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Control charts have become a common method for damage detection within vibration-based structural health monitoring. Successful applications have been implemented including for historical buildings preservation. Nonetheless, their performance is affected by several algorithm parameters that should be properly set and more research is needed to optimise such tools. To this end, the present work discusses the preliminary results of a project that focuses on the development of a cost-effective damage detection strategy based on control charts for masonry towers in seismic prone areas. Here, a prototype of historic tower is defined based on an extensive documentary search, a methodology to simulate realistic long-term monitoring data is developed and, finally, different parameters that may affect the damage detection performance are analysed and compared against small-extent damage scenarios. The importance of normalising the features to account for seasonal fluctuations and setting a correct threshold for detection clearly emerged and drives the future scope of the work.

We hypothesize that melanocortin receptors (MC) could activate tissue protective circuit in a model of streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic retinopathy (DR) in mice. At 12–16 weeks after diabetes induction, fluorescein angiography (FAG) revealed an approximate incidence of 80% microvascular changes, typical of DR, in the animals, without signs of vascular leakage. Occludin progressively decreased in the retina of mice developing retinopathy. qPCR of murine retina revealed expression of two MC receptors, Mc1r and Mc5r. The intravitreal injection (5 μL) of the selective MC1 small molecule agonist BMS-470539 (33 μmol) and the MC5 peptidomimetic agonist PG-901 (7.32 nM) elicited significant protection with regular course and caliber of retinal vessels, as quantified at weeks 12 and 16 after diabetes induction. Mouse retina homogenate settings indicated an augmented release of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, MIP-1α, MIP-2α, MIP-3α, and VEGF from diabetic compared to nondiabetic mice. Application of PG20N or AGRP and MC5 and MC1 antagonist, respectively, augmented the release of cytokines, while the agonists BMS-470539 and PG-901 almost restored normal pattern of these mediators back to nondiabetic values. Similar changes were quantified with respect to Ki-67 staining. Finally, application of MC3-MC4 agonist/antagonists resulted to be inactive with respect to all parameters under assessment.

The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 affords child welfare agencies a new opportunity to fund evidence-supported interventions to prevent children’s removal into public foster care and ensure that youth in care receive appropriate treatment in the least restrictive (most family-like) setting. The new law has been generally heralded as a much-needed improvement over prior funding constraints, but there are concerns among a growing number of child welfare leaders, researchers, professional membership organizations, and advocacy groups that its focus on the families of children who are at immanent risk of removal because of maltreatment is too limiting and that overreliance on strict evidence standards may contribute to racial disparity. This article considers how child welfare agencies can best leverage the opportunities presented by Family First while addressing potential barriers posed by the paucity of evidence-supported prevention programs and avoiding the unintended consequences of limiting reimbursement to only selective prevention services that meet rigorous evidence standards of effectiveness.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/7368389.].[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/7368389.].

Introduction/Background*Operating on patients with a significantly raised body mass index (BMI) represents a significant challenge to the surgical and the anaesthetic team. Hysterectomy for early-stage uterine cancer is usually performed via laparoscopy.We aimed to evaluate whether a two consultant ‘buddy operating’ approach improves on intra-operative and post-operative outcomes in patients undergoing total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) for endometrial cancer who are morbidly obese.MethodologyA prospectively selected cohort of 25 patients with a BMI 47-70 undergoing TLH was divided into two groups according to whether the first assistant to the Gynae-Oncology consultant was a registrar (ST3-7), or a consultant (‘buddy operating’). Anaesthetic time, operating time, intraoperative estimated blood loss (EBL), requirement for high dependency unit (HDU) bed and length of stay (LOS) were compared in the two groups.Result(s)*Average ‘buddy’ operating time was significantly shorter compared to the registrar-assistant group (01:31h vs 01:59h respectively; p<0.001); a similar trend was seen with the average total anaesthetic time (02:48h vs 03:23h respectively; p<0.001). EBL was less in the ‘buddy operating’ group (39 mls) vs registrar-assistant group (169 mls; p<0.001). Post-operatively, LOS was shorter in the ‘buddy operating’ group as compared to the registrar-assistant, though not significantly so (1.13 vs 1.59 days; p=0.109). 2 of the total patients (8%) required a one-night stay in HDU for observation due to their co-morbidities, both in the registrar-assistant group. Mean BMI, age, ASA and comorbidities were similar in the two groups.Conclusion*In patients with a significantly raised BMI, TLHs by two consultants vs consultant and registrar are associated with better intra and post-operative outcomes, including reduced overall anaesthetic time, operating time, and EBL. There is an association with a reduced length of overall hospital stay, though this was not significant.

