Shooting the War: The Canadian Army Film Unit in the Second World War

Very little has been written about the Canadian Army Film Unit (CAFU) since the end of the Second World War, despite Jon Farrell’s postulation. There have been a few short newspaper articles related to teh Film Unit and the D-Day footage that made it famous, but there has been no scholarly study by either military or film historians. The purpose of the CAFU was to create an official audio-visual record of Canada’s Army, just as the official historians, war artists, and photographers were documenting other aspects of the war. The Film Unit started as only a few men, but expanded substantially throughout the war, increasing the scope and breadth of its productions. The men and women of the CAFU who operated the cameras, edited the film, and then distributed the finished products were different from the civilian war correspondents and commercial newsreel cameramen who were also creating a visual record of the war. The CAFU attached cameramen to military units and they shot real-time footage of Canadians in battle. This footage was then used to create the CAFU films, and formed the basis of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and commercial newsreel company productions. Most of the existing scholarship exploring Canadian film and the Second World War focuses on the NFB and John Grierson, the father of the documentary in Canada and the NFB’s first film commissioner. The historiography suggests that NFB was, for all practical purposes, the main film institution creating Canadian motion pictures. This was true, but much of its wartime film footage came from the cameras of the CAFU—footage that was shot in harm’s way. Despite this neglect by historians, the CAFU played an essential role in the history of Canadian film. Much of what subsequent generations have seen or know about the Second World War comes from footage shot by the Film Unit. Yet it is a difficult story to tell since it must be pieced together using primary sources, both textual and audio-visual. The Film Unit will receive the credit that it deserves and will find its place again in the history of the Second World War

Feminist Music of the 21st Century

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/feminist_zines/1037/thumbnail.jp

Are there differences between stemless and conventional stemmed shoulder prostheses in the treatment of glenohumeral osteoarthritis?

Background: Conventional stemmed anatomical shoulder prostheses are widely used in the treatment of glenohumeral osteoarthritis. The stemless shoulder prosthesis, in contrast, is a new concept, and fewer outcome studies are available. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the early functional outcome and postoperative proprioception of a stemless prosthesis in comparison with a standard stemmed anatomic shoulder prosthesis. Methods: Twelve patients (mean age 68.3 years [SD ± 5.4]; 5 female, 7 male) with primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis of the shoulder were enrolled, who underwent total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) with a stemless total shoulder prosthesis, Total Evolution Shoulder System (TESS®; Biomed, France). The control group consisted of twelve (age and gender matched) patients (mean age 67.8 years; [SD ± 7.1]; 9 female, 3 male), getting a TSA with a standard anatomic stemmed prosthesis, Aequalis® Shoulder (Tournier, Lyon, France). Patients were examined the day before and six months after surgery. The pre- and postoperative Constant Score (CS) was evaluated and proprioception was measured in a 3D video motion analysis study using an active angle-reproduction (AAR) test. Results: Comparing the postoperative CS, there was no significant difference between the groups treated with the TESS® prosthesis (48.0 ± 13.8 points) and the Aequalis® prosthesis (49.3 ± 8.6 points; p = 0.792). There was no significant difference in postoperative proprioception between the TESS® group (7.2° [SD ± 2.8]) and the Aequalis® group(8.7° [SD ± 2.7]; p = 0.196), either. Comparison of in the results of CS and AAR test pre- and postoperatively showed no significant differences between the groups. Discussion: In patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis, treated with TSA, the functional and the proprioceptive outcome is comparable between a stemless and a standard stemmed anatomic shoulder prosthesis at early followup. Conclusion: Further follow-up is necessary regarding the long-term performance of this prosthesis. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials DRKS 00007528. Registered 17 November 201

Activation of Nrf2 by electrophiles is largely independent of the selenium status of HepG2 cells

Selenoenzymes, whose activity depends on adequate selenium (Se) supply, and phase II enzymes, encoded by target genes of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), take part in governing cellular redox homeostasis. Their interplay is still not entirely understood. Here, we exposed HepG2 hepatoma cells cultured under Se-deficient, Se-adequate, or Se-supranutritional conditions to the Nrf2 activators sulforaphane, cardamonin, or diethyl maleate. Nrf2 protein levels and intracellular localization were determined by immunoblotting, and mRNA levels of Nrf2 target genes and selenoproteins were assessed by qRT-PCR. Exposure to electrophiles resulted in rapid induction of Nrf2 and its enrichment in the nucleus, independent of the cellular Se status. All three electrophilic compounds caused an enhanced expression of Nrf2 target genes, although with differences regarding extent and time course of their induction. Whereas Se status did not significantly affect mRNA levels of the Nrf2 target genes, gene expression of selenoproteins with a low position in the cellular “selenoprotein hierarchy”, such as glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) or selenoprotein W (SELENOW), was elevated under Se-supplemented conditions, as compared to cells held in Se-deficient media. In conclusion, no major effect of Se status on Nrf2 signalling was observed in HepG2 cells

Rapid detection of human blood in triatomines (kissing bugs) utilizing a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay - A pilot study

