Conceptus-Derived Immunosuppressive Factors and Their Role in Fetal Allograft Protection.

The role of conceptus-derived immunosuppressive factors in protecting the fetal allograft was investigated by first examining the immunosuppressive activity derived from ovine, caprine and hybrid conceptus trophoblast tissue. Medium conditioned by 20 day-old conceptus trophoblast tissue from each species suppressed sheep and goat lymphocyte proliferation (P .05) between the immunosuppressive effects of the three media on either sheep or goat lymphocytes. In subsequent studies, horse conceptus-conditioned medium (HCCM) derived from embryos at days 9, 15 and 26 of gestation, suppressed mitogen-stimulated horse lymphocytes (P $\u3c$.001). HCCM maintained its suppressive activity following heating and repeated freeze-thawing. Using microconcentrator centrifugation, it was determined that the suppressor factor(s) was $\u3e$100,000 MW. HCCM was tested in donkey and goat lymphocyte cultures and proved capable of suppressing proliferation of xenogeneic lymphocytes (P $\u3c$.01). However, the suppressive capacity of HCCM in caprine lymphocyte cultures was less (P $\u3c$.05) than that in equine cultures. Trophoblast tissue of 21 day-old horse conceptuses was cultured in the presence and absence of indomethacin. Both immunosuppressive activity and the concentration of prostaglandin E$\sb2$ (PGE$\sb2$) in the medium of each culture were measured. While PGE$\sb2$ production was greatly reduced in cultures containing indomethacin, trophoblast-derived immunosuppressive activity was not affected (P $\u3e$.05). The final study involved partial characterization of the HCCM suppressor factor\u27s (HCCM-SF) mechanism of action. By testing HCCM-SF in cultures stimulated with mitogens that selectively activate B and/or T lymphocytes, and by sorting HCCM-SF-treated and non-treated cells labeled with fluorescent antibodies, it was determined that HCCM-SF acts on T lymphocytes. The temporal effect of HCCM-SF was also investigated and, compared to lymphocytes treated at time 0, proliferation was greater (P $\u3c$.01) in cultures treated with HCCM-SF 24 or 48 hours after the start of stimulation. Furthermore, the removal of HCCM-SF from lymphocyte cultures resulted in complete recovery of cell responsiveness. The addition of recombinant human IL-2 to the lymphocyte cultures did not overcome the suppressive effect of HCCM-SF (P .05). HCCM-SF may be one factor responsible for inhibiting cell-mediated fetal allograft rejection during pregnancy

Interactive Processes and Evidence-Informed Knowledge Use in Public Health: The Example of Youth Physical Activity in the SHAPES-Ontario KE Extension

Objective: Significant investments to address childhood obesity require that we understand the factors that facilitate the use of research among public health practitioners in order to support evidence-informed strategies. Therefore the objective of this study is to understand the role of the interactive support of the SHAPES-Ontario Knowledge Exchange Extension (KE Extension) on evidence-informed knowledge use concerning youth physical activity in public health. The interactive support is defined according to three components: 1) Collaborative Partnership, 2) Community of Practice, and 3) Knowledge Broker. Methods: Two different groups of Public Health Organisations were selected. The Intervention group consisted of two Ontario Public Health Units from the SHAPES-Ontario KE Extension. The Comparison group consisted of one Ontario Public Health Unit and one Manitoba Regional Health Authority. The Comparison organisations did not have the intervention of the KE Extension. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with approximately four to five staff from each organisation. Qualitative analysis identified instances of evidence-informed knowledge use, interactive processes and other factors that influenced knowledge use related to youth physical activity in public health program planning and decision-making. This resulted in comprehensive case studies for each organisation. Cross case analysis identified the dominant similarities and difference in the factors that influence evidence-informed knowledge use across the organisations and how they inter-relate. Results: The cross case analysis indicated that having access to local youth physical activity surveillance data (e.g., SHAPES data) was the most important facilitator of evidence-informed practice. Interactive processes, specifically working groups, partnerships, and knowledge brokers, were found to be an important factor across the fours organisations. These interactive processes were found to have a reciprocal relationship with the information source and the context for sue, further facilitating evidence-informed knowledge use. The specific interactive mechanisms of the KE Extension did not emerge from the data, as the intervention was not intensive enough compared to the other activities within the Intervention organisations. Conclusions: Providing public health practitioners with access to local and relevant research evidence, coupled with intensive, sustained, and consistent interactive support for planning and decision-making may be effective at encouraging evidence-informed practice related to youth physical activity

Endogenous opioid modulation of the neural and behavioral correlates of learning and memory necessary for infant attachment.

Disorganized attachment in which a child attaches to an abusive caregiver is a significant risk factor for childhood and adult psychiatric disorders. Both animal and clinical studies suggest that disorganized attachment behaviors are often precipitated by disruptions to development of the endogenous opioid system, as occurs with prenatal opiate exposure or postnatal maltreatment. The goals of this dissertation research were to (1) contribute to the understanding of the neurocircuitry supporting attachment despite abuse, (2) to assess the role of the endogenous opioid system in this learned attachment behavior, and (3) to assess the role of opioid modulation of the attachment neurocircuitry. Experiments utilized our lab's unique model of infant caregiver abuse that capitalizes on rat pups' dependence on maternal odor learning for attachment. In the rat, infants must learn an odor preference regardless of the quality of maternal care to secure attachment, and learned odor aversions thwart attachment. Results demonstrate that endogenous opioids are necessary for the acquisition, memory consolidation, and expression of neonate odor preferences. Furthermore, opioids play a pivotal role in the memory formation of odor preferences despite abuse, as disruption to the opioid system yields odor aversions. Assessment of the attachment circuitry supporting odor---abuse conditioning suggests that cellular changes within the olfactory bulb, the anterior piriform cortex, and the lack of significant changes in the amygdala, an area intimately associated with the memory of fear and aversions in older pups and adults, contribute to readily learned odor preferences. Results also suggest that opioid modulation of the cellular activity within this attachment circuitry plays a pivotal role in securing learned odor preferences. More importantly, opioids appear to limit amygdala participation in neonate memory formation despite abuse, and disruption of opioid activity within the neonate amygdala yields odor aversions. Overall, results indicate a prominent role of the endogenous opioid system in mediating the neonate learning and memory necessary for attachment, and thus highlight how prenatal or postnatal disturbances to the developing opioid system jeopardize infant attachment. Furthermore, these results offer an avenue into understanding how these early adverse experiences affect the attachment process and subsequent emotional development

