The effects of muscle mechanoreflex stimulation via passive muscle stretch on baroreflex function in humans

Human cardiovascular control during exercise is regulated by central command, muscle mechanoreflex stimulation and muscle metaboreflex activation. The muscle mechanoreflex can be stimulated by passive muscle stretch, which causes cardiovascular responses. However, the influence of passive stretch-induced muscle mechanoreflex stimulation on the baroreflex is unknown. Therefore, this thesis investigated the effects of muscle mechanoreflex stimulation via passive calf muscle stretch on baroreflex function in humans. Firstly, spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity decreases progressively during isometric exercise of increasing intensity. A concomitant rightward resetting of the baroreflex occurs, which shifts further rightward as exercise intensity increases. Secondly, muscle mechanoreflex stimulation by passive calf muscle stretch decreases spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity at rest, and during graded levels of local metabolite accumulation following isometric exercise of increasing intensity. Thirdly, muscle mechanoreflex stimulation by passive calf muscle stretch during concurrent local metabolite accumulation decreases the maximal gain of the function curve for carotid baroreflex control of heart rate, but not blood pressure. Overall, these findings suggest that muscle mechanoreflex stimulation via passive muscle stretch decreases baroreflex sensitivity via cardiac vagal inhibition, likely by modulating inputs at central integration sites. Also, metabolite sensitisation of stretch-sensitive muscle mechanoreceptive afferents is implied, which augments this cardiac vagal inhibition

Specialized mouse embryonic stem cells for studying vascular development.

Vascular progenitor cells are desirable in a variety of therapeutic strategies; however, the lineage commitment of endothelial and smooth muscle cell from a common progenitor is not well-understood. Here, we report the generation of the first dual reporter mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) lines designed to facilitate the study of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle development in vitro. These mESC lines express green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the endothelial promoter, Tie-2, and Discomsoma sp. red fluorescent protein (RFP) under the promoter for alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). The lines were then characterized for morphology, marker expression, and pluripotency. The mESC colonies were found to exhibit dome-shaped morphology, alkaline phosphotase activity, as well as expression of Oct 3/4 and stage-specific embryonic antigen-1. The mESC colonies were also found to display normal karyotypes and are able to generate cells from all three germ layers, verifying pluripotency. Tissue staining confirmed the coexpression of VE (vascular endothelial)-cadherin with the Tie-2 GFP+ expression on endothelial structures and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain with the α-SMA RFP+ smooth muscle cells. Lastly, it was verified that the developing mESC do express Tie-2 GFP+ and α-SMA RFP+ cells during differentiation and that the GFP+ cells colocalize with the vascular-like structures surrounded by α-SMA-RFP cells. These dual reporter vascular-specific mESC permit visualization and cell tracking of individual endothelial and smooth muscle cells over time and in multiple dimensions, a powerful new tool for studying vascular development in real time

KSU Philharmonic and Concert Band

KSU School of Music presents Philharmonic and Concert Band.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1277/thumbnail.jp

#DisruptJMM: Online Social Justice Advocacy and Community Building in Mathematics

In 2019, \#DisruptJMM, a Twitter hashtag, began circulating after an Inclusion/Exclusion blog by Dr. Piper H pointing to the need to make commonplace conversations about human suffering in the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM). While the \#DisruptJMM hashtag has been used since 2019, the vast majority of use was in the JMM 2020 meetings. Twitter hashtags are used by activists to push forward conversations, join communities around a single idea, and create change. In this article, we draw on frameworks from community building seen in other equity and inclusion advocacy hashtags such as \#GirlsLikeUs [7] to qualitatively code and analyze tweets which used the \#DisruptJMM hashtag. This analysis gives us a glimpse into the evolving conversations on social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the mathematical community. We see an emergence of community around recentering humanity in mathematics. This community supported each other\u27s efforts, reflected on who is represented, and amplified discussions of power and privilege with a particular emphasis on bringing visibility to colonialism and sexual harrassment

Exploring the health and wellbeing of lesbian, bisexual, queer and same sex attracted women living in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions

The Labrys Project is a partnership initiative between ACON and Women’s Health – Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) carried out between 2014 and 2015. While lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women’s health research is increasing in Australia, epidemiological data around key issues affecting LBQ women’s health is inconsistent. The Labrys Project extended objectives from the Sydney Women and Sexual Health Survey (SWASH) to provide a snapshot of LBQ women’s health and wellbeing in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions of NSW, in order to provide a regional and rural perspective to LBQ women’s health and to inform local services and strategies. Between October 2014 and March 2015, 107 LBQ women completed the Illawarra Shoalhaven Women’s Health and Wellbeing Survey; in addition, two focus groups were held in Warilla and Nowra involving 7 LBQ women.ACON; Women’s Health – Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health Distric

The effects of entry on incumbent innovation and productivity

How does firm entry affect innovation incentives in incumbent firms? Microdata suggest that there is heterogeneity across industries. Specifically, incumbent productivity growth and patenting is positively correlated with lagged greenfield foreign firm entry in technologically advanced industries, but not in laggard industries. In this paper we provide evidence that these correlations arise from a causal effect predicted by Schumpeterian growth theory—the threat of technologically advanced entry spurs innovation incentives in sectors close to the technology frontier, where successful innovation allows incumbents to survive the threat, but discourages innovation in laggard sectors, where the threat reduces incumbents' expected rents from innovating. We find that the empirical patterns hold using rich micro panel data for the United Kingdom. We control for the endogeneity of entry by exploiting major European and U.K. policy reforms, and allow for endogeneity of additional factors. We complement the analysis for foreign entry with evidence for domestic entry and entry through imports