Sr. Miriam: Community and Habits

This paper includes part of an interview on January 11, 2019, with “Sr. Miriam Drake” – a sister who has served her congregation for almost 60 years – and her views on evolution of habits after Vatican II as well as the role of community in faith

Rates of photosynthesis in leaves of wheat and barley varieties.

In 18 cultivars of spring wheat the range of difference in rate of photosynthesis of leaves was 22% (range 325-414 mg co2/cm2h), and in 12 cultivars of spring barley the difference range was 20% (range 284-366 mg CO2/cm2h). Measurement difficulties were initially found because of a high degree of variability within cultivars, but these were partly resolved by improving the conditions under which the plants were grown. Rates of photosynthesis reached a maximum in leaves that had attained their ultimate area, and then decreased gradually with ageing of the leaves. No evidence was found for regulation of photosynthesis by the demand for assimilates; photosynthetic capacity was determined mainly by leaf age. Low N supply and the resulting low protein content of leaves reduced the rate of photosynthesis. In leaves of a given age, but not in leaves of different ages, rate of photosynthesis was correlated with leaf protein content. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

Real Estate in the DNA Damage Response: Ubiquitin and SUMO Ligases Home in on DNA Double-Strand Breaks

Ubiquitin and the ubiquitin-like modifier SUMO are intimately connected with the cellular response to various types of DNA damage. A striking feature is the local accumulation of these proteinaceous post-translational modifications in the direct vicinity to DNA double-strand breaks, which plays a critical role in the formation of ionizing radiation-induced foci. The functional significance of these modifications is the coordinated recruitment and removal of proteins involved in DNA damage signaling and repair in a timely manner. The central orchestrators of these processes are the ubiquitin and SUMO ligases that are responsible for accurately tagging a broad array of chromatin and chromatin-associated proteins thereby changing their behavior or destiny. Despite many differences in the mode of action of these enzymes, they share some striking features that are of direct relevance for their function in the DNA damage response. In this review, we outline the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the recruitment of ubiquitin and SUMO ligases and discuss the importance of chromatin proximity in this process

Stem cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Stem cells offer an enormous pool of resources for the understanding of the human body. One proposed use of stem cells has been as an autologous therapy. The use of stem cells for neurodegenerative diseases has become of interest. Clinical applications of stem cells for Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis will increase in the coming years, and although great care will need to be taken when moving forward with prospective treatments, the application of stem cells is highly promising

The Pharmacy Game-GIMMICS® a Simulation Game for Competency-Based Education

The profile of the profession of pharmacists has profoundly changed over the last decades. Pharmacy education has moved towards competency-based education. The pharmacy game, called GIMMICS®, developed at the University of Groningen, is unique in combining simulation with serious gaming to teach a wide range of competencies. In this article, we describe the learning goals, the assessment methods, the teaching tools, and the students’ view of the pharmacy game. The learning goals are to train the competencies of collaboration, leadership, communication, and pharmaceutical expertise. The core of the game is the simulation of community pharmacy practice activities, such as patient counseling, processing of prescriptions, and collaboration with other health professionals. Students are assessed individually and as a pharmacy team. The pharmacy team, with the largest number of patients wins the game. Student evaluations show that they value the course. Currently, seven universities from around the globe have adopted the pharmacy game in their curriculum, adjusting the course to their country’s pharmacy practice and educational system

Veredeling van tarwe en gerst op winterhardheid

Cold resistance appeared to be so complicated and variable, that a clear insight could be obtained only when important factors such as degree of vernalization, stages of growth and development, and hardening were considered in the experiments. For various reasons, breeders are more and more obliged to use extremely varied material in their programmes, such as of breeding for disease resistance.In 1951 the Foundation for Agricultural Plant Breeding at Wageningen had a refrigerator and hardening equipment installed to provide private breeders with cold-resistant material and to test their new lines for this character. This gave the author the opportunity to study winter-hardiness.It was possible to develop winter wheat varieties with sufficient winter- hardiness, slight need of vernalization and rapid spring development. Varieties of winter barley could be developed with a better winter-hardiness.The method recommended by Hoffmann of vernalizing the seed before sowing in autumn to test and select for winter-hardiness was highly practicable. Trials on date of sowing in autumn involving seed vernalization and lengthening of the day were a valuable aid to research on cold resistance.<p/