Category : 5-HT Transporters

LKB1 is a growth suppressor proteins whose reduction potential clients to

LKB1 is a growth suppressor proteins whose reduction potential clients to HIF1-mediated account activation of a proangiogenic plan in intestinal polyps. factor–activated kinase 1 (TAK1) (17). In particular, research in cultured endothelial cells possess supplied proof for a functionally significant CaMKK-AMPK signaling relationship (18). Hence, the quantitative significance of the LKB1-AMPK signaling axis in endothelial cells is certainly not really very clear, nor is certainly it known whether LKB1 provides a pro- or antiangiogenic function in this cell type. Lately, it provides been reported that homozygous amputation of LKB1 in cells revealing Cre from the Connect1 marketer also outcomes in embryonic lethality (19). Evaluation of rodents with Connect2-Cre transgenic rodents to generate heterozygous LKB1-KO rodents. Studies of these rodents uncovered a incomplete decrease in LKB1 phrase in vascular endothelial cells, and this was linked with damaged ischemia-induced angiogenic replies. A series of research additional recommend that endothelial cell LKB1 exerts proangiogenic actions via an AMPK-dependent path. EXPERIMENTAL Techniques Components Mouse Compact disc31 antibody was bought from BD Pharmingen. Antibodies eNOS and LKB1 were purchased from Santa claus Cruz Biotechnology. Antibodies phospho-AMPK (Thr-172) and phospho-eNOS (Ser-1177) had been bought from Cell Signaling Technology (Beverly, MA). Phospho-ACC (Ser-79) antibody was bought from Upstate Biotechnology. Tubulin antibody was bought from Oncogene (Cambridge, MA). Antibody Compact disc45 was bought from Ur&N. Adenovirus vectors formulated with the gene for -galactosidase (Ad–gal), the subunit of LKB1 (Ad-LKB1), kinase-dead LKB1, which states the Asp to Ala mutation at placement 194 in the kinase area of individual LKB1 (Ad-kd-LKB1), constitutive energetic AMPK and superior harmful AMPK2 (Ad-dn-AMPK) had been referred to previously (9, 20,C22). Mouse Model of Angiogenesis check or evaluation of difference with Fisher’s secured least significant difference check. A worth <0.05 denoted the existence of a significant difference statistically. All computations had been performed by using StatView for 356068-94-5 IC50 356068-94-5 IC50 Home windows, edition 5.0. Outcomes Reduced LKB1 Phrase in Endothelial Cells Isolated from Lkb1flox/+;Link2Tg/+ Rodents Rabbit Polyclonal to GRB2 To investigate the function of LKB1 in angiogenesis rodents were entered with Link2-Cre transgenic (ablation with Link2-Cre leads to embryonic loss of life, and this is constant with the findings of Londesborough (19), who used a Link1-Cre mouse system to ablate this gene. LKB1 phrase amounts had been analyzed in mouse lung endothelial cells singled out from … Damaged Ischemia-induced Angiogenesis in Heterozygous LKB1-KO Rodents To assess results of LKB1 insufficiency in Connect2-Cre-expressing cells, hind arm or leg ischemia medical procedures was performed on displays typical laser beam Doppler pictures of hind arm or leg bloodstream movement before medical procedures and at different period factors after medical procedures. Consistent with prior reviews (10, 24, 25), ischemic hind arm or leg bloodstream movement perfusion elevated to 80% of the nonischemic arm or leg by time 28 in control rodents (Fig. 2shows typical photos of adductor 356068-94-5 IC50 muscle tissue tissues immunostained with Compact disc31. Quantitative evaluation uncovered that the regularity of Compact 356068-94-5 IC50 disc31-positive cells was better in ischemic muscle groups than in nonischemic muscle groups in control rodents at time 28 after ischemic medical procedures, but the percentage of Compact disc31-positive cells in ischemic hands or legs was considerably much less in heterozygous LKB1-KO rodents likened with control rodents (Fig. 2and < 0.05 ... Endothelial cell proliferation and migration contribute to the angiogenic response. Hence, the effects of reduced LKB1 signaling on these parameters were investigated also. Using a customized Boyden step technique, we discovered that siRNA concentrating on LKB1 led to a decrease in endothelial cell migration (Fig. 3and angiogenic response through the account activation of AMPK, HUVECs had been co-transduced with an adenovirus creating superior harmful AMPK (Ad-dn-AMPK) or a control vector revealing -galactosidase (Ad--gal). Treatment of HUVECs with Ad-LKB1 lead in improved LKB1 phosphorylation and phrase of ACC, a downstream kinase of AMPK (Fig. 5parenchymal cells. Because nothing at all is certainly known about the function of endothelial cell LKB1 in the postnatal revascularization response to tissues ischemia, we examined the outcomes of severe hind arm or leg ischemia in adult rodents that had been lacking for LKB1 appearance in Connect2-Cre-expressing cells. In the present research, no practical puppies had been created from matings meant to make the homozygous mutilation of the LKB1 allele with Tie up2-Cre. These results are constant with the latest record of embryonic lethality when a different transgenic Cre-expressing range (Tie up1-Cre) was utilized to ablate the floxed LKB1 allele (19). As a result, we used heterozygous LKB1-KO rodents for the hind arm or leg ischemia research. Although results in the murine ischemic hind arm or leg model had been corroborated by a series.

The transforming growth factor- (TGF-) signaling pathway serves critical functions in

The transforming growth factor- (TGF-) signaling pathway serves critical functions in central nervous system (CNS) development, but apart from its proposed neuroprotective actions, its physiological role in the adult brain is unclear. aspects of brain development, and a growing literature suggests that they fulfill important functions in the adult brain as well1. The 1alpha, 25-Dihydroxy VD2-D6 founding members of this family, TGF-1, 2 and 3, are dimeric polypeptide growth factors2 which are broadly expressed in the brain3. Canonical TGF- signaling is initiated by ligand binding to a high-affinity transmembrane TGF- type II receptor (TRII), which subsequently phosphorylates TGF- type I receptor activin-like kinase 5 (TRI or ALK5)4. This leads to phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 proteins, which form a heteromeric complex with Smad4 and translocate into the nucleus where they regulate transcription4. TGF-s can also activate other signaling cascades in a context-dependent manner, such as MAPK, JNK, and PKC pathways5. TGF- type I receptor ALK5 is highly expressed in migrating neurons of the developing cortex6 and TGF- signaling regulates self-renewal of neural stem cells in the developing midbrain7. TGF-s have also been shown to promote the sprouting and elongation of neurites in dissociated hippocampal cultures8 and to regulate synaptic growth in depending on TGF- type I receptor9. 1alpha, 25-Dihydroxy VD2-D6 Moreover, TGF- signaling was reported to mediate axon specification during brain development10. In the adult brain TGF-s seem to have broad neuroprotective functions11. They are induced in response to injury and have thus been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases12. For example, deficiency in TGF-1 results in synapto-dendritic degeneration and increased susceptibility to excitotoxic injury13, and reduced expression of TRII in neurons promotes neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease14. Consistent with its function in regulating developmental neurogenesis, TGF-1 can reduce adult neurogenesis by inhibiting cell cycle progression in neural progenitor cells and promoting 1alpha, 25-Dihydroxy VD2-D6 stem cell quiescence15, 16. Adult neurogenesis persists in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus; the latter process exerts an important role in hippocampus-dependent learning, memory, and other cognitive functions17. Neurogenesis in the adult brain is regulated through a number of signaling pathways18 and in response to physiological stimuli such as aging, exercise, and CNS injury19. Many of these 1alpha, 25-Dihydroxy VD2-D6 factors regulate early events of neurogenesis, including quiescence, proliferation, and fate specification of neural stem cells20 but relatively little is known about factors that regulate the subsequent survival, maturation, and functional integration of newborn neurons. Here we demonstrate that TGF- signaling serves a critical role in late stage adult neurogenesis. We observed that Smad2/3-dependent signaling is prominently activated in dentate gyrus postmitotic immature neurons and adult mature neurons but not in radial glia-like stem cells or neural progenitor cells. Genetic knockdown of TGF- type I receptor ALK5 in proliferating progenitors in the dentate gyrus resulted in reduced survival, migration, and shorter dendrite length Rabbit Polyclonal to CSGALNACT2 of newborn neurons, while activation of this receptor in transgenic mice had the opposite 1alpha, 25-Dihydroxy VD2-D6 effects and improved hippocampus-dependent working and spatial memory. Our findings demonstrate that TGF- signaling through ALK5 is necessary and sufficient to maintain late events during adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Results Canonical TGF- signaling is active in the dentate gyrus We had reported earlier that within the mouse brain TGF- signaling is highest in the hippocampus21. To explore this further, we dissected brains of previously described unmanipulated Smad binding elements (SBE)-luciferase reporter mice22 into different brain regions. In these mice, luciferase is expressed under the SBE promoter and its activity is positively correlated with TGF- signaling. We found highest luciferase activity in the adult dentate gyrus, lower signals in the (CA) area of the hippocampus, and no signal in the cerebellum or in non-transgenic littermate control mice (Fig. 1a). Immunohistochemical staining of the adult dentate gyrus showed that under physiological conditions, p-Smad2, downstream of TGF- signaling was prominently expressed in the granule zone of the dentate gyrus (Fig. 1b). More than 95% of p-Smad2+ cells expressed NeuN (mature neuron marker) (Fig. 1b,c). In contrast, few Sox2+GFAP+ radial glia-like cells, MCM2+ or Tbr2+ neural progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus showed detectable p-Smad2 immunoreactivity (Fig. 1b,c). Interestingly, almost 5% of p-Smad2+ cells expressed doublecortin (DCX, neuroblast and immature neuron marker) (Fig. 1b,c). DCX expressing cells are highly heterogeneous and can be divided into proliferating neuroblasts and postmitotic immature neurons according to their proliferative activity23. By using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) as a.

