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Smoking induced muscle dysfunction: unravelling the mechanisms leading to diminished regeneration
Get PDFWith an estimated 1 billion smokers worldwide, cigarette smoke is the leading cause of
cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cigarette smoke has been found to cause weakness and
wasting of skeletal muscle, the mechanism of which is still not completely understood.
Recently, electronic cigarette use has become prominent worldwide. Consumption has been
linked with multiple respiratory diseases but the effect on muscle is still not fully known.
We hypothesize that cigarette smoke and vaping causes incomplete regeneration of muscle
after acute damage. The aim of the project is to understand how cigarette smoke media
(CSM) and vape media (VM) affects the growth, survival and regeneration of muscle by
investigating the direct effect on immortalized myoblasts and mouse models. Then using
gene expression along with a bio-informatic approach called “connectivity-mapping”,
identify compounds that could be repurposed as therapies to promote muscle growth and
function in smokers. Here we found that CSM reduced viability in several cell lines, reduced
the migratory abilities of myoblasts and caused atrophy in myotubes. Both CSM and VM
increased senescence, reduced fusion, induced organellar stress and dysregulated cytokine
levels in vitro. In vivo CSM and VM did not affect animal weights, muscle weights, fibre
cross sectional area or cause fibrosis after acute damage. However, they prolonged
regeneration, and dysregulated cytokine levels. The gene expression data of CSM revealed
several differentially expressed genes. The expression data was introduced into the C-map
which identified harmine and asiaticoside as compounds that could potentially reverse the
effects of CSM on muscle. We found that these compounds failed to rescue cells in a viability
assay, therefore suggest a combination of transcriptomics and proteomics as a more robust
solution to find alternatives
Colloidoscope: detecting dense colloids in 3D with deep learning
No full textColloidoscope is a deep learning pipeline employing a 3D residual U-net architecture, designed to enhance the tracking of dense colloidal suspensions through confocal microscopy. This methodology uses a simulated training dataset that reflects a wide array of real-world imaging conditions, specifically targeting high colloid volume fraction and low-contrast scenarios where traditional detection methods struggle. Central to our approach is the use of experimental signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and point-spread-functions (PSFs) to accurately quantify and simulate the experimental data. Our findings reveal that Colloidoscope achieves superior recall in particle detection (it finds more particles) compared to conventional methods. Simultaneously, high precision is maintained (high fraction of true positives). The model demonstrates a notable robustness to photobleached samples, thereby prolonging the imaging time and number of frames that may be acquired. Furthermore, Colloidoscope maintains small scale resolution sufficient to classify local structural motifs. Evaluated across both simulated and experimental datasets, Colloidoscope brings the advancements in computer vision offered by deep learning to particle tracking at high volume fractions. We offer a promising tool for researchers in the soft matter community. This model is deployed and available to use pretrained at https://github.com/wahabk/colloidoscope
Ways of seeing and discourse strategies of naming the novel coronavirus in the US and Hong Kong
Get PDFThe naming of the novel coronavirus was notably one of the most politically sensitive aspects of the pandemic. After former US President Donald Trump began using the term “Chinese Virus” in March 2020, partisans with different tribal affiliations in various countries and regions rushed to formulate arguments for and against using geographically marked and racially charged labels when referring to the virus. Informed by the principles of critical discourse analysis, this article analyses the naming of the virus in the US and Hong Kong, where similar practices of naming served the interests of very different political tribes and ideological agendas. It focuses on different aspects of meaning, i.e. analytic and synthetic, and the argumentation strategies various interpretive communities used to
legitimize particular naming practices. It argues that it is not just certain practices of naming, but also certain practices of reasoning about names that comes to index different tribal loyalties
Standing ‘in’ and ‘out’ from the crowd in a small genre: proximity and positioning in applied linguists’ email signatures
Get PDFNeoliberal demands in higher education (HE) amplified by the affordances of the digital have led to the emergence of various academic branding practices, one of which is the use of email signatures for identity work and self-promotion. Examining a corpus of 200 email signatures created by applied linguists between 2011 and 2020, this study identifies core and optional moves and how the moves orient to proximity (scholarly communities) and positioning (reputational work). The quantitative analysis of the dataset supported by semi-structured interviews with a group of academics shows that while core moves provide basic identity information, optional moves are used strategically for positioning. A comparison by career stage reveals that mid-career academics utilize more positioning than early-career and established academics. The positioning moves in the second half of the decade draw more on academic achievements, multimodality, and digital presence. The study contributes to an enhanced understanding of how a small and originally inconspicuous genre becomes a space for academic branding and evaluates this development against the increasingly competitive and precarious conditions of the neoliberal HE sector
The impact of dividend payout policies on real estate market diversification
No full textAn asymmetric DCC - GJR - GARCH model is applied to the Turkish and US REIT markets in order to estimate the time-varying correlations between the REIT and stock markets. Using these estimated correlations, we investigate the impact of dividend payouts on the diversification potential of REITs for stock market investors. Our choice of the Turkish REIT market is based on its unique REIT dividend policy, while US data provides a benchmark for comparison. This study has a number of motivations and contributions that make it a worthwhile undertaking. First, we document that REIT dividend policy is related to the correlation between REIT and stock markets.
