Design and manufacture of direct current torquer amplifiers Final summary report

Design and manufacture of direct current torquer amplifier with pulse width modulation circui

Inhibition of Melanoma Angiogenesis by Telomere Homolog Oligonucleotides

Telomere homolog oligonucleotides (T-oligos) activate an innate telomere-based program that leads to multiple anticancer effects. T-oligos act at telomeres to initiate signaling through the Werner protein and ATM kinase. We wanted to determine if T-oligos have antiangiogenic effects. We found that T-oligo-treated human melanoma (MM-AN) cells had decreased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor 2, angiopoeitin-1 and -2 and decreased VEGF secretion. T-oligos activated the transcription factor E2F1 and inhibited the activity of the angiogenic transcription factor, HIF-1α. T-oligos inhibited EC tubulogenesis and total tumor microvascular density matrix invasion by MM-AN cells and ECs in vitro. In melanoma SCID xenografts, two systemic T-oligo injections decreased by 60% (P<.004) total tumor microvascular density and the functional vessels density by 80% (P <.002). These findings suggest that restriction of tumor angiogenesis is among the host's innate telomere-based anticancer responses and provide further evidence that T-oligos may offer a powerful new approach for melanoma treatment.National Institutes of Health (CA10515); American Skin Associatio

Surface treatment of an Al2O3-based refractory with CO2 and high power diode lasers for improved mechanical and chemical resistance characteristics

Within both normal and corrosive (NaOH and HNO3) environmental conditions, the wear rate and wear life characteristics of an Al2O3-based refractory were greatly enhanced by means of CO2 and high power diode laser (HPDL) surface treatment. Such improvements are attributed to the fact that after laser treatment, the microstructure of the Al2O3-based refractory was altered from a porous, randomly ordered structure, to a much more dense and consolidated structure that contained fewer cracks and porosities. What is more, resulting from the different rates of solidification brought about by differences in the wavelengths of the two lasers, dissimilar microstructures were subsequently generated. Indeed, despite the fact that the glaze thickness was less, the wear life of the HPDL treated surface exceeded that of the CO2 laser treated surface in all the test environments owing to its finer, more densely packed and less cracked microstructure

The effect of beta blockers on heart rate response during the Chester Step Test

The objective of this study is to ascertain that as the intensity of exercise increases through the stages of the Chester Step Test (CST) does the difference between the beta blocked(BB) and the non beta blocked(NBB) participants heart rate(HR) response increase. The study utilised a repeated measures design. Twenty males with a mean age of 58.9 (±6.1) taking Beta Blocker medication completed the CST on two occasions within one week of another. A further Seven males and thirteen females with mean age 61.5 (± 6.3) who were not taking Beta Blockers data from previous study data using the Chester Step Test was used to compare the HR and Rating of Perceived Exertion(RPE) responses at each stage of the CST. Each stage of the CST lasted two minutes after which HR and RPE were collected until the participant achieved 80% of predicted Maximum Heart Rate or RPE 15. HR was significantly different between the two groups at each stage of the CST p=<0.05. RPE was significantly different between the two groups at each stage of the CST p=<0.05. Limits of Agreement suggested test-re-test reliability of the CST for BB participants with the worse case HR being 11bpm above the mean in the final stage of the CST. The data suggests that as intensity of exercise increases as does the difference between the BB and NBB HR response. The data implies there may be some sex differences which will need investigating further. RPE was shown to be significantly different between the two groups. The data also showed that the CST is reliable for participants taking BB

An elastic second skin

We report the synthesis and application of an elastic, wearable crosslinked polymer layer (XPL) that mimics the properties of normal, youthful skin. XPL is made of a tunable polysiloxane-based material that can be engineered with specific elasticity, contractility, adhesion, tensile strength and occlusivity. XPL can be topically applied, rapidly curing at the skin interface without the need for heat- or light-mediated activation. In a pilot human study, we examined the performance of a prototype XPL that has a tensile modulus matching normal skin responses at low strain (<40%), and that withstands elongations exceeding 250%, elastically recoiling with minimal strain-energy loss on repeated deformation. The application of XPL to the herniated lower eyelid fat pads of 12 subjects resulted in an average 2-grade decrease in herniation appearance in a 5-point severity scale. The XPL platform may offer advanced solutions to compromised skin barrier function, pharmaceutical delivery and wound dressings

TomKat!: Linking Theory and Practice in Communication Studies Course Through the Introduction and Application of Social Exchange Theory

This article describes an activity suitable for either high-school or university-level communication courses. Combining outside online research, small group discussion, and class interaction, this exercise uses Social Exchange Theory, applied to examples of celebrity relationships generated by students and discussed in groups, to illustrate the process by which individuals decide whether or not to initiate and sustain interpersonal relationships. Although students should be reminded that the reasons relationships do or do not survive are difficult enough to understand when we are involved in them, let alone when we view them from an outside perspective, the activity proves intriguing and involving for students and serves as a good starting point for a more in-depth discussion of their own relationship challenges and choices

The Semiotics of Teaching with Reality TV: A Theory-Based Approach to Teaching and Modeling Communication Theory

This article begins by establishing a rationale for not only teaching with reality television in the communication classroom, but also taking a theory-based approach to doing so. A theoretical framework for the pedagogical use of reality TV—semiotic theory, based on the work of Peirce— is presented. The discussion then moves to a specific outline of a sample classroom activity that demonstrates a semiotic approach, using the BRAVO TV website as a means of illustrating and teaching Cultural Studies Theory. The author concludes by qualifying the case for using reality TV as one—but not the only—means of teaching communication, and offers other alternative texts and media sources that can also help instructors illustrate abstract communication theories and concepts for their students

Introduction to skin aging

YesCutaneous science has seen considerable development in the last 25 years, in part due to the -Omics revolution, and the appreciation that this organ is hardwired into the body’s key neuroimmuno- endocrine axes. Moreover, there is greater appreciation of how stratification of skin disorders will permit more targeted and more effective treatments. Against this has been how the remarkable extension in the average human life-span, though in the West at least, this parallels worrying increases in lifestyle-associated conditions like diabetes, skin cancer etc. These demographic trends bring greater urgency to finding clinical solutions for numerous age-related deficits in skin function caused by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Mechanisms for aging skin include the actions of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mtDNA mutations, and telomere shortening, as well as hormonal changes. We have also significantly improved our understanding of how to harness the skin’s considerable regenerative capacity e.g., via its remarkable investment of stem cell subpopulations. In this way we hope to develop new strategies to selectively target the skin’s capacity to undergo optimal wound repair and regeneration. Here, the unsung hero of the skin regenerative power may be the humble hair follicle, replete with its compliment of epithelial, mesenchymal, neural and other stem cells. This review introduces the topic of human skin aging, with a focus on how maintenance of function in this complex multi-cell type organ is key for retaining quality of life into old age