202 research outputs found
Longevity - Extending the lifespan of long-lived mice
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62803/1/414412a0.pd
Offender management in and after prison: The end of āend to endā?
In 2013 a joint report by the Inspectorates of Probations and Prisons in England and Wales
concluded that offender management in prisons was ānot workingā and called for a fundamental
review. This article considers why existing arrangements have failed and draws upon theory and
research on resettlement, case management and desistance from crime, to define what a more
effective system of ārehabilitative resettlementā ā both inside prison and āthrough the gateā ā might
look like. It also comments on emerging proposals for radical change, including abandonment
of the āend to endā model of offender management by an outside probation officer and the
development of ārehabilitative prisonsā, in which more responsibility is placed on prisoners for
managing their own rehabilitation, and a formal motivational role is created for large numbers of
prison staff.10.1177/1748895816665435 Published in the Journal Criminology & Criminal Justice published by Sag
Solvent-selective routing for centrifugally automated solid-phase purification of RNA
The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1477-9.We present a disc-based module for rotationally controlled solid-phase purification of RNA from cell lysate. To this end, multi-stage routing of a sequence of aqueous and organic liquids into designated waste and elution reservoirs is implemented by a network of strategically placed, solvent-selective composite valves. Using a bead-based stationary phase at the entrance of the router, we show that total RNA is purified with high integrity from cultured MCF7 and T47D cell lines, human leucocytes and Haemophilus influenzae cell lysates. Furthermore, we demonstrate the broad applicability of the device through the in vitro amplification of RNA purified on-disc using RT-PCR and NASBA. Our novel router will be at the pivot of a forthcoming, fully integrated and automated sample preparation system for RNA-based analysis.Peer reviewe
The SARS-CoV-2 viral load in COVID-19 patients is lower on face mask filters than on nasopharyngeal swabs.
Face masks and personal respirators are used to curb the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory droplets; filters embedded in some personal protective equipment could be used as a non-invasive sample source for applications, including at-home testing, but information is needed about whether filters are suited to capture viral particles for SARS-CoV-2 detection. In this study, we generated inactivated virus-laden aerosols of 0.3-2 microns in diameter (0.9Ā Āµm mean diameter by mass) and dispersed the aerosolized viral particles onto electrostatic face mask filters. The limit of detection for inactivated coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-NL63 extracted from filters was between 10 to 100Ā copies/filter for both viruses. Testing for SARS-CoV-2, using face mask filters and nasopharyngeal swabs collected from hospitalized COVID-19-patients, showed that filter samples offered reduced sensitivity (8.5% compared to nasopharyngeal swabs). The low concordance of SARS-CoV-2 detection between filters and nasopharyngeal swabs indicated that number of viral particles collected on the face mask filter was below the limit of detection for all patients but those with the highest viral loads. This indicated face masks are unsuitable to replace diagnostic nasopharyngeal swabs in COVID-19 diagnosis. The ability to detect nucleic acids on face mask filters may, however, find other uses worth future investigation
Institutional Mergers in Ireland
The importance of knowledge as a driver of social and economic growth and prosperity, and the increasingly competitive āglobal race for knowledge and talentā (Hazelkorn, Higher Educ Manage Policy 21(1):55ā76, 2009) have combined to transform the higher education landscape, forcing national governments and higher education institutions (HEIs) to pursue new ways of addressing the challenges of a multi-polar world order. Rising demand for higher education (HE), as part of the broader shift from elite to mass to universal participation, has led to the emergence of new models of provision. At the same time, many governments face restrictions on public resources due to high levels of public and private debt; accordingly, system-level and institutional restructuring has been contemplated as a way to enhance quality, performance and efficiency
Ribozyme-based insulator parts buffer synthetic circuits from genetic context
Synthetic genetic programs are built from circuits that integrate sensors and implement temporal control of gene expression. Transcriptional circuits are layered by using promoters to carry the signal between circuits. In other words, the output promoter of one circuit serves as the input promoter to the next. Thus, connecting circuits requires physically connecting a promoter to the next circuit. We show that the sequence at the junction between the input promoter and circuit can affect the input-output response (transfer function) of the circuit. A library of putative sequences that might reduce (or buffer) such context effects, which we refer to as 'insulator parts', is screened in Escherichia coli. We find that ribozymes that cleave the 5ā² untranslated region (5ā²-UTR) of the mRNA are effective insulators. They generate quantitatively identical transfer functions, irrespective of the identity of the input promoter. When these insulators are used to join synthetic gene circuits, the behavior of layered circuits can be predicted using a mathematical model. The inclusion of insulators will be critical in reliably permuting circuits to build different programs.Life Technologies, Inc.United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA CLIO N66001-12-C-4018)United States. Office of Naval Research (N00014-10-1-0245)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CCF-0943385)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI067699)National Science Foundation (U.S.). Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC, SA5284-11210
