Environmental enrichment (EE) is widely used in the life sciences to study effects of environment on the brain. In pigs, despite lack of EE being a key welfare issue there is little understanding of brain effects of EE in pigs. This project aimed to study the effects of exposure to an EE arena on piglet behaviours and on brain gene expression levels with a focus on IGF-1 and related genes. Eigh...

To investigate the spatial and behavioral correlates of striatal neurons during displacement movements, the rostromedial dorsal striata (AP 1.0-2.2, ML 1.5-2.0) of five rats were surgically implanted with advanceable bundles of fine wire electrodes. After recovery, the rats were deprived of water and trained in a square-walled open field in a dark room. The behavioral task required alternating ...

In 3 experiments, rats were required to find a submerged platform located in 1 corner of an arena that had 2 long and 2 short sides; they were then trained to find the platform in a new arena that also had 2 long and 2 short sides but a different overall shape. The platform in the new arena was easier to find if it was in a corner that was geometrically equivalent, rather than the mirror image,...

We analyze voting on subsidies for professional sports facilities in Harris County (Houston), Texas and Brown County (Green Bay), Wisconsin to learn more about voter preferences for these subsidies. The results differ somewhat between the two jurisdictions, as do the nature of the supports being proposed and the communities. One consistent result is that voting precincts that have a relatively ...

An arrival flight traffic model is presented to simulate time-varying arrivals via airport arrival fixes to runway. The underlying simulation was developed to support an analysis of airborne holding at airport meter fixes, based on changes in arrival capacity and operating procedures of the destination airport. A principal challenge was developing a modeling approach for aircraft arrivals, wher...

A significant improvement in the rate of eradication of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 has been achieved with the addition of Boceprevir and Telaprevir to pegylated interferon and ribavirin. These two drugs are the heralds of a new wave of antivirals that will improve the efficacy of pegylated interferon or even will substitute this drug in interferon free combinations. The results of phase II st...

Prorenin, the precursor of renin, exists in circulating blood at concentrations that are 5 to 10 higher than those of renin. For many years, prorenin was considered to be an inactive form of renin with no physiological role. Then, in the mid-80s of the last century, Luetscher et al reported that the levels of circulating prorenin (but not renin) are increased in diabetic subjects.1 Subsequent s...

Age is a significant risk factor for the development of vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Although pharmacological treatments, including statins and anti-hypertensive drugs, have improved the prognosis for patients with cardiovascular disease, it remains a leading cause of mortality in those aged 65 years and over. Furthermore, given the increased life expectancy of the population in ...

This paper describes workshops as a means for generative research. The workshops are based on a need to a collaborative arena for sharing perspectives and creating shared visions. The paper presents the principles, and user and expert workshop processes in three cases. The workshops were events that gathered various actors to face-to-face collaboration and challenged them to perceive anew the o...

Two new studies introduce the power of Drosophila genetics to polarization vision, revealing distinct photoreceptor inputs to polarotactic behaviour mediated by dorsal and ventral eye regions.