Bodies in the Novel Infinite Jest

This manuscript provides a literary analysis of the use of bodies in the novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. The novel describes a world where oversaturation of external stimulation leads to the perception of mind and body of self of an individual as prosthetic parts, malleable and deformed, wherein the mind fails to feel bodily sensations and characters experience a complete disconnectedness from the self and others. Indeed, the disembodiment of characters and sensations of disconnection leads them to a compulsive quest for connectedness through the use of masks, made-up feelings, mind–body hybrid pain, corporeal malleability, and prostheses. These portrayals of the disordered and disconnectedness between body and mind or self will be described and compared to clinical conditions characterized by a disconnection between mind and body and impaired body self-awareness. Through this exercise, we argue that the use of scientifically inspired pathologized bodies is a means of conveying the stance of Wallace on or criticism of the degradation of society through excessive entertainment

Military fitness of young South African adults : does it comply with requirements?

The fitness of today's young people is reported to be at a very low level, and this is disconcerting considering that some are needed as military recruits but will not be accepted if they do not pass the military fitness tests. The aims of this study were to investigate the pass rate of young adults (n=41) in the standard South African National Defence Force (SANDF) fitness test, and to establish whether the pass rate of the male (n=31) and female (n=10) participants differed significantly. A cross-sectional case report design was used as the research method. All participants aged 18.0 to 22.9 years underwent tests for body composition, handgrip strength, vertical jump and multistage shuttle run. After a 48-hour rest period the SANDF tests were carried out. For analysis the descriptive statistics and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-Test were used. The p-value was set at 0.05. The following results were obtained: 85.4% of the cohort failed the test, of that 90.6% of the males (m) failed and 60.0% of the females (f) failed. Significant differences (p<0,01) were found between the male and female participants in their height (m=171.9 m; f=164.2 m); weight (m=76.9 kg; f=63.6 kg); percentage body fat (m=19,2%; f=28.0%); explosive power (m= 1254.5 watt; f=947.1 watt); handgrip dynamometer strength (m=99.4 kg; f=67.9 kg); and SANDF passing scores (p≤0.05) (m=2 006; f=2 567). No significant differences were observed on the indirect relative Vo2max reading (m=41.7 ml/kg/min; f=38.2 ml/kg/min); body mass index (m=24.3 kg/m²; f=23.5 kg/m²); and the sit-and-reach test (m=33.6 cm; f=36.5 cm). It was concluded that female participants performed better than their male counterparts but that all the young people tested did not comply with the fitness requirements of the SANDF. As the majority of the cohort complied with the normal limits set for the general fitness tests, it was concluded that the level of fitness needed to pass the SANDF fitness test was higher than the level of fitness prescribed for the general population.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpher

Mnemonic Monitoring in Anosognosia for Memory Loss

Objective: Anosognosia, or unawareness, for memory loss has been proposed to underlie cognitive functions such as memory and executive function. However, there is an inconsistent association between these constructs. Recent studies have shown that compromise ongoing self-monitoring of one’s memory associates with anosognosia for memory loss. Yet to date it is unclear which memory monitoring mechanisms are impaired in these patients. In this study, we examined the extent to which temporal monitoring or orbitofrontal reality filtering (e.g., ability to monitor the temporal relevance of a memory) and source monitoring (e.g., the ability to distinguish which memories stem from internal as opposed to external sources) are associated with awareness of memory deficits. Methods: A total of 35 patients (M=69 years; M=14 years of education) with memory difficulties following a stroke were recruited from outpatient clinics. Patients were assessed with measures of self-awareness of memory difficulties, cognitive abilities and two experimental paradigms assessing source and temporal monitoring. Results and conclusion: Results showed that patients unaware of their memory difficulties were more likely to externalize the source of their memories. Specifically, those unaware of their deficits were more likely to assign an external source to memories that were internally produced (e.g., imagined). No differences were observed in relation to temporal monitoring between patients aware and unaware of their deficits. This study informs current theoretical models of self-awareness of memory loss. Future studies should attempt to replicate these findings and explore different memory monitoring mechanisms in relation to anosognosia for memory loss

Interferon lambda is required for interferon gamma-expressing NK cell responses but does not afford antiviral protection during acute and persistent murine cytomegalovirus infection

Interferon lambda (IFNλ) is a group of cytokines that belong to the IL-10 family. They exhibit antiviral activities against certain viruses during infection of the liver and mucosal tissues. Here we report that IFNλ restricts in vitro replication of the β-herpesvirus murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV). However, IFNλR1-deficient (Ifnλr1-/-) mice were not preferentially susceptible to mCMV infection in vivo during acute infection after systemic or mucosal challenge, or during virus persistence in the mucosa. Instead, our studies revealed that IFNλ influences NK cell responses during mCMV infection. Ifnλr1-/- mice exhibited defective development of conventional interferon-gamma (IFNγ)-expressing NK cells in the spleen during mCMV infection whereas accumulation of granzyme B-expressing NK cells was unaltered. In vitro, development of splenic IFNγ+ NK cells following stimulation with IL-12 or, to a lesser extent, IL-18 was abrogated by IFNλR1-deficiency. Thus, IFNλ regulates NK cell responses during mCMV infection and restricts virus replication in vitro but is redundant in the control of acute and persistent mCMV replication within mucosal and non-mucosal tissues

