Transient behavior of photorefractive gratings in a polymer

The transient behavior of photorefractive gratings in the polymer composite poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK), 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF), and N,N-diethyl-para-nitroaniline (EPNA) doped with various amounts of 4-(diethylamino)benzaldehyde diphenylhydrazone (DEH) is presented. The influence on the hole drift mobility due to the change in the trap density induced by DEH, was directly measured. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics

Biomarkers of Extracellular Matrix Metabolism (MMP-9 and TIMP-1) and Risk of Stroke, Myocardial Infarction, and Cause-Specific Mortality: Cohort Study

Objective: Turnover of the extracellular matrix in all solid organs is governed mainly by a balance between the degrading matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs). An altered extracellular matrix metabolism has been implicated in a variety of diseases. We investigated relations of serum levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 to mortality risk from an etiological perspective. Design: The prospective Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men (ULSAM) cohort, followed from 1991–1995 for up to 18.1 years. A random population-based sample of 1,082 71-year-old men, no loss to follow-up. Endpoints were all-cause (n = 628), cardiovascular (n = 230), non-cardiovascular (n = 398) and cancer mortality (n = 178), and fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction (n = 138) or stroke (n = 163). Results: Serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels were associated with risk of all-cause mortality (Cox proportional hazard ratio [HR] per standard deviation 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.19; and 1.11, 1.02–1.20; respectively). TIMP-1 levels were mainly related to risks of cardiovascular mortality and stroke (HR per standard deviation 1.22, 95% CI 1.09–1.37; and 1.18, 1.04–1.35; respectively). All relations except those of TIMP-1 to stroke risk were attenuated by adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk factors. Relations in a subsample without cardiovascular disease or cancer were similar to those in the total sample. Conclusion: In this community-based cohort of elderly men, serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels were related to mortality risk. An altered extracellular matrix metabolism may be involved in several detrimental pathways, and circulating MMP-9 or TIMP-1 levels may be relevant markers thereof

Near-infrared sensitivity enhancement of photorefractive polymer composites by pre-illumination

Among the various applications for reversible holographic storage media, a particularly interesting one is time-gated holographic imaging (TGHI). This technique could provide a noninvasive medical diagnosis tool, related to optical coherence tomography. In this technique, biological samples are illuminated within their transparency windowwith near-infrared light, and information about subsurface features is obtained by a detection method that distinguishes between reflected photons originating from a certain depth and those scattered from various depths. Such an application requires reversible holographic storage media with very high sensitivity in the near-infrared. Photorefractive materials, in particular certain amorphous organic systems, are in principle promising candidate media, but their sensitivity has so far been too low, mainly owing to their long response times in the near-infrared. Here we introduce an organic photorefractive material—a composite based on the poly(arylene vinylene) copolymer TPD-PPV—that exhibits favourable near-infrared characteristics. We show that pre-illumination of this material at a shorter wavelength before holographic recording improves the response time by a factor of 40. This process was found to be reversible. We demonstrate multiple holographic recording with this technique at video rate under practical conditions

Development and characterization of agonistic antibodies targeting the Ig-like 1 domain of MuSK

Muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) is crucial for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering and thereby neuromuscular junction (NMJ) function. NMJ dysfunction is a hallmark of several neuromuscular diseases, including MuSK myasthenia gravis. Aiming to restore NMJ function, we generated several agonist monoclonal antibodies targeting the MuSK Ig-like 1 domain. These activated MuSK and induced AChR clustering in cultured myotubes. The most potent agonists partially rescued myasthenic effects of MuSK myasthenia gravis patient IgG autoantibodies in vitro. In an IgG4 passive transfer MuSK myasthenia model in NOD/SCID mice, MuSK agonists caused accelerated weight loss and no rescue of myasthenic features. The MuSK Ig-like 1 domain agonists unexpectedly caused sudden death in a large proportion of male C57BL/6 mice (but not female or NOD/SCID mice), likely caused by a urologic syndrome. In conclusion, these agonists rescued pathogenic effects in myasthenia models in vitro, but not in vivo. The sudden death in male mice of one of the tested mouse strains revealed an unexpected and unexplained role for MuSK outside skeletal muscle, thereby hampering further (pre-) clinical development of these clones. Future research should investigate whether other Ig-like 1 domain MuSK antibodies, binding different epitopes, do hold a safe therapeutic promise

