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Achieving resource sustainability in complex social-ecological systems requires employing place-based management mechanisms congruent with the underlying temporal, spatial, and functional dynamics of the system in question. However, matching management to system dynamics can prove extremely challenging, as has been illustrated in Maine’s sea urchin fishery where fishery managers have struggled to resolve management spatial scale mismatch for over two decades. In Maine, the spatial scale of management far exceeds the relevant spatial dynamics of the urchin resource and leaves fine-scale urchin aggregations in a 'de facto 'open access state. These conditions facilitated the serial overharvest of urchin aggregations and resulted in the substantial loss of viable urchin habitat as overharvested areas transitioned to kelp-dominated ecosystem states that inhibit urchin recruitment. Although fishery actors contemplated adopting a number of fine-scale management alternatives to enhance social-ecological fit in the fishery, to date, no such alternatives have been employed. We adopted an ethnographic research approach and conducted semi-structured key informant interviews, document analysis of archived meeting minutes, and participant observation at co-management meetings and restoration events to explore these dynamics from the fishery’s incipience to the present. Following data analysis, we employed Ostrom’s social-ecological systems framework as a diagnostic tool to identify the factors that have influenced management spatial fit in the urchin fishery. Research findings suggest that a number of interacting variables, including harvesters’ heterogeneity and conflicting mental models of the SES, low levels of trust and social capital, and changes in the resource system following collapse impeded collective action necessary to support fine-scale management. However, changing leadership characteristics and increasing horizontal collaboration between harvesters and scientists have positively influenced governance outcomes in recent years and provide a window of opportunity to transition towards a more adaptive and collaborative governance arrangement conducive to addressing problems of fit in the urchin fishery.

The American lobster, Homarus americanus H. Milne-Edwards, 1837, fishery is the most valuable commercial fishery in the state of Maine (United States), and contributes more than US$666 million to the global market. Although lobster landings are at a historically high level, scientists have identified a myriad of threats that raise concern about the future of this iconic fishery. Numerous literature focuses on the ecological threats to the American lobster fishery, but the changing demographics of lobstermen is understudied. The graying of the fleet has significant implications for the social resilience of the fishery as it can reduce human capital necessary for responding to social and ecological change. An analysis of license data revealed that the average age of lobstermen in this fishery is increasing and fewer young lobstermen are entering the fishery, a pattern that is consistent with the graying of the fleet seen elsewhere. Oral history interviews further reveal insight into drivers contributing to the graying of the fleet. They can also help aid in the resilience of the fishery by protecting the social memory needed for adaptive behavior. Limited entry, escalating costs of entry, and norms that limit exit all contribute to graying of the fleet in this fishery. Further research is needed to better understand potential impacts that graying on the fleet may have on lobstermen behavior and adaptive strategies, and how this may impact fishery performance and resilience.

Coastal communities in Maine are highly dependent on marine resources, especially the American lobster, Homarus americanus H. Milne-Edwards, 1837, fishery. Overreliance on a single species poses a precarious socioeconomic situation for these communities. Shellfish and seaweed aquaculture is viewed as a diversification strategy for fishers; however, the adoption of aquaculture by Maine fishers is understudied. The Aquaculture in Shared Waters program trains commercial fishers in shellfish and seaweed aquaculture, and provides an opportunity to understand the types of commercial fishers who are considering adoption. Here, we summarize initial findings from an ongoing longitudinal study of training program participants that aims to understand the process of integrating fishing and farming. We utilized participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and structured surveys to gather data on individual characteristics, motivations for considering aquaculture, and perceptions of barriers to the adoption of aquaculture. Most fishers report being interested in aquaculture as a diversification strategy and are most concerned about aspects of running an aquaculture operation. They report less concern about environmental uncertainty, the regulatory process, and community relations. Initial findings will guide future inquiry with commercial fishers about aquaculture integration, as well as provide practitioners with additional information to tailor future training.

Recent paradigm shifts in fisheries science have emphasized the need for cooperative research to address sustainability challenges by bridging epistemological differences between scientists and resource users and promoting power sharing in the production of knowledge for a more holistic understanding of the marine environment. To address the question of power-sharing, this paper explores motivations, perceptions, and personal experiences of Maine lobstermen involved with various types of cooperative fisheries research (CFR). The main finding is that distrust between stakeholders is a persistent challenge, as shown in other research. However, a lack of trust may also sometimes serve as a motivator for participation, particularly where fishermen anticipate the threat of increased regulations. In cases where policies are top-down (e.g. Federal regulations like Endangered Species Act), fishermen are aware of a certain powerlessness despite the degree to which cooperative research involves their input. This reinforces their skepticism that often stifles the ability of researchers to build meaningful relationships, especially in projects with short life spans. Fishermen value personal relationships with researchers based on mutual respect that have been built over time, regardless of the type of research. The findings suggest that a better understanding of these personal relationships and power dynamics could guide researchers in the process of building trust and facilitating transparent communication between groups to overcome persistent barriers in CFR, address sustainability challenges in the fishing industry, and promote more power-sharing between scientists, managers, and industry members.

