Using a Crowdsourcing Knowledge Base to Support the Sustainability and Social Compromise Skill in Computer Science Engineering Studies

The Skill "Sustainability and Social Commitment" is commonly accepted as essential in today's world. However it proves tricky to introduce into the curriculum, mainly because of lack of knowledgeable teachers. To address this issue we present a knowledge base that brings together scientific articles, books, videos, compilations of data, experiences, etc., related to sustainability and knowledge areas associated with computer science engineering. This is a valuable tool that should provide to the teacher accurate and useful information in the research task of finding links between her course and the "Sustainability and Social Commitment" skill

Ageing, physical function, and the diurnal rhythms of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone

The present study examined the relationship between ageing, physical function and the diurnal rhythms of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Participants were 36 community dwelling older adults aged between 65-86 years old. Salivary cortisol and DHEA were measured over the course of one day: immediately upon awakening, 30 min later, and then 3 h, 6 h, 9 h and 12 h post-awakening. Participants completed the Nottingham extended activities of daily living index, the Berg Balance Scale and their handgrip strength was assessed. Older participants had a significantly higher cortisol area under the curve (AUC), lower overall DHEA levels, lower DHEA AUC, a decreased diurnal slope of decline and increased cortisol:DHEA ratio. Lower diurnal cortisol levels were associated with poorer performance on the Berg Balance Scale and lower handgrip strength, and those with a flattened DHEA diurnal profile reported less independence in carrying out daily tasks. These associations withstood adjustment for age. In conclusion, this study suggests an association between cortisol, DHEA, ageing and physical function

Morphology and foliar chemistry of containerized Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. seedlings as affected by water availability and nutrition

• We present the results of a two-year (2007–2008) greenhouse study investigating the effect of water availability and nitrogen fertilization on the growth, biomass partitioning, and foliar nutrient content of Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. • Fertilizer and moisture content (irrigation) were varied in a factorial experiment combining four levels of irrigation and three levels of fertilization to evaluate growth and foliar nutrient content. In addition, a numerical optimization was used to estimate appropriate levels of each factor necessary to achieve simulated goals for response variables. • Irrigation increased the height growth by 12 to 35% depending on the fertilization treatment (p = 0.0001). Fertilization increased height growth by 10 to 26% (p = 0.02). A similar response was observed for stem diameter growth (SDG). Total biomass accumulation increased as result of positive response of stem and root biomass development, and foliar nitrogen content was positively affected by nitrogen fertilization and negatively affected by irrigation. The numerical optimization for simulated target growth and nitrogen content responses produced levels of input combinations with high desirability factors to achieve the target responses. • These results suggest that nutrient addition is a strong determining factor for early development of this species. The improved growth efficiency in this study is likely attributed to a combination of factors including, improved photosynthetic capacity, decreased stomatal limitations, or increased resource allocation to stems

Genotoxic effect induced by hydrogen peroxide in human hepatoma cells using comet assay

Background: Hydrogen peroxide is a common reactive oxygen intermediate generated by variousforms of oxidative stress. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the DNA damage capacity ofH2O2 in HepG2 cells. Methods: Cells were treated with H2O2 at concentrations of 25 μM or 50 μM for5 min, 30 min, 40 min, 1 h or 24 h in parallel. The extent of DNA damage was assessed by the cometassay. Results: Compared to the control, DNA damage by 25 μM and 50 μM H2O2 increasedsignificantly with increasing incubation time up to 1 h, but it was not increased at 24 h. Conclusions:Our Findings confirm that H2O2 is a typical DNA damage inducing agent and thus is a good modelsystem to study the effects of oxidative stress. DNA damage in HepG2 cells increased significantlywith H2O2 concentration and time of incubation but later decreased likely due to DNA repairmechanisms and antioxidant enzyme

Energetic particle influence on the Earth's atmosphere

This manuscript gives an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the effects of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) onto the whole atmosphere, from the lower thermosphere/mesosphere through the stratosphere and troposphere, to the surface. The paper summarizes the different sources and energies of particles, principally galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), solar energetic particles (SEPs) and energetic electron precipitation (EEP). All the proposed mechanisms by which EPP can affect the atmosphere are discussed, including chemical changes in the upper atmosphere and lower thermosphere, chemistry-dynamics feedbacks, the global electric circuit and cloud formation. The role of energetic particles in Earth’s atmosphere is a multi-disciplinary problem that requires expertise from a range of scientific backgrounds. To assist with this synergy, summary tables are provided, which are intended to evaluate the level of current knowledge of the effects of energetic particles on processes in the entire atmosphere

Akt2, a Novel Functional Link between p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Pathways in Myogenesis

