GRAND: A Short Film

In this paper I will describe the creative process throughout the making of my short film thesis GRAND. I will describe this in three parts: pre-production, wherein I will detail developing the concept, writing the script, and funding/preparing for production; production, wherein I will detail the set construction, visual planning, and the day-to-day operations on set; and post-production, wherein I will detail the editing of the film and the composition of the score. All of this will be framed in reference to the proposed theme of the film, and I will conclude by evaluating whether or not the finished short film achieves what I initially set out to achieve

GRAND: A Short Film

In this paper I will describe the creative process throughout the making of my short film thesis GRAND. I will describe this in three parts: pre-production, wherein I will detail developing the concept, writing the script, and funding/preparing for production; production, wherein I will detail the set construction, visual planning, and the day-to-day operations on set; and post-production, wherein I will detail the editing of the film and the composition of the score. All of this will be framed in reference to the proposed theme of the film, and I will conclude by evaluating whether or not the finished short film achieves what I initially set out to achieve

Auditor-Client Alignment through competitive priorities - Evidence from Brazil

The prudently chosen competitive priorities by the management do subsidize organisations’ strategies toward goal congruence.  This study investigates the auditor-client strategic alignment based on competitive priorities in the Brazilian environment.  The big-four independent audit firms, like other organisations, aim at profitability and optimisation of resource while minimising risks.  This being the cornerstone for tasks, standards, guidelines, and knowledge statements put together with quality to exceed client’s expectation.  Somehow, it has to do with the audit partners playing the tune dictated by the firm’s methodology to enhance preparation for questions put forward to them by their colleagues on the relationship held with their clients. The study tends to bridge the gap between academic research and practice, particularly when it touches some of the key players of corporate governance, auditor and client. It is interventionist in nature and tends to produce thought leadership information to improve business decision-making, interpret complex questions affecting auditor-client relationship and finally establish a fact base for auditors, auditees, regulatory agencies and professional organizations. The study is exploratory in nature and tends to give answers to questions on:  whether the independent audit firm is aligned with their clients based on competitive priorities?  The study is composed of a non probabilistic purposeful sample of 8 independent auditors and their respective 8 clients. Data have been collected through unstructured questionnaires implemented in paper-and-penciland have been treated in two ways:  a) Content analysis of qualitative data automated through NVivo that enhanced categorization and classification of data, aiming at observing the expressions and symbols that were represented therein, and b) Descriptive analysis of some structured questions furnished by the respondent.  Thus, based on our analysis, we conclude for the association of competitive priorities more valued by the auditors aligned strategically with that of the clients in Brazilian environment

Regen med therapeutic opportunities for fighting COVID-19.

This perspective from a Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Society working group highlights regenerative medicine therapeutic opportunities for fighting COVID-19. This article addresses why SARS-CoV-2 is so different from other viruses and how regenerative medicine is poised to deliver new therapeutic opportunities to battle COVID-19. We describe animal models that depict the mechanism of action for COVID-19 and that may help identify new treatments. Additionally, organoid platforms that can recapitulate some of the physiological properties of human organ systems, such as the lungs and the heart, are discussed as potential platforms that may prove useful in rapidly screening new drugs and identifying at-risk patients. This article critically evaluates some of the promising regenerative medicine-based therapies for treating COVID-19 and presents some of the collective technologies and resources that the scientific community currently has available to confront this pandemic

Role of macrophage sialoadhesin in host defense against the sialylated pathogen group B <em>Streptococcus</em>

ABSTRACT: Several bacterial pathogens decorate their surfaces with sialic acid (Sia) residues within cell wall components or capsular exopolysaccharides. Sialic acid expression can promote bacterial virulence by blocking complement activation or by engagement of inhibitory sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (Siglecs) on host leukocytes. Expressed at high levels on splenic and lymph node macrophages, sialoadhesin (Sn) is a unique Siglec with an elongated structure that lacks intracellular signaling motifs. Sialoadhesin allows macrophage to engage certain sialylated pathogens and stimulate inflammatory responses, but the in vivo significance of sialoadhesin in infection has not been shown. We demonstrate that macrophages phagocytose the sialylated pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS) and increase bactericidal activity via sialoadhesin-sialic-acid-mediated recognition. Sialoadhesin expression on marginal zone metallophillic macrophages in the spleen trapped circulating GBS and restricted the spread of the GBS to distant organs, reducing mortality. Specific IgM antibody responses to GBS challenge were also impaired in sialoadhesin-deficient mice. Thus, sialoadhesin represents a key bridge to orchestrate innate and adaptive immune defenses against invasive sialylated bacterial pathogens. KEY MESSAGE: Sialoadhesin is critical for macrophages to phagocytose and clear GBS. Increased GBS organ dissemination in the sialoadhesin-deficient mice. Reduced anti-GBS IgM production in the sialoadhesin-deficient mice. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00109-014-1157-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Mitochondrial ATP fuels ABC transporter-mediated drug efflux in cancer chemoresistance

Chemotherapy remains the standard of care for most cancers worldwide, however development of chemoresistance due to the presence of the drug-effluxing ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters remains a significant problem. The development of safe and effective means to overcome chemoresistance is critical for achieving durable remissions in many cancer patients. We have investigated the energetic demands of ABC transporters in the context of the metabolic adaptations of chemoresistant cancer cells. Here we show that ABC transporters use mitochondrial-derived ATP as a source of energy to efflux drugs out of cancer cells. We further demonstrate that the loss of methylation-controlled J protein (MCJ) (also named DnaJC15), an endogenous negative regulator of mitochondrial respiration, in chemoresistant cancer cells boosts their ability to produce ATP from mitochondria and fuel ABC transporters. We have developed MCJ mimetics that can attenuate mitochondrial respiration and safely overcome chemoresistance in vitro and in vivo. Administration of MCJ mimetics in combination with standard chemotherapeutic drugs could therefore become an alternative strategy for treatment of multiple cancers