Body Inclusions Research Articles

Semirigid inclusions in elastic bodies: Mechanical interplay and optimal control

The paper concerns an analysis of an equilibrium problem for 2D elastic body with two semirigid inclusions. It is assumed that inclusions have a joint point, and we investigate a junction problem for these inclusions. The existence of solutions is proved, and different equivalent formulations of the problem are proposed. We investigate a convergence to infinity of a rigidity parameter of the semirigid inclusion. It is proved that in the limit, we obtain an equilibrium problem for the elastic body with a rigid inclusion and a semirigid one. A parameter identification problem is investigated. In particular, the existence of a solution to a suitable optimal control problem is proved.

Black Is Beautiful: A Philosophy of Black Aesthetics

Black Is Beautiful: A Philosophy of Black Aesthetics

The Worldmakers: Global Imagining in Early Modern Europe

The Worldmakers: Global Imagining in Early Modern Europe

Making Enhancement Equitable: A Racial Analysis of the Term “Human Animal” and the Inclusion of Black Bodies in Human Enhancement

ABSTRACT This article seeks to deconstruct the language employed by critical posthumanism, specifically the term “human animal.” It explores the implications of its use as a blockade against the equitable inclusion of Black bodies in human enhancement. Essentially, it suggests that human advancement has universal implications. This is especially important in considering how enhancement will be distributed among those who do not fit normative humanistic descriptions. The reality of my context is that many Black folks in the United States are just beginning to explore what it means to be both Black and human within the bounds of “equality.” There remains within Black subjects a tremendous amount of baggage associated with historical objectifications, stemming from ancestral experiences and communal narratives. So, when white scholars propose a futuristic critical framework without employing a thorough assessment of race, skepticism from Black scholars regarding equity should be expected. This is especially true when human animality is a key component of that framework.

The effect of ɑ-synuclein preformed fibrils on network activity development in cultured cortical neurons

The effect of ɑ-synuclein preformed fibrils on network activity development in cultured cortical neurons

96 - Conformational Modulation of α-Synuclein by Dynamic Metal Coordination

The role of transition metals in neuronal health has become increasingly more appreciated in recent years. A tight regulatory system exists to maintain normal function; however, the abnormal accumulation of metals in specific regions of the brain is associated with both aging and neurodegeneration. Metal imbalance has long been linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) due to the accumulation of iron in the substantia nigra pars compacta, while copper levels in this same region are diminished. Despite the redox characteristics and ability of these transition metal ions to produce damaging free radicals, their potential for promoting normal brain function under homeostatic conditions must be considered. Both copper and iron trigger conformational changes within the intrinsically disordered protein αS, the principal component of Lewy body inclusions, which are the proteinaceous deposits within PD brains. This presentation will focus on new insights into potential protagonistic and antagonistic effects of metal-protein interactions. The conformational dynamics associated with iron, copper, and manganese binding to αS will be discussed as well as their ability to activate O2 and generate radicals. Unique changes are observed in the protein secondary and quaternary structure upon the introduction of stoichiometric quantities of individual metal ions based on circular dichroism and dynamic light scattering analyses. Immunoblotting techniques have further revealed that metal-bound αS can follow distinct pathways towards toxic oligomers or β-sheet fibrils depending on the metal. Furthermore, a clear involvement of ambient oxygen in the production of post-translational modifications has been observed. Such metal-induced changes can result in altered protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions, which could have physiological implications. Taken together, these results contribute to the ongoing conversation within the field about the role of metals and αS in PD progression.

A5252 - Conversion of duodenal switch to gastric bypass in patient with severe malnutrition and duodenal foreign body

We present the conversion of a 100x200cm duodenal switch into a 100x70cm gastric bypass in a patient with severe malnutrition and inclusion of a foreign body in the duodenum.

Parameter identification problems for thin inclusions in elastic bodies

The paper concerns an identification of rigidity parameters for thin inclusions located inside elastic bodies. A delamination of the inclusions is assumed thus providing a crack between inclusions and the elastic matrix. Inequality type boundary conditions are imposed at the crack faces to exclude a mutual penetration. We consider elastic as well as rigid inclusions and solve an optimal control problem for finding a rigidity parameter minimizing a suitable cost functional. The cost functional characterizes a displacement of the inclusion, and a rigidity parameter serves as a control function. We prove a solution existence of the problems formulated.