Rat endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) is a well-established model of human uveitis. In this model, intravitreal injection of resolvin D1 (RvD1, 10–100–1000 ng/kg) 1 hour after subcutaneous treatment of Sprague-Dawley rats with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 200 μg/rat) significantly prevented the development of uveitis into the eye. RvD1 dose-dependently increased the expression of sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) within the eye, while it decreased the expression of acetyl-p53 and acetyl-FOXO1. These effects were accompanied by local downregulation of some microRNAs related to the expression and activity of SIRT1. These were miR-195-5p, miR-200a-3p, miR-34a-5p, and miR-145-5p. An increase of manganese superoxide dismutase and decrease of caspase 3 were evident after RvD1 treatment. In another set of experiments, the protective effects of RvD1 (1000 ng/kg) were partly abolished by the pretreatment of the rats with EX527 (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.), a specific inhibitor of SIRT1 activity, for 7 days prior to the induction of EIU in rats. Similarly, the effects of RvD1 (1000 ng/kg) on the SIRT1 protein expression were abolished by Boc2, N-t-butoxycarbonyl-PLPLP, a specific formyl-peptide receptor type 2/lipoxin A receptor antagonist. Therefore, an interplay of the SIRT1 activity on the RvD1 mediated resolution of EIU is argued.

Recent success in clinical trials supports the use of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors for gene therapy of retinal diseases caused by defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In contrast, evidence of the efficacy of AAV-mediated gene transfer to retinal photoreceptors, the major site of inherited retinal diseases, is less robust. In addition, although AAV-mediated RPE transduction appears efficient, independently of the serotype used and species treated, AAV-mediated photoreceptor gene transfer has not been systematically investigated thus so far in large animal models, which also may allow identifying relevant species-specific differences in AAV-mediated retinal transduction. In the present study, we used the porcine retina, which has a high cone/rod ratio. This feature allows to properly evaluate both cone and rod photoreceptors transduction and compare the transduction characteristics of AAV2/5 and 2/8, the two most efficient AAV vector serotypes for photoreceptor targeting. Here we show that AAV2/5 and 2/8 transduces both RPE and photoreceptors. AAV2/8 infects and transduces photoreceptor more efficiently than AAV2/5, similarly to what we have observed in the murine retina. The use of the photoreceptor-specific rhodopsin promoter restricts transgene expression to porcine rods and cones, and results in photoreceptor transduction levels similar to those obtained with the ubiquitous promoters tested. Finally, immunological, toxicological and biodistribution studies support the safety of AAV subretinal administration to the large porcine retina. The data presented here on AAV-mediated transduction of the cone-enriched porcine retina may affect the development of gene-based therapies for rare and common severe photoreceptor diseases.

When parties decide, do voters listen? We argue that the answer depends on voters’ trust in the institutions of American politics. Using both a conjoint experiment and a traditional survey experiment with subjects voting in hypothetical congressional primary elections, we find that respondents from both parties are more likely to support a candidate when that candidate is endorsed by a member of the party or when the candidate has previously served in elected office. However, these findings are conditional on trust and partisanship. For Democrats, we find that support for party-backed candidates erodes among low-trust respondents. Low-trust Democrats are particularly resistant to candidates endorsed by traditional party elites such as Speaker Pelosi, President Obama, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and are less likely to support experienced candidates. While low-trust Republicans are more skeptical of endorsements from traditional party actors like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the most salient attribute for Republicans is an endorsement from President Trump, which significantly boosted support in both studies independent of trust. Our findings support party-centric theories of primaries but suggest that voter distrust in the political system threatens parties’ control over their nominations.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/7368389.].