Surface modification of a polyether-urethane with RGD-containing peptides for enhanced cell attachment and signalling

Abstract of article examining the chemical modification of polyurethane with RGD-containing peptides offers a means of encouraging the adhesion, spreading and proliferation of cells cultured on its surface. This study assesses the efficacy of a modification procedure using surface analysis techniques and preliminary cell culture studies

'Learning together': Sharing international experience on new models of primary care

No abstract available

Inductive Signals: Revolving vertebrates

AbstractAn old idea about the relationship between arthropod and vertebrate body plans has been given new life by studies of the signalling genes controlling dorsal and ventral development in Drosophila and Xenopus

The Vincentian Mission, 1625–1660

Vincent de Paul pioneered missions exclusively for the rural poor. France had badly trained and often vocationless clergy, and people were ill educated about their faith, especially in the country. The missions were free and conducted when the people were not working. Missioners would meet with local clergy in advance to address each parish’s specific needs. Missions consisted of sermons, two catechisms, confession, First and general Communion, and the resolution of personal disputes. Provisions were also made for the ongoing care of the parish’s poorest, usually with the establishment of Confraternities of Charity. Details on all aspects of the missions are given in the article

Generalized Feynman-vernon Approach To Dissipative Quantum Systems

In this paper the so-called Feynman-Vernon influence functional theory has been generalized in order to include the possibility of dealing with initial conditions of the system plus environment other than the factorizable one. It has been shown that the new influence functional can now be written in terms of paths which represent the coupling of quantum-statistical to quantum-dynamical effects. Once the thermal paths are integrated out of this new influence functional, a generalization of the original Feynman-Vernon expression is obtained. © 1987 The American Physical Society.3673509351

Inhibition of thiol isomerase activity diminishes endothelial activation of plasminogen, but not of protein C

Highlights •A range of thiol isomerase enzymes were expressed by HMEC-1 endothelial cells. •Inhibition of thiol isomerases reduced plasminogen activation on HMEC-1 cells. •Exogenous bovine protein disulphide isomerase increased plasminogen activation in HMEC-1 cells. •Inhibition of thiol isomerases also reduced fibrin clot lysis, but not via direct effects on tPA. •HMEC-1 mediated protein C activation was unaffected by thiol isomerase inhibition. Abstract Introduction Cell surface thiol isomerase enzymes, principally protein disulphide isomerase (PDI), have emerged as important regulators of platelet function and tissue factor activation via their action on allosteric disulphide bonds. Allosteric disulphides are present in other haemostasis-related proteins, and we have therefore investigated whether thiol isomerase inhibition has any influence on two endothelial activities relevant to haemostatic regulation, namely activation of protein C and activation of plasminogen, with subsequent fibrinolysis. Materials and Methods The study was performed using the human microvascular endothelial cell line HMEC-1. Thiol isomerase gene expression was measured by RT-PCR and activation of protein C and plasminogen by cell-based assays using chromogenic substrates S2366 and S2251, respectively. Cell mediated fibrinolysis was measured by monitoring absorbance at 405 nm following fibrin clot formation on the surface of HMEC-1 monolayers. Results and Conclusions A variety of thiol isomerase enzymes, including PDI, were expressed by HMEC-1 cells and thiol reductase activity detectable on the cell surface was inhibited by both RL90 anti-PDI antibody and by the PDI inhibitor quercetin-3-rutinoside (rutin). In cell-based assays, activation of plasminogen, but not of protein C, was inhibited by RL90 antibody and, to a lesser extent, by rutin. Fibrin clot lysis occurring on a HMEC-1 monolayer was also significantly slowed by RL90 antibody and by rutin, but RL90-mediated inhibition was abolished in the presence of exogenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). We conclude that thiol isomerases, including PDI, are involved in fibrinolytic regulation at the endothelial surface, although not via a direct action on tPA. These findings broaden understanding of haemostatic regulation by PDI, and may aid in development of novel anti-thrombotic therapeutic strategies targeted via the fibrinolysis system

Geomorphological control on boulder transport and coastal erosion before, during and after an extreme extra-tropical cyclone