Race as Aesthetic: The Politics of Vision, Visibility, and Visuality in Vogue Italia’s “A Black Issue”

Abstract This essay highlights the construction of black bodies as valuable in the fashion system as a mark of difference and evidence of diversity. Here, I also render the high fashion industry as a site of conflicting elements concerning the deployment and meaning of the black female body. To do so, I use a combined analysis of activism in the fashion industry, which calls for the representation of black models through the visible inclusion of more black bodies on the runway and in magazines, and a textual/image analysis of the July 2008 issue of Vogue Italia, “A Black Issue.” I argue that representations of the black models in the Vogue Italia Black Issue present the “glamorous” black model’s body as unthreatening, alluring, and integrated into dominant discourses of feminine attractiveness. I draw from the presentation of images in the high fashion industry to highlight instances when blackness is asked to prove a post-race and post-racist reality. In an industry in which models are celebrated for being “blank palettes” for designers and fashion editors to mold into a stunning work of art, I ask, what might black do here? Through the aesthetic transformation of race, the neoliberal dimension of race is being played out in the name of art and taste, making race visible even as it elides racism and locating (racial) difference under the rubric of cultural diversity. Therefore, the presentation of black bodies becomes less about their blackness, and more about their ability to sell a marketable black aesthetic.

Fine structure analysis of alpha-synuclein aggregates in the patient’s brain with synchrotron radiation

Background: Recently, one of the hottest topics is the prion-like hypothesis of alpha-synuclein (αSyn). It has been proved that αSyn fibrils, which are made in vitro and have cross-β structure, propagate in the brain. However, it is unknown whether the Lewy body (LB) and glial cytoplasmic inclusion (GCI) in the patient's brain have cross-β structure.

Dopamine induces soluble α-synuclein oligomers and nigrostriatal degeneration.

Parkinson’s disease is defined by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and formation of Lewy body inclusions containing aggregated α-synuclein. Efforts to explain dopamine neuron vulnerability are hindered by the lack of dopaminergic cell death in α-synuclein transgenic mice. To address this, we manipulated dopamine levels in addition to α-synuclein expression. Nigra-targeted expression of mutant tyrosine hydroxylase with enhanced catalytic activity increased dopamine without damaging neurons in non-transgenic mice. In contrast, raising dopamine in mice expressing human A53T mutant α-synuclein induced progressive nigrostriatal degeneration and reduced locomotion. Dopamine elevation in A53T mice increased levels of potentially toxic α-synuclein oligomers, resulting in conformationally and functionally modified species. Moreover, in genetically tractable C. elegans models expression of α-synuclein mutated at the site of interaction with dopamine prevented dopamine-induced toxicity. The data suggest a unique mechanism linking two cardinal features of Parkinson’s disease, dopaminergic cell death and α-synuclein aggregation.

Investigation of neuronal pathfinding and construction of artificial neuronal networks on 3D-arranged porous fibrillar scaffolds with controlled geometry

Herein, we investigated the neurite pathfinding on electrospun microfibers with various fiber densities, diameters, and microbead islands, and demonstrated the development of 3D connected artificial neuronal network within a nanofiber-microbead-based porous scaffold. The primary culture of rat hippocampal embryonic neurons was deposited on geometry-controlled polystyrene (PS) fiber scaffolds while growth cone morphology, neurite outgrowth patterns, and focal adhesion protein expression were cautiously examined by microscopic imaging of immunostained and live neuronal cells derived from actin-GFP transgenic mice. It was demonstrated that the neurite outgrowth was guided by the overall microfiber orientation, but the increase in fiber density induced the neurite path alteration, thus, the reduction in neurite linearity. Indeed, we experimentally confirmed that growth cone could migrate to a neighboring, but, spatially disconnected microfiber by spontaneous filopodium extrusion, which is possibly responsible for the observed neurite steering. Furthermore, thinner microfiber scaffolds showed more pronounced expression of focal adhesion proteins than thicker ones, suggesting that the neuron-microfiber interaction can be delicately modulated by the underlying microfiber geometry. Finally, 3D connected functional neuronal networks were successfully constructed using PS nanofiber-microbead scaffolds where enhanced porosity and vertical fiber orientation permitted cell body inclusion within the scaffold and substantial neurite outgrowth in a vertical direction, respectively.

