Overshadowed by the amygdala: the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis emerges as key to psychiatric disorders

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a center of integration for limbic information and valence monitoring. The BNST, sometimes referred to as the extended amygdala, is located in the basal forebrain and is a sexually dimorphic structure made up of between 12 and 18 sub-nuclei. These sub-nuclei are rich with distinct neuronal subpopulations of receptors, neurotransmitters, transporters and proteins. The BNST is important in a range of behaviors such as: the stress response, extended duration fear states and social behavior, all crucial determinants of dysfunction in human psychiatric diseases. Most research on stress and psychiatric diseases has focused on the amygdala, which regulates immediate responses to fear. However, the BNST, and not the amygdala, is the center of the psychogenic circuit from the hippocampus to the paraventricular nucleus. This circuit is important in the stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Thus, the BNST has been largely overlooked with respect to its possible dysregulation in mood and anxiety disorders, social dysfunction and psychological trauma, all of which have clear gender disparities. In this review, we will look in-depth at the anatomy and projections of the BNST, and provide an overview of the current literature on the relevance of BNST dysregulation in psychiatric diseases

Long-term insulin independence following repeated islet transplantation in totally pancreatectomized diabetic pigs.

Clinical islet transplantation (Tx) in type I diabetic patients has been successful so far only in a minority of cases, probably because of multiple factors, partly immunologic and partly nonimmunologic in nature. Pre-clinical studies of islet Tx in large animals are still needed to clarify the reasons and find possible solutions. In this study, we tested the feasibility of noninvasive, repeated intrahepatic allo-Tx of porcine pancreatic islets obtained from multiple donors, in pigs rendered diabetic by total pancreatectomy (Pct). In group I Yucatan miniature swine (n = 6), after induction of diabetes by Pct, repeated islet allo-Tx of ≥80% pure islets was performed. Islets obtained from two pigs of the Hanford breed were injected twice a week, half freshly isolated and half 48-h cultured, over a period of 11 days, for a total of 23,647 ± 1617 islet equivalents (IE)/kg recipient body weight (BW). In group II Yucatan miniature swine (n = 3), after Pct, a single allo-Tx of ≥80% pure islets, previously obtained from two donors of the Hanford breed, was performed, using a total of 22,416 ± 1124 IE/kg BW. In group III Yucatan miniature swine (n = 3), auto-Tx of 60–75% pure islets, averaging 2980 ± 424 IE/kg BW, was performed a few hours after Pct. Group IV Yucatan mini pigs (n = 3) underwent Pct and were used as diabetic controls. Group V animals (n = 3) were normal control Yucatan mini pigs. Porcine islets were isolated by a modification of the standard collagenase digestion and Ficoll gradient purification method. Donors and recipients were chosen on the basis of moderate to high mutual alloreactivity in mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC). In groups I and II, cyclosporine A (CsA) was started 4 days before allo-Tx, at the dose of 15 mg/kg IM, and then gradually reduced to 4 mg/kg IM. In all group I animals, normal fasting blood glucose (FBG) was restored within 2–3 weeks. Two normoglycemic pigs died of acute pneumonia at 33 and 112 days, respectively, and one animal became progressively hyperglycemic at 100 days. After 3 months, discontinuation of CsA treatment resulted in FBG increase in two group I animals. In one pig, CsA was stopped after 151 days, and normoglycemia persisted until euthanasia, after 8 months. In group II pigs, normoglycemia lasted 4–20 days, with a progressive increase of insulin requirement thereafter. In group III animals, after islet auto-Tx, normoglycemia lasted 7–10 days, while insulin daily requirement progressively increased thereafter, stabilizing at 0.4 IU/kg/day, corresponding to about one third of the amount required in diabetic controls. The single most important result in this series of experiments is that intraportal allo-Tx of a sufficient islet mass, divided in multiple subtherapeutic doses, produced a better metabolic long-term control in comparison to a single injection of the same amount of islets. The technique of multiple-donor repeated islet Tx may prove useful to overcome the problem of primary nonfunction or early graft failure, currently limiting the success of clinical islet Tx in most cases

Northeastern united states species treated with copper-based preservatives: Durability in mississippi stake tests

This paper reports on the ground-contact durability of lesser-used wood species of the northeastern United States after treatment with copper-based preservatives. Stakes (19 by 19 by 457 mm) cut from balsam-fir (Abies balsamea), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), eastern spruce (mixture of Picea glauca, Picea mariana and Picea rubens), red maple (Acer rubrum) or eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) were treated with one of four concentrations of chromated copper arsenate type C (CCA-C), copper citrate (CC), alkaline copper quat type C (ACQ-C) or copper azole type A (CBA-A) and placed into the ground at a test site in southern Mississippi. Similarly treated southern pine (Pinus spp.) stakes were included for comparison. The stakes were rated for decay and termite attack after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 and 12 years. Eastern white pine and incised eastern hemlock and balsam-fir had durability similar to southern pine when treated with CCA or the other copper-based preservatives. Eastern spruce was less durable than the other softwood species, apparently because of low preservative uptake. Red maple had the least durability at all retentions and for all preservatives. This study indicates that several northeastern softwoods can be adequately durable when pressure-treated with CCA-C or copper-based preservatives

Corrective measures evaluation work plan Technical Area V groundwater.

