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To expand upon my quick thoughts in the video, The Green Knight is an epic medieval fantasy film written, edited, produced, and directed by David Lowery based on the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous. The film stars Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan, Erin Kellyman, and Ralph Ineson. The story follows Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, who sets out on a Christmastime journey to the Green Chapel. Once there he will test his courage and face the eponymous Green Knight after accepting the knight’s challenge and beheading him a year prior.
I’m a big fan of Arthurian legend and I went into this film expecting this grand medieval epic what I got was more of an introspective character piece. Overall, the story is about learning what it takes to be a knight finding his courage. The acting in this film is phenomenal and that all rests on Dev Patel’s performance as Gawain. He is the main human presence on screen for most of the film. Other characters pop in on his journey but it is really a story of self-discovery. When we meet Gawain, he is something like an aristocrat. He is the nephew of the King and doesn’t have to do anything. He is not yet a knight and spends his day sleeping with Essel, a local prostitute, and drinking at the bars. Even though he probably cares for this woman he knows that she is not someone that a person of his status can end up with and so does she. Even though she’s barely on the screen in the role of Essel, Alicia Vikander crushes it. More of their relationship would have been welcomed. There is a little bit of longing between Gawain and his uncle the king. Something his uncle admits is that even though Gawain is his nephew he regrets not ever really getting to know him as a person. That conversation is what sets Gawain off on this journey. He accepts the Green Knight’s game to prove to his uncle he is knight-worthy. After a year passes the King makes sure that Gawain upholds his end of the game. He wants to know if his nephew is courageous enough to take on the Green Knight because were let believe that the King has no offspring and Gawain is his only heir.
I feel that one of the intentions of this film is to show the story of a knight unfolding in real-time. Usually, a knight would return home telling his story to others in grand fashion. Here we can see it happen and find out how unreliable of a narrator a person can be. Just going to see the Green Knight and surviving isn’t enough. Gawain witnesses amazing things on this journey. He is robbed by child bandits, helps out a spirit of a young girl, sees a horde of giants traversing a valley, and meets a talking fox. These characters are noticeably no stranger to bizarre creatures and witchcraft. When the Green Knight first appears at the King’s court nobody is caught off guard by this weird-looking creature. Leading the viewer to believe they see things like this all the time. We do get to see Merlin and King Arthur in this film although none of them are ever mentioned by name. King Arthur is just known as the King, Guinevere is known as the Queen, Merlin as the Magician, and so on and so forth.
The Green Knight is visually stunning I don’t think you’ll see anything more beautiful on screen this year. A feast for the eyes, the cinematography in this film is exquisite and blew me away from start to finish. You get a sense of exactly how big this world is with the sweeping camera movements and the vast set pieces. The world feels lived in as there are old worn-down houses and bodies from battles just scoured across the countryside. This is all accompanied by a fantastic score that sets the tone and mood of the film. You get into the headspace of how Gawain is feeling when he is starving or thinking he is going to die and when he is just living his life. The film really shines in the atmosphere that it creates for the viewer. The costume design is also fantastic. When the Green Knight comes appears he looks otherworldly. At first, he is clad in darkness, but you can kind of see that he is large and humanoid. When he is revealed, he looks like a living tree. He has emerald green skin that looks carved from wood, twig-like hair, dusty armor and piercing gold eyes. His voice is deep and bellowing and whenever he moves it sounds like wind blowing through the forest. This adds to the aura of who this knight is. When magic is used in the film sometimes you see the picture change colors. When we see the Magician after the Green Knight appears, the screen is bathed in red light. We then see the Magician is trying to use his magic to see if any foul play is afoot. This happens again when Gawain is performing a task for the spirit of the young girl and when Gawain’s mother and her coven perform the spell to summon the Green Knight.
I do believe that this film will have people running to the source material to find out exactly what happens. That’s because this film does not give you all the answers. Half of this film could be a fantasy and we would not know. We don’t know why Gawain’s mother summons the Green Knight, how Gawain gets his axe back after it’s stolen, or how long he was hallucinating after eating the mushrooms. I do feel that the film gets a little lost in the middle focusing more on visual spectacle than telling a great story. It’s like the audience is left out on what’s actually going on and that hurts to film a little bit. There are many artistic liberties taken with the story and the characters. It would have been nice to have a more concise idea of what was real and what wasn’t on the journey. Yet I also feel like watching Gawain go on this journey is what matters. The film swings for the fences with an ambiguous ending. As to whether Gawain dies or survives his encounter with the Green Knight isn’t shown and that is part of what makes it good. Like Inception, this ending will almost guarantee fans’ discussion for years to come.
Seeing that this is an Oscar-bait film that takes place during Christmastime, it would’ve made sense for the studio to not release it during the middle of the summer and instead have it released during late November early December. I give The Green Knight a Solid 6.8/10. If you like art, this is the film for you. Lastly, A24 is not a studio that often does sequels but Dev Patel is such a great actor I would love to see Gawain appear in another story. Perhaps they could do a story based on the 13th-century poem The Perilous Cemetery in which Gawain defeats a devil.


