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29 novembre 2011 2 29 /11 /novembre /2011 02:54

Neuromuscular junctions

A special case of a chemical synapse is the neuromuscular junction, in which the axon of a motor neuron terminates on a muscle fiber. In such cases, the released neurotransmitter is acetylcholine, which binds to the acetylcholine receptor, an integral membrane protein in the membrane (the sarcolemma) of the muscle fiber.Sony VAIO VPCF116FGBI Battery

Some poisons inactivate acetylcholinesterase to prevent this control, such as the nerve agents sarin and tabun, and the insecticidesdiazinon and malathion.

The cardiac action potential plays an important role in coordinating the contraction of the heart.Sony VAIO VPCF118FJ/W Battery

The cardiac cells of thesinoatrial node provide the pacemaker potential that synchronizes the heart. The action potentials of those cells propagate to and through the atrioventricular node (AV node), which is normally the only conduction pathway between the atria and the ventricles. Sony VAIO VPCF119FC Battery

Action potentials from the AV node travel through the bundle of His and thence to the Purkinje fibers.[note 1] Conversely, anomalies in the cardiac action potential—whether due to a congenital mutation or injury—can lead to human pathologies, especially arrhythmias.Sony VAIO VPCF119FC/BI Battery

Muscular action potentials

The action potential in a normal skeletal muscle cell is similar to the action potential in neurons. Sony VAIO VPCF119FJ/BI Battery

Action potentials result from the depolarization of the cell membrane (the sarcolemma), which opens voltage-sensitive sodium channels; these become inactivated and the membrane is repolarized through the outward current of potassium ions. The resting potential prior to the action potential is typically ?90mV, somewhat more negative than typical neurons.Sony VAIO VPCF11AFJ Battery

Plant action potentials

Plant and fungal cells  are also electrically excitable. The fundamental difference to animal action potentials is, that the depolarization in plant cells is not accomplished by an uptake of positive sodium ions, but by release of negative chloride ions.Sony VAIO VPCF11AHJ Battery

The interaction of electrical and osmotic relations in plant cells   indicates an osmotic function of electrical excitability in the common, unicellular ancestors of plants and animals under changing salinity conditions, whereas the present function of rapid signal transmission is seen as a younger accomplishment of metazoan cells in a more stable osmotic environment.Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E Battery

Taxonomic distribution and evolutionary advantages

Action potentials are found throughout multicellular organisms, including plants, invertebrates such as insects, and vertebrates such as reptiles and mammals.Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E/H Battery

Sponges seem to be the main phylum of multicellular eukaryotes that does not transmit action potentials, although some studies have suggested that these organisms have a form of electrical signaling, too. The resting potential, as well as the size and duration of the action potential, Sony VAIO VPCF11MFX/B Battery

Given its conservation throughout evolution, the action potential seems to confer evolutionary advantages. Sony VAIO VPCF11S1E Battery

Experimental methods

The study of action potentials has required the development of new experimental methods. Sony VAIO VPCF11Z1E/BI Battery

The initial work, prior to 1955, focused on three goals: isolating signals from single neurons or axons, developing fast, sensitive electronics, and shrinkingelectrodes enough that the voltage inside a single cell could be recorded.

The first problem was solved by studying the giant axons found in the neurons of the squid genus Loligo.Sony VAIO VPCF11ZHJ Battery

These axons are so large in diameter (roughly 1 mm, or 100-fold larger than a typical neuron) that they can be seen with the naked eye, making them easy to extract and manipulate. However, the Loligo axons are not representative of all excitable cells, and numerous other systems with action potentials have been studied.Sony VAIO VPCF127HGBI Battery

The second problem was addressed with the crucial development of the voltage clamp, which permitted experimenters to study the ionic currents underlying an action potential in isolation, and eliminated a key source of electronic noise, the currentIC associated with the capacitance C of the membrane.Sony VAIO VPCF137HG/BI Battery

Other electronic advances included the use of Faraday cages and electronics with highinput impedance, so that the measurement itself did not affect the voltage being measured.

