Apoptotic cell death in the lactating mammary gland is enhanced by a folding variant of α-lactalbumin

Apoptosis is essential to eliminate secretory epithelial cells during the involution of the mammary gland. The environmental regulation of this process is however, poorly understood. This study tested the effect of HAMLET (human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) on mammary cells. Plastic pellets containing HAMLET were implanted into the fourth inguinal mammary gland of lactating mice for 3 days. Exposure of mammary tissue to HAMLET resulted in morphological changes typical for apoptosis and in a stimulation of caspase-3 activity in alveolar epithelial cells near the HAMLET pellets but not more distant to the pellet or in contralateral glands. The effect was specific for HAMLET and no effects were observed when mammary glands were exposed to native a-lactalbumin or fatty acid alone. HAMLET also induced cell death in vitro in a mouse mammary epithelial cell line. The results suggest that HAMLET can mediate apoptotic cell death in mammary gland tissu

Структурні компоненти етнопедагогічної компетентності вчителя

(uk) У статті в контексті інтеграції української системи вищої професійної освіти у світовий освітній простір знаходять обґрунтування структурні компоненти етнопедагогічної компетентності вчителя, звертається увага на їх зміст та елементарну будову.(ru) В статье в контексте интеграции украинской системы высшего профессионального образования в мировой образовательный простор находять обоснование структурные компоненты этнопедагогической компетентности учителя, обращается внимание на их содержание и элементарное строение

The cytotoxicity of fatty acid/α-lactalbumin complexes depends on the amount and type of fatty acid

peer-reviewedComplexes of the milk protein, α-lactalbumin, and the fatty acid, oleic acid, have previously been shown to be cytotoxic. Complexes of α-lactalbumin and five different fatty acids (vaccenic, linoleic, palmitoleic, stearic, and elaidic acid) were prepared and compared to those formed with oleic acid. All complexes were cytotoxic to human promyelocytic leukemia-derived (HL-60) cells but to different degrees depending on the fatty acid. The amount of fatty acid per α-lactalbumin molecule was found to correlate with the cytotoxicity; the higher the number of fatty acids per protein, the more cytotoxic the complex. Importantly, all the tested fatty acids were also found to be cytotoxic on their own in a concentration dependent manner. The cytotoxic effect of complexes between α-lactalbumin and linoleic acid, vaccenic acid, or oleic acid was further investigated using flow cytometry and found to induce cell death resembling apoptosis on Jurkat cells. Practical applications: Cytotoxic complexes of α-lactalbumin and several different fatty acids could be produced. The cytotoxicity of all the variants is similar to that previously determined for α-lactalbumin/oleic acid complexes.This work was supported by the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM, project no. 08RDTMFRC650) of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Ireland

Coordinated analysis of age, sex, and education effects on change in MMSE scores

Objectives. We describe and compare the expected performance trajectories of older adults on the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) across six independent studies from four countries in the context of a collaborative network of longitudinal studies of aging. A coordinated analysis approach is used to compare patterns of change conditional on sample composition differences related to age, sex, and education. Such coordination accelerates evaluation of particular hypotheses. In particular, we focus on the effect of educational attainment on cognitive decline.Method. Regular and Tobit mixed models were fit to MMSE scores from each study separately. The effects of age, sex, and education were examined based on more than one centering point.Results. Findings were relatively consistent across studies. On average, MMSE scores were lower for older individuals and declined over time. Education predicted MMSE score, but, with two exceptions, was not associated with decline in MMSE over time.Conclusion. A straightforward association between educational attainment and rate of cognitive decline was not supported. Thoughtful consideration is needed when synthesizing evidence across studies, as methodologies adopted and sample characteristics, such as educational attainment, invariably differ. © 2012 The Author

Host Imprints on Bacterial Genomes-Rapid, Divergent Evolution in Individual Patients

