High-precision gravimetric survey in support of lunar laser ranging at Haleakala, Maui, 1976 - 1978

The planning, observations and adjustment of high-precision gravity survey networks established on the islands of Maui and Oahu as part of the geodetic-geophysical program in support of lunar laser ranging at Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii are described. The gravity survey networks include 43 independently measured gravity differences along the gravity calibration line from Kahului Airport to the summit of Mt. Haleakala, together with some key points close to tidal gauges on Maui, and 40 gravity differences within metropolitan Honolulu. The results of the 1976-1978 survey are compared with surveys made in 1961 and in 1964-1965. All final gravity values are given in the system of the international gravity standardization net 1971 (IGSN 71); values are obtained by subtracting 14.57 mgal from the Potsdam value at the gravity base station at the Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu

Silmän etuosauveiittien tunnusomaiset piirteet Pohjois-Suomessa vuosina 2009–2018

Tiivistelmä. Uveiitilla tarkoitetaan silmän sisäistä tulehdusta, jossa tulehdusta on pääosin silmän suonikalvolla. Uveiitit jaetaan tarkemmin eri ryhmiin tulehduksen sijainnin, taudin keston sekä etiologian mukaan. Tässä retrospektiivisessä tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin silmän etuosan uveiitteja eli iriittejä, jolloin tulehdus rajoittuu silmän etukammioon. Iriittien tiedetään liittyvän useisiin kroonisiin sairauksiin, kuten selkärankareumaan ja Crohnin tautiin. Iriiteillä on havaittu olevan vahva yhteys HLA-B27 kudostyyppiin. Iriittiin voi sairastua esimerkiksi myös silmäleikkauksen tai silmävamman jälkeen. Iriittien hoidon perustana ovat kortikosteroidit ja lisäksi muut immunosuppressiiviset lääkkeet kuten metotreksaatti. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli saada tietoa Pohjois-Suomen iriittipopulaatiosta ja sen tunnusomaisista piirteistä. Tutkimuksen aineisto on Oulun yliopistollisen sairaalan ESKO-potilastietojärjestelmästä, ja siihen kerättiin vuosina 2009–2018 iriittiin sairastuneiden aikuispotilaiden tiedot. Lopulliseen analyysiin saatiin 416 potilasta. Miehiä oli potilaista 50,7 prosenttia ja naisia 49,3 prosenttia. Keskimääräinen sairastumisikä oli noin 40 vuotta. Puolella potilaista iriitti oli idiopaattinen eli taustalla olevaa syytä ei tiedetty. Suurimmalla osalla potilaista (58,4 %) taudinkuva oli krooninen. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että yleisin iriitin taustalla oleva perussairaus on selkärankareuma, jota oli 22,4 prosentilla potilaista ja se oli yleisempi miehillä kuin naisilla. Muita havaittuja perussairauksia olivat muun muassa haavainen paksusuolentulehdus, Crohnin tauti, lastenreuma sekä MS-tauti. HLA-B27 positiivisia tautimuotoja oli 70,5 prosenttia, mikä vastaa myös aiemman suomalaisen tutkimuksen tulosta. Suurin osa iriiteistä oli ei-infektiooseja, mutta tutkimuksessa havaittiin myös herpesvirusten ja toksoplasman aiheuttamia reaktioita. Yleisimpänä iriitin aiheuttamana lisäsairautena oli kaihi, jota tavattiin 36,8 prosentilla ja toiseksi yleisin lisäsairaus oli glaukooma, joka todettiin 13,0 prosentilla potilaista. Lähes kaikki tutkimuksen potilaat saivat sidekalvolle annosteltavaa kortikosteroidia iriitin hoitoon. Tutkimuksen tulokset lisäävät merkittävästi tietämystä iriittiä sairastavien potilaiden taudinkuvasta, riskitekijöistä, etiologisista tekijöistä sekä komplikaatioista

Varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajien kokemuksia omasta työyhteisöstä ja työssä saadusta sosiaalisesta tuesta

