Sustaining Tacit and Embedded Knowledge in Textile Conservation and Textile and Dress Collections

Th is article explores the current paradoxical position of textile and dress collections and textile conservation in museums from an English perspective. Textile and dress exhibitions have become increasingly high profile, and conservators are being energized by an expanded vision for communicating the activity of heritage conservation, engaging with the public in different and exciting ways and making this oft en hidden process accessible. Nevertheless, despite many exciting initiatives, the underlying trend in the United Kingdom indicates a creeping loss of specialist textile curatorial and conservation posts. Th e article explores the implications of these losses on tacit and embedded knowledge and expertise and the growing threat to the longterm sustainability of textile and dress collections, particularly in the regions. It studies the reasons for these problems and considers in more detail a key issue, that of the loss of teaching needlework skills. Th e article argues that these issues need to be considered when planning strategies to ensure the sustainable future of textile and dress collections and related curatorial and conservation skills. It includes a case study exploring approaches to embedding sustainable expertise implemented during a Monument Fellowship at York Castle Museum, England

Range of normal values for left and right ventricular ejection fraction at rest and during exercise assessed by radionuclide angiocardiography

In order to reach a world-wide consensus on the normal range of left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction (EF) at rest and during exercise, pooled data of 1200 normal subjects from 28 leading centres in the field of nuclear cardiology (68% of those contacted) was analysed. Weighted mean normal values for LVEF at rest were 62.3±6.1% (1SD) with a lower limit of normal of 50% and for RVEF 52.3±6.2% (N=365) with a lower limit of normal of 40%. During exercise, LVEF increased in 475 subjects by +8.0 EF% (range 3-15%), a normal increase being accepted to be ≥5% over a normal resting value for both LVEF and RVEF. Subgroup analysis of results at rest revealed no significant differences regarding selection of normal subjects (based on normal catheterization findings vs. normal volunteers with low probability of disease), age or sex. During exercise, however, significantly larger increases in LVEF measurements were noted for men versus women (P<0.01), for normal volunteers versus subjects selected as ‘normals' based on a normal coronary angiogram (P<0.001) and for younger versus older subjects (P<0.001). Data on reproducibility and variability showed that radionuclide angiocardiography can be considered to be a reliable method today. No consensus was found for measurements of regional LV function or wall motion mainly because of differences in methodology used. These normal values may serve as general guidelines for future applications of these techniques but factors which may influence the normal range as defined and discussed in this study should be recognize

Demographics, Support Opportunities, and Self-Reported Well-Being of Patients Presenting for Hepatitis C Treatment at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Philadelphia

Introduction: As the opioid epidemic develops and evolves, the number of people who inject drugs is rising. A growing number of new Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections have been identified in people who inject drugs. Objective: This study aims to better understand the demographics, well-being, and satisfaction with medical care of patients presenting for HCV treatment at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in an urban setting. The study also looks to assess the impact of continued connection to holistic medical care. Methods: Surveys were administered to 51 unique patients at their first visit for HCV treatment. Along with demographic questions, the survey included the PHQ-9 depression screen, the PSQ-18 patient satisfaction questionnaire, the AUDIT-C alcohol screen, the SF-12 Health Survey, and an HCV risk factor assessment. Nineteen of the 51 patients were re-surveyed after 3 months. Conclusion: Many of the patients presenting for HCV treatment face difficulties such as substance use, homelessness, low socioeconomic status, disability, unemployment, and a history of incarceration. HCV treatment offers opportunities to connect patients to a support system that addresses those problems. The patients surveyed, who had access to patient navigators, social workers, behavioral health counselors, and benefits coordinators, showed improvements in general health, mental health, and in satisfaction with their care. More data is needed to see if the results are generalizable to a broader population.

Inhibition of activin/nodal signalling is necessary for pancreatic differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Chronology of Islet Differentiation Revealed By Temporal Cell Labeling