Indirect RKKY interaction in any dimensionality

We present an analytical method which enables one to find the exact spatial dependence of the indirect RKKY interaction between the localized moments via the conduction electrons for the arbitrary dimensionality $n$. The corresponding momentum dependence of the Lindhard function is exactly found for any $n$ as well. Demonstrating the capability of the method we find the RKKY interaction in a system of metallic layers weakly hybridized to each other. Along with usual $2k_F$ in-plane oscillations the RKKY interaction has the sign-reversal character in a direction perpendicular to layers, thus favoring the antiferromagnetic type of layers' stacking.Comment: 3 pages, REVTEX, accepted to Phys.Rev.

2018-2019 Philharmonia No. 3

Concert Date & Time: November 10, 2018 at 7:30 PM and November 11, 2018 at 4:00 PM 2018 Concerto Competition Winners Program Concerto for Viola and Orchestra / Béla Bartók Kayla Williams, viola Violin Concerto / Alban Berg Melanie Riordan, violin Flute Concerto No. 1 / André Jolivet Lydia Roth, flute Piano Concerto in F / George Gershwin Bailey-Michelle Collins, pianohttps://spiral.lynn.edu/conservatory_philharmonia/1133/thumbnail.jp

Vol. 35, No. 3

A Primer on the Illinois Education-Based Funding for Student Success Act, by Robert Bloch, A. Lynn Himes, Terry L. Hodges, Mitch Roth, Barbara Erickson, and Jack Vrett Recent Developmentshttps://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/iperr/1105/thumbnail.jp

More than just a side effect: Dynamic knee valgus and deadbug bridging performance in youth soccer players and alpine skiers have similar absolute values and asymmetry magnitudes but differ in terms of the direction of laterality

From a preventative perspective, leg axis and core stabilization capacities are important for soccer players and alpine skiers; however, due to different sport-specific demands, the role of laterality clearly differs and may result in functional long-term adaptations. The aims of this study are 1) to determine whether there are differences in leg axis and core stability between youth soccer players and alpine skiers and 2) between dominant and non-dominant sides, and 3) to explore the outcomes of applying common sport-specific asymmetry thresholds to these two distinct cohorts. Twenty-one highly trained/national-level soccer players (16.1 years, 95% CI: 15.6, 16.5) and 61 alpine skiers (15.7 years, 95% CI: 15.6, 15.8) participated in this study. Using a marker-based 3D motion capture system, dynamic knee valgus was quantified as the medial knee displacement (MKD) during drop jump landings, and core stability was quantified as the vertical displacement during deadbug bridging exercise (DBB $_{displacement}$ ). For the analysis of sports and side differences, a repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance was used. For the interpretation of laterality, coefficients of variation (CV) and common asymmetry thresholds were applied. There were no differences in MKD or DBB $_{displacement}$ between soccer players and skiers or between the dominant and non-dominant sides, but there was an interaction effect side*sports for both variables (MKD: p = 0.040, η$^{2}$ p = 0.052; DBB $_{displacement}$ : p = 0.025, η$^{2}$ p = 0.061). On average, MKD was larger on the non-dominant side and DBB $_{displacement}$ laterality on the dominant side in soccer players, whereas this pattern was reversed in alpine skiers. Despite similar absolute values and asymmetry magnitudes of dynamic knee valgus and deadbug bridging performance in youth soccer players and alpine skiers, the effect on the direction of laterality was opposite even though much less pronounced. This may imply that sport-specific demands and potential laterality advantages should be considered when dealing with asymmetries in athletes

Sediment-Induced Amplification in the Northeastern United States: a Case Study in Providence, Rhode Island

We employed ambient-noise measurements to assess the potential for seismic site response in sediment-filled valleys that intersect beneath downtown Providence, Rhode Island. At eight valley stations and at two sites on an adjacent bedrock highland, we recorded ground motion from two types of sources: pile drivers at a local construction site and ambient microtremors. At all valley sites where sediment thicknesses exceed 10 m, spectral ratios contain amplitude peaks at frequencies of 1.5 to 3.0 Hz. In contrast, spectral ratios from the two sites on the bedrock highland where sediment cover is less than 4-m thick are relatively flat within this frequency range. A variety of borehole logs identified two fundamental sediment types (soft sediment and a consolidated glacial till) and were used to map layer thicknesses over the entire study region. Refraction data constrained P-wave velocity in the bedrock to be 3680 ± 160 m/sec and indicated two soft-sediment layers with P-wave velocities of 300 ± 50 and 1580 ± 120 m/sec. Using a one-dimensional reflection matrix technique, we matched the spectral-ratio peak observed at each valley site with the frequency of fundamental resonance predicted for local layer thicknesses and velocities. A positive correlation between the best-fitting soft-sediment velocities and bedrock depth may reflect greater compaction in the deepest sediments or a locally two-dimensional sediment resonance at the deepest sediment sites. We conclude that unconsolidated sediment layers under downtown Providence have the potential to amplify earthquake ground motion at frequencies damaging to engineered structures