Integrated method for quantitative morphometry and oxygen transport modelling in striated muscle

Identifying structural limitations in O2 transport is primarily restricted by current methods employed to characterise the nature of physiological remodelling. Inadequate resolution or breadth of available data has impaired development of routine diagnostic protocols and effective therapeutic strategies. Understanding O2 transport within striated muscle faces major challenges, most notably in quantifying how well individual fibres are supplied by the microcirculation, which has necessitated exploring tissue O2 supply using theoretical modelling of diffusive exchange. Having identified capillary domains as a suitable model for the description of local O2 supply, and requiring less computation than numerically calculating the trapping regions that are supplied by each capillary via biophysical transport models, we sought to design a high throughput method for histological analysis. We present an integrated package that identifies optimal protocols for identification of important input elements, processing of digitised images with semi-automated routines, and incorporation of these data into a mathematical modelling framework with computed output visualised as the tissue partial pressure of O2 (PO2) distribution across a biopsy sample. Worked examples are provided using muscle samples from experiments involving rats and humans

Integrated method for quantitative morphometry and oxygen transport modeling in striated muscle

Identifying structural limitations in O2 transport is primarily restricted by current methods employed to characterize the nature of physiological remodeling. Inadequate resolution or breadth of available data has impaired development of routine diagnostic protocols and effective therapeutic strategies. Understanding O2 transport within striated muscle faces major challenges, most notably in quantifying how well individual fibers are supplied by the microcirculation, which has necessitated exploring tissue O2 supply using theoretical modeling of diffusive exchange. With capillary domains identified as a suitable model for the description of local O2 supply and requiring less computation than numerically calculating the trapping regions that are supplied by each capillary via biophysical transport models, we sought to design a high-throughput method for histological analysis. We present an integrated package that identifies optimal protocols for identification of important input elements, processing of digitized images with semiautomated routines, and incorporation of these data into a mathematical modeling framework with computed output visualized as the tissue partial pressure of O2 (Po2) distribution across a biopsy sample. Worked examples are provided using muscle samples from experiments involving rats and humans

A review of research on economic impacts of climate change

This report reviews prior research on several topics associated with anthropogenic climate change resulting from concentration of CO2 and other gases in the atmosphere. It represents the first step in a project whose aim is to translate this prior research into scenarios that can be modelled with the Lincoln Trade and Environment Model. The report does not attempt to provide a full discussion of the many issues surrounding climate change. Instead, the intent is to summarise prior findings to provide specific parameter values that can be used as model inputs and to link those parameter values to the larger body of research on climate change. The IPCC and others have considered the impact of population growth and other trends on production of greenhouse gases and the implications for climate change. The associated changes in temperature, rainfall, and concentration of CO2 are expected to have impacts on agricultural and forestry production. The impacts vary by country and commodity, and vary according to the timeframe considered. In addition, there is uncertainty in the results, indicated by the ranges of values presented in some cases. There are also technologies and strategies available for mitigating the effects of production on the environment. Some of these technologies reduce the creation of gasses from agriculture, by reducing emissions from soils and animals. Other technologies attempt to capture the gasses that are produced. Still other technologies and processes work to remove carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it for extended periods. The literature on consumer behaviour clearly indicates the willingness on the part of some consumers to support environmental values by paying more for goods and services. Consumers are clearly heterogeneous in this willingness to pay, however, and there are confounding impacts from labelling, information, social norms, uncertainty, and more. As a result, although there is a clear willingness to pay for green products, the size of the premium and the products to which it applies are unclear. In addition, gatekeeper effects may increase or decrease the impact of consumer preferences on producer behaviour. The research reviewed in this report provides the necessary data for analysing the economic impacts of climate change using a model of international trade in agricultural commodities. Research is currently underway to build such a model on the platform of the Lincoln Trade and Environment Model (LTEM), with a country and commodity mix specific to the issue of climate change. The prior research reviewed in this report can be considered partial: it tends to consider climate change without prices and their consequences for production and consumption. By subjecting the trade model to a combination of supply and demand shocks, the aim of this research is to build a better picture of economic impacts of climate change on New Zealand

C heterochromatin variation in couples with recurrent early abortions.

The possible influence of the high polymorphic C heterochromatic regions of human chromosomes 1, 9, 16, and Y on meiotic chromosome segregation was investigated. Faulty chromosome segregation may be the result of either an abnormal quantity of C heterochromatin on the homologues, or disequilibrium between the homologues. The aim of our study was to determine whether either a variation in the amounts of total C heterochromatin or differences in the amounts of C heterochromatin between homologues could lead to faulty chromosome segregation. The study was performed on C banded metaphases obtained from peripheral lymphocyte cultures of 15 couples with recurrent early abortions and 15 control couples, all Caucasians. Analysis of variance was first performed on separate metaphases to measure intra-individual, inter-individual, and between population variation in a hierarchical model. Since the significant intra-individual differences covered the other parameters we performed, secondly, a one way analysis of variance on the mean values of metaphases per person in order to measure the inter-individual and between population variation. The results did not show a relationship between C heterochromatin lengths and occurrence of recurrent abortions