Glider App for public dissemination and outreach

D3.6 Glider App for public dissemination and outreach: Primarily developed for outreach purposes the application will also include some functionality for glider pilots. The App will interface in realtime with glider communication stations on land. Functionality will be based and tested on planned glider missions by SAMS partner and will then be rolled out to other partners

Inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity : a clue for understanding human brain development and evolution

Cell polarity is fundamentally important for understanding brain development. Here, we hypothesize that the inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity during neocortex development could be implicated in neocortical evolutionary expansion. Molecular and morphological features of cell polarity may be inherited from one type of progenitor cell to the other and finally transmitted to neurons. Furthermore, key cell types, such as basal progenitors and neurons, exhibit a highly flexible polarity. We suggest that both inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity are implicated in the amplification of basal progenitors and tangential dispersion of neurons, which are key features of the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex.Peer reviewe

Identification of a novel microtubule acetyltransferase ATAT1

Mechanotransduktion ist ein Prozess bei welchem die Zelle mechanische Energie in elektrische oder chemische Signale umwandelt. Genetisches Screening in C. elegans erwies sich als hauptsächliche Quelle für Informationen über Moleküle, die bei Mechanotransduktion eine Rolle spielen. Durch das Screening identifizierte Gene wurden mec genannt, da diese einen mechanosensorischen Phänotyp bewirken. Die Funktion fast aller mec Gene wurde sowohl in C. elegans als auch in Säugetieren beschrieben, allerdings ist die Funktion eines Genes, mec-17, bislang unbekannt. Wir identifizierten ATAT1, ein Säugetierhomolog von mec-17 und konnten nachweisen, dass es sich um eine Mikrotubulus Acetyltransferase handelt. Acetylierung des alpha-Tubulin ist eine hochkonservierte posttranslationale Modifikation, welche langlebige Mikrotubuli markiert, aber bislang kaum geklärte funktionale Bedeutung besitzt. Obwohl bereits Tubulin Deacetylasen bekannt sind, ist ATAT1/mec-17 die erste Mikrotubulus Acetyltransferase, die identifiziert werden konnte. Wir konnten zeigen, dass ATAT1 insbesondere im Zentralnervensystem von Säugetieren exprimiert wird und dass es intrazellulär mit Mikrotubuli und Mikrotubuli-assoziierten Proteinen colokalisiert. Unsere Ergebnisse beweisen, dass die Hauptsubstrate von ATAT1 nicht lösliches Tubulin, sondern polymerisierte und stabile Mikrotubuli sind. Des Weiteren acetyliert ATAT1 alpha-Tubulin an Lysin 40. Interessanterweise, acetyliert sich ATAT1 auch selbst, was einem selbstregulatorischen Mechanismus unterliegt, welcher für die effektive Modifikation von Tubulin notwendig ist. In Säugetierzellen wird ATAT1 mittels „end-binding“ Proteinen (EB- 3) zu den Mikrotubuli rekrutiert, wo es die Dynamiken am Plus-Ende beschleunigt und die Destabilisierung der Mikrotubuli fördert. Bemerkenswerterweise bleibt dieser Effekt in ATAT1 Mutationen bestehen die keine Acetylierungsaktivität mehr aufweisen. Dies legt nahe, dass die Interaktion von ATAT1 mit Mikrotubuli ein wichtiger Faktor für die Stabilitätsregulierung der Mikrotubuli ist und nicht nur in der Acetylierung per se eine Rolle spielt. Des Weiteren konnte ich nachweisen, dass C. elegans‘ mit Mutationen in mec-17 neben der Berührungsinsensitivität auch eine beeinträchtigte neuronale Morphologie und eine zerstörte Mikrotubuli-Ultrastruktur aufweisen. Wichtig ist, dass die meistenPhänotypen,einschließlichder Berührungsinsensitivität, durch Gabe von katalytisch inaktiven mec-17 Mutanten und Wildtyp mec-17 wiederhergestellt werden können. Unsere in vitro und in vivo Beweise legen nahe, dass es sich bei mec-17/ATAT1 um eine wichtige Acetyltransferase von Mikrotubuli handelt, deren Funktion über die enzymatische Aktivität hinaus geht

Offspring outcomes when a parent experiences one or more major psychiatric disorder(s): a clinical review

