Characterization of blood drawn rapidly for use in blood volume expansion studies: An animal model for simulated weightlessness

It was demonstrated that up to 8ml of blood can be drawn from donar rats without significantly increasing volume and stress sensitive hormones, and thus can be used for volume expansion studies. Infusion of whole blood allows more physiological changes that can be seen with volume expansion by saline or other ionic solutions. The infusion of whole blood to induce hypervolemia may provide an improved model to study the fluid balance and control mechanisms operative in weightlessness. Blood samples were drawn as quickly as possible from femoral artery catheters chronically implanted in Sprague Dawley rats and analyzed for hematocrit, plasma sodium, potassium, osmolality, corticosterone, epinepherine, norepinephrine, and vasopressin. The levels were found to be comparable to those of normal rats

Assessment of culture and environment in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study: Rationale, description of measures, and early data.

Neurodevelopmental maturation takes place in a social environment in addition to a neurobiological one. Characterization of social environmental factors that influence this process is therefore an essential component in developing an accurate model of adolescent brain and neurocognitive development, as well as susceptibility to change with the use of marijuana and other drugs. The creation of the Culture and Environment (CE) measurement component of the ABCD protocol was guided by this understanding. Three areas were identified by the CE Work Group as central to this process: influences relating to CE Group membership, influences created by the proximal social environment, influences stemming from social interactions. Eleven measures assess these influences, and by time of publication, will have been administered to well over 7,000 9-10 year-old children and one of their parents. Our report presents baseline data on psychometric characteristics (mean, standard deviation, range, skewness, coefficient alpha) of all measures within the battery. Effectiveness of the battery in differentiating 9-10 year olds who were classified as at higher and lower risk for marijuana use in adolescence was also evaluated. Psychometric characteristics on all measures were good to excellent; higher vs. lower risk contrasts were significant in areas where risk differentiation would be anticipated

Characterization of Secretory Sphingomyelinase Activity, Lipoprotein Sphingolipid Content and LDL Aggregation in ldlr-/- Mice Fed on a High-Fat Diet

The propensity of LDLs (low-density lipoproteins) for aggregation and/or oxidation has been linked to their sphingolipid content, specifically the levels of SM (sphingomyelin) and ceramide. To investigate this association in vivo, ldlr (LDL receptor)-null mice (ldlr-/-) were fed on a modified (atherogenic) diet containing saturated fats and cholesterol. The diet led to significantly elevated SM content in all serum lipoproteins. In contrast, ceramide increased only in the LDL particles. MS-based analyses of the lipid acyl chain composition revealed a marked elevation in C16:0 fatty acid in SM and ceramide, consistent with the prevalence of palmitic acid in the modified diet. The diet also led to increased activity of the S-SMase [secretory SMase (sphingomyelinase)], a protein that is generated by ASMase (acid SMase) and acts on serum LDL. An increased macrophage secretion seemed to be responsible for the elevated S-SMase activity. ASMase-deficient mice (asm-/-/ldlr-/-) lacked S-SMase activity and were protected from diet-induced elevation in LDL ceramide. LDL from asm-/-/ldlr-/- mice fed on the modified diet were less aggregated and oxidized than LDL from asm+/+/ldlr-/- mice. When tested in vitro, the propensity for aggregation was dependent on the SM level: only LDL from animals on modified diet that have high SM content aggregated when treated with recombinant S-SMase. In conclusion, LDL-SM content and S-SMase activity are up-regulated in mice fed on an atherogenic diet. S-SMase mediates diet-induced changes in LDL ceramide content and aggregation. S-SMase effectiveness in inducing aggregation is dependent on diet-induced enrichment of LDL with SM, possibly through increased hepatic synthesis

Introduction: Taking stock of security and finance

When, seven years ago, Marieke de Goede first drew attention to the historical and conceptual entanglements between the logics of finance and security, and to the artificial – yet meaningful – divide between the two in modernity, this was not merely a call for a new research programme. Attempting to hold together these two objects of disciplinary enquiry, and becoming aware of the tendency to collapse one into the other inherent to International Political Economy (IPE) or International Relations (IR) analytics, was also a much needed exercise of disciplinary critique, consistent with interrogating divides between the economic and the social, the financial and cultural. In other words, more than just a new object or field of empirical and theoretical research, the finance-security nexus was proposed as a device for critically and genealogically thinking through distinct disciplinary approaches to economy, futurity and populations. To that end, this special issue proposes to take stock of the multiple ways in which the finance-security nexus has been deployed as such a device of (post)disciplinary critique

