Asymmetric Cerebral Blood Flow in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Possible Relationship to Further Cognitive Deterioration

To explore patterns of cerebral blood flow in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who (1) eventually deteriorate into overt dementia, with no particular focus on the type of dementia, or (2) do not appear to further deteriorate in their cognitive functions

Correctly validating results from single molecule data: the case of stretched exponential decay in the catalytic activity of single lipase B molecules

The question of how to validate and interpret correctly the waiting time probability density functions (WT-PDFs) from single molecule data is addressed. It is shown by simulation that when a stretched exponential WT-PDF, with a stretched exponent alfa and a time scale parameter tau, generates the off periods of a two-state trajectory, a reliable recovery of the input WT-PDF from the trajectory is obtained even when the bin size used to define the trajectory, dt, is much larger than the parameter tau. This holds true as long as the first moment of the WT-PDF is much larger than dt. Our results validate the results in an earlier study of the activity of single Lipase B molecules and disprove recent related critique

Behavioural Addiction Open Definition 2.0 – Using the open science framework for collaborative and transparent theoretical development

Commentary to: How can we conceptualize behavioural addiction without pathologizing common behaviours?</p

A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: let us err on the side of caution

We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the 10 commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games is related to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and severity of the problems they experience should be a focus area for future research. However, moving from research construct to formal disorder requires a much stronger evidence base than we currently have. The burden of evidence and the clinical utility should be extremely high, because there is a genuine risk of abuse of diagnoses. We provide suggestions about the level of evidence that might be required: transparent and preregistered studies, a better demarcation of the subject area that includes a rationale for focusing on gaming particularly versus a more general behavioral addictions concept, the exploration of non-addiction approaches, and the unbiased exploration of clinical approaches that treat potentially underlying issues, such as depressive mood or social anxiety first. We acknowledge there could be benefits to formalizing gaming disorder, many of which were highlighted by colleagues in their commentaries, but we think they do not yet outweigh the wider societal and public health risks involved. Given the gravity of diagnostic classification and its wider societal impact, we urge our colleagues at the WHO to err on the side of caution for now and postpone the formalization

Functional analysis of the a-defensin disulfide array in mouse cryptdin-4

The alpha-defensin antimicrobial peptide family is defined by a unique tridisulfide array. To test whether this invariant structural feature determines alpha-defensin bactericidal activity, mouse cryptdin-4 (Crp4) tertiary structure was disrupted by pairs of site-directed Ala for Cys substitutions. In a series of Crp4 disulfide variants whose cysteine connectivities were confirmed using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, mutagenesis did not induce loss of function. To the contrary, the in vitro bactericidal activities of several Crp4 disulfide variants were equivalent to or greater than those of native Crp4. Mouse Paneth cell alpha-defensins require the proteolytic activation of precursors by matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), prompting an analysis of the relative sensitivities of native and mutant Crp4 and proCrp4 molecules to degradation by MMP-7. Although native Crp4 and the alpha-defensin moiety of proCrp4 resisted proteolysis completely, all disulfide variants were degraded extensively by MMP-7. Crp4 bactericidal activity was eliminated by MMP-7 cleavage. Thus, rather than determining alpha-defensin bactericidal activity, the Crp4 disulfide arrangement confers essential protection from degradation by this critical activating proteinase

Temperance and Modernity : Alcohol Consumption as a Collective Problem, 1885-1913

My aim is to analyse how the alcohol question and its responses were framed in the formative period in 1885-1913, when the international anti-alcohol conferences were taking shape. How was the alcohol problem framed in terms of current discussions on general themes such as the individual's role in society, the challenges of modernity and the contribution of science in solving a problem that was traditionally seen as a moral issue? The anti-alcohol conferences of 1885-1913 can be seen as an arrangement for the modern state where the temperance movement placed itself in the service of the state and at the same time demanded that it be given some responsibility for the future development. These were years when the nation acted as a point of reference in several questions that were chafing within the modern project: population qualities and the condition of future generations, the notion of citizenship, industrial strength and competitiveness, the role and the strength of the state. That nation which desired industrial competitiveness, an efficient infrastructure and a strong military institution also did well to ally itself with those temperance advocates who met at the transnational anti-alcohol conferences. The nation which had such objectives and wanted to see sober and strong citizens was encouraged also by the progressive forces in the temperance movement to take up a whole host of issues from women's political status to an individual's sex life

