Tourism in Iceland: How is the exponentially increasing tourism industry impacting Iceland’s natural wonders?

Since the collapse of Iceland’s economy in 2008, tourism has been a leading factor in it’s recovery. However, the exponential increase in tourism has come with some negative consequences. These consequences were observed and analyzed over the span of a week spent collecting data around the country. Observations were made regarding pollution, environmental degradation, and the urbanization of natural sites. The data collected was recorded in field journals and photographs were taken to support these findings. Interviews were also conducted with tour guides, locals, and business owners in order to gather inside perspectives on the issue. These interviews were conducted in a wide range of locations, spanning from areas of small populations, to the most populated cities. Through evaluation of this data, a correlation between an increase in tourism, and an increase in littered waste was found. This result is consistent with the expectations that were speculated before conducting research. In response to this issue, a government induced balance between economic growth and environmental conservation, in regards to tourism, is necessary to avoid further degradation

Tourism in Iceland: How is the Exponentially Increasing Tourism Industry Impacting Iceland’s Natural Wonders?

Since the collapse of Iceland’s economy in 2008, tourism has been a leading factor in its recovery. However, the exponential increase in tourism has come with some negative consequences. These consequences were observed and analyzed over the span of a week spent collecting data around the country. Observations were made regarding pollution, environmental degradation, and the urbanization of natural sites. The data collected was recorded in field journals, and photographs were taken to support these findings. Interviews were also conducted with tour guides, locals, and business owners in order to gather inside perspectives on the issue. These interviews were conducted in a wide range of locations, spanning from areas of small populations, to the most populated cities. Through evaluation of this data, a correlation between an increase in tourism, and an increase in littered waste was found. This result is consistent with the expectations that were speculated before conducting research. In response to this issue, a government induced balance between economic growth and environmental conservation, in regards to tourism, is necessary to avoid further degradation

Cerebellar c9RAN proteins associate with clinical and neuropathological characteristics of C9ORF72 repeat expansion carriers.

Clinical and neuropathological characteristics associated with G4C2 repeat expansions in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72), the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, are highly variable. To gain insight on the molecular basis for the heterogeneity among C9ORF72 mutation carriers, we evaluated associations between features of disease and levels of two abundantly expressed "c9RAN proteins" produced by repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation of the expanded repeat. For these studies, we took a departure from traditional immunohistochemical approaches and instead employed immunoassays to quantitatively measure poly(GP) and poly(GA) levels in cerebellum, frontal cortex, motor cortex, and/or hippocampus from 55 C9ORF72 mutation carriers [12 patients with ALS, 24 with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and 19 with FTLD with motor neuron disease (FTLD-MND)]. We additionally investigated associations between levels of poly(GP) or poly(GA) and cognitive impairment in 15 C9ORF72 ALS patients for whom neuropsychological data were available. Among the neuroanatomical regions investigated, poly(GP) levels were highest in the cerebellum. In this same region, associations between poly(GP) and both neuropathological and clinical features were detected. Specifically, cerebellar poly(GP) levels were significantly lower in patients with ALS compared to patients with FTLD or FTLD-MND. Furthermore, cerebellar poly(GP) associated with cognitive score in our cohort of 15 patients. In the cerebellum, poly(GA) levels similarly trended lower in the ALS subgroup compared to FTLD or FTLD-MND subgroups, but no association between cerebellar poly(GA) and cognitive score was detected. Both cerebellar poly(GP) and poly(GA) associated with C9ORF72 variant 3 mRNA expression, but not variant 1 expression, repeat size, disease onset, or survival after onset. Overall, these data indicate that cerebellar abnormalities, as evidenced by poly(GP) accumulation, associate with neuropathological and clinical phenotypes, in particular cognitive impairment, of C9ORF72 mutation carriers

Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain: A biomarker of survival for C9ORF72-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

As potential treatments for C9ORF72-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (c9ALS) approach clinical trials, the identification of prognostic biomarkers for c9ALS becomes a priority. We show that levels of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) predict disease status and survival in c9ALS patients, and are largely stable over time. Moreover, c9ALS patients exhibit higher pNFH levels, more rapid disease progression, and shorter survival after disease onset than ALS patients without C9ORF72 expansions. These data support the use of CSF pNFH as a prognostic biomarker for clinical trials, which will increase the likelihood of successfully developing a treatment for c9ALS. Ann Neurol 2017;82:139–146

Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain: A biomarker of survival for C9ORF72-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

© 2017 The Authors Annals of Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Neurological Association As potential treatments for C9ORF72-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (c9ALS) approach clinical trials, the identification of prognostic biomarkers for c9ALS becomes a priority. We show that levels of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) predict disease status and survival in c9ALS patients, and are largely stable over time. Moreover, c9ALS patients exhibit higher pNFH levels, more rapid disease progression, and shorter survival after disease onset than ALS patients without C9ORF72 expansions. These data support the use of CSF pNFH as a prognostic biomarker for clinical trials, which will increase the likelihood of successfully developing a treatment for c9ALS. Ann Neurol 2017;82:139–146