Extreme wave events in coastal zones are principal drivers of geomorphic change. Evidence of boulder entrainment and erosional impact during storms is increasing. However, there is currently poor time coupling between pre- and post-storm measurements of coastal boulder deposits. Importantly there are no data reporting shore platform erosion, boulder entrainment and/or boulder transport during storm events – rock coast dynamics during storm events are currently unexplored. Here, we use high-resolution (daily) field data to measure and characterise coastal boulder transport before, during and after the extreme Northeast Atlantic extra-tropical cyclone Johanna in March 2008. Forty-eight limestone fine-medium boulders (n = 46) and coarse cobbles (n = 2) were tracked daily over a 0.1 km2 intertidal area during this multi-day storm. Boulders were repeatedly entrained, transported and deposited, and in some cases broken down (n = 1) or quarried (n = 3), during the most intense days of the storm. Eighty-one percent (n = 39) of boulders were located at both the start and end of the storm. Of these, 92% were entrained where entrainment patterns were closely aligned to wave parameters. These data firmly demonstrate rock coasts are dynamic and vulnerable under storm conditions. No statistically significant relationship was found between boulder size (mass) and net transport distance. Graphical analyses suggest that boulder size limits the maximum longshore transport distance but that for the majority of boulders lying under this threshold, other factors influence transport distance. Paired analysis of 20 similar sized and shaped boulders in different morphogenic zones demonstrates that geomorphological control affects entrainment and transport distance – where net transport distances were up to 39 times less where geomorphological control was greatest. These results have important implications for understanding and for accurately measuring and modelling boulde

Bosonization Approach For Bilayer Quantum Hall Systems At νt=1

We develop a nonperturbative bosonization approach for bilayer quantum Hall systems at νT=1, which allows us to systematically study the existence of an exciton condensate in these systems. An effective boson model is derived and the excitation spectrum is calculated in both the Bogoliubov and the Popov approximations. In the latter case, we show that the ground state of the system is an exciton condensate only when the distance between the layers is very small compared to the magnetic length, indicating that the system possibly undergoes another phase transition before the incompressible-compressible one. The effect of a finite electron interlayer tunneling is included and a quantitative phase diagram is proposed. © 2006 The American Physical Society.9718(1997) Perspectives in Quantum Hall Effects, , edited by S. Das Sarma and A. Pinczuk (Wiley, New York)Eisenstein, J.P., MacDonald, A.H., (2004) Nature (London), 432, p. 691. , NATUAS 0028-0836 10.1038/nature03081Eisenstein, J.P., (2004) Science, 305, p. 950. , SCIEAS 0036-8075 10.1126/science.1099386Murphy, S.Q., (1994) Phys. Rev. Lett., 72, p. 728. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.728Girvin, S.M., cond-mat/0108181Spielman, I.B., (2000) Phys. Rev. Lett., 84, p. 5808. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.5808Spielman, I.B., (2001) Phys. Rev. Lett., 87, p. 036803. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.036803Fertig, H.A., Straley, J.P., (2003) Phys. Rev. Lett., 91, p. 046806. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.046806Kellogg, M., (2004) Phys. Rev. Lett., 93, p. 036801. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.036801Wiersma, R.D., (2004) Phys. Rev. Lett., 93, p. 266805. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.266805Wen, X.G., Zee, A., (1992) Phys. Rev. Lett., 69, p. 1811. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.69.1811Fertig, H.A., (1989) Phys. Rev. B, 40, p. 1087. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.40.1087MacDonald, A.H., (1990) Phys. Rev. Lett., 65, p. 775. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.65.775Joglekar, Y.N., MacDonald, A.H., (2001) Phys. Rev. B, 64, p. 155315. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.64.155315Fertig, H.A., Murthy, G., (2005) Phys. Rev. Lett., 95, p. 156802. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.156802Doretto, R.L., Caldeira, A.O., Girvin, S.M., (2005) Phys. Rev. B, 71, p. 045339. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.71.045339Kallin, C., Halperin, B.I., (1984) Phys. Rev. B, 30, p. 5655. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.30.5655Fetter, A.L., Walecka, J.D., (2003) Quantum Theory of Many-Particle Systems, , Dover, MineolaStoof, H.T.C., Bijlsma, M., (1993) Phys. Rev. E, 47, p. 939. , PLEEE8 1063-651X 10.1103/PhysRevE.47.939Shi, H., Griffin, A., (1998) Phys. Rep., 304, p. 1. , PRPLCM 0370-1573 10.1016/S0370-1573(98)00015-5Chen, X.M., Quinn, J.J., (1992) Phys. Rev. B, 45, p. 11054. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.45.1105

Violence on campus: Practical recommendations for legal educators

Recent rampage killings compel greater attention to anger and violence on the college campus. In each of these tragic mass murders, vengeful individuals sought to address perceived grievances against faculty and/or other employees of the university. In each of these situations, numerous clues of impending violence were evident. Sadly, however, in each of these cases the schools failed to take preventive actions. While prediction of violent behavior will never be an exact science, universities must begin to enact violence prevention strategies. Maintaining an attitude that \u27this couldn\u27t happen here\u27 hampers the necessary education of faculty, staff, and security personnel. Our purpose in this paper is to provide guidelines for dealing with angry students. Additionally, we will point out characteristics of potentially violent students and suggest some violence prevention measures. Although we will touch on security issues, our goal is to help law educators prevent students from erupting violently rather than to stop a mass murder already in progress