Activation of either the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase)/Akt or the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways accelerates myogenesis but only when the reciprocal pathway is functional. We therefore examined the hypothesis that cross-activation between these signaling cascades occurs to orchestrate myogenesis. We reveal a novel and reciprocal cross-talk and activation between the PI 3-kinase/Akt and p38 MAPK pathways that is essential for efficient myoblast differentiation. During myoblast differentiation, Akt kinase activity correlated with S473 but not T308 phosphorylation and occurred 24 h after p38 activation. Inhibition or activation of p38 with SB203580, dominant-negative p38, or MKK6EE regulated Akt kinase activity. Analysis of Akt isoforms revealed a specific increase in Akt2 protein levels that coincided with AktS473 phosphorylation during myogenesis and an enrichment of S473-phosphorylated Akt2. Akt2 promoter activity and protein levels were regulated by p38 activation, thus providing a mechanism for communication. Subsequent Akt activation by S473 phosphorylation was PI 3-kinase dependent and specific for Akt2 rather than Akt1. Complementary to p38-mediated transactivation of Akt, activation or inhibition of PI 3-kinase regulated p38 activity upstream of MKK6, demonstrating reciprocal communication and positive feedback characteristic of myogenic regulation. Our findings have identified novel communication between p38 MAPK and PI 3-kinase/Akt via Akt2

Partitioning of IGFBP-5 actions in myogenesis: IGF-independent anti-apoptotic function

Igfbp5 is upregulated during the differentiation of several key cell lineages and in some tumours; the function of IGFBP-5 in these physiological and pathological situations is unknown. Since IGFBP-5 contains sequence motifs consistent with IGF-independent actions, the aim of these studies was to distinguish between IGF-dependent and -independent actions of IGFBP-5. Myc-tagged wild-type (termed wtIGFBP-5) and non-IGF binding mouse Igfbp5 (termed mutIGFBP-5) cDNAs were generated and used to transfect C2 myoblasts, a cell line that undergoes differentiation to myotubes in an IGF- and IGFBP-5-regulated manner. WtIGFBP-5, but not mutIGFBP-5, inhibited myogenesis, as assessed by cell morphology, MHC immunocytochemistry and caveolin 3 expression. However, both wt- and mutIGFBP-5 increased cell survival and decreased apoptosis, as indicated by decreased caspase-3 activity and cell surface annexin V binding. Further examination of apoptotic pathways revealed that wt- and mutIGFBP-5 ameliorated the increase in caspase-9 but not the modest increase in caspase-8 during myogenesis, suggesting that IGFBP-5 increased cell survival via inhibition of intrinsic cell death pathways in an IGF-independent manner. The relationship between IGF-II and IGFBP-5 was examined further by cotransfecting C2 myoblasts with antisense Igf2 (previously established to induce increased cell death) and Igfbp5; both wt- and mutIGFBP-5 conferred equivalent protection against the decreased cell survival and increased apoptosis. In conclusion, we have partitioned IGFBP-5 action in myogenesis into IGF-dependent inhibition of differentiation and IGF-independent cell survival. Our findings suggest that, by regulation of cell survival, IGFBP-5 has an autonomous role in the regulation of cell fate in development and in tumourigenesis

Convergence of Igf2 expression and adhesion signalling via RhoA and p38 MAPK enhances myogenic differentiation

Cell-cell contact is essential for appropriate co-ordination of development and it initiates significant signalling events. During myogenesis, committed myoblasts migrate to sites of muscle formation, align and form adhesive contacts that instigate cell-cycle exit and terminal differentiation into multinucleated myotubes; thus myogenesis is an excellent paradigm for the investigation of signals derived from cell-cell contact. PI3-K and p38 MAPK are both essential for successful myogenesis. Pro-myogenic growth factors such as IGF-II activate PI3-K via receptor tyrosine kinases but the extracellular cues and upstream intermediates required for activation of the p38 MAPK pathway in myoblast differentiation are not known. Initial observations suggested a correlation between p38 MAPK phosphorylation and cell density, which was also related to N-cadherin levels and Igf2 expression. Subsequent studies using N-cadherin ligand, dominant-negative N-cadherin, constitutively active and dominant-negative forms of RhoA, and MKK6 and p38 constructs, reveal a novel pathway in differentiating myoblasts that links cell-cell adhesion via N-cadherin to Igf2 expression (assessed using northern and promoter-reporter analyses) via RhoA and p38α and/or β but not γ. We thus define a regulatory mechanism for p38 activation that relates cell-cell-derived adhesion signalling to the synthesis of the major fetal growth factor, IGF-II