An exploratory study into everyday problem solving in the design process of medical devices

We investigated accounts of how individuals in public and private organisations operating in the medical device industry use different forms of capital (social e.g. networks and cultural e.g. knowledge) to solve design based problems. We define capital as resources embedded in social networks, knowledge or economic wealth (Bourdieu, 1986). Data were collected from interviews and written diaries from individuals involved in the design process of medical devices using interpretative analysis. Inferences made from our analyses suggested that individuals working in organisations who successfully solve problems may do so by using both social and cultural capital and so may be more likely to engage in innovative activity than others. These exploratory findings suggest workers in large organisations may have the capability to use a greater level of in-house social and cultural capital, whereas those in smaller organisations may be more reliant on high levels of social capital in order to ‘tap into’ cultural capital beyond organisational boundaries

Conserving, Distributing and Managing Genetically Modified Mouse Lines by Sperm Cryopreservation

Sperm from C57BL/6 mice are difficult to cryopreserve and recover. Yet, the majority of genetically modified (GM) lines are maintained on this genetic background.Reported here is the development of an easily implemented method that consistently yields fertilization rates of 70+/-5% with this strain. This six-fold increase is achieved by collecting sperm from the vas deferens and epididymis into a cryoprotective medium of 18% raffinose (w/v), 3% skim milk (w/v) and 477 microM monothioglycerol. The sperm suspension is loaded into 0.25 mL French straws and cooled at 37+/-1 degrees C/min before being plunged and then stored in LN(2). Subsequent to storage, the sperm are warmed at 2,232+/-162 degrees C/min and incubated in in vitro fertilization media for an hour prior to the addition of oocyte cumulus masses from superovulated females. Sperm from 735 GM mouse lines on 12 common genetic backgrounds including C57BL/6J, BALB/cJ, 129S1/SvImJ, FVB/NJ and NOD/ShiLtJ were cryopreserved and recovered. C57BL/6J and BALB/cByJ fertilization rates, using frozen sperm, were slightly reduced compared to rates involving fresh sperm; fertilization rates using fresh or frozen sperm were equivalent in all other lines. Developmental capacity of embryos produced using cryopreserved sperm was equivalent, or superior to, cryopreserved IVF-derived embryos.Combined, these results demonstrate the broad applicability of our approach as an economical and efficient option for archiving and distributing mice

Proceedings of the 3rd BEAT-PCD Conference and 4th PCD Training School

Abstract Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a chronic suppurative airways disease that is usually recessively inherited and has marked clinical phenotypic heterogeneity. Classic symptoms include neonatal respiratory distress, chronic rhinitis since early childhood, chronic otitis media, recurrent airway infections leading to bronchiectasis, chronic sinusitis, laterality defects with and without congenital heart disease including abnormal situs in approximately 50% of the cases, and male infertility. Lung function deteriorates progressively from childhood throughout life. ‘Better Experimental Approaches to Treat Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia’ (BEAT-PCD) is a network of scientists and clinicians coordinating research from basic science through to clinical care with the intention of developing treatments and diagnostics that lead to improved long-term outcomes for patients. BEAT-PCD activities are supported by EU funded COST Action (BM1407). The third BEAT-PCD conference and fourth PCD training school were held jointly in February 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. Presentations and workshops focussed on advancing the knowledge and skills relating to PCD in: basic science, epidemiology, diagnostic testing, clinical management and clinical trials. The multidisciplinary conference provided an interactive platform for exchanging ideas through a program of lectures, poster presentations, breakout sessions and workshops. Three working groups met to plan consensus statements. Progress with BEAT-PCD projects was shared and new collaborations were fostered. In this report, we summarize the meeting, highlighting developments made during the meeting

The Gods of Small Things

Pallas innove. Pour la première fois dans la longue histoire de la revue, nous publions un numéro entièrement en langue étrangère, en anglais en l’occurrence. C’est là un choix éditorial fort du comité scientifique de la revue qui, sur proposition de Jean-Marc Luce, professeur d’archéologie grecque à l’université de Toulouse 2-Le Mirail, a accepté d’accueillir les actes d’un colloque original par sa thématique, les petits objets et les miniatures de l’Antiquité, souvent des objets à vocation religieuse, qui s’est tenu à l’université de Reading, au Royaume-Uni, les 21 et 22 septembre 2009. Depuis de nombreuses années maintenant, la revue Pallas a ouvert ses pages aux enseignants-chercheurs et chercheurs étrangers, européens pour la plupart, auxquels la possibilité de publier leurs travaux dans leur langue a été donnée (anglais, italien, allemand et espagnol). Évolution logique pour une revue qui a toujours eu pour vocation de promouvoir la recherche en Sciences de l’Antiquité dans toute leur diversité, thématique et, désormais, géographique, et toute leur complémentarité - histoire, histoire de l’art, archéologie, philologie classique. Le présent numéro en est une nouvelle illustration. Christian Rico Directeur de Palla

Effect of the Levonorgestrel Intrauterine Device on Genital HIV-1 RNA Shedding Among HIV-1–Infected Women Not Taking Antiretroviral Therapy in Nairobi, Kenya

We evaluated the effect of the levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) on genital HIV-1 RNA shedding and inflammation among 25 HIV-infected women. Blood, endocervical, and cervicovaginal lavage samples were collected from HIV-infected women not taking antiretrovirals before LNG-IUD insertion and 1-, 3-, and 6-months thereafter. HIV-1 RNA was quantitated by real-time RT-PCR. Inflammatory markers were measured by EIA. Genital HIV-1 RNA shedding and inflammatory markers did not differ between LNG-IUD placement and month 6, with the exception of interleukin-1B, which increased (0.42 log(10); 95% CI: 0.10, 0.75). The LNG-IUD did not increase genital HIV-1 RNA shedding after 6-months of use

De novo identification of mammalian ciliary motility proteins using cryo-EM

10.1016/j.cell.2021.10.007Cell1842