The effect of hydration state and energy balance on innate immunity of a desert reptile

INTRODUCTION: Immune function is a vital physiological process that is often suppressed during times of resource scarcity due to investments in other physiological systems. While energy is the typical currency that has been examined in such trade-offs, limitations of other resources may similarly lead to trade-offs that affect immune function. Specifically, water is a critical resource with profound implications for organismal ecology, yet its availability can fluctuate at local, regional, and even global levels. Despite this, the effect of osmotic state on immune function has received little attention. RESULTS: Using agglutination and lysis assays as measures of an organism’s plasma concentration of natural antibodies and capacity for foreign cell destruction, respectively, we tested the independent effects of osmotic state, digestive state, and energy balance on innate immune function in free-ranging and laboratory populations of the Gila monster, Heloderma suspectum. This desert-dwelling lizard experiences dehydration and energy resource fluctuations on a seasonal basis. Dehydration was expected to decrease innate immune function, yet we found that dehydration increased lysis and agglutination abilities in both lab and field studies, a relationship that was not simply an effect of an increased concentration of immune molecules. Laboratory-based differences in digestive state were not associated with lysis or agglutination metrics, although in our field population, a loss of fat stores was correlated with an increase in lysis. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the life history of an organism, osmotic state may have a greater influence on immune function than energy availability. Thus, consideration of osmotic state as a factor influencing immune function will likely improve our understanding of ecoimmunology and the disease dynamics of a wide range of species

Lightweight high-density diffuse optical tomography using sCMOS detection

The widespread adoption of optical neuroimaging has been restricted by the tradeoff between cap wearability and brain coverage [1]. Increased coverage requires more fibers and larger imaging consoles, however these changes drastically reduce the wearability of the imaging cap and the portability of the entire system. The size of the detection fibers, which is driven by signal-to-noise considerations, is the primary obstacle to fabricating more wearable and portable optical neuroimaging arrays. Here we report on a design that leverages the low-noise of scientific CMOS cameras, along with binning and noise reduction algorithms to use fibers with approximately 30x smaller cross-sectional area than current high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) systems [2]. We have developed a Super-Pixel sCMOS Diffuse Optical Tomography (SP-DOT) system (Fig. 1a) that uses 200um diameter source and detector fibers, with a lightweight low-profile, wearable design. A super-pixel algorithm leverages pixel binning to provide dynamic range (DNR), Noise Equivalent Power (NEP), and cross- talk (CT) specifications comparable to previous HD-DOT [2]. We have demonstrated retinotopic mapping with a SP-DOT system (Fig. 1). The system has a high DNR (\u3e105), high frame rate (\u3e6Hz) and low NEP (\u3c 9fW/√Hz). Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis: A Case Report and Review of the Diagnosis and Treatment of a Rare but Potentially Life-Threatening Syndrome

A 24-year-old male Marine with an uncomplicated medical history and a long history of strenuous, daily exercise presented to the emergency department after experiencing anaphylactic shock while running. Symptoms resolved following administration of intramuscular diphenhydramine, ranitidine, intravenous methylprednisolone, and intravenous fluids. On followup in the allergy clinic, a meticulous clinical history was obtained which elucidated a picture consistent with exercise-induced anaphylaxis. He had experienced diffuse pruritus and urticaria while exercising on multiple occasions over the last three years. His symptoms would usually increase as exercise continued. Prior to the first episode, he regularly exercised without symptoms. Exercise-induced anaphylaxis is a rare but potentially life-threatening syndrome that requires a careful clinical history and is a diagnosis of exclusion. Treatment is primarily exercise avoidance. Prophylactic mediations are inconsistently effective but are empirically used. Successful treatment with omalizumab was recently reported in a case of refractory exercise-induced anaphylaxis

A Sweeping Process Control Problem Subject To Mixed Constraints

In this study, we investigate optimal control problems that involve sweeping processes with a drift term and mixed inequality constraints. Our goal is to establish necessary optimality conditions for these problems. We address the challenges that arise due to the combination of sweeping processes and inequality mixed constraints in two contexts: regular and non-regular. This requires working with different types of multipliers, such as finite positive Radon measures for the sweeping term and integrable functions for regular mixed constraints. For non-regular mixed constraints, the multipliers correspond to purely finitely additive set functions.Comment: 6 page

