In vivo silencing of alpha-synuclein using naked siRNA

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Overexpression of α-synuclein (SNCA) in families with multiplication mutations causes parkinsonism and subsequent dementia, characterized by diffuse Lewy Body disease <it>post-mortem</it>. Genetic variability in <it>SNCA </it>contributes to risk of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), possibly as a result of overexpression. <it>SNCA </it>downregulation is therefore a valid therapeutic target for PD.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have identified human and murine-specific siRNA molecules which reduce <it>SNCA in vitro</it>. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that direct infusion of chemically modified (naked), murine-specific siRNA into the hippocampus significantly reduces <it>SNCA </it>levels. Reduction of <it>SNCA </it>in the hippocampus and cortex persists for a minimum of 1 week post-infusion with recovery nearing control levels by 3 weeks post-infusion.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have developed naked gene-specific siRNAs that silence expression of <it>SNCA in vivo</it>. This approach may prove beneficial toward our understanding of the endogenous functional equilibrium of <it>SNCA</it>, its role in disease, and eventually as a therapeutic strategy for α-synucleinopathies resulting from <it>SNCA </it>overexpression.</p

The Murchison Widefield Array: The Square Kilometre Array Precursor at Low Radio Frequencies

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is one of three Square Kilometre Array Precursor telescopes and is located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in the Murchison Shire of the mid-west of Western Australia, a location chosen for its extremely low levels of radio frequency interference. The MWA operates at low radio frequencies, 80–300 MHz, with a processed bandwidth of 30.72 MHz for both linear polarisations, and consists of 128 aperture arrays (known as tiles) distributed over a ~3-km diameter area. Novel hybrid hardware/software correlation and a real-time imaging and calibration systems comprise the MWA signal processing backend. In this paper, the as-built MWA is described both at a system and sub-system level, the expected performance of the array is presented, and the science goals of the instrument are summarised

2018 Research & Innovation Day Program

A one day showcase of applied research, social innovation, scholarship projects and activities.https://first.fanshawec.ca/cri_cripublications/1005/thumbnail.jp

Measurements of photo-nuclear jet production in Pb + Pb collisions with ATLAS

Ultra-peripheral heavy ion collisions provide a unique opportunity to study the parton distributions in the colliding nuclei via the measurement of photo-nuclear jet production. An analysis of jet production in ultra-peripheral Pb+Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV performed using data collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015 is described. The data set corresponds to a total Pb+Pb integrated luminosity of 0.38 nb⁻¹. The ultra-peripheral collisions are selected using a combination of forward neutron and rapidity gap requirements. The cross-sections, not unfolded for detector response, are compared to results from Pythia Monte Carlo simulations re-weighted to match a photon spectrum obtained from the STARlight model. Qualitative agreement between data and these simulations is observed over a broad kinematic range suggesting that using these collisions to measure nuclear parton distributions is experimentally realisable

Measurements of photo-nuclear jet production in Pb plus Pb collisions with ATLAS

Ultra-peripheral heavy ion collisions provide a unique opportunity to study the parton distributions in the colliding nuclei via the measurement of photo-nuclear jet production. An analysis of jet production in ultra-peripheral Pb+Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV performed using data collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015 is described. The data set corresponds to a total Pb+Pb integrated luminosity of 0.38 nb−1. The ultra-peripheral collisions are selected using a combination of forward neutron and rapidity gap requirements. The cross-sections, not unfolded for detector response, are compared to results from Pythia Monte Carlo simulations re-weighted to match a photon spectrum obtained from the STARlight model. Qualitative agreement between data and these simulations is observed over a broad kinematic range suggesting that using these collisions to measure nuclear parton distributions is experimentally realisable

Heavy Ion Results from ATLAS

These proceedings provide an overview of the new results obtained with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, which were presented in the Quark Matter 2017 conference. These results were covered by twelve parallel talks, one flash talk and eleven posters. These proceedings group these results into five areas: initial state, jet quenching, quarkonium production, longitudinal flow dynamics, and collectivity in small systems

Water observations from space: Mapping surface water from 25 years of Landsat imagery across Australia

Following extreme flooding in eastern Australia in 2011, the Australian Government established a programme to improve access to flood information across Australia. As part of this, a project was undertaken to map the extent of surface water across Australia using the multi-decadal archive of Landsat satellite imagery. A water detection algorithm was used based on a decision tree classifier, and a comparison methodology using a logistic regression. This approach provided an understanding of the confidence in the water observations. The results were used to map the presence of surface water across the entire continent from every observation of 27 years of satellite imagery. The Water Observation from Space (WOfS) product provides insight into the behaviour of surface water across Australia through time, demonstrating where water is persistent, such as in reservoirs, and where it is ephemeral, such as on floodplains during a flood. In addition the WOfS product is useful for studies of wetland extent, aquatic species behaviour, hydrological models, land surface process modelling and groundwater recharge. This paper describes the WOfS methodology and shows how similar time-series analyses of nationally significant environmental variables might be conducted at the continental scale