An airborne meteorological data collection system using satellite relay (ASDAR)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed an airborne data acquisition and communication system for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This system known as ASDAR, the Aircraft to Satellite Data Relay, consists of a microprocessor based controller, time clock, transmitter and antenna. Together they acquire meteorological and position information from existing aircraft systems on B-747 aircraft, convert and format these, and transmit them to the ground via the GOES meteorological satellite series. The development and application of the ASDAR system is described with emphasis on unique features. Performance to date is exceptional, providing horizon-to-horizon coverage of aircraft flights. The data collected is of high quality and is considered a valuable addition to the data base from which NOAA generates its weather forecasts

Utero-placental blood flow in hypertensive pregnancy and the effect of nifedipine administration

Nifedipine, in a 5mg sublingual acute administration, causes a significant fall in the systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure in a mixed group of pregnant hypertensives. A concurrent, significant rise in the pulse rate was seen. The utero-placental blood flow index, which is a measure of utero-placental blood flow, was not significantly reduced following the administration of Nifedipine or a placebo. The utero-placental blood flow index was found to be a consistent measure of utero-placental blood flow in resting patients. In the absence of serious side-effects it can be concluded that Nifedipine is a safe therapy in the acute treatment of hypertensive states in pregnancy

Aligning Values for Rural Tourism: Tourism on the Solway Coast

Cumbria's Solway coast is 'on the edge' of a number of phenomena: the sea, Cumbria, England, the Lake District and commercial viability as a tourist area. The presentation describes how many of its stakeholders have common goals which can be served by tourism, but so far it has not proved possible to unite these and improve the tourism offer and the popularity of the area

Transcriptional responses of Pseudomonas syringae to growth in epiphytic versus apoplastic leaf sites

Some strains of the foliar pathogen Pseudomonas syringae are adapted for growth and survival on leaf surfaces and in the leaf interior. Global transcriptome profiling was used to evaluate if these two habitats offer distinct environments for bacteria and thus present distinct driving forces for adaptation. The transcript profiles of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a support a model in which leaf surface, or epiphytic, sites specifically favor flagellar motility, swarming motility based on 3-(3-hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acid surfactant production, chemosensing, and chemotaxis, indicating active relocation primarily on the leaf surface. Epiphytic sites also promote high transcript levels for phenylalanine degradation, which may help counteract phenylpropanoid-based defenses before leaf entry. In contrast, intercellular, or apoplastic, sites favor the high-level expression of genes for GABA metabolism (degradation of these genes would attenuate GABA repression of virulence) and the synthesis of phytotoxins, two additional secondary metabolites, and syringolin A. These findings support roles for these compounds in virulence, including a role for syringolin A in suppressing defense responses beyond stomatal closure. A comparison of the transcriptomes from in planta cells and from cells exposed to osmotic stress, oxidative stress, and iron and nitrogen limitation indicated that water availability, in particular, was limited in both leaf habitats but was more severely limited in the apoplast than on the leaf surface under the conditions tested. These findings contribute to a coherent model of the adaptations of this widespread bacterial phytopathogen to distinct habitats within its host

Somatostatin receptors 2 and 5 are preferentially expressed in proliferating endothelium

Angiogenesis is characterised by activation, migration and proliferation of endothelial cells and is central to the pathology of cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic inflammation. Somatostatin is an inhibitory polypeptide that acts through five receptors (sst 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Sst has previously been reported in endothelium, but their role remains obscure. Here, we report the expression of sst in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro, during proliferation and quiescence. A protocol for culturing proliferating and quiescent HUVECs was established, and verified by analysing cell cycle distribution in propidium-iodide-stained samples using flow cytometry. Sst mRNA was then quantified in nine proliferating and quiescent HUVEC lines using quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. Sst 2 and 5 were preferentially expressed in proliferating HUVECs. All samples were negative for sst 4. Sst 1 and 3 expression and cell cycle progression were unrelated. Immunostaining for sst 2 and 5 showed positivity in proliferating but not quiescent cells, confirming sst 2 and 5 protein expression. Inhibition of proliferating cells with somatostatin analogues Octreotide and SOM230, which have sst 5 activity, was found (Octreotide 10−10–10−6 M: 48.5–70.2% inhibition; SOM230 10−9–10−6 M: 44.9–65.4% inhibition) in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that sst 5 may have functional activity in proliferation. Dynamic changes in sst 2 and 5 expression during the cell cycle and the inhibition of proliferation with specific analogues suggest that these receptors may have a role in angiogenesis

Evidence for phage-mediated gene transfer among Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains on the phylloplane

As the use of genetically engineered microorganisms for agricultural tasks becomes more frequent, the ability of bacteria to exchange genetic material in the agricultural setting must be assessed. Transduction (bacterial virus-mediated horizontal gene transfer) is a potentially important mechanism of gene transfer in natural environments. This study investigated the potential of plant leaves to act as surfaces on which transduction can take place among microorganisms. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its generalized transducing bacteriophage F116 were used as a model system. The application of P. aeruginosa lysogens of F116 to plant leaves resulted in genetic exchange among donor and recipient organisms resident on the same plant. Transduction was also observed when these bacterial strains were inoculated onto adjacent plants and contact was made possible through high-density planting.Peer reviewedMicrobiology and Molecular Genetic

Statistical Use of Argonaute Expression and RISC Assembly in microRNA Target Identification

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) posttranscriptionally regulate targeted messenger RNAs (mRNAs) by inducing cleavage or otherwise repressing their translation. We address the problem of detecting m/miRNA targeting relationships in homo sapiens from microarray data by developing statistical models that are motivated by the biological mechanisms used by miRNAs. The focus of our modeling is the construction, activity, and mediation of RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs) competent for targeted mRNA cleavage. We demonstrate that regression models accommodating RISC abundance and controlling for other mediating factors fit the expression profiles of known target pairs substantially better than models based on m/miRNA expressions alone, and lead to verifications of computational target pair predictions that are more sensitive than those based on marginal expression levels. Because our models are fully independent of exogenous results from sequence-based computational methods, they are appropriate for use as either a primary or secondary source of information regarding m/miRNA target pair relationships, especially in conjunction with high-throughput expression studies

A community-based geological reconstruction of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum

A robust understanding of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglacial history since the Last Glacial Maximum is important in order to constrain ice sheet and glacial-isostatic adjustment models, and to explore the forcing mechanisms responsible for ice sheet retreat. Such understanding can be derived from a broad range of geological and glaciological datasets and recent decades have seen an upsurge in such data gathering around the continent and Sub-Antarctic islands. Here, we report a new synthesis of those datasets, based on an accompanying series of reviews of the geological data, organised by sector. We present a series of timeslice maps for 20 ka, 15 ka, 10 ka and 5 ka, including grounding line position and ice sheet thickness changes, along with a clear assessment of levels of confidence. The reconstruction shows that the Antarctic Ice sheet did not everywhere reach the continental shelf edge at its maximum, that initial retreat was asynchronous, and that the spatial pattern of deglaciation was highly variable, particularly on the inner shelf. The deglacial reconstruction is consistent with a moderate overall excess ice volume and with a relatively small Antarctic contribution to meltwater pulse 1a. We discuss key areas of uncertainty both around the continent and by time interval, and we highlight potential priorities for future work. The synthesis is intended to be a resource for the modelling and glacial geological community