A Comparison of Tanning Habits Among Gym Tanners and Other Tanners

Physical activity has been associated with increased risk of malignant melanoma,1 as has the use of tanning beds.2 The presence of tanning beds in gyms is a concerning trend. Two of the largest American gym chains (Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness) with total combined membership of more than 13 million people, offer indoor tanning. Nearly half of the gyms in Canada offer indoor tanning as well.3 Little is known about the characteristics of tanners who use gym tanning beds. The present study examined the proportion of indoor tanners who use gym tanning beds and tested whether they have riskier habits than other tanners. We also examined whether physical activity was related to the frequency of indoor tanning among tanners

Novel insights into the mechanisms mediating the local antihypertrophic effects of cardiac atrial natriuretic peptide: role of cGMP-dependent protein kinase and RGS2

Cardiac atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) locally counteracts cardiac hypertrophy via the guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A) receptor and cGMP production, but the downstream signalling pathways are unknown. Here, we examined the influence of ANP on β-adrenergic versus Angiotensin II (Ang II)-dependent (Gs vs. Gαq mediated) modulation of Ca2+i-handling in cardiomyocytes and of hypertrophy in intact hearts. L-type Ca2+ currents and Ca2+i transients in adult isolated murine ventricular myocytes were studied by voltage-clamp recordings and fluorescence microscopy. ANP suppressed Ang II-stimulated Ca2+ currents and transients, but had no effect on isoproterenol stimulation. Ang II suppression by ANP was abolished in cardiomyocytes of mice deficient in GC-A, in cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKG I) or in the regulator of G protein signalling (RGS) 2, a target of PKG I. Cardiac hypertrophy in response to exogenous Ang II was significantly exacerbated in mice with conditional, cardiomyocyte-restricted GC-A deletion (CM GC-A KO). This was concomitant to increased activation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent prohypertrophic signal transducer CaMKII. In contrast, β-adrenoreceptor-induced hypertrophy was not enhanced in CM GC-A KO mice. Lastly, while the stimulatory effects of Ang II on Ca2+-handling were absent in myocytes of mice deficient in TRPC3/TRPC6, the effects of isoproterenol were unchanged. Our data demonstrate a direct myocardial role for ANP/GC-A/cGMP to antagonize the Ca2+i-dependent hypertrophic growth response to Ang II, but not to β-adrenergic stimulation. The selectivity of this interaction is determined by PKG I and RGS2-dependent modulation of Ang II/AT1 signalling. Furthermore, they strengthen published observations in neonatal cardiomyocytes showing that TRPC3/TRPC6 channels are essential for Ang II, but not for β-adrenergic Ca2+i-stimulation in adult myocytes

Dual coding with STDP in a spiking recurrent neural network model of the hippocampus.

The firing rate of single neurons in the mammalian hippocampus has been demonstrated to encode for a range of spatial and non-spatial stimuli. It has also been demonstrated that phase of firing, with respect to the theta oscillation that dominates the hippocampal EEG during stereotype learning behaviour, correlates with an animal's spatial location. These findings have led to the hypothesis that the hippocampus operates using a dual (rate and temporal) coding system. To investigate the phenomenon of dual coding in the hippocampus, we examine a spiking recurrent network model with theta coded neural dynamics and an STDP rule that mediates rate-coded Hebbian learning when pre- and post-synaptic firing is stochastic. We demonstrate that this plasticity rule can generate both symmetric and asymmetric connections between neurons that fire at concurrent or successive theta phase, respectively, and subsequently produce both pattern completion and sequence prediction from partial cues. This unifies previously disparate auto- and hetero-associative network models of hippocampal function and provides them with a firmer basis in modern neurobiology. Furthermore, the encoding and reactivation of activity in mutually exciting Hebbian cell assemblies demonstrated here is believed to represent a fundamental mechanism of cognitive processing in the brain

User Generated Map Content (Semester Unknown) IPRO 305: CommunityMapsIPRO305BrochureF10

Identify 4-5 viable community groups of 8-10 people each • Liaison with these communities and teach them to use NAVTEQ tools for generating POI map content • Collect and analyze community generated map content • Determine proper incentives for community groupsSponsorship: NAVTEQDelieverable

User Generated Map Content (Semester Unknown) IPRO 305

Identify 4-5 viable community groups of 8-10 people each • Liaison with these communities and teach them to use NAVTEQ tools for generating POI map content • Collect and analyze community generated map content • Determine proper incentives for community groupsSponsorship: NAVTEQDelieverable

User Generated Map Content (Semester Unknown) IPRO 305: CommunityMapsIPRO305ProjectPlanF10_Redacted

Identify 4-5 viable community groups of 8-10 people each • Liaison with these communities and teach them to use NAVTEQ tools for generating POI map content • Collect and analyze community generated map content • Determine proper incentives for community groupsSponsorship: NAVTEQDelieverable

User Generated Map Content (Semester Unknown) IPRO 305: CommunityMapsIPRO305PosterF10

Identify 4-5 viable community groups of 8-10 people each • Liaison with these communities and teach them to use NAVTEQ tools for generating POI map content • Collect and analyze community generated map content • Determine proper incentives for community groupsSponsorship: NAVTEQDelieverable

User Generated Map Content (Semester Unknown) IPRO 305: CommunityMapsIPRO305FinalReportF10

Identify 4-5 viable community groups of 8-10 people each • Liaison with these communities and teach them to use NAVTEQ tools for generating POI map content • Collect and analyze community generated map content • Determine proper incentives for community groupsSponsorship: NAVTEQDelieverable

Impacts of Sulfur Capture Technology in Coal Power Plants (sequence unknown), IPRO 302 - Deliverables: IPRO_302_Project_Plan_final

The IPRO team was investigating the net impact of sulfur capture technologies used in current and next generation power plants in the United States. It planned to use this knowledge to determine which sulfur capture technologies produce the greatest benefit for industry and society and to find the marketability of the sulfur byproducts created in these power plants.Sponsorship: Sargent & Lundy, LLCThese are the deliverables for IPRO 302: Impacts of Sulfur Capture Technology in Coal Power Plants from the Fall 2009 semester

Impacts of Sulfur Capture Technology in Coal Power Plants (sequence unknown), IPRO 302 - Deliverables: IPRO 302 Poster F09

The IPRO team was investigating the net impact of sulfur capture technologies used in current and next generation power plants in the United States. It planned to use this knowledge to determine which sulfur capture technologies produce the greatest benefit for industry and society and to find the marketability of the sulfur byproducts created in these power plants.Sponsorship: Sargent & Lundy, LLCThese are the deliverables for IPRO 302: Impacts of Sulfur Capture Technology in Coal Power Plants from the Fall 2009 semester