Sensitisation of lanthanide luminescence by rhenium tetrazolato complexes

Luminescent inorganic compounds have received a great deal of attention due to the ability to modulate their properties and obtain highly emissive compounds for applications in light emitting devices and cellular labelling. This study targets the formation of emissive, multinuclear, tetrazolato complexes of Re(I), and utilises these complexes as sensitisers for lanthanide luminescence. The results increase the understanding of energy transfer mechanisms in d-f metal complexes, and highlight an interesting area for potential investigation

Association-Sponsored Higher Education for Business: Perceptions of First-Year Students

Association-sponsored learning programs comprise a significant but largely unknown sector of higher education. In North America, for example, almost 500 associations are involved in the education! certification process. This paper begins the process of discovering why individuals enroll in such programmes, rejecting the many other vocationally oriented opportunities available to them. Using data from first-year students enrolled with the Canadian Institute of Management, it was found that the majority were drawn to the Institute through personal business contacts. As well, although other alternatives were investigated, the Institute's reputation, level of difficulty, the perceived "practical" nature of the courses and programme length attracted most students. As to perceptions of “utility," the Institute's learning programme was ranked just below a university degree in management and somewhat higher than a degree in a "non- management" discipline.Les programmes d'enseignement parrainés par des associations dites profession-nelles constituent une partie importante mais mal connue de l'enseignement supérieur. En Amérique du Nord, par exemple, près de 500 associations participent à l'octroi de diplômes et de brevets professionnels. Le présent travail cherche à découvrir les raisons pour lesquelles les individus s'inscrivent à ces programmes et rejettent les innombrables autres possibilités de formation disponibles. L'étude des données concernant les étudiants de première année inscrits à l'Institut canadien de gestion permit de découvrir que la majorité de ces étudiants avaient été attirés à l'Institut par des contacts personnels et professionnels. De plus, après que les étudiants eurent envisagé les autres formations disponibles, c'est la réputation de l'Institut, le niveau de difficulté de l'enseignement offert, l'aspect «pratique» des cours et la durée du programme qui contribuèrent à attirer bon nombre d'entre eux. Quant à 1'« utilité » du programme, les étudiants l'ont jugée légèrement inférieure à celle d'un diplôme universitaire de gestion et légèrement supérieure à celle d'un autre diplôme obtenu dans une matière non reliée à la gestion

An Ex Vivo Model For The Assessment Of Drug Toxicity On The Human Retina

Abstract Purpose: Retinal toxicity is a common cause of drug development attrition. The aims of this research were therefore to develop the ex vivo human retina as a suitable model for the assessment of retinotoxicity, and to explore the methods in which this may be investigated. Methods: Post mortem and living donor human eyes were obtained, and the retinas dissected within 24h post mortem or 1h enucleation respectively. The ex vivo human retina was characterised using immunohistochemistry and QRT-PCR. The effect of multiple retintoxins was investigated on the human retinal cell lines MIO-M1 (Müller cells) and ARPE19 (RPE cells), and CHQ on the human organotypic retinal culture (HORC) using the LDH and MTS assays. TUNEL, Western blotting and QRT-PCR were also used to investigate the effect of CHQ on the HORC, and CDK expression investigated by QRT-PCR. Results: Cell specific markers were investigated in the post mortem and living donor, both possessed similar immunohistochemical and mRNA properties. CHQ was the most potent retinotoxin investigated in the cell lines, and when applied to the HORC, measureable toxicity was found along with an increase in the expression of multiple cell specific mRNA’s. The expression profile of multiple CDK’s in the ex vivo retina was investigated in relation to a retinotoxic Pan-CDK inhibitor, where differential expression was found. When exposed to the retinotoxic pan-CDK inhibitor, the cell lines displayed differences in toxicity. Conclusion: The ex vivo human retina is an ideal tissue to investigate retinotoxicity. It possesses similar properties as the in vivo human retina, and displayed measureable toxicity when exposed to CHQ. The ex vivo human retina also proved its usefulness in the investigation genes associated to a novel retinotoxin. The ex vivo human retina could act as a bridge between animal and human studies, providing vital information about a drug’s potential retinotoxicity

Homeland Security intelligence and operations

This presentation from Phillip Wright of Booz Allen Hamilton addressed the Department of Homeland Security's history and components as well as its role in the intelligence framework

Holistic Philosophy and Classroom Practice : an Investigative Study of the Steiner-Waldorf Approach to Teaching Geography

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Differential expression of cyclin-dependent kinases in the adult human retina in relation to CDK inhibitor retinotoxicity

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are a family of kinases associated predominantly with cell cycle control, making CDK inhibitors interesting candidates for anti-cancer therapeutics. However, retinal toxicity (loss of photoreceptors) has been associated with CDK inhibitors, including the pan-CDK inhibitor AG-012896. The purpose of this research was to use a novel planar sectioning technique to determine CDK expression profiles in the ex vivo human retina with the aim of identifying isoforms responsible for CDK retinotoxicity. Four CDK isoforms (CDK11, 16, 17 and 18) were selected as a result of IC50 data comparing neurotoxic (AG-012986 and NVP-1) and non-neurotoxic (dinaciclib and NVP-2) CDK inhibitors, with IC50s at CDK11 showing a clear difference between the neurotoxic and non-neurotoxic drugs. CDK11 was maximally expressed in the photoreceptor layer, whereas CDK16, 17 and 18 showed maximal expression in the inner nuclear layer. CDK5 (an isoform associated with retinal homeostasis) was maximally expressed in the retinal ganglion cell layer. Apart from CDK18, each isoform showed expression in the photoreceptor layer. The human Müller cell line MIO-M1 expressed CDK5, 11, 16 and 17 and AG-01298 (0.02–60 µM) caused a dose-dependent increase in MIO-M1 cell death. In conclusion, CDK11 appears the most likely candidate for mediation of photoreceptor toxicity. RNA profiling can be used to determine the distribution of genes of interest in relation to retinal toxicity in the human retina

Proteomics with a pinch of salt: A cyanobacterial perspective

Cyanobacteria are ancient life forms and have adapted to a variety of extreme environments, including high salinity. Biochemical, physiological and genetic studies have contributed to uncovering their underlying survival mechanisms, and as recent studies demonstrate, proteomics has the potential to increase our overall understanding further. To date, most salt-related cyanobacterial proteomic studies have utilised gel electrophoresis with the model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. Moreover, focus has been on 2–4% w/v NaCl concentrations within different cellular compartments. Under these conditions, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 was found to respond and adapt to salt stress through synthesis of general and specific stress proteins, altering the protein composition of extracellular layers, and re-directing control of complex central intermediary pathways. Post-transcriptional control was also predicted through non-correlating transcript level data and identification of protein isoforms