Flagellin induces β-defensin 2 in human colonic ex vivo infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is an important foodborne pathogen in the developed world and can cause life-threatening disease particularly in children. EHEC persists in the human gut by adhering intimately to colonic epithelium and forming characteristic attaching/effacing lesions. In this study, we investigated the innate immune response to EHEC infection with particular focus on antimicrobial peptide and protein expression by colonic epithelium. Using a novel human colonic biopsy model and polarized T84 colon carcinoma cells, we found that EHEC infection induced expression of human β-defensin 2 (hBD2), whereas hBD1, hBD3, LL-37 and lysozyme remained unchanged. Infection with specific EHEC deletion mutants demonstrated that this was dependent on flagellin, and apical exposure to purified flagellin was sufficient to stimulate hBD2 and also interleukin (IL)-8 expression ex vivo and in vitro. Flagellin-mediated hBD2 induction was significantly reduced by inhibitors of NF-κB, MAP kinase p38 and JNK but not ERK1/2. Interestingly, IL-8 secretion by polarized T84 cells was vectorial depending on the side of stimulation, and apical exposure to EHEC or flagellin resulted in apical IL-8 release. Our results demonstrate that EHEC only induces a modest immune response in human colonic epithelium characterized by flagellin-dependent induction of hBD2 and low levels of IL-8

Save The Frogs

The species Xenopus laevis is native to sub saharan Africa, but ever since its discovery in effectiveness in pregnancy tests, the frog now lives invasively around the world. Today the Xenopus Laevis is used mostly in laboratories as a model organism for studying developmental biology (Willigan 2001). The commercialized herbicide Atrazine, has been found to interact with this model organism species in an odd way you might not have guessed (Sanders 2010). Atrazine is primarily absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and has been shown to have neuroendocrine, reproductive, and developmental effects on experimental animals such as Xenopus laevis (ATSDR 2004). The toxic nature of Atrazine has been found to emasculate male frogs in a study by biologists at the university of California, Berkeley (Sanders 2010). Frogs are extremely susceptible to environmental disturbances due to their permeable skin. This makes them accurate indicators of stressors in the environment (Kerry 2017). This is why we find it imperative to study the effects of Atrazine on frogs, not only because knocking out a species can affect food chains in areas where they reside but it also affects those halfway across the globe, hundreds of miles from its immediate reach

A TJ Approach to Mental Disability Rights Research: On Sexual Autonomy and Sexual Offending

We believe it is impossible to understand the development and the power of therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) without acknowledging that its roots in mental disability law have continued to expand and flourish over the decades, and that there is no other substantive area of the law in which every aspect – substantive and procedural, civil and criminal, statutory and constitutional. domestic and international – has been weighed and evaluated using a TJ lens. In this chapter, we consider how those roots have shaped the last three decades of research and the implications of what has developed. We look carefully at two sub-sets of mental disability law developments: the law of sexual autonomy and the law of sexually violent predators.We conclude that, while TJ has spread far and wide (substantially through David Wexler’s dual focus on the therapeutic design of the law (TDL) and the therapeutic application of the law (TAL)), it is still the area of mental disability law that is its heart and soul. We believe that all TJ practitioners ought to take seriously the scholarship that has developed in this specific area so as to shed light on TJ’s potential application to all other aspects of the law – substantive, procedural and structural

My Bewildering Brain Toils in Vain : Traumatic Brain Injury, the Criminal Trial Process, and the Case of Lisa Montgomery

Individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have a greater risk of becoming justice-involved due to the role that many TBIs play in impulse control and judgment. Attorneys assigned to represent this cohort may not have encountered individuals with TBI before, and may not be familiar with behavioral manifestations that could be relevant as a defense or as mitigation in individual cases. In this regard, TBI is grossly misunderstood.A grave example of this point, and a foundation for this article, is the case of Lisa Montgomery, who despite evidence of serious mental illness and significant brain damage, was convicted, sentenced to death, and ultimately executed for the murder of a pregnant woman and the kidnapping of the woman’s unborn child. Her case reflects all that is wrong with the way we treat criminal defendants with traumatic brain injuries.In this paper, we discuss common ways that individuals with traumatic brain injuries become involved in the criminal justice system, and how attorneys can better prepare an effective defense or mitigation. We consider, in some depth, several of the substantive areas of criminal law and procedure in which an understanding of TBI is especially significant (including, but not limited to, competency status, the insanity defense and the death penalty), and assess the quality of counsel –and experts -- in such cases, again, in some instances, using the Montgomery case as a prism.We believe that one (at least partial) remedy for the current situation is a turn to therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) The TJ doctrine emphasizes giving an individual client dignity, voice, validation and voluntariness of action and decision. This is particularly important for an individual with TBI, who will likely have the capacity to make the majority of decisions about his case, but who may still need behavioral treatment or interventions for symptoms of the TBI. We will discuss the ways that TJ plays into these issues, and how TJ must be the grounding of any representation of this population. We conclude with some modest suggestions as to how we can begin to make needed changes in the criminal justice system to take all of these issues into account