This document, which is prepared as directed by the Compliance Order on Consent (COOC) issued by the New Mexico Environment Department, identifies and outlines a process to evaluate remedial alternatives to identify a corrective measure for the Sandia National Laboratories New Mexico Technical Area (TA)-V Groundwater. The COOC provides guidance for implementation of a Corrective Measures Evaluation (CME) for the TA-V Groundwater. This Work Plan documents an initial screening of remedial technologies and presents a list of possible remedial alternatives for those technologies that passed the screening. This Work Plan outlines the methods for evaluating these remedial alternatives and describes possible site-specific evaluation activities necessary to estimate remedy effectiveness and cost. These methods will be reported in the CME Report. This Work Plan outlines the CME Report, including key components and a description of the corrective measures process

DURABILITY OF MASS TIMBER STRUCTURES: A REVIEW OF THE BIOLOGICAL RISKS

Mass timber structures have the potential to change wooden construction on a global scale. Numerous mass timber high-rise buildings are in planning, under development or already built and their performance will alter how architects and engineers view wood as a material. To date, the discussion of material durability and biodegradation in these structures has been limited. While all materials can be degraded by wetting, the potential for biodegradation of wood in a mass timber building requires special consideration. Identifying and eliminating the conditions that might lead to this degradation will be critical for ensuring proper performance of wood in these structures. This article reviews and contrasts potential sources of biodegradation that exist for traditional wood construction with those in mass timber construction and identifies methods for limiting the degradation risk. Finally, future research needs are outlined

Aesthetics of self-scaling: parallaxed transregionalism and Kutluğ Ataman's art practice

This article examines relations of ethnography, contemporary art-practice, globalisation and scalar geopolitics with particular reference to Kutluğ Ataman’s artworks. Having been shortlisted for the Turner Prize at the Tate and awarded the prestigious international Carnegie Prize in 2004 with his forty-screen video installation Küba (2004), Ataman became an extremely well-known, globally acclaimed artist and filmmaker. Self-conscious of their global travel and critically attentive to the contemporary ethnographic turn in the visual arts scene, Ataman’s video-works perform a conscientious failure of representing cultural alterity as indigeneity. Concentrating on the artist’s engagement with ethnography, this article contains three main parts. Analyses of the selection of videos in each part will give an account of different scalar aspects of Ataman’s artworks. It will first revisit a previous study (Çakirlar 2011) on the artist’s earlier work of video-portraits including Never My Soul! (2002) and Women Who Wear Wigs (1999). A detailed discussion of Küba follows, which may be taken as the ‘hinge - work’ in Ataman’s oeuvre that marks a scalar transition in his critical focus - from body and identity to community and geopolitics. The discussion will then move to a brief analysis of the series Mesopotamian Dramaturgies, including the screen-based sculptures Dome (2009), Column (2009), Frame (2009), English as a Second Language (2009), and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (2009). Rather than addressing scale as a differential concept, this article aims to demonstrate the ways in which Ataman’s art-practice produces self-scaling, self-regioning subjects that unsettle the hierarchical constructions of scale and facilitates a critique of the scalar normativity within the global art world’s regionalisms and internationalisms

A case study analysis of a constructionist knowledge building community with activity theory

This article investigates how activity theory can help research a constructionist community. We present a constructionist activity model called CONstructionism Through ACtivity Theory (CONTACT) model and explain how it can be used to analyse the constructionist activity in knowledge building communities. We then illustrate the model through its application to analysing the Wiki-supported community associated with a computer game. Our analysis focuses mainly on two perspectives: individual and collective actions, as well as individual and collective mediations. Experiences and challenges from the analysis are reported to demonstrate how CONTACT is helpful in analysing such communities

The use of interpretive phenomenological analysis in couple and family therapy research

This article proposes a research methodology that is newer to the field of couple and family therapy research called Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Researchers exploring couple and family therapy research continue to establish the efficacy of couple and family interventions in a context that favors a positivist view of phenomena. This research continues to be critical for establishing the role of couple and family therapy in the field of mental health as well as further clarifying which interventions are best for specific clinical issues and when. IPA offers researchers the opportunity to explore how couples and families make meaning of their experiences from an intersubjective perspective. Meaning making is central to understanding couples and families as well as part of the many clinical approaches to working with couples and families. Despite the importance of meaning, few research methodologies allow for this central concept in couple and family therapy to be the focus of exploration. The following article outlines one such methodology and the possible use of IPA in couple and family therapy research

Radio-Frequency Spectroscopy

Contains reports on four research projects