Because the urinary bladder stores and releases urine, its normal function includes filling and emptying, accompanied by distension and relaxation. It is known that chronic distension compromises blood flow. Recent studies of the rabbit bladder vasculature have described specializations of that vasculature that appear to enhance blood flow in the bladder wall during distension. The present report describes the location, orientation, and structure of an elastic sheath surrounding the vesicular arteries, which may represent one of these specializations. The location, vasculature, and structure of an accessory elastic sheath surrounding the vesicular arteries of the rabbit bladder is described using light and electron microscopy, India ink injection, and vascular corrosion casting. The common iliac arteries of rabbits were cannulated to permit perfusion of the distal vasculature including the urinary bladder. After the bladder vasculature was visually cleared of blood by perfusion with buffered saline, one of the following procedures was used: 1) for light or electron microscopy, the bladder was perfuse-fixed with buffered 2% glutaraldehyde; 2) the bladder vasculature was filled with India ink for vessel tracing; or 3) corrosion casts of the bladder vasculature were prepared by infusion of a Mercox resin mixture. Casts, cleaned of tissue with KOH, and water and formic acid rinses, are dried, and mounted for routine scanning electron microscopy. The presence of an accessory sheath surrounding the main vesicular arteries and some of their branches in the basal two thirds of the urinary bladder was observed on India ink injected specimens and confirmed by micrographs and vascular corrosion casts. The sheath consists of elastic and collagenous fibers and is separated from the tunica media of the arteries by a loose connective tissue layer of variable width. The sheath is circumscribed by a layer of fine blood vessels. The vesicular arteries undulate within the sheath to an extent which is dependent upon the degree of distension of the bladder. This sheath likely represents a specialization which permits the bladder vasculature to accommodate expansion and contraction of the wall during normal filling and emptying. Undulations or coiling of the vesicular arteries within the loose connective tissue core of the sheath increase with bladder contraction, and apparently the sheath simply holds the artery in position during such coiling. The sheath, may represent a modification of the external elastic lamina found in some muscular arteries.

BACKGROUND: Netarsudil, a Rho kinase and norepinephrine transport (NET) inhibitor, is a new FDA approved drug used for decreasing raised intraocular pressure (IOP) in ocular hypertensive and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. Previous studies reported that netarsudil increased outflow facility and lowered IOP by increasing active outflow areas around the circumference of the eye and dilating the episcleral veins (ESV; Kiel and Kopczynski, 2015; Ren et al., 2016). However, the mechanisms by which netarsudil increases outflow facility have not yet been fully elucidated. Moreover, the effects of netarsudil on the inner wall (IW) endothelium I-pores and B-pores of the Schlemm’s canal (SC) have also not been investigated yet. AIM: The goal was to determine if netarsudil-treatment increased the effective filtration areas (EFA) by increasing pore density in both high- and non-flow type areas, compared to untreated control eyes. METHODS: In this study, the effects of netarsudil on the pore densities on IW of SC were investigated by serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM). Two pairs of eyes were perfused with green fluorescent tracers in order to determine the outflow pattern prior to treatment. Then, one eye of each pair was perfused with netarsudil, while the fellow eye of each pair was perfused with vehicle solution. All eyes were then perfused with red fluorescent tracers in order to determine the outflow pattern once they were treated with netarsudil. Both pairs of eyes were perfused and fixed at 15 mmHg. Global imaging was performed for all eyes to visualize high- and non- flow areas in the trabecular meshwork (TM) and ESV’s. A SBF-SEM was used to image eight wedges of tissue including the IW of SC and TM (high- and non-flow areas from four eyes) for a total of 16,378 images. The study analyzed the percentage of pore-types (GV-associated I-pores, Non-GV associated I-pores, B-pores), the median pore spans, the GV-associated I-pore locations, and the pore densities (per IW nuclei and IW area) between the equivalent control and netarsudil-treated flow areas. RESULTS: In global images, an increase in high-flow areas were observed in netarsudil-treated eyes due to recruitment from low-flow and non-flow areas. A greater percentage of GV-associated I-pores, B-pores, and total pores were found in high-flow in contrast to non-flow areas in both control and netarsudil-treated eyes (all P ≤ 0.05). However, the percentage of GV-associated I-pores in non-flow areas were significantly greater in treated compared to control eyes (P ≤ 0.05). Qualitative observations from two pairs of eyes showed a trend of greater I-pore, B-pore, and total pore density/per IW nucleus and density/per IW surface area in high-flow in contrast to non-flow areas for both treated and control eyes. No difference in I-pore, B-pore, and total pore density/per IW nucleus and density /per IW surface area were observed in equivalent flow-type areas when comparing control and netarsudil-treated eyes. In addition, there was a significant greater percentage of I-pores located on the side of GVs than the top of GVs in all cases (P ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Netarsudil increased high-flow areas. A greater pore density was found in high-flow in contrast to non-flow areas. Netarsudil also significantly increased the proportion of GV-associated I-pores in non-flow areas when compared to control eyes. Our results suggests that one mechanism of netarsudil increasing outflow facility is acting through recruiting the high-flow areas around the circumference of the eye, which is associated with higher pore density and increasing the proportion of GV-associated I-pores in non-flow areas.

