Space Law Lyall, Francis; Larsen, Mr Paul B
2009, 2009-06-01, 2016-12-05
eBook
The opening of space to exploration and use has had profound effects on society. Remote sensing by satellite has improved meteorology, land use and the monitoring of the environment. Satellite ...television immediately informs us visually of events in formerly remote locations, as well as providing many entertainment channels. World telecommunication facilities have been revolutionised. Global positioning has improved transport. This book examines the varied elements of public law that lie behind and regulate the use of space. It also makes suggestions for the development and improvement of the law, particularly as private enterprise plays an increasing role in space.
Mitochondrial impairment is a well-established pathological pathway implicated in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Defects of the complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain have been found in ...post-mortem brains from sporadic PD patients. Furthermore, several disease-related genes are linked to mitochondrial pathways, such as
PRKN
,
PINK1
,
DJ-1
and
HTRA2
and are associated with mitochondrial impairment. This phenotype can be caused by the dysfunction of mitochondrial quality control machinery at different levels: molecular, organellar or cellular. Mitochondrial unfolded protein response represents the molecular level and implicates various chaperones and proteases. If the molecular level of quality control is not sufficient, the organellar level is required and involves mitophagy and mitochondrial-derived vesicles to sequester whole dysfunctional organelle or parts of it. Only when the impairment is too severe, does it lead to cell death via apoptosis, which defines the cellular level of quality control. Here, we review how currently known PD-linked genetic variants interfere with different levels of mitochondrial quality control. We discuss the graded risk concept of the most recently identified PARK loci (
PARK
17–23) and some susceptibility variants in
GBA
,
LRRK2
and
SNCA
. Finally, the emerging concept of rare genetic variants in candidates genes for PD, such as
HSPA9
,
TRAP1
and
RHOT1
, complete the picture of the complex genetic architecture of PD that will direct future precision medicine approaches.
Stem cells regenerate tissues in homeostasis and under stress. By taking cues from their microenvironment or “niche,” they smoothly transition between these states. Immune cells have surfaced as ...prominent members of stem cell niches across the body. Here, we draw parallels between different stem cell niches to explore the context-specific interactions that stem cells have with tissue-resident and recruited immune cells. We also highlight stem cells’ innate ability to sense and respond to stress and the enduring memory that forms from such encounters. This fascinating crosstalk holds great promise for novel therapies in inflammatory diseases and regenerative medicine.
Understanding the crosstalk between immune and stem cells under homeostatic conditions provides insights into our understanding of inflammatory disease.
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in Europe and North America Worobey, Michael; Pekar, Jonathan; Larsen, Brendan B ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
10/2020, Letnik:
370, Številka:
6516
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Accurate understanding of the global spread of emerging viruses is critical for public health responses and for anticipating and preventing future outbreaks. Here we elucidate when, where, and how ...the earliest sustained severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission networks became established in Europe and North America. Our results suggest that rapid early interventions successfully prevented early introductions of the virus from taking hold in Germany and the United States. Other, later introductions of the virus from China to both Italy and Washington state, United States, founded the earliest sustained European and North America transmission networks. Our analyses demonstrate the effectiveness of public health measures in preventing onward transmission and show that intensive testing and contact tracing could have prevented SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks from becoming established in these regions.
We describe studies in mechanochemical transduction that probe the activation of bonds orthogonal to an elongated polymer main chain. Compression of mechanophore-cross-linked materials resulted in ...the release of small molecules via cleavage of covalent bonds that were not integral components of the elongated polymer segments. The reactivity is proposed to arise from the distribution of force through the cross-linking units of the polymer network and subsequent bond bending motions that are consistent with the geometric changes in the overall reaction. This departure from contemporary polymer mechanochemistry, in which activation is achieved primarily by force-induced bond elongation, is a first step toward mechanophores capable of releasing side-chain functionalities without inherently compromising the overall macromolecular architecture.
Summary
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a systemic activation of the coagulation system, which results in microvascular thrombosis and, simultaneously, potentially life‐threatening ...haemorrhage attributed to consumption of platelets and coagulation factors. Underlying conditions, e.g. infection, cancer, or obstetrical complications are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the DIC process. This review provides insights into the epidemiology of DIC and the current understanding of its pathophysiology. It details the use of diagnostic biomarkers, current diagnostic recommendations from international medical societies, and it provides an overview of emerging diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Last, it provides guidance on management. It is concluded that timely and accurate diagnosis of DIC and its underlying condition is essential for the prognosis. Treatment should primarily focus on the underlying cause of DIC and supportive treatment should be individualised according to the underlying aetiology, patient’s symptoms and laboratory records.