Context: Operation movie theater (OT) usage. the full total 325 planned

Context: Operation movie theater (OT) usage. the full total 325 planned cases, 252 had been controlled and 73 (22.5%) had been cancelled. There have been delays on 15 times (15.63%) in beginning the OT desk on the scheduled period. Of the full total reference hours (46,080 min), the indicate Raw usage was 37,573 min (81.54%) as well as the Altered usage was 39,668 min (86.09%). The mean period allocated to supportive providers was 5539 min (12.02%) and on actual medical procedures was 28,277 min (61.37%), as well as the available room start time was 2095 min (5.39%). Among the mentioned known reasons for cancellations, insufficient working period 57 situations (78.1%) was the most frequent. Conclusion: Study of your time usage and cancellation are essential tools in evaluating the optimal usage of obtainable reference hours within an OT. < 0.001), whereas the area turnover period had not been significantly different among the many OT desks (= 0.195). Delays in begin There have been delays on 15 times in beginning the OT desk at the planned period (8.00 am) through the research period [Desks ?[Desks44 and ?and5].5]. These included past due moving of second individual over the list if the initial patient was terminated because of any reason, past due moving of initial individual to insufficient a medical center attendant credited, late confirming by outdoor/time surgery sufferers, non option of sterile apparatus which was utilized the previous time for NBMPR supplier a crisis. On one event, a crisis case was controlled in the entire evening until morning hours, which led to CHK2 a hold off. On another event, the patient required nebulization before he was shifted towards the OT desk, which postponed the beginning of the procedure desk. Desk 4 Delays in beginning of OT promptly each day Table 5 Factors and the amount of delays in beginning the procedure desk each day Cancellations Through the research amount of 96 times, a complete of 325 elective surgeries had been planned over the 16 OT desks under observation. Seventy-three (22.5%) surgeries had been cancelled [Desk 6] because of various factors [Desk 7]. The best variety of cancellations had been on OT desk no. 2 (9/22 = 40.99%) and minimum on OT desk no. 16 (0%). Cancellations because of lack of period (= 57; 78.1%) resulted from improper arranging leading to virtually no time still left to supply anesthesia. Cancellation because of unfavorable condition of the individual was in charge of 8.2% from the cancellations. A complete of 4.1% from the sufferers on a patio basis didn’t report on your day of medical procedures, 4.1% from the sufferers were advised some work-up prior to the time of operation, that was not completed till the entire time of medical procedures, leading NBMPR supplier to cancellation. In another 4.1%, the outdoor sufferers reported within a non-fasting condition because of inadequate guidance. In the rest of the 1.4% sufferers, the explanation for cancellation was that the situation was scheduled following the generation from the list resulting in no pre anesthesia build up and thus insufficient readiness for surgery. Desk 6 Cancellations on several OT desks Table 7 Mentioned known reasons for cancellations Debate Keeping the OT planned to satisfy all of the several constituents is normally a complex powerful process. There is certainly restriction of working period at the clinics as no elective functions are performed on Sundays and on open public holidays. Medical care environment must be carefully analyzed to make sure that the ongoing providers the OT offers work. An audit of operative movie theater usage by Vinukondaiah et al.[1] reported a mean of 10 h 31 min of operating period/time, amounting to 91.5% of total available operating time. Two percent of the full total obtainable period was allocated to interval between situations. In our research, the adjusted usage was a mean of 413 min/time, accounting for 86.9% of the full total resource hours, which is related to the previous research. In a report promptly utilization of working rooms at a big teaching medical center by Jan et al.,[7] from the used period, period spent on real surgery was discovered to NBMPR supplier become 66.02%, period allocated to supportive providers was found to become 21% and period spent on building the area ready was found to become 12.9%. Another scholarly research by Haiart et al.[8] demonstrated that 25% of theater periods weren’t allocated for use, 23% of total surgical lists were cancelled and of the lists that did happen, an additional 23% of theater time had not been utilized. The one largest reason behind underutilization was understaffing. They recommended that to improve movie theater usage, higher degrees of staffing and expenditure are required than adjustments in the functioning procedures of doctors rather. From the 283 hours of allocated movie theater period, 218 h and 19 min (77.1%) had been utilized, including anesthetic induction operating and time time. Vinukondaiah et al.,[1] demonstrated.

During the last decades it’s been founded that breasts cancer comes

During the last decades it’s been founded that breasts cancer comes up through the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations in various cancer related genes. correlate with breasts laterality (p = 0.05). For validating these observations, gene manifestation data was acquired by RealTime-PCR inside a different cohort of 25 tumors and changed into CH information. This analyses verified the same clustering and a inclination of association with breasts laterality (p = 0.15). analyses on gene manifestation data from TCGA Breasts dataset from remaining and right breasts tumors demonstrated that they differed considerably when data once was changed into CH information (p = 0.033). We display here for the very first time, that breasts carcinomas arising on different edges of your body present differential tumor qualities inferred from methylation and manifestation information. Our outcomes indicate that by switching methylation or manifestation information with regards to Cancer Hallmarks, it could allow to discover veiled organizations with medical features. These total outcomes lead with a fresh locating towards the better knowledge of breasts tumor behavior, and can furthermore serve as proof rule for additional bilateral malignancies like lung, PRPH2 kidney or testes. Introduction Over the last 2 decades, it’s been founded that tumor is essentially a hereditary disease. Within the last years, buy Spinorphin the tumor genome continues to be researched by different molecular strategies, uncovering alterations in lots of tumor related genes. And many studies show that most human tumors bring mutations inside a subset of genes, made up of 30 to 60 different affected loci [1]. Inferences drown from these observations reveal that malignancies as illnesses, are due to the introduction of specific genomic landscapes made up of a combined mix of these mutations. A tumor genomic panorama for a specific tumor may be made up by few genes known as drivers (regularly found modified across many malignancies), and so many more genes known as passengers (rarely found modified across malignancies) [1]. As a result, these discoveries possess guided the introduction of targeted therapies against solitary driver genes, including erlotinib and gefitinib for non-small-cell lung tumor individuals with EGFR mutations [2], cetuximab and panitumumab for metastatic cancer of the colon with amplified manifestation of EGFR [3], vemurafenib for individuals with melanomas holding BRAF mutations [4], and crizotinib for lung tumor patients holding EML4-ALK translocations [5]. Nevertheless, regardless of all the impressive advances, new info strongly shows that therapeutically focusing on solitary driver genes isn’t a reliable technique for the future treatment of malignancies [1,2], since tumor traits look like better referred to when genomic data can be interpreted like a network of mixed functional pathways. Tumor genomic landscapes working as interconnected pathways can help to describe the lifestyle of Tumor Hallmarks (CH) suggested by Hanahan and Weinberg in 2000 [6]. They suggest that the tumor phenotype is seen as a a few natural capabilities acquired throughout a multistep procedure for carcinogenesis, i.e. suffered proliferative signaling, evasion of development suppressors, level of resistance to cell loss of life, allowed replicative immortality, induction of angiogenesis, and activation of metastasis and invasion. Emerging proof also indicates how the reprogramming of energy rate of metabolism and evasion of immune system destruction could possibly be regarded as two new tumor hallmarks [7]. These 6 to 8 tumor hallmarks offer an organizing rule for understanding the diversity and complexity of neoplastic diseases. Moreover, furthermore to genetics, epigenetics, a setting of inheritance that’s caused of hereditary sequences individually, buy Spinorphin gives a complementary paradigm for better understanding the behavior of tumor. Epigenomics possess revealed that malignancies may also be maintained and due to inherited modifications of gene manifestation systems. Thus, it is becoming apparent that CHs are obtained with a successive build up of both epigenetic and hereditary modifications, buy Spinorphin which are sent to subsequent mobile generations. These hereditary and epigenetic modifications happen at many different genomic areas [1] but their impact still converges in under ten tumor features [7], which means that the gene functions involved with tumorigenesis are function from the ongoing state from the mutated network [8]. Since the scholarly study.