which was quickly adopted by other researchers. Refinements of this method are able to produce electrode tips that are as fine as 100 Å (10 nm), which also confers high input impedance. Action potentials may also be recorded with small metal electrodes placed just next to a neuron, with neurochips containing EOSFETs, or optically with dyes that are sensitive to Ca2+ or to voltage.Sony VAIO VPCS115FG Battery

Optical imaging technologies have been developed in recent years to measure action potentials, either via simultaneous multisite recordings or with ultra spatial resolution. Sony VAIO VPCS117GGB Battery

Several neurotoxins, both natural and synthetic, are designed to block the action potential. Sony VAIO VPCS118EC Battery

Tetrodotoxin from the pufferfish andsaxitoxin from the Gonyaulax (the dinoflagellate genus responsible for "red tides") block action potentials by inhibiting the voltage-sensitive sodium channel; similarly, dendrotoxin from the black mamba snake inhibits the voltage-sensitive potassium channel. Sony VAIO VPCS119FJ/B Battery

The role of electricity in the nervous systems of animals was first observed in dissectedfrogs by Luigi Galvani, who studied it from 1791 to 1797.  Galvani's results stimulatedAlessandro Volta to develop the Voltaic pile—the earliest-known electric battery—with which he studied animal electricity (such as electric eels) and the physiological responses to applied direct-current voltages.Sony VAIO VPCS11AHJ Battery

For their discoveries, Golgi and Ramón y Cajal were awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology. Their work resolved a long-standing controversy in the neuroanatomy of the 19th century; Golgi himself had argued for the network model of the nervous system.Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E Battery

The 20th century was a golden era for electrophysiology. In 1902 and again in 1912, Julius Bernstein advanced the hypothesis that the action potential resulted from a change in thepermeability of the axonal membrane to ions. Bernstein's hypothesis was confirmed by Ken Cole and Howard Curtis, who showed that membrane conductance increases during an action potential.Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E/B Battery

In 1907, Louis Lapicque suggested that the action potential was generated as a threshold was crossed, what would be later shown as a product of the dynamical systems of ionic conductances. In 1949, Alan Hodgkin and Bernard Katz refined Bernstein's hypothesis by considering that the axonal membrane might have different permeabilities to different ions;Sony VAIO VPCS11X9E/B Battery

in particular, they demonstrated the crucial role of the sodium permeability for the action potential. This line of research culminated in the five 1952 papers of Hodgkin, Katz and Andrew Huxley, in which they applied the voltage clamp technique to determine the dependence of the axonal membrane's permeabilities to sodium and potassium ions on voltage and time, from which they were able to reconstruct the action potential quantitatively.Sony VAIO VPCS123FGB Battery

In the 21st century, researchers are beginning to understand the structural basis for these conductance states and for the selectivity of channels for their species of ion,[105] through the atomic-resolution crystal structures,[106] fluorescence distance measurements[107] and cryo-electron microscopy studies.Sony VAIO VPCS128EC Battery

Julius Bernstein was also the first to introduce the Nernst equation for resting potential across the membrane; this was generalized by David E. Goldman to the eponymous Goldman equation in 1943. The sodium–potassium pump was identified in 1957 and its properties gradually elucidated,culminating in the determination of its atomic-resolution structure by X-ray crystallography.Sony VAIO VPCS129GC Battery

Quantitative models

Mathematical and computational models are essential for understanding the action potential, and offer predictions that may be tested against experimental data, providing a stringent test of a theory. Sony VAIO VPCS12C7E/B Battery

The most important and accurate of these models is the Hodgkin–Huxley model, which describes the action potential by a coupled set of four ordinary differential equations (ODEs).  Although the Hodgkin–Huxley model may be a simplification of a realistic nervous membrane as it exists in nature, Sony VAIO VPCS12L9E/B Battery

its complexity has inspired several even-more-simplified models, such as the Morris–Lecar model and the FitzHugh–Nagumo model, both of which have only two coupled ODEs. The properties of the Hodgkin–Huxley and FitzHugh–Nagumo models and their relatives, such as the Bonhoeffer–van der Pol model,  have been well-studied within mathematics,Sony VAIO VPCS12V9E/B Battery

computation and electronics. More modern research has focused on larger and more integrated systems; by joining action-potential models with models of other parts of the nervous system (such as dendrites and synapses), researches can study neural computation and simple reflexes, such as escape reflexes and others controlled by central pattern generators.Sony VAIO VPCY115FGS Battery

