The History of Air Traffic Control

Did you know that the United States Aviation program began as a subdivision of the Federal Bureau of Lighthouses? Hear the fascinating story of the steps taken to bring organization to to the wild, new and exciting world of aviation at the beginning of the 20th Century. Kern will also discuss how various branches of the ATC came into being as well as some future plans of the FAA

Development of a cargo delivery system and inhibition studies focused on clostridium difficile toxin a

Virulence factors of pathogenic bacteria are to be blamed for life-threatening infections such as diphtheria, anthrax, botulism, and tentanus. In the case of enzymatic exotoxins, disease arises from cytotoxic proteins, and cytotoxicity is acheived only after cell entry. This intrinsic mechanism for cell entry is intriguing from research and medical views. Along with a review on existing cargo delivery systems utilizing protein toxins and the usefulness of such a system, here is described the first reported Clostridium difficile toxin A fusion protein, luciferase-TcdA, and evidence of the successful transport of an active enzyme, luciferase, into the cytosol of vero cells. A feature that makes our system so attractive, is the auto-proteolytic event that releases the cargo protein after internalization. In addition to protein delivery, the exciting success of a peptide-based inhibitor is described. Almost complete inhibition of toxin A was observed in cellulo by a peptide, identified to reversibly bind to the active site, HQSPWHHGGGC, that was functionalized with an epoxy group, HQSPGepoxyHHGGGC. Placement of the functional group is crucial for toxin inhibition. Through studying protein toxins we not only gain insight necessary for defending against deadly diseases, but we can also learn to harness their distinctive properties for the development of novel biotechnology tools, such as a protein translocation system

Expression of a novel versican variant in dorsal root ganglia from spared nerve injury rats

The size and modular structure of versican and its gene suggest the existence of multiple splice variants. We have identified, cloned, and sequenced a previously unknown exon located within the noncoding gene sequence downstream of exon 8. This exon, which we have named exon 8β, specifies two stop-codons. mRNAs of the versican gene with exon 8β are predicted to be constitutively degraded by nonsense-mediated RNA decay. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these transcripts become expressed in a model of neuropathic pain

The patterning toolbox FIB-o-mat: Exploiting the full potential of focused helium ions for nanofabrication

Focused beams of helium ions are a powerful tool for high-fidelity machining with spatial precision below 5 nm. Achieving such a high patterning precision over large areas and for different materials in a reproducible manner, however, is not trivial. Here, we introduce the Python toolbox FIB-o-mat for automated pattern creation and optimization, providing full flexibility to accomplish demanding patterning tasks. FIB-o-mat offers high-level pattern creation, enabling high-fidelity large-area patterning and systematic variations in geometry and raster settings. It also offers low-level beam path creation, providing full control over the beam movement and including sophisticated optimization tools. Three applications showcasing the potential of He ion beam nanofabrication for two-dimensional material systems and devices using FIB-o-mat are presented

Isolation and characterization of cidofovir resistant vaccinia viruses

© 2008 Becker et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and addictions (substance and behavioral): Prevalence and characteristics in a multicenter study in France

Aim The aim of this study is to determine the possible links between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the presence of concomitant addictions with or without substance use in a French student population. Measures A battery of questionnaire measuring socioeconomic characteristics, university curriculum, ADHD (Wender Utah Rating Scale and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale), substance consumptions (alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis), and behavioral addictions [(eating disorders (SCOFF)], Internet addiction (Internet Addiction Test), food addiction (Yale Food Addiction Scale), compulsive buying (Echeburua’s), and problem gambling (The Canadian Problem Gambling Index)] and measures of physical activity (Godin’s Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire) was filled up by university students in Rouen and Nanterre in France. Results A total of 1,517 students were included (472 from Paris Nanterre and 1,042 from Rouen). The mean age was 20.6 years (SD = 3.6) and the sex ratio male to female was 0.46. The prevalence of ADHD among the students (current ADHD with a history of ADHD in childhood) was 5.6%. A quarter (25.7%) of students had already repeated their university curriculum, compared to 42.2% among the students with ADHD. Students with possible ADHD had repeated classes more often and believed to have a lower academic level than the students without ADHD. Significant differences were found as students with ADHD were less likely to succeed in their studies (repeated classes more often) than non-ADHD students, and considered their academic level to be lower. They also had significantly higher scores on substance (alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco) as well as behavioral addictions (gambling, compulsive buying disorder, eating disorders, and Internet addiction). Conclusion It seems essential to determine students’ problems and propose interventions adapted to students’ needs, in order to reduce the negative impact on their future academic and global successes

The patterning toolbox FIB-o-mat: Exploiting the full potential of focused helium ions for nanofabrication

Focused beams of helium ions are a powerful tool for high-fidelity machining with spatial precision below 5 nm. Achieving such a high patterning precision over large areas and for different materials in a reproducible manner, however, is not trivial. Here, we introduce the Python toolbox FIB-o-mat for automated pattern creation and optimization, providing full flexibility to accomplish demanding patterning tasks. FIB-o-mat offers high-level pattern creation, enabling high-fidelity large-area patterning and systematic variations in geometry and raster settings. It also offers low-level beam path creation, providing full control over the beam movement and including sophisticated optimization tools. Three applications showcasing the potential of He ion beam nanofabrication for two-dimensional material systems and devices using FIB-o-mat are presented