Background The distribution of the syndrome in space and time may

Background The distribution of the syndrome in space and time may suggest clues to its etiology. both the deviations and seasonality from the average variety of Kawasaki syndrome cases in Japan. In January and June/July and a nadir in Oct Seasonality MAP2K2 was bimodal with buy 6H05 peaks. This pattern was constant throughout Japan and through the whole 14-calendar year period. Some complete years created high or low amounts of situations, but the general variability was constant through the entire whole nation. Temporal clustering of Kawasaki symptoms situations was discovered with countrywide outbreaks. Conclusions Kawasaki symptoms includes a pronounced seasonality in Japan that’s consistent through the entire length of japan archipelago. Temporal clustering of situations combined with proclaimed seasonality suggests an environmental cause for this scientific symptoms. Kawasaki symptoms is an severe, self-limited vasculitis of newborns and kids with unidentified etiology. Seasonality of the condition was reported by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967 initial.1 He defined a rise in situations in the planting season and summer months and a reduction in the fall and winter throughout a 5-year period (1961C1966). An elevated occurrence of Kawasaki symptoms in the winter-spring a few months continues to be reported from many different geographic locations.2-6 This symptoms is acknowledged by a constellation of clinical signals (including fever, allergy, and conjunctival shot) lasting one to two 14 days. An infectious etiology is normally suspected based on the scientific similarities to various other infectious diseases. Top occurrence takes place in the baby/toddler generation, with only rare circumstances in infants youthful than three months old and buy 6H05 in adults. This shows that transplacental antibodies may confer security and also that a lot of attacks are asymptomatic and bring about the introduction of defensive antibodies. The main problem of Kawasaki symptoms is normally harm to the coronary arteries, which may be prevented generally with a higher dosage of intravenous gamma globulin implemented inside the first 10 times of fever. Kawasaki symptoms is now the primary cause of obtained cardiovascular disease in kids in america and Japan. The increasing occurrence in Japan as well as perhaps the uk lends a sense of urgency to finding the cause.7,8 At current rates, 1 of every 150 children in Japan will suffer from buy 6H05 Kawasaki syndrome. Clear paperwork of seasonality and clustering of Kawasaki syndrome instances would lend further weight to the hypothesis that Kawasaki syndrome has an environmental result in. METHODS Nationwide Survey Nationwide studies in Japan carried out from 1979 through 2000 recorded 150,321 instances of Kawasaki syndrome during this 22-yr period.9-13 Briefly, the surveys were conducted through questionnaires sent to all pediatric departments in private hospitals with more than 100 mattresses. The questionnaires asked for patient info, including sex, birth date, day of hospitalization, illness day time of hospitalization (illness day 1 defined as the 1st buy 6H05 day time of fever), and prefecture of residence. Government-sponsored health insurance provides equivalent access to health care for those children in Japan, where all instances of Kawasaki syndrome are hospitalized. Although it is definitely impossible to ascertain all instances of Kawasaki syndrome in the absence of a diagnostic test, the high incidence in Japan coupled with the nationwide out breaks in 1979 C1986 have resulted in a high level of awareness of the syndrome among pediatricians. Therefore, the majority of clinically standard instances in Japan are presumably identified and hospitalized. Response rates for the questionnaires from your 16 nationwide surveys assorted from 62% to 76%.7 Incomplete files for 361 individuals were excluded from analysis, leaving 149,960 instances. For the analysis of seasonality and clustering, the years that contained the 3 major nationwide epidemics in Japan (1979,1982, and 1986) were excluded, leaving 84,829 instances during the 14-yr period from 1987 through 2000. The hospital admission date of the 84,829 instances was used to determine the daily incidence for each of the 5,114 days. Annual Incidence Individuals with Kawasaki syndrome usually are diagnosed and hospitalized in Japan within the 1st week of illness..

Gene course, ontology, or pathway assessment evaluation is becoming popular in

Gene course, ontology, or pathway assessment evaluation is becoming popular in microarray data evaluation increasingly. is often still left with way too many Licochalcone B IC50 significant genes that are tough to interpret or too little genes after a multiple evaluation modification. Gene-class, or pathway-level examining, integrates gene annotation data such as for example Gene Ontology and lab tests for coordinated adjustments on the operational program level. These strategies can both boost power for discovering differential expression and invite for better knowledge of the root natural processes connected with variants in final result. We propose an alternative solution pathway evaluation method predicated on blended models, and present this technique provides useful inferences beyond those obtainable in presently popular strategies, with improved power and the capability to handle complicated experimental designs. Launch To help boost power to identify microarray differential appearance also to better interpret results, gene-class assessment or pathway evaluation is becoming well-known [1] increasingly. These approaches permit the integration of gene annotation directories such as for example Gene Ontology [2] and KEGG Pathway [3] to officially check for simple but coordinated adjustments at the machine level. Improved power of gene-class examining is obtained by combining vulnerable signals from several specific genes in each pathway. Furthermore, pathway evaluation continues to be utilized to examine common features between data pieces [4] effectively. The most commonly used approach for pathway analysis, the enrichment or overrepresentation analysis, uses Fisher’s precise test. This method starts with a list of differentially indicated genes based on an arbitrary cutoff of nominal p-values, and compares the number of significant genes in the pathway to the rest of the genes to determine if any gene-set is definitely overrepresented in the significant gene list. The Fisher’s exact test is implemented in a number of software packages such as GOTM [5], WebGestalt [6], GENMAPP [7], ChipInfo [8], ONTO-TOOLS [9], GOstat [10], Mouse monoclonal to EPCAM DAVID [11], and JMP Genomics ( Although straightforward to implement and interpret, this method loses information by using only the significant genes resulted from arbitrarily dichotomizing p-values at some threshold. More recent approaches such as Gene Arranged Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) [12],[13] and its extensions use continuous distributions of evidence for differential manifestation and Licochalcone B IC50 are based on a revised version of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test that compares the distribution of test statistics inside a pathway to the test statistics for the rest of the genes. However, as explained in [14], the specific alternate hypothesis for coordinated association between genes inside a gene-set with phenotype is likely to be a location change from background distribution. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test used by GSEA, which detects any changes in the distribution, is definitely often not optimally powerful for detecting specific location changes. In addition, false positives may result when genes inside a gene-set have different variances compared with genes outside the pathway. Methods that test for location changes include PAGE [15] and Practical Class Rating [16]. PAGE uses normal distribution to approximate test statistics based on variations in means for gene-set genes and additional genes; Functional Class Scoring method computes mean (-log(p-value)) from p-values for all genes in a gene-set, and compares this raw score to an empirically derived distribution of raw scores for randomly selected gene-sets of the same size using Licochalcone B IC50 a statistical resampling approach. Other examples of permutation- and bootstrap-based methods include SAFE [17], iGA [18] and GSA [19]. However, resampling-based methods rely on exchangeability that may be hard to achieve in complex experimental designs. For example, in designs with multiple random effects and/or time-series covariance structures, great care must be taken to achieve an appropriate resampling-based null distribution. In this paper, we propose an alternative, parametric approach for gene-class testing based on mixed linear models [20], which can readily accommodate complex designs under standard parametric assumptions. Some parametric methods and their comparisons with the proposed method are in order. Licochalcone B IC50 Wolfinger et al. [21] and Chu et al. [22] considered using mixed models for detecting differentially expressed genes for cDNA and Affymetrix microarrays. Ng et al. [23] Licochalcone B IC50 proposed random effects models to cluster gene expression profiles, but their gene-sets are derived by statistical learning, not based on natural knowledge. Additional parametric models are the arbitrary effect style of Goeman et al. [24] as well as the ANCOVA style of Mansmann [25] for tests whether a specific gene-set consists of any gene connected with result. There can be an important differentiation between these versions and our suggested.