Coastal regions are experiencing socio-demographic shifts that have local, regional, and even wider implications for coastal management and planning. These shifts can arise from different local geographic drivers. This paper considers different change processes and undertakes a quantitative analysis to investigate potential drivers and geographic variations in coastal change processes. We use coastal Maine as the study region and employ multivariate methods using American Community Survey 5-year estimate period data. We first address the question: is there a coastal effect? Secondly, we conduct a cluster analysis to identify spatial variations in processes that may be at work over the extent of the coast. Thirdly, we conduct a change analysis to identify where socio-economic and demographic shifts are occurring most rapidly. Our analysis contributes to the understanding of comparative and quantitative analysis of change processes in a coastal setting that may be variously categorized as amenity migration, counterurbanization, suburbanization, or touristification depending on geographic context. Comparative results show clear separation between coastal and non-coastal communities on several individual indicators. The K-means cluster analysis reveals multivariate differentiation among the group of coastal communities. The ranked change analysis indicates differentiation among the coastal group, pointing toward potential differentiation in processes driving these changes.

Purpose Capturing either lapses or excellence in behaviors related to medical professionalism is difficult. The authors report a mixed-methods analysis of a novel mobile platform for assessing medical professionalism in a training environment. Method A mobile Web-based platform to facilitate professionalism assessment in a situated clinical setting (Professional Mobile Monitoring of Behaviors [PROMOBES]) was developed. A professionalism framework consisting of six domains (reliability, adaptability, peer relationships, upholding principles, team relationships, and scholarship) encompassing 25 subelements underpins the reporting structure. This pilot study involved 26 faculty supervising 93 medical trainees at two sites from January 12 to August 8, 2016. Notable professionalism behaviors were linked to the framework domains and elements; narrative details about incidences were captured on mobile devices. Surveys gauged the technological functionality and impact of PROMOBES on faculty assessment of professionalism. Qualitative focus groups were employed to elucidate user experience. Results Although users anticipated PROMOBES's utility would be for reporting lapses in professionalism, 94.7% of reports were for commendation. Comfort assessing professionalism (P = .04) and recognition of the reporting procedures for professionalism-related concerns (P = .01) improved. PROMOBES attained high acceptance ratings. Focus group analysis revealed that the explicit connection to the professionalism framework was powerful; similarly, the near real-time reporting capability, multiple observer inputs, and positive feedback facilitation were strengths. Conclusions Making the professionalism framework visible and accessible via a mobile platform significantly strengthens faculty knowledge and behaviors regarding assessment. The strong desire to capture positive behaviors was an unexpected finding.

Individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) often exhibit delayed motor and cognitive development, including delayed onset of ambulation. Data on age when loss of independent ambulation occurs are well established for DMD; however, age at onset of walking has not been well described. We hypothesize that an effective medication given in early infancy would advance the age when walking is achieved so that it is closer to age-matched norms, and that this discrete event could serve as the primary outcome measure in a clinical trial. This study examined three data sets, Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research Network (MD STARnet); Dutch Natural History Survey (DNHS); and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD). The distribution of onset of ambulation in DMD (mean ± SD) and median age, in months, at the onset of ambulation was 17.3 (±5.5) and 16.0 in MD STARnet, 21.8 (±7.1) and 20.0 in DNHS, and 16.1 (±4.4) and 15 in PPMD. Age of ambulation in these data sets were all significantly later (P < 0.001) than the corresponding age for typically developing boys, 12.1 (±1.8). A hypothetical clinical trial study design and power analyses are presented based on these data.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether useful regression models could be developed to predict student performance on the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, using pre-matriculation data and student performance outcomes available as early in the curriculum as possible. Additionally, we sought to determine if we could establish a model by which we could identify students who may need supplemental instruction early in the curriculum. Regression modeling revealed that a fairly strong predictive relationship exists when combining certain internally developed summative assessments and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Comprehensive Basic Science Examination (CBSE) with pre-matriculation variables. However, in our best regression model, > 40% of the overall variance in Step 1 scores could not be explained by the model. As a consequence, we propose using this type of modeling to facilitate timely deployment of student services to support individual students who are struggling. Future studies will focus on understanding what additional human factors fill this gap including student motivation, affect, and the factors that help students become “expert learners” (e.g., interactions with senior students, identification of test preparation materials).

In an initial study to assess how well the curriculum prepares medical students to perform 13 entrustable professional activities (EPAs), 30 of 94 medical students (31.9%) completed self-assessments of their progress on EPAs at the end of their third and fourth years. Over the course of the fourth year, there was a significant increase in the level at which students assessed themselves for 11 EPAs, but the results suggest that medical students at this institution need more opportunities to participate in obtaining informed consent and additional training in writing orders/prescriptions and in performing the general procedures of a physician.

Aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) effects are present when individuals demonstrate differential outcomes across treatments based upon aptitude\IeC {\textemdash }that is, any measurable individual characteristic, attribute, or ability (e.g., anxiety, learning style, motivation, prior knowledge). ATI effects may exist in data from one design commonly used in psychological and educational research\IeC {\textemdash }the two-group pre-post design\IeC {\textemdash }in which pre-intervention scores may be considered to reflect individual aptitude. Researchers may mistakenly overlook these effects, however, due to inappropriate analytical approaches. When applying analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), it is important to check for ANCOVA assumptions, including an assumption known as homogeneity of regression slopes. When heterogeneity of regression slopes is found, ATI effects are revealed. Consequently, alternative approaches to ANCOVA must be sought. Using formulae based on the Johnson-Neyman procedure to define simultaneous regions of significance is one straightforward alternative. This tutorial outlines the process for analyzing data resulting from two-group pre-post studies when data violate the ANCOVA assumption of homogeneity of regression slopes. What was initially viewed as an obstacle may result in the discovery of an ATI effect, which may be described statistically through simple mathematical calculations.

Facing challenges to the civic purpose of higher education, some scholars and administrators turn to the rhetoric of engagement. Simultaneously, the political philosophy of cosmopolitanism has gained intellectual favor, advocating openness to the lived experiences of distant others. We articulate linkages between these two discourses in an extended case study, finding that a cosmopolitan ethos of engagement in a rural context can improve (1) understanding among people ordinarily separated by spatialized social-ecological differences, (2) prospects for longer term environmental sustainability, and (3) the visionary potential of collaborative inquiry. Despite globalization of food systems and neoliberal shifts in fishery management, an annual fisheries forum facilitates coalitions that overcome dichotomies between technocratic and local knowledge, extending benefits to fishing communities, academia, and public policy. Iterative and loosely structured capacity building expands informally through affective processes of recognition and care, as decentralized leadership supports collective mobilization toward alternate futures.

With ever expanding volumes of content deemed critical, but limited curriculum time, medical students are responsible for much of the learning process outside of the classroom. Accordingly, face-to-face time must be optimized for efficiency and value. Leveraging an audience response system (ARS) to deliver multiple-choice questions to students in a competitive team environment may be an effective way to facilitate engagement, motivation, active learning, higher-order thinking and problem solving, peer scaffolding, and formative assessment. This paper describes the use of “compete” functions available in an ARS to deliver a competitive team activity to undergraduate medical students in a large classroom setting.

Maine hosts numerous rural fishing villages that contribute greatly to the State's economy and culture. The cumulative effects of fisheries regulation, stock depletion, amenity migration and rural restructuring have impacted these communities in complex ways. Drawing on ethnographic research, interviews, and secondary data we have identified the patterns of change as symptomatic of gentrification, and we have investigated how these changes are affecting the communities' vulnerability and resilience. Gentrification of coastal property by amenity migrants is responsible for the displacement of community members, including fishermen. The loss-of-access to the waterfront has increased their sensitivity to future threats. Further changes in the demographics and economies of the communities have increased social and cultural conflicts. Nevertheless, this paper also demonstrates that gentrification can increase the resilience of the community. Amenity migrants have the capacity and desire to provide social and philanthropic support, and rural restructuring introduces new economic opportunities and sources of revenue. The underlying consequences of gentrification are difficult to discern from secondary data alone, and we argue that the ethnographic approach is crucial. Through interview responses we have identified an identity crisis in these communities undergoing gentrification, with many of the conflicts over the future importance of fishing to the community.

(2017). Marine Aquaculture in Restructuring Regions: Understanding a Key Coastal Sustainability Transition. Regions Magazine: Vol. 308, No. 4, pp. 13-15.

Understanding compliance is important for understanding the effectiveness of conservation. This study examines conservation compliance in the American lobster fishery in Maine. In this fishery, an important conservation measure that protects spawning female lobsters, known as v-notching, is considered a norm. This conservation rule is primarily self-enforced, but evidence suggests that its compliance rate may be declining. We analyzed semi-structured and oral history interviews to understand v-notching compliance and lobster fishers' perceptions of v-notching. All lobster fishers interviewed described v-notching as important for the lobster fishery's sustainability, while also reporting that the v-notching practice has been declining in recent years. Conservation compliance changed as the benefits of conservation changed. Because of large lobster catches, lobster fishers have begun to question whether v-notching is as necessary as it was in the past. High catches in recent years also created time constraints on board the vessel that limit the ability to v-notch. Long-term changes in abundance and consequently landings impacted the norm of v-notching. Under new conditions of the lobster resource, v-notching as a norm may be weakened, as there are now conflicting views on the benefits of v-notching. The implications of a reduction in v-notching may be significant for the future sustainability of this fishery given studies that have shown the conservation value of this practice. This study highlights the importance of considering changes in conservation compliance in adaptive management plans due to changes in benefits and costs caused by changing resource conditions.

In this chapter, the authors aim to advance understanding of the social carrying capacity of aquaculture in the context of Maine's post-productive transition through an analysis of government documents to develop an empirical metric of conflicts, as a proxy for social carrying capacity. They seek to explain the patterns observed using these documents, community metrics and ethnographic and stakeholder interviews. Their study is part of research conducted through Maine's Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network, known as SEANET. They generated a map of all farm locations by licence type to show the spatial variation in aquaculture across the state and the location of the six study sites selected for comparative analysis. The sites are: Saco Bay and the New Meadows within Casco Bay; Damariscotta River and Blue Hill Bay region; and Machias Bay and Cobscook Bay. They adopt a sequential, mixed methods research approach to understand social carrying capacity and its relationship to rural restructuring.