Anosognosia for prospective and retrospective memory deficits: assessment and theoretical considerations

Objective: Patients who suffer from memory loss following an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) may also suffer from anosognosia, or unawareness of their memory loss. How we define and measure anosognosia can have critical implications for its study and clinical assessment. Commonly used measures often lack standardization and reliability checks for responses. Moreover, these methods rely heavily on cognitive abilities (e.g., language abilities) that are often affected after brain injury. The aim of this study is to elucidate how to best conceptualize and detect anosognosia for memory loss by introducing a new method of assessment, the Visual-Analogue Test for Anosognosia for memory impairment (VATAmem). Methods: A total of 51 patients (M= 61 years; M= 13 years of education) with memory difficulties following ABI were recruited from outpatient clinics. A total of 73 informants were also recruited (M= 51 years old; M= 13 years of education). Both patients and informants evaluated the severity of patients’ everyday memory mistakes on the VATAmem, for prospective and retrospective memory deficits by using visual analogue scales, vignettes and check questions to ensure reliability. Results and conclusion: A total of 30% of the patients were deemed unaware of their memory deficits. Patients were less aware of their prospective (29%) than their retrospective memory difficulties (18%). The new method of assessment provided by the VATAmem reduced possible false positives and enhanced reliability. We conclude that careful consideration of methodology is a key step to interpreting anosognosia findings within a theoretical framewor

Optimal CD8+ T-cell memory formation following subcutaneous cytomegalovirus infection requires virus replication but not early dendritic cell responses

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) induction of large frequencies of highly functional memory T-cells has attracted much interest in the utility of CMV-based vaccine vectors, with exciting preclinical data obtained in models of infectious diseases and cancer. However, pathogenesis of human CMV (HCMV) remains a concern. Attenuated CMV-based vectors, such as replication- or spread-deficient viruses potentially offer an alternative to fully replicating vectors. However, it is not well-understood how CMV attenuation impacts vector immunogenicity, in particularly when administered via relevant routes of immunization such as the skin. Herein we used the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) model to investigate the impact of vector attenuation on T-cell memory formation following subcutaneous administration. We found that the spread deficient virus (ΔgL-MCMV) was impaired in its ability to induce memory CD8+ T-cells reactive to some (M38, IE1) but not all (IE3) viral antigens. Impaired memory T-cell development was associated with a preferential and pronounced loss of polyfunctional (IFN-γ+ TNF-α+) T-cells and also reduced accumulation of TCF1+ T-cells, and was not rescued by increasing the dose of replication-defective MCMV. Finally, whilst vector attenuation reduced dendritic cell (DC) recruitment to skin-draining lymph nodes, systematic depletion of multiple DC subsets during acute subcutaneous MCMV infection had a negligible impact on T-cell memory formation, implying that attenuated responses induced by replication-deficient vectors were likely not a consequence of impaired initial DC activation. Thus, overall, these data imply that the choice of antigen and/or cloning strategy of exogenous antigen in combination with the route of immunization may influence the ability of attenuated CMV vectors to induce robust functional T-cell memory

Cross Domain Self-Monitoring in Anosognosia for Memory Loss in Alzheimer’s disease

Anosognosia for memory loss is a common feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent theories have proposed that anosognosia, a disruption in awareness at a global level, may reflect specific deficits in self-monitoring, or local awareness. Though anosognosia for memory loss has been shown to relate to memory self-monitoring, it is not clear if it relates to self-monitoring deficits in other domains (i.e., motor). The current study examined this question by analyzing the relationship between anosognosia for memory loss, memory monitoring, and motor monitoring in 35 individuals with mild to moderate AD. Anosognosia was assessed via clinical interview before participants completed a metamemory task to measure memory monitoring, and a computerized agency task to measure motor monitoring. Cognitive and psychological measures included memory, executive functions, and mood. Memory monitoring was associated with motor monitoring; however, anosognosia was associated only with memory monitoring, and not motor monitoring. Cognition and mood related differently to each measure of self-awareness. Results are interpreted within a hierarchical model of awareness in which local self-monitoring processes are associated across domain, but appear to only contribute to a global level awareness in a domain-specific fashion

COLD GASS, an IRAM Legacy Survey of Molecular Gas in Massive Galaxies: II. The non-universality of the Molecular Gas Depletion Timescale

