Bringing Order to Cybermedicine: Applying the Corporate Practice of Medicine Doctrine to Tame the Wild Wild Web

The model of health care offerings via the Internet, generally known as cybermedicine, may prove to be a significant advance in the provision of medical services. At present, however, cybermedicine presents many potential hazards to cyberpatients because it is virtually unregulated. This Note asserts the need for a revival of the corporate practice of medicine doctrine to address these dangers. The corporate practice of medicine doctrine prohibits corporations and other lay entities from employing physicians. This Note examines the various kinds of cybermedicine, describes the advantages and disadvantages flowing from the practice of medicine over the Internet, and advocates the application of the corporate practice of medicine doctrine to cybermedicine as an intermediate regulatory measure to stein the dangers and abuses that currently abound in cybermedicine

Die Doha-Entwicklungsrunde: Gut oder schlecht für Entwicklungsländer?

Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, International Relations/Trade,

Property Theories

Revised and reprinted; originally in Dov Gabbay & Franz Guenthner (eds.), Handbook of Philosophical Logic, Volume IV. Kluwer 133-251. -- Two sorts of property theory are distinguished, those dealing with intensional contexts property abstracts (infinitive and gerundive phrases) and proposition abstracts (‘that’-clauses) and those dealing with predication (or instantiation) relations. The first is deemed to be epistemologically more primary, for “the argument from intensional logic” is perhaps the best argument for the existence of properties. This argument is presented in the course of discussing generality, quantifying-in, learnability, referential semantics, nominalism, conceptualism, realism, type-freedom, the first-order/higher-order controversy, names, indexicals, descriptions, Mates’ puzzle, and the paradox of analysis. Two first-order intensional logics are then formulated. Finally, fixed-point type-free theories of predication are discussed, especially their relation to the question whether properties may be identified with propositional functions

Design and Validation of a Microfluidic Device for Controlled Cell Stimulation

Understanding how cells receive chemical signals from their surrounding environment and transform them into appropriate responses is a fundamental problem in biology. A significant challenge in studying this signal processing is controlling the cellular input signals with sufficient precision such that mathematical frameworks, e.g. control theory, can be more readily applied to their modeling and analysis. To address this problem, we have developed and experimentally validated a microfluidic device that can deliver chemical treatments in discrete packets, or plugs, to cells with high spatiotemporal precision. Using monolithic valves, we can insert a chemical plug in the channel and flow it past the cells. Taylor dispersion morphs the initial well-defined plug into a Gaussian curve. Application of the device was demonstrated by exposing human epidermal keratinocytes, skin cells, to plugs of ethanol and examining cell viability versus exposure time. Results suggest that this device can be used for controlled cell stimulation

Who lives in a pear tree under the sea? A first look at tree reefs as a complex natural biodegradable structure to enhance biodiversity in marine systems

Hard substrates play an important role in global marine systems as settlement surface for sessile reef-forming species such as corals, seaweeds, and shellfish. In soft-sediment systems, natural hard substrates such as stones, bedrock and driftwood are essential as they support diverse assemblages of reef-associated species. However, availability of these hard substrates has been declining in many estuaries and shallow seas worldwide due to human impacts. This is also the case in the Dutch Wadden Sea, where natural hard substrates have gradually disappeared due to burial by sand and/or active removal by humans. In addition, driftwood that was historically imported from rivers has been nullified by upstream logging and coastal damming of estuaries. To investigate the historic ecological role of wood presence in the Wadden Sea as settlement substrate and fish habitat, we constructed three meter high artificial reefs made of felled pear trees. Results demonstrate that these reefs rapidly developed into hotspots of biodiversity. Within six months, the tree-reefs were colonized by sessile hard substrate associated species, with a clear vertical zonation of the settled species. Macroalgae and barnacles were more abundant on the lower parts of the reef, while bryozoans were more dominant on the upper branches. In addition, six fish species were observed on the reefs, while only two species were caught on sandy control sites. Moreover, the abundance of fish on the reefs was five times higher. Individuals of the most commonly caught species, the five-bearded rockling Ciliata mustela, were also larger on the reef. These patterns also hold true for common prawn, Palaemon serratus, which were also larger and ten times more numerous on the reefs. Present findings indicate that the reintroduction of tree-reefs as biodegradable, structurally complex hard substrates can increase local marine biodiversity in soft-sediment systems within relatively short time scales.</p