ObjectiveNeurogenin 3 plays a pivotal role in pancreatic endocrine differentiation. Whereas mouse models expressing reporters such as eGFP or LacZ under the control of the Neurog3 gene enable us to label cells in the pancreatic endocrine lineage, the long half-life of most reporter proteins makes it difficult to distinguish cells actively expressing neurogenin 3 from differentiated cells that have stopped transcribing the gene.Research design and methodsIn order to separate the transient neurogenin 3 -expressing endocrine progenitor cells from the differentiating endocrine cells, we developed a mouse model (Ngn3-Timer) in which DsRed-E5, a fluorescent protein that shifts its emission spectrum from green to red over time, was expressed transgenically from the NEUROG3 locus.ResultsIn the Ngn3-Timer embryos, green-dominant cells could be readily detected by microscopy or flow cytometry and distinguished from green/red double-positive cells. When fluorescent cells were sorted into three different populations by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter, placed in culture, and then reanalyzed by flow cytometry, green-dominant cells converted to green/red double-positive cells within 6 h. The sorted cell populations were then used to determine the temporal patterns of expression for 145 transcriptional regulators in the developing pancreas.ConclusionsThe precise temporal resolution of this model defines the narrow window of neurogenin 3 expression in islet progenitor cells and permits sequential analyses of sorted cells as well as the testing of gene regulatory models for the differentiation of pancreatic islet cells

The relationship of myocardial contraction and electrical excitation—the correlation between scintigraphic phase image analysis and electrophysiologic mapping

Phase imaging derived from equilibrium radionuclide angiography presents the ventricular contraction sequence. It has been widely but only indirectly correlated with the sequence of electrical myocardial activation. We sought to determine the specific relationship between the sequence of phase progression and the sequence of myocardial activation, contraction and conduction, in order to document a noninvasive method that could monitor both. In 7 normal and 9 infarcted dogs, the sequence of phase angle was correlated with the epicardial activation map in 126 episodes of sinus rhythm and pacing from three ventricular sites. In each episode, the site of earliest phase angle was identical to the focus of initial epicardial activation. Similarly, the serial contraction pattern by phase image analysis matched the electrical epicardial activation sequence completely or demonstrated good agreement in approximately 85% of pacing episodes, without differences between normal or infarct groups. A noninvasive method to accurately determine the sequence of contraction may serve as a surrogate for the associated electrical activation sequence or be applied to identify their differences

Clouds, shadows, or twilight? Mayfly nymphs recognise the difference

1. We examined the relative changes in light intensity that initiate night-time locomotor activity changes in nymphs of the mayfly, Stenonema modestum (Heptageniidae). Tests were carried out in a laboratory stream to examine the hypothesis that nymphs increase their locomotion in response to the large and sustained reductions in relative light intensity that take place during twilight but not to short-term daytime light fluctuations or a minimum light intensity threshold. Ambient light intensity was reduced over a range of values representative of evening twilight. Light was reduced over the same range of intensities either continuously or in discrete intervals while at the same time nymph activity on unglazed tile substrata was video recorded. 2. Nymphs increased their locomotor activity during darkness in response to large, sustained relative light decreases, but not in response to short-term, interrupted periods of light decrease. Nymphs did not recognise darkness unless an adequate light stimulus, such as large and sustained relative decrease in light intensity, had taken place. 3. We show that nymphs perceive light change over time and respond only after a lengthy period of accumulation of light stimulus. The response is much lengthier than reported for other aquatic organisms and is highly adaptive to heterogeneous stream environments

Culture and establishment of self-renewing human and mouse adult liver and pancreas 3D organoids and their genetic manipulation.

Adult somatic tissues have proven difficult to expand in vitro, largely because of the complexity of recreating appropriate environmental signals in culture. We have overcome this problem recently and developed culture conditions for adult stem cells that allow the long-term expansion of adult primary tissues from small intestine, stomach, liver and pancreas into self-assembling 3D structures that we have termed 'organoids'. We provide a detailed protocol that describes how to grow adult mouse and human liver and pancreas organoids, from cell isolation and long-term expansion to genetic manipulation in vitro. Liver and pancreas cells grow in a gel-based extracellular matrix (ECM) and a defined medium. The cells can self-organize into organoids that self-renew in vitro while retaining their tissue-of-origin commitment, genetic stability and potential to differentiate into functional cells in vitro (hepatocytes) and in vivo (hepatocytes and endocrine cells). Genetic modification of these organoids opens up avenues for the manipulation of adult stem cells in vitro, which could facilitate the study of human biology and allow gene correction for regenerative medicine purposes. The complete protocol takes 1-4 weeks to generate self-renewing 3D organoids and to perform genetic manipulation experiments. Personnel with basic scientific training can conduct this protocol.LB is supported by an EMBO Postdoctoral fellowship (EMBO ALTF 794-2014). CH is supported by a Cambridge Stem Cell Institute Seed Fund award and the Herchel Smith Fund. BK is supported by a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society. MH is a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellow and is jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (104151/Z/14/Z).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2016.097