MS

thesisThe relationship between knowledge and adherence post-myocardial infarction was studies. Knowledge of cardiac disease and guidelines for rehabilitation was measured pre-discharge and at two and four week post-discharge. Each subject rated adherence to diet, smoking, and exercise guidelines at two and four week post-discharge. Knowledge and adherence scores were than correlated to assess the degree of relationship between the two variables. No significant relationship was found between the two variables. This may have been due to the small sample size or to changing guidelines for discharge. Knowledge and adherence scores were also analyzed with respect to demographic variables. Age was significantly correlated with knowledge (p < .05). That is, as age increased, knowledge scored decreased. Decreasing scores in the aged may reflect sensory limitation diminishing test taking ability or lack of familiarity with multiple choice test; also, the aged may have slower learning processes which would result in lower scores. ANOVA revealed a significant relationship between family size and test scores (p < .05). After discharge, the individuals with high numbers of children had significantly higher scores than the individuals with three or fewer children. Members of large families may have participated in answering the questions, or the men may have been under more pressure to learn and rehabilitate so as to return to work. Only the variable hobbies were found to have a significant effect on adherence (P < .05). Analysis showed individuals with physically active hobbies were less adherent to exercised restrictions. Finally, test scores were analyzed for change over time. There appeared to be an increase in scores from pre-discharge to post-discharge, but test scores were consistent after discharge

Regulated intramembrane proteolysis in the plastid envelope

Rhomboid proteins were the most recently identified of the four families of intramembrane proteases. Found in almost all organisms, these serine proteases operate in a diverse range of pathways. They regulate Drosophila growth factor signalling (Urban et al., 2002), permit infection by apicomplexans (Dowse et al., 2005), play a key role in mitochondrial dynamics (Herlan et al., 2004), and allow bacterial quorum sensing via channel activation (Stevenson et al., 2007). In plants, as in other eukaryotes, rhomboids are encoded by a multigene family. These are little researched to date but we documented previously that A. thaliana rhomboid RBL10 was situated in the plastid envelope and has roles in fertility and photosynthesis (Thompson et al., 2012)

Down On The Farm : They All Ask For You

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4594/thumbnail.jp

Photoluminescence and raman characterization of PLEE and MBE grown semiconductor epilayers

Photoluminescence and Raman investigations of selected alloy semiconductor epilayers are reported. Correlations relating optical spectra and a number of intrinsic and extrinsic properties of the materials studied are found. Of particular interest, preliminary measurements on a promising new quaternary system (InGaAlAs/InP) are reported and mixed mode AlAs-like LO Raman scattering processes in this material are identified for the first time. In addition, evidence for defect related photoluminescence associated with the energy gap region in CdTe is also reported

The cyanobacterial rhomboid protease is a regulator of the CCM

Cyanobacteria are aquatic photosynthetic bacteria and useful models for study of the chloroplast and photosynthesis. We are studying a ‘rhomboid’ membrane-located proteases in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, which appears to function as a previously undiscovered regulator of the carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) of this phototroph. Rhomboids are almost ubiquitous across evolution, and are known to activate diverse cellular processes via proteolysis of their specific, membrane-sequestered substrates. Although this well-conserved family has solved crystal structures of bacterial enzymes such as Escherichia coli GlpG, ironically, most work has been carried out on eukaryotic representatives. Following our study of the Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplast RBL10 protease, we identified cyanobacterial orthologues with the aim of discovering if roles might be conserved between these and organellar rhomboids. Molecular biology and reverse-genetics studies were made on slr1461, a mutant in the single rhomboid protease of Synechocystis. When photosynthetic parameters were investigated, it could be seen that inactivation of slr1461 did not affect nonphotochemical quenching, unlike the chloroplast rbl10 mutant, but Slr1461 was required for reduction of photosynthetic activity in mixotrophic conditions. This reduction allows cyanobacteria to avoid expending energy on the uptake of CO2 when an organic carbon source can be utilised: as might be expected, therefore, Slr1461 transcription was linked with downregulation of genes encoding proteins facilitating high-affinity CO2 import under high CO2 and mixotrophic conditions. Quantitative RT-PCR of CCM network genes suggested that Slr1461 is located upstream of known regulators, including another membrane protease, the Slr0228 FtsH, and a central, controlling transcription factor NdhR

