesthetics. Typically these defects can be reconstructed with either local flaps (such as a naso-labial flap) or free flaps, or managed with removable appliances such as an obturator. These have their disadvantages such as either being poorly tolerated by patients or additional surgical morbidity. This technical note outlines the technique for a novel local palatal turnover flap for reconstruction of an anterior oro-nasal defect.

This work uses the lens of new literacy studies to examine the narratives told through the tattoos of Karen youth refugees living in the United States. This insight into a single ethnic group, currently under-represented in the literature, seeks to broaden teacher perspectives on what "counts" as literacy. This work is based on a series of interviews with Karen refugees and takes a sociocultural perspective on the ways living in a divided cultural and linguistic space shapes Karen youth's literacy practices and is shaped by their out-of-school lives. Findings are explored in two thematic groups related to Karen youth tattooing: tattoos as expressions of solidarity and tattoos that signify remembering. Implications and discussion sections include ways that teachers may specifically begin to consider and utilize student tattoos and other alternative literacies in the classroom.

Mathematics achievement in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been understudied. However, the ability to solve applied math problems is associated with academic achievement, everyday problem-solving abilities, and vocational outcomes. The paucity of research on math achievement in ASD may be partly explained by the widely-held belief that most individuals with ASD are mathematically gifted, despite emerging evidence to the contrary. The purpose of the study was twofold: to assess the relative proportions of youth with ASD who demonstrate giftedness versus disability on applied math problems, and to examine which cognitive (i.e., perceptual reasoning, verbal ability, working memory) and clinical (i.e., test anxiety) characteristics best predict achievement on applied math problems in ASD relative to typically developing peers. Twenty-seven high-functioning adolescents with ASD and 27 age- and Full Scale IQ-matched typically developing controls were assessed on standardized measures of math problem solving, perceptual reasoning, verbal ability, and test anxiety. Results indicated that 22% of the ASD sample evidenced a mathematics learning disability, while only 4% exhibited mathematical giftedness. The parsimonious linear regression model revealed that the strongest predictor of math problem solving was perceptual reasoning, followed by verbal ability and test anxiety, then diagnosis of ASD. These results inform our theories of math ability in ASD and highlight possible targets of intervention for students with ASD struggling with mathematics.

Mahoney Lake in British Columbia is an extreme meromictic system with unusually high levels of sulfate and sulfide present in the water column. As is common in strongly stratified lakes, Mahoney Lake hosts a dense, sulfide-oxidizing phototrophic microbial community where light reaches the chemocline. Below this "plate," the euxinic hypolimnion is anoxic, eutrophic, saline, and rich in sulfide, polysulfides, elemental sulfur, and other sulfur intermediates. While much is known regarding microbial communities in sunlit portions of euxinic systems, the composition and genetic potential of organisms living at aphotic depths have rarely been studied. Metagenomic sequencing of samples from the hypolimnion and the underlying sediments of Mahoney Lake indicate that multiple taxa contribute to sulfate reduction below the chemocline and that the hypolimnion and sediments each support distinct populations of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) that differ from the SRB populations observed in the chemocline. After assembling and binning the metagenomic datasets, we recovered near-complete genomes of dominant populations including two Deltaproteobacteria. One of the deltaproteobacterial genomes encoded a 16S rRNA sequence that was most closely related to the sulfur-disproportionating genus Dissulfuribacter and the other encoded a 16S rRNA sequence that was most closely related to the fatty acid- and aromatic acid-degrading genus Syntrophus. We also recovered two near-complete genomes of Firmicutes species. Analysis of concatenated ribosomal protein trees suggests these genomes are most closely related to extremely alkaliphilic genera Alkaliphilus and Dethiobacter. Our metagenomic data indicate that these Firmicutes contribute to carbon cycling below the chemocline. Lastly, we recovered a nearly complete genome from the sediment metagenome which represents a new genus within the FCB (Fibrobacteres, Chlorobi, Bacteroidetes) superphylum. Consistent with the geochemical data, we found little or no evidence for organisms capable of sulfide oxidation in the aphotic zone below the chemocline. Instead, comparison of functional genes below the chemocline are consistent with recovery of multiple populations capable of reducing oxidized sulfur. Our data support previous observations that at least some of the sulfide necessary to support the dense population of phototrophs in the chemocline is supplied from sulfate reduction in the hypolimnion and sediments. These studies provide key insights regarding the taxonomic and functional diversity within a euxinic environment and highlight the complexity of biogeochemical carbon and sulfur cycling necessary to maintain euxinia.

