A Practitioner\u27s Guide to Dismissals for Failure to Prosecute Under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.420(e)

In a typical scenario, plaintiff\u27s counsel files an action to rectify an alleged injury

Is loudness part of a sound recognition process?

International audienceInfluence of loudness on sound recognition was investigated in an explicit memory experiment based on a conscious recollection-test phase-of previously encoded information-study phase. Three encoding conditions were compared: semantic (sounds were sorted in three different categories), sensory (sounds were rated in loudness), and control (participants were solely asked to listen to the sounds). Results revealed a significant study-to-test change effect: loudness change between the study and the test phases affects recognition. The effect was not specific to the encoding condition (semantic vs sensory) suggesting that loudness is an important hint for everyday sounds recognition. [Q-JF] Dat

Earthquake... Volcano? Tales of seismically-triggered eruptions

How do tectonic earthquakes affect volcanoes? This research question forms the common thread in this thesis. Earthquakes have been reported to trigger a range of phenomena at volcanic centres: seismicity, ground deformation, gas emissions and, sometimes, magmatic eruptions. Such volcanic eruptions are then referred to as seismically-triggered eruptions. Today, anticipating seismically-triggered eruptions remains a challenge because we do not fully grasp the underlying physical mechanisms. This thesis is divided in three main chapters, each using a different approach to constrain the mechanisms involved in seismically-triggered eruptions. The thesis ends with implications for the fundamental goal of volcanology—improving our ability to forecast volcanic eruptions. In Chapter 2, I establish a theoretical framework to conceptually organize and under- stand the topic of seismically-triggered eruptions. I summarize the available evidence for seismically-triggered eruptions and review viable physical mechanisms to explain them. By considering the favourable conditions for each of the mechanisms, I derive a novel classification of volcanoes based on their susceptibility to being seismically-triggered. I find that every volcano has the potential to be seismically-triggered, though via different mechanisms. I outline three observable parameters to help assess the relevant mechanisms at any given volcano: (1) magma viscosity, (2) open- or closed-system degassing and (3) the presence or absence of an active hydrothermal system. In general, non- eruptive unrest is the most common seismically-triggered phenomenon, often associated with hydrothermal systems. Magmatic seismically-triggered eruptions only occur at vol- canoes that are already primed for eruption. I conclude this chapter by discussing how the characteristics of an earthquake also exert some control on the triggering mechanisms. This analysis shows that high peak ground velocities, low seismic waves frequencies and large static stress change amplitudes, all favour seismically-triggered eruptions. For Chapter 3, I designed a new experimental setup in order to explore the effect of pressure oscillations on vesiculation in rhyolite. Hydrous (0.11 ± 0.01 wt.% H2O) rhyolite samples were placed inside cylindrical ceramic crucibles and mechanically pressurized by applying force with a ceramic plunger. Two sets of experiments were performed. In the first set, pressure was kept constant at 177 kPa whereas in the second set, pressure followed a sinusoid centred about 177 kPa, with an amplitude of 71 kPa and a frequency of 0.1 Hz. In both cases, samples were supersaturated in water and expanded due to vesiculation. Bubbles preferentially formed on the outer margin of the samples, either via heterogneous nucleation or by diffusion into trapped interstitial air at the sample- crucible interface. For oscillating experiments, sample expansion was consistently lower, and the amount of bubbles at the sample margin was also reduced. I consider the effect of pressure oscillations on bubble nucleation, growth and coalescence, as well as gas loss by filtration through the ceramic crucibles. Pressure oscillations drive the samples in and out of water saturation, thereby reducing bubble nucleation and growth. While this analysis is consistent with my observations, more tests are needed to confirm this unexpected result. I finally discuss how the results obtained with this new experimental setup can be scaled to natural scenarios of seismically-triggered eruptions, where magmas usually contain more dissolved water (2-6 wt.%) and are typically stored at higher confining pressures (100-250 MPa). In Chapter 4, I study the case of the 1960 eruption of Cordón Caulle, in southern Chile. This eruption occurred less than two days after the Mw9.5 Great Chilean earth- quake and is generally considered to have been seismically-triggered. Cordón Caulle also produced two similar historical eruptions that were not seismically-triggered in 1921-1922 and 2011-2012. I collected and compared pumice lapilli samples from the 1921-1922, 1960 and 2011-2012 eruptions, in order to decipher any effect from the Mw9.5 earthquake. The 1960 samples are indistinguishable from the 2011-2012 samples, based on major element matrix glass composition, but the glass from 1921-1922 is slightly less evolved. I then apply rhyolite-MELTS geobarometry to calculate storage and extraction pressures. Storage pressures for all eruptions correspond to the shallow crust, at 90-112 MPa (4.0-5.0 km) for the 1921-1922 eruption, 123-143 MPa (5.4-6.3 km) for the 1960 eruption and 79-146 MPa (3.5-6.6 km) for the 2011-2012 eruption. Extraction pressures, i.e. the pressures at which melt segregated from its parental mush, are within the range 70-200 MPa (3.1-9.0 km) for all three eruptions, suggesting that melt was produced in the same, laterally extensive mush zone. These new geobarometry results are in agreement with current models of the magmatic system at Cordón Caulle from different data sources. Finally, I discuss whether the difference in storage pressure in 1960 could be related to the Great Chilean earthquake. The 1960 magma chamber was ∼1.3 km deeper than the 1921-1922 magma chamber. Thus, assuming similar initial volatile contents, the 1960 magma contained less exsolved volatiles during storage, which may have contributed to lower overpressures. The Mw9.5 earthquake unclamped the system, perhaps accelerating dyke opening, ascent and eruption of a magma likely already bound to erupt. In summary, assessing whether a tectonic earthquake increases the probability of eruption at a given volcano remains a major challenge for volcanologists. This thesis shows the breadth and complexity of seismically-triggered eruptions, and highlights the need for increased multidisciplinary approaches to the problem. An earthquake can modulate the time to eruption, for volcanic centres that are already in a critical state, i.e. ready to erupt on timescales from days to a few years. Volcanoes that are in a critical state should then be the monitoring priority, in the wake of a tectonic earthquake

