New Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) sauropod remains from the Valtos Formation, Isle of Skye, Scotland

The discovery of a sauropod tooth and a single sauropod footprint from the Valtos Formation supplements our knowledge of these dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic of the Isle of Skye. Although the family cannot be determined from this single tooth, it is thought that it represents a primitive eusauropod and may belong to a similar sauropod to that previously described from limited isolated osteological evidence (caudal vertebra, damaged humerus and a rib). The characteristics that suggest this affinity include evidence of denticles on one edge of the tooth, wrinkling and granulation of the enamel, wear suggesting crown-to-crown occlusion, and the spatulate tooth shape. The single sauropod footprint is the oldest record of a sauropod footprint from the Middle Jurassic of Skye

Enabling self, intimacy and a sense of home in dementia

Design and digital technologies to support a sense of self and human relationships for people living with dementia are both urgently needed. We present an enquiry into design for dementia facilitated by a public art commission for an adult mental health unit in a hospital in the UK. The interactive art piece was informed by the notion of personhood in dementia that foregrounds the person's social being and interpersonal relationships as sites where self is maintained and constructed. How clients, clients' family members and staff used the piece is reported and insights related to the notions of home, intimacy, possessions and self are presented. The art piece served as window on both dementia and the institution leading to a number of insights and implications for design

Section I: Gender-Based Violence

This chapter is a transcript of an open-ended discussion that occurred between the authors when they met to discuss the subject matter of the first section of the book, which focuses on areas where serious ongoing problems of gender violence are receiving insufficient attention. The discussion took place after preliminary drafts had been completed and the authors share their thoughts on the subjects they will each discuss in more detail in the following chapters – including the cultural representation of historical gender violence in India, the treatment of women in Japan\u27s sex industry and attitudes towards LGBTQ+ groups in South Africa

Genetic variation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene, MTHFR, does not alter the risk of visual failure in Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy

Focal neurodegeneration of the optic nerve in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is primarily due to a maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA mutation. However, the markedly reduced penetrance of LHON and segregation pattern of visual failure within families implicates an interacting nuclear genetic locus modulating the phenotype. Folate deficiency is known to cause bilateral optic neuropathy, and defects of folate metabolism have been associated with nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy

Dysregulation of ACE-1 in Normal Aging and the Early Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

An imbalance in the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is associated with cognitive decline and disease pathology in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, we have investigated changes in the brain angiotensin-converting enzyme-1 (ACE-1) and angiotensin-II (Ang-II), and the counter-regulatory angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2), in the frontal and temporal cortex during normal aging and in the early stages of AD. We studied a cohort of normal aging (n = 121; 19–95 years age-at-death) from the Sudden Death Brain Bank, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and AD and age-matched controls (n = 60) from the South West Dementia Brain Bank, University of Bristol, United Kingdom, stratified according to Braak tangle stage (BS): 0–II, III–IV (intermediate disease), and V–VI (end-stage disease). ACE-1 and ACE-2 enzyme activity were measured using fluorogenic peptide activity assays. ACE-1, ACE-2, and Ang-II protein level were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In both regions, ACE-1 protein and Ang-II levels correlated positively with age whereas ACE-1 enzyme activity was inversely related to age. ACE-1 protein correlated positively with Ang-II, whilst ACE-1 activity correlated inversely with Ang-II in normal aging. ACE-1 enzyme activity was elevated at an early/intermediate stage, BS III–IV compared to BS 0–II in the temporal cortex in AD. ACE-2 protein and enzyme activity were unchanged with aging and in AD. In conclusion, ACE-1 activity is induced in the early stages of AD independently from normal physiological age-related changes in ACE-1 protein

The Longhorn Array Database (LAD): An Open-Source, MIAME compliant implementation of the Stanford Microarray Database (SMD)

BACKGROUND: The power of microarray analysis can be realized only if data is systematically archived and linked to biological annotations as well as analysis algorithms. DESCRIPTION: The Longhorn Array Database (LAD) is a MIAME compliant microarray database that operates on PostgreSQL and Linux. It is a fully open source version of the Stanford Microarray Database (SMD), one of the largest microarray databases. LAD is available at CONCLUSIONS: Our development of LAD provides a simple, free, open, reliable and proven solution for storage and analysis of two-color microarray data