Electrophysiology (from Greek ????????, ?lektron, "amber" [see the etymology of "electron"]; ?????, physis, "nature, origin"; and -?????, -logia) is the study of the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues. It involves measurements of voltage change or electric current on a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs like the heart. Sony VAIO VPCY115FX/BI Battery

In neuroscience, it includes measurements of the electrical activity of neurons, and particularlyaction potential activity. Recordings of large-scale electric signals from the nervous system such as electroencephalography, may also be referred to as electrophysiological recordings.Sony VAIO VPCY115FXBI Battery

Classical electrophysiological techniques

If an electrode is small enough (micrometers) in diameter, then the electro-physiologist may choose to insert the tip into a single cell. Sony VAIO VPCY119FJ/S Battery

As electrode size increases, the resolving power decreases. Larger electrodes are sensitive only to the net activity of many cells, termed local field potentials. Sony VAIO VPCY11M1E/S Battery

Other classical electrophysiological techniques include single channel recording and amperometry.Sony VAIO VPCY11S1E Battery

Optical electrophysiological techniques

Optical electrophysiological techniques were created by scientists and engineers to overcome one of the main limitations of classical techniques. Classical techniques allow observation of electrical activity at approximately a single point within a volume of tissue.Sony VAIO VPCY11V9E/S Battery

Essentially, classical techniques singularize a distributed phenomenon. Interest in the spatial distribution of bioelectric activity prompted development of molecules capable of emitting light in response to their electrical or chemical environment. Examples are voltage sensitive dyes and fluorescing proteins.Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/BI Battery

Intracellular recording involves measuring voltage and/or current across the membrane of a cell. Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/G Battery

Voltage clamp

Current clamp

The amplifier increases the current behind the signal while decreasing the resistance over which that current passes. Consider this example based on Ohm's law: A voltage of 10 mV is generated by passing 10 nanoamperes of current across 1 M? of resistance. The electrometer changes this "high impedance signal" to a "low impedance signal" by using a voltage follower circuit. Sony VAIO VPCEB11FM/T Battery

The patch-clamp technique

Sharp electrode technique

In situations where one wants to record the potential inside the cell membrane with minimal effect on the ionic constitution of the intracellular fluid a sharp electrode can be used.Sony VAIO VPCEB11GX/BI Battery

Single-unit recording

Field potentials

Extracellular field potentials are local current sinks or sources that are generated by the collective activity of many cells. Sony VAIO VPCEB14FX/BI Battery

Amperometry uses a carbon electrode to record changes in the chemical composition of the oxidized components of a biological solution. Sony VAIO VPCEB14FX/WI Battery

Planar patch clamp is a novel method developed for high throughput electrophysiology. Sony VAIO VPCEB15FM/BI Battery

A single cell is then positioned on the hole by suction and a tight connection (Gigaseal) is formed. The planar geometry offers a variety of advantages compared to the classical experiment: -Sony VAIO VPCEB15FM/T Battery

it allows for integration of microfluidics, which enables automatic compound application for ion channelscreening. - the system is accessible for optical or scanning probe techniques - perfusion of theintracellular side can be performed.Sony VAIO VPCEB15FM/WI Battery

Solid-supported membrane (SSM) based

nd concentration jumps to investigate the electrogenic activity of the protein of interest, measured via capacitive coupling between the vesicles and the electrode.Sony VAIO VPCEB15FX/T Battery

Bioelectric recognition assay (BERA)

BERA has been used for the detection for human viruses (Hepatitis B and C viruses, herpes viruses) and veterinary disease agents (foot and mouth disease virus, prions, blue tongue virus) and plants (tobacco and cucumber viruses) in a highly specific, rapid (1–2 minutes), reproducible and cost-efficient fashion. Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/B Battery

A recent advance in the evolution of the BERA technology is the development of a technique called molecular identification through membrane engineering (MIME). Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/G Battery

Reporting guidelines for electrophysiology experiments

Minimum Information (MI) standards or reporting guidelines specify the minimum amount of meta data (information) and data required to meet a specific aims or aims. Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/L Battery