Mental skills training for ice hockey goalies

An ice hockey goalie is a unique position, fraught with many mental challenges. All goalies can use mental skills to manage these mental challenges and to improve their performance. In the sport world developing an athlete’s mental skills has become a routine training component (Weinberg &amp; Williams, 2015). However, sport-specific, or position-specific mental skills development does not enjoy wide acceptance in ice hockey or the goalie position. In this study we collected data from ice hockey goalies and goalie coaches from several North American and European amateur, national, university, and professional men’s and women’s teams. The purpose of this study was to determine the mental challenges faced by goalies, and to identify mental skills important to goalies. Goalies and their coaches provided information on the mental challenges and mental skills needs and experiences through online surveys, focus groups, and interviews. While a few participants (n=27) reported some experience working with a mental skills coach or sport psychology consultant, most of the participants had no experience and a lower awareness of mental skills. In the surveys nearly all participants (n=115) rated all mental challenges (e.g., controlling thoughts, performing consistently, maintaining focus) as “a lot” or “always” a challenge. Similarly, nearly all “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that all mental skills are important. The interview and focus group participants (n=35) provided more insight into the challenges and skills. The interview findings confirm that goalies experience most mental challenges, and the most cited challenges require cognitive control skills to manage. However, far fewer interview participants discussed mental skills. Apparently, goalies know the challenges they face but are less aware of the mental skills to manage them. These findings enable the development of MST programs targeted to the specific needs of ice hockey goalies

Cohesin acetyltransferase Esco2 is a cell viability factor and is required for cohesion in pericentric heterochromatin

Genetic deletion of murine Esco2 (an acetylase known to establish cohesin during S-phase and genetically linked to Roberts syndrome) results in embryonic lethality that can be molecularly linked to novel and specific functions of Esco2 at pericentric heterochromatin

A Zebrafish Model of Roberts Syndrome Reveals That Esco2 Depletion Interferes with Development by Disrupting the Cell Cycle

The human developmental diseases Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) and Roberts Syndrome (RBS) are both caused by mutations in proteins responsible for sister chromatid cohesion. Cohesion is mediated by a multi-subunit complex called cohesin, which is loaded onto chromosomes by NIPBL. Once on chromosomes, cohesin binding is stabilized in S phase upon acetylation by ESCO2. CdLS is caused by heterozygous mutations in NIPBL or cohesin subunits SMC1A and SMC3, and RBS is caused by homozygous mutations in ESCO2. The genetic cause of both CdLS and RBS reside within the chromosome cohesion apparatus, and therefore they are collectively known as “cohesinopathies”. However, the two syndromes have distinct phenotypes, with differences not explained by their shared ontology. In this study, we have used the zebrafish model to distinguish between developmental pathways downstream of cohesin itself, or its acetylase ESCO2. Esco2 depleted zebrafish embryos exhibit features that resemble RBS, including mitotic defects, craniofacial abnormalities and limb truncations. A microarray analysis of Esco2-depleted embryos revealed that different subsets of genes are regulated downstream of Esco2 when compared with cohesin subunit Rad21. Genes downstream of Rad21 showed significant enrichment for transcriptional regulators, while Esco2-regulated genes were more likely to be involved the cell cycle or apoptosis. RNA in situ hybridization showed that runx1, which is spatiotemporally regulated by cohesin, is expressed normally in Esco2-depleted embryos. Furthermore, myca, which is downregulated in rad21 mutants, is upregulated in Esco2-depleted embryos. High levels of cell death contributed to the morphology of Esco2-depleted embryos without affecting specific developmental pathways. We propose that cell proliferation defects and apoptosis could be the primary cause of the features of RBS. Our results show that mutations in different elements of the cohesion apparatus have distinct developmental outcomes, and provide insight into why CdLS and RBS are distinct diseases

Cohesin Proteins Promote Ribosomal RNA Production and Protein Translation in Yeast and Human Cells

Cohesin is a protein complex known for its essential role in chromosome segregation. However, cohesin and associated factors have additional functions in transcription, DNA damage repair, and chromosome condensation. The human cohesinopathy diseases are thought to stem not from defects in chromosome segregation but from gene expression. The role of cohesin in gene expression is not well understood. We used budding yeast strains bearing mutations analogous to the human cohesinopathy disease alleles under control of their native promoter to study gene expression. These mutations do not significantly affect chromosome segregation. Transcriptional profiling reveals that many targets of the transcriptional activator Gcn4 are induced in the eco1-W216G mutant background. The upregulation of Gcn4 was observed in many cohesin mutants, and this observation suggested protein translation was reduced. We demonstrate that the cohesinopathy mutations eco1-W216G and smc1-Q843Δ are associated with defects in ribosome biogenesis and a reduction in the actively translating fraction of ribosomes, eiF2α-phosphorylation, and 35S-methionine incorporation, all of which indicate a deficit in protein translation. Metabolic labeling shows that the eco1-W216G and smc1-Q843Δ mutants produce less ribosomal RNA, which is expected to constrain ribosome biogenesis. Further analysis shows that the production of rRNA from an individual repeat is reduced while copy number remains unchanged. Similar defects in rRNA production and protein translation are observed in a human Roberts syndrome cell line. In addition, cohesion is defective specifically at the rDNA locus in the eco1-W216G mutant, as has been previously reported for Roberts syndrome. Collectively, our data suggest that cohesin proteins normally facilitate production of ribosomal RNA and protein translation, and this is one way they can influence gene expression. Reduced translational capacity could contribute to the human cohesinopathies