Attachment and Alternatives: Theory in Child Welfare Research

In an effort to improve the effectiveness of their services with children and adolescents, many social workers consult research guided by attachment theory. This article provides a brief overview of attachment theory with specific attention given to its application to contemporary child welfare research. Criticisms of attachment theory are discussed in detail, along with possibilities for alternative research frameworks including crisis intervention, anti-discrimination, social construction, and critical social work theories

Is convalescent plasma futile in COVID-19?:A Bayesian re-analysis of the RECOVERY randomized controlled trial

Background: Randomized trials are generally performed from a frequentist perspective, which can conflate absence of evidence with evidence of absence. The RECOVERY trial evaluated convalescent plasma for patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and concluded that there was no evidence of an effect. Re-analysis from a Bayesian perspective is warranted. Methods: Outcome data were extracted from the RECOVERY trial by serostatus and time of presentation. A Bayesian re-analysis with a wide variety of priors (vague, optimistic, sceptical, and pessimistic) was performed, calculating the posterior probability for: any benefit, an absolute risk difference of 0.5% (small benefit, number needed to treat 200), and an absolute risk difference of one percentage point (modest benefit, number needed to treat 100). Results: Across all patients, when analysed with a vague prior, the likelihood of any benefit or a modest benefit with convalescent plasma was estimated to be 64% and 18%, respectively. The estimated chance of any benefit was 95% if presenting within 7 days of symptoms, or 17% if presenting after this. In patients without a detectable antibody response at presentation, the chance of any benefit was 85%. However, it was only 20% in patients with a detectable antibody response at presentation. Conclusions: Bayesian re-analysis suggests that convalescent plasma reduces mortality by at least one percentage point among the 39% of patients who present within 7 days of symptoms, and that there is a 67% chance of the same mortality reduction in the 38% who are seronegative at the time of presentation. This is in contrast to the results in people who already have antibodies when they present. This biologically plausible finding bears witness to the advantage of Bayesian analyses over misuse of hypothesis tests to inform decisions

Organización del territorio rural a través de las ZRC, las ZDE y las ZIDRE: tensiones y problemas no resueltos

La notable inconformidad de algunos actores rurales con la situación actual del campo en Colombia, se debe principalmente a factores internos resultantes de la crisis estructural que padece este sector como consecuencia de un modelo de desarrollo agropecuario impulsado desde el marco de la globalización neoliberal con olvido de problemáticas históricas. Las políticas públicas que normalmente se han implementado prefieren la rentabilidad, por encima de la atención a las necesidades sociales, de reconocimiento y reivindicación que las comunidades que tradicionalmente han venido habitando el campo, exigen desde hace largo tiempo. Asuntos tales como la utilización eficiente del suelo, la distribución equitativa del mismo, la soberanía y seguridad alimentaria además de los efectos del conflicto político colombiano, se han visto desplazados por el incentivo a actividades productivas que no permiten un desarrollo real ni sostenible del campo. Con un coeficiente de Gini de 0,86 resultado de un 77,6% de tierras en manos de tan solo un 13,7% de la población, Colombia se ubica entre los países con mayor concentración de la propiedad rural (Ibáñez y Muñoz, 2011), generando, además de un deterioro de recursos y niveles de productividad inapropiados, pobreza, desintegración y marginalidad social. En este panorama desigual, rezago de la época colonial (López, 2008), fortalecido por intentos fallidos de reformas agrarias y por la imposición de un modelo que le apuesta con fuerza a la industrialización del campo; se han venido desarrollando paralelamente dos formas de actividad productiva: por un lado, la campesina o tradicional (que más que una forma de producción, es un rasgo cultural) y por otro la comercial o empresarial. La pugna sobre la tierra entre quienes las practican (campesinos y empresarios), ha sido una constante en la historia de la 2 agricultura colombiana con implicaciones directas en la violencia que desde hace muchos años caracteriza al sector rural del país. (Fajardo, 2012) Con el ánimo de aminorar dichas confrontaciones y de responder a las exigencias de la población campesina, que normalmente es la que ha visto desasistida su demanda de tierra, surgieron con la Ley 160 de 1994 dos figuras jurídicas bastante particulares: las Zonas de Reserva Campesina –ZRC- y las Zonas de Desarrollo Empresarial –ZDE-, las cuales, tal como su nombre lo indica, buscan delimitar áreas del país en las que se ubiquen respectivamente campesinos con sus modos de vida característicos y forma de producción tradicional y empresarios con su forma de producción comercial.PregradoAbogad