In practice a MINI module comprises a checklist of information that should be provided (for example about the protocols employed) whena data set is described for publication. The full specification of the MINI module can be found here.Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/B Battery,Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/G Battery,Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/L Battery,Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/P Battery,Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/W Battery

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To a new crew this time around , which is brought different to Craven, but also that is still moves a bit of the classic Freddy Kruger franchising As early as February we found that horror masters Wes Craven was to a new project entitled 25/8, in which he makeup the introduction or a signing villain at the same vein as Freddy Krueger and Scream specter killers planning working. At that time, not have much were announced round the tale, cast, or anything, however day we finally an update. STYD spoke 19 - year-old actor Max Thieriot which was in the of lead has a character called a character named nose, and received been some juicy story details from it. Thiriot confirms that the as a than a slashers longer but the story definitely sound as twisted as anything else Craven has set in the past.

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Music Premiere: Diana Bada ft General Pype & Lowkeyz - IT'S ABOUT TIME (Download and Share) - BIGTIMI'S BLOG

Monday, April 29, 2013

Diana Lolade Bada, stage name 'Diana Bada' is an Afro/European Jazz Musician. With her golden locks and alluring countenance, she fuses music from her African roots with HipHop, Reggae, Funk and refers to her style of music as 'Afro Soul' All these eccentric vibes can be heard in her previous singles 'Fun Day' and 'Dem So So' which are coupled with very colourful distinct music videos.

She moved back to Africa from Europe to promote her influential and unique style of music with an album titled 'Wardrobe Sessions', performing with her music band 'D'expressions' and collaborating with various musicians, such as Teemac, Ade Bantu, Olu Maintain, Mr Raw, Godwon, Ojb Jezrel, Rymzo and more.

Presently she has once again released a sizzling hot new single titled 'IT'S ABOUT TIME' !!! Featuring the 7 star General, 'General Pype' and the Razor-sharp producer, 'Lowkeyz'.
'IT'S ABOUT TIME' is an electrifying up tempo track that keeps the body and soul moving to the rhythm, it's a 'Masters of Dancehall' Collaboration, delivered to satisfy lovers of good music.

It's definitely about time we get grooving and jiving to this energetic and spanking dancehall tune. Enjoy!


Siena, Glimpses of medieval beauty

City of Art, good food, and of the famous Palio , many are the faces of one the most fascinating cities in Italy, as well as the best preserved historical city of Tuscany.

Nestled among the Tuscan hills, it still maintains its appearance intact; here time seems to have stopped at the 13th century, when the city began to be enriched with an artistic and architectural heritage which has consecrated forever its glory. To describe and visit Siena we must begin from the core of the city, Piazza del Campo, the same site where the famous Palio takes place, considered one of the most beautiful squares of the  Belpaese. The square has a characteristic trapezoidal shape and appears to be   slightly descendant towards the center, surrounded all around by monumental buildings such as  the Sansedoni Palace and the Public Palace. Looking the square from the top of its 102 meters, there is Torre del Mangia. But Siena isn’t only Piazza del Campo.

The Palio city is a succession of churches, such as the splendid San Domenico and Santa Maria dei Servi, of small streets full of shops and boutiques where you can buy local handicrafts products and taste the mythical “cantucci” accompanied by a glass of Vin Santo (Holy Wine). Walking along the narrow streets and the large central square, you can experience the true atmosphere of Siena, a young city but yet very ancient, monumental and yet lively.

In addition to art, also food and wine! With 5 DOCG (Chianti Classico, Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile di Montepulciano and Vernaccia di San Gimignano), Siena is one of the wine capitals, and even its renowned desserts (ricciarelli and panforte) have obtained the IGP. After a lot of movement, take a moment to relax, maybe sitting at a table in front of a hot plate of the most genuine tradition. In the famous market square, stop at Antica Trattoria Papei, one of the oldest in the city, which has managed to maintain  through several generations the most authentic traditions of the Senese cuisine. Especially recommended the soups and meat. Between the Duomo and Piazza del Campo we point out Trattoria Dino where, if you still feel the smell of grilled meat for the street of Casato and in surrounding areas, the credit goes to Roberto and Donatella, Dino’s heirs. Amongst the main dishes, stand out those based on meat: Florentine steak, ribs, but also Senese braised veal and rabbit with olives. Also try the appetizers with croutons and local cured meats as buristo, capocollo and finocchiona. In a small street distant just a few meters from the Duomo, we find the Osteria Boccon del Prete, a friendly and casual environment where the classics of Sienese cuisine go on stage, served with great quality and attention to the details and pairings.

