Artist as rhetor: strategies for the visual communication of artistic & scientific concepts

The notion that art, like science, contributes to scholarly discourse remains a contentious issue in academic debate. However an increased interest in the visual image within intellectual inquiry and a shift in the scholarly position concerning the image as a valid form of inquiry has provided an avenue in which to argue that art is a legitimate form of knowledge. This argument is premised on the notion that images are significant to both artistic and scientific discourse in that both disciplines have long utilised the image as a means to construct meaning and communicate concepts. Consequently the key insights derived from this study’s research findings are understood through a framework of visual rhetoric. This study, through a constructivist grounded theory approach, presents a substantive theory of the visual image in academic discourse and in doing so advances the understanding that art is an authoritative way of knowing. In this way this study identifies the image, which is the product of an image-making process, as knowledge artefact whereby knowledge exists through a plurality of practices involving both verbal and visual forms of representation. For this study the image-maker is considered significant to the production, representation and dissemination of knowledge. This is because as rhetor the image-maker, whether artisan or artist, utilises the image to bring forth new findings and thus new knowledge

Persistent Infiltration and Impaired Response of Peripherally-Derived Monocytes after Traumatic Brain Injury in the Aged Brain.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause for neurological disabilities world-wide. TBI occurs most frequently among the elderly population, and elderly TBI survivors suffer from reduced recovery and poorer quality of life. The effect of age on the pathophysiology of TBI is still poorly understood. We previously established that peripherally-derived monocytes (CCR2⁺) infiltrate the injured brain and contribute to chronic TBI-induced cognitive deficits in young animals. Furthermore, age was shown to amplify monocyte infiltration acutely after injury. In the current study, we investigated the impact of age on the subchronic response of peripherally-derived monocytes (CD45hi; CCR2⁺) and their role in the development of chronic cognitive deficits. In the aged brain, there was a significant increase in the number of peripherally-derived monocytes after injury compared to young, injured animals. The infiltration rate of peripherally-derived monocytes remained elevated subchronically and corresponded with enhanced expression of CCR2 chemotactic ligands. Interestingly, the myeloid cell populations observed in injured aged brains had impaired anti-inflammatory responses compared to those in young animals. Additionally, in the aged animals, there was an expansion of the blood CCR2⁺ monocyte population after injury that was not present in the young animals. Importantly, knocking out CCR2 to inhibit infiltration of peripherally-derived monocytes prevented chronic TBI-induced spatial memory deficits in the aged mice. Altogether, these results demonstrate the critical effects of age on the peripherally-derived monocyte response during the progression of TBI pathophysiology

The effect of out-of-round wheels versus true round wheels on energy costs of pushing a wheelchair

Introduction: It has been assumed that true round wheels are to be preferred compared to out-of-round or untrue wheels. Bicycle and car wheels are balanced and “trued” to ensure a smooth ride and railway wheels that are out-of-round are known to damage the track and railcars. However, there has been very little research on the impact of out-of-round wheels on the mobility or energy cost of wheelchair users. Inexpensive out-of-round bicycle wheels are utilized on some wheelchairs designed for low-resource settings; any impact on mobility would affect those riding in and those assisting by pushing the wheelchair. We hypothesize a study with able bodied wheelchair pushers could give some indication of the impact of out-of-round wheels on assistant pushers. Procedures: Participants (25, 11M, 14F, mean age 22.6, SD+/- 2.37) were able-bodied university students. Protocol was approved by the IRB and class participants gave verbal consent and were free to withdraw at any time. Two identical wheelchairs intended for use in less-resourced settings were obtained. The out-of-round wheels on one were replaced with true bicycle wheels. A repeated measures study design was used with participants pushing each wheelchair occupied by a 75 kg test dummy for a six minute timed walk test (TWT). Heart rate and ml O2/min (VO2) were measured for the last 4 minutes of each test and participants completed two visual analogue scale (VAS) questions after each test rating the ease/difficulty and awkwardness. Order of wheelchair condition was randomized and participants rested between trials. Results: 15 of the 25 participants completed the VAS questionnaire. Comparison of the means indicated that the qualitative results for the VAS question regarding awkwardness differed with out-of-round wheels being rated as more awkward. Comments indicated more wobble and more noise. Conclusion: It would seem that out-of-round wheels are awkward. However, for the degree of out-of-roundness in the wheelchair wheels utilized in this study, energy cost was not affected