Tiivistelmä. Tutkimukseni selvittää eräässä kunnassa työskentelevien varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajien kokemuksia omasta työyhteisöstään ja työssä saadusta sosiaalisesta tuesta. Tutkimukseni antaa lisää tietoa varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajien moninaisen sekä jokseenkin sirpaleisen työnkuvan vaikutuksista työyhteisöön kiinnittymiseen ja sosiaalisen tuen saatavuudesta. Tutkimuskysymykseni ovat: 1) Millaisia kokemuksia varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajilla on työyhteisöstään ja siihen kuulumisesta? 2) Millaisia kokemuksia varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajilla on työssään saadusta sosiaalisesta tuesta? Tutkimus sijoittuu varhaiskasvatuksen ja varhaiserityiskasvatuksen kontekstiin, jota tarkastelen työhyvinvoinnin sekä työyhteisön näkökulmasta liittäen siihen sosiaalisen tuen määrittelyn. Teoria nojaa vahvasti aiempaan tutkimukseen ja kirjallisuuteen, mutta varsinaisia tutkimuskysymyksiä tarkastelen varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajien kertomien kokemusten kautta. Käytän tutkimuksessani fenomenologista lähestymistapaa, sillä fenomenologia tutkii ihmisten kokemuksia. Tutkimusaineistoni koostuu viiden varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajan teemahaastatteluista. Haastatteluaineiston analysoinnissa käytän aineistolähtöistä sisällönanalyysia, jonka perusteella aineistosta muodostui kaksi pääluokkaa: Työyhteisö ja Sosiaalinen tuki. Pääluokat pitävät sisällään seitsemän yläluokkaa, joista työyhteisön pääluokan alle kuuluvat Päiväkoti työyhteisönä, Varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajat työyhteisönä ja Rooli työyhteisössä. Sosiaalisen tuen pääluokkaan kuuluvat Tuen toteutus, Tuen muoto, Tukeen vaikuttavat tekijät sekä Tuki työhyvinvoinnin edistäjänä. Varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajan kokemus omasta työyhteisöstään on ristiriitainen. Työyhteisöksi koetaan muut saman alueen varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajat sekä ne päiväkodit, joissa varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajat viettävät työnsä puolesta eniten aikaa. Samalla varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajilla on kokemus siitä, etteivät he kuulu mihinkään työyhteisöön. Vaikka työ on sirpaloitunut monen eri päiväkodin välille ja työ koetaan toisinaan hyvin yksinäiseksi, varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajat kertovat saavansa riittävästi sosiaalista tukea. Eniten tukea saadaan muilta varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajilta ja päiväkodin johtajalta. Vähiten tukea saadaan omalta esimieheltä, mitä varhaiskasvatuksen erityisopettajat toivoisivat lisää

Interface Equations for Capillary Rise in Random Environment

We consider the influence of quenched noise upon interface dynamics in 2D and 3D capillary rise with rough walls by using phase-field approach, where the local conservation of mass in the bulk is explicitly included. In the 2D case the disorder is assumed to be in the effective mobility coefficient, while in the 3D case we explicitly consider the influence of locally fluctuating geometry along a solid wall using a generalized curvilinear coordinate transformation. To obtain the equations of motion for meniscus and contact lines, we develop a systematic projection formalism which allows inclusion of disorder. Using this formalism, we derive linearized equations of motion for the meniscus and contact line variables, which become local in the Fourier space representation. These dispersion relations contain effective noise that is linearly proportional to the velocity. The deterministic parts of our dispersion relations agree with results obtained from other similar studies in the proper limits. However, the forms of the noise terms derived here are quantitatively different from the other studies

SOD3 Reduces Inflammatory Cell Migration by Regulating Adhesion Molecule and Cytokine Expression

Inflammatory cell migration characteristic of ischemic damages has a dual role providing the tissue with factors needed for tissue injury recovery simultaneously causing deleterious development depending on the quality and the quantity of infiltrated cells. Extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory role in ischemic injuries where it increases the recovery process by activating mitogen signal transduction and increasing cell proliferation. However, SOD3 derived effects on inflammatory cytokine and adhesion molecule expression, which would explain reduced inflammation in vascular lesions, has not been properly characterized. In the present work the effect of SOD3 on the inflammatory cell extravasation was studied in vivo in rat hind limb ischemia and mouse peritonitis models by identifying the migrated cells and analyzing SOD3-derived response on inflammatory cytokine and adhesion molecule expression. SOD3 overexpression significantly reduced TNFα, IL1α, IL6, MIP2, and MCP-1 cytokine and VCAM, ICAM, P-selectin, and E-selectin adhesion molecule expressions in injured tissues. Consequently the mononuclear cell, especially CD68+ monocyte and CD3+ T cell infiltration were significantly decreased whereas granulocyte migration was less affected. According to our data SOD3 has a selective anti-inflammatory role in ischemic damages preventing the migration of reactive oxygen producing monocyte/macrophages, which in excessive amounts could potentially further intensify the tissue injuries therefore suggesting potential for SOD3 in treatment of inflammatory disorders