During January and February, don’t miss the stand which fries pancakes made of rice and orange, located in Piazza del Campo. They’re very good and cost a few Euros. For a picnic lunch or a quick bite, you should definitely stop, nay, “visit” the Pizzicheria De Miccoli, a delicatessen of the past situated in the historic center, which offers to its customers, attracted by the characteristic windows and views of the interior, a unique taste experience that has the flavor of a rich sandwich with wonderful cured meats of Cinta Senese and Tuscan cheese.

Amongst Siena’s monuments, how can we forget the centenary Pasticcerie Nannini, a must for those seeking to enjoy fresh pastry goods and typical Siena’s desserts.

As for your stay in this in questa lovely medieval town, Italian Traditions recommends three exclusive locations: Palazzo di Valli Hotel, a beautiful 18th century restored villa, Hotel Santa Caterina, both located just outside the walls, in the Porta Romana area, or the central Hotel Alma Domus.


Domingo de Soto and the Vagueness of Vagrancy: The Wickedness of Itinerant Lives

Beatriz E. Salamanca

In 1545 Domingo de Soto argued that the truly poor, whether or not they were in their native land or in a foreign one, had freedom of movement to beg from door to door and from one city to another, as long as they were true paupers and their mobility did not acquire the taint of vagrancy. This right to free movement was meant to be valid both internally and abroad, thus challenging the power of the commonwealth over its own borders. This article will examine the political significance of Soto’s idea of free movement and explore the question of whether vagabonds were so straightforwardly excluded from the freedom of movement that he attributed to the truly poor. The controversial nature of this discussion demonstrates how difficult it was and still is to address the issue of the circulation of peoples across frontiers, and challenges the interplay of categories such as ‘Belonging’ and ‘Transgression’.

To read or download this article, please follow this link:

DOI: 10.14324/111.2057-2212.070

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Why are Iranians in America celebrating the life of Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the tyrannical Iranian regime?

All that was missing were the usual chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Or maybe they just didn’t include them in this video.

Why are these muslims allowed to live in this country if they miss the Islamic dictatorship so much?

Among the issues discussed at the gathering was the impact that Imam Khomeini had on world affairs and the global shift in power politics in favor of Muslims. “He showed that one person who motivates a society that may not necessarily have the military prowess [like that of] its adversaries, that, one person … can stand up to the entire world,” said Afeef Khan. “He made the mighty, great United States seem like the paper tiger,” said an American Muslim attending the ceremony.


The Guardian's Science Weekly

Science & Medicine

Chart Positions

Science & Medicine 80

In an age where Google sees trillions of searches a year, what can our usage of it reveal? How accurate are these ‘big data’ representations? And how might this all be used for the greater good?

Featured Podcast

Ian Sample delves into our evolutionary past to explore the role creativity and collaboration may have played in early human societies

Hannah Devlin sits down with experimental physicist Athene Donald to explore her work in polymers and role as an advocate for gender equality in science


Cell and tissue research

Characterization of distinct sub-cellular location of transglutaminase type II: changes in intracellular distribution in physiological and pathological states.

PMID 25209703

Transglutaminase type II (TG2) is a pleiotropic enzyme that exhibits various activities unrelated to its originally identified functions. Apart from post-translational modifications of proteins (peculiar to the transglutaminase family enzymes), TG2 is involved in diverse biological functions, including cell death, signaling, cytoskeleton rearrangements, displaying enzymatic activities, G-protein and non-enzymatic biological functions. It is involved in a variety of human diseases such as celiac disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer. Regulatory mechanisms might exist through which cells control multifunctional protein expression as a function of their sub-cellular localization. The definition of the tissue and cellular distribution of such proteins is important for the determination of their function(s). We investigate the sub-cellular localization of TG2 by confocal and immunoelectron microscopy techniques in order to gain an understanding of its properties. The culture conditions of human sarcoma cells (2fTGH cells), human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293(TG)) and human neuroblastoma cells (SK-n-BE(2)) are modulated to induce various stimuli. Human tissue samples of myocardium and gut mucosa (diseased and healthy) are also analyzed. Immuno-gold labeling indicates that TG2 is localized in the nucleus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum under physiological conditions but that this is not a stable association, since different locations or different amounts of TG2 can be observed depending on stress stimuli or the state of activity of the cell. We describe a possible unrecognized location of TG2. Our findings thus provide useful insights regarding the functions and regulation of this pleiotropic enzyme.


