The effect of integrin a1b1 on Smad2/3 and phosphoSmad2/3 expression in murine chondrocytes

Background: Chondrocytes, the cells of cartilage, maintain and repair the extracellularmatrix by secreting and degrading proteins such as collagen type II andaggrecan.1 Integrins are transmembrane adhesion proteins that cells use to both bindto and sense the extracellular matrix. Chondrocytes express many different types ofintegrin molecules and this study focuses on the collagen II and VI receptor integrina1b1. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-b) stimulates chondrocytes to repaircartilage through a number of intracellular pathways of which the Smad2/3 pathwayis a known major fibrotic pathway.2 An excess build-up of bony tissue leads to theformation of fibrotic osteoarthritis (OA) in integrin a1-null mice at an earlier age andto a more severe extent than wild type controls.3 Based on these data we hypothesizethat integrin a1b1 controls the sensitivity of chondrocytes to TGF-b. When integrina1b1 is missing chondrocytes are oversensitive to TGF-b, possibly through Smad2/3pathway up regulation. The objective of this experiment is to measure the proteinlevels of Smad2/3 and phosphoSmad2/3 in wild type and integrin a1-null murinechondrocytes. We expect up regulation of phosphoSmad2/3 in integrin a1-null micecompared to wild-type controls.3Methods: Enzymatically isolated chondrocytes from 4-6 month old mice weresonicated and the released protein concentrated through centrifugal filtration. Proteinwas measured through Western-blotting analysis.Results: Integrin a1-null murine chondrocytes contain Smad2.Discussion: Smad2 has been shown in wild-type chondrocytes, but not previously inintegrin a1-null chondrocytes.4 However, Smad2/3 and up-regulated phosphoSmad2/3have been found in integrin a1-null renal medulla cells.2 With further development oftechniques, Smad3 and phosphoSmad2/3 will be measured in wild-type and integrina1-null murine chondrocytes and thus the pathway for fibrotic OA in integrin a1-nullmice can be further determined

Warming temperatures increase microbial consumption of marine organic matter

Marine microbes are vital to oceanic ecosystems and influence the global climate through their paramount role in Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. With this intricate role in ecosystems, it is important to understand the effect of increasing ocean temperatures on the cycling of organic matter (OM), which is hypothesized to contribute a positive feedback to future warming via an acceleration in microbial respiration of OM to CO2. We experimentally investigated the temperature sensitivity of microbial consumption of marine particulate OM focused in the rapidly warming Gulf of Maine during the 2019 and 2020 Fall phytoplankton bloom. The overall rate and quantity of microbial OM (C, N, and P pools) consumption at in situ versus elevated temperatures were quantified within bottle incubations over the course of two weeks. The results indicate that OM incubated at warmer temperatures (+5 – 6°C) was consumed at a faster rate with an overall larger quantity consumed compared to cooler temperatures (12 – 14°C). Additionally, nitrate that initially accumulated from the consumption of particulate organic nitrogen (PON), was readily consumed at later time points at both temperatures, possibly related to the carbon-rich, nitrogen-poor quality of the in situ OM. In 2020, more nitrogen-rich OM was preferentially consumed at cooler temperatures, leaving behind carbon-rich OM. Whereas at warmer temperatures, carbon-rich OM was preferentially consumed presumably due to it being a bioavailable energy source to fuel elevated metabolic rates. The empirically estimated temperature coefficient (Q10) ranged from 2.66 – 3.42 in 2019 versus 0.94 – 1.21 in 2020, dependent on the OM elemental pool, suggesting temperature plays an important role in OM consumption, but is not the only factor contributing to the rates and magnitude of OM consumption by marine microbes

'Like-With-Like’: A Comparison of Natural and Synthetic Stitching Threads used in Textile Conservation

This paper reports research undertaken to investigate thread types used in textile conservation by quantitatively evaluating tensile strength and damage to conserved samples. A literature review and questionnaire sent to textile conservators were used to establish the most commonly used threads for laid-thread couching treatments and the rationale behind thread choice. Most common threads found were two-ply hair silk and polyester Tetex as well as other fine polyester, silk and cotton varieties. Three natural fibre plain-weave artefact samples conserved by laid-thread couching with five different thread types (lace cotton, hair silk, organsin, Skala and Tetex) were subjected to either tensile strength testing or a fixed-load experiment for two weeks. The tensile strength tests determined that the conservation treatment provided effective support and different thread types did not give statistically different results. The fixed-load experiment determined that longer time periods created more damage, even with lighter loads

The suitcase, the samurai sword and the Pumpkin: Asian crime and NZ news media treatment

In 2005 and 2007, two high profile crimes were reported in the New Zealand media. The first case invovled the murder of a young Chinese student, Wan Biao, whose dismembered body was discovered in a suitcase. The second case involved domestic violence in which a Chinese man murdered his wife and fled the scene with their young daughter— who the press later dubbed 'Pumpkin' when she was found abandoned in Melbourne, Australia. The authors discuss how news and current affairs programmes decontextualise 'Asian' stories to portray a clear divide between the 'New zealand' public and the separate 'Asian other'. Asians are portrayed as a homogenous group and the media fails to distinguish between Asians as victims of crimes as a separate category to Asians as perpetrators of crimes. This may have consequences for the New Zealand Asian communities and the wider New Zealand society as a whole.&nbsp

