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George Washington is remembered for leading the Continental Army to victory, presiding over the Constitution, and forging a new nation, but few know the story of his involvement in the establishment of a capital city and how it nearly tore the United States apart. In George Washington's Final Battle, Robert P. Watson brings this tale to life, telling how the country's first president tirelessly advocated for a capital on the shores of the Potomac. Washington envisioned and had a direct role in planning many aspects of the city that would house the young republic. In doing so, he created a landmark that gave the fledgling democracy credibility, united a fractious country, and created a sense of American identity. Although Washington died just months before the federal government's official relocation, his vision and influence live on in the city that bears his name. This little-known story of founding intrigue throws George Washington's political acumen into sharp relief and provides a historical lesson in leadership and consensus-building that remains relevant today. This book will fascinate anyone interested in the founding period, the American presidency, and the history of Washington, DC.

The integration of host genetics, environmental triggers and the microbiota is a recognised factor in the pathogenesis of barrier function diseases such as IBD. In order to determine how these factors interact to regulate the host immune response and ecological succession of the colon tissue-associated microbiota, we investigated the temporal interaction between the microbiota and the host following disruption of the colonic epithelial barrier. Oral administration of DSS was applied as a mechanistic model of environmental damage of the colon and the resulting inflammation characterized for various parameters over time in WT and Nod2 KO mice. In WT mice, DSS damage exposed the host to the commensal flora and led to a migration of the tissue-associated bacteria from the epithelium to mucosal and submucosal layers correlating with changes in proinflammatory cytokine profiles and a progressive transition from acute to chronic inflammation of the colon. Tissue-associated bacteria levels peaked at day 21 post-DSS and declined thereafter, correlating with recruitment of innate immune cells and development of the adaptive immune response. Histological parameters, immune cell infiltration and cytokine biomarkers of inflammation were indistinguishable between Nod2 and WT littermates following DSS, however, Nod2 KO mice demonstrated significantly higher tissue-associated bacterial levels in the colon. DSS damage and Nod2 genotype independently regulated the community structure of the colon microbiota. The results of these experiments demonstrate the integration of environmental and genetic factors in the ecological succession of the commensal flora in mammalian tissue. The association of Nod2 genotype (and other host polymorphisms) and environmental factors likely combine to influence the ecological succession of the tissue-associated microflora accounting in part for their association with the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Gold Medalist, 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the U.S. History Category The War of 1812, sometimes called \"America's forgotten war,\" was a curious affair. At the time, it was dismissed as \"Mr. Madison's War.\" Later it was hailed by some as America's \"Second War for Independence\" and ridiculed by others, such as President Harry Truman, as \"the silliest damned war we ever had.\" The conflict, which produced several great heroes and future presidents, was all this and more. In America's First Crisis Robert P. Watson tells the stories of the most intriguing battles and leaders and shares the most important blunders and victories of the war. What started out as an effort to invade Canada, fueled by anger over the harassment of American merchant ships by the Royal Navy, soon turned into an all-out effort to fend off an invasion by Britain. Armies marched across the Canadian border and sacked villages; navies battled on Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, and the world's oceans; both the American and Canadian capitals were burned; and, in a final irony, the United States won its greatest victory in New Orleans-after the peace treaty had been signed.

GPR39 is a GPCR implicated as a regulator of gastrointestinal motility, although the mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report that GPR39 is expressed by a specific cell population cultured from mouse small intestine muscle layers, which was subsequently identified as fibroblast-like cells (FLCs) that have recently been shown to modulate gut motility. Application of the GPR39 agonist, Zn(2+), induced large currents and membrane depolarization in FLCs cultured from wild-type mice, but not Gpr39(-/-) mice. This Zn(2+)-induced current could be suppressed by application of a TMEM16A antagonist, CaCC(inh)-A01, or by silencing Tmem16a expression. These data suggest that GPR39 might modulate gut motility via regulating TMEM16A function in FLCs.

This unique perspective on the White House, one of the most readily identifiable structures in the world, brings together the views of librarians, journalists, political advisers, attorneys, researchers, and professors. Filled with anecdotes, little-known facts, and scholarly analysis, the book shows how “The People’s House” has been shaped and molded both architecturally and philosophically by the different administrations over the past 200 years. Erudite and entertaining, Life in the White House looks at the social history of the first family, the creation of the president’s home, and efforts by first families to carve out a space for the important business of family, while preserving the history of their famous residence. This public museum and private residence, which began as the result of a $500 Jefferson-era architectural design contest, now symbolizes one of the world’s great superpowers.

The Roads to Congress 2008 offers readers straightfoward and detailed case studies of the campaigns, candidates, key issues, and outcomes of over one dozen of the most important and interesting races of 2008. This includes both House and Senate campaigns, contests from all regions of the country, and seats held by Democrats and Republicans, as well as open seats. Every two years the pageantry of American politics unfolds when all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and roughly one-third of those in the U.S. Senate are up for election. These elections provide voters with an opportunity to evaluate their members of Congress and the institution as a whole. They also offer a regular and frequent barometer for the health and practice of American democracy. The 2008 election cycle, in particular, was in many ways one of the most intriguing and pivotal elections in many years and for many reasons, which are explored in this book.

Bringing together presidential scholars, leading voices on the presidency, and former White House aides, this book provides a timely and thorough assessment of George W. Bush at the historic midpoint of his presidency. The book covers Bush's character and leadership style, domestic policy, foreign policy and the War on Terror, and the Bush administration. It concludes with a report card on the Bush presidency, whereby the President, his staff, and his legislative record are graded.

Barack Obama's presidency is a pivotal one in American history, coming at a time of dramatic political change in the United States and amidst an astonishing array of domestic and foreign policy challenges. Not surprisingly, then, the Obama administration has been the focus of intense scrutiny by scholars, the press, and the public, and rarely has the tone of political discourse been more polarized and emotionally charged. In this book a distinguished group of scholars offers an objective and timely examination of the Obama administration; Obama's character, leadership style, and rhetoric; and his domestic, foreign, and national security policies. Engaging, lively, and highly readable, each essay offers important insight into this historic president and presidency.

Coming on the heels of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, Lincoln's Enduring Legacy offers highly readable and accessible perspectives on Lincoln at 200 in terms of his impact on great leaders and thinkers and his place in American history. The book explores how Lincoln's words and deeds have influenced the pursuit of justice and freedom and the practice of democracy in the century and a half since he governed. Lincoln, as an abolitionist, the architect of Reconstruction, an avowed Unionist, a wordsmith and rhetorician, his age's foremost prophet for democracy, and America's greatest president remains an iconic image in American memory.

Bringing together presidential scholars, leading voices on the presidency, and former White House aides, this book provides a timely and thorough assessment of George W. Bush at the historic midpoint of his presidency. The book covers Bush’s character and leadership style, domestic policy, foreign policy and the War on Terror, and the Bush administration. It concludes with a report card on the Bush presidency, whereby the President, his staff, and his legislative record are graded.