Background Connectivity networks, which reflect multiple connections between genes and proteins,

Background Connectivity networks, which reflect multiple connections between genes and proteins, possess not only a descriptive but also a predictive value, as new contacts can be extrapolated and tested by means of computational analysis. SPF-based algorithm has been applied to genetic interactions sub-networks adjacent to the clusters of co-expressed genes for rating the most likely gene manifestation regulators causal to eQTLs. Results We have shown that known co-expression and genetic relationships between C. elegans genes can be complementary in predicting gene manifestation regulators. Several algorithms were compared in respect to their predictive potential in different network connectivity contexts. We found that genes associated with eQTLs are highly clustered inside a C. elegans co-expression sub-network, and their adjacent genetic interactions provide the ideal practical Edg1 connectivity environment for software of the new SPF-based algorithm. It was successfully tested in the reverse-prediction analysis Teneligliptin manufacture on groups of genes with known regulators and applied to co-expressed genes and experimentally observed manifestation quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). Conclusions This analysis demonstrates variations in topology and connectivity of co-expression and genetic relationships sub-networks in WormNet. The modularity of less continuous genetic interaction network does not correspond to modularity of the dense network comprised by gene co-expression relationships. However the genetic interaction network can be used much more efficiently with Teneligliptin manufacture the SPF method in prediction of potential regulators of gene manifestation. The developed method can be utilized for validation of practical significance of suggested eQTLs and a finding of fresh regulatory modules. [1]. By software to age-specific eQTL data for [12] we display that it prospects to sensible predictions for the underlying regulatory genes. The suggested approach can refine interpretation of organism- specific integral biological networks and utilized for prediction of protein complexes and genetic regulators from a network context. Methods Data units Dataset for validation of gene clustersFor eQTL-hotspot gene selection we used previously published eQTL data [12], retrieved from WormQTL [13]. This experiment was carried out on three worm age ranges. In each one of the 3 experimental age ranges the genes using a distributed regulatory locus had been chosen by taking all of the genes having an eQTL using a age ranges WormBase WS220 [14] continues to be employed for retrieval of gene brands and IDs, linked useful annotations and ontological types. WormNet [1] continues to be used to acquire pair-wise connections between genes. WormNet includes connection data from (eWormNet). Data established for examining predictive algorithmsTo check our algorithms for recognition of potential regulators in the gWormNet we utilized 3 sets of genes, each regarded as governed by 3 regulators extremely ranked inside our eQTL evaluation (see Table ?Desk2).2). These sets of genes had been retrieved from WormBase and complemented using their hereditary connections and co-expression data retrieved from WormNet. Desk 2 The gene groupings with known regulatory genes Program of the SPF solution to a new data setTo test our algorithm on a larger set of highly interconnected and co-expressed genes we selected a group of genes involved in translation that experienced a strong co-expression pattern in two strains [15C17]. The micro-array data [18] were retrieved from NCBIs Gene Manifestation Omnibus (GEO [19]) under “type”:”entrez-geo”,”attrs”:”text”:”GSE5395″,”term_id”:”5395″GSE5395. By means of the Mev4 software [20] we performed clustering of the gene manifestation profiles by Teneligliptin manufacture complete mRNA ideals. By software of K-means clustering of the manifestation profiles we have produced a number of gene cluster arrays and have chosen probably the most powerful cluster Teneligliptin manufacture of genes (slightly changes depending on the requested cluster quantity) from a 50-cluster K-means analysis where it was made up by genes with highly homogenous manifestation ideals. This largest cluster (Cluster K1) enriched for highly co-expressed genes relevant to translation was selected for further analysis. String software [21, 22] has been utilized for visualization of graphical networks reconstructed for units of genes. Methods Statistical validation of the gene clustersTo investigate WormNet connectivity properties of the selected gene clusters we have used quite a standard approach based on calculation of gene pairs (and in ensemble of random.

Characterization of aggregation information of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) is gaining importance

Characterization of aggregation information of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) is gaining importance because an increasing number of mAb-based therapeutics are entering clinical studies and gaining marketing approval. dye concentration. Inset: Double reciprocal representation.20 (B) Temperature-dependence of mAb unfolding studied with ANS binding. Dye binding rates were decided … We also measured kinetic rates of the conformational change of monomer at the PD98059 elevated temperatures (Desk 1) with an empirical sigmoid function suit through the ANS fluorescence modification (see Supporting Details) (Fig. 2B). The mAb was incubated at raised temperature ranges (63C70C) at 0.2 mg/mL concentrations up to 6 h and 20 M ANS was added soon after the incubation, held in ice drinking water for 2 h. The aggregate amounts in these biopharmaceuticals are usually suprisingly low during long-term storage space conditions also at high proteins concentrations. We examined the aggregate amounts at different mAb concentrations and temperature ranges with SEC and reported the outcomes elsewhere in guide 7. At concentrations below 5 mg/mL, we didn’t observe aggregate development during incubation PD98059 at raised temperature ranges (Sup. Fig. 2) due to the high balance of these protein. Hence, to be able to detect aggregate development, we used high PD98059 mAb concentrations (e.g., 150 mg/mL). Even so, the noticed aggregate levels hardly ever PD98059 exceeded several percents since we pressured the mAb lightly and always utilized incubation temperature ranges 10C15C below the melting temperatures from the Fab area. Lastly, ANS can bind to aggregates aswell as partly unfolded monomers also, albeit with different affinity. Nevertheless, since we usually do not observe aggregate development at 0.2 mg/mL focus (Sup. Fig. 2), we hypothesize that ANS probes mAb unfolding preferentially by getting together with the partly unfolded proteins either via subjected hydrophobic areas or via electrostatic connections or both. Desk 1 Observed unfolding and aggregation price constants from the mAb with the dye-binding research Aggregation of mAb The next stage shown in Body 1 depicts the aggregate development. Aggregates weren’t separated in dye-binding tests; one kind of aggregate was assumed to stand for the soluble irreversible aggregates. The next part of Body 1 contains all of the proteins aggregates hence, known as aggregated mAb. We probed the aggregation stage by ThT binding and the info was also examined with sigmoid formula (Supporting Details). ThT identifies certain top features of the amyloid-type proteins aggregates, e.g., -bed sheets and the areas produced by tyrosine residues and between your protofilaments, with non-specific connections.23 ThT undergoes ground-state spectral adjustments that impact the absorbance range, however, not the emission range when it binds to aggregates. Furthermore, aggregate development is detected with the upsurge in the fluorescence strength. Additionally it is known that regional secondary framework from the proteins is predominantly conserved in these aggregates, as the tertiary framework is dropped.24,25 When incubated at 150 mg/mL, the SEC-HPLC data indicated the fact that mAb been around primarily Mouse monoclonal antibody to AMPK alpha 1. The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the ser/thr protein kinase family. It is the catalyticsubunit of the 5-prime-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is a cellular energy sensorconserved in all eukaryotic cells. The kinase activity of AMPK is activated by the stimuli thatincrease the cellular AMP/ATP ratio. AMPK regulates the activities of a number of key metabolicenzymes through phosphorylation. It protects cells from stresses that cause ATP depletion byswitching off ATP-consuming biosynthetic pathways. Alternatively spliced transcript variantsencoding distinct isoforms have been observed. either in the monomer or aggregate form (Sup. Fig. 3). Because the indigenous mAb framework is certainly -sheet thoroughly, residual ThT binding to monomer mAb was noticed also. Nevertheless, the binding price continuous was 0.069 min?1 when mAb was incubated at focus of 0.2 mg/mL at 68C and 0.667 min?1 when incubated at 150 mg/mL, recommending that ThT binds more to aggregates weighed against monomers favorably. The unbound ThT isn’t considerably fluorescent in comparison to bound ThT also. Moreover, the amount of protein aggregation was excessive relatively; we assumed that ThT fluorescence transformation mainly symbolized the aggregation kinetics (Fig. 1). ThT binding tests had been executed via aggregating the proteins at 150 mg/mL mAb focus initial, and diluting the test to the full total last focus of 0 then. 2 mg/mL to ThT addition preceding. We demonstrated the fact that mAb aggregates PD98059 had been irreversible lately, acquired different sizes, and contained partially unfolded proteins mainly.7 Therefore, after the mAb forms aggregates at 150 mg/mL, by dilution only the quantity of proteins (aggregate or monomer).