Deliberate termination of life of newborns with spina bifida, a critical reappraisal
Objects: Deliberate termination of life of newborns (involuntary euthanasia) with meningomyelocele (MMC) is practiced openly only in the Netherlands. 'Unbearable and hopeless suffering' is the single most cited criterion for this termination, together with the notion that 'there are no other proper medical means to alleviate this suffering'. In this paper, both (and other) statements are questioned, also by putting them in a broader perspective. Methods: First, a historical overview of the treatment of newborns with MMC is presented, concentrating on the question of selection for treatment. Second, a thorough analysis is made of the criteria used for life termination. Third, a case of a newborn with a very severe MMC is presented as a 'reference case'. Conclusion: 'Unbearable and hopeless suffering' cannot be applied to newborns with MMC. They are not 'terminally ill' and do have 'prospects of a future'. In these end-of-life decisions, 'quality of life judgments' should not be applied. When such a newborn is not treated, modern palliative care always will suffice in eliminating possible discomfort. There is no reason whatsoever for active life-termination of these newborns
Bidirectional incompatibility among divergent Wolbachia and incompatibility level differences among closely related Wolbachia in Nasonia
Author Posting. Ā© The Author(s), 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Nature Publishing Group for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Heredity 99 (2007): 278ā287, doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800994.Most insect groups harbor obligate bacterial symbionts from the alphaproteobacterial
genus Wolbachia. These bacteria alter insect reproduction in ways that
enhance their cytoplasmic transmission. One of the most common alterations is
cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) - a post-fertilization modification of the paternal
genome that renders embryos inviable or unable to complete diploid development in
crosses between infected males and uninfected females or infected females harboring a
different strain. The parasitic wasp species complex Nasonia (N. vitripennis, N.
longicornis, and N. giraulti) harbor at least six different Wolbachia that cause
cytoplasmic incompatibility. Each species have double infections with a representative
from both the A and B Wolbachia subgroups. CI relationships of the A and B Wolbachia
of N. longicornis with those of N. giraulti and N. vitripennis are investigated here. We
demonstrate that all pairwise crosses between the divergent A strains are bidirectionally
incompatible. We were unable to characterize incompatibility between the B Wolbachia,
but we establish that the B strain of N. longicornis induces no or very weak CI in
comparison to the closely related B strain in N. giraulti that expresses complete CI.
Taken together with previous studies, we show that independent acquisition of divergent
A Wolbachia has resulted in three mutually incompatible strains, while codivergence of B
Wolbachia in N. longicornis and N. giraulti is associated with differences in CI level.
Understanding the diversity and evolution of new incompatibility strains will contribute
to a fuller understanding of Wolbachia invasion dynamics and Wolbachia-assisted
speciation in certain groups of insects.This work was supported by grant EF-0328363 and DEB-9981634 from the
National Science Foundation to J.H.W. and an Ernst Caspari Research Fellowship to
S.R.B while he was at the University of Rochester. S.R.B. acknowledges support from
the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NNA04CC04A)
The influence of long chain polyunsaturate supplementation on docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid in baboon neonate central nervous system
BACKGROUND: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) are major components of the cerebral cortex and visual system, where they play a critical role in neural development. We quantitatively mapped fatty acids in 26 regions of the four-week-old breastfed baboon CNS, and studied the influence of dietary DHA and ARA supplementation and prematurity on CNS DHA and ARA concentrations. METHODS: Baboons were randomized into a breastfed (B) and four formula-fed groups: term, no DHA/ARA (T-); term, DHA/ARA supplemented (T+); preterm, no DHA/ARA (P-); preterm and DHA/ARA supplemented (P+). At four weeks adjusted age, brains were dissected and total fatty acids analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. RESULTS: DHA and ARA are rich in many more structures than previously reported. They are most concentrated in structures local to the brain stem and diencephalon, particularly the basal ganglia, limbic regions, thalamus and midbrain, and comparatively lower in white matter. Dietary supplementation increased DHA in all structures but had little influence on ARA concentrations. Supplementation restored DHA concentrations to levels of breastfed neonates in all regions except the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. Prematurity per se did not exert a strong influence on DHA or ARA concentrations. CONCLUSION: 1) DHA and ARA are found in high concentration throughout the primate CNS, particularly in gray matter such as basal ganglia; 2) DHA concentrations drop across most CNS structures in neonates consuming formulas with no DHA, but ARA levels are relatively immune to ARA in the diet; 3) supplementation of infant formula is effective at restoring DHA concentration in structures other than the cerebral cortex. These results will be useful as a guide to future investigations of CNS function in the absence of dietary DHA and ARA
Do inter-hospital comparisons of in-hospital, acute myocardial infarction case-fatality rates serve the purpose of fostering quality improvement? An evaluative study
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