Turning Cones Off: the Role of the 9-Methyl Group of Retinal in Red Cones

Our ability to see in bright light depends critically on the rapid rate at which cone photoreceptors detect and adapt to changes in illumination. This is achieved, in part, by their rapid response termination. In this study, we investigate the hypothesis that this rapid termination of the response in red cones is dependent on interactions between the 9-methyl group of retinal and red cone opsin, which are required for timely metarhodopsin (Meta) II decay. We used single-cell electrical recordings of flash responses to assess the kinetics of response termination and to calculate guanylyl cyclase (GC) rates in salamander red cones containing native visual pigment as well as visual pigment regenerated with 11-cis 9-demethyl retinal, an analogue of retinal in which the 9-methyl group is missing. After exposure to bright light that photoactivated more than ∼0.2% of the pigment, red cones containing the analogue pigment had a slower recovery of both flash response amplitudes and GC rates (up to 10 times slower at high bleaches) than red cones containing 11-cis retinal. This finding is consistent with previously published biochemical data demonstrating that red cone opsin regenerated in vitro with 11-cis 9-demethyl retinal exhibited prolonged activation as a result of slowed Meta II decay. Our results suggest that two different mechanisms regulate the recovery of responsiveness in red cones after exposure to light. We propose a model in which the response recovery in red cones can be regulated (particularly at high light intensities) by the Meta II decay rate if that rate has been inhibited. In red cones, the interaction of the 9-methyl group of retinal with opsin promotes efficient Meta II decay and, thus, the rapid rate of recovery

SOD3 Decreases Ischemic Injury Derived Apoptosis through Phosphorylation of Erk1/2, Akt, and FoxO3a

Extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3), which dismutates superoxide anion to hydrogen peroxide, has been shown to reduce the free radical stress derived apoptosis in tissue injuries. Since both superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide have a marked impact on signal transduction pathways and could potentially explain a number of apoptosis and survival -related phenomena in different pathological conditions, we clarified the impact of SOD3 on Akt and Erk1/2 cell survival pathways in rat hind limb injury model. Based on our data, the hind limb ischemic rats treated with virally delivered sod3 have milder injury and less apoptosis than control animals that could be due to parallel activation of pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic Erk1/2 and Akt pathways. The common downstream factor of both signaling pathways, the apoptosis related forkhead box protein O3a (FoxO3a), was phosphorylated and translocated to the cytoplasm in sod3 treated tissues and cell line. Additionally, we obtained increased mRNA production of elk-1, ets-1, and microRNA 21 (miR-21), whereas synthesis of bim mRNA was decreased in sod3 overexpressing tissues. We further showed that overexpression of sod3 modulated redox related gene expression by downregulating nox2 and inos when compared to injured control animals. The study shows the complexity of SOD3-derived effects on tissue injury recovery that are not limited to the reduction of superoxide anion caused cellular stress but highlights the impact of SOD3 related signal transduction on tissue functions and suggests an important role for SOD3 in attenuating cell stress effects in different pathological conditions