Smoke and Mirrors: U.K. Newspaper Representations of Intimate Partner Domestic Violence

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced pdf of an article accepted for publication in Violence Against Women following peer review. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Violence Against Women, Vol 23 (1): 114-139, first published April 2016 by SAGE Publishing, and is available on line at doi: 10.1177/1077801216634468. All rights reserved.News media are in a position to project certain perspectives on domestic violence while marginalizing others, which has implications for public understanding and policy development. This study applies discourse analysis to articles on domestic violence in two U.K. national daily newspapers published in 2001-2002 and 2011-2012 to evaluate evidence of change over a 10-year time span. The research examines how discourses of domestic violence are constructed through newspaper representations of victims, predominantly women, and perpetrators, predominantly men. Although one of the newspapers adopts a respectful position toward women, the textual and visual techniques adopted by the other reveal a tendency for blaming the victim and sexualizing violence related to perceptions of “deserving” or “undeserving” women victims.Peer reviewe

Reduced atherosclerotic plaque but enhanced aneurysm formation in mice with inactivation of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) gene

Development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions and aneurysm formation were investigated in mice with single or combined deficiency of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) kept on a cholesterol-rich diet for 30 weeks. Atherosclerotic lesions throughout the thoracic aorta were significantly (P<0.001) larger in mice wild-type for TIMP-1 (ApoE-/-:TIMP-1+/+) than in mice deficient in TIMP-1 (ApoE-/-:TIMP-1-/-). Aneurysms in the thoracic and abdominal aortas were less frequent in ApoE-/-:TIMP-1+/+ mice than in ApoE-/-:TIMP-1-/- mice (11+/-3.0 versus 23+/-5.1 aneurysms per 100 sections analyzed, mean+/-SD, P<0.001). Immunocytochemistry revealed enhanced accumulation of Oil red O-stained lipids, colocalizing with macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions of ApoE-/-:TIMP-1-/- mice (P<0.05). In situ zymography using a casein substrate showed enhanced lysis in plaques of ApoE-/-:TIMP-1-/- mice as compared with ApoE-/-:TIMP-1+/+ mice (P<0.01). MMP activity was most pronounced at sites where degradation of the elastic lamina occurred. These data suggest that enhanced MMP activity, as a result of TIMP-1 deficiency, contributes to a reduction of atherosclerotic plaque size but promotes aneurysm formation.status: publishe

Influence of macrofauna on the vertical distribution of meiobenthos in an <i>Avicennia</i> mangal, Gazi Bay, Kenya

The influence was studied in an Avicennia marina mangrove in the upper intertidal zone of Gazi Bay (Kenya), over a period of two months. Exclusions were performed in co-operation with the University of Gent. Cube cages with a bottom surface of one square meter were erected, walled with plastic gauze (mesh-width: 1mm). In order to evaluate possible procedure-effects, partial cages (i.e. cages with the seaward side left open) were placed in the field. Crabs and gastropods were eliminated out of the cages. The meiofaunal component was measured qualitatively and quantitatively. Samples were taken with a handcore (diameter: 36 mm) and fractioned in slices (0-2 cm, 2-4 cm, 4-10 cm and below). Three replica' s were taken from three treatments (cage, partial cage and blanco). The experimental units were placed following a randomized block design. The meiobenthos and some environmental factors (grain size analysis, curtosis, skewness, median particle diameter, porosity, % of organic material, redox potential; temperature, chlorophyl a, fucoxanthine, nutrient analysis, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen) were sampled before the cages/partial cages were placed in the field, five days and one month after installation. Statistical ANOV A-test was applied to test for significant effects on the environmental factors and the meiobenthos. Only pigments showed a clear increase in the cage in the third sample-period. This was probably due to a bloom of diatoms, and the exclusion of the gastropods can be at the origin of this growth. The meiofauna showed no remarkable exclusion-effects after one month. This can be due to the short sampling period, unknown cage-effects, interactions between the meiobenthos (ex. changes in community species structure) and other non-measured underlying factors or factor-combinations. Three new harpacticoid species (Crustacea, Copepoda, Darcythompsoniidae Lang) from the genus Leptocaris T. Scott (1899) were described and discussed in detail