The Perfect Deal

FW2017 Jan Rehner Writing Prize Finalists, 1st Year Honourable Mention WRIT 100

No flowers: performative interventions 'at the moment of' Margaret Thatcher's passing

Why is “respect” the order of the day for the dead, such as Margaret Thatcher, upon their dying? Was Walter Benjamin right when he pointed to death and its trimmings as that which lends authority to the storyteller? And how might performance short circuit narratives so motored

Replication in second language research : Narrative and systematic reviews, and recommendations for the field.

Despite its critical role for the development of the field, little is known about replication in second language (L2) research. To better understand replication practice, we first provide a narrative review of challenges related to replication, drawing on recent developments in psychology. This discussion frames and motivates a systematic review, building on syntheses of replication in psychology, education, and L2 research. We coded 67 self-labeled L2 replication studies found across 26 journals for 136 characteristics. We estimated a mean rate of 1 published replication study for every 400 articles, with a mean of 6.64 years between initial and replication studies and a mean of 117 citations of the initial study before a replication was published. Replication studies had an annual mean of 7.3 citations, much higher than averages in linguistics and education. Overlap in authorship between initial and replication studies and the availability of the initial materials both increased the likelihood of a replication supporting the initial findings. Our sample contained no direct (exact) replication attempts, and changes made to initial studies were numerous and wide ranging, which likely obscured, if not undermined, the interpretability of replication studies. To improve the amount and quality of L2 replication research, we propose 16 recommendations relating to rationale, nomenclature, design, infrastructure, and incentivization for collaboration and publication

(-)-Epicatechin and its colonic metabolite hippuric acid protect against dexamethasone-induced atrophy in skeletal muscle cells

Cocoa flavanols have been shown to improve muscle function and may offer a novel approach to protect against muscle atrophy. Hippuric acid (HA) is a colonic metabolite of (-)-epicatechin (EPI), the primary bioactive compound of cocoa, and may be responsible for the associations between cocoa supplementation and muscle metabolic alterations. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of EPI and HA upon skeletal muscle morphology and metabolism within an in vitro model of muscle atrophy. Under atrophy-like conditions (24h 100μM dexamethasone (DEX)), C2C12 myotube diameter was significantly greater following co-incubation with either 25μM HA (11.19±0.39μm) or 25μM EPI (11.01±0.21μm) compared to the vehicle control (VC; 7.61±0.16μm, both P < .001). In basal and leucine-stimulated states, there was a significant reduction in myotube protein synthesis (MPS) rates following DEX treatment in VC (P = .024). Interestingly, co-incubation with EPI or HA abrogated the DEX-induced reductions in MPS rates, whereas no significant differences versus control treated myotubes (CTL) were noted. Furthermore, co-incubation with EPI or HA partially attenuated the increase in proteolysis seen in DEX-treated cells, preserving LC3 α/β II:I and caspase-3 protein expression in atrophy-like conditions. The protein content of PGC1α, ACC, and TFAM (regulators of mitochondrial function) were significantly lower in DEX-treated versus. CTL cells (all P < .050). However, co-incubation with EPI or HA was unable to prevent these DEX-induced alterations. For the first time we demonstrate that EPI and HA exert anti-atrophic effects on C2C12 myotubes, providing novel insight into the association between flavanol supplementation and favourable effects on muscle health

0398: Transcatheter closure of traumatic induced VSD

Traumatic induced VSD is a rare but serious disease because of the acute hemodynamic changes. We reported one center experience in the interventional catheterization closure of traumatic induced VSD during the last ten years. We had 3 patients with four VSD. Mean age was 60 (40-71) years. VSD was muscular secondary to external trauma in one patient, and to transapical transcatheter replacement of both of the aortic and mitral valves in the second. Last patient had membranous and muscular VSD post Ross-Konno intervention. All patients had acute congestive heart failure. All procedures were performed under general anesthesia and transesophageal echocardiography control. Arteriovenous loop was always used to introduce the delivery sheath to the left ventricle. VSDs diameter was evaluated by echography and ranged from 9 to 13mm. Device diameter was chosen 1 to 2mm over the echo-graphic measures. Multiple devices were used (Amplatzer® septal occluder, Amplatzer® muscular VSD occluder, Occlutech® Figulla septal occluder). Mean procedures time was 113 (100-145) min, and mean irradiation dose was 160 (103-203) Gycm2. Non significant residual shunt was observed in all patients, but the heart failure was resolved in all. Complications were registered in three procedures: transient hemolytic anemia, severe bradycardia, tricuspid cordage rupture and groin hematoma.ConclusionTraumatic VSD closure is required because of the acute hemo-dynamic changes. Trancatheter closure is effective. Complications are frequents because of the critical clinical status

ESG Framework for Investment Managers of WUIMC

ESG Framework for Investment Managers for Sustainability Exchange, Washington University in St. Louis, Fall 202

Birth season and environmental influences on blood leucocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations in rural Gambian infants

BACKGROUND: In rural Gambia, birth season predicts infection-related adult mortality, providing evidence that seasonal factors in early life may programme immune development. This study tested whether lymphocyte subpopulations assessed by automated full blood count and flow cytometry in cord blood and at 8, 16 and 52 weeks in rural Gambian infants (N = 138) are affected by birth season (DRY = Jan-Jun, harvest season, few infections; WET = Jul-Dec, hungry season, many infections), birth size or micronutrient status. RESULTS: Geometric mean cord and postnatal counts were higher in births occurring in the WET season with both season of birth and season of sampling effects. Absolute CD3+, CD8+, and CD56+ counts, were higher in WET season births, but absolute CD4+ counts were unaffected and percentage CD4+ counts were therefore lower. CD19+ counts showed no association with birth season but were associated with concurrent plasma zinc status. There were no other associations between subpopulation counts and micronutrient or anthropometric status. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate a seasonal influence on cell counts with a disproportionate effect on CD8+ and CD56+ relative to CD4+ cells. This seasonal difference was seen in cord blood (indicating an effect in utero) and subsequent samples, and is not explained by nutritional status. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis than an early environmental exposure can programme human immune development