Syntrichia ruralis as a suitable bioindicator for urban areas – the case study of Tallinn city

Environmental pollution is one of the most important problems in urban environment. Mosses are good indicators of air pollution. In Estonia, heavy metals have been measured from Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens, which do not grow in areas of Tallinn with a higher pollution load. In the present study, Cu, Fe and Cd were measured from five moss species growing in contaminated as well less polluted areas of Tallinn. Based on stationary and street pollution source inventory and air pollution dispersion modelling, the long-term average concentrations of fine particles (PM10) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in air were estimated. The work revealed that it is possible to find a moss species that is common in Tallinn and grows in both polluted and less polluted areas – Syntrichia ruralis, which is the most suitable species for bioindication based on this work. Moss species Ceratodon purpureus accumulated the most Cd, Cu, and Fe, then Brachythecium rutabulum/Sciuro-hypnum curtum, and Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus the least. Statistically significant higher Fe concentrations were in the Syntrichia ruralis, compared to the Sciuro-hypnum curtum and Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus. The Syntrichia ruralis also had significantly higher Cd content compared to the Brachythecium rutabulum/Sciuro-hypnum curtum. The results of the GLM analysis showed that the content of various heavy metals depends on the moss species and the degree of fine particles in the environment, and it didn't depend on whether the moss grows on the soil or a hard substrate such as concrete, stone or asphalt

The Grizzly, May 1, 1987

Will Ursinus Make the Grade? • Commuters Recognized • Student Apathy a Farce • Beatles Now Available on Disc • Dougy is King to Sig Rho • Notes: Summer Tennis Strategies Offered; Continuing Ed. Becomes Assertive; Physical Education Day: May 4th; Band and Jazz Ensemble to Perform • Lacrosse Shoots for 4th Title; Bingaman Breaks Another Record • MAC\u27s Return to Ursinus; Bears Look to Usurp Crown • Golf Ties Record at 15-1: Klee, Ignatowicz Lead Bears to MAC Fifth • Trout Tourney Results • The Men Looking For Glory • Baseball Season Ends on Down Note • Kulp Driven to Excellence • Softball Denied Playoffs • Women Netters .500 • Dolman Leaves with Warm Feelings • Renovations at Myrin • Zucker Retires to Further Musical Interests • Multi-talented Symons Ends Forty Year Career at Ursinus • Page Closes the Book at Ursinushttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1189/thumbnail.jp

Plasma Dynamics

Contains reports on ten research projects split into two sections.National Science Foundation (Grant ENG77-00340)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract EY-76-S-02-2766)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR-77-3143)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract ET-78-C-01-3019)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract ET-78-S-02-4681)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract ET-78-S-02-4682)U.S. Department of Energy (Grant EG-77-G-01-4107)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract ET-78-S-02-4714)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract ET-78-S-02-4886)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract ET-78-S-02-4690

Plasma Dynamics

Contains reports on ten research projects divided into two sections.National Science Foundation (Grant ENG79-07047)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR-77-3143)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-ACO2-78ET51013)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-ASO2-78ET53073.AO02)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract ET-78-S-02-4682)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-AS02-78ET53074)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-ASO2-78ET53050)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-AS02-78ET51002)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-ASO2-78ET53076

The selective Cox-2 inhibitor Celecoxib suppresses angiogenesis and growth of secondary bone tumors: An intravital microscopy study in mice

BACKGROUND: The inhibition of angiogenesis is a promising strategy for the treatment of malignant primary and secondary tumors in addition to established therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. There is strong experimental evidence in primary tumors that Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) inhibition is a potent mechanism to reduce angiogenesis. For bone metastases which occur in up to 85% of the most frequent malignant primary tumors, the effects of Cox-2 inhibition on angiogenesis and tumor growth remain still unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Celecoxib, a selective Cox-2 inhibitor, on angiogenesis, microcirculation and growth of secondary bone tumors. METHODS: In 10 male severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice, pieces of A549 lung carcinomas were implanted into a newly developed cranial window preparation where the calvaria serves as the site for orthotopic implantation of the tumors. From day 8 after tumor implantation, five animals (Celecoxib) were treated daily with Celecoxib (30 mg/kg body weight, s.c.), and five animals (Control) with the equivalent amount of the CMC-based vehicle. Angiogenesis, microcirculation, and growth of A549 tumors were analyzed by means of intravital microscopy. Apoptosis was quantified using the TUNEL assay. RESULTS: Treatment with Celecoxib reduced both microvessel density and tumor growth. TUNEL reaction showed an increase in apoptotic cell death of tumor cells after treatment with Celecoxib as compared to Controls. CONCLUSION: Celecoxib is a potent inhibitor of tumor growth of secondary bone tumors in vivo which can be explained by its anti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic effects. The results indicate that a combination of established therapy regimes with Cox-2 inhibition represents a possible application for the treatment of bone metastases

High Yield Production Process for Shigella Outer Membrane Particles

Gram-negative bacteria naturally shed particles that consist of outer membrane lipids, outer membrane proteins, and soluble periplasmic components. These particles have been proposed for use as vaccines but the yield has been problematic. We developed a high yielding production process of genetically derived outer membrane particles from the human pathogen Shigella sonnei. Yields of approximately 100 milligrams of membrane-associated proteins per liter of fermentation were obtained from cultures of S. sonnei ΔtolR ΔgalU at optical densities of 30–45 in a 5 L fermenter. Proteomic analysis of the purified particles showed the preparation to primarily contain predicted outer membrane and periplasmic proteins. These were highly immunogenic in mice. The production of these outer membrane particles from high density cultivation of bacteria supports the feasibility of scaling up this approach as an affordable manufacturing process. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of using this process with other genetic manipulations e.g. abolition of O antigen synthesis and modification of the lipopolysaccharide structure in order to modify the immunogenicity or reactogenicity of the particles. This work provides the basis for a large scale manufacturing process of Generalized Modules of Membrane Antigens (GMMA) for production of vaccines from Gram-negative bacteria

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission: Optical Telescope Element Design, Development, and Performance

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared space telescope that has recently started its science program which will enable breakthroughs in astrophysics and planetary science. Notably, JWST will provide the very first observations of the earliest luminous objects in the Universe and start a new era of exoplanet atmospheric characterization. This transformative science is enabled by a 6.6 m telescope that is passively cooled with a 5-layer sunshield. The primary mirror is comprised of 18 controllable, low areal density hexagonal segments, that were aligned and phased relative to each other in orbit using innovative image-based wavefront sensing and control algorithms. This revolutionary telescope took more than two decades to develop with a widely distributed team across engineering disciplines. We present an overview of the telescope requirements, architecture, development, superb on-orbit performance, and lessons learned. JWST successfully demonstrates a segmented aperture space telescope and establishes a path to building even larger space telescopes.Comment: accepted by PASP for JWST Overview Special Issue; 34 pages, 25 figure