Outcome measures in post-stroke arm rehabilitation trials: do existing measures capture outcomes that are important to stroke survivors, carers, and clinicians?

Objective: We sought to (1) identify the outcome measures currently used across stroke arm rehabilitation randomized trials, (2) identify and compare outcomes important to stroke survivors, carers and clinicians and (3) describe where existing research outcome measures capture outcomes that matter the most to stroke survivors, carers and clinicians and where there may be discrepancies. Methods: First, we systematically identified and extracted data on outcome measures used in trials within a Cochrane overview of arm rehabilitation interventions. Second, we conducted 16 focus groups with stroke survivors, carers and clinicians using nominal group technique, supplemented with eight semi-structured interviews, to identify these stakeholders’ most important outcomes following post-stroke arm impairment. Finally, we described the constructs of each outcome measure and indicated where stakeholders’ important outcomes were captured by each measure. Results: We extracted 144 outcome measures from 243 post-stroke arm rehabilitation trials. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity section (used in 79/243 trials; 33%), Action Research Arm Test (56/243; 23%), and modified Ashworth Scale (53/243; 22%) were most frequently used. Stroke survivors (n = 43), carers (n = 10) and clinicians (n = 58) identified 66 unique, important outcomes related to arm impairment following stroke. Between one and three outcomes considered important by the stakeholders were captured by the three most commonly used assessments in research. Conclusion: Post-stroke arm rehabilitation research would benefit from a reduction in the number of outcome measures currently used, and better alignment between what is measured and what is important to stroke survivors, carers and clinicians

Cyanobacteria and microalgae in supporting human habitation on Mars

Establishing the first human presence on Mars will be the most technically challenging undertaking yet in the exploration beyond our planet. The remoteness of Mars from Earth, the inhospitable surface conditions including low atmospheric pressure and cold temperatures, and the need for basic resources including water, pose a formidable challenge to this endeavour. The intersection of multiple disciplines will be required to provide solutions for temporary and eventually permanent Martian habitation. This review considers the role cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae (collectively referred to here as ‘microalgae’) may have in supporting missions to the red planet. The current research using these microorganisms in biological life support systems is discussed, with a systematic analysis of their usage in each system conducted. The potential of microalgae to provide astronauts with oxygen, food, bio-polymers and pharmaceuticals is considered. An overview of microalgal experiments in space missions across the last 60 years is presented, and the research exploring the technical challenges of cultivation on Mars is discussed. From these findings, an argument for culturing microalgae in subterranean bioreactors is proposed. Finally, future synthetic biology approaches for enhancing the cyanobacterial/microalgal role in supporting human deep-space exploration are presented. We show that microalgae hold significant promise for providing solutions to many problems faced by the first Martian settlers, however these can only be realised with significant infrastructure and a reliable power source

RARγ is critical for maintaining a balance between hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) sustain lifelong production of all blood cell types through finely balanced divisions leading to self-renewal and differentiation. Although several genes influencing HSC self-renewal have been identified, to date no gene has been described that, when activated, enhances HSC self-renewal and, when activated, promotes HSC differentiation. We observe that the retinoic acid receptor (RAR)γ is selectively expressed in primitive hematopoietic precursors and that the bone marrow of RARγ knockout mice exhibit markedly reduced numbers of HSCs associated with increased numbers of more mature progenitor cells compared with wild-type mice. In contrast, RARα is widely expressed in hematopoietic cells, but RARα knockout mice do not exhibit any HSC or progenitor abnormalities. Primitive hematopoietic precursors overexpressing RARα differentiate predominantly to granulocytes in short-term culture, whereas those overexpressing RARγ exhibit a much more undifferentiated phenotype. Furthermore, loss of RARγ abrogated the potentiating effects of all-trans retinoic acid on the maintenance of HSCs in ex vivo culture. Finally, pharmacological activation of RARγ ex vivo promotes HSC self-renewal, as demonstrated by serial transplant studies. We conclude that the RARs have distinct roles in hematopoiesis and that RARγ is a critical physiological and pharmacological regulator of the balance between HSC self-renewal and differentiation

