43 research outputs found
Novel imaging tools for investigating the role of immune signalling in the brain
Get PDFAbstract not availableJonathan Henry W. Jacobsen, Lindsay M. Parker, Arun V. Everest-Dass, Erik P. Schartner, Georgios Tsiminis, Vasiliki Staikopoulos, Mark R. Hutchinson, Sanam Mustaf
Imprecise Reasoning about Geographic Information
No full textThis report summarizes preliminary work on a framework for imprecise reasoning about spatial
information, in particular spatial information in geographic information systems. It is based on
papers previously published by Jonathan Histed, Ute Lörch, David Poon, and the author.
Geographic information systems have gained an increasing interest over the recent years. However,
their abilities are restricted in that they usually reason about precise quantitative information
only, which means that they fail whenever exact matches cannot be found. They do not
allow for any form of reasoning with imprecision.
In this report, we describe a way of incorporating imprecise qualitative spatial reasoning with
quantitative reasoning in geographic information systems. In particular, we show how tessellation
data models can be extended to allow for qualitative spatial reasoning. The idea is to
associate qualitative information with fuzzy sets whose membership grades are computed by
applying the concept of proximity.
In addition, we will show how images like geographic maps or satellite images can be analyzed
by computing the distances between given reference colors and the colors that occur in the
image, and how the results of this analysis can be used in the fuzzy spatial reasoner
Indenture as a Commitment Device in Self-Enforced Contracts: An Experimental Test
Get PDFHow can a principal (an agent) ensure that an agent (a principal) will work (pay up), if payment (work) precedes work (payment)? When a banknote is torn in two, each part is by itself worthless. A principal can pre-commit to payment-on-delivery, by tearing a banknote and giving the agent the first half as "prepayment"; the agent receives the completing half upon delivery of the service. This contract design is known as "indenture". It is selfenforcing and incentive-compatible. This paper experimentally tests the efficacy of the "indenture game" and its implications for cooperation in one-shot environments. We find that cooperation rates are high and stable over time. Its efficacy is moderated by expected losses due to the existence of uncooperative types.Cooperation, Experiment, Contracts, Indenture, Reciprocity
Guppy: Process-Oriented Programming on Embedded Devices
Get PDFGuppy is a new and experimental process-oriented programming language, taking much inspiration (and some code-base) from the existing occam-pi language. This paper reports on a variety of aspects related to this, specifically language, compiler and run-time system development, enabling Guppy programs to run on desktop and embedded systems. A native code-generation approach is taken, using C as the intermediate language, and with stack-space requirements determined at compile-time
An international multidisciplinary analysis of scholarly communication through investigating citation levels
Get PDFA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirements of the University of Wolverhampton
for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyThis thesis seeks to demonstrate that the new facilities of Web of Science (WoS) online can be used in new ways to enhance understanding of scholarly communication. It investigates four aspects of scholarly communication: characteristics of highly cited articles, citation levels of collaborative articles, citation levels of multi-disciplinary articles, and patterns of annual citation of highly cited articles. For the first two topics it investigates the WoS category of ‘Information Science & Library Science’ (IS&LS), whereas for the other topics it compares diverse WoS categories in science and social science. Although its main data source is WoS, its investigation of disciplinarity also uses Scopus. The thesis finds: (a) Highly cited IS&LS articles tend to be multidisciplinary and cited late, but are not necessarily first-authored by influential IS&LS researchers, (b) Amongst un-cite IS&LS articles the proportion of collaborative articles has remained almost constant over the past three decades whereas for higher cited articles it has grown steadily with time, (C) In social science subjects the level of citation of multi-disciplinary research are generally similar to that of mono-disciplinary research, whereas in science the citations levels for multi-disciplinary research are substantially lower than that of mono-disciplinary research, and (d) In both science and social science many very highly cited articles continue to be heavily cited more than twenty years after publication. This thesis also introduces and uses an indicator for measuring the extent of collaboration called ‘average partner scores’ and indicates a way in which the subject categories of WoS can be investigated without requiring a licence for the WoS database. Finally, it identifies and addresses some of the technical problems of using WoS online to investigate scholarly communication
Yttrium macrocycles and their use in the treatment of cancer
Get PDFSix macrocyclic ligands have been synthesized for binding yttrium(III). Of the six, 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10- tetraacetic acid (DOTA) forms the most stable yttrium(III) complex in aqueous solution, log K(ML) = 24.9 and half life ~ 2 weeks at pH 1.0. In addition to an acid-dependent dissociative mechanism, release of Y(^3+) from Y(DOTA) may, it is tentatively suggested, be promoted by metal ions. DOTA also demonstrates rapid uptake of Y(^3+) (98% labelling efficiency at 310 K with [DOTA] = 10(^-5) M and [Y(^3+)1 ~ 10(^-9) M, pH 5.5 [0.1 M ammonium acetate]). Accordingly, an aminobutyl C-functionalised derivative of DOTA has been made and coupled to a monoclonal antibody. Once labelled with (^90)Y(^3+) a long range β- emitter, the conjugate can be used to selectively deliver a sterilising dose of radiation to a tumour. Preliminary experiments have indicated that the radiolabelled MoAb conjugate remains relatively inert in vivo. Tumour regression studies are in progress
A Preclinical Model to Assess Intestinal Barrier Integrity Using Canine Enteroids and Colonoids
No full textAuthor Contributions:
