Spontaneous avoidance behavior in Drosophila null for calmodulin expression.

The regulatory protein calmodulin is a major mediator of calcium-induced changes in cellular activity. To analyze the roles of calmodulin in an intact animal, we have generated a calmodulin null mutation in Drosophila melanogaster. Maternal calmodulin supports calmodulin null individuals throughout embryogenesis, but they die within 2 days of hatching as first instar larvae. We have detected two pronounced behavioral abnormalities specific to the loss of calmodulin in these larvae. Swinging of the head and anterior body, which occurs in the presence of food, is three times more frequent in the null animals. More strikingly, most locomotion in calmodulin null larvae is spontaneous backward movement. This is in marked contrast to the wild-type situation where backward locomotion is seen only as a stimulus-elicited avoidance response. Our finding of spontaneous avoidance behavior has striking similarities to the enhanced avoidance responses produced by some calmodulin mutations in Paramecium. Thus our results suggest evolutionary conservation of a role for calmodulin in membrane excitability and linked behavioral responses.

Memory enhancement by intrahippocampal, intraamygdala, or intraentorhinal infusion of platelet-activating factor measured in an inhibitory avoidance task.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF; 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), which is thought to be a retrograde messenger in long-term potentiation (LTP), enhances glutamate release and LTP through an action on presynaptic nerve endings. The PAF antagonist BN 52021 blocks CA1 LTP in hippocampal slices, and, when infused into rat dorsal hippocampus pre- or posttraining, blocks retention of inhibitory avoidance. Here we report that memory is affected by pre- or posttraining infusion of the PAF analog 1-O-hexadecyl-2-N-methylcarbamoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine (mc-PAF) into either rat dorsal hippocampus, amygdala, or entorhinal cortex. Male Wistar rats were implanted bilaterally with cannulae in these brain regions. After recovery from surgery, the animals were trained in step-down inhibitory avoidance or in a spatial habituation task and tested for retention 24 h later. mc-PAF (1.0 microgram per side) enhanced retention test performance of the two tasks when infused into the hippocampus before training without altering training session performance. In addition, mc-PAF enhanced retention test performance of the avoidance task when infused into (i) the hippocampus 0 but not 60 min after training; (ii) the amygdala immediately after training; and (iii) the entorhinal cortex 100 but not 0 or 300 min after training. In confirmation of previous findings, BN 52021 (0.5 microgram per side) was found to be amnestic for the avoidance task when infused into the hippocampus or the amygdala immediately but not 30 or more minutes after training or into the entorhinal cortex 100 but not 0 or 300 min after training. These findings support the hypothesis that memory involves PAF-regulated events, possibly LTP, generated at the time of training in hippocampus and amygdala and 100 min later in the entorhinal cortex.

Contributing Factors in Corporate America's Implementation of Policies and Procedures That Protect and Enhance the Work Experience for Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender (GLBT) Employees: An Examination of Corporate GLBT Initiatives

Business organization executives today are routinely challenged to attract and retain key talent and employ innovative techniques to expand their consumer-base. Moreover, these executives have advanced their business initiatives to include workplace equality initiatives with a motivation to attract and retain key talent. In this research the author examined the contributing factors that lead executives in corporate America to implement Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) initiatives as business strategies. The case study methodology applied in this examination illustrated that the implementation of GLBT initiatives can increase a business organization's ability to attract and retain key talent, and increase employee work productivity while expanding the consumer base. Therefore, the business organization's competitive advantage in the marketplace is increased.

Evaluation of Two Alternative Procedures for Measuring Airflow Resistance of Sound Absorbing Materials

It is well known that sound absorption and sound transmission properties of open porous materials are highly dependent on their airflow resistance values. Low values of airflow resistance indicate little resistance for air streaming through the porous material and high values are a sign that most of the pores inside the material are closed. The laboratory procedures for measuring airflow resistance have been stan- dardized by several organizations, including ISO and ASTM for both alternate flow and continuous flow. However, practical implementation of these standardized methods could be both complex and expensive. In this work, two indirect alternative measurement procedures were compared against the alternate flow standardized technique. The techniques were tested using three families of eco-friendly sound absorbent materials: recycled polyurethane foams, coconut natural fibres, and recycled polyester fibres. It is found that the values of airflow resistance measured using both alternative methods are very similar. There is also a good correlation between the values obtained through alternative and standardized methods.

A Virtual Joystick as a Novel Interaction Modality for Surgeon-Computer Interaction During Computer-Assisted Surgical Procedures

Interacting with a computer system in the operating room (OR) can be a frustrating experience for a surgeon, who currently has to verbally delegate to an assistant every computer interaction task. This indirect mode of interaction is time consuming, error prone and can lead to poor usability of OR computer systems. This thesis describes the design and evaluation of a joystick-like device that allows direct surgeon control of the computer in the OR. The device was tested extensively in comparison to a mouse and delegated dictation with seven surgeons, eleven residents, and five graduate students. The device contains no electronic parts, is easy to use, is unobtrusive, has no physical connection to the computer and makes use of an existing tool in the OR. We performed a user study to determine its effectiveness in allowing a user to perform all the tasks they would be expected to perform on an OR computer system during a computer-assisted surgery. Dictation was found to be superior to the joystick in qualitative measures, but the joystick was preferred over dictation in user satisfaction responses. The mouse outperformed both joystick and dictation, but it is not a readily accepted modality in the OR.

A Minor Change?: A Case Study of Carleton Place's Integration of Minor Variance Procedures into Ontario's Development Permit System

The Development Permit System has been introduce with minimal directives for establishing a decision making process. This is in opposition to the long established process for minor variances and suggests that the Development Permit System does not necessarily incorporate all of Ontario’s fundamental planning principles. From this concept, the study aimed to identify how minor variances are incorporated into the Development Permit System. In order to examine this topic, the research was based around the following research questions: • How are ‘minor variance’ applications processed within the DPS? • To what extent do the four tests of a minor variance influence the outcomes of lower level applications in the DPS approval process? A case study approach was used for this research. The single-case design employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods including a review of academic literature, court cases, and official documents, as well as a content analysis of Class 1, 1A, and 2 Development Permit application files from the Town of Carleton Place that were decided between 2011 and 2015. Upon the completion of the content analysis, it was found that minor variance issues were most commonly assigned to Class 1 applications. Planning staff generally met approval timelines and embraced their delegated approval authority, readily attaching conditions to applications in order to mitigate off-site impacts. While staff met the regulatory requirements of the DPS, ‘minor variance’ applications were largely decided on impact alone, demonstrating that the principles established by the four tests, the defining quality of the minor variance approval process, had not transferred to the Development Permit System. Alternatively, there was some evidence that the development community has not fully adjusted to the requirements of the new approvals process, as some applications were supported using a rationale containing the four tests. Subsequently, a set of four recommendations were offered which reflect the main themes established by the findings. The first two recommendations are directed towards the Province, the third to municipalities and the fourth to developers and planning consultants: 1) Amend Ontario Regulation 608/06 so that provisions under Section 4(3)(e) fall under Section 4(2). 2) Change the rhetoric from “combining elements of minor variances” to “replacing minor variances”. 3) Establish clear evaluation criteria. 4) Understand the evaluative criteria of the municipality in which you are working.