Bacteria lose or gain genetic material and through selection, new variants become fixed in the population. Here we provide the first, genome-wide example of a single bacterial strain’s evolution in different deliberately colonized patients and the surprising insight that hosts appear to personalize their microflora. By first obtaining the complete genome sequence of the prototype asymptomatic bacteriuria strain E. coli 83972 and then resequencing its descendants after therapeutic bladder colonization of different patients, we identified 34 mutations, which affected metabolic and virulence-related genes. Further transcriptome and proteome analysis proved that these genome changes altered bacterial gene expression resulting in unique adaptation patterns in each patient. Our results provide evidence that, in addition to stochastic events, adaptive bacterial evolution is driven by individual host environments. Ongoing loss of gene function supports the hypothesis that evolution towards commensalism rather than virulence is favored during asymptomatic bladder colonization

Two sides of the same coin : Innovation education and entrepreneurship education in Iceland

2008-10This article gives an overview of innovation education and entrepreneurship education in the Icelandic school system. Innovation education is placed in the official curriculum for compulsory schools in Iceland and entrepreneurship education in the curriculum for upper-secondary schools. A research on entrepreneurship education in vocational education and training in upper-secondary schools in Iceland is reported. Innovation and entrepreneurship education are seen as a continuum in Iceland and both subjects are struggling for time and space. Limited knowledge and understanding of the subjects in schools and an unclear definition seems to be holding them back.departmental bulletin pape

THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW SCHOOL SUBJECT. INNOVATION EDUCATION IN COMPULSORY SCHOOLS.

2007-09Innovation Education and Practical Use of Knowledge was introduced into the Icelandic National Curriculum for compulsory schools in 1999, where it is defined by the curriculum writers as a "school subject" but is not allocated any direct time in the recommended guidelines for subjects. This paper describes a master's research project from the University of Iceland, Faculty of Pedagogy and Education which focuses on how Innovation Education emerged in Iceland and how the subject has developed; what makes the subject special; and what factors, internal and external, have influenced its dissemination. The paper will include an overview of the data collection and analysis methods and an overview of the findings. In Innovation Education it is assumed that everyone can be creative and the emphasis is on enhancing creative activities of students through direct connections, to everyday life. Educational innovations based on this kind of approach have struggled against the strong underlying factors inherent in the institutional culture of education. There are several factors influencing the implementation of the Innovation Education curriculum in Iceland, and whether or not it is maintained. As identified by this research, these factors include the role of teachers and their professional philosophies; school culture; the role of the head teacher; assessment; emphasis on academic learning; and access to information and teaching materials. Diverse research methods have been utilised during this research. The bulk of data collection can be categorised as having used qualitative methods; statistical methods such as questionnaires were used to measure the dissemination of the subject. Interviews and observations were used to gather data from students, teachers, head teachers, pioneers in Innovation Education, entrepreneurs and ministry officials. Documentation of various kinds was also consulted, including reports, laws, curriculum, teaching materials and products from Innovation Education lessons. The research indicates in conclusion that curriculum formulation and implementation is a complex interplay of connected factors that are not completely predictable. It seems of more use to view changes within education systems as an organic rather than a linear progression, more comparable to biological evolution than to the production process of a factory. It is important to recognize the fundamental factors, inherent in the hidden curriculum, and verify their powers to influence the development of the subject. In this research an attempt is being made to understand and analyse how a new school subject is emerging. The subject researched here is Innovation Education (IE) which started emerging in Icelandic compulsory schools in the early 1990s and was formalized in the National Curriculum for Compulsory Schools in 1999 (Aðalnámskrá. Upplýsinga og tæknimennt, 1999). I had been a compulsory school teacher for well over twenty years and had experienced that many students were bored in school, but when I started teaching Innovation Education ten years ago I found that students were more interested and active than in any other subject I had taught before. It seemed that IE was not being taken up in many schools in Iceland, so I was interested in finding out if that was indeed the case and in looking into factors that affected its development. Only one other research project had been done on IE in Iceland which was Rosa Gunnarsdottir's PhD research Innovation Education. Defining the Phenomenon (Gunnarsdottir, 2001). Not much research has been conducted on the formation of school subjects and perhaps the best known is Ivor Goodson's research on Geography, Biology and Environmental Studies (Goodson, 1993) where he points out that in order to gain status, the new school subjects had to adapt to the constraints of academic standards. I looked into the historical background and the work that preceded the introduction of Innovation Education into the national curriculum and through that gained an understanding of the ideological work that is the predecessor of the formal curriculum. In my research I interviewed officials in the Ministry of Education, the catalysts of IE and Entrepreneurship, IE teachers, former IE students and principals and administrators in compulsory schools. I also conducted field observations in IE lessons and Icelandic lessons of the same groups. This way I was able to get a variety of views of the complex reality of schoolwork and how different parties experienced Innovation Education. I also researched laws, curriculum, reports and products of IE lessons. I use curricular concepts as a frame and a tool to understand the findings of this research. I am planning further research in the area as my doctoral project.departmental bulletin pape

