Moduli space actions on the Hochschild Co-Chains of a Frobenius algebra I: Cell Operads

This is the first of two papers in which we prove that a cell model of the moduli space of curves with marked points and tangent vectors at the marked points acts on the Hochschild co--chains of a Frobenius algebra. We also prove that a there is dg--PROP action of a version of Sullivan Chord diagrams which acts on the normalized Hochschild co-chains of a Frobenius algebra. These actions lift to operadic correlation functions on the co--cycles. In particular, the PROP action gives an action on the homology of a loop space of a compact simply--connected manifold. In this first part, we set up the topological operads/PROPs and their cell models. The main theorems of this part are that there is a cell model operad for the moduli space of genus $g$ curves with $n$ punctures and a tangent vector at each of these punctures and that there exists a CW complex whose chains are isomorphic to a certain type of Sullivan Chord diagrams and that they form a PROP. Furthermore there exist weak versions of these structures on the topological level which all lie inside an all encompassing cyclic (rational) operad.Comment: 50 pages, 7 figures. Newer version has minor changes. Some material shifted. Typos and small things correcte

Specifying sickle cell disease interventions: A study protocol of the Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium (SCDIC)

Abstract Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that results in a lifetime of anemia, severe pain, and end-organ damage that can lead to premature mortality. While the SCD field has made major medical advances, much needs to be done to improve the quality of care for people with SCD. This study capitalizes on the Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium (SCDIC), a consortium of eight academic sites aiming to test implementation strategies that could lead to more accelerated application of the NHLBI guidelines for treating SCD. This report documents the process to support the consortium by specifying the interventions being developed. Methods This study consists of three steps. The Principal Investigator of each site and two site representatives who are knowledgeable of the intervention (e.g., study coordinator or the person delivering the intervention) will answer an online survey aiming to capture components of the interventions. This survey will be completed by the site representatives three times during the study: during the development of the interventions, after one year of the interventions being implemented, and at the end of this study (after 2 years). A site visit and semi-structured interview (Step 2) in the first year of the process will capture the context of the sites. Step 3 comprises of the development of a framework with the details of the multi-component SCDIC interventions at the sites. Discussion The outcome of this study, a framework of the SCDIC, will enable accurate replication and extension of published research, facilitating the translation of SCD studies to diverse populations and settings and allowing for theory testing of the effects of the intervention components across studies in different contexts and for different populations. Trial registration ClinicalTrial.Gov (#NCT03380351). Registered December 21, 2017

Institutional imaginaries of publics in stem cell banking: The cases of the UK and Spain

The UK and Spanish Stem Cell Banks hold politically controversial-but potentially therapeutically beneficial-human embryonic stem cells for distribution to research laboratories globally. The UK bank was the first of its type in the world, opening in 2004, and the Spanish bank used it as a role model in its own development. Both banks structure their operations in response to how their staffs imagine the publics in their nation make trust judgements about their work. Differences between the workings of each bank can be traced to differences in the collective imaginings operating at each bank-termed 'institutional imaginaries'-about how publics think. The UK bank sustains an imaginary in which distance lends legitimacy and disengagement signifies correct moral practice. It conjures a public that values a steady, safe and reliable institution-free from potential conflict of interest-about which the less news the better. This stands in contrast to the Spanish bank that conjures a public that retains an interest in legitimate, ethical guardianship of stem cell material, but which is less worried about conflict of interest in attaining this. Instead, for the Spanish institution, engagement with science and the media through the projection of the bank as cutting edge is deemed crucial for maintaining public support. © 2013 Copyright Process Press.The support of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is gratefully acknowledged. This work was undertaken as part of the research programme of the ESRC Genomics Network at the Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (Cesagen), Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK

Diverse Perspectives: Considerations About Embryonic Stem Cell Research

This is a single report.Since the initial isolation of human embryonic stem cells in 1998 (Thomson et al. 1998), important developments in research have offered the promise of valuable therapeutic breakthroughs while continuing to raise significant social, ethical, legal and policy challenges. Among the interests of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics (IUCB) is a desire to engage issues of this kind, and in so doing, to provide a resource to the IU community, to Indiana, and to the entire country. The topic of stem cell research was, therefore, an appropriate one for discussion at the Center. In January 2002, the IUCB created a Stem Cell Study Group (SCSG). Our primary goal was to provide a forum for informed public discussion of the issues by making use of the considerable local scientific, legal and ethical expertise. In other words, we wanted primarily to educate ourselves about these issues. Our secondary goal was to identify and describe those points on which agreement could be achieved, as well as those issues on which agreement proved difficult if not impossible. This paper summarizes our efforts to meet both of these goals

Cell-based therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis.

The availability of multiple disease-modifying medications with regulatory approval to treat multiple sclerosis illustrates the substantial progress made in therapy of the disease. However, all are only partially effective in preventing inflammatory tissue damage in the central nervous system and none directly promotes repair. Cell-based therapies, including immunoablation followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, mesenchymal and related stem cell transplantation, pharmacologic manipulation of endogenous stem cells to enhance their reparative capabilities, and transplantation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, have generated substantial interest as novel therapeutic strategies for immune modulation, neuroprotection, or repair of the damaged central nervous system in multiple sclerosis. Each approach has potential advantages but also safety concerns and unresolved questions. Moreover, clinical trials of cell-based therapies present several unique methodological and ethical issues. We summarize here the status of cell-based therapies to treat multiple sclerosis and make consensus recommendations for future research and clinical trials