Fireball 2 : Energy effective fibre production

The development within the textile industry is always ongoing with development of new and better textiles, which often mean the use of non-natural materials like polyester. This doesn’t line up with the work shared around the world against an improved environment, so the idea came to use a form of linen fibers instead of polyester as the reinforcing material together with cotton. The idea was to use flax, linen of low quality, which is seen as a waste product and garbage in the production of high quality linen and flax seed oil. This flax of low quality needs to be separated before it can be used in cotton spinning machines. Fireball 2 is just that, a process to separate flax fibers through the treatment of a technique called electrohydraulic discharge. The thesis works goal is to evaluate the Fireball 2 process ability to separate flax fiber. To achieve this goal the process is described, which phenomenon that treat the flax fibers and how they arise, as well as the components included in the system. Much of the work involves tests of different electrodes as it shows that the electrode strongly contributes to the discharge property, which is very important for the systems ability to treat flax. Fireball 2 is marketed as an environmental technique as it doesn’t require any chemical additives for the separation; the only thing needed is flax, water and electricity. For it to be considered environmentally friendly is has to be efficient, therefore the thesis rapport discuss the discharge efficiency. The result of the fiber separation tests show that Fireball 2 separates flax with good results, both in the form of analysis of separated fibers as well as energy efficiency. Measures under performed tests have shown that the efficiency is high, close to 100 percent of the energy stored in the system is released during treatment of the flax. Analysis made at De Montfort University of the treated flax show that the flax is well separated. When it comes to the electrode an satisfactory design of the electrodes conductive part have been found during this thesis work, although more work is required to find an isolation material that can withstand the high strain that the plasma channel cause.Utvecklingen inom textilindustrin gar standigt framat med utveckling av nya och battre textiler, vilket ofta innebar anvandning av icke naturliga material som polyester. Da detta inte gar i linje med det ovriga arbetet runt om i varlden mot en forbattrad miljo, fanns en ide att anvanda lin fibrer istallet for polyester som forstarkningsmaterial tillsammans med bomull. Iden var att anvanda flax, vilket ar lin av lagre kvalitet, som anses vara en restprodukt och avfall vid produktionen av hogkvalitativt lin och linolja. Detta lin av lag kvalitet maste separeras innan det kan anvandas i spinnmaskiner for bomull och Fireball 2 ar just en process for att separera flax fibrer genom att behandla dem med en teknik kallad elektrohydraulisk urladdning. Examensarbetets mal ar att utvardera Fireball 2 processens formaga att separera lin fibrer. For att kunna gora detta beskrivs processen, vilka fenomen som behandlar flax fibrerna och hur dessa uppkommer, samt systemets uppbyggnad med de olika komponenterna. Mycket av arbetet involverade tester av olika elektroder, da det visade sig att just elektroden bidrog starkt till urladdningens egenskaper som ar valdigt viktig for systemets formaga att behandla flax. Fireball 2 marknadsfors som en miljovanlig teknik da den inte kraver nagra kemiska tillsatser for separeringen, det anda som behovs ar flax, vatten och elektricitet. For att den ska anses vara miljovanlig maste effektiviteten vara hog, darfor behandlar rapporten urladdningens effektivitet. Resultatet fran fibersepareringstesterna visar att Fireball 2 processen separerar flax med goda resultat, bade i form av analyser av separerade fibrer som energi effektivitet. Matningar under utforda tester har visat att effektiviteten ar hog, nara 100 procent av energin lagrad i systemet anvands for att behandla flax fibrerna, vilket ar nara optimalt. Samtidigt visar analyser gjorda pa De Montfort Universitetet i Leicester att det behandlade flaxet ar val separerat. Vad det galler arbetet med elektroden sa har en tillfredstallande utformning av elektrodens ledande del hittades under utforandet av detta examensarbete, dock kravs fortsatt arbete med att hitta ett isolationsmaterial som kan motsta de hoga pafrestningar som plasma kanalen astadkommer