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- Open Access
The effect of subdiaphragmatic vagotomy on heart rate variability and lung inflammation in rats with severe hemorrhagic shock
BMC Cardiovascular Disorders volume 22, Article number: 181 (2022)
The influence of cutting the sub-diaphragmatic branch of the vagus nerve on heart rate variability (HRV) and inflammatory reaction to severe hemorrhagic shock has not been determined prior to this study.
Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups of Sham, sub-diaphragmatic vagotomized (Vag), subacute (135 ± 2 min) hemorrhagic shock (SHS), and sub-diaphragmatic vagotomized with SHS (Vag + SHS). Hemodynamic parameters were recorded and HRV calculated during multiple phases in a conscious model of hemorrhagic shock. The expressions of TNF-α and iNOS were measured in the spleen and lung tissues at the conclusion of the protocol.
Decreases in blood pressure during blood withdrawal were identical in the SHS and Vag + SHS groups. However, heart rate only decreased in the Nadir-1 phase of the SHS group. HRV indicated increased power in the very-low, low, and high (VLF, LF, and HF) frequency bands during the Nadir-1 phase of the SHS and Vag + SHS groups, albeit the values were higher in the SHS group. In the recovery phase, the HF bands were only lower in the SHS group. After hemorrhagic shock followed by resuscitation, the expression of TNF-α and iNOS increased in the spleen and lung of the SHS group, and the expression of these genes was significantly lower in the Vag + SHS group than in the SHS group.
Parasympathetic activity increases during the hypotensive phase of hemorrhagic shock, whereas the cardiac vagal tone decreases in the recovery phase. Sub-diapragmatic vagotomy blunts the cardiac vagal tone during hemorrhagic shock, but its effect is reversed in the recovery phase. The vagus nerve plays a role in proinflammatory responses in the lungs and spleen in subacute hemorrhagic shock followed by resuscitation.
Hemorrhagic shock is one of the common causes of death in the world . Depending on the amount of blood loss, hemorrhagic shock is categorized into four classes [2,3,4]. Hemorrhagic shock is reversible in class I and II, but delay in diagnosis and/or treatment initiation can lead to the progression of shock into class III and IV [5, 6]. Both class III and IV have been considered severe hemorrhage ; in these classes, unlike the early classes, fluid replacement therapy may not be useful, and in fact may lead to systemic inflammatory reactions, and serious organ damage [8, 9]. This is why early diagnosis of the presence and stage of shock is so important to prevent a catastrophic outcome [10, 11]. Since immediately upon the initiation of hemorrhage, hormonal and neural compensatory mechanisms are activated [12, 13], the question remains whether or not the evaluation of neural activity could be beneficial in assessing the level, severity, and outcome of patients with hemorrhagic shock. The activity of the autonomic nervous system can be evaluated by heart rate variability analysis (HRV) . Inter-beat interval can be extracted from electrocardiogram or pulsatile blood pressure recording as time interval between consecutive heartbeats . A few previous studies have shown that HRV can estimate the autonomic nervous system activity in hemorrhagic shock . Furthermore, HRV has been investigated in three phases of class II hemorrhagic shock in a recent study . Nevertheless, HRV and altered autonomic nerve activity has not been fully elucidated in different phases of severe hemorrhagic shock.
The vagus nerve is the chief parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system which may play a role in the inflammatory reactions through a cholinergic anti-inflammatory reflex arc . Spleen has been suggested to be involved in the noted reflex . However, the spleen is innervated by the sympathetic rather than the parasympathetic nervous system. It has been established that the sympathetic nerve fibers of the spleen are stimulated by the vagus nerve . Then, norepinephrine released from the sympathetic nerve fibers triggers release of acetylcholine (ACh) by resident T cells in the spleen. Consequently, ACh inhibits cytokines’ production by the macrophages through α7 nicotinic receptors [21, 22]. However, little attention has been devoted to the role of the vagus nerve in inflammatory reactions induced by hemorrhagic shock thus far. Also, the role of the spleen in the above conditions has not been fully clarified.
One of the most vulnerable organs during hemorrhagic shock is the lung. This organ is adversely affected by inflammatory mediators released from damaged tissue . Animal studies have shown increases of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor-kappa β (NF-κβ), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the lung tissue during hemorrhagic shock . Also, the high prevalence of lung injury has been reported in patients with hemorrhagic shock . However, although the relationship between HRV, systemic hemodynamics, metabolic status, and inflammation have been expressed in different pathological conditions [26,27,28], little has been addressed about the noted relations with or without investigating the role of the vagus nerve in hemorrhagic shock.
Based on the above background, the aim of this study was to investigate HRV, hemodynamic alterations, metabolic status, and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the spleen and lung in subacute hemorrhagic shock. Furthermore, it has been observed that stimulating the sub-diaphragmatic vagus nerve has less undesirable side-effects as compared to the cervical vagus nerve . So, to avoid off-target cardiorespiratory events after cervical vagotomy, the left sub-diaphragmatic vagus nerve has been cut in the present study. This branch of the vagus nerve is closer to the spleen. This study was performed in conscious rats in order to extrapolate the results to trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock without the interfering effects of anesthetic drugs on the autonomic nervous system activity, respiratory system, or HRV analysis.
All experimental procedures were approved by the Center for Comparative and Experimental Medicine and the Ethical Committee of Animal Care of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran (No: IR.SUMS.MED.REC.1396.S203). Animals (male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250-300g) were housed with a 12 hours light/dark cycle in controlled temperature (22 ± 2 °C) and humidity of 40–50% before starting the experiments. They had free access to water and standard food.
Experimental procedures are summarized in Figure 1. A total of 25 rats were divided into four groups of Sham (n = 5), subdiaphragmatic vagotomized (Vag, n = 5), subacute hemorrhagic shock (SHS, n = 7), and sub-diaphragmatic vagotomized with SHS (Vag+SHS, n = 8). Based on a survey of similar studies [30, 31] we conducted a post hoc estimate of our power to detect a robust effect (d ≥1.43). Given the N in all groups, we estimate we have 0.95 power to detect effects of this size and we maintain power of 0.8 to detect effects as small as d = 0.83. Animals were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg sodium pentobarbital (Sigma, Germany). The catheters were inserted into the femoral vein (120-PE) and tail artery (50 PE), and fixed firmly. These catheters had been filled with heparinized saline solution (20 units/ml). The free end of the vein catheter was tunneled to exit at the base of the tail and fixed, as in the previous study . In the vagotomized groups, the left sub-diaphragmatic vagus nerves were dissected. In the Sham group, animals underwent the arterial and venous cannulations and abdominal laparotomy, whereas, the vagus nerve remained intact. The areas of surgeries were then rinsed by 1% lidocaine (Sigma, Germany) to minimize the postoperative pain in all animals. The conscious animals were transferred to an optimized dark metabolic cage (MR Plexi), and their tails were fixed outside the cage so that animals could relatively move in a cage without interrupting the hemodynamic recording. The arterial catheter was connected through a pressure transducer (MLT844) to a data acquisition system (Powerlab, PL26T04, AD instruments, Australia). The arterial blood pressure (AP) was recorded throughout the experiment at 1 kHz. After data acquisition, the AP data were downsampled to 500 Hz. The catheter of the femoral vein was used for blood sampling and blood withdrawal during induction of hemorrhagic shock .
After anesthesia and cannulations of the tail artery and femoral vein, an incision was made in the abdominal skin of vagotomized groups. The fascia and muscles were dissected, and the left subdiaphragmatic vagus nerve separated from the surrounding tissues and dissected. Then, muscles and skin were sutured and the surgical areas were rinsed with 1% lidocaine [17, 32].
Study protocol: induction of hemorrhagic shock
Seventy minutes after the surgeries, 100 µl of the arterial blood samples were taken for blood gas analysis and animals received an intravenous bolus injection of heparin (100 units/kg). Then, the SHS and Vag+SHS groups were subjected to hemorrhagic shock by blood withdrawal through the femoral vein according to the protocols of previous studies and our pilot experiments [10, 17]. Briefly, blood withdrawal was performed with a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min until reaching the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) to 35 ± 2 mm Hg. Unlike the previous study, where blood withdrawal was stopped and MAP was allowed to return toward the basal values , in this study the blood withdrawal was continued with the flow rate of 0.25 ml/min to maintain the MAP at the noted level. This phase was called Nadir-1 and lasted about 30 min. Meanwhile, the heparinized collected blood was kept in ice and filtered before returning to the animals. Once the compensatory mechanisms of animals failed to keep the MAP in the range of 35 ± 2 mm Hg, blood withdrawal was stopped and very low volumes of the heparinized and filtered blood injected constantly to maintain the MAP in the hemorrhagic shock level. An animal’s Total blood volume was estimated by use of the following formula: total blood volume (ml) = 0.06 × body weight (g) + 0.77 . Then, the percentage of blood loss was calculated afterward. This phase was called Nadir-2, in which 50% of the withdrawn blood was returned to the animals, and it lasted about 105 min. Next, the resuscitation was performed by the transfusions of the remainder of the blood (50% of collected blood) with the same amount of Lactated Ringer’s solution within 10 min which followed by 20 min of recording during the recovery phase. After that, the arterial blood samples were taken for blood gas analysis, and 1 ml of the venous blood sample taken to evaluate the plasma lactate level. Finally, animals were euthanized with sodium pentobarbital (150 mg/kg, i.v.), and their lungs removed for molecular analysis. In the Sham and Vag groups, the time course of experiments was as long as the hemorrhagic groups. Nevertheless, these groups were not subjected to hemorrhagic shock (Fig. 1). Figure 2 indicates real traces of blood pressure and heart rate recorded by the Power Lab system in four animals that were representative of each experimental groups. In this figure, six time periods including steady state, Initial compensatory or In-Com (the interval that blood pressure does not change despite blood withdrawal), De-compensatory or De-Com (the period of time that blood pressure drops suddenly following a critical blood loss), Nadir 1, Nadir 2 and recovery were shown.
