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Zuckerberg Facebook reel announcing Llama 4
No full texthttps://epublications.marquette.edu/zuckerberg_files_videos/1464/thumbnail.jp
A Simple, Low-Cost Implant for Reliable Diaphragm EMG Recordings in Awake, Behaving Rats
Get PDFBreathing is a complex neuromuscular process vital to sustain life. In preclinical animal models, the study of respiratory motor control is primarily accomplished through neurophysiologic recordings and functional measurements of respiratory output. Neurophysiologic recordings that target neural or muscular output via direct nerve recordings or respiratory muscle electromyography (EMG) are commonly collected during anesthetized conditions. While offering tight control of experimental preparations, the use of anesthesia results in respiratory depression, may impact cardiovascular control, eliminates the potential to record volitional nonventilatory behaviors, and can limit translation. Since the diaphragm is a unique muscle which is rhythmically active and difficult to access, placing diaphragm EMGs to collect chronic recordings in awake animals is technically challenging. Here, we describe methods for fabricating and implanting indwelling diaphragm EMG electrodes to enable recordings from awake rodents for longitudinal studies. These electrodes are relatively easy and quick to produce (∼1 h), are affordable, and provide high-quality and reproducible diaphragm signals using a tethered system that allows animals to ad libitum behave. This system is also designed to work in conjunction with whole-body plethysmography to facilitate simultaneous recordings of diaphragm EMG and ventilation. We include detailed instructions and considerations for electrode fabrication and surgical implantation. We also provide a brief discussion on data acquisition, material considerations for implant fabrication, and the physiological implications of the diaphragm EMG signal
Labeling Phrenic Afferents with Intrapleural AAV-PHP.S
No full textBackground
Understanding the role of musculoskeletal afferents in health and disease relies on the ability to selectively label afferents. Traditional approaches involve using adeno-associated viral (AAV) tools to transduce afferents with intrathecal, intramuscular, or direct dorsal root ganglion (DRG) injections. However, these approaches are surgically invasive, have non-specific labeling, or do not target functional groups of afferents. For example, labeling phrenic afferents arising from the diaphragm muscle is challenging due to the presence of musculoskeletal and cutaneous afferents from the forelimb, neck, and shoulder in the C3-C5 DRGs. New method
Using a new capsid variant of AAV9 with enhanced tropism toward afferents (AAV-PHP.S), we investigated if intrapleural injection of AAV-PHP.S transduces phrenic afferents in the cervical DRGs and spinal cord. Results
In animals receiving AAV-PHP.S, we observed robust tdTomato labeling in the DRGs, dorsal roots, dorsal columns, and spinal projections throughout the spinal gray matter. We did not see the same pattern of afferent labeling when we transected the phrenic nerve prior to intrapleural injection, nor did we find any evidence for motor neuron labeling. Classification of labeled afferents suggests preferential labeling of large diameter proprioceptive neurons. Time-course experiments show tdTomato expression in DRG neurons plateaued by 2 weeks. Comparison with existing methods
To our knowledge this is the first AAV-based method that preferentially targets phrenic afferents without also labeling phrenic motor neurons. Conclusions
This approach labels phrenic afferents and may be used in combination with optogenetic or chemogenetic tools to advance our understanding of the functional role of phrenic afferents
The Theory of Evolution
Get PDFWhat is perhaps one of the most fascinating questions in the scientific and philosophical world today is the theory on the Decent of Man. We hear much concerning Evolution. New theories on the subject appear almost daily. Most of these seem to be hoaxes on the part of publicity hungry scientists. If a man would have his name in newspapers the world over, he must only say that he produced a living organism out of inanimate matter. Of course such a statement produces a sensation. But this sensation is short lived. Investigation usually exposes prevarication on the part of the pseudo-scientist himself or on the part of newspaper men
Understanding Intergenerational Trauma among Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (Arab/MENA) Americans
Get PDFArab, Middle Eastern, and North African Americans experience various forms of racial–ethnic trauma in the United States, including historical and intergenerational trauma (IGT). The population has been migrating to the United States since the 1800s, and the number of migrants has risen in recent decades due to war, persecution, and family reunification. As a result, the children of these migrants may be exposed to IGT, with research suggesting that descendants of individuals who have experienced trauma are more susceptible to poor mental health outcomes. Using semistructured interviews, alongside the art of storytelling and empowerment through critical consciousness, this study investigated how IGT may be transmitted to Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African second-generation immigrants in the United States. Data from 12 participants were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two superordinate themes were identified from the interviews and included (a) process of IGT and (b) family communication. The first superordinate theme included the following subthemes: historical family context, perceived parent trauma responses, transmission of emotional pain, and immigrant guilt. The second superordinate theme included the following subthemes: silence, avoidance of emotion, intergenerational storytelling, and responsibility to pass down stories. Clinical and research implications are examined, emphasizing the integration of storytelling into research studies to enhance meaning-making for both participants and researchers. For clinicians, the application of narratives in therapeutic work is explored as a potential healing mechanism in individual and group therapy settings
Drivers of Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Brand Communities: Self-Determination Perspective
No full textThe prevalence of virtual brand communities and the knowledge sharing occurring throughout these populations has become a staple of both business and consumer online realities. Expanding work on personal motivations, and guided by self-determination theory, this research explores autonomous and relatedness motivations that drive individual knowledge sharing within online communities. The authors argue that such knowledge sharing can be fostered by many drivers, including self-presentation factors, brand community engagement elements, user attitude toward the brand, user reputation, size of community network, and reciprocity from other community members. Analysis was conducted using data collected longitudinally from 2866 club members of Xiaomi’s online MI User Interface community in China. Results reveal that personal signature, post length, online time, login frequency, brand attitude, reputation, online social network, and reciprocity all positively affect individual knowledge sharing within the virtual brand community, while the use of picture posts may have adverse effects and impact knowledge sharing negatively
