Radial Construction of an Arterial Wall

SummarySome of the most serious diseases involve altered size and structure of the arterial wall. Elucidating how arterial walls are built could aid understanding of these diseases, but little is known about how concentric layers of muscle cells and the outer adventitial layer are assembled and patterned around endothelial tubes. Using histochemical, clonal, and genetic analysis in mice, here we show that the pulmonary artery wall is constructed radially, from the inside out, by two separate but coordinated processes. One is sequential induction of successive cell layers from surrounding mesenchyme. The other is controlled invasion of outer layers by inner layer cells through developmentally regulated cell reorientation and radial migration. We propose that a radial signal gradient controls these processes and provide evidence that PDGF-B and at least one other signal contribute. Modulation of such radial signaling pathways may underlie vessel-specific differences and pathological changes in arterial wall size and structure.Video Abstrac

Sculpting the plasmonic responses of nanoparticles by directed electron beam irradiation

Spatial confinement of matter in functional nanostructures has propelled these systems to the forefront of nanoscience, both as a playground for exotic physics and quantum phenomena and in multiple applications including plasmonics, optoelectronics, and sensing. In parallel, the emergence of monochromated electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) has enabled exploration of local nanoplasmonic functionalities within single nanoparticles and the collective response of nanoparticle assemblies, providing deep insight into the associated mechanisms. However, modern synthesis processes for plasmonic nanostructures are often limited in the types of accessible geometry and materials, and even then, limited to spatial precisions on the order of tens of nm, precluding the direct exploration of critical aspects of the structure-property relationships. Here, we use the atomic-sized probe of the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to perform precise sculpting and design of nanoparticle configurations. Furthermore, using low-loss (EELS), we provide dynamic analyses of evolution of the plasmonic response during the sculpting process. We show that within self-assembled systems of nanoparticles, individual nanoparticles can be selectively removed, reshaped, or arbitrarily patterned with nanometer-level resolution, effectively modifying the plasmonic response in both space and energy domains. This process significantly increases the scope for design possibilities and presents opportunities for arbitrary structure development, which are ultimately key for nanophotonic design. Nanosculpting introduces yet another capability to the electron microscope.This effort is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (K.M.R., S.V.K.) S.H.C and D.J.M. acknowledge (NSF CHE-1905263, and CDCM, an NSF MRSEC DMR-1720595), the Welch Foundation (F-1848), and the Fulbright Program (IIE-15151071). Electron microscopy was performed using instrumentation within ORNL’s Materials Characterization Core provided by UT-Battelle, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC05- 00OR22725 with the DOE and sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy.Center for Dynamics and Control of Material

The Human Phenotype Ontology in 2017.

Deep phenotyping has been defined as the precise and comprehensive analysis of phenotypic abnormalities in which the individual components of the phenotype are observed and described. The three components of the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO; www.human-phenotype-ontology.org) project are the phenotype vocabulary, disease-phenotype annotations and the algorithms that operate on these. These components are being used for computational deep phenotyping and precision medicine as well as integration of clinical data into translational research. The HPO is being increasingly adopted as a standard for phenotypic abnormalities by diverse groups such as international rare disease organizations, registries, clinical labs, biomedical resources, and clinical software tools and will thereby contribute toward nascent efforts at global data exchange for identifying disease etiologies. This update article reviews the progress of the HPO project since the debut Nucleic Acids Research database article in 2014, including specific areas of expansion such as common (complex) disease, new algorithms for phenotype driven genomic discovery and diagnostics, integration of cross-species mapping efforts with the Mammalian Phenotype Ontology, an improved quality control pipeline, and the addition of patient-friendly terminology

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Inconsistencies, Improbabilities and Impossibilities in the Case of cardinal Pell: A Reply to Memory Science

This article is a rejoinder to Goodman-Delahunty, Martschuk and Nolan’s article published in the Criminal Law Journal in 2020. In particular, the authors critically evaluate the arguments by the psychological researchers that the High Court decision in Pell v The Queen was based upon a misunderstanding of an application of memory science involving routine practices versus singular impactful events. The authors contend their narrow focus on memory science rather than other relevant issues associated with the mind, is flawed. Their approach also overlooked the sheer weight of evidence for the defence presented at trial and the forensic disadvantage faced by Pell after 22 years. The authors argue that the High Court’s reasoning was rightly based on concerns that an innocent person had been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt

The Personality Characteristics of Counsellors-in-Training which Correlate with Ratings of Effectiveness and Grades