Ex vivo renal perfusion and autotransplantation in treatment of calculous disease or abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Two more indications are described for temporary ex vivo perfusion of kidneys with revascularization of these organs as autografts to orthotopic or heterotopic locations. One of the patients had staghorn calculi which were removed from a solitary kidney. The other patient had both kidneys autografted in the course of a surgical procedure on an extensive abdominal aortic aneurysm

The radium legacy: Contaminated land and the committed effective dose from the ingestion of radium contaminated materials

The manufacture and use of radium in the early to mid-20th century within industrial, medicinal and recreational products have resulted in a large number of contaminated sites across a number of countries with notable examples in the USA and Europe. These sites, represent a significant number of unregulated sources of potential radiological exposure that have collectively and hitherto not been well characterised. In 2007, the Radioactive Contaminated Land (RCL) Regulations came into force in the UK, providing the statutory guidance for regulators to classify and deal with RCL. Here we report on results derived from digestion experiments to estimate committed effective dose, a key aspect of the RCL Regulations, from the ingestion of radium contaminated sources that can be found in the environment. This case study includes particles, clinker and artefacts that arise from past military activities on a site that was once an airfield at Dalgety Bay on the Firth of Forth, UK. Since 2011 the number of radium contaminated finds has increased by one order of magnitude on the foreshore areas of Dalgety Bay. The increase in finds may in large part be attributed to a change in monitoring practice. A subsample of sixty sources was selected, on the basis of their activity and dimensions, and subjected to digestion in simulated stomach and lower intestine solutions. The study demonstrated that more radium-226 (226Ra) and lead-210 (210Pb; driven by Polonium solubility) are dissolved from sources in artificial &lsquo;stomach' solutions compared with &lsquo;lower intestine' solutions. The combined &lsquo;gut' solubility for 226Ra and apparent 210Pb varied from less than 1% to up to 35% ICRP 72 conversion factors were used to convert the activities measured in solution to committed effective dose. A little over 10% of the sources tested dissolved sufficient radioactivity to result in 100 mSv committed effective dose to an infant. Using the solubility of 35% as a worst case, minimum source activities necessary to deliver 100 mSv to the full age range of users of the foreshore were estimated. All the estimated activities have been detected and recovered through routine monitoring

A rapid and low-cost method for genomic DNA extraction from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis

A two-step method is reported for preparation of genomic DNA from the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis that can be performed with minimal equipment and reagents in about an hour. High yields of genetic material can be obtained (200–450 ng/μl) with reasonable purity. A further ethanol precipitation step can be included but is not necessary if template is simply required for PCR or digestion. This new protocol is helpful for amplification of genes of interest in early-stage research projects and for low throughput screening of transformants. It is more reliable than colony PCR of Synechocystis cultures, and less involved and cheaper than existing clean-DNA preparation methods. It represents an unusually simple and reliable extraction protocol for the growing body of research making use of this cyanobacterium

Dive tourism in Luganville, Vanuatu: shocks, stressors and vulnerability to climate change

Luganville is a developing dive tourism destination region (DTDR) in Vanuatu, which relies on tourism. This article reports on the shocks and stressors faced by Luganville’s dive tourism sector and climate change’s exacerbation of these. The study’s methodology was based on rapid rural appraisal and case study principles, involving methods of semistructured interviews, group discussions, and personal observations. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Key shocks identified include cyclones, earthquakes, effect on demand due to media footage, and changes to international flights. Main stressors were starfish outbreaks and environmental degradation. Unlike the indigenous communities, expatriates show little concern for the potential impact of climate change, presenting response challenges that must incorporate different perspectives to develop effective adaptation options. Special Issue : scuba diving touris

Horn Coupled Multichroic Polarimeters for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarization Experiment

Multichroic polarization sensitive detectors enable increased sensitivity and spectral coverage for observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). An array optimized for dual frequency detectors can provide 1.7 times gain in sensitivity compared to a single frequency array. We present the design and measurements of horn coupled multichroic polarimeters encompassing the 90 and 150 GHz frequency bands and discuss our plans to field an array of these detectors as part of the ACTPol project