178 research outputs found
Enteric nervous system development in avian and zebrafish models
AbstractOur current understanding of the developmental biology of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and the genesis of ENS diseases is founded almost entirely on studies using model systems. Although genetic studies in the mouse have been at the forefront of this field over the last 20 years or so, historically it was the easy accessibility of the chick embryo for experimental manipulations that allowed the first descriptions of the neural crest origins of the ENS in the 1950s. More recently, studies in the chick and other non-mammalian model systems, notably zebrafish, have continued to advance our understanding of the basic biology of ENS development, with each animal model providing unique experimental advantages. Here we review the basic biology of ENS development in chick and zebrafish, highlighting conserved and unique features, and emphasising novel contributions to our general understanding of ENS development due to technical or biological features
Coherent imaging of extended objects
When used with coherent light, optical imaging systems, even
diffraction-limited, are inherently unable to reproduce both the amplitude and
the phase of a two-dimensional field distribution because their impulse
response function varies slowly from point to point (a property known as
non-isoplanatism). For sufficiently small objects, this usually results in a
phase distortion and has no impact on the measured intensity. Here, we show
that the intensity distribution can also be dramatically distorted when objects
of large extension or of special shapes are imaged. We illustrate the problem
using two simple examples: the pinhole camera and the aberration-free thin
lens. The effects predicted by our theorical analysis are also confirmed by
experimental observations.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Optics Communication
Manual versus powered toothbrushes for oral health; an update
Background: Plaque removal is a cornerstone in the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases. Powered toothbrushes have been devised to assist in plaque removal. An earlier Cochrane systematic review found that only powered toothbrushes with a rotation-oscillation action were more effective at removing plaque and reducing gingivitis. That review requires updating to include recent trials.
Objective: To compare the effects of manual and powered toothbrushes on plaque removal and gingival health.
Method: We searched the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, CENTRAL; MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL to 9 March 2011. Manufacturers and authors were contacted for additional data. Trials were selected for random allocation of participants to use a manual or powered toothbrush. Participants were members of the public with uncompromised manual dexterity who brushed unsupervised for at least 4 weeks. There was no language restriction. Primary outcomes were plaque and gingivitis scores at the end of the trial. Assessment of methodological quality and data extraction were conducted in duplicate. Potential sources of heterogeneity were examined, along with sensitivity analyses for quality and publication bias.
Results: Fifty trials, involving 4326 participants, provided data. Effect sizes, calculated as standardized mean difference (95% confidence intervals) for brushes with a rotation oscillation action were:
1 to 3 months >3 months
Plaque -0.53 (-0.74 to -0.31) -0.66 (-1.28 to -0.03)
Gingivitis -0.49 (-0.73 to -0.26) -0.34 (-0.56 to -0.11)
This represents approximately 27% fewer sites with bleeding on probing in the long term. No other powered designs were consistently superior to manual toothbrushes. There was considerable heterogeneity between trials. Sensitivity analyses revealed the results to be robust when selecting trials of high quality.
Conclusion: Rotation-oscillation powered toothbrushes remove plaque and reduce gingivitis more than manual brushes in the short and long term
Evaluation capacity building in response to the agricultural research impact agenda: Emerging insights from Ireland, Catalonia (Spain), New Zealand, and Uruguay
Performance-based funding and calls for public-funded science to demonstrate societal impact are
encouraging public research organisations to evaluate impact, the so-called impact agenda. This paper
explores evaluation methods of four fully or partially public-funded agricultural research organisations
and how they are building evaluative capacity to respond to the impact agenda. Drawing on cross-
organisational comparison of the readiness of each organisation to implement evaluation, the
implications for improving evaluative capacity building (ECB) are discussed. This study extends the
current literature on ECB, as very little has focussed on research organisations in general, and
particularly agricultural research.Postprint (author's final draft
The Impact of Agricultural Knowledge Transfer Resources on Farm Level Profitability during the Economic Recession – A Quantitative Study
Purpose: The outcomes from agricultural knowledge transfer (KT) are dependent on the access to and the quality of services available, coupled with the motivation of prospective clients to implement new skills. Within this context, the allocation of resources particularly in terms of the location of KT offices and number of agricultural advisers are important considerations for understanding KT impact. This quantitative study evaluates the impact of the rationalisation of KT resources on farm profitability for KT clients in Ireland during the recessionary period 2008-2014. Design/Methodology: Teagasc, the public KT service provider in Ireland, experienced significant office closures (43%) and staff reduction (38%) during the economic crisis, yet client numbers declined only slightly (4.5%). Administrative data is merged with a panel data set on farm level performance to test the impact of KT through Random Effects estimation. Findings: The results show that annual contract holders gained a 12.3% benefit to their market gross margin per hectare over the period. However, there was a negative effect of 0.2% for each additional client assigned to the adviser which averaged at 9.6% per adviser. Practical Implications: The quantitative findings provide a measure of impact that represents the value for money for the KT service. The key implication is that the client ratio for advisers should be considered when allocating resources and lower ratios would positively impact client margins. Theoretical Implications: This article outlines the value of quantitative studies to estimate impact in a clear translatable manner which can aid the policy discussion around resource deployment particularly in a recessionary period. The employment of a Random Effects estimator on a panel data set provides a solid base for the analysis. Originality/Value: This study evaluates the impact of KT on farm level profitability during a recessionary period when resources were constrained, and uses spatial variables and client densities to examine the regional effects
Stable ultrahigh-density magneto-optical recordings using introduced linear defects
The stability of data bits in magnetic recording media at ultrahigh densities
is compromised by thermal `flips' -- magnetic spin reversals -- of nano-sized
spin domains, which erase the stored information. Media that are magnetized
perpendicular to the plane of the film, such as ultrathin cobalt films or
multilayered structures, are more stable against thermal self-erasure than
conventional memory devices. In this context, magneto-optical memories seem
particularly promising for ultrahigh-density recording on portable disks, and
bit densities of 100 Gbit inch have been demonstrated using recent
advances in the bit writing and reading techniques. But the roughness and
mobility of the magnetic domain walls prevents closer packing of the magnetic
bits, and therefore presents a challenge to reaching even higher bit densities.