A DEVELOPING PROJECT: INVESTIGATING FUTURE FORMS OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

It is regularly reported at previous PATT conferences that design and technology (D&T) in England is in decline. Despite initiatives, new curricula and government lobbying, the D&T juggernaut seems to be on the brink of collapse (according to some), with lowering numbers of pupils studying D&T, fewer teachers, less resources, and low status in schools. Pulling the D&T juggernaut back from the brink requires more than one approach and most of the recent ones have been led by national organisations. This paper reports on the first phase of a new project, led by practising teachers, that takes a new approach. In simple terms, the aim of the project is to redesign D&T, not so much the content but the curriculum delivery and framework. We have started by identifying the unresolved issues that are causing curriculum tensions and incoherence in the D&T community. In this paper we are reporting on the first phase of our design project, where we used a Delphi Study to identify the controversial D&T curriculum issues that need resolving before we can design a D&T curriculum. Nineteen teachers completed the first survey. Analysing of the survey data reduced the number of questions to 24. These were circulated to a self-selecting expert group (participants who completed the first survey). A second round of analysis has clarified that there are 18 unresolved questions and contentions issues that need to be debated. The next step is to invite teachers to respond to these issues; these responses will then be shared in a publication, debated, and shaped into a curriculum design specification. Finally, teachers will be invited to share at a future workshop or conference their curriculum design ideas that meet this specification

Quantum decoherence and neutrino data

In this work we perform global fits of microscopic decoherence models of neutrinos to all available current data, including LSND and KamLAND spectral distortion results. In previous works on related issues the models used were supposed to explain LSND results by means of quantum gravity induced decoherence. However those models were purely phenomenological without any underlying microscopic basis. It is one of the main purposes of this article to use detailed microscopic decoherence models with complete positivity, to fit the data.The decoherence in these models has contributions not only from stochastic quantum gravity vacua operating as a medium, but also from conventional uncertainties in the energy of the (anti)neutrino beam. All these contributions lead to oscillation-length independent damping factors modulating the oscillatory terms from which one obtains an excellent fit to all available neutrino data, including LSND and Kamland spectral distortion.Comment: 27 pages, 2 figure

Cosmic Ray Processes in Galactic Ecosystems

Galaxy evolution is an important topic, and our physical understanding must be complete to establish a correct picture. This includes a thorough treatment of feedback. The effects of thermal–mechanical and radiative feedback have been widely considered; however, cosmic rays (CRs) are also powerful energy carriers in galactic ecosystems. Resolving the capability of CRs to operate as a feedback agent is therefore essential to advance our understanding of the processes regulating galaxies. The effects of CRs are yet to be fully understood, and their complex multi-channel feedback mechanisms operating across the hierarchy of galaxy structures pose a significant technical challenge. This review examines the role of CRs in galaxies, from the scale of molecular clouds to the circumgalactic medium. An overview of their interaction processes, their implications for galaxy evolution, and their observable signatures is provided and their capability to modify the thermal and hydrodynamic configuration of galactic ecosystems is discussed. We present recent advancements in our understanding of CR processes and interpretation of their signatures, and highlight where technical challenges and unresolved questions persist. We discuss how these may be addressed with upcoming opportunities

The Development of School Psychology Assessment Centers as Training, Service Delivery, and Research Sites

School Psychologists have an ongoing responsibility to promote and support healthy schools, families, and communities, while contributing to knowledge, research, teaching, and supervision. Consequently, School Psychology programs should seek to meet these goals by providing their students with opportunities to engage in research and effective service delivery, participate in outreach services, and continued professional development. During Fall of 2013, faculty, students, and personnel of the School Psychology Program at Stephen F. Austin State University successfully developed a School Psychology Assessment Center, which is maintained on the university’s campus. The primary objective of this university-approved Center is the enhancement of service delivery to the on-campus student population and surrounding community and positive impact on training and professional development of masters and doctoral-level School Psychology trainees. This article describes the steps involved in the development and maintenance of School Psychology Assessment Centers