GAD Antibody Positivity Predicts Type 2 Diabetes in an Adult Population

OBJECTIVE-To evaluate the significance of GAD antibodies (GADAs) and family history for type 1 diabetes (FHT1) or type 2 diabetes (FHT2) in nondiabetic subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-GADAs were analyzed in 4,976 nondiabetic relatives of type 2 diabetic patients or control subjects from Finland. Altogether, 289 (5.9%) were GADA(+)-a total of 253 GADA(+) and 2,511 GADA(-) subjects participated in repeated oral glucose tolerance tests during a median time of 8.1 years. The risk of progression to diabetes was assessed using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS-Subjects within the highest quartile of GADA(+) (GADA(high)(+)) had more often first-degree FHT1 (29.2 vs. 7.9%, P < 0.00001) and GADA(+) type 2 diabetic (21.3 vs. 13.7%, P = 0.002) or nondiabetic (26.4 vs. 13.3%, P = 0.010) relatives than GADA(-) subjects. During the follow-up, the GADA(+) subjects developed diabetes significantly more often than the GADA(-) subjects (36/253 [14.2%] vs. 134/2,511 [5.3%], P < 0.00001). GADA(high)(+) conferred a 4.9-fold increased risk of diabetes (95% CI 2.8-8.5) compared with GADA(-)-seroconversion to positive during the follow-up was associated with 6.5-fold (2.8-15.2) and first-degree FHT1 with 2.2-fold (1.2-4.1) risk of diabetes. Only three subjects developed type 1 diabetes, and others had a non-insulin-dependent phenotype 1 year after diagnosis. GADA(+) and GADA(-) subjects did not clinically differ at baseline, but they were leaner and less insulin resistant after the diagnosis of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS-GADA positivity clusters in families with type 1 diabetes or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. GADA positivity predicts diabetes independently of family history of diabetes, and this risk was further increased with high GADA concentrations

Quantitative proteomic analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in West Highland white terriers with canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background Canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) is a chronic, progressive, interstitial fibrosing lung disease, manifesting as cough, exercise intolerance and ultimately, dyspnea and respiratory failure. It mainly affects West Highland white terriers (WHWTs), lacks curable treatment and has a poor prognosis. Aspiration of gastroesophageal refluxate may play a role in the development of CIPF. In the first part of this study, we completed label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from CIPF and healthy WHWTs. In the second part, we evaluated potential protein markers of reflux aspiration from canine gastric juice and vomitus and whether these were present in BALF from the two groups. Results Across all BALF samples, 417 proteins were identified, and of these, 265 proteins were identified by two or more unique tryptic peptides. Using the 265 high confidence assignments, the quantitative proteome profiles were very similar in the two cohorts, but they could be readily resolved by principal component analysis on the basis of differential protein expression. Of the proteins that were differentially abundant in the two groups, several (including inflammatory and fibrotic markers) were elevated in CIPF, and a smaller, more diverse group of proteins were diminished in CIPF. No protein markers indicative of reflux aspiration were identified. Conclusions Label-free proteomics allowed discrimination between CIPF and healthy WHWTs, consistent with fibrotic process but did not provide clear evidence for gastrointestinal aspiration. The measurement of proteins may provide a proteomics signature of CIPF that could be used to evaluate treatment options.Peer reviewe

The 9-methyl group of retinal is essential for rapid Meta II decay and phototransduction quenching in red cones

Cone photoreceptors of the vertebrate retina terminate their response to light much faster than rod photoreceptors. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this rapid response termination in cones are poorly understood. The experiments presented here tested two related hypotheses: first, that the rapid decay rate of metarhodopsin (Meta) II in red-sensitive cones depends on interactions between the 9-methyl group of retinal and the opsin part of the pigment molecule, and second, that rapid Meta II decay is critical for rapid recovery from saturation of red-sensitive cones after exposure to bright light. Microspectrophotometric measurements of pigment photolysis, microfluorometric measurements of retinol production, and single-cell electrophysiological recordings of flash responses of salamander cones were performed to test these hypotheses. In all cases, cones were bleached and their visual pigment was regenerated with either 11-cis retinal or with 11-cis 9-demethyl retinal, an analogue of retinal lacking the 9-methyl group. Meta II decay was four to five times slower and subsequent retinol production was three to four times slower in red-sensitive cones lacking the 9-methyl group of retinal. This was accompanied by a significant slowing of the recovery from saturation in cones lacking the 9-methyl group after exposure to bright (>0.1% visual pigment photoactivated) but not dim light. A mathematical model of the turn-off process of phototransduction revealed that the slower recovery of photoresponse can be explained by slower Meta decay of 9-demethyl visual pigment. These results demonstrate that the 9-methyl group of retinal is required for steric chromophore–opsin interactions that favor both the rapid decay of Meta II and the rapid response recovery after exposure to bright light in red-sensitive cones