BACKGROUND DNA- and proteomics-based techniques are currently used to identify a triatomine human blood meal. These methods are time consuming, require access to laboratories with sophisticated equipment, and trained personnel. OBJECTIVES We tested a rapid and specific immunochromatographic assay (that detects human blood in forensic samples) to determine if human blood was present in triatomines and their fecal excreta. METHODS We fed Triatoma rubida human blood (positive control) or mouse blood (negative control) and performed the assay on the abdominal contents and fecal excreta. Triatomine field specimens collected in and around human habitations and excreta were also tested. FINDINGS The assay was positive in triatomines fed human blood (N = 5/5) and fecal excreta from bugs known to have ingested human blood (N = 5/5). Bugs feeding on mice (N = 15/15) and their fecal excreta (N = 8/8) were negative for human blood. Human blood was detected in 47% (N = 23/49) triatomines, representing six different species, collected in the field. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The pilot study shows that this rapid and specific test may have applications in triatomine research. Further study is needed to determine the sensitivity of this assay compared to other well-established techniques, such as DNA- and proteomics-based methodologies and the assay's application in the field.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Improved Brain Pathology and Progressive Peripheral Neuropathy in a 15 Year Old Survivor of Infantile Krabbe Disease Treated With Umbilical Cord Transplantation

ObjectiveKrabbe disease is a fatal leukodystrophy caused by deficiency in galactocerebrosidase enzyme activity. The only currently available therapy is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with bone marrow or umbilical cord blood (UCBT), which leads to increased lifespan and functional abilities when performed in the preclinical stage. While stabilization of white matter disease has been seen on serial MRI studies, neuropathological changes following transplantation have not been documented so far.Materials and MethodsWe report the first postmortem examination of a 15-year-old female patient with infantile Krabbe disease after UCBT in infancy.ResultsIn contrast to an untreated Krabbe disease brain, which showed severe myelin and oligodendrocyte loss with occasional globoid cells, the transplanted brain displayed markedly improved myelin preservation, but not reaching normal myelination levels. Consistent with the transplanted patient’s clinical presentation of pronounced deficits in gross motor skills, corticospinal tracts were most severely affected. No globoid cells or evidence of active demyelination were observed in the central nervous system, indicative of at least partially successful functional restoration. This was corroborated by the identification of male donor-derived cells in the brain by in situ hybridization. Unlike the observed disease stabilization in the central nervous system, the patient experienced progressive peripheral neuropathy. While diminished macrophage infiltration was seen postmortem, peripheral nerves exhibited edema, myelin and axon loss and persistent Schwann cell ultrastructural inclusions.ConclusionUmbilical cord blood transplantation was able to alter the natural disease progression in the central but less so in the peripheral nervous system, possibly due to limited cross-correction of Schwann cells

Falko. Eine Familie vielseitig annotierter Lernerkorpora des Deutschen als Fremdsprache

Falko ist ein frei zugängliches Lernerkorpus des schriftsprachlichen Deutschen als Fremdsprache und umfasst nach jahrelanger Erschließung neuer Textressourcen und der Anreicherung mit diversen Annotationsebenen eine Reihe einzelner Korpora, die teilweise sehr komplex strukturiert sind. Im vorliegenden Beitrag stellen wir die komplexeste Datenressource aus der Reihe dieser Korpora vor – das Falko-Essay-Korpus, welches aktuell in einer neuen Version (3.0) erscheint und interessierten Forscherinnen und Forschern frei zur Verfügung steht

Extremely high conductivity observed in the triple point topological metal MoP

Weyl and Dirac fermions have created much attention in condensed matter physics and materials science. Recently, several additional distinct types of fermions have been predicted. Here, we report ultra-high electrical conductivity in MoP at low temperature, which has recently been established as a triple point Fermion material. Here we show that the electrical resistivity is 6 n-ohm cm at 2 K with a large mean free path of 11 microns. de Haas-van Alphen oscillations reveal spin splitting of the Fermi surfaces. In contrast to noble metals with similar conductivity and number of carriers, the magnetoresistance in MoP does not saturate up to 9 T at 2 K. Interestingly, the momentum relaxing time of the electrons is found to be more than 15 times larger than the quantum coherence time. This difference between the scattering scales shows that momentum conserving scattering dominates in MoP at low temperatures.Comment: Updated texts and supplementar

The <i>Pratylenchus penetrans</i> transcriptome as a source for the development of alternative control strategies:mining for putative genes involved in parasitism and evaluation of <i>in planta</i> RNAi

The root lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans is considered one of the most economically important species within the genus. Host range studies have shown that nearly 400 plant species can be parasitized by this species. To obtain insight into the transcriptome of this migratory plant-parasitic nematode, we used Illumina mRNA sequencing analysis of a mixed population, as well as nematode reads detected in infected soybean roots 3 and 7 days after nematode infection. Over 140 million paired end reads were obtained for this species, and de novo assembly resulted in a total of 23,715 transcripts. Homology searches showed significant hit matches to 58% of the total number of transcripts using different protein and EST databases. In general, the transcriptome of P. penetrans follows common features reported for other root lesion nematode species. We also explored the efficacy of RNAi, delivered from the host, as a strategy to control P. penetrans, by targeted knock-down of selected nematode genes. Different comparisons were performed to identify putative nematode genes with a role in parasitism, resulting in the identification of transcripts with similarities to other nematode parasitism genes. Focusing on the predicted nematode secreted proteins found in this transcriptome, we observed specific members to be up-regulated at the early time points of infection. In the present study, we observed an enrichment of predicted secreted proteins along the early time points of parasitism by this species, with a significant number being pioneer candidate genes. A representative set of genes examined using RT-PCR confirms their expression during the host infection. The expression patterns of the different candidate genes raise the possibility that they might be involved in critical steps of P. penetrans parasitism. This analysis sheds light on the transcriptional changes that accompany plant infection by P. penetrans, and will aid in identifying potential gene targets for selection and use to design effective control strategies against root lesion nematodes