Purpose This article compares acoustic data of normally developing children from two dominant and one nondominant variety of English in order to determine phonetic proximity. Method The study focuses on one variety of American English (AE), one British English (BE) variety, and one Jamaican English (JE) variety owing to the historical and sociopolitical influences of both dominant varieties on JE. DSPE-PEG 2000 clinical trial The work examines the four corner vowels (/a/, /ɑ/, /u/, and /i/) of the specified varieties. Speech from children aged 8-11 years was processed to extract duration, intensity, and fundamental frequency as well as the first three formants (F1, F2, and F3) of each vowel. Results Analysis of the acoustic variables showed, for the first time, that child-produced JE is phonetically closer to the variety of BE studied, than it is to the American variety. The acoustic properties of the child-produced JE vowels were found to be similar to those of adult-produced vowels, suggesting that, as has been shown for adult speech, there appears to be a limited impact of AE on JE. Conclusions This is the first acoustic study of children's speech to show that, despite the proximity to BE, the Jamaican variety is clearly a distinct variety of English. As the first study comparing AE, BE, and JE, the article provides experimental evidence of the acoustic differences in the varieties and points to the implications for automatic speech recognition and educational applications for children who speak JE.Introduction In an ever-changing academic environment, the traditional model of one senior mentor is no longer sufficient to provide faculty with the interdisciplinary perspective needed for success. We adapted, implemented and examined an interschool/interprofessional Mutual Mentoring Program.Methods Participants were expected to expand their mentoring networks, formulate career goals and achievement plans, and, achieve concrete career goal(s). Participants were offered a 1-year mentoring network grant. To examine short-term outcomes, we collected participants' lists of contacts and accomplished goals, and asked for immediate feedback on the program. To examine intermediate outcomes, we conducted 30-min interviews with participants after 1 year of participation. We used quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyze the data from four program cohorts.Results Thirty-seven faculty participated throughout the four academic years. Participants reported 260 contacts made, and achieved goals related to academic products and outcomes. Eleven participants were interviewed and highlighted professional achievements, the power of the established networks, gained career resources, and the accomplishment of significant personal changes.Conclusions This approach provides the type of multiple mentoring support that is necessary for today's academic climate for faculty to obtain their career goals, to demonstrate the institutional commitment to faculty success and to provide avenues for interdisciplinary connections.Macroautophagy/autophagy plays an essential role in cellular responses to pathogens. However, the precise mechanisms and signaling pathways that modulate cellular autophagy in classical swine fever virus (CSFV)-infected host cells have not been confirmed. In this study, we showed that CSFV infection inhibits the phosphorylation of MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase), subsequently leading to autophagy initiation. We also show that MAPK/ERK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling is involved in CSFV-induced autophagy. The CSFV-induced inhibition of AKT/PKB (AKT serine/threonine kinase)-MTOR was observed to be partially responsible for the MTOR inactivation and subsequent autophagy initiation. Moreover, the CAMKK2/CaMKKβ (calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase kinase 2)-PRKAA/AMPK (protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha) axis was found to be involved in CSFV-induced autophagy. Meanwhile, CSFV non-structural protein NS5A induced autophagy via the CAMKK2-PRKAA-MTOR signaling pathwserine/threonine kinase; AMPK Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase; CAMKK2 Calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase kinase 2; CSFV Classical swine fever virus; HRP Horseradish peroxidase; HSP90AB1 Heat shock protein 90 alpha family class B member 1; IFN Interferon; ISGs IFN-stimulated genes; LC-MS Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; MAP1LC3/LC3 Microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MAPK Mitogen-activated protein kinase; MAVS Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein; MOI Multiplicity of infection; MTOR Mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; PBS Phosphate-buffered saline; PRKAA Protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha; shRNA short hairpin RNA.Purpose To assess the immune status of acute retinal necrosis (ARN) patients and to investigate the immune cell types involved in the immunopathogenesis.Methods Peripheral blood and intraocular fluid were collected from 17 ARN patients and 9 control subjects. The Percentage of immune cells was measured using flow cytometry, levels of complement and antibodies were determined by rate nephelometry, and cytokine levels in the serum and aqueous humor (AH) were detected using cytokine quantitative chips. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0. p less then  .05 was considered statistically significant.Results Proportion of T-helper 17 cells (p = .034) in serum and concentrations of multiple cytokines associated with Th17 cells (IL-6, IL-17, IL-17 F, IL-21, IL-22) in AH and serum were elevated of ARN patients.Conclusion Th17 cells appeared to participate in the development of ARN. We found inflammatory cytokines and cells were elevated in the serum and AH of ARN patients.This Personal View about the current level of surgical teaching at medical school is based on my personal experiences as a graduate-entry medical student. My unique perspective as an older student, who has a clearer idea of their desired career pathway, shows some of the areas in which medical education could change to inspire more surgeons. In particular, I emphasise the importance of introducing the practical element of surgery early on in one's medical career as this is often one of the most attractive features of the career.