The unique phenotypic characteristics of mammalian prions are thought to be

The unique phenotypic characteristics of mammalian prions are thought to be encoded in the conformation of pathogenic prion proteins (PrPSc). the competitive selection of those with lower initial conformational stability. In serial propagation with a nonglycosylated mutant PrPC substrate the dominant PrPSc conformers are subject to further evolution by natural selection of the subpopulation with the highest replication rate due to its lowest stability. Cumulatively the data show that SERK1 sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease PrPSc is not a single conformational entity but a dynamic collection of two distinct populations of particles. This implies the co-existence of different prions whose adaptation and evolution are governed by the selection of progressively less stable faster replicating PrPSc conformers. (1-3) all provide compelling evidence that prion diseases are caused by the accumulation of an aberrantly folded isoform of the prion protein termed PrPSc (4). Variations in prions which cause remarkably different disease phenotypes in the same host are referred to as strains (5 6 For several decades the existence of distinct prion strains that can be passaged indefinitely has polarized the scientific community and was offered as an argument for the existence of a prion-specific genome. Subsequently extraordinary progress in the past decade has produced convincing experimental evidence indicating that the species of prion is encoded in the primary amino acid sequence of PrPSc (6) and that prion strain characteristics are encoded in the self-replicating conformation of PrPSc (7-10). These phenotypic characteristics may undergo mutation in cloned cells but the molecular mechanism responsible for this phenomenon remained elusive in Bay 65-1942 HCl the absence of informative nucleic acid (10). Although recent important experiments with synthetic and rodent-adapted laboratory prions suggest that structural plasticity of PrPSc is a key factor in adaptation and evolution the exact conformational mechanism and relevancy of these observations to wild prions causing natural human prion diseases have not been established (11-13). The extensive phenotypic heterogeneity of the most frequent human prion disease sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) (14) is currently understood as a Bay 65-1942 HCl complex interplay between polymorphisms in the gene and different PrPSc conformers (6 14 Because the conformations of PrPSc vary in different prion strains the broad spectrum of distinct PrPSc conformers recently found in different cases of sCJD using sensitive biophysical techniques implies that sCJD is caused by a broad array of distinct prions (5 15 16 Furthermore the frequent and perhaps universal presence of both the 21-kDa (type 1) and 19-kDa (type 2) unglycosylated fragments of protease-resistant (r) PrPSc in sCJD (17-21) indicates the co-occurrence of markedly different PrPSc conformers often in the same anatomical structure in the same brain. Apart from challenging the validity of the clinicopathological classification of sCJD based on Bay 65-1942 HCl gene polymorphism and Western blot patterns of type 1 or type 2 rPrPSc (14 22 these findings raise some fundamental questions. (coding region was performed as described (26-28). Patients lacked pathogenic mutations in the and had no history of Bay 65-1942 HCl familial diseases or known exposure to prion agents. These cases underwent additional detailed WB analyses of the PrPSc so that we could ascertain the accuracy of their original classification and confirm that the same brain homogenate analyzed by CDI contained mixed type 1 + 2 PrPSc(129M). Coronal Bay 65-1942 HCl sections of human brain tissues were obtained at autopsy and stored at ?80 °C. Three 200-350-mg cuts of frontal (superior and more posterior middle gyri) or occipital cortex were taken from each brain and used for molecular analyses. Brain Homogenates Slices of tissues weighing 200-350 mg were first homogenized to a final 15% (w/v) concentration in calcium- and magnesium-free PBS pH 7.4 by three 75-s cycles with Mini-beadbeater 16 Cell Disrupter (Biospec Bartlesville OK). The homogenates were then diluted to a final 5% (w/v) in 1% (v/v) Sarkosyl in PBS pH 7.4 and rehomogenized. After clarification at 500 × for 5 min 1 aliquot of the supernatant was treated with protease inhibitors (0.5 mm PMSF and aprotinin and leupeptin at 5 μg/ml respectively). The second aliquot was treated with 50 μg/ml of proteinase K (Amresco Solon OH) for 1 h at 37 °C and shaking 600 rpm on an Eppendorf Thermomixer (Eppendorf Hauppauge NY).


Feb 15

The race to become crowned as the World’s Most Unloved Species was hotly contested, once again, this year with 19 nominated species in the running.  After 12 days of fierce competition, impassioned pitches and over 4,500 votes, the top 10 was announced on Valentine’s Day.

But slithering into first place… it’s the Galapagos racer!

Often demonised, the Galapagos racer shot to fame during the BBC’s 2016 series Planet Earth II.  They are one of a few endemic snakes found in the Galapagos and can grow to a maximum of 125 centimetres.  However, little is known about the Galapagos racer and there is even confusion over the number of species or subspecies of racer snakes found in the Galapagos.  The Galapagos racer is already locally extinct on Floreana Island and are threatened following the introduction of cats and pigs onto neighbouring islands which forage for their eggs.

All the nominated species are worthy winners, and were chosen as they are often overshadowed and overlooked by the more cute, handsome and (supposedly) interesting members of the natural world.  But which species pulled at the public’s heartstrings the most and made it into the top 10?  Here’s a quick rundown:

Wombling into second place, it’s the bare-nosed wombat.  Also known as the ‘common wombat’ this furry marsupial may no longer be as ‘common’ as its namesake suggests, as the population battles an increasing number of fatal road strikes and the deadly skin condition mange.

Flying into third, and in the highest place a bird has had in this contest, it’s the lappet-faced vulture.  Definitely not noted for their cuddly nature, these birds have been known to take on jackals to defend a carcass!

In fourth place we dive underneath the waves with the first shark to enter the top 10!  The shortfin mako is a speed machine, capable of reaching 35 kilometres an hour and even having the power to launch itself clear out of the water.

At number five we have the Asian elephant.  Despite having had a close relationship with man over the centuries these giants are facing a number of threats including poaching and habitat loss, and are often overlooked by their larger African relatives.

Hopping into the top 10 at number six is the common toad.  Firmly rooted in English folklore and culture this gardener’s friend is another species with an unfortunate name as populations have taken a dramatic downturn declining by 68% over the last 30 years.

The ‘lucky number seven’ spot is taken by the red squirrel.  However this iconic species is not so lucky, facing habitat fragmentations, disease and competition with the grey squirrel, introduced into the UK in the 1870s.

Coming up in eighth place is the aye-aye.  Not known for its dashing good looks, this primate has been considered an omen of bad luck resulting in persecution by the Malagasy people!

Looking fine at nine is the Copan brook frog.  The second amphibian in the top 10, this tiny frog could be easily hidden if it wasn’t for its bright, lime green colouration.

And last but by no means least, it’s the blue shark.  This sleek apex predator is instantly recognisable as it moves gracefully through the water however it is one of the most heavily fished sharks in the world, with an estimated 15-20 million caught every year.

To find out more about these species and the work being done to research and conserve them, visit the results page here.

Sep 29

1) Sharks have been around for about 400 million years, long before dinosaurs even existed. They have survived five mass extinction events! Just keep swimming just keep swimming…

2) There are 355 confirmed species of shark, ranging in length from 15cm to 15m. Talk about little and large!

3) Hammerhead sharks are famous for their strange heads, which are actually designed to make them better hunters. The electrical sensors the sharks use to pinpoint their prey are spread out further, giving them much better prey detection skills.

4) Mako sharks are the fastest shark species in the ocean – these toothy torpedos can swim at speeds of up to 95km/h!

5) Lantern sharks can glow to disguise themselves in the deep ocean, and will emitting the same amount of light that shines from the ocean’s surface above them from their underside so that they don’t create a shadow. Basically, they have stealth mode – awesome!

6) Thresher sharks can use their super long tail fins to stun prey, similar to cracking them with a whip. The tail-whip also creates bubbles which can stun prey.

7) The babies of some shark species, such as the sand tiger shark, develop teeth in the womb and eat their unborn siblings. Sibling rivalry or what?!

8) A shark may go through over 20,000 teeth throughout its lifetime. The great white shark has up to 7 rows of teeth which are continually replaced with new ones.. yikes. Say cheese!

9) Greenland sharks are Earth’s longest-living vertebrates. Researchers recently discovered a 400-year old female by using radiocarbon dating.

10) A lot of people rightly avoid eating sharks, so fish markets and chefs change the name of shark meat to rock salmon, rock eel, huss or flake. Always make sure you know what you’re eating!

Jan 27

#LoveSpecies nominee: pelagic thresher

Nominated by: Sharks4Kids

Why do you love it?

What are the threats to pelagic thresher?

Jan 27

#LoveSpecies nominee: silky shark

Nominated by: Project AWARE

Why do you love it?

What are the threats to the silky shark?

What are you doing to save it?

Jan 27

#LoveSpecies nominee: Greenland shark

Nominated by: SharkFest

Why do you love it?

What are the threats to the Greenland Shark?

Luckily Greenland shark populations are currently believed to be healthy!

What are you doing to save it?

Email updates

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Arkive twitter

Twitter: ARKive


Capital Improvement Plan
Fiscal Year 2018-2022

CCDC creates a 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) as a framework to collaborate with agency and community partners to achieve urban redevelopment goals and long term vision for the city. The plan allows for flexibility to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities and changes in market conditions.

The link below will open the final CIP document which outlines the projects CCDC has planned for the next five fiscal years in each of the four urban renewal districts. The CIP is built in conjunction with the budget to allocate limited resources to various capital improvement projects and participation agreements. The plan is evaluated and revised annually to make necessary adjustments as conditions change. The CIP is updated every year.

Capital Improvement Plan 2018-2022


Browsing Month 'July, 2011'

What changes have automotive emissions controls gone through over the years? Why is there a lack of consistency on State level testing and enforcement?

Are you having fuel injection problems? There are many ways to test individual injectors. Most require special tools. Here is how to check the click sound.


World Cup Returning to US After North American Bid Beats Morocco

Morocco Will Complete 2026 World Cup Infrastructure Projects Despite Defeat

Morocco Will Complete 2026 World Cup Infrastructure Projects Despite Defeat

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is heading to North America after a joint bid from the United States, Canada, and Mexico defeated Morocco in a landslide vote.

A total of 200 delegates representing every country registered with Federation Internationale de Football Association cast their vote, selecting the North American bid 134 to 65 over a bid from Morocco, with one voting for neither bid.

Canada's games will be split between three host cities with Toronto potentially hosting four games and Montreal and Edmonton taking three each.

It's expected that Canada and Mexico will stage 10 games each with the USA hosting 60.

The wounds of 2018 may still sting for the US, but for today at least, the Yanks, El Tri and The Canucks have won in the biggest way possible. Trump will be gone from office when the tournament does take place. And it gives us eight years to tell and deliver a great story for soccer, for youth, for grassroots, for men's (soccer) alignment and for sports in general.

