The study of responses mediated by alpha2 and alpha1-adrenoceptors in the tail and mesenteric resistance arteries from transgenic mice

The work presented in this thesis describes the development of a method to investigate alpha2-mediated responses in the tail and first order mesenteric resistance arteries of the mouse. Furthermore, responses mediated by alpha1-adrenoceptors have been studied and, in part, subtyped in these vessels. These aims were achieved by using a combination of subtype selective ligands and transgenic technology. alpha2-adrenoceptors, expressed in the tail artery, mediate contractile responses that at 31°C are susceptible to profound, persistent desensitisation. In the absence of a fully functional alpha2A/D receptor pool, contractions are affected by the way in which an agonist is administered. At 22°C, the alpha2-mediated response is significantly potentiated, a response that does not rely on the alpha2A/D subtype, but is critically dependent on previous exposure to an alpha1-selective agonist. In mesenteric resistance arteries, alpha2-adrenoceptors, proposed to exist on the endothelium, mediate vasodilatations. Responses depend on more than one alpha2-subtype, and are mediated by nitric oxide, and possibly EDHF. In the tail artery, alpha1A-adrenoceptors mediate contraction with little, if any, contribution from the alpha1B-subtype, and increasing age has little effect on the responses gained. Like the tail artery, the alpha1A-receptor subtype is the major receptor mediating contraction of mesenteric arteries. However, in the absence of the alpha1B-adrenoceptor, a small, but significant contraction, mediated by the alpha1D-adrenoceptor is uncovered. The use of subtype selective ligands and transgenic mice, has clarified the function of and alpha2 and alpha1-adrenoceptors in two mouse blood vessels, and allowed partial subtyping of the response. Alone, neither technique would have provided such clarity

For Unto Us…

For Unto Us is a one movement work for soprano and orchestra. The text, by the composer, describes the thoughts and feelings of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as she watches the crucifixion. Mary's process of faith is traced through the sequence of dramatic events which proceed and follow the crucifixion. The work explores symbolic instrumentation, juxtaposition of harmonic languages, and extended techniques for performance and notation. The setting of the text combines traditional operatic idioms with new elements in the music. The duration of this dramatic, quasi-operatic scene is approximately nine minutes

Reading Recovery in South Carolina: 2016-2017 State Report

Developed by New Zealand educator Dr. Marie M. Clay, Reading Recovery® is a short-term early intervention for first grade students who have the lowest achievement on measures of literacy outcomes. Students meet individually with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes each day for a period of 12-20 weeks. The goal during this period is for children to develop a network of reading and writing strategies so they may independently perform within the average range of their class

Parenting Practices in Diverse Family Structures: Examination of Adolescents’ Development and Adjustment

This article explored the implications of diverse family structures on adolescents’ adjustment, with an emphasis on whether and, if so, how diverse family structures influence and predict developmental outcomes. Family relationships within the family unit are a stronger predictor of adolescents’ development than the particular family structure. Transitions in families that result in notable reductions in effective parenting practices and economic well‐being will negatively affect youth, regardless of family structure. Family processes that promote optimal growth and development among youth in traditional two‐parent, heterosexual households work similarly for those growing up in nontraditional family structures. A conceptual model to advance this field of research is offered, and implications for research and policy are discussed

Co‑designed, culturally tailored cervical screening education with migrant and refugee women in Australia : a feasibility study

Background: Participation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women from migrant and refugee backgrounds in cervical screening is crucial to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem within the next 20 years. However, CALD women report low participation in cervical screening. Barriers to participation can be addressed with culturally tailored, community-based programs. There is a need for research to explore the process, feasibility, acceptability and barriers to cultural tailoring in the delivery and evaluation of cervical screening health education. Methods: CALD community health workers took part in a 2 day training program then co-designed, culturally tailored and co-facilitated cervical screening health promotion forums within their communities. Forums were delivered to a total of seven groups, involving 12 sessions and 71 CALD women. The forums were evaluated for feasibility, acceptability, implementation and effectiveness using a survey, interviews and observations. Data were collected from CALD women, facilitators and researchers. Results: The co-design and co-delivery of cervical screening health promotion forums was time and resource intensive however allowed for deeper cultural tailoring resulting in engagement with ‘hard to reach’ CALD women, improved health literacy and intention to screen. Flexibility in the intervention implementation was crucial to ensure forums were responsive to community interests and needs. Online delivery of the forums in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was acceptable to most groups. Conclusions: Co-designed, culturally tailored cervical screening health promotion forums are feasible and acceptable to CALD women, in both face-to-face and online formats. Adjustments to the intervention protocol were recommended to improve future implementation

In Situ Spatiotemporal Mapping of Flow Fields around Seeded Stem Cells at the Subcellular Length Scale

A major hurdle to understanding and exploiting interactions between the stem cell and its environment is the lack of a tool for precise delivery of mechanical cues concomitant to observing sub-cellular adaptation of structure. These studies demonstrate the use of microscale particle image velocimetry (μ-PIV) for in situ spatiotemporal mapping of flow fields around mesenchymal stem cells, i.e. murine embryonic multipotent cell line C3H10T1/2, at the subcellular length scale, providing a tool for real time observation and analysis of stem cell adaptation to the prevailing mechanical milieu. In the absence of cells, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predicts flow regimes within 12% of μ-PIV measures, achieving the technical specifications of the chamber and the flow rates necessary to deliver target shear stresses at a particular height from the base of the flow chamber. However, our μ-PIV studies show that the presence of cells per se as well as the density at which cells are seeded significantly influences local flow fields. Furthermore, for any given cell or cell seeding density, flow regimes vary significantly along the vertical profile of the cell. Hence, the mechanical milieu of the stem cell exposed to shape changing shear stresses, induced by fluid drag, varies with respect to proximity of surrounding cells as well as with respect to apical height. The current study addresses a previously unmet need to predict and observe both flow regimes as well as mechanoadaptation of cells in flow chambers designed to deliver precisely controlled mechanical signals to live cells. An understanding of interactions and adaptation in response to forces at the interface between the surface of the cell and its immediate local environment may be key for de novo engineering of functional tissues from stem cell templates as well as for unraveling the mechanisms underlying multiscale development, growth and adaptation of organisms

Regenerative tissue filler for breast conserving surgery and other soft tissue restoration and reconstruction needs

Complete removal of cancerous tissue and preservation of breast cosmesis with a single breast conserving surgery (BCS) is essential for surgeons. New and better options would allow them to more consistently achieve this goal and expand the number of women that receive this preferred therapy, while minimizing the need for re-excision and revision procedures or more aggressive surgical approaches (i.e., mastectomy). We have developed and evaluated a regenerative tissue filler that is applied as a liquid to defects during BCS prior to transitioning to a fibrillar collagen scaffold with soft tissue consistency. Using a porcine simulated BCS model, the collagen filler was shown to induce a regenerative healing response, characterized by rapid cellularization, vascularization, and progressive breast tissue neogenesis, including adipose tissue and mammary glands and ducts. Unlike conventional biomaterials, no foreign body response or inflammatory-mediated “active” biodegradation was observed. The collagen filler also did not compromise simulated surgical re-excision, radiography, or ultrasonography procedures, features that are important for clinical translation. When post-BCS radiation was applied, the collagen filler and its associated tissue response were largely similar to non-irradiated conditions; however, as expected, healing was modestly slower. This in situ scaffold-forming collagen is easy to apply, conforms to patient-specific defects, and regenerates complex soft tissues in the absence of inflammation. It has significant translational potential as the first regenerative tissue filler for BCS as well as other soft tissue restoration and reconstruction needs