Introspection into the Evolution of Bharathanatyam in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora During and Post Civil War

Unity, devastation, courage, helplessness, perseverance, sorrow, valour and loss were experiences of the Sri Lankan Tamils living in Sri Lanka and the broader global diaspora throughout the nations Civil War period. During this time, Sri Lankan Tamil artists around the world introduced new gestures and movements as well as altered existing Bharathanatyam vocabulary in order to produce dance works that addressed their lived experiences. If this was not contemporizing Bharathanatyam, then what is? The pain and oppression endured overflowed as expressive dance works. Through the creation of two dance films, Iappu and Isolation, this thesis investigates the potential of furthering Bharathanatyam by contemporizing and secularizing. Exploration into dance works created during the Civil War period is the fuelling factor for Iappu. In addition to acknowledging the contributions of Sri Lankan Tamils to contemporary Bharathanatyam, this thesis will intensify the versatility of Bharathanatyam movement vocabulary to tell present-day, relevant and urgent stories, such as the ones coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolation, the second dance film as part of this thesis, is an exploration into the various different lockdown experiences. The shared experiences of the War and the pandemic is the common theme within the films

Olfactory receptor accessory proteins play crucial roles in receptor function and gene choice

Each of the olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) chooses to express a single G protein-coupled olfactory receptor (OR) from a pool of hundreds. Here, we show the receptor transporting protein (RTP) family members play a dual role in both normal OR trafficking and determining OR gene choice probabilities. Rtp1 and Rtp2 double knockout mice (RTP1,2DKO) show OR trafficking defects and decreased OSN activation. Surprisingly, we discovered a small subset of the ORs are expressed in larger numbers of OSNs despite the presence of fewer total OSNs in RTP1,2DKO. Unlike typical ORs, some overrepresented ORs show robust cell surface expression in heterologous cells without the co-expression of RTPs. We present a model in which developing OSNs exhibit unstable OR expression until they choose to express an OR that exits the ER or undergo cell death. Our study sheds light on the new link between OR protein trafficking and OR transcriptional regulation.R01 DC012095 - NIDCD NIH HHS; R01 DC014423 - NIDCD NIH HH

Olfactory Receptors in Non-Chemosensory Organs: The Nervous System in Health and Disease

Olfactory receptors (ORs) and down-stream functional signaling molecules adenylyl cyclase 3 (AC3), olfactory G protein \u3b1 subunit (G\u3b1olf), OR transporters receptor transporter proteins 1 and 2 (RTP1 and RTP2), receptor expression enhancing protein 1 (REEP1), and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are expressed in neurons of the human and murine central nervous system (CNS). In vitro studies have shown that these receptors react to external stimuli and therefore are equipped to be functional. However, ORs are not directly related to the detection of odors. Several molecules delivered from the blood, cerebrospinal fluid, neighboring local neurons and glial cells, distant cells through the extracellular space, and the cells' own self-regulating internal homeostasis can be postulated as possible ligands. Moreover, a single neuron outside the olfactory epithelium expresses more than one receptor, and the mechanism of transcriptional regulation may be different in olfactory epithelia and brain neurons. OR gene expression is altered in several neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) subtypes MM1 and VV2 with disease-, region- and subtype-specific patterns. Altered gene expression is also observed in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia with a major but not total influence of chlorpromazine treatment. Preliminary parallel observations have also shown the presence of taste receptors (TASRs), mainly of the bitter taste family, in the mammalian brain, whose function is not related to taste. TASRs in brain are also abnormally regulated in neurodegenerative diseases. These seminal observations point to the need for further studies on ORs and TASRs chemoreceptors in the mammalian brain

Analysis contractors' head office overhead on compensable delay events

Contractors’ claims for extension of time and/or cost reimbursements could result in disagreements that may not be amicably resolved by the parties concerned. Consequently significant additional costs are incurred in construction projects due to disagreements over these claims. A major criticism of the Sri Lankan construction industry is persistent delays in project delivery. A contributory factor to those delays is disagreements over certain percentage of business’ overhead expenses that are unrecoverable by the contractor. This unrecovered head office overheads (HOOH) is an actual loss to the contractor and the contractor could makea claim for the actual costs incurred during the delay. The selection and application of the most suitable recovery or calculation method is critical for both clients and contractors.As an aspect of a larger study which develops a HOOH claim process model, the current study focuses on the review of the methods currently being practiced to recover HOOH claims internationally as well as within the Sri Lankan construction industry. The preferred methods used within Sri Lankan construction industry to evaluate contractors’ claims are the formula approach and actual method by contractors and clients respectively. This study shows that salaries and wages of head office human resources and transporting and travelling costs contribute significantly to the contractors’ HOOH.There are a number of issues with the quantification approaches used during the HOOH claim stages that result in conflicts. The research therefore suggests that there needs to be pre-established claim-tracking processes for claim initiation, quantification and evaluation. The preestablished process would provide a clear understanding of HOOH claims and positively direct claimants to agreed claim records, HOOH cost data and quantification approaches