Study highlights differences in brain organisation between Neanderthals and modern humans

Neanderthals focussed on vision at expense of social networking.

A new study has suggested that there were significant differences in the neurological organisation of Neanderthals and modern humans, reflecting physiological differences between the two species. Neanderthals, as has long been known, were larger and more powerfully-built than modern humans. Consequently, it is suggested that they required proportionately more ‘brain power’ to carry out body maintenance ‘housekeeping’ tasks and control functions. In addition, it is suggested that Neanderthals had larger eyes than modern humans, which also used up brain power Continue reading

Higher levels of Neanderthal ancestry in East Asians than in Europeans

A new study published in the journal Genetics (Wall et al, 2013) has concluded that East Asians have a higher level of Neanderthal DNA than do Europeans. The result implies that there was more than one episode of interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals.  After the ancestors of modern Europeans and East Asians separated, the latter population continued to interbreed with Neanderthals.

Given that the Neanderthals are thought to have been a predominantly Western Eurasian species, this result is unexpected. Continue reading


Evo Morales and the Populist Paradox

LA PAZ – Evo Morales succeeded in amending the Bolivia’s constitution and being re-elected President. And, backed by his parliamentary majority, he was recently able to fill vacant judicial posts, making him the most powerful president in Bolivia’s contemporary history.

According to his opponents, Morales is reproducing the tradition of caudillismo, concentrating power in his hands and turning government institutions into mere formalities. But his immense popularity over the past five years suggests that most Bolivians do not seem very worried in putting their country’s democracy at risk.

Morales’s success rests largely on the paradox of populism. Although he claims to oppose economic liberalism, he is a product of the political liberties that it promotes and feeds on the benefits generated by the market economy.

Morales was born into a peasant household on the Andean altiplano and later established himself in Chapare at the beginning of the coca boom. His career as a union leader took him away from agriculture and into politics, where he stood out for his criticism of the United States, whose anti-drug crusade meant the eradication of a cash crop for poor peasants.


Do Runners Need to Take 10,000 Steps Each Day?

Thursday, March 23, 2017, 11:12 am

If you are a runner who is looking to lose weight and you’re running two to three miles three times per week plus cross-training a few other days, aiming for a total of 10,000 steps per day would be a useful goal in boosting motivation to move and to increase your caloric expenditure to lose weight. In order to achieve your desired goal to lose weight, aiming for the 10,000 average daily step rate without a rest day might be the best approach for you.

If you’re a runner who averages four to six miles three to four times per week plus a few days of high intensity cross-training—and you have a fairly active job that allows you to move around—you are likely hitting more than 10,000 steps on average daily. Because of your overall higher activity level, weaving in a rest day with fewer steps might actually complement your goals for performance and wellness.

However, if you’re a higher-mileage runner but you sit all or most of the day at work, you’re likely reaching the 10,000 steps per day goal—but not in an optimal way. You may actually need more steps to counteract the risks of a sedentary work life (imbalanced posture, injuries due to muscle/joint imbalance, high blood pressure, heart disease). As reported by Amby Burfoot, “according to a research team from the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, each time unit of sitting cancels out eight percent of your gain from the same amount of running. In other words, if you run for an hour in the morning, and then sit for 10 hours during the day, you lose roughly 80 percent of the health benefit from your morning workout.”