Here we report that the strain imposed by a linear defect in a magnetic thin
film can smooth rough domain walls over regions hundreds of micrometers in
size, and halt their motion. A scaling analysis of this process, based on the
generic physics of disorder-controlled elastic lines, points to a simple way by
which magnetic media might be prepared that can store data at densities in
excess of 1 Tbit inch.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, see also an article in TRN News at
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/041801/Defects_boost_disc_capacity_041801.htm
Quantum Holographic Encoding in a Two-dimensional Electron Gas
The advent of bottom-up atomic manipulation heralded a new horizon for
attainable information density, as it allowed a bit of information to be
represented by a single atom. The discrete spacing between atoms in condensed
matter has thus set a rigid limit on the maximum possible information density.
While modern technologies are still far from this scale, all theoretical
downscaling of devices terminates at this spatial limit. Here, however, we
break this barrier with electronic quantum encoding scaled to subatomic
densities. We use atomic manipulation to first construct open
nanostructures--"molecular holograms"--which in turn concentrate information
into a medium free of lattice constraints: the quantum states of a
two-dimensional degenerate Fermi gas of electrons. The information embedded in
the holograms is transcoded at even smaller length scales into an atomically
uniform area of a copper surface, where it is densely projected into both two
spatial degrees of freedom and a third holographic dimension mapped to energy.
In analogy to optical volume holography, this requires precise amplitude and
phase engineering of electron wavefunctions to assemble pages of information
volumetrically. This data is read out by mapping the energy-resolved electron
density of states with a scanning tunnelling microscope. As the projection and
readout are both extremely near-field, and because we use native quantum states
rather than an external beam, we are not limited by lensing or collimation and
can create electronically projected objects with features as small as ~0.3 nm.
These techniques reach unprecedented densities exceeding 20 bits/nm2 and place
tens of bits into a single fermionic state.Comment: Published online 25 January 2009 in Nature Nanotechnology; 12 page
manuscript (including 4 figures) + 2 page supplement (including 1 figure);
supplementary movie available at http://mota.stanford.ed
Enteric Neurospheres Are Not Specific to Neural Crest Cultures: Implications for Neural Stem Cell Therapies
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited
Expression of Distal-less, dachshund, and optomotor blind in Neanthes arenaceodentata (Annelida, Nereididae) does not support homology of appendage-forming mechanisms across the Bilateria
The similarity in the genetic regulation of
arthropod and vertebrate appendage formation has been
interpreted as the product of a plesiomorphic gene
network that was primitively involved in bilaterian
appendage development and co-opted to build appendages
(in modern phyla) that are not historically related
as structures. Data from lophotrochozoans are needed to
clarify the pervasiveness of plesiomorphic appendage forming
mechanisms. We assayed the expression of three
arthropod and vertebrate limb gene orthologs, Distal-less
(Dll), dachshund (dac), and optomotor blind (omb), in
direct-developing juveniles of the polychaete Neanthes
arenaceodentata. Parapodial Dll expression marks premorphogenetic
notopodia and neuropodia, becoming restricted
to the bases of notopodial cirri and to ventral
portions of neuropodia. In outgrowing cephalic appendages,
Dll activity is primarily restricted to proximal
domains. Dll expression is also prominent in the brain. dac
expression occurs in the brain, nerve cord ganglia, a pair
of pharyngeal ganglia, presumed interneurons linking a
pair of segmental nerves, and in newly differentiating
mesoderm. Domains of omb expression include the brain,
nerve cord ganglia, one pair of anterior cirri, presumed
precursors of dorsal musculature, and the same pharyngeal
ganglia and presumed interneurons that express dac.
Contrary to their roles in outgrowing arthropod and
vertebrate appendages, Dll, dac, and omb lack comparable
expression in Neanthes appendages, implying independent
evolution of annelid appendage development. We infer
that parapodia and arthropodia are not structurally or
mechanistically homologous (but their primordia might
be), that Dll’s ancestral bilaterian function was in sensory
and central nervous system differentiation, and that
locomotory appendages possibly evolved from sensory
outgrowths
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