Dividend paying REITs have lower correlations with stock markets, which makes the REIT market a viable portfolio diversifier. Second, we confirm that REITs and stock prices cointegrated more closely due to the 2008 global financial crisis. We additionally document that a similar effect was
also present in the correlation during the global Covid-19 pandemic crisis. It appears that REITs and stock markets become more correlated during times of financial turmoil and diversification opportunities are diminished. Finally, we document that there is a long-term trend in the time-varying
correlations between REITs and stock markets. Turkiye has been experiencing a negative trend in this regard, while the US has been experiencing a positive trend
Adherence to unhealthy diets is associated with altered frontal gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate concentrations and grey matter volume: preliminary findings
Get PDFObjectives
Common mental disorders (CMD) are associated with impaired frontal excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance and reduced grey matter volume (GMV). Larger GMV (in the areas that are implicated in CMD-pathology) and improved CMD-symptomatology have been observed in individuals who adhere to high quality diets. Moreover, preclinical studies have shown altered neurometabolites (primarily gamma-aminobutyric acid: GABA and glutamate: GLU) in relation to diet quality. However, neurochemical correlates of diet quality and how these neurobiological changes are associated with CMD and with its transdiagnostic factor, rumination, is unknown in humans. Therefore, in this study, we examined the associations between diet quality and frontal cortex neuro-chemistry and structure, as well as CMD and rumination in humans.
Methods
Thirty adults were classified into high and low diet quality groups and underwent 1H-MRS to measure medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) metabolite concentrations and volumetric imaging to measure GMV.
Results
Low (vs High) diet quality group had reduced mPFC-GABA and elevated mPFC-GLU concentrations, as well as reduced right precentral gyrus (rPCG) GMV. However, CMD and rumination were not associated with diet quality. Notably, we observed a significant negative correlation between rumination and rPCG-GMV and a marginally significant association between rumination and mPFC-GLU concentrations. There was also a marginally significant association between mPFC-GLU concentrations and rPCG-GMV.
Discussion
Adhering to unhealthy dietary patterns may be associated with compromised E/I balance, and this could affect GMV, and subsequently, rumination
Is being clever enough? Young people’s construction of the ideal student in computer science education
Get PDFPopular discourses of computing and computer science can often frame the sector and the people within it as highly intelligent yet socially challenged, contributing to stereotypes that can potentially exclude those perceived to lack these skills or characteristics. For young people, such stereotypes can influence their educational and career aspirations, especially if there are discrepancies between their own identity and perceptions of what is desirable for computer science students. Drawing on open-ended questionnaire data from 3,235 young people in England (aged 11-16), we collected 9,442 keywords that students used to describe their ‘ideal student’ in computer science education. An understanding of these perceptions allows us to recognise the prevailing stereotypes that may be shaping young people’s views and aspirations. In this paper, we employ an innovative large-scale descriptive analysis of the most common words that students use to describe the ideal computer science student, including its differences, if any, by students’ demographic background (e.g., gender, ethnicity, free school meal) and responses to the questionnaire (e.g., aspirations to be a computer scientist). We tentatively identified eight clusters of popular ideal student characteristics, namely being Smart & Clever; Knowledgeable & Interested; Determined & Hardworking; Kind & Helpful; Creative; Independent; Confident; and Collaborative. By examining how students imagine the ideal student in computer science, we gain better understanding of their educational aspirations and choice of study and provide educators with valuable insights to potentially challenge and reshape these perceptions. These insights can inform educational interventions to foster a more inclusive computing education
Radiating encouragement: further investigation into the application of gamma ray spectroscopy for archaeological prospection at the Roman town of Silchester
Get PDFThis study builds on a preliminary investigation into the efficacy of gamma radiation surveying as a complementary tool for archaeological prospection. Improved surveying and data processing methods were implemented, including the use of a vehicle-mounted Groundhog surveying system, use of alternative software tools and examination of the impacts of individual radionuclides. The study focuses on a range of targets within Insulae VII, XXXV and XXXIII in Silchester Roman town, Hampshire. Targets of interest included a polygonal temple, a house, ditches (including an Iron Age defensive ditch) and several Roman roads. While the survey revealed no measurable differences in the gamma radionuclide content of less substantial structures (such as the temple and house) and the surrounding soil, it successfully delineated major structures. The Roman roads, Iron Age defensive ditch and potentially an indication of a historic field boundary not present in modern records were clearly visible in the generated visualisations. The roads and field boundary appear as distinct linear features of depleted radioactivity. The location of the Iron Age ditch correlates with an area of elevated radioactivity. Notably, the technique not only successfully identified archaeological features but was also able to indicate differences in the properties of similar targets such as variations in road thickness. Further, the gamma radiation data indicates variations in the local geology attributable to historic changes in land use and geochemical composition. This latest study corroborates the findings of the preliminary investigation, demonstrating replicability, scalability and ability to enhance output data quality. Further research, including sampling and non-destructive analysis of materials from the site, is needed to better explain observed results
On the evolution, science, and metaphysics of consciousness
No full textIn this article, I defend and expand my evolutionary account of consciousness developed in A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness against four critical replies. I respond to de Weerd’s challenge to the evolutionary bottom-up approach, clarifying what it entails. I address Sachs’s discussion of autopoiesis and enactivism, distinguishing my naturalistic framework from these alternatives. I engage Frankish’s concerns about my remaining Cartesian commitments. I reply to Suzuki’s prediction-based alternative to my evaluation-first view of consciousness, his criticism of my discussion of disunity, and his scepticism that consciousness is an adaptation. Finally, I address Chincarini’s comments on the connection between the pathological complexity thesis and animal welfare science
Stencilled music books in France: techniques, inventories, ateliers, 1669–1841
No full textStencilled music books in France: techniques, inventories, ateliers, 1669–1841 offers studies of stencilled music books made in France and the stencil work that supported their creation. Biographies of individual stencillers and stencilmakers provide insights into their lives and professional circumstances, while inventories identify the scope of their work, its artistic and technical features, and the liturgical functions stencilled music books served for ecclesiastical and royal institutions. The volume in total makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature about a still relatively obscure technique of graphic production and the remarkable works that often resulted from its use. It adds new information about the production of plainchant and polyphonic music, for which stencilling proved especially well-suited in the context of liturgical services in the post-Tridentine period