Our Federalism: The United States and the Regulation of Lawyers

Dedication to the works of Prof. Fred Zacharias

Longitudinal Studies Of Caenorhabditis Elegans Aging And Behavior Using A Microfabricated Multi-Well Device

The roundworm C. elegans is a powerful model organism for dissecting the genetics of behavior and aging. The central genetic pathways regulating lifespan, such as insulin signaling, were first identified in worms. C. elegans is also the only animal for which a full map of all neural synpatic connections, or connectome, exists. However, current manual and automated methods are unable to efficiently monitor and quantify behavioral phenotypes which unfold over long time scales. Therefore, it has been difficult to study phenotypes such as long-term behavior states and behavioral changes with age in worms. To address these limitations, here I describe a novel device, called the WorMotel, to longitudinally monitor behavior in up to 240 single C. elegans on time scales encompassing the worm\u27s maximum lifespan of two months. The WorMotel is fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane from a 3-D printed negative mold. Each device consists of 240 individual wells, each of which houses a single worm atop agar and bacterial food. I use custom software to quantify movement between frames to longitudinally monitor behavior for each animal. I first describe the application of the WorMotel to the automation of lifespan measurements in C. elegans, the characterization of intra-strain and inter-strain variability in behavioral decline, the relationship between behavior and lifespan, and the scaling of behavioral decline with increasing stress. I then describe the application of the WorMotel to quantify locomotive behavioral states and their modulation by the presence or absence of food as well as biogenic amine neurotransmitters. Using the WorMotel in combination with genetics and pharmacology, I outline a neural circuit by which the biogenic amines serotonin and octopamine regulate locomotion state to signal animals to adopt behavior appropriate to a fed and fasting state, respectively. I include protocols for construction of custom imaging rigs and requirements for long-term imaging as an appendix. The WorMotel is a powerful tool that can facilitate discovery and understanding of the mechanisms underlying long-term phenotypes such as behavioral states and aging

Proceedings of the Ocean Climate Data Workshop

The First Consultative Meeting on Responsible National Oceanographic Data Centres (RNODC's) and Climate DataServices met in February 1988 and made a number of recommendations related to improving services to meet the needs of climate programmes. Included in these discussions was a recommendation for a Workshop on Ocean Climate Data Management. This workshop will be talking about ways to establish a Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)

The Elderly With a Disability: Social Security and Representative Payment

This article looks at the elderly with disability and how the intersection of social security

O Papel do Governo Federal dos Estados Unidos na Justiça da Infância e Adolescência

This paper focuses on the structure of the law of juvenile justice in the United States and the role of the federal government. In many ways, this is quite different from how the juvenile justice system operates in Brazil, where the national government establishes the law and the two national supreme tribunals interpret both the laws of the states and the federal government. While the role of the United States federal government in criminal justice matters has grown considerably in the last several decades, Congress has chosen not to expand the role of the United States in juvenile matters to the same extent. Basically, the world of juvenile justice is largely left to the states, without federal interference.Este artigo focaliza a estrutura da legislação a respeito da justiça da infância e adolescência nos Estados Unidos e o papel do Governo Federal. Sob vários aspectos é bem diferente de como o sistema de justiça da infância e adolescência opera no Brasil, onde a União Federal estabelece a lei e os dois tribunais superiores interpretam tanto as leis estaduais quanto as federais. Enquanto o papel do governo federal dos Estados Unidos cresceu consideravelmente nas últimas décadas em questões de justiça criminal, o Congresso optou por não expandir na mesma medida o papel da União Federal em questões juvenis. Basicamente, o mundo da justiça da infância e adolescência é majoritariamente deixado para os estados, sem interferência federal

Prospective, randomized, fellow eye comparison of WaveLight® Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q versus VISX CustomVueTM STAR S4 IRTM in photorefractive keratectomy: analysis of visual outcomes and higher-order aberrations

Majid Moshirfar1, Daniel S Churgin2, Brent S Betts3, Maylon Hsu1, Shameema Sikder4, Marcus Neuffer1, Dane Church5, Mark D Mifflin11University of Utah, John A Moran Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 2University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ; 3Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 4Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; 5Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USABackground: The purpose of this study was to compare differences in visual outcomes, higher-order aberrations, contrast sensitivity, and dry eye in patients undergoing photorefractive keratectomy using wavefront-guided VISX CustomVue™ and wavefront-optimized WaveLight® Allegretto platforms.Methods: In this randomized, prospective, single-masked, fellow-eye study, photorefractive keratectomy was performed on 46 eyes from 23 patients, with one eye randomized to WaveLight Allegretto, and the fellow eye receiving VISX CustomVue. Three-month postoperative outcome measures included uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, refractive error, root mean square of total and grouped higher-order aberrations, contrast sensitivity, and Schirmer’s testing.Results: Mean values for uncorrected distance visual acuity (logMAR) were —0.03 ± 0.07 and —0.06 ± 0.09 in the wavefront-optimized and wavefront-guided groups, respectively (P = 0.121). Uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better was achieved in 91% of eyes receiving wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy, and 87% of eyes receiving wavefront-optimized photorefractive keratectomy, whereas uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/15 was achieved in 35% of the wavefront-optimized group and 64% of the wavefront-guided group (P ≥ 0.296). While root mean square of total higher-order aberration, coma, and trefoil tended to increase in the wavefront-optimized group (P = 0.091, P = 0.115, P = 0.459, respectively), only spherical aberration increased significantly (P = 0.014). Similar increases were found in wavefront-guided root mean square of total higher-order aberration (P = 0.113), coma (P = 0.403), trefoil (P = 0.603), and spherical aberration (P = 0.014). There was no significant difference in spherical aberration change when comparing the two platforms. The wavefront-guided group showed an increase in contrast sensitivity at 12 cycles per degree (P = 0.013).Conclusion: Both VISX CustomVue and WaveLight Allegretto platforms performed equally in terms of visual acuity, safety, and predictability in photorefractive keratectomy. The wavefront-guided group showed slightly improved contrast sensitivity. Both lasers induced a comparable degree of statistically significant spherical aberration, and tended to increase other higher-order aberration measures as well.Keywords: wavefront-guided, wavefront-optimized, photorefractive keratectom