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between four commonly utilized criteria of counsellor effectiveness and personalities of the students being rated. Measures of the students' personality obtained from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire were correlated with three ratings of counsellor effectiveness obtained from professors, supervisors and peers and a comprehensive examination grade. Sixty graduates of a Master's degree program in counselling were included in the study. The personality variables which were related to the criteria differed noticeably for male and female counsellors. The factors which are correlated with the effectiveness ratings of faculty members were different from those which correlated with the judgments of supervisors and peers. The final leaving examination grades were significantly correlated with some personality characteristics of the male counsellors. They were not significantly related, however, to any female personality variable or any other criterion rat¡ng for male or female students.Cette recherche avait pour but d'étudier les rapports entre quatre critères d'efficacité utilisés fréquemment dans l'évaluation d'un conseiller et les caractéristiques de la personnalité des étudiants évalués. Les questionnaires de personnalité administrés aux étudiants étaient: le "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator", le "Edwards PersonalPreference Schedule" et le "16 Personality Factor Questionnaire". Les résultats de ces questionnaires furent mis en corrélation avec trois évaluations de l'efficacité d'un conseiller faites par les professeurs, les superviseurs et les collègues de ces étudiants, et les notes obtenues au moyen d'un examen compréhensif. Soix antegradués d'un programme de maîtrise en "counselling" participèrent à cette étude. Les variables reliées à la personnalité qui furent mises en corrélation avec les critères d'évaluation, étaient très différentes pour les conseillers masculins et féminins. Les facteurs mis en corrélation avec l'évaluation de l'efficacité des membres de la faculté différaient de ceux qui furent mis en corrélation avec les superviseurs et les collègues. L'inclusion des notes finales des étudiants dans l'analyse amena à constater quequelques caractéristiques de la personnalité des conseillers masculins étaient en corrélation avec ces résultats. Cependant on n'obtient aucune corrélation significative entre les notes et la variable reliée aux caractéristiques de personnalité des sujets féminins et entre les notes et les critères utilisés pour évaluer les étudiants et les étudiantes

Language Laboratory Use and the Development of a Self-Instructional Training Tape Program in Counsellor Education

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the use of the language laboratory to teach counselling skills. A 52-minute self-instructional training tape program was developed in which a basic element of empathy, reflection of feeling, was modelled. This self-instructional training tape program containing both video and audio components was developed utilizing Bandura's modeling concepts and the principles of simulation, role-practice, and playback. One hundred and four senior education students were randomly assigned to one of five groups. These groups were: (1) Language Labora- tory Audio Group, (2) Language Laboratory Video and Audio Group, (3) Audiotape Recorder Group, (4) Lecture-Discussion Group, and (5) No-Treatment Control Group. The results showed firstly that the language laboratory is neither inferior or superior to other instructional media and secondly that the self-instructional tape program is an effective procedure for teaching counselling skills.Le premier but de cette étude était de déterminer l'efficacité d'utiliser le laboratoire des lanques pour enseigner les compétences en orientation. Un programme de formation autodidactique de 52 minutes sur ruban a été développé. Il propose comme élément de base un modèle de sympathie et de réflexion sur les sentiments. Ce programme de formation autodidactique sur ruban composé du vidéo et de l'audio a été développé utilisant des con- cepts du modèle de Bandura et les principes de simulation, de l'exercice du rôle et de la reprise. Cent quatre étudiants avancés en éducation ont été placés au hasard dans cinq groupes. Les groupes étaient: (1) le groupe audio du laboratoire des langues, (2) le groupe audio et vidéo du laboratoire des langues, (3) le groupe enregistrant sur bande magnétoscopique, (4) le groupe conférence-discussion et (5) le groupe contrôle sans traitement. Les résultats indiquent d'abord que le laboratoire des langues n'est ni supérieur ou inférieur aux autres média d'instruction et, en deuxième lieu, que le pro- gramme autodidactique sur ruban est un moyen efficace pour l'enseignement des compétences en orientation

The Impact of Conducting Research with a First Nation

The Cree of northern QuÈbec have had eight psychological studies conducted in their territory. They ejected all the researchers except one. From the point of view of the Cree, the problem appears to be one of behaviour of researchers and respect for an autonomous group. This issue was investigated by conducting an experiment with a group of James Bay Cree from northern QuebÈc. They were then polled as to their reaction to participating in the research. Insensitively conducted research can put major social stresses on both individuals and the community. Several crucial sources of reactivity were found: rigid protocols, requests for self-disclosure, perceived dishonesty, differential treatment of participants, and lack of redeeming social value of the research. These sources of reactivity suggest guidelines for researchers such as respecting local authority, adapting instruments to the culture, and providing feedback to the participants and the community.Huit études psychologiques ont été menées sur le territoire des Cris du nord du Québec. Tous les chercheurs, sauf un, ont été renvoyés par les Cris. Le problème, selon les Cris, provenait du comportement des chercheurs et de leur manque de respect envers un groupe autonome. Cette question a été étudiée grâce à une expérience réalisée avec un groupe de Cris de la Baie James au nord du Québec. Un sondage a ensuite été réalisé afin de connaître la réaction des Cris concernant leur participation. Des recherches menées sans souci de délicatesse peuvent être la cause de stress important tant chez les individuels que dans la communauté. Plusieurs sources majeures de réactivité ont été identifiées : des protocoles rigides, des demandes de révélation de soi, des perceptions de malhonnêteté et un traitement inégal envers différents participants, ainsi que l'absence de valeur sociale des recherches. Ces sources de réactivité sont à l'origine des recommandations suggérées pour les chercheurs : respect de l'autorité locale, l'adaptation des outils de recherche à la culture étudiée et l'établissement de la rétroaction destinée aux participants et à la communauté