Three frequency bands of HRV were considered in this study. Kubios HRV premium/animal software (ver. 3.2) was used for HRV analysis. The pulse intervals of systolic blood pressures were exported from the Power lab to Kubios software, where it was analyzed following the latest guidelines for HRV analysis . Prior to spectrum estimation, the pulse interval data were interpolated using 10 Hz cubic spline interpolation. Welch's periodogram with the Hanning window (window width of 512 samples and 50% overlap) was used for spectral estimation. Very low frequency (VLF: 0 to 0.2 Hz), low frequency (LF: 0.20 to 0.75 Hz) and high frequency (HF: 0.75 to 3.0 Hz) [35, 36] magnitudes were displayed on a logarithmic scale (Log(ms2)). We analyzed data during the steady-state period, Nadir-1, and recovery. The durations of calculations in the steady state, Nadir-1 and recovery phases were 5, 30 and 20 min, respectively. VLF is included for relation to renin-angiotensin system activity  and metabolic regulatory mechanisms . LF is used for the evaluations of the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities  and HF is an indicator of the parasympathetic activity .
Calculation of shock index
We used the shock index (SI) by calculating the ratio of heart rate to systolic blood pressure in order to approximate the hemodynamic status of the animals in the experimental groups. The elevation of SI indicates the fall in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and blood volume during hemorrhagic shock .
Arterial blood gas parameters
The 100 µl of blood samples were taken during the baseline period and at the end of the experiments for the blood gas analysis using an easy blood gas analyzer (Medica, USA).
Measurement of plasma parameters
At the end of the examinations, 1 ml of the venous blood sample was taken and centrifuged. The plasma was stored at − 80 °C. Plasma lactate was measured using an auto-analyzer with commercial reagent (Selectra, China).
Real-time PCR analysis
TNF-α and iNOS gene expression were assayed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Total RNA of the lung and spleen tissues was extracted by RNA extraction kit TriSolution plus Reagent (GeneMark, Atlanta, GA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The quantity and purity of RNA were checked by spectrometer NanoDrop TM (NanodropTM, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Wilmington, DE, USA). Then, RNA was stored at − 80 °C until cDNA synthesis. For cDNA synthesis, 2000 ng of RNA was used according to the instructions in the cDNA Fermentas Kit (Fermentas Inc.). The primers were designed based on the DNA sequences, which were found in the genebank Primer-BLAST online program . Real-time PCR was performed by Applied BioSystems, Step One ™, using the RealQ Plus 2x kit Master Mix Green (Ampliqon Inc); based on the manufacturer’s protocol. The B2M gene was used as a reference in real-time PCR reactions. The real-time PCR system was set within 10 min at 95 °C, including 44 cycles (each of 15 seconds at 95 ° C), 60 seconds at 60 °C. Also, a melt curve analysis was used to verify specific amplification. The results were normalized with the B2M cycle threshold (Ct). Finally, fold change expression of TNF-α and iNOS genes were assessed with a 2−∆∆Cq method.
Data are given as mean ± SE. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare group effects across the time course of the experiment. Significant effects were followed up with simple ANOVA contrasts and Tukey’s post hoc test, where appropriate. Finally, single time-point measures, namely TNF-α and iNOS, were explored using a parametric one-way ANOVA test with Tukey’s post hoc test. All analysis was performed using the software of SPSS 18. Significance was assumed when p < 0.05 and the confidence limits used were the 95% intervals.
The patterns of mean arterial blood pressure were similar in the SHS and Vag + SHS groups
The patterns of blood pressures during the different phases of hemorrhagic shock were similar in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups (Fig. 3a). The duration of blood withdrawal from the beginning to the end of the Nadir-1 phase was on the order of 38. 28 ± 2. 32 and 40. 00 ± 2. 02 min in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups. Also, the time courses of Nadir phases (Nadir-1 + Nadir-2) were 135 ± 2 min in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups. There was no significant difference between the duration of the maneuvers across groups.
There were no group differences in baseline values of MAP and HR. Also, MAP and HR in the Sham and Vag groups did not change throughout the experiments (Fig. 3a, b). In addition, MAP remained within the normal range during the initial phase (In-com phase) of blood withdrawal in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups. However, HR increased significantly in the Vag+SHS group. It was followed by a rapid fall in MAP (De-Com phase) until reaching 35 ± 2 mm Hg at the above noted hemorrhagic groups, where the Nadir-1 phase was started. The mean volume of blood withdrawal in the In-Com phases were 23 ± 1% and 26 ± 1% of total blood volume in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups, respectively, with no statistically significant difference detected. Data of De-Com phase was not taken into account because of the direct effect of blood withdrawal on hemodynamic parameters. During the Nadir-1 phase, MAPs were equally maintained in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups, being significantly lower than those in the Sham and Vag groups. Furthermore, HR decreased in the Nadir-1 phase of the SHS group in parallel with the fall in MAP. However, it gradually started to increase after 10 min of this phase even though it was still significantly lower than its baseline. In the Nadir-1 phase of the Vag+SHS group, HR was higher than those in the SHS group (Fig. 3c). In addition, HR did not differ significantly in the Vag+SHS group compared with the Sham and Vag groups. It should be noted that in the Nadir-2 phase, MAP was maintained at the same level as of the Nadir-1 phase. However, because of the additional effects of fluid injection on heart rate, we did not consider HR and HRV at this phase (Fig. 3a, b). In the Nadir-1 phase, SI in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups were higher than those in the Sham and Vag groups, and in the Vag+SHS group was more than that in the SHS group (Fig. 3c).
Data of HR and HRV was not calculated during resuscitation because of the direct effect of blood injection on hemodynamic parameters. During the recovery phase, MAP returned to its baseline level in the SHS group, whereas, HR was higher than that in the Sham group (Fig. 4a, b). Also, MAP in the Vag+SHS group recovered, though it was still lower than that in the Vag group (Fig. 4a). Also, HR in the Vag+SHS group was lower than that in the SHS group being significant at 185 to 190 min (Fig. 4b). However, the increases of SI were not significant during the time courses of recovery in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups (Fig. 4c).
The vagotomy partially blunted the increase of the parasympathetic index during the Nadir-1 phase
HRV indices of VLF, LF and HF did not show significant variation at baselines (Fig. 5) and during In-Com phases (data not shown) in all experimental groups.
In the Nadir-1 phase of the SHS group, VLF, LF and HF were significantly higher than those in the Sham groups (Fig. 6). Although, VLF in the Vag+SHS group was more than that in the Vag group, it was significantly lower than that in the SHS group. Furthermore, LF and HF in the Vag+SHS group were significantly lower than that in the SHS group, though they were still significantly higher than those ones in the Vag groups (Fig. 6).
During the recovery phase, VLF, LF and HF in the SHS group were lower than those in the Sham group (Fig. 7). Also, VLF and LF in the Vag+SHS group were lower than those in the Vag group. However, there was not a significant difference in HF between Vag and Vag+SHS groups.
Both groups of SHS and Vag + SHS had metabolic acidosis partially compensated with hyperventilation
Table 1 indicates the arterial blood parameters taken at the beginning and the end of the experiments. There was no significant difference in blood parameters at baseline in all groups. At the end of the experiments, pH, HCO3-, base excess (BE) and arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2) in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups were lower than those in the Sham and Vag groups. Also, the arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) in the Vag+SHS group was higher than that in the SHS group. It should be mentioned that the atmospheric pressure is 630 mm Hg in the place where the experiments were conducted. Therefore, PaO2 of 65 ± 5 mm Hg was considered normal. There was no significant difference among other variables at the beginning and the end of the experiments. The plasma levels of lactate in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups were higher than those in the Sham and Vag groups. Although the level of lactate in the Vag+SHS was more than that in the SHS group, it was not statistically significant.
The gene expressions of TNF-α and iNOS in the lung were directly proportional to those in the spleen
TNF-α and iNOS gene expressions in the spleen and lung were increased in the SHS group, and the expression of these genes was significantly higher in the SHS group than in the Vag+SHS group. (Fig. 8).