Ei morfologisk undersøking av terrasseformer i Lesja, Nord-Gudbrandsdalen, Noreg

The main focus of this thesis is to study the morphology of the terraces in Lesja, Nord- Gudbrandsdalen, Norway. The terraces are very distinct landforms, and have been continuously discussed since 1850. An earlier hypothesis is that some of these terraces are palaeoshorelines from an ice dammed lake (Store Dølasjø) from the last deglaciation. There are still a lot of questions about forms and processes around these landforms and more data are required. This paper addresses questions about the characteristics of the terraces to find answers concerning their forms, chronology and processes that may have been involved in their formation .Is it possible to find evidence of level-controlled form elements like palaeo shorelines and terraces from the ice-dammed lake Store Dølasjø in Lesja? A multi-method approach was implemented during the summer of 2011 in Lesja. The main method was surveying with differential GPS and Optics Sprinter 250M. Four cross sections were measured at the biggest terrace form, and a soil profile was studied. Another soil profile was studied at the topographic highest terrace, and remote sensing was implemented before and after field work. The main terrace studied is probably formed by one or more glacial lake outburst floods from a lateral lake in contact with cold based ice. Evidence of level-controlled form elements like palaeoshorelines from Store Dølasjø was not found. The study shows that many of the landforms have formed by drainage and lateral lakes.Hovudfokuset for denne oppgåva er å studere morfologien til terrassane i Lesja, Nord- Gudbrandsdalen, Noreg. Terrassane er distinkte landformer i dalsida, som har vore diskutert heilt sidan 1850 og fram til i dag. Ei tidlegare hypotese er at nokre av desse terrasseformene stammar frå ein bredemd sjø, Store Dølasjø, frå sist deglasiasjon. Det er framleis mange spørsmål rundt formene og prosessane til desse landformene og meir data er nødvendig å framskaffe for å få meir kunnskap. Denne masteroppgåva tar opp spørsmål om karakteristikkane til terrassane, for å finne svar på form, kronologi og prosessar som kan ha danna dei. Er det mogleg å finne bevis for nivåstyrte formelement som palaeostrandlinjer og terrassar frå den bredemde sjøen Store Dølasjø i Lesja? Fleire metodar vart brukt for å tilnærme seg problemstillingane. Feltarbeidet vart gjennomført sommaren 2011 i strekninga Kvernåi–Vidflotten i Lesja kommune. Den viktigaste metoden var oppmåling med differensiell GPS og nivelleringskikkert Sprinter 250M. Fire tverrprofil vart oppmålt på den største terrasseforma, og ein jordprofil vart studert. Ein jordprofil med tre jordprøvar vart tatt på den terrassen som ligg øvst i terrenget, og fjernmåling vart brukt før og etter feltarbeidet. Den største terrassen er truleg danna ved eit eller fleire jøkulhlaup, frå ein randsjø i kontakt med ein kald is. Det vart ikkje funnet noko bevis på nivåstyrte formelement som tosidig sete frå Store Dølasjø. Studiet viser at mange av landformene som er observert er danna ved drenering og ved laterale innsjøar