Systems Analysis as a Decision-Making Tool for the Library Manager

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Electrophysiological investigations of recognition memory: The role of pre-existing representations in recollection

Dual-process models of recognition memory propose that recognition memory can be supported by either a general sense of familiarity or the recollection of the encoding context. One source of evidence supporting dual-process models comes from event-related potential (ERP) studies of recognition memory, which have identified distinct patterns of neural activity associated with familiarity and recollection (the mid frontal and left parietal old/new effects, respectively). In this thesis, dual-process accounts of recognition memory were investigated in a series of ERP studies using three categories of stimulus: previously unknown faces, famous faces, and names. For previously unknown faces, familiarity was associated with activity over posterior scalp electrodes while recollection was associated with topographically dissociable activity over anterior electrodes. These dissociable patterns of activity support dual-process models. However, the typical pattern of old/new effects was only observed for stimuli associated with pre-existing representations (i.e., names and famous faces), suggesting that the presence/absence of pre-existing representations may determine the particular retrieval processes that support recognition memory. Furthermore, recollection was associated with two different patterns of activity (anterior and left parietal effects), suggesting that recollection is not a homogenous process. Dual-process theories may represent an important starting point for investigating recognition memory, but neither familiarity nor recollection appear to be functionally homogenous processes when theorizing is constrained by the analysis of scalp recorded electrophysiological activity

The Moral Status and Welfare of Patients Diagnosed as Vegetative With Covert Awareness

Several neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that a minority of patients diagnosed as being in the vegetative state are able to modulate their brain activity in response to the commands of researchers, thus demonstrating that they are ‘covertly aware.’ I examine the moral significance of this discovery, with a specific focus on the implications for patient welfare. I argue that the presence of awareness in these patients is important because it allows for the presence of sentience—the capacity for suffering and enjoyment—which I argue is a sufficient condition for moral status. Insofar as these patients have moral status, their interests matter morally; we have an obligation to give them proper consideration in our decision making. I present empirical evidence which supports the assumption that patients diagnosed as vegetative with covert awareness are sentient, and thus have moral status. I then consider an account of the welfare of these patients, which incorporates three traditional conceptions of welfare—hedonism, desire-satisfaction, and objective theories—and concludes that these patients are faring poorly, such that we may have a moral obligation to end their lives. I analyse and ultimately reject this conclusion. I argue that the application of traditional theories of welfare to these populations is impeded by a lack of knowledge of their subjective experiences, as well as challenges to the conceptions of welfare themselves. I then propose a novel approach for assessing the welfare of these patients, based on their subjective experiences. This approach involves extrapolating from the reported welfare interests of similar patient populations, as well as making plausible inferences about the residual cognitive capacities of these patients, based on the results of novel neuroimaging studies. Using these two sources of information, we can begin to construct a clearer picture of the welfare of these patients, and work to ensure that they have a decent quality of life

Multifunctional Polymeric Micelles for Drug Resistant Breast Cancer: Self-Assembling Poly(Lactide-Co-Glycolide)-Graft-Polyethylenimine

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Systemic breast cancer therapies include 1) hormone therapy, 2) immunotherapy, and 3) chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is commonly used in combination with immunotherapy, achieving synergistic activity by multiple mechanisms specific to the type of breast cancer. However, the efficacy of anticancer drugs has been limited by their toxic side effects in normal cells and drug resistance acquired by cancer cells. Therefore, the development of a novel treatment strategy for the selective delivery of therapeutic agents to breast cancer cells is crucial to improve the therapeutic index and efficacy/toxicity balance. The objective of this project is to develop multi-functional polymeric nanotherapeutics for breast cancer therapy that specifically target malignant cells and provide combinatorial delivery of an anticancer drug and therapeutic nucleic acid designed to reduce the expression of proteins responsible for drug resistance. These multi-functional polymeric nanotherapeutics will consist of three functional components 1) folate (FA) as a targeting moiety to deliver these nanotherapeutics to FA receptor alpha-positive breast cancer cells (FA receptor is over-expressed in 32% of breast cancers), 2) small interfering RNA (siRNA) designed against multidrug resistant protein (ABCB1), a gene responsible for drug resistance in cancer cells, and 3) the chemotherapeutic, Doxorubicin (DOX). The efficacy of these targeted multifunctional nanotherapeutics will be evaluated in FA-receptor alpha positive (FA+) drug resistant breast cancer cells. To achieve this goal, FA-functionalized polymeric micelle nanoparticles, folate-polyethylenimine-graft-poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (FA-PgP) were designed as a targeted drug and nucleic acid delivery carrier. We synthesized and characterized FA-PgP and demonstrated that the FA-PgP polymeric micelle is a promising carrier for plasmid DNA capable of transfecting breast cancer (MCF-7, MDA-MB-435 Wild Type, and MDA-MB-435 DOX resistant) cells in media containing 10% serum. We also demonstrated that FA-PgP exhibited selectivity by comparing transfection efficiencies in folate receptor alpha positive (MCF-7, MDA-MB-435 Wild Type, and MDA-MB-435 DOX resistant) and negative breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-468) in vitro and demonstrated that PgP can deliver pGFP (plasmid encoding green fluorescence protein) and pbGal (plasmid encoding beta- galactosidase gene) as reporter genes efficiently in an athymic Nu/Nu mouse drug resistant breast tumor model. Finally, Doxorubicin loaded FA-PgP was able to induce increased or similar cytotoxicity compared its free drug counterpart in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-435 DOX resistant lines and over a LD50 response in MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-435 Wild Type cells. Furthermore, FA-PgP exhibited FA+ related selectivity in all breast cancer cell lines tested. Future work includes utilizing therapeutic siRNAs targeting ABCB1 with FA-PgP to overcome drug resistance in breast cancers