Educators and professionals recognize the importance for inclusion of statistics in contemporary medical education programs and advocate its consideration for curricular integration. Given medical students’ perceptions about statistics, educators must explore pedagogical strategies that foster student engagement, ensure relevance of content, improve motivation and self-efficacy, and, ultimately, facilitate long-term retention of content knowledge. Games, with and without competitive elements, have been implemented successfully in both statistics and medical education. This paper presents a competitive game, known as “study puzzles,” that integrates statistics content with other systems-based content in the undergraduate medical education curriculum through the use of published research articles.

Growing interest in sustainable seafood has led to the proliferation of third-party certifications and eco-labels. This paper examines the ongoing debate that has surrounded a potential government-operated certification program for federally managed fisheries in the United States. Drawing on an analysis of transcripts from the Marine Fishery Advisory Committee meetings between 2007 and 2014, the paper considers the ways the proposed program was justified and how the multi-year discussion led to recommendations that encourage the National Marine Fisheries Service to create a framework for a certification program based on the principles defined in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. It is through this discussion that it becomes apparent that sustainability claims extend beyond the scientific domain, making them fruitful grounds for understanding the emergence of policy and how power and legitimacy are negotiated and maintained through the process.

The Maine lobster Homarus americanus fishery is considered one of the most successful fisheries in the world due in part to its unique comanagement system, the conservation ethic of the harvesters, and the ability of the industry to respond to crises and solve collective-action problems. However, recent threats raise the question whether the industry will be able to respond to future threats as successfully as it has to ones in the past or whether it is now less resilient and can no longer adequately respond to threats. Through ethnographic research and oral histories with fishermen, we examined the current level of social resilience in the lobster fishery. We concentrated on recent threats to the industry and the ways in which it has responded to them, focusing on three situations: a price drop beginning in 2008, a recovery in 2010–2011, and a second collapse of prices in 2012. In addition, we considered other environmental and regulatory concerns identified by fishermen. We found that the indust...

Background The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology notes that pregnant athletes require more supervision due to their involvement in strenuous training schedules throughout pregnancy. Currently, rowing is not mentioned in the guidelines despite its increasing popularity, high cardiovascular demands, and risk for abdominal trauma. Methods This study aimed to elicit information from competitive female rowers regarding exercise, training, and competition during pregnancy. We administered a survey consisting of 122 items to female Masters rowers in the United States, aged 21 to 49 years, from June to December 2013. Results A total of 224 recreational and elite rowers met the inclusion criteria. Pregnant rowers self-reported high levels of exercise engagement: 85.2% (n/N = 98/115) exercised during any past pregnancy; exercise adherence decreased throughout pregnancy with 51.3%, 42.4%, and 15.7% meeting and/or exceeding national guidelines during the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. Rowers were significantly (p < 0.001) more likely to state that an activity at a specified intensity and trimester was unsafe if they were younger, had less rowing experience, or were nulliparous. Decreased perceived rowing safety was associated with on-water training, higher intensity exercise, competition, and increasing gestational age. Primary safety concerns were the risk of oar-induced abdominal trauma and physiological effects due to high intensities required by the sport. Novel barriers to exercise in pregnancy included guilt towards the team and a mental barrier due to decreased performance. Healthcare providers are the number one information source for rowers regarding exercise during pregnancy. Conclusion Pregnant rowers are a relevant obstetrics population and have barriers and sport-specific safety concerns not previously identified in the literature. Rowers consider exercising in pregnancy to be important and struggle to meet exercise guidelines like the general population, indicating the need for healthcare providers to provide prenatal and antenatal education and interventions to support exercise during pregnancy even amongst athletes.

In the present study, we describe the innovative use of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Comprehensive Basic Science Examination (CBSE) as a progress test during the preclerkship medical curriculum. The main aim of this study was to provide external validation of internally developed multiple-choice assessments in a new medical school. The CBSE is a practice exam for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and is purchased directly from the NBME. We administered the CBSE five times during the first 2 yr of medical school. Student scores were compared with scores on newly created internal summative exams and to the USMLE Step 1. Significant correlations were observed between almost all our internal exams and CBSE scores over time as well as with USMLE Step 1 scores. The strength of correlations of internal exams to the CBSE and USMLE Step 1 broadly increased over time during the curriculum. Student scores on courses that have strong emphasis on physiology and pathophysiology correlated particularly well with USMLE Step 1 scores. Student progress, as measured by the CBSE, was found to be linear across time, and test performance fell behind the anticipated level by the end of the formal curriculum. These findings are discussed with respect to student learning behaviors. In conclusion, the CBSE was found to have good utility as a progress test and provided external validation of our new internally developed multiple-choice assessments. The data also provide performance benchmarks both for our future students to formatively assess their own progress and for other medical schools to compare learning progression patterns in different curricular models.