In this study, we investigated the role of the sub-diaphragmatic vagus nerve on hemodynamic parameters and HRV in subacute hemorrhagic shock. Also, blood parameters and the expressions of inflammatory markers in the spleen and lung tissue have been assessed. The results of the present study indicated that the activity of autonomic nervous system (ANS) was various in different phases of hemorrhagic shock. The autonomic balance in the In-Com phase shifted towards sympathetic dominance and in the De-Com phase shifted towards parasympathetic dominance. Parasympathetic activity remained high as blood withdrawal continued. During the recovery phase, parasympathetic activity returned to basal levels. Sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy resulted in decreased parasympathetic activity during hemorrhagic shock, but its effect on ANS activity was reversed in the recovery phase. TNF-α and iNOS expressions increased in lung and spleen after subacute hemorrhagic shock followed by resuscitation, whereas, Sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy decreased both of the above parameters in aforementioned organs. Taken together, these results suggest that the sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy affects ANS activity and proinflammatory responses.
No alteration was identified in the MAP, HR, HRV indices, and blood gas variables at baselines in all experimental groups. Therefore, all groups enter the study under identical conditions. In addition, these results suggest that the unilateral sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy has no effect on the above parameters during the steady-state period.
During the In-Com phase, MAP remained stable in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups, whereas, HR increased significantly compared with their baselines. Therefore, the constant MAP occurs at the expense of increased HR which can be linked to the sympathetic activity in these groups consistent with other studies .
In the Nadir-1 phase of the SHS group, MAP was maintained in the lowest range possible in association with decreased HR, similar to other studies in conscious animals subjected to hemorrhagic shock . However, HR decreased modestly in the Nadir-1 phase of the Vag+SHS group despite a significant decrease in MAP. Furthermore, HR of the Vag+SHS group increased gradually, being higher than those in the Vag and SHS groups at the end of Nadir-1 phase. According to a previous study, trauma and hemorrhagic shock modulates release of norepinephrine and thereby reduces MAP and HR, whereas abdominal vagotomy has an opposite effect . In addition, sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy increases the release of epinephrine under stressful conditions . Therefore, the high HR during Nadir-1 in the Vag+SHS group may be due to increased catecholamine release following the partial disinhibition of the sympathetic nerve fibers of the adrenal gland. On the other hand, both HF and LF increased in the Nadir-1 phase of both SHS and Vag+SHS groups, though these increases in the Vag+SHS group were lower than those in the SHS group. LF band is an indicator of sympathetic activity . Besides, it has been reported that during parasympathetic hyperactivity, the LF band increases in parallel with the HF band. Therefore, the LF band cannot be used as a reliable index for the sympathetic activity in this condition . Consequently, the higher LF band in the Nadir-1 phase of the SHS group may be related to the higher HF in this group. Contrary to our results, Payne and her colleges have observed that abdominal vagus nerve manipulation did not evoke any effects on cardiac, respiratory and blood pressure parameters . The different experimental conditions may produce this dissimilarity in results.
The reduction in MAP and HR associated with a significant increase in HF suggests the parasympathetic hyperactivity in the Nadir-1 phase of the SHS group. It has been expressed that low pressure baroreceptors in the heart and lungs are activated by losing more than 15% to 20% of total blood volume, leading to the central inhibition of the sympathetic activity together with the increased parasympathetic activity . In addition, the increase in the HF band in the Vag+SHS group was significantly lower than that in the SHS group which confirms lowering the parasympathetic activity as a consequence of sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy. Therefore, it might be suggested that the interruption of this pathway through sub-diaphragmatic vagotomy not only interferes with the vagus nerve activity but also may prevent the central weakening of sympathetic activity. As a result, HR decreased modestly during the Nadir-1 phase of the Vag+SHS group. Also, during the Nadir-1 phase of the Vag+SHS group, the VLF band was lower than that in the SHS group. It has been indicated that parasympathetic activity is the major determinant of the VLF band . The results of our study also indicate that the decrease in the parasympathetic component of HF is concomitant with the decrease in VLF in the Vag+SHS group. Coordination of the autonomic nervous system is organized in a hierarchical manner reflective of the evolutionary history of autonomic control .
According to previous study, in case of cessation of blood withdrawal in the class II hemorrhagic shock, MAP and HRV components were returned back to their baseline levels in both with or without vagotomy groups . However, the present study showed that with continued blood withdrawal and keeping the MAP in the lowest range; HF component remained high in the SHS and Vag+SHS groups. These results have suggested that in the Compensatory class of hemorrhagic shock, the parasympathetic activity decreased after cessation of blood withdrawal; in severe classes, the parasympathetic activity remained high as blood withdrawal continued.
During the recovery phase, MAP returned to the baseline value in the SHS group, though it decreased slightly by the end of the experiment. However, MAP in the Vag+SHS, despite the increase in HR, did not return to the baseline level. The HRV power in the HF bands of the SHS group was lower than the Sham group. But there was no difference between the HF bands in the Vag+HS and Vag groups. These results suggest that the interruption in vagal traffic due to the subdiaphragmatic vagotomy supports recovery of vagal tone. Therefore, it can be concluded that during a subacute hemorrhagic shock, many organs, including the nervous system may be impacted and subdiaphragmatic vagotomy may affect the restoration of organs function.
At the end of the experiments, the arterial pH, bicarbonate, and BE decreased, and lactate increased in the both SHS and Vag+SHS groups. These results indicated metabolic acidosis in these groups which occurs as a consequence of delayed resuscitation, disruption of tissue perfusion, and anaerobic metabolism. The decrease in PaCO2 occurs as a result of a compensatory elevation of ventilation in both hemorrhagic shock groups.
We have recently indicated that vagotomy exacerbates gas exchange through the blood-gas barrier, and lung tissue inflammation in the class II hemorrhagic shock and have implicated the anti-inflammatory effect of the vagus nerve . In the present study, subacute hemorrhagic shock followed by resuscitation increased the expression of TNF-α and iNOS in spleen and lung, whereas subdiaphragmatic vagotomy resulted in a decrease in the expression of these proinflammatory mediators in the Vag+SHS group. These results suggest a role of vagal activation of a proinflammatory response . On the other hand, another study reported that parasympathetic nervous system activity reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and modulated the proinflammatory response . The different experimental conditions might play a role in these different results. However, further studies are needed to uncover the role of the vagus nerve in inflammatory responses in hemorrhagic shock.
In conclusion, this study indicated an increase in parasympathetic activity obtained from HRV analysis in the Nadir-1 phase of severe hemorrhagic shock. In addition, the parasympathetic activity is reversed during the recovery time. Also, the increases in TNF-α and iNOS expressions in the hemorrhagic shock group were prevented in the vagotomized hemorrhagic shock group which suggests that the effect of the vagus nerve in severe organ damage would be in favor of the increase in inflammation.
Availability of data and materials
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy concerns but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Subacute hemorrhagic shock
- Vag + SHS:
Sub-diaphragmatic vagotomized with Subacute hemorrhagic shock
Heart rate variability
Very low frequency
Mean arterial blood pressure
Autonomic nervous system
Tumor necrosis factor-α
Nuclear factor-kappa β
Inducible nitric oxide synthase
Arterial blood gas analyzing
Polymerase chain reaction
Arterial venous oxygen pressure
Arterial carbon dioxide pressure
Vagus nerve stimulation
Cecal ligation and puncture
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We would like to appreciate Dr. Iman Jamhiri for technical assistance in PCR measurements.
This work was supported by the Research Council of University of Shiraz [Grant No. SU-9330208]; and the Research Council of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences [Grant No. 96-01-01-14378] as a part of work of acquiring a Ph.D. degree in physiology by F. Khodadadi. The authors confirm that none of these organizations had a role in the design of the study, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data, or in writing the manuscript.
All the experimental procedures were carried out based on the international standards and national legislation on animal care and the Animal Research Reporting In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines. All procedures in this study were approved by the Center for Comparative and Experimental Medicine and the Ethical Committee of Animal Care at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran (approval code no: IR.SUMS.MED.REC.1396.s203).
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Khodadadi, F., Ketabchi, F., Khodabandeh, Z. et al. The effect of subdiaphragmatic vagotomy on heart rate variability and lung inflammation in rats with severe hemorrhagic shock. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 22, 181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-022-02594-w
- Vagus nerve