Characterization of riparian vegetation in agriculture drains impacted by Phragmites australis: A SW Ontario case study

Drainage systems in agricultural landscapes are a key component for the surrounding natural environment. They provide important services such as nutrient mitigation, flood and erosion control, and other environmental services such as sources of food for animals and areas for biodiversity. Unfortunately for these drain systems, these services are often reduced because of the reed grass Phragmites australis. This invasive plant grows in dense stands within drains, impacting water flow which can cause flooding. The knowledge base surrounding this issue is massive, because the problems with Phragmites have existed for decades. We have efficient ways of removing Phragmites but there are still many variables within this environmental issue that has yet to be studied. There are few research projects looking into the vegetational communities with the systems and what else grows within these aquatic systems alongside Phragmites. We can manage this plant, but what else can grow there? To answer this knowledge gap, researchers from the Healthy Headwaters Lab conducted surveys of multiple drains across Windsor-Essex County in the Spring/Summer (May-June) and Fall (September-October) of 2021. At each site they recorded water quality, sampled benthic macroinvertebrates, and conducted vegetational surveys across the entire drain. This data is currently being explored using statistical software R Studio and initial analysis are set to be run in the coming weeks. The goal of this research was to address the lack of knowledge behind the vegetational communities within drainage systems, and to hopefully contribute to the science behind Phragmites management

The impact of Basel III on the provision on long-term housing finance in South Africa

South Africa suffers from an acute housing shortage with the lack of access to credit partly to blame. The implementation of Basel III, an international regulatory framework touted to impact the banking sector, has been suggested as a potential catalyst to credit deterioration in South Africa. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the Basel III regulatory Accord on the provision of long - term housing finance in South Africa. A combination of interviews with bank personnel, as well as a time – series statistical analysis utilising aggregate bank balance sheet data is employed to gauge how changes in banks’ balance sheet compositions may affect long - term housing finance. South African banks are historically well capitalised. However, the introduction of newly developed parameters in accordance with the Basel III Accord appear to threaten bank profitability. Findings from the study indicate that the provision of long - term housing finance will be compromised in certain ways with some sectors of the housing market more impacted than others

Elements of person knowledge: Episodic recollection helps us to identify people but not to recognize their faces

Faces automatically draw attention, allowing rapid assessments of personality and likely behaviour. How we respond to people is, however, highly dependent on whether we know who they are. According to face processing models person knowledge comes from an extended neural system that includes structures linked to episodic memory. Here we use scalp recorded brain signals to demonstrate the specific role of episodic memory processes during face processing. In two experiments we recorded Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) while participants made identify, familiar or unknown responses to famous faces. ERPs revealed neural signals previously associated with episodic recollection for identify but not familiar faces. These findings provide novel evidence suggesting that recollection is central to face processing, providing one source of person knowledge that can be used to moderate the initial impressions gleaned from the core neural system that supports face recognition

Elements of person knowledge : episodic recollection helps us to identify people but not to recognize their faces

This research was supported by the Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence (www.sinapse.ac.uk) and a Grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/L023644/1).Faces automatically draw attention, allowing rapid assessments of personality and likely behaviour. How we respond to people is, however, highly dependent on whether we know who they are. According to face processing models person knowledge comes from an extended neural system that includes structures linked to episodic memory. Here we use scalp recorded brain signals to demonstrate the specific role of episodic memory processes during face processing. In two experiments we recorded Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) while participants made identify, familiar or unknown responses to famous faces. ERPs revealed neural signals previously associated with episodic recollection for identify but not familiar faces. These findings provide novel evidence suggesting that recollection is central to face processing, providing one source of person knowledge that can be used to moderate the initial impressions gleaned from the core neural system that supports face recognition.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe