839 research outputs found
[Review of] Laughter in Middle-earth: humour in and around the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Thomas Honegger and Maureen F. Mann
No full textMistress of science : the story of the remarkable Janet Taylor, pioneer of sea navigation
No full textIt is hard to imagine a more male-dominated field in the nineteenth century than that of sea navigation; this was the high-point of the British Empire and sea navigation drove it. Yet in the midst of this domain Janet Taylor emerged as a young woman confident of her ability to match the best male minds in the business. Janet was one of the most remarkable scientists of the nineteenth century, and yet until now her story has never been told. A gifted mathematician, astronomer, author and instrument maker, Janet also possessed extraordinary skills as a teacher of navigation and business woman.336 page(s
Neuropeptide orphanin FQ inhibits dendritic morphogenesis through activation of RhoA
No full textBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a facilitatory role in neuronal development and promotion of differentiation. Mechanisms that oppose BDNF's stimulatory effects create balance and regulate dendritic growth. However, these mechanisms have not been studied. We have focused our studies on the BDNFinduced neuropeptide OrphaninFQ/Nociceptin (OFQ); while BDNF is known to enhance synaptic activity, OFQ has opposite effects on activity, learning and memory. We have now examined whether OFQ provides a balance to the stimulatory effects of BDNF on neuronal differentiation in the hippocampus. Golgi staining in OFQ knockout (KO) mice revealed an increase in primary dendrite length as well as spine density, suggesting that endogenous OFQ inhibits dendritic morphology. We have also used cultured hippocampal neurons to demonstrate that exogenous OFQ has an inhibitory effect on dendritic growth and that the neuropeptide alters the response to BDNF when re-administered. To determine if BDNF and OFQ act in a feedback loop, we inhibited the actions of the BDNF and OFQ receptors, TrkB and NOP using ANA-12 and NOP KO mice respectively but our data suggests that the two factors do not act in a negative feedback loop. We found that the inhibition of dendritic morphology induced by OFQ is via enhanced RhoA activity. Finally, we have evidence that RhoA activation is required for the inhibitory effects of OFQ on dendritic morphology. Our results reveal basic mechanisms by which neurons not only regulate the formation of proper dendritic growth during development but also control plasticity in the mature nervous system.This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Alder, J., Kallman, S., Palmieri, A., Khadim, F., Ayer, J. J., Kumar, S., Tsung, K., Grinberg, I. and Thakker-Varia, S. (2013), Neuropeptide orphanin FQ inhibits dendritic morphogenesis through activation of RhoA. Devel Neurobio, 73: 769–784, which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dneu.22101. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Peer reviewe
Mathematical difficulties as decoupling of expectation and developmental trajectories
Get PDFRecent years have seen an increase in research articles and reviews exploring mathematical difficulties (MD). Many of these articles have set out to explain the etiology of the problems, the possibility of different subtypes, and potential brain regions that underlie many of the observable behaviors. These articles are very valuable in a research field, which many have noted, falls behind that of reading and language disabilities. Here will provide a perspective on the current understanding of MD from a different angle, by outlining the school curriculum of England and the US and connecting these to the skills needed at different stages of mathematical understanding. We will extend this to explore the cognitive skills which most likely underpin these different stages and whose impairment may thus lead to mathematics difficulties at all stages of mathematics development. To conclude we will briefly explore interventions that are currently available, indicating whether these can be used to aid the different children at different stages of their mathematical development and what their current limitations may be. The principal aim of this review is to establish an explicit connection between the academic discourse, with its research base and concepts, and the developmental trajectory of abstract mathematical skills that is expected (and somewhat dictated) in formal education. This will possibly help to highlight and make sense of the gap between the complexity of the MD range in real life and the state of its academic science
The Neuropeptide VGF is Reduced in Human Bipolar Postmortem Brain and Contributes to Some of the Behavioral and Molecular Effects of Lithium
No full textRecent studies demonstrate that the neuropeptide VGF (non-acronymic) is regulated in the hippocampus by antidepressant therapies and animal models of depression and that acute VGF treatment has antidepressant-like activity in animal paradigms. However, the role of VGF in human psychiatric disorders is unknown. We now demonstrate using in situ hybridization that VGF is downregulated in bipolar disorder in the CA region of the hippocampus and Brodmann’s Area 9 (BA9) of the prefrontal cortex. The mechanism of VGF in relation to LiCl was explored. Both LiCl intraperitoneally (IP) and VGF intracerebroventricularly (ICV) reduced latency to drink in novelty-induced hypophagia and LiCl was not effective in VGF+/- mice suggesting that VGF may contribute to the effects of LiCl in this behavioral procedure that responds to chronic antidepressant treatment. VGF by intrahippocampal injection also had novel activity in an amphetamineinduced hyperlocomotion assay thus mimicking the actions of LiCl injected IP in a system that phenocopies manic-like behavior. Moreover, VGF+/- mice exhibited increased locomotion following amphetamine and did not respond to LiCl, suggesting that VGF is required for the effects of LiCl in curbing the response to amphetamine. Finally, VGF by ICV in vivo activated the same signaling pathways as LiCl and is necessary for the induction of MAPK and AKT by LiCl thus lending insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the actions of VGF. The dysregulation of VGF in bipolar disorder as well as the behavioral effects of the neuropeptide similar to LiCl suggests that VGF may underlie the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.Peer reviewe
Diverse families, competent families
No full textJudy Primavera is a contributing author (with Janet F. Gillespie), Research on family resilience: Room for all and strength for each .
Book Description: Diverse Families, Competent Families provides human service professionals with a portrait of the real lives and practical challenges of our nation\u27s families as they face a new millennium. It examines family adaptation and competence in a variety of contexts and situations such as, day-to-day issues of coping and survival, as well as major milestones such as sending children off to school and becoming a caregiver for a family member.
This unique book also spans multiple levels of families’existence, examining home, school, and the larger community to provide you with an understanding of the societal dynamics that can have an influence on families.
In Diverse Families, Competent Families, you will discover new, and positive ways to view families, particularly ethnic minority families, low-income families, immigrant families, and families who are coping with specific life stressors such as financial loss, unemployment, divorce, and death. – Publisher description.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/psychology-books/1008/thumbnail.jp
Miller, Janet L., The Resistance of Women Academics: An Autobiographical Account, pp. 486-494 in William F. Pinar, ed., Contemporary Curriculum Discourses. Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick, 1988. Reprinted pp. 69-76 in Janet L. Miller, Sounds of Silence Breaking: Women, Autobiography, Curriculum. New York: Peter Lang, 2005.
No full textReviews the author\u27s stance and experience as a professor
SPIN-SPIN COUPLING ACROSS INTERMOLECULAR F-Cl...N HALOGEN BONDS
No full textAuthor Institution: Department of Chemistry, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH 44555; Instituto de Qu\imica Medica, CSIC, Juan de la Cierva, 3, E-28006 Madrid, SpainAb initio EOM-CCSD calculations have been performed to determine one- and two-bond spin-spin coupling constants J(F-Cl), J(Cl-N), and J(F-N) across F-Cl...N halogen bonds in complexes with F-Cl as the Lewis acid and N, FCN, HCN, (CH)CN, LiCN, Z-HNNH, HCNH, NHF, NH, cyclic NH(CH), and NH(CH) as Lewis bases. The structures of these complexes were optimized at MP2 with the aug'-cc-pVTZ basis set. The absolute value of J(F-N) increases in these complexes as the F-N distance decreases, a behavior similar to that of J(F-N) for complexes stabilized by F-H...N hydrogen bonds. J(Cl-N) also tends to increase in absolute value with decreasing F-N distance. J(F-Cl) is always positive, decreases upon complex formation as the F-Cl distance increases, and appears to be sensitive to the nature of the nitrogen base. The relatively large differences in the values of these coupling constants in the various complexes and their variation along the chlorine-transfer coordinate for F-Cl...NH suggest that they should be amenable to experimental investigation
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