We sought evidence on quantifiable offspring outcomes, including problems, needs and strengths, associated with their experience of major parental psychiatric disorder(s), focusing on schizophrenia, affective illnesses and personality disorder(s). We were motivated by the absence of any systematic exploration of the needs of offspring of parents in secure hospitals. Seven electronic databases were searched to identify systematic reviews of studies quantifying offspring outcomes when a parent, or parent surrogate, has major psychiatric disorder(s). Our search (updated in February 2018) identified seven high-quality reviews, which incorporated 291 unique papers, published in 1974–2017. The weight of evidence is of increased risk of poor offspring outcomes, including psychiatric disorder and/or behavioural, emotional, cognitive or social difficulties. No review explored child strengths. Potential moderators and mediators examined included aspects of parental disorder (eg, severity), parent and child gender and age, parenting behaviours, and family functioning. This clinical review is the first review of systematic reviews to focus on quantifiable offspring problems, needs or strengths when a parent has major psychiatric disorder(s). It narratively synthesises findings, emphasising the increased risk of offspring problems, while highlighting limits to what is known, especially the extent to which any increased risk of childhood problems endures and the extent to which aspects of parental disorder moderate offspring outcomes. The absence of the reviews’ consideration of child strengths and protective factors limits opportunity to enhance offspring resilience

Disruption of the MyoD/p21 Pathway in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Purpose. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an embryonal tumor thought to arise from skeletal muscle cells that fail to differentiate terminally. The majority of RMSs express MyoD, a protein essential to the differentiation of skeletal muscle. It was recently shown that during myogenesis, MyoD activates the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKi), p21, which itself plays a critical role in normal muscle development. To investigate the integrity of the MyoD/p21 pathway in RMS, we analyzed p21 and its relationship to MyoD expression in RMS

Adjustment to short-term imprisonment under low prison staffing

Aims and method To understand experience of early imprisonment in one prison under low staffing levels. A researcher, independent of the prison, interviewed each prisoner soon after reception and 3–4 weeks later. The first question of the second interview was: ‘I’d like to start by asking you about your experience of the last 3–4 weeks in prison'. Data are verbatim answers to this. Narratives were brief, so responses from all 130 participants were analysed, using grounded theory methods. Results The core experience was of ‘routine’ – characterised by repetitive acts of daily living and basic work, and little reference to life outside prison – generally resolved passively, towards boredom and ‘entrapment’. Clinical implications This ‘routine’ seems akin to the ‘institutionalism’ described in the end days of the 1960s’ mental hospitals. In an earlier study of similar men at a similar stage of imprisonment, under higher staff:prisoner ratios, experience was initially more distressing, but resolved actively and positively, suggesting that staff loss may have affected rehabilitative climate

Remorse in psychotic violent offenders: an overvalued idea?

Expressing remorse – or not – appears to influence criminal justice outcomes, but preliminary exploration of both judicial and psychological concepts suggests they lack clarity. We asked the following questions: does psychosis impair capacity for, or expression of, remorse for a homicide or other serious harm to others? Is failure to express remorse for an offence associated with recidivism? We conducted systematic reviews of empirical literature on remorse for serious violence while psychotic, and on relationships between remorse and reoffending regardless of mental state. No articles on remorse for homicide or other serious violence while psychotic were identified. There is weak evidence that lack of remorse is associated with reoffending generally, but nothing specific to psychosis. The literature is strong enough to support a case for research into valid measurement of remorse for offending, associations of such measures with recidivism, and whether a change in remorse can be effected – or matters. It is not strong enough to support reliance on perceptions of the presence or absence of remorse as a basis for judicial decisions

Bone sialoprotein is predictive of bone metastases in resectable non small cell lung carcinoma: A case–control study and prevalence data

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Delaying parenthood: choice or circumstance?

People, especially women, are delaying having children until later ages. The average age of first birth in the UK is now 29.5, an increase of six years over the past four decades. This may be problematic not only due to the fact that fertility declines with age (with a marked decrease after age 35) but also due to the fact that older age is associated with more complications during pregnancy and delivery to both mother and baby. Previous research has shown that although people have awareness of fertility risks and issues in general they often underestimate the risks and may not apply them to themselves. The aim of the present thesis is to examine reasons why people may be delaying childbearing, whether they know about the risks associated with reduced fertility and how we can better educate people about these risks