More news: Neymar and Gabriel Jesus confident Brazil will win the World Cup

Chief among those is US President Donald Trump, whose "America First" approach might score well with his electoral base but may have made the United bid's task harder than it could ever have imagined.

In March, B.C. Premier John Horgan said he was not willing to write a "blank cheque" to have Vancouver host soccer matches for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Arrowhead Stadium was one of 23 sites included in the joint bid's official tendering to Federation Internationale de Football Association, including 17 in the United States.

The World Cup is coming to Canada.

While Trump has been feuding with Canadian leaders over tariffs and Mexico about his proposed border wall, the political leaders are not heavily involved in the World Cup bid. Cordeiro, who was co-chair of the bid, spent much of his first few months in office traveling the world, lobbying. They ended up meeting some 150 national representatives. It will be the same for the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Both the United States and Canada failed to qualify for this year's World Cup.

More news: Tuesday forecast: Cooler but still hot and humid

Morocco thinks it could but for his part UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he was in no position to instruct his members how to vote.

"When they help us fight against corruption, of course, we are pleased", Infantino said.

Baltimore and M&T Bank Stadium fared well in FIFA's assessment of potential game venues, and the city is considered the favorite to host the World Cup Team Workshop, which brings together delegations from all 48 competing nations for a pretournament introduction to the World Cup's organization. The only other time multiple countries shared the World Cup was 2002, when Japan and South Korea were given passes into the competition. Victor Montagliani, the Canadian who leads CONCACAF, wants them to take three of the seven guaranteed qualification slots reserved for the region as host.

The Mexican candidate cities are Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.

The World Cup will expand to 48 teams and 80 games for 2026 and the US will stage 60 of those matches.

The games will be played in 16 cities.

More news: Kate Middleton Supports Prince William's Charity Polo Match

Two notable absences, Chicago and Vancouver, did not agree to FIFA's requirements for hosting games and withdrew from consideration.

Recommended News

Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.


Gym experience logo.
By Bernard.

Sublime Lena Zamolodchikova.

Here is a large gallery dedicated to the cute and talented Elena Zamolodchikova. Lena was competing at the '04 Dtb Cup held in Stuttgart, she smiled a lot, laughed a lot, performed well.
Well done Lena! And more than all thanks so much for your words and your kindness.
Contact me for any comment.

Lena 1.

Lena 2.

Lena 3.

Lena 4.

Lena 5.

Lena 6.

Lena gallery page 2.
Lena gallery page 3.
Lena gallery page 4.
Lena gallery page 5.
Lena gallery page 6.
Lena gallery page 7.
Lena gallery page 8.
The '04 Dtb Cup.

 International Gymnastics page.
Contents page.

Page (c) Bernard for : Kostiskal
Docs are copyrighted and can not be reproduced without permission.


Animal Camouflage Facts

The camouflage of the most amazing animals you’ve never seen!

Almost every animal has a good reason to hide.

Going undetected makes it easier to catch food – and easier to avoid becoming someone else’s. In any species, the individuals that stand out the most will be the first to be eaten and the last to catch their own dinner, and so natural selection picks the ones with the best camouflage.

There are several different kinds of camouflage. The most basic is to hide under a rock, or in sand or leaves. This is sometimes called ‘crypsis’, and some animals will incorporate bits of their environment on their bodies to improve the effect.

Three-toed sloths have algae growing in their fur, which gives them a dark green hue that helps them hide among the trees. Coral crabs deliberately attach young polyps to their shells so they resemble part of the reef.

The next step is to change your own body colouration. Mammals have a colour palette restricted to white, black, brown and yellow, but fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds can all produce a vivid array of greens and bright red.

Did you know … The sheep can to cure themselves by eating certain plants when sick.

Red might not seem like a great colour for camouflage, but lots of seaweed and corals are red, and in fact many sea creatures obtain the red pigment for their bodies by eating the corals and seaweed that they hide among.

Animal Camouflage FactsCamouflage is a show performed for a few specific observers. Most mammals see in black and white, or only two colours. Primates see three primary colours while birds see four.

Insects can see well into the ultraviolet part of the spectrum and many snakes can sense infrared. Choosing the right camouflage is about exploiting the weaknesses in your target’s visual system.

Even if your colour is a very close match to your surroundings, your outline can still give you away. One of the earliest parts of the brain to evolve was concerned with recognizing the edges of things, and most animals still have a dedicated outline recognition brain region. Good camouflage uses contrasting patterns of light and dark, or different colours.

These trick the outline recognition system so that it mentally carves up your shape into smaller, irregular blocks. In some environments, there is so little to hide behind that this ‘dazzle’ camouflage is all you have.

The Royal Navy used this technique in World War I to make it hard to judge the speed and heading of battleships on the featureless ocean. But the orca, or killer whale, beat them to it by several million years.

The bright patches of white on a black body disrupt its outline so that it is not immediately recognised as a threat. Zebras use the same technique, but this time the entire herd merges into one huge zebra that is much more intimidating and confusing to lions and cheetahs.

Sometimes, a purely visual camouflage isn’t enough. Procrypsis is the technique of camouflaging your movement. Predators are acutely sensitive to movement, but a typical forest is a whirl of activity and they must quickly tune out the background motions of wind, water and all the non-food animals if they are not to be overwhelmed.

Chameleons, leaf insects and preying mantises can exploit this by moving with a rocking motion that mimics the swaying of branches in the wind. Some Pacific octopuses will curl up like a rock, but still manage to move along the seabed by synchronizing movement with the back-and-forth patterns of shadow cast by sunlight through the waves.

Jackson’s chameleon camouflage

Jackson's chameleonTechnique: Colour and movement

Reason: Hunting

In the lush, high-altitude forests of Kenya and Tanzania, the bright green skin of the Jackson’s chameleon blends with the mosaic of thick waxy leaves.

Jaguar camouflage

Jaguar camouflageTechnique: Disruptive pattern

Reason: Hunting

Did you know … Jaguar can eat up to 25 kg (50 pounds) of meat in one meal!

Tawny frogmouth camouflage

Tawny frogmouth camouflageTechnique: Disruptive colour pattern

Reason: Defensive

Bird dropping spider camouflage

Bird dropping spider camouflageTechnique: Mimicry

Reason: Defensive

The creamy-coloured abdomen with brown stippled patches closely resembles the guano of a bird that feeds on insects.

Israeli sand gecko camouflage

Israeli sand gecko camouflageTechnique: Colour and counter-shading

Reason: Protection and hunting

Sand geckos use the huge surface area on their finger pads to cling to the walls or roofs of rock crevices in the desert.

Zebra camouflage

Zebra camouflageTechnique: Dazzle pattern

Reason: Confusing predators

When threatened, zebras huddle together and the stripes make it difficult to tell where one starts and another ends. Lions and other predators rely on splitting one target away from the herd.

Did you know … In the wild zebras usually live between 20 and 30 years, while in zoos can live up to 40 years.

Egyptian nightjar camouflage

Egyptian nightjar camouflageTechnique: Colour and pattern

Reason: Protecting its eggs

Birds normally defend themselves against predators by flying away, but the Egyptian nightjar lives in the desert, where there are no trees for roosting.

The nightjar just looks like a stone or a piece of dried wood. Egyptian nightjars don’t even build nests, hiding their eggs beneath their own camouflage.

Mackerel camouflage

Mackerel camouflageTechnique: Stripes and counter-shading

Reason: Defensive

Mackerel swim in huge schools. Seen from above, the distinctive striped pattern resembles the rippling pattern of shadow seen in shallow seas. At close range the effect may be similar to the zebra’s stripes and make it hard for predators to lock on to any single fish.

The counter-shaded belly is common to most fish, making them harder to spot from below against the lighter surface.

Snowshoe hare camouflage

Snowshoe hare camouflageTechnique: Seasonal colour

Reason: Defensive

During the short Alaskan spring and summer, the snowshoe hare has fur that is standard ‘rabbit brown’ to blend against the leaves and heather.

But this hare doesn’t hibernate and a brown animal wouldn’t last long on a carpet of snow, with lynx and great horned owls patrolling. So it moults to a winter coat, which is pure white except for a black tip on each ear.

Stonefish camouflage

Stonefish camouflageTechnique: Colour and spines

Reason: Ambush

To defend itself from its own predators, the stonefish has poisonous spines.

Whereas most poisonous animals are brightly coloured as a warning, the stonefish’s camouflage means that it’s often trodden on by accident, killing a human in two hours.

Cuttlefish camouflage

Cuttlefish camouflageTechnique: Colour changing

Reason: Signaling, hunting and protection

Cuttlefish have the most advanced colour-changing system of any animal.

Not only can they change their colour in less than a second, but they can also move from static camouflage patterns to rapidly pulsing displays to hypnotize prey or communicate with other cuttlefish.

Indonesian mimic octopus camouflage

Indonesian mimic octopus camouflageTechnique: Colour changing and behavioral mimicry

Reason: Protection and hunting

But it does have lots of predators of its own, so uses its camouflage abilities to imitate more than 15 other animal species. As well as changing the colour and patterning of its skin, it can also radically alter its texture from smooth to spiny and contort its arms and body to change shape.