The Maine Tidal Power Initiative (MTPI), an interdisciplinary team of engineers, marine scientists, oceanographers, and social scientists, is using a transdisciplinary sustainability science approach to collect biophysical and social data necessary for understanding interactions between human and natural systems in the context of tidal power development in Maine. MTPI offers a unique opportunity to better understand how group structure and process influence outcomes in transdisciplinary sustainability science research. Through extensive participant observation and semi-structured interviews we: (1) describe MTPI’s organizational structure; (2) examine MTPI’s research approach and engagement with stakeholders from different sectors of society (i.e., industry, government, and the local community); and (3) identify challenges and opportunities for involving different disciplinary expertise and diverse stakeholders in transformational sustainability science research. We found that MTPI’s holistic mission, non-hierarchical structure, and iterative stakeholder engagement process led to important benefits and significant challenges. Positive outcomes include knowledge development, a transferable research framework, shared resources, personal reward, and a greater understanding of the local environment and community. Challenges identified include balancing diverse interests and priorities, maintaining engagement, managing stakeholder relationships, and limited resources. Lessons learned from the process of integrative collaborative research in Maine can offer guidance on what should be considered when carrying out similar transdisciplinary sustainability science projects in other research contexts.

The motuporamines isolated from the sea sponge Xestospongia exigua are of biological interest because of their unique antimigration and antiangiogenic properties. Key bioactive features were found to be a saturated 15-membered heterocycle and a norspermidine motif. This paper describes new analogues that modulate the cytotoxicity of this compound class and have enhanced antimigration properties. By movement of the polyamine chain outside the ring, new carbocycles were discovered that doubled the antimigration potency and reduced compound toxicity by 133-fold. Mice injected with metastatic human L3.6pl pancreatic cancer cells demonstrated significant reduction in liver metastases when treated with N(1)-(3-aminopropyl)-N(3)-(cyclopentadecylmethyl)propane-1,3-diamine compared with dihydromotuporamine C. Significant changes in specific ceramide populations (N16:0 and N22:1) were noted in L3.6pl cells treated with dihydromotuporamine C but not for the cyclopentadecylmethylnorspermidine derivative, which had lower toxicity. Both compounds gave increased levels of specific low molecular weight sphingomyelins, suggesting that they may act upon sphingomyelin processing enzymes.

Most offshore energy studies have focused on measuring or explaining people’s perceptions of, and reactions to, specific installations. However, there are two different types of acceptance: one surrounds the siting of projects while the other surrounds a more general acceptance of offshore energy. Understanding what drives this second type of acceptance is important as governments have implemented new financial incentives and policies to support renewable energy development; however, citizens and government officials may be increasingly opposed to some of these support mechanisms. Our paper fills a void in the literature by using regression approaches to better understand how people’s evaluations of the benefits and costs of offshore wind impact their level of general acceptance for offshore wind, while controlling for other factors (e.g., demographics). This analysis should help policy makers, and individuals attempting to educate the general public about renewable energy, to better understand the important factors influencing people’s support or opposition to offshore wind energy initiatives.

Aquaculture has been responsible for an impressive growth in the global supply of seafood. As of 2016, more than half of all global seafood production comes from aquaculture. To meet future global seafood demands, there is need and opportunity to expand marine aquaculture production in ways that are both socially and ecologically sustainable. This requires integrating biophysical, social, and engineering sciences. Such interdisciplinary research is difficult due to the complexity and multi-scale aspects of marine aquaculture and inherent challenges researchers face working across disciplines. To this end, we developed a framework based on Elinor Ostrom&rsquo, s social&ndash, ecological system framework (SESF) to guide interdisciplinary research on marine aquaculture. We first present the framework and the social&ndash, ecological system variables relevant to research on marine aquaculture and then illustrate one application of this framework to interdisciplinary research underway in Maine, the largest producer of marine aquaculture products in the United States. We use the framework to compare oyster aquaculture in two study regions, with a focus on factors influencing the social and biophysical carrying capacity. We conclude that the flexibility provided by the SESF is well suited to inform interdisciplinary research on marine aquaculture, especially comparative, cross-case analysis.

Human type I interferons (IFNs) include IFN-β and 12 subtypes of IFN-α. During viral infection, infiltrating memory CD4+ T cells are exposed to IFNs, but their impact on memory T-cell function is poorly understood. To address this, we pretreated PBMCs with different IFNs for 16 h before stimulation with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B and measured cytokine expression by flow cytometry. IFN-α8 and -α10 most potently enhanced expression of IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-4. Potency among the subtypes differed most at doses between 10 and 100 U/mL. While enhancement of IL-2 and IL-4 correlated with the time of preincubation with type I IFN, IFN-γ production was enhanced best when IFN-α was added immediately preceding or simultaneously with T-cell stimulation. Comparison of T-cell responses to multiple doses of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B and to peptide libraries from RSV or CMV demonstrated that IFN-α best enhanced cytokine expression when CD4+ T cells were suboptimally stimulated. We conclude that type I IFNs enhance Th1 and Th2 function with dose dependency and subtype specificity, and best when T-cell stimulation is suboptimal. While type I IFNs may beneficially enhance CD4+ T-cell memory responses to vaccines or viral pathogens, they may also enhance the function of resident Th2 cells and exacerbate allergic inflammation.