Conceptualization, V.G., K.A. and J.P.M.; Data curation, V.G., A.R., C.Z., H.W., A.L., T.A., D.K.S. and D.K.M.; Formal analysis, M.P.C., V.G., V.L., D.D.-R. and C.Z.; Funding acquisition, K.A. and J.P.M.; Investigation, V.G., A.R., C.Z., H.W., T.A. and D.K.S.; Methodology, V.G., V.L., D.D.-R., A.R., C.Z., D.L., S.M., H.W., T.A. and D.K.M.; Resources, M.M.M. and K.A.; Supervision, K.A. and J.P.M.; Validation, V.G. and C.Z.; Visualization, V.G.; Writing—original draft, V.G.; Writing—review and editing, M.P.C., C.Z., K.P., D.K.M., K.A. and J.P.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.While two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures, such as Caco-2 and Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells are widely used in a variety of biological models, these two-dimensional in vitro systems present inherent limitations in replicating the complexities of in vivo biology. Recent progress in three-dimensional organoid technology has the potential to address these limitations. In this study, the characteristics of conventional 2D cell culture systems were compared to those of canine intestinal organoids (enteroids, ENT, and colonoids, COL). Light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were employed to evaluate the microanatomy of ENT, COL, Caco-2, and MDCK cell monolayers, while transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) values were measured to assess monolayer integrity. The TEER values of canine ENT monolayers more closely approximated reported TEER values for human small intestines compared to Caco-2 and MDCK monolayers. Additionally, canine ENT demonstrated greater monolayer stability than Caco-2 and MDCK cells. Notably, while all systems displayed desmosomes, canine ENT and COL exclusively produced mucus. These findings highlight the potential of the canine organoid system as a more biologically relevant model for in vitro studies, addressing the limitations of conventional 2D cell culture systems.Simple Summary:
Immortalized cell lines are often used to model biological systems, such as the intestinal epithelium. Compared to immortalized cell lines, which are composed of identical cell clones, organoids derived from adult stem cells may represent a more accurate biological model, since they can differentiate into specialized intestinal epithelial cell types. In this study, we isolated adult stem cells from dog intestinal samples, which can be obtained with minimally invasive methods. These adult intestinal stem cells were grown into three-dimensional organoids, which recapitulate the superficial layers (epithelium) of the original tissue. The intestinal organoids were examined under a microscope to assess their similarity to the original tissue, then cultured and compared to two immortalized cell lines. The organoids had features similar to intestinal tissue, such as mucus production. In the 2D cell culture system, the organoids formed a more consistent layer than conventional cell lines, demonstrating similar integrity to that of the human intestine. These findings suggest that organoid cultures derived from dog intestinal adult stem cells can effectively be utilized in traditional cell culture systems.National Science Foundation (NSF)Depto. de Medicina y Cirugía AnimalFac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu
The impact of the newer knowledge of nutrition: nutrition science and nutrition policy, 1900-1939.
Get PDFIdeas concerning relationships between diet and health in the UK are
traced from the 1904 Comittee on Physical Deterioration to the outbreak
of World War II. Archive material is used to describe the often
conflicting views of the Medical Research Council and the Ministry of
Health and Board of Education concerning the public health applications
of nutrition science. In particular, the work of the Ministry of
Health's first Advisory Comittee on Nutrition, which was appointed in
1931, is reviewed and evaluated. The debate among public healh
practitioners over the nature, cause and extent of the 'nutrition
problem' is documented and the role in this debate of official dietary
guidelines which appeared during the 1930s, is assessed.
The Impact of the Newer Knowledge of Nutrition on welfare feeding policy
Is evaluated in the context of the official promotion of milk feeding in
schools. In particular, Corry Mann's experimental evidence which was
used to endorse this policy, is reconsidered, and it is shown that the
NRC view that the trial was proof of the presence in milk of a "growth
factor" which produced preferential growth efficiency in adequately fed
children , was in error. From a re-evaluation of the evidence it is
suggested that the experiment merely recorded catch-up growth in a group
of poorly nourished children. The view that there existed an extensive
nutritional problem due to poor quality diets is examined and
challenged.
Both dietary survey data and anthropometric evidence are used to present
the case that there was throughout the period studied a widespread
problem of underfeeding among the poor and that intervention strategies
based on the Newer Knowledge were not an appropriate method of dealing
with this problem. This casts doubts on the widely held view that there
was a need for nutrition education and suggests that the problem was one of poverty rather than Ignorance. Disaggregated anthropometric data
located by the author are analysed according to NCHS standards to assess
the prevalence of underfeeding. Significantly higher prevalences of
stunting than low weight-for-age exist in all data sets; this phenomenon
is considered in detail and low weight-for-age is proposed as the
preferred index of malnutrition in 20th Century historical studies.
Attention is drawn to the relevance of these studies for the current
nutrition and public health debate
Relatively Inaccessible Abundance: Reflections on U.S. Health Care
Get PDFOutsiders' views of American health care - and Canadian views in particular - contains this paradox: ready access to excellent high tech services for those who can pay but unfortunately too expensive for many Americans; in essence, inaccessible abundance. In this paper, I embellish upon this paradox with an initial examination of the rather complicated organization of American health care as viewed by an outside observer. I then highlight the key benefits and drawbacks seen of U.S. health care, grounded in empirical data, and how despite its drawbacks it is being spread to other countries. I conclude with a discussion of the values inherent in the provision of health care - that is, whether it should be viewed as a commodity or as a right of the citizens of a nation.U.S. health care, accessibility, external views