domain: literature


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domain: agronomy


text:
When Bryn was rushed into the town by his father, he had already passed out. Unable to warn his father otherwise, George had naturally reported the attack to the guild.
When he finally came out of his coma, Bryn had been hoping he would be able to misreport how he survived and even claim damages as a result. Little did he know this was naive, wishful thinking.
He had been coming here for years, but this was the first time he had seen the guild master in person. Why would he suddenly call for me now after all these years? Only at this moment did the full gravity of his blunder sink into his gut.
"Fire, of course, like I stated in the report. The man's head was burned right off his body... right?" Bryn struggled to maintain his cool.
Luis, on the other hand, was growing concerned. Bryn had vaguely explained to him some things when he was being taught the language, one of those being that he had a light affinity and must never reveal this to anyone.
When asked to elaborate more, Bryn had explained to him that it was a rare affinity and beast, like him, who have this affinity were highly sought after. For what purpose, Luis could only guess.
Luis tried to ask more questions, but in response to Luis' persistence on the subject, Bryn promised he would explain everything the next time they visited the guild library. Bryn didn't like it when Luis kept scratching the wood with his claws.
Unfortunately, the guild master had called for him before they had the chance to go upstairs. Luis had been looking forward to learning more about his situation in this foreign world.
The guild master smiled coldly. He had seen the damage done to the magic knights head, having inspected the body himself. He wasn't a greenhorn, and if his conjecture was true, then this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"Boy, don't lie to me..." The guild master warned, his smile gone.
Bryn saw no other choice than to double down. "I'm not lying! He killed the swordsman with a fire breath attack. He shot it right into his face..."
Luis flinched. As Bryn was talking, he felt a sharp mental sting in his mind coming from the man behind the desk. It was the same kind of sensation he felt from the bandit that had tried to murder them. He's going to attack Bryn! Luis panicked.
Reacting purely on instinct, Luis charged up and fired a bright, deadly beam from his mouth in the span of a second, aimed right at the man across the desk. He spared no expense, immediately using as much power as he could in one shot. It was equivalent to the blast that had killed the bandit from before.
Bryn, who was sitting right next to Luis, nearly fell out of his chair at Luis' sudden action. He was unable to sense the threat like Luis, so this attack appeared to him as completely out of nowhere.
Luis' eyes widened considerably. The man had vanished! Luis' attack went straight through the window behind where the man had stood, melting the glass and setting the curtains on fire. Hopefully, that didn't hit anyone outside... Luis was surprised by his own power.
"Remarkable... What intense magical strength your beast has, even when it's only rank two..." The guild master's impressed voice came from behind Luis.
Turning around, Luis found the man standing there, rubbing his chin in consideration, a blue aura surrounding his body. Blue... Luis noted that it was similar to the green energy displayed by the bandit, but bluish. A different form of energy?
The sharp feeling of danger had disappeared the moment Luis had attacked, and Luis now felt confused. Did this man mean them harm or not? If he did, Luis sensed that they would already be dead. This man was strong.
"FINN! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" Bryn's horrified voice snapped Luis back to his senses. Only now did he fully comprehend what be had just done. Oops... Luis wasn't sure how to proceed.
"Calm down boy, it's not the beast's fault..." The guild master waved his hand unperturbed, as if Luis had only knocked over his coffee instead of trying to kill him, destroying his windows and curtains in the process. Both Luis and Bryn were stumped by his nonchalance.
Sensing the need for an explanation, the guild master elaborated for Bryn. "I merely released my killing intent to gage his reaction. A magical beast's senses are much sharper than a human's.
A shame about my silk curtains, though. Those weren't cheap." The guild master sighed in remorse. With a wave of his hand, a sudden breeze appeared and blew out the fire that had been forming on the drapes.
Bryn had a million thoughts going through his head, the most prevalent one being how Finn was now in deep trouble. His secret was revealed to the guild master, the worst person possible in this establishment.
He would report Finn to the main guild hall. No, worse... He might even take it upon himself to capture Finn and deliver him, earning the reward that woukd most surely be promised for Finn's capture.
Overall, their chances of leaving unscathed were slim to none. The guild master was obviously powerful, much more powerful than the bandit they had faced with how easily he dodged such a powerful strike.
Not daring to make any movements, the lizard and boy duo simply watched as the man returned to his chair. He examined them both, drumming his fingers on the desk.
Bryn was dreadfully waiting for the command from the guild master to relinquish Finn into the the guild's custody. What he said next however, was completely unexpected.
"I have a proposition for you."
Bryn and Luis looked at each other in confusion. "A... proposition?" Bryn mustered up the courage to speak.
"I, personally, would like to request a favor from you. More specifically, your magic beast, with your word as confirmation. In return, I promise to keep his secret." The guild master spoke as if conducting a business transaction.
His words were like a miracle from heaven to Bryn. He is not taking Finn away... The amount of relief he felt was overwhelming. It sounded almost too good to be true, but he had no choice but to accept.
Anything but losing Finn... The sheer thought alone filled him with horror. "Deal, but what can he possibly help you with?"
What the heck! This situation was too jarring for Luis. From acting threateningly to asking for a request? At on top of that, Bryn immediately jumped at the chance...
Luis wished now more than ever that they had gotten the chance to head up to the library first. He really wanted for Bryn to explain everything in detail. That knowledge would have really come in handy here...
Also, Luis felt like his opinions were considered upon less and less lately. It's so frustrating when Bryn is the only one who knows that I'm not just a mere mindless beast... Luis decided he would also discuss this with Bryn later.
He loved the boy dearly, but Luis was his own person... lizard, an old one at that. He did not wish for Bryn to decide for him on everything without discussing it with him first.
"Tell me... how much do you know about those who possess a light affinity? The guild master asked Bryn directly.
Bryn answered truthfully. "Not too much, just what was mentioned in the bestiary. It's a very rare affinity..." Bryn added, trying to be helpful.
The guild master laughed loudly. "Yound lad, rare doesn't even begin to describe it. The world is far bigger than you know, much more than this mere small town. Tell me... do you know how many humans on this half of the continent are known to have an affinity to light? He asked rhetorically.
Brian shrugged in response.
"Four. Only four known people out the tens of millions who live in the five kingdoms. They are collectively called the 'Priests of Light' and the legends of their abilities are well known throughout the major cities.
There are more established kingdoms than there are confirmed magic users with a light affinity. Although I suspect there might be a couple who have managed to hide it, it's likely not more than two or three."
This statistic blew Bryn's original guess away. It was much rarer than he thought. The guild master wasn't done talking.
"Confirmed magic beasts with this affinity are even more mythic. Seven years ago, a Sun Basilisk, a rank seven magical beast with an innate light affinity, was discovered on an expedition deep into the border forest.
It was hunted by the three of the five kingdoms most powerful mages and warriors, and its stone extracted. That stone, shared among the three kingdoms who hunted the beast, has the power to heal any injury, recent or old, when one absorbs its energy.
It gathers energy from the sun, and can be used once a month. You can imagine just how valuable that stone is, with effects like that."
Bryn felt like he was receiving a lesson in a classroom. After hearing about the Sun Basilisk, and how truly rare the light affinity is, Bryn looked upon Luis in a new light.
His wild imagination reformed his meeting with Luis as destiny. They were destined to do great things together! Bryn felt his blood pumping.
But... wait. His blood cooled considerably. He asked the question plaguing his heart. "If this is the case... why aren't you threatening to take him?"
The guild master nodded, as if expecting this question. "I bet you are thinking that I would recieve some kind of big 'reward' for reporting him, yes?"
Brian nodded, it was exactly what he thought. Luis, who had also been listening the whole time, was also thinking this. He mostly understood what the guild master was saying. Anything else he missed, he would confer with Bryn later.
"That's not quite true. The most likely scenario would be my superiors at the main guild hall taking the credit, with me receiving a minor reward as pittance. However, this isn't the biggest loss... The guild master leaned forward, as if he was about to tell a big secret.
"The biggest loss, would be the golden opportunity his appearance can provide me..." The guild master let the sentence linger.
Bryn was beginning to connect the dots. "You mentioned the Sun Basilisk stone's healing properties... but what does that have to do with you?"
Clever boy. The guild master stood up slowly and lifted the edge of his cotton shirt. Luis and Bryn both winced hard, the former internally. There was a horrible gash on the abdomen of the guild master.
Red, raw looking skin that didn't quite heal right covering up a nasty scar running across his stomach at an angle leading up to his chest, where there was more of the scar hidden.
The guild master frowned sadly. "The opportunity to recover what I have lost, lies with this beast here..."
Luis tilted his head like a question, and the smile returned to the man's face. He continued describing his intentions.
"He seems to be quite intelligent and listens to you, so I hope we can come to an arrangement. You see... I was stationed here at this guild branch due to an old injury." The man scowled at the memory.
"Years ago, I was wounded in a duel of pride, and only barely survived due to luck. This wouldn't trouble me on it's own, but the injury was deep enough that it affects my mana flow.
I can no longer channel it properly, limiting my strength and blocking any hope of advancement. Originally, I was forced to settle at my current state. Now, though, I see a chance to recover my past self." The guild master's blue eyes brightened.
"With a magic beast of light, there is now a chance! I simply implore you, that when the time comes and he grows strong enough, you can convince him to fix this old injury of mine." The man sighed heavily while rubbing his scar, and Luis actually felt pity for him.
He didn't understand what he was talking about with regards to mana, but as an old man himself, he understood the pain of old injuries limiting you for the rest of your life.
Back in Luis' thirties, he crushed his hand in a construction accident, and that injury affected him till the day he died... and came here.
Although, I'm not sure how to heal others, or if I'm even capable of doing so... Luis knew his power could heal himself from within, but he never tried extending that ability outward. He would definitely test this later.
Nudging Bryn, Luis looked up and gave his consent with a nod. Filled with confidence at Luis' acceptance, Bryn agreed to the guild master's request.
Smiling brightly, the guild master stood up. "Splendid! We have come to an agreement then! Bryn, is there anything you desire? I will not extort you. For bringing this old man some hope, I will not leave you with nothing in return," The man declared with a magnanimous air fitting of a man in his position.
Bryn saw a grand opportunity. "Sir, do you know the method of how one trains to become a magic knight?"
The man's luminous smile wilted back into a frown, and he sat back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "Bryn, you have been coming to this guild since you were a child. The receptionists have grown fond of you, and your name had come up every so often in their reports. I believe you wished to become an adventurer, yes?"
Bryn nodded vigorously. "I want to see more of the world. I want to go on a grand adventure!" His youthful optimism was on full display. It was like he had already forgotten how how close they just were to certain disaster.
Luis shook his head on the side. This boy just keeps pushing his luck... They had just avoided a catastrophe, and Luis couldn't believe how fast he was already back to wanting to go on adventurers. A true one track mind.
The guild master probed a bit. "It wasn't hard to guess, but why then, do you want to become a magic knight? There are countless adventures here who are ordinary folk."
"I want to be more than ordinary! I want to command the same powers I have only seen glimpes of. I want to shoot fire, command tornados, summon tidal waves, create earthquakes..." Bryn listed off many of the fantastical rumors he had heard about mages and magic knights.
The old man couldn't help but laugh at the boys description of magic. It's good for the young to dream... "Lad, you make it sound like it's as easy as snapping your fingers. It takes decades for most to even command a fraction of the power you described..." He turned solemn again.
"Not to mention the hardship that goes along with obtaining that power. Sometimes, living an ordinary life can provide the most happiness..."
Luis could understand the wisdom of the man's words. He had seen many people chase after big dreams only to be disappointed when what they were able to achieve didn't match their expectations.
Simple lives are blessed in their own way... Luis understood this concept very well, having lived through one in its entirety.
However, a simple life was one Bryn viewed with abhorrence. I would rather die gloriously than live in mediocrity... Bryn did not want to live in the same town for the rest of his life.
"No, I only desire to become a magic knight. From what I have been told, its unlikely I have talent for magic, but I also heard you don't need that to become a magic knight!" Bryn was headstrong with his one desire.
The guild master explained it in more detail. There was is still so much the boy didn't know... "Yes. Only about one in a thousand have enough talent to be trained as mages. However, training as a knight of the elements is not as easy as you think. It requires resources, as well as talents in other things."
"Sir, this is my desire. If you can help me achieve it. I would be eternally grateful. As you can see, this is my only chance..." Bryn glanced down at his stump, frowning sadly.
The guild master frowned as well. It was true, the association would never bother to waste resources to train a cripple. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes.
With a great sigh, the guild master acquiesced. "Very well, but I must leave and retrieve some things from the city. This small town does not have what I need. Even then, incannot guarentee you with success."
Bryn felt like cheering, his dream that he thought was lost was now coming true, and he there was only one lizard he could thank. This made it official in his mind, meeting Luis was destiny!
After agreeing upon a return date, the guild master excused them both. Before leaving the office on Luis' back, the guild master addressed Bryn one last time.
"Lad, be sure to keep this a secret. If anyone else finds out about him, there would be nowhere he could run that they wouldn't chase..."
Bryn swallowed a lump of saliva when he imagined who 'they' would be, but as long as no more surprise attacks happened, Bryn felt they would be safe. Finn never wantonly attacked anyone anyway. He was quite friendly.
"Sir, I promise not to reveal anything!" Bryn beat his chest in confirmation.
"Please, my name is Markus. Soon, you will be calling me teacher..." The man smiled as they walked out back into the receptionist area.
Bryn, without a word, led Luis upstairs. Luckily there was no one up here at this time of day. Hopping off of Luis' back, Bryn hopped in front and looked him in the eyes. Balancing himself on one leg, Bryn gave Luis a full on hug. Luis fell still.
"Thank you Finn. This is the second time you have saved me. You have given me another chance at my dreams. I can never repay you for that." Bryn spoke his most honest thanks as he hugged the large lizard tighter.
All minor transgressions Luis had with the boy withered away. "Ah, he is so naive and foolhardy, but he has a pure heart." Bryn reminded him too much of his grandkids back in his old life. At this point, Luis considered him one of his own now. He could never stay mad at his grandkids.
Luis nudged Bryn's head with his own, licking his face, causing Bryn to laughed.
"Yea yea, I love you too, you fat lizard!"
Oi... This brat was asking for a beating. Being the bigger man... lizard, Luis nudged Bryn towards the bookcases.
"Yes, I know. We have the whole library to ourselves. Now is the time I teach you everything!