In this case, it would be wise to set a step (or movement) goal for your inactive time at work: things like taking the stairs, pacing when on the phone, taking the long way to the bathroom, scheduling walking meetings, or simply getting up and walking every hour for a few hundred steps. (Here are some other ideas.) Although a complete rest day could allow for optimal recovery, especially if you are on a progressive training plan, getting in regular movement even on your off days could be beneficial. Things like a 20- to 30-minute yoga for runners session or a short walk followed by foam rolling and flexibility work can aid in improving muscle and joint health without adding too much stress to the body to allow recovery from training.

The concept of getting 10,000 steps each day is about inspiring regular movement for weight loss, weight maintenance, and overall health. For a runner, it can be a useful guide you can modify based on your current workout and life schedule.

* * *


Thursday, October 29, 2009

What is the Difference in Raster and Vector Images?

Sometimes I get asked this question or a variation of it so I thought I would include a response here on the blog for everyone else who may have wondered about this topic.

"What is the difference between pixel-based images and vectors? When do you use a vector instead of pixels? Or, when would you use a pixel-based image instead of vectors?"

To make things easier in answering this question I will refer to 'pixel based images' as 'raster images'. I am more accustomed to thinking of images composed of pixels as raster format files as that is the correct terminology. Now to the nitty-gritty of this discussion. Raster images are like Vectors, unique because of the way the file types store information. They both produce a visual result but they do so by different means.

Raster images are sometimes referred to as bitmap images. The information contained in this file type is stored with a bit by bit comparison of the images that you see on your computer's monitor. Each individual pixel is part of a larger collection of pixels that compose a giant grid.
Each one of those pixels contains information from the file that the screen shows you in an identical location on the grid when it is viewed on the screen. These grids represent points of color with-in an image. And based on the number of color bits assigned to the file, your color
depth can show more or less of the color variety available in the overall image. Since each one of these little rectangles combine with all the rest to provide the information for the image, the file can become quiet large especially the more the color depth increases.

When zooming in very close to the image you will notice the little jaggy stair step type edges that are formed by the shapes of the edges of the combined pixels. In a way this is similar to the process in which the Impressionist painter, George Suerat combined tiny dots of various
hue to form the desired visible color and light in his images. Each tiny brush dot may have been composed of a slightly different shade or tint but when all were combined they formed the visual color the artist desired by letting the viewers eye mix the colors while actively viewing the

These blending hues, 'contones' as the print industry refers to them, are a 'continuous tone' in appearance, though when you zoom in the differences of each pixel becomes visibly apparent.
You can find raster graphics used more with images like photographic files or files of an image like a fine art painting. Many of the newer applications for working with raster images now contain a selection of built in vector tools for things like typography so that this hybrid format
can maintain the crisp edge found in vector files.

Vector files are nothing like Raster images because as we said earlier, the file types both store information in different ways. Vector has a method of information storage that involves lines, points and curves. This is all done with mathematical equations that represent the image we
are working with.

Since less information is stored in this format, the file size is considerably smaller than Raster files. And unlike Raster files you can stretch and re-size Vector images and the image will stay crisp and clear. If we zoom in close we do not get a grid full of colored rectangles but just a zoomed in view of the image we are looking at.

While a photograph saved as a vector would require very large amounts of processing time, simple toned images and type work better with the vector format. Vector formats are also very popular in animation file types like flash animation files or the older .gif format. Even the most
basic, the .gif file can contain a stack of vector images that sequence through based on a time line and create an animated image like those found in many web sites. Since the vectors contain the information in a compact system all of the continuous toned parts of the images do not have to have information for every individual pixel the area is composed of thus saving much file space and keeping the overall size small for the information it contains.

This can translate into more data being included in distribution via the internet by faster download speeds or even in being able to fit more files into a back-ups device like a CD or DVD for example.

Depending on the type of image you are working with and the ways in which you need to store it, distribute it, or transform and re-size it through reduction or enlargement; you should be aware of the positive and negative elements of each file type and how they work with the
information contained with-in.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Test For Title #2

I'm working through the title posting issues on
New Changes Today^Today I set up new services to be reached via This is a test post to check their status, please ignore.