Mechanisms of translation regulation in long-term synaptic plasticity

Les souvenirs sont encodés dans le cerveau grâce aux configurations uniques de vastes réseaux neuronaux. Chaque connexion dans ces circuits est apte à être modifiée. Ces changements durables s’opèrent au niveau des synapses grâce à une synthèse de protéines de novo et génèrent ce qu’on nomme des traces mnésiques. Plusieurs preuves indiquent que, dans certaines formes de plasticité synaptique à long terme, cette synthèse a lieu dans les dendrites près des synapses activées plutôt que dans le corps cellulaire. Cependant, les mécanismes qui régulent cette traduction de protéines demeurent encore nébuleux. La phase d’initiation de la traduction est une étape limitante et hautement régulée qui, selon plusieurs chercheurs, constitue la cible principale des mécanismes de régulation de la traduction dans la plasticité synaptique à long terme. Le présent projet de recherche infirme cette hypothèse dans une certaine forme de plasticité synaptique, la dépression à long terme dépendante des récepteurs métabotropiques du glutamate (mGluR-LTD). À l’aide d’enregistrements électrophysiologiques de neurones hippocampiques en culture couplés à des inhibiteurs pharmacologiques, nous montrons que la régulation de la traduction implique les étapes de l’élongation et de la terminaison et non celle de l’initiation. De plus, nous démontrons grâce à des stratégies de knockdown d’expression d’ARN que la protéine de liaison d’ARNm Staufen 2 joue un rôle déterminant dans la mGluR-LTD induite en cultures. Dans leur ensemble, les résultats de la présente étude viennent appuyer un modèle de régulation de la traduction locale de protéines qui est indépendante de l’initiation.Memories are encoded in the unique configurations of the vast neuronal networks of the brain. Each of these connections possesses the ability to be modified. Such long-lasting changes at the synapse often require the synthesis of new proteins that create what we call memory traces. Evidence suggests that the signal-induced activation of translation in some forms of synaptic plasticity occurs locally, at the activated synapses, rather than in the soma. However, the mechanisms regulating local and rapid de novo protein synthesis are poorly understood. The initiation step of translation is a highly regulated step and is believed to be the main target of control. The present research project challenges this view for a certain form of long-term synaptic plasticity, metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent long-term depression (mGluR-LTD). We show, using electrophysiological recordings of dissociated hippocampal neurons in cultures coupled to pharmacological inhibitors, that translation regulation depends on elongation and termination, rather than initiation. Moreover, by exploiting RNA knockdown strategies, we demonstrate that the RNA-binding protein Staufen 2 plays a crucial role in mGluR-LTD induced in cultures. Altogether, the findings of the present study support a model of translation regulation that is downstream of initiation