text:
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Takes 4 inch scroll (available in the product options).
About the product options:
If you choose "No Scroll", we'll ship you the Mezuzah with no scroll inside. Choose this if you already have a scroll.
If you need a scroll as well, choose "Add a Kosher Scroll". We'll ship your Mezuzah with a 4" Basic Kosher scroll already rolled and inserted inside the Mezuzah.

domain: artistic


Heritage Ranch Stabbing Suspect Wanted
On 11-1-12, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a stabbing at a home in the 3200 block of Eagle Point Lane in Heritage Ranch. Witnesses say the suspect, Billy Benjamin Hernandez attacked another man at that residence and stabbed the victim multiple times.
The victim was taken to a local hospital to be treated. Hernandez fled the scene in a car which was located early in the morning on 11-2-12 in Paso Robles. Hernandez is still on the loose and may be considered armed and dangerous. Hernandez is described as an Hispanic male, 5-11, 245 pounds. If you have any information on his whereabouts call Sheriff’s detectives at 781-4550 or call Crime Stoppers at 549-STOP.


text:
My client a Tier 1 House Builder are looking to recruit a Designer. The Designer will be based in the Technical Department in Wakefield. The Designer will ideally have House Build experience. The Designer / Design Engineer will advise Land Department on Technical viability of new sites. The Designer / Design Engineer will co-ordinate the production of design information to ensure company targets are met. The Designer / Design Engineer will have an excellent opportunity for career growth and stability.
Disclaimer: This vacancy is based in the United Kingdom. Barker Ross Recruitment only operates in the UK and can only process applications from candidates who are currently a resident and eligible to work in the UK.
Whilst we endeavour to contact you following your response due to the high volume of applications this cannot always be possible. If you have not had notification within 7 days unfortunately your application has not been successful but we will keep your details on file for future opportunities.
This vacancy is being advertised on behalf of Barker Ross Group who is acting as a recruitment agency.

domain: design


I converted this car while learning, so some parts are worse than others. The base model is from Forza, I have adjusted the model to remove some of the errors, but its not perfect and the car still looks slightly odd (I noticed the model when it was too late to change).
– Tuning windows have dirtmapping
– No LODS
– Various small things
Use OpenIV and go to
make a folder called nis15, and drag the dlc.rpf file into it.
Next go to
Edit dlclist.xml and add the line:
(Don’t forget to add the Item tags)
Spawn name: nis15
Base Model: FM4 / GT Sport
Dmax Type 3 + Wonder Glare – Miragelabs
Enginebay – Screensworkshop
(I forgot where I got the rest)
Livery images: lossTunes, AfiqKun, Rehnz
All Other Work: MiloJS


text:
The attorney for the Palo Alto, California, psychology professor who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault while they were high school students said on Tuesday evening that her client, Christine Blasey Ford, is “not prepared” to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday for a hearing without a full FBI investigation into her allegations.
Lisa Banks, one of Ford’s lawyers, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that though Ford is “prepared to cooperate with the committee and any law enforcement investigation… in whatever form that takes,” she is “not prepared to talk with them at a hearing on Monday” and “can’t focus on having a hearing” after receiving “death threats” and “harassment” in recent days.
Ford’s lawyers reportedly sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Tuesday evening indicating that Ford wants to testify after an FBI investigation is conducted. In the letter, Ford’s lawyers wrote that “a full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions.”
“We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you and Ranking Member Feinstein to discuss reasonable steps as to how Dr. Ford can cooperate while also taking care of her own health and security,” the letter continued.
On CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Banks said Ford is dealing with “hate mail,” “harassment,” and “death threats,” and “she can’t focus on having a hearing that hasn’t been investigated and where nobody has talked to her.”
“Asking her to come forward in four or five days and sit before the Judiciary Committee on national tv is not a fair process,” Banks continued. “Any talk of a hearing on Monday is premature because she just came forward with these allegations 48 hours ago.”
When Cooper pressed Banks on multiple occasions about whether Ford would appear on Monday if the FBI concluded an investigation by then, Banks claimed that “no legitimate investigation is going to happen between now and Monday” and “nothing of substance and nothing legitimate can happen by Monday.” Banks also deflected after Cooper asked whether Democrats are just trying to stall and obstruct.
Banks, repeating that Ford was “deflecting death threats and harassment,” said “rushing forward into a hearing when she is under this much pressure” is not the right thing to do.
“There is no reason we should have a public hearing on Monday given what has occurred and when it has occurred,” Banks continued. “This is being rushed through. And it’s too important to be rushed through. This is not a game. This is a serious situation.”

