Efficient Expression of <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Igf-1</i> from Lentiviral Vectors Protects <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">In Vitro</i> but Does Not Mediate Behavioral Recovery of a Parkinsonian Lesion in Rats

Gene therapy approaches delivering neurotrophic factors have offered promising results in both preclinical and clinical trials of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, failure of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in phase 2 clinical trials has sparked a search for other trophic factors that may retain efficacy in the clinic. Direct protein injections of one such factor, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, in a rodent model of PD has demonstrated impressive protection of dopaminergic neurons against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) toxicity. However, protein infusion is associated with surgical risks, pump failure, and significant costs. We therefore used lentiviral vectors to deliver Igf-1, with a particular focus on the novel integration-deficient lentiviral vectors (IDLVs). A neuron-specific promoter, from the human synapsin 1 gene, excellent for gene expression from IDLVs, was additionally used to enhance Igf-1 expression. An investigation of neurotrophic effects on primary rat neuronal cultures demonstrated that neurons transduced with IDLV-Igf-1 vectors had complete protection on withdrawal of exogenous trophic support. Striatal transduction of such vectors into 6-OHDA-lesioned rats, however, provided neither protection of dopaminergic substantia nigra neurons nor improvement of animal behavior

Line Defects in Molybdenum Disulfide Layers

Layered molecular materials and especially MoS2 are already accepted as promising candidates for nanoelectronics. In contrast to the bulk material, the observed electron mobility in single-layer MoS2 is unexpectedly low. Here we reveal the occurrence of intrinsic defects in MoS2 layers, known as inversion domains, where the layer changes its direction through a line defect. The line defects are observed experimentally by atomic resolution TEM. The structures were modeled and the stability and electronic properties of the defects were calculated using quantum-mechanical calculations based on the Density-Functional Tight-Binding method. The results of these calculations indicate the occurrence of new states within the band gap of the semiconducting MoS2. The most stable non-stoichiometric defect structures are observed experimentally, one of which contains metallic Mo-Mo bonds and another one bridging S atoms

Explaining Myanmar's Regime Transition: The Periphery is Central

In 2010, Myanmar (Burma) held its first elections after 22 years of direct military rule. Few compelling explanations for this regime transition have emerged. This article critiques popular accounts and potential explanations generated by theories of authoritarian ‘regime breakdown’ and ‘regime maintenance’. It returns instead to the classical literature on military intervention and withdrawal. Military regimes, when not terminated by internal factionalism or external unrest, typically liberalise once they feel they have sufficiently addressed the crises that prompted their seizure of power. This was the case in Myanmar. The military intervened for fear that political unrest and ethnic-minority separatist insurgencies would destroy Myanmar’s always-fragile territorial integrity and sovereignty. Far from suddenly liberalising in 2010, the regime sought to create a ‘disciplined democracy’ to safeguard its preferred social and political order twice before, but was thwarted by societal opposition. Its success in 2010 stemmed from a strategy of coercive state-building and economic incorporation via ‘ceasefire capitalism’, which weakened and co-opted much of the opposition. Having altered the balance of forces in its favour, the regime felt sufficiently confident to impose its preferred settlement. However, the transition neither reflected total ‘victory’ for the military nor secured a genuine or lasting peace

Enhanced Long-Path Electrical Conduction in ZnO Nanowire Array Devices Grown via Defect-Driven Nucleation

Vertical arrays of nanostructures have been widely used as major components in some of the most ground-breaking modern research-based devices, and ZnO nanowires have received particular attention because of their favorable electronic properties. Using a local multiprobe technique to measure the properties of individual ZnO nanowires in vertical arrays, we show for the first time that for metal-catalyzed ZnO nanowire growth the electrical contribution of individual wires to a device is highly dependent on the fate of the catalyst nanoparticle during growth. To overcome the limitations of metal-catalyzed growth, nanowires grown from a defect-driven nucleation process are shown to provide high-quality device structures with excellent long-path electrical conduction

Capture the growth kinetics of CVD growth of two-dimensional MoS 2

Understanding the microscopic mechanism is fundamental for function-oriented controlled chemical vapor deposition growth of two-dimensional (2D) materials. In this work, we reveal the growth kinetics of 2D MoS2 by capturing the nucleation seeds, evolving morphology, edge structure, and edge terminations at the atomic scale during chemical vapor deposition growth using the transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The direct growth of few-layer and mono-layer MoS2 onto graphene-based transmission electron microscopy grids helped us to perform the subsequent transmission electron microscopy characterization without any solution-based transfer. Two seeding centers are observed: (i) Mo-oxysulfide (MoO x S2−y ) nanoparticles either in multi-shelled fullerene-like structures or as compact nanocrystals for the growth of fewer-layer MoS2; (ii) Mo-S atomic clusters. In the early stage growth, irregular polygons with two primary edge terminations, S-Mo Klein edges and Mo zigzag edges, appear approximately in equal numbers. The morphology evolves into a near-triangle shape in which Mo zigzag edges predominate. Results from density-functional theory calculations are consistent with the inferred growth kinetics, and thus support the growth mechanism we proposed. In general, the growth mechanisms found here should also be applicable in other 2D materials, such as MoSe2, WS2 and WSe2