The Dwarfs Beyond: The Stellar-to-Halo Mass Relation for a New Sample of Intermediate Redshift Low Mass Galaxies

A number of recent challenges to the standard Lambda-CDM paradigm relate to discrepancies that arise in comparing the abundance and kinematics of local dwarf galaxies with the predictions of numerical simulations. Such arguments rely heavily on the assumption that the local dwarf and satellite galaxies form a representative distribution in terms of their stellar-to-halo mass ratios. To address this question, we present new, deep spectroscopy using DEIMOS on Keck for 82 low mass (10^7-10^9 solar masses) star-forming galaxies at intermediate redshift (z=0.2-1). For 50 percent of these we are able to determine resolved rotation curves using nebular emission lines and thereby construct the stellar mass Tully-Fisher relation to masses as low as 10^7 solar masses. Using scaling relations determined from weak lensing data, we convert this to a stellar-to-halo mass (SHM) relation for comparison with abundance matching predictions. We find a discrepancy between the propagated predictions from simulations compared to our observations, and suggest possible reasons for this as well as future tests that will be more effective.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to ApJ, comments welcom

Alcohol Hangover and Multitasking: Effects on Mood, Cognitive Performance, Stress Reactivity, and Perceived Effort

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hangover on mood, multitasking ability, and psychological stress reactivity to cognitive demand. Using a crossover design and semi-naturalistic methodology, 25 participants attended the laboratory in the morning following a night of (i) alcohol abstinence and (ii) alcohol self-administration during a typical night out (with order counterbalanced across participants). They completed a four-module multitasking framework (MTF, a widely used laboratory stressor) and a battery of questionnaires assessing mood, hangover symptom severity, and previous night’s sleep. The effects of the MTF on mood and perceived workload were also assessed. Participants in the hangover condition reported significantly lower alertness and contentment coupled with a higher mental fatigue and anxiety. Multitasking ability was also significantly impaired in the hangover condition. Completion of the cognitive stressor increased reported levels of mental demand, effort, and frustration, and decreased perceived level of performance. MTF completion did not differentially affect mood. Lastly, participants rated their sleep as significantly worse during the night prior to the hangover compared with the control condition. These findings confirm the negative cognitive and mood effects of hangover on mood. They also demonstrate that hangover is associated with greater perceived effort during task performance

SAFE PLACE: A Collaborative Sensory Integration-Based Approach to Treating Trauma

SAFE PLACE is a collaborative treatment program among occupational therapists, psychotherapists, and parents for children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) and complex trauma-attachment concerns. It is both a theoretical model explicating the relationship between sensory processing, disrupted attachment and complex developmental trauma concerns in children and a specific collaborative interdisciplinary sensory integration-based trauma-informed intervention program for treating these concerns. Many adopted/fostered children present with trauma-attachment concerns and SPD. SAFE PLACE provides a therapeutic framework for service providers and parents which emphasizes development of body-based regulatory and adaptive functions with co-regulation and intersubjective experiences, deepening of attachment bonds and security, and processing and healing of traumatic experiences in the context of a sensory integration intervention process. Occupational therapists providing Ayres Sensory Integration® intervention (Smith Roley, Mailloux, Miller-Kuhaneck, & Glennon, 2007) routinely address problems in self-care, sensory regulation and motor performance in children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Sensory Processing Disorder is a problem with processing and integrating sensory inputs which results in deficits in making appropriate responses to sensorimotor demands. These problems impact children’s ability to learn, be self-sufficient, and engage in meaningful lives. Sensory processing disorder not only impact the children’s lives but those of their families as well (Dunn, 1997). Occupational therapists with sensory integration training are increasingly asked to treat children with SPD who also have complex trauma and attachment disorders. Similarly, psychotherapists frequently treat children with trauma histories who also present with sensory sensitivities characteristic of SPD that appear secondary to the trauma. Knowledge of and some expertise in addressing the problems of the other’s discipline is needed for both occupational and psychotherapists in order to best meet the needs of these most complex children. The clear compatibility of sensory integration and trauma and attachment theories and interventions led Jane Koomar, PhD and Daniel Hughes, PhD to hypothesize that each intervention approach could support the other to work more effectively to help children with SPD and co-morbid complex trauma histories heal and develop effectively. This perspective suggested the need for a collaborative theoretical model and intervention program that acknowledged the necessity of regulation and discrimination of sensations, adaptation of motor demands, and regulation of emotions, affect, and behavior in order for these children to learn and grow. Koomar and Hughes subsequently developed the SAFE PLACE model and intervention program as a trauma-informed, integrative, collaborative mental health and occupational therapy intervention for children who experience both SPD symptomatology and complex trauma and attachment concerns