Transcriptional control of occludin expression in vascular endothelia: regulation by Sp3 and YY1

Endothelium differentiates in response to tissue-specific signals; brain endothelium expresses tight junctions and transporters which are absent from other endothelia. The promoter of the tight junction protein occludin exhibited strong activity in a brain endothelial cell line, hCMEC/D3 but was inactive in lung endothelial cells. Expression of occludin in brain endothelium corresponded with binding of Sp3 to a minimal promoter segment close to the transcription-start site. However, in lung endothelium Sp-transcription factors did not bind to this site although they are present in the cell nucleus. In contrast, repression of occludin in lung endothelium was associated with the binding of YY1 to a remote site in the promoter region, which was functionally inactive in brain endothelium. The work identified a group of transcription factors including Sp3 and YY1, which differentially interact with the occludin promoter to induce expression of occludin in brain endothelium and repression in other endothelia. The mechanism controlling occludin expression is similar to that which controls tissue-specific expression of the transferrin receptor in brain endothelium, leading to a scheme for endothelial differentiation, in which activation or repression of tissue-specific proteins is maintained by a set of transcription factors which include Sp3 and YY1

A comparative study of the feeding ecology of Chelonia mydas (green turtle) and the incidental ingestion of prorocentrum spp

The diets of green turtles from five dissimilar aggregations of juvenile C. mydas on the East Coast of Florida were analyzed. C. mydas were captured by tangle net from four of the study sites and a dietary sample was collected by an esophageal flushing technique. The gut content of stranded individuals was collected for the fifth site. The vegetation in these study areas differs in varying degrees of abundance and diversity. Analysis of the samples revealed the alga types preferred by green turtles from each population and provided the basis for examination of similarities and differences in their diets. Large numbers of the juvenile C. mydas worldwide are infected with a disease called Fibropapillomatosis (FP). The herpes-type virus that appears to cause the disease manifests as tumors normally on the fleshy parts of the body. The placement and size of the tumors can eventually impede the green turtle’s ability to swim and forage. Severe conditions of the disease lead to death either by starvation or the inability to evade predators. While the herpesvirus initiates FP, there are other environmental cofactors that may play a role in promoting the disease. Some toxic microalgae (dinoflagellates) of the genus Prorocentrum produces a known tumor promoter called okadaic acid. The acid has been shown to promote cutaneous tumors in laboratory mice. These Prorocentrum species live primarily as epiphytes, forming a mucilaginous attachment to seagrasses and macroalgae. Chelonia mydas may be consuming the toxic microalgae when they forage on vegetation. Samples of available vegetation at each study area were collected and examined to determine if C. mydas were potentially consuming Prorocentrum. Prorocentrum were quantified for diet items by counting the number of cells per wet weight of macroalgae. In most cases, the diet analysis and microalgae quantification results showed an association between the consumption of substrates utilized by Prorocentrum spp and a high prevalence of FP in that population

The Role of Tablet Technology in Undergraduate Teacher Training to Promote the Teaching and Learning of Pupils with SEND

An investigation into the use of Tablet Technology and SEN

Reserves and resources for CO2 storage in Europe: the CO2 StoP project

Th e challenge of climate change demands reduction in global CO 2 emissions. In order to fi ght global warming many coun- tries are looking at technological solutions to keep the release of CO 2 into the atmosphere under control. One of the most promising techniques is carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), also known as CO 2 geological storage. CCS can re- duce the world’s total CO 2 release by about one quarter by 2050 (IEA 2008, 2013; Metz et al. 2005). CCS usually in- volves a series of steps: (1) separation of the CO 2 from the gases produced by large power plants or other point sources, (2) compression of the CO 2 into supercritical fl uid, (3) trans- portation to a storage location and (4) injecting it into deep underground geological formations. CO 2 StoP is an acronym for the CO 2 Storage Potential in Europe project. Th e CO 2 StoP project which started in Janu- ary 2012 and ended in October 2014 included data from 27 countries (Fig. 1). Th e data necessary to assess potential loca- tions of CO 2 storage resources are found in a database set up in the project. A data analysis system was developed to analyse the com- plex data in the database, as well as a geographical informa- tion system (GIS) that can display the location of potential geological storage formations, individual units of assessment within the formations and any further subdivisions (daugh- ter units, such as hydrocarbon reservoirs or potential struc- tural traps in saline aquifers). Finally, formulae have been developed to calculate the storage resources. Th e database is housed at the Joint Research Centre, the European Commis- sion in Petten, the Netherlands. Background and methods CO 2 storage resource assessment A resource can be defi ned as anything potentially available and useful to man. Th e pore space in deeply buried reservoir rocks that can trap CO 2 is a resource that can be used for CO 2 storage. It is of utmost importance to be aware that the mere presence of a resource does not indicate that any part of it can be economically exploited, now or in the futur

