Inhibition of RVLM synaptic activation at peak hyperthermia reduces visceral sympathetic nerve discharge

Master of ScienceDepartment of Anatomy and PhysiologyMichael J. KenneyHyperthermia is an environmental stressor that produces marked increases in visceral sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) in young rats. The brainstem in rats contains the essential neural circuitry for mediating visceral sympathetic activation; however, specific brainstem sites involved remain virtually unknown. The rostral ventral lateral medulla (RVLM) is a key central nervous system region involved in the maintenance of basal SND and in mediating sympathetic nerve responses evoked from supraspinal sites. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that inhibition of RVLM synaptic activation at peak hyperthermia (internal body temperature, Tc, increased to 41.5°C) would affect heating-induced visceral sympathetic activation. Experiments were completed in chloralose-urethane anesthetized, baroreceptor-intact and sinoaortic-denervated, 3-6 month-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Bilateral inhibition of RVLM synaptic activation produced by muscimol microinjections (400 and 800 pmol) at 41.5°C resulted in immediate and significant reductions in peak heating-induced renal and splenic sympathoexcitation. Interruption of RVLM synaptic activation and axonal transmission by lidocaine microinjections (40 nmol) at 41.5°C produced significant reductions in hyperthermia-induced sympathetic activation to similar levels produced by RVLM muscimol microinjections. The total amount of SND inhibited by RVLM muscimol and lidocaine microinjections was significantly more during hyperthermia (41.5°C) than normothermia (38°C). These findings demonstrate that maintenance of sympathetic activation at peak hyperthermia is dependent on the integrity of RVLM neural circuits

A study of surface tension driven segregation in monotectic alloy systems

The compatibilities of various monotectic alloy systems with several different crucible materials were evaluated. The study was carried out using small candidate alloy samples of compositions that produced fifty volume percent of each liquid phase at the monotectic temperature. Compatibility was based on the evaluation of the wetting tendency of the two immiscible phases with the crucible material in a one-g solidified sample. Three types of wetting phenomena were observed during the evaluation. Type 1 indicates an alloy-crucible combination where the L2 phase preferentially wets the crucible material. Since L2 is usually the minority phase in desirable alloys, this material combination would be difficult to process and is therefore considered incompatible. Type 2 behavior indicates an alloy-crucible combination where the L1 phase preferentially wets the crucible material. This type of combination is considered compatible since surface tension effects should aid in processing the alloy to a useful form. Type 3 indicates any combination that leads to major reactions between the alloy and crucible material, gas entrapment, or separation of the metal from the crucible wall. Additional compatibility evaluations would have to be carried out on combinations of this category. The five alloy systems studied included aluminum-bismuth, copper-lead, aluminum-indium, aluminum-lead and cadmium-gallium. The systems were combined with crucibles of alumina, boron nitride, mullite, quartz, silicon carbide and zirconia

Research poster: HTSMA: a hybrid temporal-spatial multi-channel assignment scheme in heterogeneous wireless mesh networks

Research poste

Community Participation for Community Benefits From Natural Capital Projects : A Review for the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland Programme

Despite the growing volume and scale of natural capital investments, it remains unclear if, and how, these projects to maintain and restore the ecosystem will empower and enrich communities. This report is a core output from the project, Community Benefits Standard for the UK Nature Investment Market, developed in Scotland, which is funded by the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS). The FIRNS programme is delivered by NatureScot, in collaboration with the Scottish Government and in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It provides a review of academic and practitioner literature to explore best practice approaches for facilitating community inclusion and participation in order to generate lasting community benefit from nature-based projects. Such approaches can build and sustain two-way relationships between developers and community groups; helping developers to both understand and act upon the needs or issues that communities experience in relation to natural capital investments and to align with community priorities. These approaches can also contribute towards broader community wealth building and justice objectives. However, such co-benefits are not guaranteed. We offer a number of lessons, grounded in robust academic evidence, about how best to approach participation for community benefit creation

How to implement live video recording in the clinical environment: A practical guide for clinical services

Background: The use of video in healthcare is becoming more common, particularly in simulation and educational settings. However, video recording live episodes of clinical care is far less routine. Aim To provide a practical guide for clinical services to embed live video recording.Materials and Methods: Using Kotter's 8-step process for leading change, we provide a ?how to? guide to navigate the challenges required to implement a continuous video-audit system based on our experience of video recording in our emergency department resuscitation rooms.Results: The most significant hurdles in installing continuous video audit in a busy clinical area involve change management rather than equipment. Clinicians are faced with considerable ethical, legal and data protection challenges which are the primary barriers for services that pursue video recording of patient care.Discussion: Existing accounts of video use rarely acknowledge the organisational and cultural dimensions that are key to the success of establishing a video system. This article outlines core implementation issues that need to be addressed if video is to become part of routine care delivery.Conclusion: By focussing on issues such as staff acceptability, departmental culture and organisational readiness, we provide a roadmap that can be pragmatically adapted by all clinical environments, locally and internationally, that seek to utilise video recording as an approach to improving clinical care

Review of \u3ci\u3eThe Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, Volume 11: The J oumals of Joseph Whitehouse, May 14, 1804-April2, 1806\u3c/i\u3e Edited by Gary E. Moulton

This eleventh volume in the series of the Louis and Clark Expedition continues Gary Moulton\u27s masterful work. Here the story of the journey is seen through the eyes of one of the enlisted men, Joseph Whitehouse, whose journal is the only surviving record of a. private on the expedition. In the introduction, Moulton briefly covers Whitehouse\u27s life before and after the expedition, although there is little known of him during these times. He was one of the men who joined Lewis at Kaskasia, from Captain Russell Bissell\u27s company of the First Infantry. The volume itself contains two versions of Whitehouse\u27s record: his original notebook journal, which runs from 14 May 1804 to 6 November 1805 (the remaining portion has unfortunately been lost); and a second version consisting of a paraphrase of the journal written by a scribe or editor, and running from 14 May 1804 to 2 April 1806. Although the paraphrased version fills in some of the original journal\u27s gaps, it too falls short of completing the journey. For the first time both the original journal text and the paraphrased text are shown side by side with corresponding annotated comments at the end of each day\u27s writing, making this the most complete edition of the Whitehouse journal available. The format is consistent with the ten previous volumes. It carries forward the excellent tradition which distinguishes Gary Moulton\u27s work as one of the classic editorial series in American history. Much of what Whitehouse tells us is similar to, and at times verbatim with, the captains\u27 journals. On occasions when Whitehouse has included material that is new or different from the captains\u27 journals, Moulton offers useful explanations. The editor\u27s cross-references to the captains\u27 journals add greatly to the value of this volume for both the general reader and scholar. Historians interested in gaining a fuller understanding of the expedition must read this volume. It is also a good source for someone interested in reading about the journey who does not want to sift through the eight volumes of the captains\u27 journals. One must remember, however, that Whitehouse\u27s journal ends on 2 April 1806, several months prior to the Corps of Discovery\u27s return to St. Louis. Although the two versions are at times repetitious, this volume will prove to be the last necessary edition of Whitehouse\u27s journal, unless further information comes to light