Picturing the moon: Hevelius’s and Riccioli’s visual debate

This article investigates the maps of the moon produced in the mid-seventeenth century by Jesuit Giambattista Riccioli (1598-1671) and Johannes Hevelius (1611-1687), whose cartographic projects competed for widespread acceptance. Although Hevelius’s Selenographia (1647) was applauded for its many detailed, self-engraved pictures of the moon, his cartography and proposed nomenclature were supplanted by Riccioli’s as offered in Almagestum novum (1651), in spite of the latter’s simplistic pictures and promotion of geocentric cosmology. Exploring this paradox through pictorial analysis, three types of images common to both Selenographia and Almagestum novum are compared, employing an analytical tool developed by Svetlana Alpers in The art of describing (1983). A focus on this debate exposes the tensions evoked by new technologies of vision and competing cultures of visual epistemology in seventeenth-century astronomy. As both selenographers grappled with questions about the role of representation and what kinds of knowledge could be generated visually, the successes and failures of their competing projects present implications for the course of visual astronomy, as well as for our understanding of the use of ‘visual technologies’ in a period of controversy.     

Yeperenye Dreaming in Conceptual,Geographical, and Cyberspace: A Participatory Action Research Approach to Address Local Governance Within an Australian Indigenous Housing Association

Systemic Practice and Action Research - This paper discusses work in progress with an Indigenous housing association in Central Australia. It builds on and extends a 2-year policy and planning...     

Development and pathologies of the arterial wall

Arteries consist of an inner single layer of endothelial cells surrounded by layers of smooth muscle and an outer adventitia. The majority of vascular developmental studies focus on the construction of endothelial networks through the process of angiogenesis. Although many devastating vascular diseases involve abnormalities in components of the smooth muscle and adventitia (i.e., the vascular wall), the morphogenesis of these layers has received relatively less attention. Here, we briefly review key elements underlying endothelial layer formation and then focus on vascular wall development, specifically on smooth muscle cell origins and differentiation, patterning of the vascular wall, and the role of extracellular matrix and adventitial progenitor cells. Finally, we discuss select human diseases characterized by marked vascular wall abnormalities. We propose that continuing to apply approaches from developmental biology to the study of vascular disease will stimulate important advancements in elucidating disease mechanism and devising novel therapeutic strategies.     

The impact of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 depletion on poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity and responses to radiation

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) has been identified as a determinant of sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Here, the consequences of its depletion on cell survival, PARP activity, the recruitment of base excision repair (BER) proteins to DNA damage sites, and overall DNA single-strand break (SSB) repair were investigated using isogenic HeLa stably depleted (KD) and Control cell lines. Synthetic lethality achieved by disrupting PARP activity in Cdk5-deficient cells was confirmed, and the Cdk5^KD cells were also found to be sensitive to the killing effects of ionizing radiation (IR) but not methyl methanesulfonate or neocarzinostatin. The recruitment profiles of GFP-PARP-1 and XRCC1-YFP to sites of micro-irradiated Cdk5^KD cells were slower and reached lower maximum values, while the profile of GFP-PCNA recruitment was faster and attained higher maximum values compared to Control cells. Higher basal, IR, and hydrogen peroxide-induced polymer levels were observed in Cdk5^KD compared to Control cells. Recruitment of GFP-PARP-1 in which serines 782, 785, and 786, potential Cdk5 phosphorylation targets, were mutated to alanines in micro-irradiated Control cells was also reduced. We hypothesize that Cdk5-dependent PARP-1 phosphorylation on one or more of these serines results in an attenuation of its ribosylating activity facilitating persistence at DNA damage sites. Despite these deficiencies, Cdk5^KD cells are able to effectively repair SSBs probably via the long patch BER pathway, suggesting that the enhanced radiation sensitivity of Cdk5^KD cells is due to a role of Cdk5 in other pathways or the altered polymer levels.     

Mutations of the BRAF gene in human cancer

Cancers arise owing to the accumulation of mutations in critical genes that alter normal programmes of cell proliferation, differentiation and death. As the first stage of a systematic genome-wide screen for these genes, we have prioritized for analysis signalling pathways in which at least one gene is mutated in human cancer. The RAS RAF MEK ERK MAP kinase pathway mediates cellular responses to growth signals. RAS is mutated to an oncogenic form in about 15% of human cancer. The three RAF genes code for cytoplasmic serine/threonine kinases that are regulated by binding RAS. Here we report BRAF somatic missense mutations in 66% of malignant melanomas and at lower frequency in a wide range of human cancers. All mutations are within the kinase domain, with a single substitution (V599E) accounting for 80%. Mutated BRAF proteins have elevated kinase activity and are transforming in NIH3T3 cells. Furthermore, RAS function is not required for the growth of cancer cell lines with the V599E mutation. As BRAF is a serine/threonine kinase that is commonly activated by somatic point mutation in human cancer, it may provide new therapeutic opportunities in malignant melanoma.     

Shorebird predation on benthic macroinvertebrates in an irrigation reservoir

American Falls Reservoir in southeastern Idaho is an irrigation reservoir used as an inland feeding stopover by many shorebird species. Six exclosure experiments were conducted during the 1990 drawdown period to investigate shorebird predation impact on benthic macroinvertebrate populations. The study sites differed in sediment composition, sediment slope, invertebrate densities, and shorebird abundance. Shorebird predation significantly affected invertebrate densities in only 1 of 6 experiments (Aberdeen Mouth). This site had higher sediment slope and a lower water recedence than other study sites, resulting in concentration of shorebird predation on a small area of newly exposed sediment. Shorebird predation had the greatest impact on medium size class chironomid larvae at Aberdeen Mouth. Our results suggest that inland sites such as American Falls Reservoir represent viable shorebird habitat and may be managed to insure consistent prey availability. Drawdown rate, sediment slope, invertebrate densities, and shorebird abundance are all important factors influencing shorebird predation. Monitoring shorebird abundance and predation impact on invertebrate densities may help in manipulating drawdown rate to provide adequate shorebird prey. Management of inland sites for shorebird use may become more important in the future as human encroachment in coastal areas continues.     

电磁场的生物学影响

电磁场是通过电器设备及其配线所发射的一种不可见光线。早在70年代后期，科学家就曾着手调查电磁场对人体健康所能构成的潜在危害。结果发现，儿童白血病与经常接近供电线路或变压器设备有一定关系。如果儿童经常接触1－2mG（毫高斯）强度的电磁场，其白血病发生率就会比其他儿童高两倍；若接触到4－5mG强度的电磁场，则患病率会增大六倍。另外，有证据显示，妇女的乳腺癌发病也与接触高频电磁场有关。近年来，发生电磁辐射的场所越来越多，如工作地点大电流设备的使用在增加，易受忽视的不良接地线，以及花样不断翻新的家电产品等（参见…