L'impact des résections de l'insula sur la personnalité

La recherche montre que l’insula est impliquée dans le traitement d’informations intéroceptives, émotionnelles et relevant de fonctions exécutives de haut niveau. L’hypothèse des marqueurs somatiques propose que ces fonctions vraisemblablement séparées travaillent plutôt de concert au sein d’un système neural dont le rôle consiste à extraire les messages émotionnels des signaux corporels. Si l’insula exerce effectivement un rôle de modulateur des sensations corporelles et des processus cognitifs découlant de ceux-ci, des lésions au cortex insulaire risquent d’occasionner des altérations au niveau de l’expérience émotionnelle, des fonctions exécutives et de la personnalité. La présente étude a pour but de mesurer ces changements chez 19 patients ayant subi une insulectomie unilatérale dans le cadre de leur traitement de l’épilepsie. Ces patients ont été comparés à un groupe contrôle composé de 19 patients épileptiques ayant subi une résection du lobe temporal. Les participants ont été évalués par l’entremise du Iowa Scales of Personality Change (ISPC), rempli par un proche du patient. Les résultats montrent que les patients du groupe insulaire exhibent des changements qui dénotent une dérégulation émotionnelle à long terme, caractérisée par une augmentation modérée de l’irritabilité, de la labilité émotionnelle, de l’anxiété et de la frugalité, tous des changements qui, outre l’anxiété, n’ont pas été observés chez les patients temporaux. Cependant, pour ce qui est des fonctions exécutives, aucun changement significatif n’a été noté. De plus, la comparaison pré- et post opératoire des scores des deux groupes aux items de l’ISPC ne s’est pas avérée significative. Globalement, les résultats suggèrent que l’insula joue probablement un rôle accessoire au sein du modèle proposé par l’hypothèse des marqueurs somatiques et que les résections unilatérales partielles ou complètes de l’insula ne risquent pas d’occasionner de changements prononcés de la personnalité.Research has shown that the insula is involved in the processing of information relating to interoceptive, emotional and executive functions. It was proposed that these two seemingly separate functions may work conjointly as part of a large neural circuit tasked with the extraction of emotional information from bodily signals. It was hypothesized that, if the insula does indeed modulate feelings and the cognitive processes which derive from them, insular damage would result in alterations of emotional experience, executive functions and personality. To that effect, we examined such changes in a group of patients (n = 19) who underwent epilepsy surgery involving partial or complete resection of the insula, and compared them to a group of patients who underwent temporal lobe epilepsy surgery (n = 19) as a lesion-control group. Participants were assessed on the Iowa Scales of Personality Change, filled by a close relative at least six months after surgery. While pre- vs. post-surgery changes did not significantly differ between groups on any of the outcome variables, insular resections were associated with mild but significant increases in irritability, emotional lability, anxiety, and frugality postoperatively, which, with the exception of increased anxiety, were not found among temporal patients. Against our initial prediction, the surgery did not lead to executive functioning deficits. Overall, our results support the notion that the insula most likely holds an accessorial role in the model proposed by the somatic marker hypothesis, and that there isn’t a risk of dramatic personality change as a result of the partial or complete unilateral surgical removal of the insula

ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ ДИСТАНЦІЙНОЇ ФОРМИ НАВЧАННЯ У ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧНУ ОСВІТУ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧНОГО УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ)

The aim of the work. Generalization of the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine legal documents and determination of the methodological foundations of distance learning implementation in pharmaceutical education.Materials and Methods. Systemic method, comparative and legal analysis, method of pedagogical experiment.Results and Discussion. On the example of National University of Pharmacy (Kharkiv) the phases and activities to meet the requirements of legal documents of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for the implementation of distance learning have been summarized. Organizational, scientific-methodological, personnel, material, technical and informational supports of the university have been described. Based on the methodological foundations of distance learning offered by the authors, a schedule of the educational process was drawn up and the coordination of the pedagogical experiment was coordinated, in which 63 students and 17 departments of the university took part.Conclusions. The methodological foundations of distance learning offered and tested during the pedagogical experiment provide transparency and constant monitoring both for the educational activities of students and for its accompaniment by tutors. The experience of distance learning implementation at the National University of pharmacy (Kharkiv) can be used by higher education institutions, which train specialists in pharmacy.Мета роботи. Узагальнення вимог нормативно-правових документів МОН України та визначення методологічних засад впровадження дистанційного навчання у фармацевтичну освіту.Матеріали і методи. Системний метод, порівняльний та нормативно-правовий аналіз, метод педагогічного експерименту.Результати й обговорення. На прикладі Національного фармацевтичного університету (м. Харків) узагальнено етапи та конкретні заходи щодо виконання вимог нормативно-правових документів МОН України з впровадження дистанційного навчання. Описано організаційне, науково-методичне, кадрове, матеріально-технічне та інформаційне забезпечення університету. На підставі запропонованих авторами методологічних засад дистанційного навчання розроблено графік навчального процесу та здійснено координацію педагогічного експерименту, у якому взяли участь 63 здобувачі вищої освіти та 17 кафедр університету.Висновки. Запропоновані та опрацьовані під час педагогічного експерименту методологічні засади дистанційного навчання забезпечують прозорість та постійний контроль як за освітньою діяльністю здобувачів вищої освіти, так і за її супроводженням з боку тьюторів. Досвід впровадження дистанційного навчання у Національному фармацевтичному університеті (м. Харків) може бути використаний іншими вузами, які забезпечують підготовку спеціалістів фармації

Unraveling the role of galectin-3 in cardiac pathology and physiology

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a carbohydrate-binding protein with multiple functions. Gal-3 regulates cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis by orchestrating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. It is implicated in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, and its expression is increased in patients with heart failure. In atherosclerosis, Gal-3 promotes monocyte recruitment to the arterial wall boosting inflammation and atheroma. In acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the expression of Gal-3 increases in infarcted and remote zones from the beginning of AMI, and plays a critical role in macrophage infiltration, differentiation to M1 phenotype, inflammation and interstitial fibrosis through collagen synthesis. Genetic deficiency of Gal-3 delays wound healing, impairs cardiac remodeling and function after AMI. On the contrary, Gal-3 deficiency shows opposite results with improved remodeling and function in other cardiomyopathies and in hypertension. Pharmacologic inhibition with non-selective inhibitors is also protective in cardiac disease. Finally, we recently showed that Gal-3 participates in normal aging. However, genetic absence of Gal-3 in aged mice exacerbates pathological hypertrophy and increases fibrosis, as opposed to reduced fibrosis shown in cardiac disease. Despite some gaps in understanding its precise mechanisms of action, Gal-3 represents a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and the management of cardiac aging. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the role of Gal-3 in the pathophysiology of heart failure, atherosclerosis, hypertension, myocarditis, and ischemic heart disease. Furthermore, we describe the physiological role of Gal-3 in cardiac aging