Cigarette Smoke, Airway Epithelial Cells and Host Defence

In COPD inflammation driven by exposure to tobacco smoke results in impaired innate immunity in the airway and ultimately to lung injury and remodeling. To understand the biological processes involved in host interactions with cigarette derived toxins submerged epithelial cell culture is widely accepted as a model for primary human airway epithelial cell culture research. Primary nasal and bronchial epithelial cells can also be cultured in models. Air liquid interface (ALI) and submerged culture models have their individual merits, and the decision to use either technique should primarily be determined by the research hypothesis. Cigarette smoke has gaseous and particulate matter, the latter constituent primarily represented in cigarette smoke extract (CSE). Although not ideal in order to facilitate our understanding of the responses of epithelial cells to cigarette smoke, CSE still has scientific merit in airway cell biology research. Using this model, it has been possible to demonstrate differences in levels of tight junction disruption after CSE exposure along with varied vulnerability to the toxic effects of CSE in cell cultures derived from COPD and control study groups. Primary nasal epithelial cells (PNECs) have been used as an alternative to bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs). However, at least in subjects with COPD, PNECs cannot consistently substitute for PBECs. Despite having a constitutional pro-inflammatory phenotype, bronchial epithelial cells retrieved from subjects with COPD have a relatively curtailed inflammatory response to CSE exposure when compared to epithelial cells from thei

Economic impact of the Florida cultured hard clam industry

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IUPUI Center for Health Geographics

poster abstractThe IUPUI Center for Health Geographics develops and supports research innovation through integration of geographic information science, medical informatics, community informatics, and public health. Our areas of research emphasis include geospatial technologies and standards for health surveillance, spatial and temporal contexts of health behaviors and health outcomes, and space-time models for investigating disease and mortality trends. Our poster highlights our collaborations, which include interdisciplinary partnerships with investigators in the fields of geographic information science, social science, clinical epidemiology, medical informatics, and health services research

Collapse of a Circular Loop of Cosmic String

We study the collapse of a circular loop of cosmic string. The gravitational field of the string is treated using the weak field approximation. The gravitational radiation from the loop is evaluated numerically. The memtric of the loop near the point of collapse is found analytically.Comment: 15 page

Choptuik scaling in six dimensions

We perform numerical simulations of the critical gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric scalar field in 6 dimensions. The critical solution has discrete self-similarity. We find the critical exponent \gamma and the self-similarity period \Delta.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures RevTe

Long-wavelength iteration scheme and scalar-tensor gravity

Inhomogeneous and anisotropic cosmologies are modeled withing the framework of scalar-tensor gravity theories. The inhomogeneities are calculated to third-order in the so-called long-wavelength iteration scheme. We write the solutions for general scalar coupling and discuss what happens to the third-order terms when the scalar-tensor solution approaches at first-order the general relativistic one. We work out in some detail the case of Brans-Dicke coupling and determine the conditions for which the anisotropy and inhomogeneity decay as time increases. The matter is taken to be that of perfect fluid with a barotropic equation of state.Comment: 13 pages, requires REVTeX, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Scaling of curvature in sub-critical gravitational collapse

We perform numerical simulations of the gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric scalar field. For those data that just barely do not form black holes we find the maximum curvature at the position of the central observer. We find a scaling relation between this maximum curvature and distance from the critical solution. The scaling relation is analogous to that found by Choptuik for black hole mass for those data that do collapse to form black holes. We also find a periodic wiggle in the scaling exponent.Comment: Revtex, 2 figures, Discussion modified, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Examining a trauma-based etiology for psychosis

Psychosis has been traditionally viewed through a biological lens, resulting in a narrative of the disorder that does not allow room for therapy. By applying a trauma-informed lens, psychosis can now be thought of as a trauma-based developmental disorder. This impacts how we explain the symptoms of these disorders, and how we view them overall. It also has implications for future treatment, advocacy, and research. This paper examines the bio-psycho-social symptoms of psychosis and offers trauma-informed explanations of the symptoms. Implications for Counselors are examined, as are potential limitations of this current line of research