Article Text

02.27 Myostatin-induced mechanisms of inflammatory bone destruction by invasive fibroblast-like synoviocytes
  1. Michelle Fennen1,
  2. Vanessa Kracke1,
  3. Georg Varga2,
  4. Thomas Pap1,
  5. Berno Dankbar1
  1. 1University Hospital Muenster, Institute of Experimental Musculoskeletal Medicine, Muenster, Germany
  2. 2University Hospital Muenster, Department of Paediatric Rheumatology and Immunology, Muenster, Germany

Background Myostatin, a secreted member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family, is predominantly expressed in skeletal muscle and negatively regulates muscle growth. We previously demonstrated that myostatin deficiency leads to reduced joint inflammation and joint destruction in arthritic human TNF transgenic mice (Mstn-/- hTNFtg). Additionally, myostatin was highly expressed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial tissues with most prominent staining of synovial fibroblasts (FLS). Moreover, further studies have shown that myostatin participates in the complex interplay of inflammatory cytokines, increasing tissue and systemic levels of IL1, IL6 and TNFα. Here we investigate the regulatory role of myostatin on joint inflammation and inflammatory cytokine expression in the development of RA.

Material and methods Immunophenotyping of isolated spleen and bone marrow derived cells of wt, Mstn-/-, hTNFtg and Mstn-/-hTNFtg mice was performed by FACS analysis. Moreover, hTNFtg mice with a Col1α2-specific deletion of myostatin (Col1α2-Cre/Mstnfl/fl hTNFtg) were generated and clinical severity and histological changes were determined by μCT and histomorphometry. Effects of myostatin on the secretion of IL-6 by human and mouse FLS and the expression of Interleukin-17 receptor C (IL-17RC) were evaluated by ELISA and western blotting. The secretion of various cytokines/chemokines by FLS of Mstn-/-hTNFtg and hTNFtg mice was investigated using a specific antibody array.

Results In vivo, the bone marrow of Mstn-/-hTNFtg mice showed a decreased number of B-cells compared to control mice, which might influence the development of the disease. Moreover, comparison of hTNFtg mice, which exhibit a Col1α2-specific deletion of myostatin, with hTNFtg control mice, lead to decreased bone destruction and inflammation examined by µCT and histomorphometric analysis. In vitro, stimulation of FLS with myostatin enhanced the IL-17-mediated secretion of IL-6 by FLS through upregulation of the IL-17RC. Furthermore, analyses of IL-17-mediated cytokine regulation revealed differences in the secretion profile of cytokines/chemokines between FLS of Mstn-/-hTNFtg and FLS of hTNFtg control mice, suggesting that myostatin is involved in the regulation of joint inflammation.

Conclusion These data suggest that myostatin could be an indirect regulator of cytokine expression by FLS, associated with enhanced inflammation and thus promote joint destruction during chronic inflammatory arthritis.

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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Zodiac Ride Among Icebergs

     In the afternoon, the like-minded wildlife lovers who had been on the S. Georgia trip grouped together and shared a zodiac ride with the former Cheeseman's staff member and the new ship doctor, who was very into photography.  I was really hoping to see a leopard seal, a crabeater seal and Adelie penguins, species that we hadn't encountered yet.  Mostly, we saw ice, but we did find some wildlife.  It was peaceful to be away from the rest of the group and once again settling in with nature.  The ice was really interesting, with a variety of shapes and colors - lots of deep blues.  The sky and light in Antarctica are hard to describe - lots of pinks and yellows and immense varieties of depths of color depending on clouds, sun, etc.
A Weddell seal in the water next to the zodiac; skeptical of us
Fascinating patterns in the ice
This iceberg was gorgeous
The blues deep, hidden under the snow
A Weddell seal on an iceberg

Weddell up close
The Weddell with something to say
     Although I love this photo of the Weddell, it was actually getting upset and stressed by another zodiac that landed on the other side of it, and passengers poured out and began going closer and closer for photos.  Our guide tried to stop them, but theirs did not.  Some Chinese passengers were particularly aggressive, getting closer- our guide intervened, explaining the animal was getting stressed.  He made sure both groups left, but once again, it was a sad contrast.  It is a shame to travel so far to see nature and then disrupt it rather than admire it and leave it in peace.

Crab eater seal, one of a pair on an iceberg
Gentoos with something to say to one another
It was amazingly hard to time photos to try to catch a jumping penguin
Blue-eyed shag
Stunning ice and sky

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