Experimental investigation of the nonequilibrium radiation emitted by Mars-like gas mixtures

Properties of nonequilibrium radiation emitted by Mars atmosphere gas mixture

Recent palaeoenvironmental evidence for the processing of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in eastern England during the medieval period

[FIRST PARAGRAPH] Hemp (Cannabissativa L.)— whose origins as a domesticated plant probably lie in C.Asia — has been cultivated in England since at least a.d.800 (and before this perhaps in the Roman Period), mainly for its ¿bre, which was used to make sails, ropes, ¿shing nets and clothes, as well as for the oil from hempseed. Hemp cultivation may have reached a peak during the early 16th century, when Henry VIII decreed that increased hemp production was required to supply the expanding navy. Evidence for the locations where the crop was cultivated and processed is available in several different forms, including written evidence in parish records and government reports, place-name evidence (e.g.Hempholme and some instances of Hempstead), and features on old maps, such as Hempis¿eld (hemp¿eld)

An Exploration of Meaningful Involvement in Ropes Course Programs

The purpose of this study was to: 1) determine if there was a measurable difference in meaningful involvement between the Challenge by Choice (CbC) and Inviting Optimum Participation (IOP) approaches to ropes course program design and delivery; and 2) identify and compare the linkages among program attributes,outcomes, and values with each approach

Cell patterning on photolithographically defined parylene-C:SiO2 substrates

Cell patterning platforms support broad research goals, such as construction of predefined in vitro neuronal networks and the exploration of certain central aspects of cellular physiology. To easily combine cell patterning with Multi-Electrode Arrays (MEAs) and silicon-based ‘lab on a chip’ technologies, a microfabrication-compatible protocol is required. We describe a method that utilizes deposition of the polymer parylene-C on SiO(2 )wafers. Photolithography enables accurate and reliable patterning of parylene-C at micron-level resolution. Subsequent activation by immersion in fetal bovine serum (or another specific activation solution) results in a substrate in which cultured cells adhere to, or are repulsed by, parylene or SiO(2) regions respectively. This technique has allowed patterning of a broad range of cell types (including primary murine hippocampal cells, HEK 293 cell line, human neuron-like teratocarcinoma cell line, primary murine cerebellar granule cells, and primary human glioma-derived stem-like cells). Interestingly, however, the platform is not universal; reflecting the importance of cell-specific adhesion molecules. This cell patterning process is cost effective, reliable, and importantly can be incorporated into standard microfabrication (chip manufacturing) protocols, paving the way for integration of microelectronic technology

White coat hypertension is associated with increased small vessel disease in the brain

Objective: Small vessel disease, as measured by white matter hyperintensity (WMH) in the brain, is known to be associated with increased stroke risk and cognitive impairment. This study explored the relationship between WMH on computerised tomography (CT) and white coat hypertension/effect (WCH/E) in patients with recent transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or lacunar stroke (LS). Design and method: Ninety-six patients recruited for the ASIST trial (Arterial Stiffness in Lacunar Stroke and TIA) underwent measurement of clinic blood pressure (BP) and ambulatory BP monitoring (APBM) within two weeks of TIA or LS. Twenty-three patients had normotension (clinic BP / = 140/90mmHg and day-time ABPM < 135/85mmHg). Arterial stiffness was measured using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) (Complior®, ALAM Medical) and carotid-ankle vascular index (CAVI) (VaSera VS-1500N®, Fukuda Denshi). CT images were scored for WMH using the four-point Fazekas visual rating scale. Patients were grouped into no-mild WMH (scores 0–1) or moderate-severe (scores 2–3) groups. The relationship between BP, vascular stiffness and WMH was explored with t-tests, chi-square and logistic regression accounting for known cardiovascular risk factors. Results: Forty-four percent of patients with WCH/E had moderate-severe WMH compared to 17% of normotensives (p = 0.047). The regression model with WMH as the dependent factor, and WCH/E and cardiovascular risk factors as independent factors showed WCH/E and either CAVI or PWV to be the only independent significant factor contributing to WMH (CAVI:p = 0.038, PWV:p = 0.043)

Ten Years of Challenge Course Research: A Review of Affective Outcome Studies

Over the past 30 years, challenge/ropes courses have spread across the country and are now focused toward a variety of popula­tions, including adolescents, college stu­dents, and corporate employees. Despite their success and growing popularity as an effective training tool, challenge/ropes courses have earned little credibility through academic research. Although a significant amount of research has· been completed, questions continue to arise regarding the efficacy of challenge/ropes experiences for corporate team development and the educa­tional enhancement for adolescent and col­lege students. The purpose of this study was to assimilate and synthesize challenge/ropes course research during the 1990s that stud­ied affective outcomes with non-therapeutic populations

Polyglutamine diseases

Polyglutamine diseases are a collection of nine CAG trinucleotide expansion disorders, presenting with a spectrum of neurological and clinical phenotypes. Recent human, mouse and cell studies of Huntington's disease have highlighted the role of DNA repair genes in somatic expansion of the CAG repeat region, modifying disease pathogenesis. Incomplete splicing of the HTT gene has also been shown to occur in humans, with the resulting exon 1 fragment most probably contributing to the Huntington's disease phenotype. In the spinocerebellar ataxias, studies have converged on transcriptional dysregulation of ion channels as a key disease modifier. In addition, advances have been made in understanding how increased levels of toxic, polyglutamine-expanded proteins can arise in the spinocerebellar ataxias through post-transcriptional and -translational modifications and autophagic mechanisms. Recent studies in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy implicate similar pathogenic pathways to the more common polyglutamine diseases, highlighting autophagy stimulation as a potential therapeutic target. Finally, the therapeutic use of antisense oligonucleotides in several polyglutamine diseases has shown preclinical benefits and serves as potential future therapies in humans

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) mediates schwann cell death in vitro and in vivo: Examination of c-jun activation, interactions with survival signals, and the relationship of TGF beta-mediated death to schwann cell differentiation

In some situations, cell death in the nervous system is controlled by an interplay between survival factors and negative survival signals that actively induce apoptosis. The present work indicates that the survival of Schwann cells is regulated by such a dual mechanism involving the negative survival signal transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta), a family of growth factors that is present in the Schwann cells themselves. We analyze the interactions between this putative autocrine death signal and previously defined paracrine and autocrine survival signals and show that expression of a dominant negative c-Jun inhibits TGF beta -induced apoptosis. This and other findings pinpoint activation of c-Jun as a key downstream event in TGF beta -induced Schwann cell death. The ability of TGF beta to kill Schwann cells, like normal Schwann cell death in vivo, is under a strong developmental regulation, and we show that the decreasing ability of TGF beta to kill older cells is attributable to a decreasing ability of TGF beta to phosphorylate c-Jun in more differentiated cells