Catalogue Entry: St. Catherine and St. Barbara

This paper was prepared for Art History 3440, Northern Renaissance Art of the Fifteenth Century. Each student in this class was assigned a work of art from the McNay Museum’s medieval and Renaissance collection, and we were given the task of compiling information about the work into a paper in the style of a catalogue raisonné, a comprehensive review of an artist’s career, divided into entries discussing a particular work. We had to compile a full history of the work, as well as its current condition, previous conservation efforts, and commentary about the work. The following, therefore, though not reading like a traditional essay, presents the fruit of extensive original research

The Communicator: Electronic Newsletter Provides Expert Support to FCS County Educators

Extension specialists are challenged to provide expert support to county faculty on an ongoing basis, particularly in geographically large states with low populations. The Communicator is a newsletter developed by University of Idaho Family and Consumer Science specialists to update county faculty on research findings as they develop programs to meet clientele needs. Survey data show that county faculty in Idaho use the newsletter effectively, reading it promptly and extensively upon arrival and applying the information in their programs. Family and Consumer Sciences professionals are invited to subscribe to The Communicator as a resource for their ongoing professional development

Cortical representation of fear learning : Illustrationen, Diagramme

During auditory fear conditioning, an animal learns to associate a neutral sound stimulus (CS) with an aversive foot shock (US). Processing of the CS in auditory cortex is altered during and after learning. In this thesis, the role of different subpopulations of neurons during and after fear conditioning is examined. Auditory cortex responses during fear expression are investigated. A subpopulation of calretinin (CR)- positive interneurons and pyramidal cells show an increase in response size to the conditioned stimulus, suggesting the existence of a similar microcircuit in auditory cortex mediating salient sound information during fear expression. Vasoactive-intestinal polypeptide (VIP) – positive interneurons do not show such a CS-evoked increase in response size, hence CR-positive interneurons involved in fear expression are most likely VIP negative. Furthermore, discriminability between the CS and a neutral control sound is increased after fear learning. Taken together, the data suggests the existence of a microcircuit involving CR-positive interneurons and pyramidal cells in auditory cortex which mediates behavioural saliency of sounds during memory expression

Drivers of winter ice formation on Arctic water bodies in the Lena Delta, Siberia

Arctic landscapes are characterized by diverse water bodies, which are covered with ice for most of the year. Ice controls surface albedo, hydrological properties, gas exchange, and ecosystem services, but freezing processes differ between water bodies. We studied the influence of geomor-phology and meteorology on winter ice of water bodies in the Lena Delta, Siberia. Electrical conductivity (EC) and stable water isotopes of ice cores from four winters and six water bodies were measured at unprecedented resolution down to 2-cm increments, revealing differences in freezing systems. Open-system freezing shows near-constant isotopic and EC gradients in ice, whereas closed-system freezing shows decreasing isotopic composition with depth. Lena River ice displays three zones of isotopic composition within the ice, reflecting open-system freezing that records changing water sources over the winter. The isotope composition of ice covers in landscape units of different ages also reflects the individual water reservoir settings (i.e., Pleistocene vs. Holocene ground ice thaw). Ice growth models indicate that snow properties are a dominant determinant of ice growth over winter. Our findings provide novel insights into the winter hydro-chemistry of Arctic ice covers, including the influences of meteorology and water body geomor-phology on freezing rates and processes

Cubiertas vegetadas : fuente o sumidero de contaminantes atmosféricos? Estudio de caso en CABA - Argentina

En las últimas décadas han surgido diversas tecnologías con el objetivo de mitigar las problemáticas ambientales asociadas a la expansión de las ciudades y el proceso de urbanización existente a nivel mundial. Dentro de las mismas, se han desarrollado las denominadas cubiertas vegetadas. Se han evidenciado impactos positivos de su instalación, particularmente en referencia a la reducción de escorrentías superficiales de agua en grandes áreas impermeabilizadas, disminución del impacto de la isla de calor urbana y aumento del rendimiento energético. Posteriormente, se ha planteado la posible capacidad que tienen estos sistemas de absorber contaminantes de origen difuso existente en los centros urbanos. Sin embargo, son escasas las referencia en la bibliografía respecto si las cubiertas vegetadas actúan como fuente o sumidero de estos contaminantes orgánicos e inorgánicos. El objetivo de esta experiencia es comenzar a analizar, para las condiciones climatológicas de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, si las parcelas de simulación de cubiertas vegetadas son fuente o sumidero de contaminantes atmosféricos.Fil: Bargiela, Martha. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Recursos Naturales y AmbienteFil: Fiorito, Carolina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Recursos Naturales y AmbienteFil: Rosatto, Héctor. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Recursos Naturales y AmbienteFil: Cazorla, Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería AgrícolaFil: Meyer, Maia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería AgrícolaFil: Moyano, Gabriela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería AgrícolaFil: Gamboa, Paula. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería AgrícolaFil: Waslavsky, Agustina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería AgrícolaFil: Groisman, Alan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícol

Convergence towards a European strategic culture? A constructivist framework for explaining changing norms.