Modulatory Effects of Sex Steroids Progesterone and Estradiol on Odorant Evoked Responses in Olfactory Receptor Neurons

The influence of the sex steroid hormones progesterone and estradiol on physiology and behavior during menstrual cycles and pregnancy is well known. Several studies indicate that olfactory performance changes with cyclically fluctuating steroid hormone levels in females. Knowledge of the exact mechanisms behind how female sex steroids modulate olfactory signaling is limited. A number of different known genomic and non-genomic actions that are mediated by progesterone and estradiol via interactions with different receptors may be responsible for this modulation. Next generation sequencing-based RNA-Seq transcriptome data from the murine olfactory epithelium (OE) and olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) revealed the expression of several membrane progestin receptors and the estradiol receptor Gpr30. These receptors are known to mediate rapid non-genomic effects through interactions with G proteins. RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining results provide evidence for progestin and estradiol receptors in the ORNs. These data support the hypothesis that steroid hormones are capable of modulating the odorant-evoked activity of ORNs. Here, we validated this hypothesis through the investigation of steroid hormone effects by submerged electro-olfactogram and whole cell patch-clamp recordings of ORNs. For the first time, we demonstrate that the sex steroid hormones progesterone and estradiol decrease odorant-evoked signals in the OE and ORNs of mice at low nanomolar concentrations. Thus, both of these sex steroids can rapidly modulate the odor responsiveness of ORNs through membrane progestin receptors and the estradiol receptor Gpr30

Progesterone decreased vanillin-induced responses in the ORNs of p5 mice.

<p>(A) Representative responses to 100 μM vanillin were obtained from Olfr73 positive ORNs in tissue slices using patch-clamp recordings in a voltage-clamp configuration (V_h = -56 mV). The amplitude was decreased after a 1-min preincubation with 1 μM progesterone. Application time was 1 s as indicated by the application bar. (B) As a control, neurons were challenged with two subsequent applications of 100 μM vanillin. To characterize the effect of progesterone, 100 μM vanillin was applied followed by a progesterone preincubation and a subsequent second application of vanillin. The bar diagram shows the second response with or without progesterone preincubation relative to the first vanillin application. Relative to the second application of vanillin after 1 min in control neurons, the response of Olfr73 positive neurons was significant decreased in neurons preincubated with 1 μM progesterone for 1 min (n = 7). Significant data are labeled: *p ≤ 0.05.</p

Ion transporter NKCC1, modulator of neurogenesis in murine olfactory neurons

BACKGROUND: NKCC1 is controversially discussed as the main chloride transporter in olfactory epithelium. RESULTS: Lack of NKCC1 results in impaired odorant detection and a decrease in the number of mature neurons. CONCLUSION: NKCC1 is involved in chloride accumulation but also reveals an impact in neurogenesis. SIGNIFICANCE: This work contributes to the understanding of olfactory epithelium neurogenesis. Olfaction is one of the most crucial senses for vertebrates regarding foraging and social behavior. Therefore, it is of particular interest to investigate the sense of smell, its function on a molecular level, the signaling proteins involved in the process and the mechanism of required ion transport. In recent years, the precise role of the ion transporter NKCC1 in olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) chloride accumulation has been a controversial subject. NKCC1 is expressed in OSNs and is involved in chloride accumulation of dissociated neurons, but it had not been shown to play a role in mouse odorant sensation. Here, we present electro-olfactogram recordings (EOG) demonstrating that NKCC1-deficient mice exhibit significant defects in perception of a complex odorant mixture (Henkel100) in both air-phase and submerged approaches. Using next generation sequencing (NGS) and RT-PCR experiments of NKCC1-deficient and wild type mouse transcriptomes, we confirmed the absence of a highly expressed ion transporter that could compensate for NKCC1. Additional histological investigations demonstrated a reduced number of cells in the olfactory epithelium (OE), resulting in a thinner neuronal layer. Therefore, we conclude that NKCC1 is an important transporter involved in chloride ion accumulation in the olfactory epithelium, but it is also involved in OSN neurogenesis

Expression level of steroid receptors detected by RNA-Seq.

<p>Heat Map showing the transcript expression level of steroid receptors in ORNs and OE [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0159640#pone.0159640.ref036" target="_blank">36</a>]. Deeper colors indicate a higher expression level.</p

Estradiol decreased odorant-induced cAMP levels.

<p>The bar charts represent the relative cAMP levels compared to the negative control in dissociated cells of the OE after Henkel 100 stimulation (1:100,000), Henkel 100 after preincubation with estradiol and Henkel 100 after preincubation with estradiol and the Gpr30-specific antagonist G15 (1 μM, stimulation (n = 3 independent pools of the OE from 10 mice (male and female))). Significant data are labeled: *p ≤ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.01 and ***p ≤ 0.001.</p