Abstract Background A systematic review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature previously identified over 1200 perioperative structure and process quality indicators. We undertook a Delphi consensus process with the aim of creating a concise list of indicators that experts deemed most important for assessing quality in perioperative care Methods A basic Delphi consensus was completed using an online survey which was distributed to surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, physicians and lay representatives. Participants were asked to prioritise the indicators in order of importance (high, medium or low) to be included for collection in a national perioperative quality improvement programme. Results One hundred and thirty-seven indicators were included in the first iteration of the Delphi consensus (91 structure and 48 process indicators). Sixty-three experts agreed to participate and the consensus was completed in five rounds. Ninety-five indicators were agreed as high priority: 65 structural and 30 process indicators. Conclusion The Delphi consensus process was able to reduce the number of recommended indicators to only a modest extent. Further work to evaluate the practicalities of routinely collecting such a comprehensive list of quality indicators is now required.

BackgroundSelf-monitoring food intake is a cornerstone of national recommendations for health, but existing apps for this purpose are burdensome for users and researchers, which limits use. ObjectiveWe developed and pilot tested a new app (COCO Nutritionist) that combines speech understanding technology with technologies for mapping foods to appropriate food composition codes in national databases, for lower-burden and automated nutritional analysis of self-reported dietary intake. MethodsCOCO was compared with the multiple-pass, interviewer-administered 24-hour recall method for assessment of energy intake. COCO was used for 5 consecutive days, and 24-hour dietary recalls were obtained for two of the days. Participants were 35 women and men with a mean age of 28 (range 20-58) years and mean BMI of 24 (range 17-48) kg/m2. ResultsThere was no significant difference in energy intake between values obtained by COCO and 24-hour recall for days when both methods were used (mean 2092, SD 1044 kcal versus mean 2030, SD 687 kcal, P=.70). There were also no significant differences between the methods for percent of energy from protein, carbohydrate, and fat (P=.27-.89), and no trend in energy intake obtained with COCO over the entire 5-day study period (P=.19). ConclusionsThis first demonstration of a dietary assessment method using natural spoken language to map reported foods to food composition codes demonstrates a promising new approach to automate assessments of dietary intake.

Objectives Pruritus is a common and often distressing complication after a burn injury. The purpose of this review is to explore the efficacy of drugs classically used to treat neuropathic pain in the management of pruritus after burn injury.Methods A systematic literature search of medical databases was conducted to find studies investigating drugs listed in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline (CG173, “neuropathic pain in adults”) for the management of pruritus after burn injury in patients of any age. Controlled studies were stratified by the drug class studied and their risk of bias before conducting meta-analysis. A narrative review of case series or observational studies was presented. Severity of pruritus at any time point, with all quantitative and qualitative measures, was included.Results Fifteen studies were included in the final analysis, 10 investigated the use of gabapentinoids, 4 studied doxepin, and 1 local anesthetic agents. Meta-analysis of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated that the use of gabapentinoids was associated with an improvement in mean VAS (Visual Analog Scale) 0–10 scores of 2.96 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.20 to 4.73, p

A chief difficulty administrators may face is supporting students as they strive to meet the challenges of academic writing. This literature review calls for a more robust focus on how writing center administrators can design tutor training for effective orientation, transition, and retention among the student population. Through identifying issues of access, sociolinguistics, and grammar instruction, this paper urges writing center directors and administrators to come alongside OTR professionals in their difficult, yet rewarding, work.