The article contributes to the debate about the emergence of a European strategic culture to underpin a European Security and Defence Policy. Noting both conceptual and empirical weaknesses in the literature, the article disaggregates the concept of strategic culture and focuses on four types of norms concerning the means and ends for the use of force. The study argues that national strategic cultures are less resistant to change than commonly thought and that they have been subject to three types of learning pressures since 1989: changing threat perceptions, institutional socialization, and mediatized crisis learning. The combined effect of these mechanisms would be a process of convergence with regard to strategic norms prevalent in current EU countries. If the outlined hypotheses can be substantiated by further research the implications for ESDP are positive, especially if the EU acts cautiously in those cases which involve norms that are not yet sufficiently shared across countries

Effect of an interprofessional care concept on the hospitalization of nursing home residents : study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Background: The rising number of nursing home (NH) residents and their increasingly complex treatment needs pose a challenge to the German health care system. In Germany, there is no specialized geriatric medical care for NH residents. Nursing staff and general practitioners (GPs) in particular have to compensate for the additional demand, which is compounded by organizational and structural hurdles. As a result, avoidable emergency calls and hospital admissions occur. In the SaarPHIR project (Saarländische PflegeHeimversorgung Integriert Regelhaft), a complex intervention focusing on a medical care concept was developed in a participatory practice-based approach involving NH representatives and GPs. The complex intervention addresses the collaboration between nurses and GPs and aims to help restructure and optimize the existing daily care routine. It is expected to improve the medical care of geriatric patients in NHs and reduce stressful, costly hospital admissions. The intervention was pilot-tested during the first 12 months of the project. In the present study, its effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and safety will be evaluated. Methods: The study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial, comparing an intervention group with a control group. The intervention includes a concept of interprofessional collaboration, in which GPs group into regional cooperating teams. Teams are encouraged to cooperate more closely with NH staff and to provide on-call schedules, pre-weekend visits, joint team meetings, joint documentation, and improved medication safety. At least 32 NHs in Saarland, Germany (with at least 50 residents each) will be included and monitored for 12 months. The primary endpoint is hospitalization. Secondary endpoints are quality of life, quality of care, and medication safety. The control group receives treatment as usual. Process evaluation and health economic evaluation accompany the study. The data set contains claims data from German statutory health insurance companies as well as primary data. Analysis will be conducted using a generalized linear mixed model. Conclusion: A reduction in hospital admissions of NH residents and relevant changes in secondary endpoints are expected. In turn, these will have a positive impact on the economic assessment

Triterpenoids from ocimum labiatum activates latent HIV-1 expression in vitro : potential for use in adjuvant therapy

Abstract: Latent HIV reservoirs in infected individuals prevent current treatment from eradicating infection. Treatment strategies against latency involve adjuvants for viral reactivation which exposes viral particles to antiretroviral drugs. In this study, the effect of novel triterpenoids isolated from Ocimum labiatum on HIV-1 expression was measured through HIV-1 p24 antigen capture in the U1 latency model of HIV-1 infection and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of infected patients on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The mechanism of viral reactivation was determined through the compound’s effect on cytokine production, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition, and protein kinase C (PKC) activation. Cytotoxicity of the triterpenoids was determined using a tetrazolium dye and flow cytometry. The isolated triterpene isomers, 3-hydroxy-4,6a,6b,11,12,14b-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4,6,6a,6b,7,8,8a,9,10,11,12,12a,14,14a,14b-octadecahydrop icene-4,8a-dicarboxylic acid (HHODC), significantly (p < 0.05) induced HIV-1 expression in a dose-dependent manner in U1 cells at non-cytotoxic concentrations. HHODC also induced viral expression in PBMCs of HIV-1 infected patients on cART. In addition, the compound up-regulated the production of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-_, and interferon (IFN)- but had no effect on HDAC and PKC activity, suggesting cytokine upregulation as being involved in latency activation. The observed in vitro reactivation of HIV-1 introduces the adjuvant potential of HHODC for the first time here

Pooling, room temperature, and extended storage time increase the release of adult‐specific biologic response modifiers in platelet concentrates: a hidden transfusion risk for neonates?

BACKGROUND: Adult donor platelets (PLTs) are frequently transfused to prevent or stop bleeding in neonates with thrombocytopenia. There is evidence for PLT transfusion-related morbidity and mortality, leading to the hypothesis on immunomodulatory effects of transfusing adult PLTs into neonates. Candidate factors are biologic response modifiers (BRMs) that are expressed at higher rates in adult than in neonatal PLTs. This study investigated whether storage conditions or preparation methods impact on the release of those differentially expressed BRMs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Pooled PLT concentrates (PCs) and apheresis PCs (APCs) were stored under agitation for up to 7 days at room temperature (RT) or at 2 to 8 degrees C. The BRMs CCL5/RANTES, TGF beta 1, TSP1, and DKK1 were measured in PCs' supernatant, lysate, and corresponding plasma. PLT function was assessed by light transmission aggregometry. RESULTS: Concerning the preparation method, higher concentrations of DKK1 were found in pooled PCs compared to APCs. In supernatants, the concentrations of CCL5, TGF beta 1, TSP1, and DKK1 significantly increased, both over standard (≤ 4 days) and over extended storage times (7 days). Each of the four BRMs showed an up to twofold increase in concentration after storage at RT compared to cold storage (CS). There was no difference in the aggregation capacity. CONCLUSION: This analysis shows that the release of adult-specific BRMs during storage is lowest in short- and CS APCs. Our study points to strategies for reducing the exposure of sick neonates to BRMs that can be specifically associated to PLT transfusion-related morbidity