domain: news


Plant research at the Vienna BioCenter aims to discover molecular and genetic mechanisms that control the diverse activities within plants. The evolution of plants transformed the Earth system and they have been harnessed throughout human history to support growing societies. In the future, fundamental knowledge of how plants function has the potential to contribute to the solutions we need in the face of potentially catastrophic climate change.
Almost all life on Earth is powered by photosynthesis, which transforms the radiative energy of the sun into energy-rich compounds used by living organisms to grow and reproduce. Photosynthesis evolved in bacteria more than two billion years ago and entered the eukaryotic lineage through symbiosis. Plants are direct descendants of this symbiotic event.
DNA links the first photosynthetic eukaryotic cells to extant plants. This heritable molecule carries the information necessary for growth and reproduction. It also encodes the genetic variation that accounts not only for the enormous morphological, cellular, and biochemical diversity that evolved among different plant lineages, but also the variation that underpins adaptive traits within species. Research at the VBC exploits a diversity of model systems – from unicellular algae to complex land plants –to identify the genetic basis of this diversity.
Specific research programs are discovering the mechanisms that control the expression of genomes and how these have evolved since the different plant lineages diverged from a last common ancestor. These “deep time” investigations are matched by programs discovering how differences in the expression of the genomes have contributed to microevolutionary processes within the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
RNA plays a central role in the modulation of genome expression and the organization of DNA into domains of expression (euchromatin) or transcriptional repression (heterochromatin). Small non-coding RNAs are involved in protecting the host genome from transposons, viral-like sequences that spread through genomes. By investigating the role of small non-coding RNAs in the regulation of genome expression in diverse plant lineages, researchers can discover the diversity of mechanisms that operate throughout the plant lineage and use comparative methods to determine how these mechanisms evolved.
The symbiotic event that introduced photosynthesis into the plant lineage was accompanied by the evolution of new regulatory mechanisms that coordinated the activities in the plastid – where light energy is absorbed and transformed into chemical energy – and the nucleus of the symbiotic host. Research aims to discover the molecular mechanisms that coordinate the activity of these organelles. The survival of plants in response to attack by other organisms or stress caused by changes in the environment requires dynamics responses and reorganization of cellular activities. The controlled destruction of proteins and organelles is central to these responses and research at the center is discovering the mechanisms that effect these changes in plants.
Our discoveries will reveal secrets of plant life and how evolution led to the diversity of photosynthetic organisms on Earth. This knowledge will be used to preserve ecosystems and reduce humanity’s drawdown of non-renewable natural resources, to enable sustainable production from land and oceans.
|Berger||GMI||Chromatin Architecture and Function|
|Dagdas||GMI||Autophagy-mediated cellular quality control mechanisms in plants|
|Dolan||GMI||Development and Evolution of Land Plants|
|Mari-Ordonez||GMI||Mechanisms of recognition and silencing of transposons in plants|
|Ramundo||GMI||Chloroplast biogenesis and protein quality control|
|Ibl||Uni Vienna - Faculty of Life Sciences||Cell Biology in Crop Seeds|
|Lang||Uni Vienna - Faculty of Life Sciences||Structural and Functional Plant Cell Biology|
|Weckwerth||Uni Vienna - Faculty of Life Sciences||Systems Theory in Ecology and Biology|
|Wienkoop||Uni Vienna - Faculty of Life Sciences||Plant-Microsymbiont Interaction|
|Bachmair||Max Perutz Labs||Protein modifiers in plants|
|Schloegelhofer||Max Perutz Labs||Molecular Mechanisms of Meiotic Recombination|


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The Andrew Goodman Foundation And The Harvard Kennedy School’s William Monroe Trotter Collaborative For Social Justice Host Strategic Summit, “Towards Freedom: Collective Organizing In The Legacy Of Andrew Goodman”
Strategic summit brings together students, faculty, and national advocates to consider key interventions for increased equitable campus democratic engagement and student voting access
The Andrew Goodman Foundation (AGF) and Harvard Kennedy School’s William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice are collaborating to develop a national campaign framework to increase equitable campus democratic engagement and student voting access. Finalizing the framework will be the basis of a strategic summit, “Towards Freedom: Collective Organizing in the Legacy of Andrew Goodman,” to be hosted by AGF and the Trotter Collaborative at the Harvard Kennedy School on Friday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET.
Throughout the Spring 2022 semester, Harvard Kennedy School students in Reverend Cornell Brooks’ class, “Creating Justice in Real Time: Vision, Strategies, and Campaigns,” have been grappling with the issue of how to use evidence-based strategies to increase equitable campus democratic engagement and student voting access. On an ongoing basis, AGF fields inquiries from students across the country seeking to learn about additional practical steps that they can take to increase their democratic participation. Reverend Brooks and Yael Bromberg, AGF’s Chief Counsel and Strategic Advisor (outside counsel), are collaborating to align the Harvard Kennedy School’s rigorous experiential academic model with AGF’s robust on-the-ground student engagement capabilities to yield meaningful insights into these long-standing challenges. Friday’s strategic summit will focus on addressing one such challenge — removing the barriers associated with obtaining on-campus polling locations.
“In 2018, I conducted a study of the Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere program’s then-59 campuses in 24 states and Washington, D.C. and found that campuses with polling stations on Election Day correlated with a voting rate increase of 5.3 percentage points, and those with them during both Election Day and the early voting period correlated with an increase of 7.39 percentage points. My research demonstrates that greater access to on-campus polling locations correlates with increased student voter turnout. That’s why I am excited to partner with the William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice, under the leadership of Reverend Cornell Brooks, to develop a critical national effort to advance student voting rights, including at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), where students face unique obstacles to the ballot,” says Bromberg.
The national campaign’s concept evolved from the learnings of AGF’s Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere program. The program partners with America’s colleges and universities to provide resources, visibility, and mentoring to a national network of student leaders who involve their peers in participatory democracy through long-term voter engagement and public policy initiatives. Spearheading advocacy efforts to secure on-campus polling stations has long been a key intervention of the program, which now spans 85 campuses in 26 states and Washington, D.C., and a priority request of student leaders in the program. Alongside the grassroots efforts of Andrew Goodman Ambassadors, AGF has brought numerous polling stations to campuses through strategic organizing and advocacy.
Notably, AGF has also brought on-campus polling stations to Bard College and to colleges and universities across the state of Florida via successful student-led litigation. In April, AGF celebrated a statewide legislative victory in New York, which was the direct result of lawsuits filed by AGF and Bard College in 2020 and 2021 that brought a polling place to Bard’s campus. The New York State Legislature passed, and Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law, legislation that mandates polling places on college campuses with 300 or more registered students or at a nearby site proposed by the college, and that prevents the gerrymandering of college campuses.
Additionally, AGF’s 2018 precedential Twenty-Sixth Amendment lawsuit in Florida resulted in overturning a statewide ban on early on-campus polling stations, leading to the placement of polling stations on 12 campuses in 2018, when nearly 60,000 voters cast ballots with the new expansion. The research in our report, On-Campus Early In-Person Voting in Florida in the 2018 General Election, indicates that turnout — especially among young registered voters — in the counties that introduced on-campus early voting locations, was higher in 2018 compared to 2016. Additionally, Hispanic and Black voters used the on-campus locations at a higher rate than their peers, and voters of a variety of age groups availed themselves of the new mechanism.
The strategic summit on Friday will gather a think-and-do tank of students from the Andrew Goodman Network, academics, advocates, and activists to develop a framework for key interventions to advance student voting rights, including securing on-campus polling stations.
Among the 40 distinguished participants at Friday’s strategic summit are:
- Reverend Cornell Brooks, Director of the William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice, Harvard Kennedy School;
- Archon Fung, Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government, Harvard Kennedy School;
- June Park, Co-Chair of Harvard Votes Challenge, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics;
- Jonathan Becker, Executive Vice President and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Bard College;
- Erin Cannan, Andrew Goodman Campus Champion and Vice President for Civic Engagement, Bard College;
- Bob Frigo, Andrew Goodman Campus Champion, Assistant Dean of Campus Life, and Director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, Elon University;
- Tiffany Seawright, Andrew Goodman Campus Champion and Director of Leadership and Engagement, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University;
- Evan Malbrough, Former Andrew Goodman Student Ambassador, Georgia State University and Current Board Member, The Andrew Goodman Foundation;
- Cyrus Commisssariat, Former Andew Goodman Student Ambassador, Arizona State University;
- and Christina Williams, Current Andrew Goodman Student Ambassador, Clark Atlanta University.
The public portion of the strategic summit can be viewed from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET on a livestream at trotter.hks.harvard.edu/all-events.
About The Andrew Goodman Foundation
The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s mission is to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy by training the next generation of leaders, engaging young voters, and challenging restrictive voter suppression laws. The organization is named after Andrew Goodman, a Freedom Summer volunteer and champion of equality and voting rights who was murdered, alongside James Earl Chaney and Michael Schwerner, by the KKK in 1964 while registering Black Americans to vote in Mississippi. To learn more, visit www.andrewgoodman.org.