The skin barrier is the body's first line of defence against environmental assaults, and is maintained by epithelial stem cells (EpSCs). Despite the vulnerability of EpSCs to inflammatory pressures, ...neither the primary response to inflammation nor its enduring consequences are well understood. Here we report a prolonged memory to acute inflammation that enables mouse EpSCs to hasten barrier restoration after subsequent tissue damage. This functional adaptation does not require skin-resident macrophages or T cells. Instead, EpSCs maintain chromosomal accessibility at key stress response genes that are activated by the primary stimulus. Upon a secondary challenge, genes governed by these domains are transcribed rapidly. Fuelling this memory is Aim2, which encodes an activator of the inflammasome. The absence of AIM2 or its downstream effectors, caspase-1 and interleukin-1β, erases the ability of EpSCs to recollect inflammation. Although EpSCs benefit from inflammatory tuning by heightening their responsiveness to subsequent stressors, this enhanced sensitivity probably increases their susceptibility to autoimmune and hyperproliferative disorders, including cancer.
A review was conducted of the published literature on source apportionment of ambient particulate matter (PM) in Europe using receptor models (RMs). Consistent records were identified for source ...contribution estimates of PM mass concentrations for 272 records and of organic carbon (OC) in PM for 60 records. Over the period 2000–2012, a shift was observed in the use of RMs from principal component analysis, enrichment factors, and classical factor analysis to Positive Matrix Factorization while Chemical Mass Balance is still topical.
Following a meta-analysis of the published results, six major source categories for PM were defined that comprise almost all individual sources apportioned in Europe: atmospheric formation of secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA), traffic, re-suspension of crustal/mineral dust, biomass burning, (industrial) point sources, and sea/road salt. For the OC fraction, the three main source categories were: atmospheric formation of secondary organic aerosol, biomass burning, and fossil fuel combustion. The geographical and seasonal variations of these sources are mapped and discussed.
A special analysis of PM concentrations that exceed the current European air quality limits indicated SIA and traffic as the most important source categories to target for abatement throughout the year together with biomass burning during the cold season.
► Receptor models evolve towards tools with refined uncertainty treatment. ► Positive Matrix Factorization and Chemical Mass Balance are the most used models. ► Gas-to-particle conversion is the main PM mass and particulate organic carbon source. ► To abate exceedances, secondary inorganic and traffic are the main sources to target. ► More long term speciated PM datasets would foster source identification studies.
Osmium(II) polypyridines are a well-known class of complexes with luminescent metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excited states that are currently experiencing a revival due to their application ...potential in organic photoredox catalysis, triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion, and phototherapy. At the same time, there is increased interest in the development of photoactive complexes made from Earth-abundant rather than precious metals. Against this background, we present a homoleptic Mo(0) complex with a new diisocyanide ligand exhibiting different bite angles and a greater extent of π-conjugation than previously reported related chelates. This new design leads to deep red emission, which is unprecedented for homoleptic arylisocyanide complexes of group 6 metals. With a 3MLCT lifetime of 56 ns, an emission band maximum at 720 nm, and a photoluminescence quantum yield of 1.5% in deaerated toluene at room temperature, the photophysical properties are reminiscent of the prototypical Os(2,2′-bipyridine)32+ complex. Under 635 nm irradiation with a cw-laser, the new Mo(0) complex sensitizes triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion of 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA), resulting in delayed blue fluorescence with an anti-Stokes shift of 0.93 eV. The photorobustness of the Mo(0) complex and the upconversion quantum yield are high enough to generate a flux of upconverted light that can serve as a sufficiently potent irradiation source for a blue-light-driven photoisomerization reaction. These findings are relevant in the greater contexts of designing new luminophores and photosensitizers for use in red-light-driven photocatalysis, photochemical upconversion, light-harvesting, and phototherapy.
The Van Allen radiation belts contain ultrarelativistic electrons trapped in Earth's magnetic field. Since their discovery in 1958, a fundamental unanswered question has been how electrons can be ...accelerated to such high energies. Two classes of processes have been proposed: transport and acceleration of electrons from a source population located outside the radiation belts (radial acceleration) or acceleration of lower-energy electrons to relativistic energies in situ in the heart of the radiation belts (local acceleration). We report measurements from NASA's Van Allen Radiation Belt Storm Probes that clearly distinguish between the two types of acceleration. The observed radial profiles of phase space density are characteristic of local acceleration in the heart of the radiation belts and are inconsistent with a predominantly radial acceleration process.
PDF