Abstract Background Care bundles are small sets of evidence-based recommendations, designed to support the implementation of evidence-based best clinical practice. However, there is variation in the design and implementation of care bundles, which may impact on the fidelity of delivery and subsequently their clinical effectiveness. Methods A scoping review was carried out using the Arksey and O’Malley framework to identify the literature reporting on the design, implementation and evaluation of care bundles. The Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane and Ovid MEDLINE databases were searched for manuscripts published between 2001 and November 2017; hand-searching of references and citations was also undertaken. Data were initially assessed using a quality assessment tool, the Downs and Black checklist, prior to further analysis and narrative synthesis. Implementation strategies were classified using the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) criteria. Results Twenty-eight thousand six hundred ninety-two publications were screened and 348 articles retrieved in full text. Ninety-nine peer-reviewed quantitative publications were included for data extraction. These consisted of one randomised crossover trial, one randomised cluster trial, one case-control study, 20 prospective cohort studies and 76 non-parallel cohort studies. Twenty-three percent of studies were classified as poor based on Downs and Black checklist, and reporting of implementation strategies lacked structure. Negative associations were found between the number of elements in a bundle and compliance (Spearman’s rho = − 0.47, non-parallel cohort and − 0.65, prospective cohort studies), and between the complexity of elements and compliance (p

Response to human impacts on the environment are typically initiated too late to remediate negative consequences. We present the novel use of stable isotope analysis (SIA) of blow flies to determine human influences on vertebrate communities in a range of human-inhabited environments, from a pristine national park to a dense metropolitan area. The refrain "you are what you eat" applies to the dietary isotope record of all living organisms, and for carrion-breeding blow flies, this translates to the type of carcasses present in an environment. Specifically, we show that carnivore carcasses make up a large proportion of the adult fly's prior larval diet, which contrasts to what has been reportedly previously for the wild adult fly diet (which consists of mostly herbivore resources). Additionally, we reveal the potential impact of human food on carcasses that were fed on by blow flies, underscoring the human influences on wild animal populations. Our results demonstrate that using SIA in conjunction with other methods (e.g., DNA analysis of flies) can reveal a comprehensive snapshot of the vertebrate community in a terrestrial ecosystem.

The scholarship of language education, particularly with reference to learning and use of English, is marked by varieties of English. One may note two broad models: (1) ENL, ESL, and EFL; (2) EIL, ELF, and WEs. Although the scholarship is replete with debates, the debates seem to only construct and maintain that learning English and its use are neutral activities that "earn" and "equip" a learner with certain capital rather than "make" him/her as such. This paper draws upon Foucault's theories of "discourse" and "disciplinary power." This paper takes Pakistani state-mandated English textbooks of Grades 1-5 as official documents that contain qualitative data. The qualitative data are analyzed thematically. Two major themes of male body and female body are found which are analyzed and discussed through the Foucauldian lens. The paper holds that learning English and its use perpetuate and produce docility. The paper contends that neither is language a neutral tool nor are its use and learning value-free activities in any of its varieties.

Shallow-sea hydrothermal systems, like their deep-sea and terrestrial counterparts, can serve as relatively accessible portals into the microbial ecology of subsurface environments. In this study, we determined the chemical composition of 47 sediment porewater samples along a transect from a diffuse shallow-sea hydrothermal vent to a non-thermal background area in Paleochori Bay, Milos Island, Greece. These geochemical data were combined with thermodynamic calculations to quantify potential sources of energy that may support in situ chemolithotrophy. The Gibbs energies (ΔGr) of 730 redox reactions involving 23 inorganic H-, O-, C-, N-, S-, Fe-, Mn-, and As-bearing compounds were calculated. Of these reactions, 379 were exergonic at one or more sampling locations. The greatest energy yields were from anaerobic CO oxidation with NO2- (-136 to -162 kJ/mol e-), followed by reactions in which the electron acceptor/donor pairs were O2/CO, NO3-/CO, and NO2-/H2S. When expressed as energy densities (where the concentration of the limiting reactant is taken into account), a different set of redox reactions are the most exergonic: in sediments affected by hydrothermal input, sulfide oxidation with a range of electron acceptors or nitrite reduction with different electron donors provide 85~245 J per kg of sediment, whereas in sediments less affected or unaffected by hydrothermal input, various S0 oxidation reactions and aerobic respiration reactions with several different electron donors are most energy-yielding (80~95 J per kg of sediment). A model that considers seawater mixing with hydrothermal fluids revealed that there is up to ~50 times more energy available for microorganisms that can use S0 or H2S as electron donors and NO2- or O2 as electron acceptors compared to other reactions. In addition to revealing likely metabolic pathways in the near-surface and subsurface mixing zones, thermodynamic calculations like these can help guide novel microbial cultivation efforts to isolate new species.

