Where I am, There (Sh)it will be: Queer Presence in Post Modern Horror Films

This paper will consider the function of queer space and presence in the post modern horror film genre. Beginning with George Romero’s 1968 film Night of the Living Dead and continuing through to contemporary examples of the genre, the paper posits the function of the queer monster or monstrous as integral to and representative of the genre as a whole. The paper analyzes both the current theory and scholarship of the genre and through Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and queer theory offers a theory of how these theories can add to existing theory and scholarship

Reprogramming The Retina: Next Generation Strategies Of Retinal Neuroprotection And Gene Therapy Vector Potency Assessment

Mutations within over 250 known genes are associated with inherited retinal degeneration. Clinical success following gene replacement therapy for Leber’s congenital amaurosis type 2 establishes a platform for the development of downstream treatments targeting other forms of inherited and acquired ocular disease. Unfortunately, several challenges relevant to complex disease pathology and limitations of current gene transfer technologies impede the development of gene replacement for each specific form of retinal degeneration. Here we describe gene augmentation strategies mediated by recombinant AAV vectors that impede retinal degeneration in pre-clinical models of acquired and inherited vision loss. We demonstrate distinct neuroprotective effects upon retinal ganglion cell survival and function in experimental optic neuritis following AAV-mediated gene augmentation. Gene transfer of the antioxidant transcription factor, NRF2, improves RGC survival while overexpression of the pro-survival and anti-inflammatory protein, SIRT1, promotes preservation of visual function. In the context of inherited retinal disease, we show stimulation of anabolic metabolism following AKT3 gene transfer preserves photoreceptor viability and delays functional loss in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. In addition to these neuroprotective strategies, we also describe an approach to improve the in vitro potency of AAV vectors that are restricted by tissue-specific regulatory elements. This strategy utilizes genome engineering based on CRISPR/Cas9 gene activation to reprogram cell lines to specifically and potently express tissue-specific promoters of interest from AAV vectors

Social Support and Access to Healthcare as Predictors of Heart Disease Among Young Adults

Patients with heart disease must overcome a complex set of behavioral and attitudinal obstacles if they wish to have a health-related quality of life. The difficulty and frustration of this illness can be mitigated by social support and improving contextual circumstances, which has been demonstrated in previous research. A contextual variable that is likely to predict heart disease in young adults is access to healthcare. The purpose of this study was to examine whether social support and access to healthcare predicted if a young adult has heart disease

Differential Response of the Microbiome of Pocillopora acuta to Reciprocal Transplantation Within Singapore

As corals continue to decline globally, particularly due to climate change, it is vital to understand the extent to which their microbiome may confer an adaptive resilience against environmental stress. Corals that survive on the urban reefs of Singapore are ideal candidates to study the association of scleractinians with their microbiome, which in turn can inform reef conservation and management. In this study, we monitored differences in the microbiome of Pocillopora acuta colonies reciprocally transplanted between two reefs, Raffles and Kusu, within the Port of Singapore, where corals face intense anthropogenic impacts. Pocillopora acuta had previously been shown to host distinct microbial communities between these two reefs. Amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA) was used to assess the coral microbiomes at 1, 2, 4, and 10 days post-transplantation. Coral microbiomes responded rapidly to transplantation, becoming similar to those of the local corals at the destination reef within one day at Raffles and within two days at Kusu. Elevated nitrate concentrations were detected at Raffles for the duration of the study, potentially influencing the microbiome's response to transplantation. The persistence of corals within the port of Singapore highlights the ability of corals to adapt to stressful environments. Further, coral resilience appears to coincide with a dynamic microbiome which can undergo shifts in composition without succumbing to dysbiosis

Speciality Grand Challenge for "Biofilms".

International audienc

Complete genome sequence of oyster isolate Vibrio vulnificus Env1

© 2018 Noorian et al. Vibrio vulnificus, a ubiquitous inhabitant of coastal marine environments, has been isolated from a variety of sources. It is an opportunistic pathogen of both marine animals and humans. Here, the genome sequence of V. vulnificus Env1, an environmental isolate resistant to predation by the ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis, is reported