Growth of crystals of the ternary sulfides Final technical report

Crystal growth of ternary sulfide

PLASIM: A computer code for simulating charge exchange plasma propagation

The propagation of the charge exchange plasma for an electrostatic ion thruster is crucial in determining the interaction of that plasma with the associated spacecraft. A model that describes this plasma and its propagation is described, together with a computer code based on this model. The structure and calling sequence of the code, named PLASIM, is described. An explanation of the program's input and output is included, together with samples of both. The code is written in ANSI Standard FORTRAN

γ-Secretase Dependent Nuclear Targeting of Dystroglycan

Dystroglycan is frequently lost in adenocarcinoma. α‐dystroglycan is known to become hypoglycosylated due to transcriptional silencing of LARGE, whereas β‐dystroglycan is proteolytically cleaved and degraded. The mechanism and proteases involved in the cleavage events affecting β‐dystroglycan are poorly understood. Using LNCaP prostate cancer cells as a model system, we have investigated proteases and tyrosine phosphorylation affecting β‐dystroglycan proteolysis and nuclear targeting. Cell density or phorbol ester treatment increases dystroglycan proteolysis, whereas furin or γ‐secretase inhibitors decreased dystroglycan proteolysis. Using resveratrol treatment of LNCaP cells cultured at low cell density in order to up‐regulate notch and activate proteolysis, we identified significant increases in the levels of a 26 kDa β‐dystroglycan fragment. These data, therefore, support a cell density‐dependent γ‐secretase and furin mediated proteolysis of β‐dystroglycan, which could be notch stimulated, leading to nuclear targeting and subsequent degradatio

Fundamental concepts of structural loading and load relief techniques for the space shuttle

The prediction of flight loads and their potential reduction, using various control system logics for the space shuttle vehicles, is discussed. Some factors not found on previous launch vehicles that increase the complexity are large lifting surfaces, unsymmetrical structure, unsymmetrical aerodynamics, trajectory control system coupling, and large aeroelastic effects. These load-producing factors and load-reducing techniques are analyzed

Targeting an energy sensor to treat diabetes

Obesity occurs when whole-body energy intake exceeds energy expenditure for prolonged periods. This is a major public health issue because obesity increases the risk of disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The liver and muscle store excess energy in the form of fat, leading to resistance to the hormone insulin. Released when blood glucose rises after meals, insulin normally promotes glucose uptake by muscle and represses glucose production by the liver, thus rapidly returning blood glucose to normal. However, this process is impaired in insulin-resistant individuals, who may eventually develop persistently elevated blood glucose (i.e., T2DM), which can cause debilitating or life-threatening complications. Because the energy sensor AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) promotes muscle glucose uptake by insulin-independent mechanisms, it was proposed in 1999 that AMPK-activating drugs might represent a novel approach to treating T2DM (1). Representing the culmination of more than 15 years of developing this concept, a study by Myers et al. (2) on page 507 of this issue and a study by Cokorinos et al. (3) show that compounds that bind to a unique site on AMPK can promote glucose uptake by muscle, and hence reverse elevated blood glucose in animal models of T2DM

Structural control interaction

The basic guidance and control concepts that lead to structural control interaction and structural dynamic loads are identified. Space vehicle ascent flight load sources and the load relieving mechanism are discussed, along with the the characteristics and special problems of both present and future space vehicles including launch vehicles, orbiting vehicles, and the Space Shuttle flyback vehicle. The special dynamics and control analyses and test problems apparent at this time are summarized

Disrupted seasonal clockwork in the population dynamics of a freshwater copepod by climate warming

Life history responses are expected to accompany climate warming, yet little is known how long-term effects of climate and environmental change affect the seasonal dynamics of planktonic organisms. We used an historical data set from Lake Washington (U.S.A.) to quantify population responses of a calanoid copepod (Leptodiaptomus ashlandi) to long-term changes in temperature and resource availability and explore potential mechanisms for the responses. Increasing water temperatures (annual mean increase of 1.5 degrees C in the upper 10-m water volume) and longer stratification periods (about 4 weeks) were observed between 1962 and 2005, coincident with a pronounced decline in Leptodiaptomus densities. However, production was maintained because of an increase in the production to biomass ratio and a life cycle shift in Leptodiaptomus from an annual to a 6-month cycle. Cross-wavelet analyses demonstrated that the annual thermal forcing of copepod recruitment observed during the first two decades of the study weakened substantially, leading to more stochastic population dynamics during the past two decades. This shift from one to two generations per year was most likely produced by a longer and warmer growing period combined with changing fluctuations in resource (phytoplankton) availability. Climate change can lead to higher-frequency voltinism in ectothermic organisms and to temporal reorganization of their population dynamics

Much more medicine for the oldest old: trends in UK electronic clinical records

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: the oldest old (85+) pose complex medical challenges. Both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis are claimed in this group. OBJECTIVE: to estimate diagnosis, prescribing and hospital admission prevalence from 2003/4 to 2011/12, to monitor trends in medicalisation. DESIGN AND SETTING: observational study of Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) electronic medical records from general practice populations (eligible; n = 27,109) with oversampling of the oldest old. METHODS: we identified 18 common diseases and five geriatric syndromes (dizziness, incontinence, skin ulcers, falls and fractures) from Read codes. We counted medications prescribed ≥1 time in all quarters of studied years. RESULTS: there were major increases in recorded prevalence of most conditions in the 85+ group, especially chronic kidney disease (stages 3-5: prevalence <1% rising to 36.4%). The proportions of the 85+ group with ≥3 conditions rose from 32.2 to 55.1% (27.1 to 35.1% in the 65-84 year group). Geriatric syndrome trends were less marked. In the 85+ age group the proportion receiving no chronically prescribed medications fell from 29.6 to 13.6%, while the proportion on ≥3 rose from 44.6 to 66.2%. The proportion of 85+ year olds with ≥1 hospital admissions per year rose from 27.6 to 35.4%. CONCLUSIONS: there has been a dramatic increase in the medicalisation of the oldest old, evident in increased diagnosis (likely partly due to better record keeping) but also increased prescribing and hospitalisation. Diagnostic trends especially for chronic kidney disease may raise concerns about overdiagnosis. These findings provide new urgency to questions about the appropriateness of multiple diagnostic labelling.This study was supported by Age UK (registered charity number 1128267). The team hold a licence to analyse CPRD data. A.B. was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research. J.A.H.M. is funded by a NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship Award. W.E.H. was supported by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for the South West Peninsula. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, Age UK or the Department of Health. Financial sponsors played no role in the design, execution, analysis and interpretation of data or writing of the stud