Stochastic local search with learning automaton for the swap-body vehicle routing problem

This work presents the stochastic local search method for the Swap-Body Vehicle Routing Problem (SB-VRP) that won the First VeRoLog Solver Challenge. The SB-VRP, proposed on the occasion of the challenge, is a generalization of the classical Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) in which customers are served by vehicles whose sizes may be enlarged via the addition of a swap body (trailer). The inclusion of a swap body doubles vehicle capacity while also increasing its operational cost. However, not all customers may be served by vehicles consisting of two bodies. Therefore swap locations are present where one of the bodies may be temporarily parked, enabling double body vehicles to serve customers requiring a single body. Both total travel time and distance incur costs that should be minimized, while the number of customers visited by a single vehicle is limited both by its capacity and by a maximum travel time. State of the art VRP approaches do not accommodate SB-VRP generalizations well. Thus, dedicated approaches taking advantage of the swap body characteristic are desired. The present paper proposes a stochastic local search algorithm with both general and dedicated heuristic components, a subproblem optimization scheme and a learning automaton. The algorithm improves the best known solution for the majority of the instances proposed during the challenge. Results are also presented for a new set of instances with the aim of stimulating further research concerning the SB-VRP.

Computational modeling of blast wave interaction with a human body and assessment of traumatic brain injury

The modeling of human body biomechanics resulting from blast exposure poses great challenges because of the complex geometry and the substantial material heterogeneity. We developed a detailed human body finite element model representing both the geometry and the materials realistically. The model includes the detailed head (face, skull, brain and spinal cord), the neck, the skeleton, air cavities (lungs) and the tissues. Hence, it can be used to properly model the stress wave propagation in the human body subjected to blast loading. The blast loading on the human was generated from a simulated C4 explosion. We used the highly scalable solvers in the multi-physics code CoBi for both the blast simulation and the human body biomechanics. The meshes generated for these simulations are of good quality so that relatively large time-step sizes can be used without resorting to artificial time scaling treatments. The coupled gas dynamics and biomechanics solutions were validated against the shock tube test data. The human body models were used to conduct parametric simulations to find the biomechanical response and the brain injury mechanism due to blasts impacting the human body. Under the same blast loading condition, we showed the importance of inclusion of the whole body.

The Role of Microglia in Retinal Neurodegeneration: Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson, and Glaucoma.

Microglia, the immunocompetent cells of the central nervous system (CNS), act as neuropathology sensors and are neuroprotective under physiological conditions. Microglia react to injury and degeneration with immune-phenotypic and morphological changes, proliferation, migration, and inflammatory cytokine production. An uncontrolled microglial response secondary to sustained CNS damage can put neuronal survival at risk due to excessive inflammation. A neuroinflammatory response is considered among the etiological factors of the major aged-related neurodegenerative diseases of the CNS, and microglial cells are key players in these neurodegenerative lesions. The retina is an extension of the brain and therefore the inflammatory response in the brain can occur in the retina. The brain and retina are affected in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and glaucoma. AD is an age-related neurodegeneration of the CNS characterized by neuronal and synaptic loss in the cerebral cortex, resulting in cognitive deficit and dementia. The extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid (Aβ) and intraneuronal accumulations of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (pTau) are the hallmarks of this disease. These deposits are also found in the retina and optic nerve. PD is a neurodegenerative locomotor disorder with the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. This is accompanied by Lewy body inclusion composed of α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregates. PD also involves retinal dopaminergic cell degeneration. Glaucoma is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease of the optic nerve, characterized by retinal ganglion cell loss. In this pathology, deposition of Aβ, synuclein, and pTau has also been detected in retina. These neurodegenerative diseases share a common pathogenic mechanism, the neuroinflammation, in which microglia play an important role. Microglial activation has been reported in AD, PD, and glaucoma in relation to protein aggregates and degenerated neurons. The activated microglia can release pro-inflammatory cytokines which can aggravate and propagate neuroinflammation, thereby degenerating neurons and impairing brain as well as retinal function. The aim of the present review is to describe the contribution in retina to microglial-mediated neuroinflammation in AD, PD, and glaucomatous neurodegeneration.

Viewpoint: The Social Dimension in Icelandic Fisheries Governance

ABSTRACTFisheries are a complex mixture of social, political, economic, and biological aspects, and often biological or economic end goals are given priority in fisheries governance. However, there is a growing trend around the world to include non-economic social objectives in fisheries management schemes, e.g., supporting rural communities, increasing opportunities for newcomers or part-time fishermen, or providing equitable access for culturally and historically important fisheries. In Iceland, fisheries management has given biological and economic goals' precedence over social goals, and there is no formal inclusion of a social science advisory body or formalized direct input from all relevant stakeholders in the fisheries governance process. Non-economic social sciences such as geography, anthropology, sociology, and political science can add important information and considerations that in turn make fisheries more sustainable in the long run. In this paper, we explain the role of social science in fisheries governance, explore how social aspects are addressed in other fisheries governance schemes, and review highlights from fisheries social science research in Iceland. We hope to generate a meaningful conversation regarding the possibilities of a modern, pioneering fisheries' governance process in Iceland where social, economic, and biological goals and research are all given equal attention.

