The ‘EDHF’ Antagonist 14, 15 Epoxyeicosa-5(Z)-Enoic Acid has Vasodilator Properties in Mesenteric Vessels

There is now overwhelming evidence for Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) as endothelial derived hyperpolarising factor (EDHF). Most recently, a number of pharmacological tools have been developed for the study of EETs in relation to EDHF responses. EETs have been shown to cause relaxation by activating smooth muscle large conductance Ca2+ sensitive K+ (BKCa) (Archer et al, 2003). This dilatory response has been shown to be specifically inhibited by its analogue 14, 15-epoxyeicosa-5 (Z) enoic acid (14, 15 EEZE) in both human internal mammary artery and bovine coronary artery (Archer et al, 2003). Here we have investigated the antagonist effects of 14, 15 EEZE in murine arteries. Male Black 6 mice (12-18 weeks) were killed by lethal exposure to CO2. First order arteries were isolated and mounted in wire myographs immersed in physiological salt solution (PSS). Arteries were equilibrated (30 mins) and tensions normalised as described previously (Mulvany and Halpern, 1977). Arteries incubated for 30 minutes with or without 3µg/ml 14, 15 EEZE. A concentration response curve to 11, 12 EET was performed cumulatively on arteries pre-contracted with EC80 U46619. In some experiments, arteries were pre-contracted with EC80 U46619, and concentration response to 14, 15 EEZE performed cumulatively.Non peer reviewe

Degeneracies between Modified Gravity and Baryonic Physics

In order to determine the observable signatures of modified gravity theories, it is important to consider the effect of baryonic physics. We use a modified version of the ISIS code to run cosmological hydrodynamic simulations to study degeneracies between modified gravity and radiative hydrodynamical processes. Of these, one was the standard $\Lambda$CDM model and four were variations of the Symmetron model. For each model we ran three variations of baryonic processes: non-radiative hydrodynamics; cooling and star formation; and cooling, star formation, and supernova feedback. We construct stacked gas density, temperature, and dark matter density profiles of the halos in the simulations, and study the differences between them. We find that both radiative variations of the models show degeneracies between their processes and at least two of the three parameters defining the Symmetron model.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, matches version accepted to A&

Strategic environmental assessment: assessing the environmental impact of biotechnology

Poverty reduction, Agricultural research, Environmental protection, Genetically modified organisms, Crops, Agricultural biotechnology Research, Investments, Strategic Environmental Assessment,

Analysis for biotechnology innovations using Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA):

" Meeting the food needs of the world's growing population while reducing poverty and protecting the environment is a major global challenge. Genetically modified crops appear to provide a promising option to deal with this challenge. However there is a need to make strategic decisions on how to spend limited agricultural research funds in order to achieve a maximum impact with regard to finding sustainable solutions to end hunger and poverty. In international development institutions, there is growing interest in the potential use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as part of a research based Environmental Management System (EMS) to promote mainstreaming of environmental considerations in policy development. SEA was developed as an approach to integrate environmental considerations at a policy level, where alternatives environmental policies can be evaluated. In this paper, we propose using SEA in a policy research and priority setting process regarding new technologies, taking the development of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as an example. We propose that this method would be a useful tool for the international agricultural research centers of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), streamlining business processes, strengthening accountability, sharpening the research agenda it supports, fostering broader partnerships, and increasing the relevance and impact of CGIAR research in achieving international development goals. Currently international law requires only Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) of specific biotechnology projects. The incorporation of environmental considerations only at the level of specific projects precludes the adoption of alternative environmental policies. In this review, we outline an SEA approach currently being considered at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) for use in evaluating biotechnology policies. SEA may be a useful tool to inform the evaluation of biotechnology policies and priorities by taking account of information on the economic, social, and environmental benefits, cost and risks of adopting those policies." Authors' AbstractRisk, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Genetically modified organisms, Living modified organisms,

Practical Student Self-affirmation

This research paper focuses on student peer interactional relationships in a tertiary level classroom setting in Japan. The research is based on the use of one piece of technology, Microsoft PowerPoint, to illustrate student peer interactional relationships during presentation tasks throughout the 2015 Spring Semester. The application of the particular software used in this research is of little importance, in that any piece of software could be used to investigate student interaction. The important findings of this research indicate that students can be made aware of their self-affirmation through an application of sociolinguistics and an introduction of critical pedagogy that encompasses a significant reduction in the influence of the traditional ‘teacher’ role to the benefit of student empowerment. The role of the student changes from being the passive object to that of a more active Subject role, as that of the ‘teacher,’ or better termed ‘facilitator,’ dispenses their traditional paternalistic, authoritative Subject position, in favor of being one that helps to bring about ‘…an outcome (as learning, productivity, or communication) by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, or supervision,’ on the part of the ‘facilitator,’ as it is defined in the Miriam-Webster dictionary (2015). For students to adopt a more active role requires a change in study habits, which requires more effort. However, this adheres perfectly to the Kyoai College motto; ‘You can develop your ability though it might be hard’ (Kyoai, 2015)

Comparing view-based and map-based semantic labelling in real-time SLAM

Generally capable Spatial AI systems must build persistent scene representations where geometric models are combined with meaningful semantic labels. The many approaches to labelling scenes can be divided into two clear groups: view-based which estimate labels from the input view-wise data and then incrementally fuse them into the scene model as it is built; and map-based which label the generated scene model. However, there has so far been no attempt to quantitatively compare view-based and map-based labelling. Here, we present an experimental framework and comparison which uses real-time height map fusion as an accessible platform for a fair comparison, opening up the route to further systematic research in this area

Supersymmetric Singlet Majorons and Cosmology

We examine cosmological constraints on the lepton number breaking scale in supersymmetric singlet majoron models. Special attention is drawn to the model dependence arising from the particular choice of a certain majoron extension and a cosmological scenario. We find that the bounds on the symmetry breaking scale can vary substantially. Large values of this scale can be allowed if the decoupling temperature of smajoron and majorino exceeds the reheating temperature of inflation. In the opposite case an upper bound depending on the majoron model can be obtained which, however, is unlikely to be much larger than $10^{10}$ GeV.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, IC/94/40, SNUTP 94-15, TUM - TH - 164/9

Hydrodynamic interaction in quasi-two-dimensional suspensions

Confinement between two parallel surfaces is found, theoretically and experimentally, to drastically affect the hydrodynamic interaction between colloid particles, changing the sign of the coupling, its decay with distance and its concentration dependence. In particular, we show that three-body effects do not modify the coupling at large distances as would be expected from hydrodynamic screening.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure