Violation of Women's Reproductive Rights : The Doctrine, Laws, and Habits that Create the Foundation of Our Sexist Culture

The purpose of this written report of my thesis is to discuss the visual element presented as partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree. My creative work proposes a dialogue about the violation of women's reproductive rights in our culture. I am focusing on the inequalities set in place for all women through the interweaving of religion, politics, and visual culture.  The extended scope of the church's belief system is fueled by the media and threads itself throughout our politics affecting all women in our culture. My visual work specifically addresses the church's intrusion into women's reproductive rights. In my creative work, I juxtapose iconic symbols of the Catholic Church with contraceptives, not only to show the violation of women but also, the way in which power is abused.  M.F.A

Status of the LHCb magnet system

The LHCb experiment focuses on the precision measurement of CP violation and rare decays in the B-meson system. It plans to operate with an average luminosity of $2\times 10^{32}$~cm$^{-2}$s$~^{-1}$, which should be obtained from the beginning of the LHC operation. The LHCb detector exploits the forward region of the pp collisions at the LHC collider. It requires a single-arm spectrometer for the separation and momentum measurement of the charged particles with a large dipole magnet of a free aperture of $\pm 300$~mrad horizontally and $\pm 250$~mrad vertically. The magnet is designed for a total integrated field of 4~Tm. The pole gap is 2.2 to 3.5~m vertically (the direction of the field) and 2.6 to 4.2~m horizontally. The overall length of the magnet (in beam direction) is 5~m and its total weight about 1500~t. The power dissipation in the aluminium coils will be 4.2~MW. The magnet yoke is constructed from low carbon steel plates of 100~mm thickness. The maximum weight of one plate does not exceed 25~t. The coils are wound from large hollow aluminium conductor of $50~{\rm mm}\times 50~{\rm mm}$ cross-section with a central cooling channel of 25~mm diameter for the pressurized demineralized water. Each of the two coils is composed of 15~monolayer pancakes of 15~turns per pancake. To reach good field quality the coils are bent by 45$^\circ$ towards the gap along the horizontal aperture of $\pm 300$~mrad and the pole pieces have large shims. The underlying magnet design, its present status and milestones will be reviewed

Reduction of circulating cholesterol and apolipoprotein levels during sepsis

Sepsis with multiple organ failure is frequently associated with a substantial decrease of cholesterol levels. This decrease of cholesterol is strongly associated with mortality suggesting a direct relation between inflammatory conditions and altered cholesterol homeostasis. The host response during sepsis is mediated by cytokines and growth factors, which are capable of influencing lipid metabolism. Conversely lipoproteins are also capable of modulating cytokine production during the inflammatory response. Therefore the decrease in circulating cholesterol levels seems to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of sepsis. In this review the interaction between cytokines and lipid metabolism and its clinical consequences will be discussed

Generalized myoclonic epilepsy with photosensitivity in juvenile dogs caused by a defective DIRAS family GTPase 1

The clinical and electroencephalographic features of a canine generalized myoclonic epilepsy with photosensitivity and onset in young Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs (6 wk to 18 mo) are described. A fully penetrant recessive 4-bp deletion was identified in the DIRAS family GTPase 1 (DIRAS1) gene with an altered expression pattern of DIRAS1 protein in the affected brain. This neuronal DIRAS1 gene with a proposed role in cholinergic transmission provides not only a candidate for human myoclonic epilepsy but also insights into the disease etiology, while establishing a spontaneous model for future intervention studies and functional characterization

Canine NAPEPLD-associated models of human myelin disorders

Canine leukoencephalomyelopathy (LEMP) is a juvenile-onset neurodegenerative disorder of the CNS white matter currently described in Rottweiler and Leonberger dogs. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) allowed us to map LEMP in a Leonberger cohort to dog chromosome 18. Subsequent whole genome re-sequencing of a Leonberger case enabled the identification of a single private homozygous non-synonymous missense variant located in the highly conserved metallo-beta-lactamase domain of the N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPEPLD) gene, encoding an enzyme of the endocannabinoid system. We then sequenced this gene in LEMP-affected Rottweilers and identified a different frameshift variant, which is predicted to replace the C-terminal metallo-beta-lactamase domain of the wild type protein. Haplotype analysis of SNP array genotypes revealed that the frameshift variant was present in diverse haplotypes in Rottweilers, and also in Great Danes, indicating an old origin of this second NAPEPLD variant. The identification of different NAPEPLD variants in dog breeds affected by leukoencephalopathies with heterogeneous pathological features, implicates the NAPEPLD enzyme as important in myelin homeostasis, and suggests a novel candidate gene for myelination disorders in people

Improving biosecurity: A necessity for aquaculture sustainability

The implementation of biosecurity measures is vital to the future development of aquaculture, if the culture of aquatic species is to make it possible to feed the global human population by 2030. Biosecurity includes control of the spread of aquatic plant and animal diseases and invasive pests, and the production of products that are safe to eat. For controls on diseases and invasive pests, it is necessary to implement programmes that involve all regional countries. Lessons from measures implemented in Asia need to be expanded/upscaled in Latin America, Africa and other emerging aquaculture regions. Such development will make countries more self sufficient and will feed local populations. Globally, there is good evidence that aquatic animal diseases and invasive animal and plant pests are being spread by hull fouling and ballast water in shipping, and serious aquatic animal diseases by the international trade in ornamental fish. While there has been a growing awareness of the danger of ballast water transfer, hull fouling remains a serious problem. It is widely recognized that ornamental fish present a disease risk, but individual countries have tried to address this alone, and there has not been an international effort to control the trade. Developments in genetics and molecular biology hold great potential for disease control, either by breeding for disease resistance, or by the use of rapid, specific, culture site testing. Currently, there is no evidence that the use of antibiotics in aquaculture poses a threat to human health or that antibiotic-resistant strains have developed; however, the future use of genetically modified aquatic organisms (GMOs) may negate the need for chemotherapy. Cultured aquatic organisms, selected for disease resistance or rapid growth, are likely to become more acceptable, and probably necessary, to feed the rapidly growing global population. Most global aquaculture occurs in developing Asian countries, in which aquaculture products can harbor zoonotic parasites, and there is a need to treat such products to negate the threat of parasitic zoonoses and permit international export. Climate change is likely to be a major influence on aquaculture in the future, with impacts on coastal aquaculture through increased sea levels affecting coastlines, and acidification. To feed the growing global population, it will be necessary to culture new species, for which research on diseases and invasiveness will be necessary to acquire the information necessary to implement biosecurity measures