Medical Therapies for Uterine Fibroids - A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND: Uterine fibroids are common, often symptomatic and a third of women need repeated time off work. Consequently 25% to 50% of women with fibroids receive surgical treatment, namely myomectomy or hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is the definitive treatment as fibroids are hormone dependent and frequently recurrent. Medical treatment aims to control symptoms in order to replace or delay surgery. This may improve the outcome of surgery and prevent recurrence. PURPOSE: To determine whether any medical treatment can be recommended in the treatment of women with fibroids about to undergo surgery and in those for whom surgery is not planned based on currently available evidence. STUDY SELECTION: Two authors independently identified randomised controlled trials (RCT) of all pharmacological treatments aimed at the treatment of fibroids from a list of references obtained by formal search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Science Citation Index, and ClinicalTrials.gov until December 2013. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently extracted data from identified studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: A Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed following the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-Decision Support Unit guidelines. Odds ratios, rate ratios, or mean differences with 95% credible intervals (CrI) were calculated. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 75 RCT met the inclusion criteria, 47 of which were included in the network meta-analysis. The overall quality of evidence was very low. The network meta-analysis showed differing results for different outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend any medical treatment in the management of fibroids. Certain treatments have future promise however further, well designed RCTs are needed

Types, obstacles and sources of empowerment in co-design: the role of shared material objects and processes

Co-design is intrinsically linked to the notion of empowerment, however little research has focussed specifically on understanding the types, obstacles and sources of empowerment in co-design. This paper combines theoretical investigations with observations derived from co-designed research by academic and non-academic partners to explore these issues, in particular, the role of shared material objects and processes in supporting empowerment during co-design. The paper uses the notions of ‘power over,’ ‘power to’, ‘power with’ and ‘power within’ to tease out different aspects of empowerment, and draws on empirical observations to determine different obstacles and sources associated with each. The study therefore makes a theoretical contribution to the understanding of co-design as an empowerment process and should be useful for design researchers undertaking co-design projects with non-experts

The Importance of Preventive Medicine in Family Practice: A Review of Current Guidelines and Recommendations

Prevention is seen as a critical topic in family practice. Primordial prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention, tertiary prevention, and quaternary prevention are all part of this strategy to disease prevention. To avoid the formation and development of risk factors, primary prevention focuses on addressing the fundamental causes and social determinants of disease. Primary prevention is the practice of preventing illnesses before they arise via the use of treatments such as immunizations and health education. Secondary prevention focuses on illness identification and intervention as early as possible to avoid disease development. Tertiary prevention addresses illness outcomes by restoring health and offering rehabilitation. Finally, quaternary prevention seeks to safeguard patients against needless medical treatments and the harm caused by over-medicating. Risks frequently rise in tandem with frailty and comorbidities. In contrast, advantages frequently drop as life expectancy increases. Preventive management strategies should consider the patient's viewpoint and be mutually agreed upon. Healthcare providers must prioritize the deployment of preventive care services, even when clinical treatments are required, in order to overcome preventive care hurdles. Healthcare practitioners may play a critical role in illness prevention and contribute to family well-being by investing in preventive care and executing these measures

Plasmonic nanofillers-enabled solar membrane crystallization for mineral recovery

Recently, the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonances in metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been exploited in membrane science (especially, membrane distillation) to overcome temperature polarization. However, the prohibitive costs of state-of-the-art plasmonic NPs such as Ag and Au have opened the quest of alternative materials. Here, we show that nanoscale photothermal effects activated by light irradiation on nanocomposite membranes made of a thin microporous coating of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) loaded with NiSe or CoSe NPs supported on polyvinylidene fluoride might be exploited to achieve crystallization of dissolved salts in brines. Explicitly, we demonstrate that the embodiment of the plasmonic NiSe and CoSe NPs is capable to originate an increase of the vaporization of the water from brine once the nanocomposite membranes are irradiated with sunlight, with the possibility to reach the supersaturation conditions, with the subsequent heterogeneous nucleation and crystallization of dissolved salts. © 2023Ministry of Science and Technology, MOST; Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, MAECIAP and MBS acknowledge the IVANHOE project funded by the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (MAECI) for Italy and Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) for Israel. DWB acknowledges research funding from Jiangsu Innovative and Entrepreneurial Talents Project

Deconstructing the Intercultural Learning of a Doctoral Group Undertaking Qualitative Research—Or How Not to Do a ‘White PhD'

This article looks at the intellectual and linguistic dilemmas of an international doctoral group and juxtaposes these with some of the existential challenges the group faces. The intention is to offer a kind of ‘dialectical tacking’ between doctoral thinking and doctoral experiences more broadly. The overall aim of the piece is to think in front of each other while developing a sense of ‘equality’ in relation to group contributions. Each of the excursions into research in this article enacts different approaches to research thinking – comparative, inductive, deductive, dialectical and deconstructive. In this piece, the voices of the tutors (Stronach and Frankham) are mostly dominant, but further publication will shift that balance significantly towards the voice of the doctoral student. We begin with an empirical detail that highlights the nature of some of the problems of cultural and linguistic translation