domain: sociology


text:
If you are one of the many people suffering from problems like pain in the jaws and teeth, headache, severe pain in the shoulder or neck, pain in upper or mid-back and foot pain, there is a high probability that you have become victim to a disease called temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ).
The dentist is one of the main types of TMJ specialists, and they may offer you some form of corrective dental treatment as an alternative treatment first. For example, the biting surfaces of your teeth may need to balance, or perhaps that you need to replace the missing tooth to correct your bite. You can check out the TMJ specialist in dearborn mi via https://www.newmanfamilydental.com/services/general-dentistry/tmj-.
Image Source: Google
What are the options?
Arthrocentesis. It is a simple procedure that involves the extraction of fluid from the joint. The dentist injects a needle into the joint and then irrigates areas in an effort to remove debris and other inflammatory byproducts. Once it has been sufficiently cleaned, he may then either inject lubricant into space to help move along more normal, or steroids to help with healing.
Arthroscopy. This is the slightly more invasive treatment of arthrocentesis, although somewhat similar in the procedure. In this case, the surgeon uses a tiny camera to examine the interior of your jaw joints. Depending on what he finds, he can perform another procedure while he was there, like stitches in your discs if they have moved out of alignment, or remove excessive scar tissue or loose.

domain: medical


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Forbes: Russian shock "Thunder" was a copy of the American "Valkyrie"
The Russian military-industrial complex is developing a new attack drone "Thunder", which can act as a slave. Its scale model was presented at the Army 2020 forum, writes the American magazine Forbes.
The concept of a slave drone has emerged relatively recently. Its idea is that an autonomous drone with artificial intelligence can make independent decisions and have similar capabilities to manned aircraft. If this can be achieved, they can be used in battle together with fighters and bombers. Moreover, most of the time such drones will operate independently, so they should be cheap and multifunctional.
What results the specialists of the Russian firm "Kronstadt" were able to achieve is not yet clear. But the Thunder's silhouette, V-shaped tail, 10-meter wingspan and air intakes indicate that it is a replica of two slave drones - the American XQ-58 Valkyrie and the European Albatross from EADS.
At the same time, it is known that each "Valkyrie" costs the American taxpayers $ 2 million. In the US Air Force they are called "consumables". This indicates that even the loss of a large number of such UAVs in battle is acceptable to the military.
According to expert Samuel Bendetta from Washington, the Ministry of Defense has not yet disclosed its plans for the "Thunder". Therefore, even the shape of the drone may change over time, because what tasks it will perform is still unknown, and the necessary tests have not been carried out. Now we have just a concept, and the appearance of "Thunder" may be different in the final version.
He stressed that it is also not clear which aircraft Moscow plans to use in conjunction with the Grom or other similar Russian drones. Bendett explained that work on AI-powered slave platforms in the United States is progressing quickly and efficiently. But he doesn't know how far the Russians have progressed in their designs.
The expert suggested that the Russians may have created the necessary software, but so far they have not disclosed the details. He is confident that more information on this topic will be available in the coming years.


text:
Sex ed heidi montag
These former reality TV stars are preparing for parenthood and nothing's off limits to talk about. Spencer Pratt , 33, and Heidi Montag , 30, of The Hills fame, are currently expecting their first child — a baby boy due in October — after being married for eight years. Spencer definitely wants everyone to know that pregnancy has not ruined his sex life with his wife. Though The Hills alum Whitney Port recently admitted that pregnancy sex isn't for her , Spencer reveals it's had the opposite effect on their relationship. But I can't say any more than that because my mother will be reading this! And now that they're just two months away from becoming firsttime parents, they already have a plan of what kind of parents they'll be.
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The row over the alleged sex tape featuring Spencer Pratt and his soon-to-be ex-wife Heidi Montag grew today as it was alleged there are two versions: one before she had her extensive surgery and one after. Sources close to the deal have told celebrity website TMZ that in some of the footage The Hills star probably makes a lot of different facial expressions and in the rest 'not quite so much'. She had already had a nose job, collagen lip injections, and implants that turned her A-cups into Cs. Heidi has sent emotional messages to her Twitter followers just hours after news broke that her estranged husband was shopping around a sex tape. The former Hills star told her fans she was 'crying' after adult entertainment company Vivid confirmed that Spencer Pratt had approached them about the video.
Bill Montag changed his plea to guilty in , and was sentenced to four years of probation for a felony charge of child abuse without injury. Back in , Bill Montag, the year-old father of The Hills star Heidi Montag, was arrested and charged with child sex abuse. Though he originally pleaded not guilty, Radar Online recently reported that Montag — a former youth ski instructor in Aspen, Colo. Though Montag was sentenced to four years of supervised probation, Migoya says he completed it in February
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domain: celebrity


text:
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text:
When it comes to laws, I respect all laws that are decided by the people. I may not like the law, but since a majority of the people decided the law over legislators and courts the law is not political decided, but democratically decided. For instance, the people of Colorado recently legalized marijuana and placed a limit on campaign contributions. I am against these laws and although they conflict with federal laws, I prefer issues that are passed by referendum and decided by the people. I also prefer when these issue are decided on a state by state basis because they are controversial – this is the best way to compromise on these issues (same states will legalize marijuana while others will not).
A lot of people like to pick the laws they prefer regardless if they were decided by the people, the states, the federal government, or courts. I do not understand this because this is not Democracy. Sure, it would be nice for all policies to meet my criteria, standards, and ideology, but it is just not practical. And this is a big reason for polarity in this country, we expect everything to go our way and that is simply not realistic. For example, a lot of liberals are happy Colorado legalized marijuana and placed restrictions on campaign contributions. At the same time they are against laws passed by the people of other states that may place restrictions on stem cells, defend marriage between men and women, pass stricter voter ID laws, or pass stricter immigration policies. Yet, even though many of these laws do not conflict with federal law, people are against them solely because of their beliefs. People are impatient and unwilling to enforce the will of the people and therefore expect local, state, and federal legislators and courts to intervene and interfere against the will of the people. This is not democracy.
Case in point, gay marriage is a good example. Many people are outraged that the people of many states voted against gay marriage. Unwilling the uphold the will of the people, the courts intervened on the issue. Now the case is before the Supreme Court. It would be wrong for the courts to rule on this issue one way or the other. Many liberals are still outraged over the Supreme Courts unwillingness to interfere and overturn lower court rulings in the Dred Scott case. But the court was right to not interfere hence, slavery was abolished much faster than if the court did interfere. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, was wrong to interfere on abortion rights. This has led to 40 years of political fights simply because the courts would not let the people of each state decide the issue.
Over time, public opinion changes, and eventually gay marriage may pass a majority of states. In fact, in a decade or two legalization of gay marriage may have enough votes to become an amendment to the Constitution. Although it takes time to overcome stigmas and perceived injustices, it will happen if it is the will of the people. This happened for slavery, civil rights, and it happened for women’s rights. These all became amendments to our constitution and this is the right way to overcome controversial issue, not by having the courts and legislators interfere with the rights of the people.
Eventually, we may have legalized marijuana and gay marriage in our country. I may not fully agree with these issues, but if it is the will of the people and they become amendments to our constitution – who can argue with our great democratic system.

domain: law