74 research outputs found
The Time Machine: Leisure Science (Fiction) and Futurology
There is a long, underlying presence of futurologyâattempts to predict the future based on current or past eventsâthroughout much of the leisure literature. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Leisure Sciences, I build on the work of futures scholars (e.g., Adam, 2008; Harrison, 2015) to explore how past ideas about the future have shaped the present. I revisit H. G. Wells's (1895) classic science fiction novel The Time Machine in view of recent trends and recurring debates (e.g., cybernation, (un)employment, the âleisure society,â and Universal Basic Income) that are (or were) forecast to shape the future. Throughout, I argue that the ways that leisure scholars envision the future have significant impact on the actions of the field and its practitioners today
An anatomic gene expression atlas of the adult mouse brain
Studying gene expression provides a powerful means of understanding structure-function relationships in the nervous system. The availability of genome-scale in situ hybridization datasets enables new possibilities for understanding brain organization based on gene expression patterns. The Anatomic Gene Expression Atlas (AGEA) is a new relational atlas revealing the genetic architecture of the adult C57Bl/6J mouse brain based on spatial correlations across expression data for thousands of genes in the Allen Brain Atlas (ABA). The AGEA includes three discovery tools for examining neuroanatomical relationships and boundaries: (1) three-dimensional expression-based correlation maps, (2) a hierarchical transcriptome-based parcellation of the brain and (3) a facility to retrieve from the ABA specific genes showing enriched expression in local correlated domains. The utility of this atlas is illustrated by analysis of genetic organization in the thalamus, striatum and cerebral cortex. The AGEA is a publicly accessible online computational tool integrated with the ABA (http://mouse.brain-map.org/agea)
Greenland ice sheet surface mass loss: recent developments in observation and modeling
Surface processes currently dominate Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) mass loss. We review recent developments in the observation and modelling of GrIS surface mass balance (SMB), published after the July 2012 deadline for the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5). Since IPCC AR5 our understanding of GrIS SMB has further improved, but new observational and model studies have also revealed that temporal and spatial variability of many processes are still
poorly quantified and understood, e.g. bio-albedo, the formation of ice lenses and their impact on lateral meltwater transport, heterogeneous vertical meltwater transport (âpipingâ), the impact of atmospheric circulation changes and mixed-phase clouds on the surface energy balance and the magnitude of turbulent heat exchange over rough ice surfaces. As a result, these processes are only schematically or not at all included in models that are currently used to assess and predict future GrIS surface mass loss
CAR-associated vesicular transport of an adenovirus in motor neuron axons.
Axonal transport is responsible for the movement of signals and cargo between nerve termini and cell bodies. Pathogens also exploit this pathway to enter and exit the central nervous system. In this study, we characterised the binding, endocytosis and axonal transport of an adenovirus (CAV-2) that preferentially infects neurons. Using biochemical, cell biology, genetic, ultrastructural and live-cell imaging approaches, we show that interaction with the neuronal membrane correlates with coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) surface expression, followed by endocytosis involving clathrin. In axons, long-range CAV-2 motility was bidirectional with a bias for retrograde transport in nonacidic Rab7-positive organelles. Unexpectedly, we found that CAR was associated with CAV-2 vesicles that also transported cargo as functionally distinct as tetanus toxin, neurotrophins, and their receptors. These results suggest that a single axonal transport carrier is capable of transporting functionally distinct cargoes that target different membrane compartments in the soma. We propose that CAV-2 transport is dictated by an innate trafficking of CAR, suggesting an unsuspected function for this adhesion protein during neuronal homeostasis
On the use of the electromechanical impedance technique for the assessment of dental implant stability: Modeling and experimentation
We propose the electromechanical impedance technique to monitor the stability of dental implants. The technique consists of
bonding one wafer-type piezoelectric transducers to the implant system. When subjected to an electric field, the transducer
induces structural excitations which, in turn, affect the transducerâs electrical admittance. The hypothesis is that the health of
the bone surrounding the implant affects the sensorâs admittance. A three-dimensional finite element model of a transducer
bonded to the abutment of a dental implant placed in a host bone site was created to simulate the progress of the tissue healing
that occurs after surgery. The healing was modeled by changing the Youngâs modulus of the boneâimplant interface. The
results show that as the Youngâs modulus of the interface increases, the electromechanical characteristic of the transducer
changes. Then, the model was used to interpret the experimental results relative to a sensor bonded to an abutment screwed
to implants secured into bovine bone samples. The results show that the electromechanical impedance technique can be used
to monitor the stability of dental implants although more research is warranted to examine the repeatability of the methodology
and its advantage with respect to existing commercial systems
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