Reserves and resources for CO2 storage in Europe: the CO2StoP project

The challenge of climate change demands reduction in global CO2 emissions. In order to fight global warming many countries are looking at technological solutions to keep the release of CO2 into the atmosphere under control. One of the most promising techniques is carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), also known as CO2 geological storage. CCS can reduce the world’s total CO2 release by about one quarter by 2050 (IEA 2008, 2013; Metz et al. 2005). CCS usually involves a series of steps: (1) separation of the CO2 from the gases produced by large power plants or other point sources, (2) compression of the CO2 into supercritical fluid, (3) transportation to a storage location and (4) injecting it into deep underground geological formations. CO2StoP is an acronym for the CO2 Storage Potential in Europe project. The CO2StoP project which started in January 2012 and ended in October 2014 included data from 27 countries (Fig. 1). The data necessary to assess potential locations of CO2 storage resources are found in a database set up in the project. A data analysis system was developed to analyse the complex data in the database, as well as a geographical information system (GIS) that can display the location of potential geological storage formations, individual units of assessment within the formations and any further subdivisions (daughter units, such as hydrocarbon reservoirs or potential structural traps in saline aquifers). Finally, formulae have been developed to calculate the storage resources. The database is housed at the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission in Petten, the Netherlands.JRC.F.6-Energy Technology Policy Outloo

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 53: From student to entry-level professional: Examining the technical communications practices of early career-stage US aerospace engineers and scientists

Studies indicate that communications and information-related activities take up a substantial portion of an engineer's work week; therefore, effective communications and information-use skills are one of the key engineering competencies that early career-stage aerospace engineers and scientists must possess to be successful. Feedback from industry rates communications and information-use skills high in terms of their importance to engineering practice; however, this same feedback rates the communications and information-use skills of early career-stage engineers low. To gather adequate and generalizable data about the communications and information-related activities of entry-level aerospace engineers and scientists, we surveyed 264 members of the AIAA who have no more than 1-5 years of aerospace engineering work experience. To learn more about the concomitant communications norms, we compared the results of this study with data (1,673 responses) we collected from student members of the AIAA and with data (341 responses) we collected from a study of aerospace engineering professionals. In this paper, we report selected results from these studies that focused on the communications practices and information-related activities of early career-stage U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists in the workplace

National report on patient outcomes in palliative care in Australia: January - June 2014: report 17

The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) assists services to improve the quality of the palliative care they provide through the analysis and benchmarking of patient outcomes. In this, the seventeenth PCOC report, data submitted for the January to June 2014 period are summarised and patient outcomes benchmarked to enable participating services to assess their performance and identify areas in which they may improve

Building Collaborative Partnerships to Increase Postsecondary Education Opportunities for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Transitioning from high school to the next phase of life can be especially challenging for youth with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD). Federal mandates are in place to provide individualized transition services to students with disabilities up to age 22; however, there is variability in the location of service delivery. A growing number of school districts have partnered with institutions of higher education (IHE) in an effort to enhance postsecondary education (PSE) opportunities for individuals with IDD who are between the ages of 18-21. While there are some differences in PSE programs, the core foundational component is constant across models: establishing and maintaining collaborative partnerships between school districts and IHE. This paper describes PSE program models and highlights the necessity to continue to build partnerships in an effort to expand PSE opportunities for young adults with IDD

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 52: A comparison of the technical communications practices of Japanese and US aerospace engineers and scientists

To understand the diffusion of aerospace knowledge, it is necessary to understand the communications practices and the information-seeking behaviors of those involved in the production, transfer, and use of aerospace knowledge at the individual, organizational, national, and international levels. In this paper, we report selected results from a survey of Japanese and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists that focused on communications practices and information-seeking behaviors in the workplace. Data are presented for the following topics: importance of and time spent communicating information, collaborative writing, need for an undergraduate course in technical communications, use of libraries, the use and importance of electronic (computer) networks, and the use and importance of foreign and domestically produced technical reports. The responses of the survey respondents are placed within the context of the Japanese culture. We assume that differences in Japanese and U.S. cultures influence the communications practices and information-seeking behaviors of Japanese and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists

Victoria: patient outcomes in palliative care: July - December 2014

The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) assists services to improve the quality of the palliative care they provide through the analysis and benchmarking of patient outcomes. In this PCOC report, data submitted for the July to December 2014 period are summarised and patient outcomes benchmarked to enable participating services to assess their performance and identify areas in which they may improve