Abstract Background As the prevalence of obesity is increasing, the number of patients requiring surgical intervention for obesity-related illness is also rising. The aim of this pilot study was to explore predictors of short-term morbidity and longer-term poor weight loss after bariatric surgery. Methods This was a single-centre prospective observational cohort pilot study in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. We assessed the accuracy (discrimination and calibration) of two previously validated risk prediction models (the Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Morbidity and Mortality, POSSUM score, and the Obesity Surgical Mortality Risk Score, OS-MS) for postoperative outcome (postoperative morbidity defined using the Post Operative Morbidity Survey). We then tested the relationship between postoperative morbidity and longer-term weight loss outcome adjusting for known patient risk factors. Results Complete data were collected on 197 patients who underwent surgery for obesity or obesity-related illnesses between March 2010 and September 2013. Results showed POSSUM and OS-MRS were less accurate at predicting Post Operative Morbidity Survey (POMS)-defined morbidity on day 3 than defining prolonged length of stay due to poor mobility and/or POMS-defined morbidity. Having fewer than 28 days alive and out of hospital within 30 days of surgery was predictive of poor weight loss at 1 year, independent of POSSUM-defined risk (odds ratio 2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.28–5.24). Conclusions POSSUM may be used to predict patients who will have prolonged postoperative LOS after bariatric surgery due to morbidity or poor mobility. However, independent of POSSUM score, having less than 28 days alive and out of hospital predicted poor weight loss outcome at 1 year. This adds to the literature that postoperative complications are independently associated with poor longer-term surgical outcomes.

This theoretical review paper investigates the role of first language (L1) in the mainstream scholarship of second/foreign (L2/FL) language education in the context of language learning, teaching, and bilingual education. The term ‘mainstream’ refers here to the scholarship that is not informed by sociocultural theory in general and Vygotskian sociocultural theory in particular. The paper later explains a Vygotskian perspective on the use of L1 in L2/FL language education and discusses how the perspective may help content teachers in (a) employing L1 in teaching L2/FL content and (b) helping L2/FL students to become self-regulative users of the target language.

Abstract Background Nutrition clubs (NC) operate in community settings and provide members with nutrition education and meal replacements for weight management. NC are owned and operated by distributors of Herbalife products. There are over 6200 NC in the US, but there has been no independent assessment of the association of these NC with biomarkers of health. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional pilot study to compare the health status of 100 NC members to 100 community-matched controls (CC) in the greater Boston area. Each CC was matched to a NC member for community of residence (zip code), age category, gender, BMI category, race/ethnicity, education level (category), and readiness to make health changes. Measures obtained included cardio-metabolic risk factors, body composition, markers of nutritional status, reported health status, dietary intake, physical activity, sleep and depression. Results Participants were predominantly female (64%) and Hispanic (73%). NC members had significantly lower fasting insulin (P

Abstract Plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are increasing in distribution and abundance in drylands worldwide, but the underlying drivers remain unknown. We investigate the impacts of extreme drought and CO2 enrichment on the competitive relationships between seedlings of Cylindropuntia imbricata (CAM species) and Bouteloua eriopoda (C4 grass), which coexist in semiarid ecosystems across the Southwestern United States. Our experiments under altered water and CO2 water conditions show that C. imbricata positively responded to CO2 enrichment under extreme drought conditions, while B. eriopoda declined from drought stress and did not recover after the drought ended. Conversely, in well‐watered conditions B. eriopoda had a strong competitive advantage on C. imbricata such that the photosynthetic rate and biomass (per individual) of C. imbricata grown with B. eriopoda were lower relative to when growing alone. A meta‐analysis examining multiple plant families across global drylands shows a positive response of CAM photosynthesis and productivity to CO2 enrichment. Collectively, our results suggest that under drought and elevated CO2 concentrations, projected with climate change, the competitive advantage of plant functional groups may shift and the dominance of CAM plants may increase in semiarid ecosystems.