Satanic leaf-tailed gecko camouflage

Leaf-tailed geckoTechnique: Colour and pattern

Reason: Defensive and hunting

Satanic leaf-tailed gecko inhabits Madagascar and was discovered in 1888.

These lizards have taken on the appearance of dead dried leaves, and they are also known for their ability to mingle with the tree root. During the day, this camouflage helps the lizard to hide from the predators, and during the night camouflage is used for hunting.

They can align their body with the backing to reduce the size of the shadows, open their jaws to show a scary, lustrous red mouth, and move the tail to fool the predators who think it’s just another leaf on the wind.

It belongs to the nocturnal reptiles with large eyes, moving on trees at night and feed on insects, mostly crickets and moths.

Dead leaf butterfly camouflage

Kallima inachusTechnique: Colour and pattern

Reason: Defensive

When it closes its wings it looks like a dry leaf (like the satanic leaf-tailed lizard previously mentioned).

Kallima inachus or dead leaf butterfly live in tropical Asia from India to Japan. The females of this butterfly are somewhat larger than males, and their wings range is from 85 to 110 millimeters (3.3 to 4.3 in).

These butterflies have two generations per year that look different and their appearance depends on the season in which they are born (dry-season form and wet-season form). The wings of each butterfly are different, and all look like a dead leaf in different stages of decomposition – they have been so scattered that they even have holes on themselves. (Please share this post if you like it!)

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Movie Review: Paper Towns
By Ben Gruchow
July 29, 2015

She always looks like she has better places to be.

Paper Towns is an unpleasant and faintly narcissistic experience about two self-involved, overprivileged teens playing mind games, while the story is convinced they’re learning about life and love. There is some faint redemption by supporting actors giving convincing life to characters with more shading and dimension than the principals, but there’s not enough.

I am not a fan of the source novel, written by John Green and fast-tracked into production after the box-office success of 2014’s The Fault In Our Stars. I found it to be an exercise in how thoroughly a capable writer can torpedo his own concept: overwritten, banal, obsessed with its own cleverness. If nothing else, the film is a faithful adaptation. The central, mysterious character of Margo Roth Spiegelman, who sets most of the movie’s wispy plot in motion, is an unlikable objectification of teen angst. She’s also a bully, unbalanced, manipulative in a callous way. The protagonist, Quentin Jacobsen, is a cipher who is all too willing to jump ship on the rest of his life in order to obsessively track Margo down; she up and disappears one day, and the reaction by her parents and Quentin’s friends suggests that they know something he doesn’t.

Most of the movie’s middle section consists of Quentin discovering clues as to Margo’s potential whereabouts - clues that she ostensibly left herself, with such elaborate setups and references that you wonder how she possibly had the energy afterward to actually abscond. This middle section is flabby in its construction, and introduces two rather critical issues. The first has more to do with the source material: Green’s characters are overwritten, but there’s also a thread of condescension that manifests as overly-precious pop-culture references and left-field plot devices.

Walt Whitman and Woody Guthrie are sewn into developments and asides, but they’re never used to influence thought or action on the part of the characters; the script is just name-dropping and mistaking it for texture and color. Articulation in speech can convey hidden layers of personality and meaning, or it can be deployed effectively as an illustration of a defense mechanism; here, it just comes across as the mark of a writer desperately trying to show that he’s hip to the kids these days, with the touch-screens and the Facebook and the Wikipedia (manifested here, in the movie’s worst display of winking at itself, as an identical site called Omnictionary.)

Quentin is the least-interesting character on screen; his evident purpose in life begins and ends with obsessing about Margo’s whereabouts and nature. The people surrounding him are more fortunate: Halston Sage, as Margo’s best friend Lacey, brings a confusion and realism to her scenes that she doesn’t try to oversell. She’s the only one affected by Margo’s departure who actually seems to react like a person. Meanwhile, Justice Smith is downright natural and likable as Quentin’s friend Radar; he has a nice grasp of timing and feeling that serves him well during scenes with his girlfriend, played with equal unforced naturalism by Jaz Sinclair, and during late scenes with Quentin, Lacey, and their friend Ben, played by Austin Abrams (this actor pulls a fast one on a thin character, and emerges with something like sympathy and an arc). Nat Wolff’s Quentin has far more chemistry with any of these individuals than he does with Cara Delevingne’s Margo, and the degree to which the movie works depends on how far away the main characters are kept.

There are moments where the film seems to insinuate that it knows this, and that it’s part of the point: it can be inadvisable or even dangerous to assign motivation and layers of your own identity to a different person, one that you don’t even really know. The movie doesn’t do anything with this concept, though. It’s too concerned with executing the mechanics of Green’s plot to make time for much thematic exploration, and the mechanics of the plot hold no surprises or insights.

With the most interesting characters relegated to the background, we’re more or less forced to consider the weight of the Quentin-Margo story - and really, it’s the Quentin story, with how much time Delevingne spends off-screen. In the time she is onscreen, she’s mean-spirited and pushy. We’re never given anything substantive to latch onto about her character, so we never understand exactly what it is that anyone sees in her, and the screenplay for Paper Towns is too slight to do more than faintly suggest the dangers of putting people on a pedestal who don’t deserve to be.

We thus spend much of the movie focused on Quentin’s face, as he’s tasked with doing the majority of the heavy lifting, and the casting of Wolff to do this is a fatal miscalculation. Every good performance in a film ultimately comes down to the eyes; you get the true measure of an actor’s character commitment from this. For all of its storytelling sins, The Fault in Our Stars was brought quite close to success by that depth of feeling from Shailene Woodley. Wolff, though, brings an unsettling blank gaze to every shot he’s in. He’s remarkably consistent: never once did I even come close to convinced that Quentin actually means (or knows how to mean) any of the things he says or does. The intonation is sort of there, and the expressions are sort of there, but it all falls through because of that vacancy behind the eyes.

At points, it actually crosses the line between a bad job of conveying a teenager and a good job of conveying a psychopath. When you start worrying less about whether or not the main character is going to find the girl of his dreams, and more about what he’s going to do to her once he finds her (or to others if they get in his way), it should be taken as a sign that the lead actor isn’t hitting quite the notes he expected to.

Cinematically, the movie is a big nothing: directed by newcomer Jake Schreier with timidity and lassitude, flatly and anonymously shot, written with the minimal amount of connect-the-dots storytelling. It takes a precise touch and confident acting and writing to really earn a story like this. There’s a 2012 film out there called The Perks of Being A Wallflower. It covers similar thematic territory, is much better written, and has genuine humor and pathos. It takes risks with our sympathy toward its characters, but never loses track of why we have it. Paper Towns is a pale imitation, and a thin piece of plastic even on its own terms.


Home >Feats >General Feats >

Believer’s Hands

You can heal others with a touch of your hand.

Prerequisite(s): Wis 13, Believer’s Boon, must be lawful good, alignment must be within one step of your deity’s.

Benefit: Once per day, you can use the paladin’s lay on hands ability. Your effective paladin level is equal to 1/2 your character level (minimum 1). If you already have (or later gain) the lay on hands ability, you instead gain one extra use of lay on hands each day.

Special: This feat counts as having the lay on hands ability for the purpose of qualifying for feats such as Extra Lay on Hands.

If you grossly violate the code of conduct required by your deity, your alignment shifts so that it is more than one step away from your deity’s, or you no longer worship your deity, you lose access to this feat. You can regain it once you atone for your misdeeds to your deity (see the atonement spell).

Section 15: Copyright Notice


Curriculum Leader - Psychology:

Mrs Gerber

Why take Psychology

Mind works

The mind is something intangible that exists within our brain. An unseen process of enzymes, chemicals and electric current moving within the structure of our neural networks dictates why we feel, think and behave the way we do.

But why is it that some people suffer from stress and mental illness? Why do some people fear snakes yet a few think they are cuddly? Psychology looks at questions like these in the study of the human mind and behaviour. It is a science with cutting edge research that has real world applications to issues in everyday life, ranging from things like artificial intelligence to social change.

Mix it up

Psychologists observe and measure behaviour, and their therapies are based on scientific study. Psychology has links with many disciplines including biological, computer and forensic science as well as humanities such as sociology, philosophy, anthropology and even literature. It involves study of theory, empirical evidence and practical applications. This mix of disciplines helps to make psychology such a fascinating subject.

Your key learning topics

In your first year you may study topics such as research methods, social psychology, gender development, individual differences or cognitive psychology. This introduction will form a sound basis for the second year, in which you might study topics such as sleep, forensic psychology, celebrity worship, cognition and law, perception or mood disorders.

On your marks ...

In the first year you’ll sit two papers. Each lasts for 90 minutes and accounts for 50% of your marks for the year. The second year is the same. You will sit two papers and, once again, each paper accounts for 50% of your marks for the year.