We study the relation between molecular gas and star formation in a volume-limited sample of 222 galaxies from the COLD GASS survey, with measurements of the CO(1-0) line from the IRAM 30m telescope. The galaxies are at redshifts 0.025<z<0.05 and have stellar masses in the range 10.0<log(M*/Msun)<11.5. The IRAM measurements are complemented by deep Arecibo HI observations and homogeneous SDSS and GALEX photometry. A reference sample that includes both UV and far-IR data is used to calibrate our estimates of star formation rates from the seven optical/UV bands. The mean molecular gas depletion timescale, tdep(H2), for all the galaxies in our sample is 1 Gyr, however tdep(H2) increases by a factor of 6 from a value of ~0.5 Gyr for galaxies with stellar masses of 10^10 Msun to ~3 Gyr for galaxies with masses of a few times 10^11 Msun. In contrast, the atomic gas depletion timescale remains contant at a value of around 3 Gyr. This implies that in high mass galaxies, molecular and atomic gas depletion timescales are comparable, but in low mass galaxies, molecular gas is being consumed much more quickly than atomic gas. The strongest dependences of tdep(H2) are on the stellar mass of the galaxy (parameterized as log tdep(H2)= (0.36+/-0.07)(log M* - 10.70)+(9.03+/-0.99)), and on the specific star formation rate. A single tdep(H2) versus sSFR relation is able to fit both "normal" star-forming galaxies in our COLD GASS sample, as well as more extreme starburst galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs), which have tdep(H2) < 10^8 yr. Normal galaxies at z=1-2 are displaced with respect to the local galaxy population in the tdep(H2) versus sSFR plane and have molecular gas depletion times that are a factor of 3-5 times longer at a given value of sSFR due to their significantly larger gas fractions.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 19 pages, 11 figure

Worries about being judged versus being harmed: Disentangling the association of social anxiety and paranoia with schizotypy

Paranoia is a dimension of clinical and subclinical experiences in which others are believed to have harmful intentions. Mild paranoid concerns are relatively common in the general population, and more clinically severe paranoia shares features with social anxiety and is a key characteristic of schizotypy. Given that subclinical manifestations of schizotypy and paranoia may predict the occurrence of more severe symptoms, disentangling the associations of these related constructs may advance our understanding of their etiology; however no known studies to date have comprehensively evaluated how paranoia relates to social anxiety and schizotypy. The current research sought to examine the association of paranoia, assessed across a broad continuum of severity, with 1) the positive and negative schizotypy dimensions and 2) social anxiety. Specifically, the study tested a series of six competing, a priori models using confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 862 young adults. As hypothesized, the data supported a four-factor model including positive schizotypy, negative schizotypy, social anxiety, and paranoia factors, suggesting that these are distinct constructs with differing patterns of interrelationships. Paranoia had a strong association with positive schizotypy, a moderate association with social anxiety, and a minimal association with negative schizotypy. The results are consistent with paranoia being part of a multidimensional model of schizotypy and schizophrenia. Prior studies treating schizotypy and schizophrenia as homogenous constructs often produce equivocal or non-replicable results because these dimensions are associated with distinct etiologies, presentations, and treatment responses; thus, the present conceptualization of paranoia within a multidimensional schizotypy framework should advance our understanding of these constructs. © 2014 Horton et al

The relationship between inhibition of bacterial adhesion to a solid surface by sub-MICs of antibiotics and subsequent development of a biofilm

Many studies have demonstrated that subminimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of antibiotics can inhibit initial microbial adherence to medical device surfaces. It has been suggested that, by inhibiting initial adhesion, biofilm formation might be prevented. However, since initial adherence and subsequent biofilm formation may be two distinct phenomena, conclusions regarding the effects of sub-MIC antibiotics on initial adhesion cannot be extrapolated to biofilm formation. In this study, we evaluated the adherence of several clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) to acrylic and the effect of sub-MICs of vancomycin, cefazolin, dicloxacillin and combinations of these antibiotics on adherence and biofilm formation. Most of the antibiotics used resulted in effective reduction of bacterial adherence to acrylic, in some cases reaching over 70% inhibition of adherence. When strains with a high biofilm-forming capacity were grown in sub-MICs of those antibiotics, there existed combinations of the drugs that significantly inhibited biofilm formation. However, most of the antibiotic combinations that inhibited adherence did not have a profound effect on biofilm formation. When comparing the results of the effect of sub-MIC amounts of antibiotics in inhibiting adherence with their effect on the inhibition of biofilm formation, significant differences were found, mainly when using combinations of antibiotics. In general, the effect on the inhibition of adherence was greater than the effect on inhibiting biofilm formation. These results demonstrate that assays evaluating the inhibition of initial adherence to medical surfaces cannot fully predict the effect on inhibition of biofilm formation.NIH - grant AI 46706.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – Programa Operacional “Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação” (POCTI) - POCTI/ESP/42688/2001, SFRH/BD/8676/2002