Development of renewable energy affects or is affected by numerous stakeholders. Understanding who the stakeholders are and how they are engaged in the process is necessary for improving the responsible development of renewable energy technologies. Using structured community interviews and in-depth ethnographic research (semi-structured interviews, informal interviews, observations, and document review), we identified and characterized the most salient stakeholders associated with tidal power development in Maine and documented stakeholder perceptions of developer engagement strategies. Stakeholder characterization was facilitated using a framework by Mitchell et al. (The Academy of Management Review 22:853–886, 1997) that characterizes salient stakeholders using attributes of power, urgency, and legitimacy. Key stakeholders identified include fishermen, community members, tribes, regulators, developers, and scientists. Fishermen and regulators are definitive stakeholders, with legitimacy, power, and urgency in the process. Tribes are considered dominant stakeholders; they have legitimacy and power, but their interests are, at this time, not viewed as urgent. Scientists are considered to have urgency and power. The developers viewed their stakeholder engagement strategy as open and transparent. Community stakeholders, regulators, and fishermen generally perceived the developer's approach as effective; they noted the company's accessibility and their efforts to engage stakeholders early and often. Given the dynamic nature of stakeholder salience, our findings highlight the importance of engaging dominant stakeholders so that future conflict can be more easily avoided as new information develops. Our approach can be used to inform stakeholder identification and engagement research in other renewable energy contexts.

Marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy offers a promising new source of renewable ocean energy. However, the young industry is faced with significant challenges. Most notable is the challenge of regulatory uncertainty that is thought to hamper the successful deployment of new tidal energy technologies. Adaptive management may be one approach to deal with uncertainty and inform permitting decisions for hydrokinetic projects. In this study, we apply the concept of adaptive management to the Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project in Maine to better understand and inform permitting decisions. Using a social science approach of observation, interviews, and document analysis, we examine (1) agency roles and authority, (2) agency interactions, (3) regulatory change, and (4) challenges faced in the regulatory and permitting process for MHK development at the federal and state level. We found four institutional factors favorable to an adaptive approach. These include experimentation and learning, institutionalized choice to correct avoidable error, a strong commitment to interagency coordination, and an emphasis on early proactive engagement with project developers. We also identified institutional challenges or vulnerabilities. These include conflicting agency cultures, high financial costs, and long timeframes associated with baseline data collection. Lessons learned from this study can assist regulators, policymakers, and project developers design and implement an actively adaptive management approach that can move new renewable ocean energy development forward in a way that is socially acceptable and environmentally responsible.

The core idea of evolution is that order in living systems emerges from a simple process of variation and selection. In biological systems we usually understand the source of variation as best described by the mechanisms of genetics. If human social systems are evolutionary systems, however, it would seem the variation that most explains the sources of change in these systems, occurs not from a genetic mechanism, but from individual learning. We use an evolutionary computational methodology to explore the way individual learning and adaptation lead to the evolution of persistent, self-organized social and economic activity. The basic idea behind these explorations is that the character and extent of self-organizing social and economic activity depends upon the way the environment frames the costs of individual learning and adaptation. We consider three different kinds of costs affecting learning and adaptation: the costs of autonomous searching, of communicating, and of deciding. Individuals respond to these costs by carefully, i.e., economically, choosing to learn about and interact with familiar agents in familiar arenas in which they have relatively secure expectations about the outcome of their actions. Emerging from these choices are persistent relationships among agents that lead to social and economic structure and to the imperfect coordination of aggregate production. The character and the extent of each are a function of the way the costs of information change with changing natural and human system conditions. We use a learning classifier system (LCS) to model learning. The logic of an LCS closely mimics the mechanisms of Darwinian evolution, but is applied to the evolution of an agent's decision rules. We describe the environmental context necessary for an LCS to produce economizing behavior and apply the method to a multi-agent simulation of the Maine lobster fishery, which we treat as a metaphor for competition based on the search for useful knowledge. The structure and method of the model is similar to a conventional agent-based model except we use LCS to evolve decision rules for each agent rather than supplying those rules ourselves. This allows agents to change their behavior, i.e., to learn and adapt, as their environment changes. Modeling learning and adaptation as the source of behavioral variation makes it possible to use evolutionary theory to address important questions of social and economic emergence not possible with current methods.

The Maine sea urchin fishery is a classic boom–bust fishery in which efforts to sustain the resource failed despite the creation of a co-management system. We report on ethnographic work undertaken to assist in the development of a fine scale model of the natural system of this fishery. The development of the natural system model required understanding the key linkages between the biology and ecology of the sea urchin and the behavior of fishermen. Information was gathered from the primary scientific literature and from interviews with sea urchin industry members and scientists. Urchin–kelp interactions at a very fine scale create patchy, almost sedentary aggregations of urchins. Settlement of larval urchins appears to be ubiquitous; however, after settlement patches of urchins operate as nearly independent demographic units. In the short term – months to several years – the abundance of urchins in any patch and the spatial dynamics within these patches are determined largely by the actions of fishermen. Consequently, the resource can be characterized as a dynamic fitness landscape in which the spatial structure of urchin patches is the principal determinant of fishermen's harvesting strategies and fishermen's activities are the principal determinant of the spatial structure of urchin patches. While doing the interviews for the natural system model, we developed a fine scale alternative to the usual theoretical explanation of overfishing. The scale of management in the fishery occurs at a much broader scale than the demographically relevant scale of urchin patches. This results in a mismatch of ecological and management scales that leave each patch in the fishery in an open access state, resulting in a very fine scale form of serial overfishing that removes, piece-by-piece, discrete, local aggregations of sea urchins.