Cardiovascular autonomic control in mice lacking angiotensin AT1a receptors

Studies examined the role of angiotensin (ANG) AT1a receptors in cardiovascular autonomic control by measuring arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR) variability and the effect of autonomic blockade in mice lacking AT1a receptors (AT1a-/-). Using radiotelemetry in conscious AT1a-/- and AT1a-/- mice, we determined 1) AP and pulse interval (PI) variability in time and frequency (spectral analysis) domains, 2) AP response to alpha(1)-adrenergic and ganglionic blockade, and 3) intrinsic HR after ganglionic blockade. Pulsatile AP was recorded (5 kHz) for measurement of AP and PI and respective variability. Steady-state AP responses to prazosin (1 mu g/g ip) and hexamethonium (30 mu g/g ip) were also measured. AP was lower in AT1a-/- vs. AT1a-/-, whereas HR was not changed. Prazosin and hexamethonium produced greater decreases in mean AP in AT1a-/- than in AT1a -/-. the blood pressure difference was marked after ganglionic blockade (change in mean AP of -44 +/- 10 vs. -18 +/- 2 mmHg, AT1a-/- vs. AT1a-/- mice). Intrinsic HR was also lower in AT1a-/- mice (431 +/- 32 vs. 524 +/- 22 beats/min, AT1a-/- vs. AT1a-/-). Beat-by-beat series of systolic AP and PI were submitted to autoregressive spectral estimation with variability quantified in low-frequency (LF: 0.1-1 Hz) and high-frequency (HF: 1-5 Hz) ranges. AT1a-/- mice showed a reduction in systolic AP LF variability (4.3 +/- 0.8 vs. 9.8 +/- 1.3 mmHg(2)), with no change in HF (2.7 +/- 0.3 vs. 3.3 +/- 0.6 mmHg2). There was a reduction in PI variability of AT1a-/- in both LF (18.7 +/- 3.7 vs. 32.1 +/- 4.2 ms(2)) and HF (17.7 +/- 1.9 vs. 40.3 +/- 7.3 ms(2)) ranges. the association of lower AP and PI variability in AT1a-/- mice with enhanced AP response to alpha(1)-adrenergic and ganglionic blockade suggests that removal of the ANG AT1a receptor produces autonomic imbalance. This is seen as enhanced sympathetic drive to compensate for the lack of ANG signaling.Wright State Univ, Sch Med, Dept Pharmacol & Toxicol, Dayton, OH 45435 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Sch Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Med, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Sch Med, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

A Timely shift from shotgun to targeted proteomics and how it can be groundbreaking for cancer research

Funding The present work was funded by FUB/UnB, CNPq, FAP-DF, CAPES, and FINEP.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

How much bargaining power does a union have? Reflections based on the sectorial analysis

El concepto de poder de negociación sindical permite problematizar el accionar de los trabajadores y su resultado sobre la dinámica de los salarios. Recientemente, nuevas líneas de trabajo han buscado explorar las fuentes y resultados del poder sindical a partir de los conceptos de poder estructural y asociativo. Este artículo se inscribe en dicha línea a través de la siguiente pregunta ¿cómo influye el poder de los trabajadores y sus organizaciones en la negociación salarial? Para ello, comparamos las fuentes de poder del Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Alimentación, la Unión Obrera Metalúrgica de Argentina y la Unión de Obreros y Empleados del Plástico, para luego relacionarlas con el uso de dicho poder (conflictos salariales) y la dinámica de los acuerdos salariales rubricados entre los años 2011-2019. Se usan como fuentes de datos la Matriz Insumo-Producto (2004), los acuerdos salariales del período refrendados por el Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Seguridad Social (MTEySS), la base de datos de conflictos laborales elaborados por el MTEySS, y fuentes periodísticas. Mostraremos que la relación entre poder estructural y poder asociativo no es necesariamente lineal y que, en estos casos, el poder estructural tiene una importancia predominante en los resultados de la negociación salarial.The concept of union bargaining power problematizes the actions of workers and their result on the dynamics of wages. Recently, new lines of work have explored the sources and results of union power based on the concepts of structural and associative power. In this direction, this article investigate: how does the power of workers and their organizations influence salary negotiations? Here we compare the sources of power of the Food Workers' Union, the Metallurgical Workers' Union of Argentina and the Union of Plastic Workers and Employees. Then, we relate them to the use of power (wage conflicts) and the dynamics of the wage agreements signed between them. 2011 and 2019. The national Input-Output Tables (2004), wage agreements endorsed by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MTEySS), the database of labor conflicts (MTEySS), and journalistic press are used as data sources. We will show that the relationship between structural power and associative power is not necessarily linear and that, in these cases, structural power is predominant in the results of wage bargaining.Fil: Morris, María Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Barrera, Facundo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Beliera, Anabel Angélica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Massi, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; Argentin

How much bargaining power does a union have? Reflections based on the sectorial analysis

El concepto de poder de negociación sindical permite problematizar el accionar de los trabajadores y su resultado sobre la dinámica de los salarios. Recientemente, nuevas líneas de trabajo han buscado explorar las fuentes y resultados del poder sindical a partir de los conceptos de poder estructural y asociativo. Este artículo se inscribe en dicha línea a través de la siguiente pregunta ¿cómo influye el poder de los trabajadores y sus organizaciones en la negociación salarial? Para ello, comparamos las fuentes de poder del Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Alimentación, la Unión Obrera Metalúrgica de Argentina y la Unión de Obreros y Empleados del Plástico, para luego relacionarlas con el uso de dicho poder (conflictos salariales) y la dinámica de los acuerdos salariales rubricados entre los años 2011-2019. Se usan como fuentes de datos la Matriz Insumo-Producto (2004), los acuerdos salariales del período refrendados por el Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Seguridad Social (MTEySS), la base de datos de conflictos laborales elaborados por el MTEySS, y fuentes periodísticas. Mostraremos que la relación entre poder estructural y poder asociativo no es necesariamente lineal y que, en estos casos, el poder estructural tiene una importancia predominante en los resultados de la negociación salarial.The concept of union bargaining power problematizes the actions of workers and their result on the dynamics of wages. Recently, new lines of work have explored the sources and results of union power based on the concepts of structural and associative power. In this direction, this article investigate: how does the power of workers and their organizations influence salary negotiations? Here we compare the sources of power of the Food Workers' Union, the Metallurgical Workers' Union of Argentina and the Union of Plastic Workers and Employees. Then, we relate them to the use of power (wage conflicts) and the dynamics of the wage agreements signed between them. 2011 and 2019. The national Input-Output Tables (2004), wage agreements endorsed by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MTEySS), the database of labor conflicts (MTEySS), and journalistic press are used as data sources. We will show that the relationship between structural power and associative power is not necessarily linear and that, in these cases, structural power is predominant in the results of wage bargaining.Fil: Morris, María Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Barrera, Facundo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Beliera, Anabel Angélica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Massi, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación. Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; Argentin