AMP

11 Some claim that the European Enlightenment, with its emphasis on the t riumph of reason over religious authority, and the Buddhist concept of enlightenment , as a transformative awakening, have nothing in common – indeed I have been told that " it is a mere coincidence that they share a similar sounding word " ; that asking how they are related is nothing but a " conceptual confusion, " an equivocation that is on a par with confusing the bank of a river with a bank for cash deposits. 1 Of course, the two historical traditions are indeed different in countless ways. The European Enlightenment was rooted in the acceptance of the new scientific method, the industrial revolution, the emergence of politically p owerful merchant classes, the resulting disruption of established social h ierarchies, factional religious disputes, and bloody religious wars. For complex socio‐cultural reasons, and philosophical reasons too, a skepticism and rejection of religious authority and traditional hierarchies became increasingly widespread. The enlightenment instead emphasized relying on one's own j udgment and this fueled the nascent and emerging republican sentiments for representative government. In contrast, Buddhism began over 2,000 years ago as a monastic tradition focused on the ultimate goal of achieving nirvana, which is understood to be a release from samsara, that is, the otherwise endless cycle of suffering and rebirth. From its humble beginnings, Buddhism spread and diversified into one of the major world religions with perhaps 500 million people across the globe identifying as Buddhist. Indeed, there are a vast diversity of Buddhist religious sects, and each has its own favorite doctrines and texts, traditions and rituals. Unlike the European Enlightenment, the objection might continue, Buddhism is a sectarian religion, not a scientific and secular rejection of religious authority. The practice of Buddhism involves superstitions, folk rituals, prayer, and worship of buddhas and bodhisattvas all of which contrasts with the rationalism of the European Enlightenment. In addition, the monastic pursuit of personal

An important class of cytolytic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) assumes an amphipathic, α-helical conformation that permits efficient interaction with biological membranes. Host defence peptides of this type are widespread in nature, and numerous synthetic model AMPs have been derived from these or designed de novo based on their characteristics. In this review we provide an overview of the ‘sequence template’ approach

We tested the hypothesis that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an energy sensor, regulates diabetes-induced renal hypertrophy. In kidney glomerular epithelial cells, high glucose (30 mM), but not equimolar mannitol, stimulated de novo protein synthesis and induced hypertrophy in association with increased phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 and decreased phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2, regulatory events in mRNA translation. These high-glucose-induced changes in protein synthesis were phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) dependent and transforming growth factor-β independent. High glucose reduced AMPK α-subunit theronine (Thr) 172 phosphorylation, which required Akt activation. Changes in AMP and ATP content could not fully account for high-glucose-induced reductions in AMPK phosphorylation. Metformin and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1β-riboside (AICAR) increased AMPK phosphorylation, in...

Diphenidol was determined by an HPLC method developed in our laboratory. It was validated and proved to be linear in the 40–400ng/ml range. Accuracy for quality-control samples for intra and inter day assays ranged from 96.1–98.9% and 98.8–101.4%, respectively. This method was applied to a multi-dose bioequivalence study. No serious side effects were observed in the multi-dose design. Pharmacokinetic parameters

Fishing pressure has increased the extinction risk of many elasmobranch (shark and ray) species. Although many countries have established no-take marine reserves, a paucity of monitoring data means it is still unclear if reserves are effectively protecting these species. We examined data collected by a small group of divers over the past 21 years at one of the world's oldest marine protected areas (MPAs), Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica. We used mixed effects models to determine trends in relative abundance, or probability of occurrence, of 12 monitored elasmobranch species while accounting for variation among observers and from abiotic factors. Eight of 12 species declined significantly over the past 2 decades. We documented decreases in relative abundance for 6 species, including the iconic scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) (-45%), whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) (-77%), mobula ray (Mobula spp.) (-78%), and manta ray (Manta birostris) (-89%), and decre...

Investigate the effect of a brimless interface design compared with ischial ramus containment (IRC) of interfaces when using vacuum-assisted suspension (VAS) on transfemoral amputees (TFAs). Randomized experimental crossover. Household, community, and clinic. Unilateral TFAs (N=12 enrolled, N=10 analyzed). Mean age: 42.9 years. Mean residual limb length: 60.3% of the sound side femur length. Participants' mean time as an amputee: 8.3 years and median AMP score: 43. (1) IRC VAS interface, and (2) brimless VAS interface. Average medial wall height for IRC interfaces was 0.7cm proximal to the distal-most aspect of the ischial tuberosity (IT). The medial wall on the brimless design was an average of 3.3cm distal to the distal-most aspect of the IT. Spatiotemporal gait parameters, limits of stability, four square step test, and subjective perception using the prosthetic evaluation questionnaire (PEQ). Step length was significantly improved towards the IRC (p=0.04), when calculating d...