Within 10 years, the Association of American Medical Colleges envisions graduating medical students will be entrusted by their school to perform 13 core entrustable professional activities (EPAs) without direct supervision. The authors focused on eight EPAs that appear most relevant to clinical training during the psychiatry clerkship at their institution to evaluate whether students assess themselves as making progress in EPAs during this clerkship, to see how students' self-assessments compare with the clerkship director's assessments, and to see if weaknesses in the curriculum were found.An EPA-assessment scale was designed (ratings 1 to 5) to assess progress toward entrustment in each EPA. Medical students completed pre- and post-psychiatry clerkship self-assessments. The clerkship director independently assessed each student's progress in EPAs utilizing assessment methods already present in the curriculum.Seventy of 116 students (60.3%) completed both pre- and post-clerkship self-assessments. These ratings increased significantly from pre- to post-clerkship, representing large effect sizes from 0.83 to 1.13. The largest mean rating increase was observed for EPA 2, Prioritize a differential diagnosis following a clinical encounter. Mean post-clerkship self-assessment ratings were significantly higher than mean post-clerkship instructor ratings for seven of the eight EPAs.The results suggest training during the psychiatry clerkship can contribute to the professional development of medical students in the eight EPAs studied but that student self-assessments tend to be higher than those of the clerkship director. Further study is needed of the relative value and role of student self-assessments versus faculty assessments of progress in EPAs.

To better engage Maine's family forest landowners our study used social network analysis: a computational social science method for identifying stakeholders, evaluating models of engagement, and targeting areas for enhanced partnerships. Interviews with researchers associated with a research center were conducted to identify how social network analysis could improve knowledge transfer in the researcher–stakeholder relationship. Analysis found a large network of family forest stakeholders and organizations in Maine. We recommended that the research center use this information to enhance its role as a boundary organization, facilitating communication among researchers, stakeholders, and their organizations to better address the wicked problems facing family forests.

The Association of American Medical Colleges has encouraged educators to investigate proper linkage of simulation experiences with medical curricula. The authors aimed to determine if student knowledge and satisfaction differ between participation in web-based and manikin simulations for learning shock physiology and treatment and to determine if a specific training sequencing had a differential effect on learning. All 40 second-year medical students participated in a randomized, counterbalanced study with two interventions: group 1 ( n = 20) participated in a web-based simulation followed by a manikin simulation and group 2 ( n = 20) participated in reverse order. Knowledge and attitudes were documented. Mixed-model ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of time ( F1,38 = 18.6, P < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.33). Group 1 scored significantly higher on quiz 2 (81.5%) than on quiz 1 (74.3%, t19 = 3.9, P = 0.001), for an observed difference of 7.2% (95% confidence interval: 3.3, 11.0). Mean quiz scores of group 2 did not differ significantly ( quiz 1: 77.0% and quiz 2: 79.7%). There was no significant main effect of group or a group by time interaction effect. Students rated the simulations as equally effective in teaching shock physiology ( P = 0.88); however, the manikin simulation was regarded as more effective in teaching shock treatment ( P < 0.001). Most students (73.7%) preferred the manikin simulation. The two simulations may be of similar efficacy for educating students on the physiology of shock; however, the data suggest improved learning when web-based simulation precedes manikin use. This finding warrants further study.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) interaction with epithelial and dendritic cells (DCs) is known to require divalent cations, suggesting involvement of C-type lectins. RSV infection and maturation of primary human DCs are reduced in a dose-dependent manner by EDTA. Therefore, we asked whether RSV infection involves DC-SIGN (CD209) or its isoform L-SIGN (CD299) (DC-SIGN/R). Using surface plasmon resonance analysis, we demonstrated that the attachment G glycoprotein of RSV binds both DC- and L-SIGN. However, neutralization of DC- and L-SIGN on primary human DCs did not inhibit RSV infection, demonstrating that interactions between RSV G and DC- or L-SIGN are not required for productive infection. Thus, neither DC- nor L-SIGN represents a functional receptor for RSV. However, inhibition of these interactions increased DC activation, as evidenced by significantly higher levels of alpha interferon (IFN-α), MIP-1α, and MIP-1β in plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) exposed to RSV after neutralization of DC-and L-SIGN. To understand the molecular interactions involved, intracellular signaling events triggered by purified RSV G glycoprotein were examined in DC- and L-SIGN-transfected 3T3 cells. RSV G interaction with DC- or L-SIGN was shown to stimulate ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylation, with statistically significant increases relative to mock-infected cells. Neutralization of DC- and L-SIGN reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. With increased DC activation following DC- and L-SIGN neutralization and RSV exposure, these data demonstrate that the signaling events mediated by RSV G interactions with DC/L-SIGN are immunomodulatory and diminish DC activation, which may limit induction of RSV-specific immunity.

