Acute Synaptic Activity Causes Differential miRNA Expression in the Drosophila melanogaster Larval Central Nervous System

The primary goal of this thesis was to determine if spaced synaptic stimulation induced the differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the Drosophila melanogaster central nervous system (CNS). Prior to attaining this goal, we needed to identify and validate a spaced stimulation paradigm that could induce the formation of new synaptic growth at a model synapse, the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Both Channelrhodopsin- and high potassium-based stimulation paradigms adapted from (Ataman, et al. 2008) were tested. Once validation of these paradigms was complete, we sought to characterize the miRNA expression profile of the larval CNS by miRNA array. Following attainment of these data, we used quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) to determine if acute synaptic stimulation caused the differential expression of neuronal miRNAs. We found that upon high potassium spaced training in a wild type (Canton S) genotype, 5 miRNAs showed significant differential expression when normalized to a validated reference gene, the U1 snRNA. Moreover, absolute quantification of our RT-qPCR study implicated one miRNA: miR-958 as being significantly regulated by activity. Investigation into potential targets for miR-958 revealed it to be a potential regular of Dlar, a protein tyrosine phosphatase implicated in synapse development. This investigation provides the foundation to directly test our underlying hypothesis that, following spaced training, differential expression of miRNAs alters the translation of proteins required to induce and maintain these structural changes at the synapse

Allied Chemical, the Kepone Incident, and the Settlements: Twenty Years Later

Twenty years ago this July the happenings at a small chemical plant in Hopewell, Virginia ushered in what has since become an incident of national impact and importance. Through the prosecution of criminal cases, the filing of civil personal injury suits and the closing of the James River to fishing, the release of the chemical from the Kepone manufacturing process gained national attention

Samfunnsanalyse Namdalsregionen: samhandlingen mellom Namsos som regionby og omlandet med mål om økt vekstkraft

Byregion Namsos, her også omtalt som Namdalsregionen, er en av totalt 33 byregioner som ble med i første fase av byregionprogrammet, initiert av Kommunal- og Moderniseringsdepartementet i 2014. Byregionprogrammet skal øke kunnskapen om samspill mellom by og omland, og regionenes næringsmessige potensiale. Det interkommunale nettverket Region Namdal, som består av ordførere i 13 kommuner, er ansvarlige for søknaden fra Byregion Namsos. Første fase av byregionprogrammet handler om å gjennomføre en helhetlig samfunnsanalyse (innen 2014). Høgskolen i Nord-Trøndelag ble tildelt oppdraget, og utredningen er utført i samarbeid med Trøndelag Forskning og Utvikling, Steinkjer. Region Namdal har i sin prosjektbeskrivelse fremhevet at samfunnsanalysen skal bidra til å øke det samlede kunnskapsgrunnlaget knyttet til regional utvikling. Bakgrunnen for oppdraget er: «Gjennomføre en samfunnsanalyse som peker ut muligheter for samhandling i regionen med fokus på næringsliv, kunnskap og kompetanse, arbeidsmarked og infrastruktur». Den overordnede målsettingen for denne utredningen: Utvikle kunnskap om samhandling i Byregion Namsos med tanke på et langsiktig perspektiv om å styrke vekstkraften i Namdalsregionen.Region Namdal ved Midt Namdal Samkommun

SN~2012cg: Evidence for Interaction Between a Normal Type Ia Supernova and a Non-Degenerate Binary Companion

We report evidence for excess blue light from the Type Ia supernova SN 2012cg at fifteen and sixteen days before maximum B-band brightness. The emission is consistent with predictions for the impact of the supernova on a non-degenerate binary companion. This is the first evidence for emission from a companion to a SN Ia. Sixteen days before maximum light, the B-V color of SN 2012cg is 0.2 mag bluer than for other normal SN~Ia. At later times, this supernova has a typical SN Ia light curve, with extinction-corrected M_B = -19.62 +/- 0.02 mag and Delta m_{15}(B) = 0.86 +/- 0.02. Our data set is extensive, with photometry in 7 filters from 5 independent sources. Early spectra also show the effects of blue light, and high-velocity features are observed at early times. Near maximum, the spectra are normal with a silicon velocity v_{Si} = -10,500$ km s^{-1}. Comparing the early data with models by Kasen (2010) favors a main-sequence companion of about 6 solar masses. It is possible that many other SN Ia have main-sequence companions that have eluded detection because the emission from the impact is fleeting and faint.Comment: accepted to Ap

Early Observations And Analysis Of The Type Ia SN 2014J In M82

We present optical and near infrared (NIR) observations of the nearby Type Ia SN 2014J. Seventeen optical and 23 NIR spectra were obtained from 10 days before (-10d) to 10 days after (+10d) the time of maximum B-band brightness. The relative strengths of absorption features and their patterns of development can be compared at one day intervals throughout most of this period. Carbon is not detected in the optical spectra, but we identify C I lambda 1.0693 in the NIR spectra. Mg II lines with high oscillator strengths have higher initial velocities than other Mg II lines. We show that the velocity differences can be explained by differences in optical depths due to oscillator strengths. The spectra of SN 2014J show that it is a normal SN Ia, but many parameters are near the boundaries between normal and high-velocity subclasses. The velocities for OI, Mg II, Si II, S Ca a, and Fell suggest that SN 2014J has a layered structure with little or no mixing. That result is consistent with the delayed detonation explosion models. We also report photometric observations, obtained from -10d to +29d, in the UBVRIJH and K-s bands. The template fitting package SNooPy is used to interpret the light curves and to derive photometric parameters. Using R-v = 1.46, which is consistent with previous studies, SNooPy finds that A(v) = 1.80 for E(B - V)(host) = 1.23 +/- 0.06 mag. The maximum B-band brightness of -19.19 +/- 0.10 mag was reached on February 1.74 UT +/- 0.13 days and the supernova has a decline parameter, Delta m(15), of 1.12 +/- 0.02 mag.Department of Space, Government of IndiaHungarian OTKA NN-107637NSF AST-1109801, AST-1151462, AST-1211196NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship AST-1302771NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute GO-12540NASA NAS5-26555Swedish Research CouncilSwedish National Space BoardDanish Agency for Science and Technology and Innovation realized through a Sapere Aude Level 2 grantAstronom

Improving atomic displacement and replacement calculations with physically realistic damage models

Atomic collision processes are fundamental to numerous advanced materials technologies such as electron microscopy, semiconductor processing and nuclear power generation. Extensive experimental and computer simulation studies over the past several decades provide the physical basis for understanding the atomic-scale processes occurring during primary displacement events. The current international standard for quantifying this energetic particle damage, the Norgett-Robinson-Torrens displacements per atom (NRT-dpa) model, has nowadays several well-known limitations. In particular, the number of radiation defects produced in energetic cascades in metals is only similar to 1/3 the NRT-dpa prediction, while the number of atoms involved in atomic mixing is about a factor of 30 larger than the dpa value. Here we propose two new complementary displacement production estimators (athermal recombination corrected dpa, arc-dpa) and atomic mixing (replacements per atom, rpa) functions that extend the NRT-dpa by providing more physically realistic descriptions of primary defect creation in materials and may become additional standard measures for radiation damage quantification.Peer reviewe