Timoshenko inclusions in elastic bodies crossing an external boundary at zero angle

The paper concerns an analysis of equilibrium problems for 2D elastic bodies with a thin Timoshenko inclusion crossing an external boundary at zero angle. The inclusion is assumed to be delaminated, thus forming a crack between the inclusion and the body. We consider elastic inclusions as well as rigid inclusions. To prevent a mutual penetration between the crack faces, inequality type boundary conditions are imposed at the crack faces. Theorems of existence and uniqueness are established. Passages to limits are investigated as a rigidity parameter of the elastic inclusion going to infinity.

Analysis of mica inclusions using LA-ICP-MS: A new approach for sourcing raw material of ceramics

The analytical methods used for determining the origin of archaeological ceramics, such as petrography, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, attain their limits for differentiating bodies of similar composition, especially when they derive from the alteration of granitoid rocks. Our new approach is based on the chemical analysis of biotite inclusions in ceramic bodies using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and enables us to identify the geological origin of the clay used. Spot analysis of the biotite inclusions contained in ceramics made from clay derived from the alteration of rocks can be linked to the original granitic massif. The thin section or rock analysis of biotite inclusions is relatively fast. The dosage of trace elements, such as lithium and vanadium establishes a filiation between the rocks and ceramics. Using this geochemical base, it is possible to establish a link between a granitic batholite and early ceramics and to propose a circumscribed production area. This article will focus on occupations located on islands from western France.

Generative spaces: intimacy, activism and teaching feminist geographies

In this article, we examine responses to the March on Washington from the vantage point of Durham University, Durham, UK. As members of a course titled ‘Feminist Geographies of Intimacy’, we viewed the March on Washington as a prudent and timely event with which to think ‘on’ and ‘with’ intimacy and also to consider on a more personal level the significance of the March to our own feminism/s, feminist geographies and everyday lives. This piece is a collaborative effort written together by two instructors and eight students. We reflected on how we encountered ‘the March’ in the classroom in order to consider the varied locations and forms of protest; the range of issues that were fought for or fought against; the role of humour and other emotions when expressing dissent and/or solidarity; and the exclusion and inclusion of bodies which did or did not protest. The March for us, therefore, became a ‘generative space’ in that it provided a pedagogic tool with which to explore geographies of intimacy.

Calcipotriol inhibits α‐synuclein aggregation in SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells by a Calbindin‐D28k‐dependent mechanism

Many neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the formation of microscopically visible intracellular protein aggregates. α-Synuclein is the key aggregating protein in Parkinson's disease which is characterized by neuronal cytoplasmic Lewy body inclusions. Previous studies have shown relative sparing of neurons in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies that are positive for the vitamin D-dependent calcium-buffering protein, calbindin-D28k, and that α-synuclein aggregates are excluded from calbindin-D28k-positive neurons. Recent cell culture studies have shown that α-synuclein aggregation can be induced by raised intracellular-free Ca(II) and demonstrated that raised intracellular calcium and oxidative stress can act synergistically to promote α-synuclein aggregation. We hypothesized that calcipotriol, a potent vitamin D analogue used pharmaceutically, may be able to suppress calcium-dependent α-synuclein aggregation by inducing calbindin-D28k expression. Immunofluorescence and western blot analysis showed that calcipotriol potently induced calbindin-D28k in a dose-dependent manner in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Calcipotriol significantly decreased the frequency of α-synuclein aggregate positive cells subjected to treatments that cause raised intracellular-free Ca(II) (potassium depolarization, KCl/H2 O2 combined treatment, and rotenone) in a dose-dependent manner and increased viability. Suppression of calbindin-D28k expression in calcipotriol-treated cells using calbindin-D28k-specific siRNA showed significantly higher α-synuclein aggregation levels, indicating that calcipotriol-mediated blocking of calcium-dependent α-synuclein aggregation was dependent on the induction of calbindin-D28k expression. These data indicate that targeting raised intraneuronal-free Ca(II) in the brain by promoting the expression of calbindin-D28k at the transcriptional level using calcipotriol could prevent α-synuclein aggregate formation and ameliorate Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.