Where will success take me?

Psychology can help your career either directly or indirectly. Of course, if you wish to become a psychologist, therapist or mental health worker, this A Level is of direct value.

What skills will I learn?

This course will help you develop a number of skills: • how to view the world around you from different perspectives • how to plan and conduct scientific investigations • how to analyse and interpret data • critical reasoning skills • how to put across your point of view fluently

Will it fit in my life?

Students who take Psychology need a combination of curiosity and scepticism and need to enjoy research. Psychology students often also study Sociology, Health & Social Care, Biology, English and Sports Studies. But students who want a career in any of the caring services, or in marketing or business, will find an understanding of psychology useful.

For more info, visit:

More course information

Psychology A2 SOW

Psychology AS SOW

Psychology resources and why take Psychology

Further Information

If you would like more information about Psychology at Desborough, or wish to discuss any aspect of our language offer further, click on our page on the school website or contact me directly.

Hannah Gerber

Curriculum Leader

Desborough College

Email: or Tel: 01628 762548


Welcome to Oakhill

 We believe every pupil has enormous potential and we are a school that has a strong track record of transforming futures. Quite simply, we can enhance every child’s potential, achieving excellent results and ‘value added’ scores.

 Our values and beliefs are based on faith and this solid foundation forms good citizens who respect and serve others. We instil a strong sense of self worth and a confidence that will stay for a lifetime.


ISLAM IS the fastest growing religion in the US and rivals Christianity worldwide: "’They’ are now ’us’," is how Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair put it. They call for a greater understanding of Islam in the West and denounce the victimisation of Muslims in the wake of 11 September.

By Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair. Reviewed by Manny Thain.

Bloom and Blair cover over one thousand years of human history in 250 pages.

They describe rather than analyse, outlining how Islam rose from its oasis base to an imperial religion. They show that Islam has adapted to different conditions. It has been used by the ruling class to consolidate power and as a means of expression by the oppressed.

Muhammad was born around 570 into one of the clans of the Quraysh - an Arab tribe based around Mecca, a trading centre. To the north and east were the two superpowers: the Christian Byzantine empire and the Zoroastrian Sasanian empire in Persia. Aged around 40 years, Muhammad began attracting followers after claiming that the angel Gabriel had revealed God’s message to him. He criticised the traditional polytheist religions, falling foul of tribal leaders, and was forced out with a small band of followers. They settled in Medina, 280 miles north. (The Muslim calendar begins on the first day of the first lunar month of the year in which Muhammad arrived in Medina - 16 July 622.) Central to Islam are God’s revelations to Muhammad, known collectively as the Qur’an (recitation). Considered to be God’s actual words, Muslims believe that the Qur’an can only be truly understood in Arabic. This was important in developing a cultural and linguistic bond between believers of all nationalities. Apart from the Qur’an, Muslims draw on the hadith (traditions), which are examples of what Muhammad reportedly did or said.

Islam shares many prophets with Judaism and Christianity: Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus), for example. According to Islam, Muhammad was the last in the line of prophets and represents the perfection of the religion.

Muhammad died suddenly on 8 June 632. His death left open questions on the nature of the religion, and who would succeed him. Under Abu Bakr, the first khalifa (successor/caliph, 632-34), and Umar (the second), Muslim forces conquered Arabia and Egypt, parts of Palestine and Western Iraq. The Sasanian empire crumbled. By the early eighth century, the Islamic empire stretched from North Africa to the Central Asian steppes and into Sind (now Pakistan), an area larger than the empires of Persia, Alexander the Great or the Romans.

Islam, however, was far from unified. There were - and remain - bitter disputes over Muhammad’s succession which led to the establishment of different Islamic factions. Both the third and fourth caliphs, Uthman and Ali, were murdered by disaffected Muslims. Shiites argued that the caliph should be descended from Muhammad but differences developed within Shiism over who was the rightful seventh caliph.

By the mid-eighth century, the majority of Muslims were known as the people of tradition and unity - Sunnis. They remain the overwhelming majority today. Unlike the Shiites they did not endow the caliph with spiritual authority. They considered him Muhammad’s political successor who should enforce the doctrines expressed by the learned men, the ulema. By the eleventh century four dominant Sunni schools had emerged.

Caliphs increasingly held power as the heads of dynasties. The Umayyads (r 661-750) moved the capital to Damascus, better suited for a large state machine. Its more centralised regime was modelled on Byzantine and Persian kingdoms. Arab armies became regularly paid troops. Arabic, long the language of religion, was extended into administration and finance.

Standardised coinage was introduced and public works undertaken. In 692 Abd al-Malik commissioned the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem - a public announcement to Jews and Christians that Islam was here to stay.

These were slave societies which need a constant supply of labour and expansion into new areas. Maintaining control of the centre was an endless battle and the relative strength of contending empires and regions within empires ebbed and flowed.

>From 749, the Abbasid dynasty was established. Persians took over the administration with Turks in the army. A dominant military caste evolved with the caliphs providing the regime religious authority. The new capital, Baghdad, symbolised a period of relative peace, prosperity and cultural progress: the so-called Golden Age of Islam (750-1250).

Bloom and Blair detail many of the technical achievements which were far in advance of anything in Western Europe. In all spheres, from the sciences to food to language, the influence of Islamic civilisation on subsequent human culture is staggering. But this is a history of the ruling class. Certainly, the phenomenal wealth amassed touched only a small minority.

The main cities boasted paved streets, running water and sewerage systems.

Urban caravansaries - secure resting places for merchants - acted as wholesale markets and de facto consulates. Commerce was often conducted on credit, to avoid transporting gold over long distances. The Treasury of Knowledge was founded where writings in Syriac and Greek were translated into Arabic, along with works of Persian and Indian science.

The use of numbers, imported from India, was known in late eighth century Baghdad, spreading to Muslim Spain by the end of the tenth and from there into the Christian world. Muslim scholars developed algebra and calculated the circumference of the earth to within 41 metres. Baghdad had over 800,000 inhabitants at its height in the Abbasid period and Cairo had around 400,000 in the fourteenth century. (Before the Black Death in the mid-fourteenth century, Paris had a population of 210,000, Venice 180,000 and London 40,000.) Infighting left the Middle East vulnerable to attack. On 27 November 1095, Pope Urban II launched the Crusades to reclaim Jerusalem. Within three years, the city had fallen. Muslim and Jewish men, women and children were slaughtered. A breakthrough for Muslim resistance came under Salah al-Din bin Ayyab (Saladin), who consolidated Egypt and Syria under a Sunni caliph during the 1180s. Jerusalem was taken on 2 October 1187, the anniversary of the miraj - Muhammad’s ascension to heaven. There was no slaughter, but a ransom levied on those wanting to leave.

After the Turco-Mongolian invaders took Baghdad in 1258 three main regional powers emerged: the Mongols in Iran/Iraq; Mamluks in Egypt and Syria; and a series of dynasties in the Maghrib (North Africa).

The Maghrib occupies a special place in Islamic history. It had been conquered from the Berbers in the seventh and eighth centuries. But, because of its distance from the centres of Islamic power, it was always a place apart, attracting non-conformists. Berber dissatisfaction was often mobilised to overthrow regimes, by Sunni and Shiite groups alike. There were Muslim Berber dynasties in Spain, Morocco and Senegal.

The greatest threat to Islam would come from the West. One of the driving forces behind the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus et al was to gain direct control of Asian produce. Indeed, the final blow to Mamluk power was the discovery of a sea route around Africa at the end of the fifteenth century. In 1517 Cairo was easily taken by the Ottoman Turks, who headed a new type of Islamic society where the state was the dominant institution.

Bloom and Blair mention the sub-Saharan Islamic states and the spread into India, where Islam had been especially successful converting lower-caste Hindus - attracted by the promise that all believers were equal. Merchants and missionaries took Islam to South-East Asia where it expressed cultural identity and political resistance to Portuguese and Dutch rule.

The extraordinary economic and military power of Western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the exploitation of the Americas, the formation of dynamic nation states, and the development of capitalism enabled the European powers to dominate the world. Islam continued to evolve. In the nineteenth century, attempts were made in Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Iran to modernise Islamic societies to try and compete with Western capitalism. That evolution continues. Bloom and Blair have sketched out the reasons for the rise and fall of Islam as an imperial power, and its continuation as one of the world’s two largest religions. They have provided a well-researched introduction into a subject which demands further study.

Islam: a thousand years of faith and power, by Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair, Yale University Press, 2002, £9.99.

This article first appeared in the May 2002 issue of Socialism Today, monthly magazine of the Socialism Today (England and Wales)

Committee for a workers' International publications

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Today I was putting the numbers in excel to determine if this is the week I finish paying off my student loans. What started as $110,000 and grew to a payment total of $160,000 is now down to $2275. I have an itchy trigger finger that really wants to go to Nelnet and finish it. However I need to be cautious, there are some other big bills coming up that must be paid and I have to see if my classes are a definite go before I can celebrate the loans.