In vivo metabolic imaging of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Complex alterations in cerebral energetic metabolism arise after traumatic brain injury (TBI). To date, methods allowing for metabolic evaluation are highly invasive, limiting our understanding of metabolic impairments associated with TBI pathogenesis. We investigated whether 13C MRSI of hyperpolarized (HP) [1-13C] pyruvate, a non-invasive metabolic imaging method, could detect metabolic changes in controlled cortical injury (CCI) mice (n = 57). Our results show that HP [1-13C] lactate-to-pyruvate ratios were increased in the injured cortex at acute (12/24 hours) and sub-acute (7 days) time points after injury, in line with decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, suggesting impairment of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. We then used the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor inhibitor PLX5622 to deplete brain resident microglia prior to and after CCI, in order to confirm that modulations of HP [1-13C] lactate-to-pyruvate ratios were linked to microglial activation. Despite CCI, the HP [1-13C] lactate-to-pyruvate ratio at the injury cortex of microglia-depleted animals at 7 days post-injury remained unchanged compared to contralateral hemisphere, and PDH activity was not affected. Altogether, our results demonstrate that HP [1-13C] pyruvate has great potential for in vivo non-invasive detection of cerebral metabolism post-TBI, providing a new tool to monitor the effect of therapies targeting microglia/macrophages activation after TBI

Detection of activating estrogen receptor gene (ESR1) mutations in single circulating tumor cells

Purpose: Early detection is essential for treatment plans before onset of metastatic disease. Our purpose was to demonstrate feasibility to detect and monitor estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) gene mutations at the single circulating tumor cell (CTC) level in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Experimental Design: We used a CTC molecular characterization approach to investigate heterogeneity of 14 hotspot mutations in ESR1 and their correlation with endocrine resistance. Combining the CellSearch and DEPArray technologies allowed recovery of 71 single CTCs and 12 WBC from 3 ER-positive MBC patients. Forty CTCs and 12 WBC were subjected to whole genome amplification by MALBAC and Sanger sequencing. Results: Among 3 selected patients, 2 had an ESR1 mutation (Y537). One showed two different ESR1 variants in a single CTC and another showed loss of heterozygosity. All mutations were detected in matched cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Furthermore, one had 2 serial blood samples analyzed and showed changes in both cfDNA and CTCs with emergence of mutations in ESR1 (Y537S and T570I), which has not been reported previously. Conclusions: CTCs are easily accessible biomarkers to monitor and better personalize management of patients with previously demonstrated ER-MBC who are progressing on endocrine therapy. We showed that single CTC analysis can yield important information on clonal heterogeneity and can be a source of discovery of novel and potential driver mutations. Finally, we also validate a workflow for liquid biopsy that will facilitate early detection of ESR1 mutations, the emergence of endocrine resistance and the choice of further target therapy. ©2017 AACR

Temporary microglia-depletion after cosmic radiation modifies phagocytic activity and prevents cognitive deficits.

Microglia are the main immune component in the brain that can regulate neuronal health and synapse function. Exposure to cosmic radiation can cause long-term cognitive impairments in rodent models thereby presenting potential obstacles for astronauts engaged in deep space travel. The mechanism/s for how cosmic radiation induces cognitive deficits are currently unknown. We find that temporary microglia depletion, one week after cosmic radiation, prevents the development of long-term memory deficits. Gene array profiling reveals that acute microglia depletion alters the late neuroinflammatory response to cosmic radiation. The repopulated microglia present a modified functional phenotype with reduced expression of scavenger receptors, lysosome membrane protein and complement receptor, all shown to be involved in microglia-synapses interaction. The lower phagocytic activity observed in the repopulated microglia is paralleled by improved synaptic protein expression. Our data provide mechanistic evidence for the role of microglia in the development of cognitive deficits after cosmic radiation exposure

The Homeless: Overview of the Problem and the Federal Response

This report discusses the problem of homelessness in the U.S. and the resulting policy response. Unlike the skid row "derelicts" who comprised the typical homeless population of the 1960s, today's street people represent many diverse groups including: the mentally ill, evicted families, the aged, alcoholics, drug addicts, abused spouses, abused young people, and cast-off children