Research opportunities on immunocompetence in space

The most significant of the available data on the effects of space flight on immunocompetences and the potential operational and clinical significance of reported changes are as follows: (1) reduced postflight blastogenic response of peripheral lymphocytes from space crew members; (2) postflight neutrophilia persisting up to 7 days; (3) gingival inflammation of the Skylab astronauts; (4) postflight lymphocytopenia, eosinopenia, and monocytopenia; (5) modifications and shifts in the microflora of space crews and spacecraft; and (6) microbial contamination of cabin air and drinking water. These responses and data disclose numerous gaps in the knowledge that is essential for an adequate understanding of space-related changes in immunocompetence

(Selah)

Words cannot express things; Speech does not convey the spirit. Swayed by words, one is lost; Blocked by phrases one is bewildered. Mumon Rhythm is innate to every aspect of existence; it inhales and exhales; it causes civilizations to rise and fall; it beats the drum of war and plays the waltz of peace; it changes the seasons as the earth circles the sun; it is the cycle of birth and decay. Although flux and change appear to occur, they are mere players in this constant cosmic repetition. My process of drawing and cutting is a means of introspection. These repetitive, monastic actions occupy the physical body and allow the mind to wander free from the concerns of daily life. They parallel the inescapable rhythms that govern our lives: from the minute, such as blinking, to larger aspects, the ebb and flow of tides, for instance. Acts of artistic creation become ritualistic when viewed in comparison to the archetypal creation of the universe. Each piece is an artifact of a meditative experience and an ode to the mystery of the universe

Searching for the Lost Race: Culture in Texts and Images in the Abortion Debate

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/51349/1/585.pd

DEPOSITION CONTROL FOR ELECTROSPUN FIBERS

Electrospinning (ES) is a process for fabricating polymer fibers that have diameters that range from tens of nanons to hundreds of microns, which has been studied for over 100 years. These fibers have been studied in applications such as: the enhancement of mechanical properties including increased sensor sensitivity and increased tensile strength, filtration enhancement, drug delivery systems, and as a lithography masking material. In order to increase the effectiveness of ES, a real time feedback control mechanism to measure fiber diameters is needed. Currently only post-process methods of measuring fiber morphology, such as scanning electron microscopy or transmission electron microscopy, are used to measure ES fibers. Many parameters including: separation distance, applied voltage, polymer viscosity, polymer molecular weight, and flow rates are used to control fiber morphology. Using these parameters in combination with a feedback control mechanism, a multiple-input multiple-output control mechanism could be developed. By using laser extinction tomography, a device was built to measure fiber diameters during deposition. The laser diagnostic device (LaD) has been able to measure the laser extinction while scanning through fiber depositions with limited repeatability

Family Ideology, Class Reproduction, and the Suppression of Obscenity in Nineteenth Century New York

Also CSST Working Paper #31.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/51165/1/397.pd

Engineering ligand-responsive RNA controllers in yeast through the assembly of RNase III tuning modules

The programming of cellular networks to achieve new biological functions depends on the development of genetic tools that link the presence of a molecular signal to gene-regulatory activity. Recently, a set of engineered RNA controllers was described that enabled predictable tuning of gene expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae through directed cleavage of transcripts by an RNase III enzyme, Rnt1p. Here, we describe a strategy for building a new class of RNA sensing-actuation devices based on direct integration of RNA aptamers into a region of the Rnt1p hairpin that modulates Rnt1p cleavage rates. We demonstrate that ligand binding to the integrated aptamer domain is associated with a structural change sufficient to inhibit Rnt1p processing. Three tuning strategies based on the incorporation of different functional modules into the Rnt1p switch platform were demonstrated to optimize switch dynamics and ligand responsiveness. We further demonstrated that these tuning modules can be implemented combinatorially in a predictable manner to further improve the regulatory response properties of the switch. The modularity and tunability of the Rnt1p switch platform will allow for rapid optimization and tailoring of this gene control device, thus providing a useful tool for the design of complex genetic networks in yeast