The Synthesis Telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory

We describe an aperture synthesis radio telescope optimized for studies of the Galactic interstellar medium (ISM), providing the ability to image extended structures with high angular resolution over wide fields. The telescope produces images of atomic hydrogen emission using the 21-cm HI spectral line, and, simultaneously, continuum emission in two bands centred at 1420 MHz and 408 MHz, including linearly polarized emission at 1420 MHz, with synthesized beams of 1 degree and 3.4 degrees at the respective frequencies.Comment: Accepted for publication by Astronomy and Astrophysics, Supplement Serie

Cyanobacterial metabolites as a source of sunscreens and moisturizers: a comparison with current synthetic compounds

The recognition of the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation on the skin has led to the commercial development of inorganic and synthetic organic UV filters that can attenuate the negative effects of sunlight exposure. In addition, chemical moisturizers are extensively used in cosmetic products to improve the ability of skin to retain water. Whilst these chemicals have clear beneficial qualities, they may also have adverse effects such as contact sensitivity, oestrogenicity and even tumorigenic effects on human skin. Furthermore, the accumulation of such chemicals in the aquatic environment could be potentially harmful. Consequently, there is interest in exploiting safer alternatives derived from biological sources, especially from photosynthetic organisms such as cyanobacteria that have developed mechanisms for coping with high UV irradiation and desiccation. In order to overcome the detrimental effects of UV radiation, these microorganisms produce UV screening compounds such as mycosporine-like amino acids and scytonemin, which are good candidates as alternatives to current synthetic UV filters. In addition, extracellular substances produced by some extremophilic species living in hyper-arid habitats have a high water retention capacity and could be used in cosmetic products as moisturizers. In this review, we present an overview of the literature describing the potential of cyanobacterial metabolites as an alternative source for sunscreens and moisturizers

All-sky Galactic radiation at 45 MHz and spectral index between 45 and 408 MHz

Aims: We study the Galactic large-scale synchrotron emission by generating a reliable all-sky spectral index map and temperature map at 45 MHz. Methods: We use our observations, the published all-sky map at 408 MHz, and a bibliographical compilation to produce a map corrected for zero-level offset and extragalactic contribution. Results: We present full sky maps of the Galactic emission at 45 MHz and the Galactic spectral index between 45 and 408 MHz with an angular resolution of 5\degs. The spectral index varies between 2.1 and 2.7, reaching values below 2.5 at low latitude because of thermal free-free absorption and its maximum in the zone next to the Northern Spur.Comment: A&A accepte

Experimental and computational study of trace element distribution between orthopyroxene and anhydrous silicate melts: substitution mechanisms and the effect of iron

Although orthopyroxene (Opx) is present during a wide range of magmatic differentiation processes in the terrestrial and lunar mantle, its effect on melt trace element contents is not well quantified. We present results of a combined experimental and computational study of trace element partitioning between Opx and anhydrous silicate melts. Experiments were performed in air at atmospheric pressure and temperatures ranging from 1,326 to 1,420°C in the system CaO-MgO-A

Multiscale QM/MM modelling of catalytic systems with ChemShell

Hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods are a powerful computational tool for the investigation of all forms of catalysis, as they allow for an accurate description of reactions occurring at catalytic sites in the context of a complicated electrostatic environment. The scriptable computational chemistry environment ChemShell is a leading software package for QM/MM calculations, providing a flexible, high performance framework for modelling both biomolecular and materials catalysis. We present an overview of recent applications of ChemShell to problems in catalysis and review new functionality introduced into the redeveloped Python-based version of ChemShell to support catalytic modelling. These include a fully guided workflow for biomolecular QM/MM modelling, starting from an experimental structure, a periodic QM/MM embedding scheme to support modelling of metallic materials, and a comprehensive set of tutorials for biomolecular and materials modelling