Development and behavioural toxicity of deltamethrin on Rattus norvegicus following gestational exposure

Deltamethrin, a synthetic type II pyrethroid was used at acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels to evaluate the embryo toxic risk in rat offsprings. Commercial formulation of deltamethrin (Decis 2.8 EC) at the level of ADI (0.01 mg/kg bw/day) and ten times ADI (0.1 mg/kg bw/day) was given orally to female rats (Rattus norvegicus) after mating until the end of pregnancy. The rats which did not breed were sacrificed for uterine examination, total implantations and resorptions. No toxicological symptoms were found in the rats treated with ADI level of deltamethrin, however rats treated with 10 times ADI dose of deltamethrin appeared weak and less active. Rats treated with 10×ADI did not breed and resorptions and cysts were observed in their uterus and ovary respectively. In rats treated with ADI dose of deltamethrin, litter size was reduced, pups gained less body weight and their developmental parameters and behavioural milestones were delayed as compared to control rats pups. The results suggested that gestational exposure of deltamethrin on growth and viability of rat offsprings at ADI level also affected the development and behaviour of rat offsprings

Hopfield networks: from optimization to adaptive control

This paper proposes an adaptative control algorithm, which is designed by adding a parametric identification method to a non-linear controller. The identification module is built upon the Hopfield neural network, resulting in an unconventional network with time-varying weights and biases. The convergence of the estimations of the parameters of a dynamical system was proved in previous work, as long as the system inputs can be freely manipulated to provide persistent excitation. Henceforth the behaviour of the closed-loop system, when the inputs result from the controller equations, is here analyzed in order to assess both the tracking performance of the full adaptive controller and the identification ability of the neural estimator. The algorithm is applied to an idealized robotic system with two joints, whose positions and velocities are required to follow, as closely as possible, a prescribed reference trajectory. The simulation results show a satisfactory control performance, since the demanded trajectory is almost accurately followed. The estimated values also converge to the correct parameters, as long as the controller provides sufficiently rich signals to the system. The results are similar to a conventional least-squares adaptive controller, with a much lower computational cost.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Common Ribs of Inhibitory Synaptic Dysfunction in the Umbrella of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The term neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) is an umbrella term used to group together a heterogeneous class of disorders characterized by disruption in cognition, emotion, and behavior, early in the developmental timescale. These disorders are heterogeneous, yet they share common behavioral symptomatology as well as overlapping genetic contributors, including proteins involved in the formation, specialization, and function of synaptic connections. Advances may arise from bridging the current knowledge on synapse related factors indicated from both human studies in NDD populations, and in animal models. Mounting evidence has shown a link to inhibitory synapse formation, specialization, and function among Autism, Angelman, Rett and Dravet syndromes. Inhibitory signaling is diverse, with numerous subtypes of inhibitory interneurons, phasic and tonic modes of inhibition, and the molecular and subcellular diversity of GABAA receptors. We discuss common ribs of inhibitory synapse dysfunction in the umbrella of NDD, highlighting alterations in the developmental switch to inhibitory GABA, dysregulation of neuronal activity patterns by parvalbumin-positive interneurons, and impaired tonic inhibition. Increasing our basic understanding of inhibitory synapses, and their role in NDDs is likely to produce significant therapeutic advances in behavioral symptom alleviation for interrelated NDDs. Highlights • Human studies and animal models need to be bridged in neurodevelopmental disorders • Inhibitory signaling emerges as a common contributor to neurodevelopmental disorders • Inhibitory signaling is diverse in mode, source, and target • Systematic evaluation of inhibitory diversity is lacking in neurodevelopment • Understanding of inhibitory signaling diversity will advance therapeutic strategie

WOMEN, POLITICS, AND GENDER INEQUALITY

Women’s representation in United States politics has increased but remains substantially lower than in many other countries. This Article first examines the structural impediments to higher levels of women’s representation, including how gender stereotypes may limit women’s electoral success. Then, the focus shifts to how women’s representation may and may not result in different kinds of policy priorities. Finally, the Article takes a more intersectional approach to consider how variations among women impact political priorities and approaches

Fasting from Jeans, for a Cause

A dress is a conversation starter, and conversations are the foundation of social change. Posting about ­­­­­­­­the message behind Dressember from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation. https://inallthings.org/fasting-from-jeans-for-a-cause

Equitable Evaluation During COVID

Evaluating faculty must evolve, given that faculty experiences have differed during the pandemic. Yet, faculty need an opportunity to document their contributions and achievements, as well as the pandemic-related limitations they have experienced. The goal is to enter this information into the record in a way that recognizes how each faculty member’s workload (how much they were doing in different areas) and work context (where and how they did their work) have differed due to the pandemic, and that allows the university to account for the pandemic’s long-term effects. Memories are short. When faculty are evaluated years down the road, the constraints they operated under must be recognized

She is to Remain Silent

Women are not only prevented from exercising the full range of their spiritual gifts, but grapple with the message this sends about their worth as church members and simply as humans. Posting about women in ministry from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation. https://inallthings.org/she-is-to-remain-silent

Cláusula de control semántico y efecto Topaze

Este trabajo refiere a algunos de los resultados parciales de “La Comunicación en el Aula de Matemáticas desde la perspectiva del Contrato Didáctico”, investigación que se viene desarrollando en el marco de la Maestría en Educación de la Universidad Distrital. En este documento se dará muestra de algunos datos empíricos en los que se identificaron manifestaciones del contrato didáctico (Brousseau, 1986), las cuales fueron caracterizadas mediante el uso de instrumentos y métodos de la investigación etnográfica. Este estudio se desarrolló en clases de matemáticas de un grupo de grado séptimo de un colegio distrital de Bogotá. Los resultados describen que la ocurrencia de Efectos del contrato didáctico interviene de manera negativa en la significación de las matemáticas que hacen los escolares y que muchas de las respuestas y comportamientos de los estudiantes que se catalogan como erróneos o inexplicables se deben a que actúan bajo Cláusulas nocivas del contrato didáctico

The Vicious Cycle of Poverty and Unmet Community Health Needs in San Francisco’s Tenderloin (TL) Neighborhood: Solutions Based on Stakeholder Perceptions

A vicious cycle has arisen in San Francisco’s Tenderloin (TL) neighborhood, in which poverty contributes to significant health disparities, thwarting optimal health outcomes, thus further worsening the underlying poverty which takes on a generational and urban character. TL residents face core socioeconomic and public health challenges with regard to the following themes: access to and coordination of care and services; food security (including healthy eating and active living); housing security; safety from violence and trauma; social, emotional, and behavioral health; poverty; and infrastructure. Essential deficiencies in these domains individually and together worsen the community’s health outcomes. This Capstone examines these problems, themes, root causes and what factors make them so persistent, utilizing interviews of community stakeholders and published literature to evaluate these issues in the TL and broader San Francisco County. It also links these findings with efforts of SF-based organizations and initiatives such as the 2019 San Francisco Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), considering them in the context of the socioecological model (SEM), and producing a Tenderloin Community Needs Assessment (TL CNA). These results clarify that the public health impact of these unmet community health needs has been severely detrimental for the long-term health of TL residents, including children, giving rise to a self-perpetuating vicious cycle of poverty. These determinations and themes are at the root of the TL’s core problems. To conclude, recommendations and solutions were stated by stakeholders and analyzed in depth, to help address and remedy the primarily low-income, minority population’s unmet public health needs