Background: Online quizzes are simple, cost-effective methods to provide formative assessment, but their effectiveness in enhancing learning and performance in medical education is unclear. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to determine the extent to which online quiz performance and participation enhances students’ performance on summative examinations. Methods: A retrospective case study investigating relationships between formative and summative assessment in terms of use and outcomes. Results: Online quiz scores and the rates of quiz participation were significantly correlated with corresponding performance on summative examinations. However, correlations were not dependent on the specific quiz content, and changes in patterns of quiz use were not reflected in corresponding changes in summative examination performance. Conclusions: The voluntary use of online quizzes, as well as the score attained, provides a useful general indicator of student performance but is unlikely to be sensitive enough ...

This article presents a cooperative fisheries research effort aimed to improve the science and management of the U.S. Illex squid fishery. This collaboration between government scientists, the squid industry, and a consultant scientist produced new biological information about squid and improved the assessment of this species. This case illustrates the challenges and possibilities of involving nonscientific citizens in scientific research for policymaking. The involvement of the lead government assessment scientist for Illex squid was critical to the utility of the data collected. In this case, the integration of fishermen's contributory expertise in science occurred through the work of key boundary spanners with interactional expertise. Here this included a consultant scientist and key fishermen who were able to communicate with government scientists and the industry. The collaboration also provided some fishermen with interactional expertise related to doing science such that they were able to communica...

The role of epitope-specific regulatory CD4 T cells in modulating CD8 T-cell-mediated immunopathology during acute viral infection has not been well defined. In the murine model of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, CD8 T cells play an important role in both viral clearance and immunopathology. We have previously characterized two RSV epitope-specific CD4 T-cell responses with distinct phenotypic properties. One of them, the IA b M209-specific subset, constitutively expresses FoxP3 and modulates CD8 T-cell function in vitro .W e show here that the IA b M209-specific CD4 T-cell response regulates CD8 T-cell function in vivo and is associated with diminished RSV-induced illness without affecting viral clearance at the site of infection. Achieving the optimal balance of regulatory and effector T-cell function is an important consideration for designing future vaccines. A subset of CD4 T cells with regulatory function (Treg) has been shown to play an important role in modulating adaptive immune responses. Natural Tregs are characterized by the expression of FoxP3 and participate in reducing the activation of CD8 T-cell responses in peripheral lymphoid organs (11, 20, 35). This modulation can diminish the ability of adaptive immune responses to control systemic infections (4). However, the presence of natural regulatory CD4 T cells can have a beneficial effect on immune-mediated pathology, particularly at the site of infection. Tregs have been shown to limit pulmonary inflammation and lung injury induced by pneumocystis infection (29) and to modulate herpes simplex virus-induced inflammatory lesions of the eye (46). Natural Tregs also reduce the symptoms of West Nile virus infections in both humans and mice; Treg-deficient mice were more likely to develop lethal infection (25). Viral infection can also induce antigen-specific CD4 T cells that express FoxP3 (27), and their role in protective immunity and immunopathology needs more detailed investigation. T lymphocytes are key components of adaptive immunity against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Children with T-cell deficiencies have delayed virus clearance and are more susceptible to fatal RSV infection (10, 18). The absence of T cells infiltrating into lung is associated with fatal RSV infections in children without recognized underlying disease (49). In the murine model, CD8 T cells play a major role in RSV clearance, presumably through direct cytotoxicity to in

Mucosal immunization may be important for protection against pathogens whose transmission and pathogenesis target the mucosal tissue. The capsid proteins of human papillomavirus (HPV) confer tropism for the basal epithelium and can encapsidate DNA during self-assembly to form pseudovirions (PsVs). Therefore, we produced mucosal vaccine vectors by HPV PsV encapsidation of DNA plasmids expressing an experimental antigen derived from the M and M2 proteins of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Intravaginal (IVag) delivery elicited local and systemic M-M2-specific CD8+ T-cell and antibody responses in mice that were comparable to an approximately 10,000-fold higher dose of naked DNA. A single HPV PsV IVag immunization primed for M-M2-specific-IgA in nasal and vaginal secretions. Based on light emission and immunofluorescent microscopy, immunization with HPV PsV-encapsidated luciferase- and red fluorescent protein (RFP)-expressing plasmids resulted in transient antigen expression (

In response to declining fish stocks and increased societal concern, the marine ‘commons’ of New Jersey is no longer freely available to commercial and recreational fisheries. We discuss the concept of ‘creeping’ enclosure in relation to New Jersey’s marine fisheries and suggest that reduced access can be a cumulative process and function of multiple events and processes and need not be the result of a single regulatory moment. We begin with a short review of the ‘expected’ effects of enclosure, including loss of flexibility, erosion of community, proletarianization of fishermen, and corporatization of the fishery. We then present some findings of our research and discuss how the signs of enclosure are visible in fisheries that do not feature explicitly privatized property or access rights. We rely on an oral history approach and the rich detail that emerges from attention to the lived experiences of fish harvesters to provide a framework for understanding the range of cumulative effects that have resulted from this process of creeping enclosure. We conclude with a discussion of how the gradual process of enclosure has affected the flows of information between the bio-physical environment and fish harvesters, managers and scientists by reducing both participation in fisheries and the accumulation of knowledge itself.