No description available.

No description available.

Today's society is currently developing lithium-ion batteries to eventually replace the use of fossil fuels. High entropy oxides is a new type of material to use as an anode in the lithium-ion battery. These high entropy oxides may consist of a few different transition metals including lithium and oxygen. In this report was (MgCoNiZn)1-xLixO synthesized with a method called Pechini with a molar fraction of x=0.35. This study compares the results from a reference study that has shown the potential of the electrochemical characteristics of (MgCoNiZn)1-xLixO for application as anode in a lithium-ion battery.  The synthesis starts with a heating step to remove all the organics in the composition. The powder consists of several structures and, therefore goes through a calcination step to dissolve all of the intermediate phases into the rock-salt structure. The structure of the powder had a lattice constant of 4,138Å. The powder was made into a slurry containing Carbon black, PVDF and NMP to later get coated by a Dr. Blade. After drying the coating the cell was then assembled with lithium as metal cathode and 1M LiPF6 in 1:1 EC/DMC as electrolyte. After the cell was assembled it, went through electrochemical properties test using a potentiostat and the cell being inside a in a climate chamber at 25°C.  7 cycles were done to plot a cyclic voltammetry graph as well as a discharge-charge test was performed. The cyclic voltammetry and discharge-charge test was run with a voltage range of 0,053 V. The discharge-charge test was run at a current density of 100 mA/g and a constant current of 42,68 mA. / Dagens samhälle genomgår en stor utveckling av litium-jon batterier för att kunna ersätta användningen av fossila bränslen. Höga entropi oxider är ny typ av material som används som anod material för litiumjonbatterier. Dessa höga entropi oxider kan bestå av en rad olika övergångsmetaller inklusive litium och syre i sammansättningen. I den här rapporten var (MgCoNiZn)1-xLixO syntetiserad med en metod som heter Pechini med ett molbråk på x=0,35. En studie har visat potentialen i dem elektrokemiska beetenden av (MgCoNiZn)1-xLixO till applicering som en anode i ett litiumjon batteri.  Syntetiseringen började med ett uppvärmningsteg för att bränna bort alla organiska föreningar. Resulterade pulvret bestod av olika strukturer, och till ett kalcinerings steg för att lösa upp mellanfaserna till NaCL-struktur. Strukturen på pulvret hade en gitter constant på 4,138 Å. Pulvret gjordes till en slurry som innehåller amorft kol, PVDF och NMP för att sedan belägga elektroden med en Dr.Blade. Efter beläggningen har fått torka monterades cellen med litium som katod och 1M LiPF6 in 1:1 EC/DMC som elektrolyt. Tester utfördes på cellen med hjälp av en potentiostat medans cellen var förvaren i en klimatkammare i 25°C.  7 stycken cykler kördes för att plotta en cyklisk voltametri graf samt en urladdning-laddning prov utfördes. Cykliska voltametrin och urladdning-laddnings prov utfördes med ett spänningsintervall på 0,05-3,0V. Urladdning-laddnings provet hade en strömtäthet på 100 mA/g och en konstant ström på 42,68 mA.

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Viruses are the most abundant biological entity in the biosphere and are known to infect hosts from all domains of life. The aim of my work is to identify conserved and non-conserved features among the capsid structures of related and divergent icosahedral viruses via cryogenic electron microscopy, sequence analysis, molecular modeling, and other techniques. Bird polyomaviruses often cause severe disease in their hosts whereas mammalian polyomaviruses generally do not. Avian polyomavirus is a type of bird polyomavirus with an unusually broad host range compared to the restricted tropism of other polyomaviruses. Although most polyomaviruses have a conserved, rigid capsid protein structure, avian polyomavirus has a flexible capsid shell and a non-conserved C-terminus in its major capsid protein. A β-hairpin motif appears to stabilize other polyomaviruses but is missing in avian polyomavirus. The lack of this structure in avian polyomavirus may account for its capsid flexibility and broad host range. A minor capsid protein unique to bird polyomaviruses may be located on the inner capsid surface. This protein may have a role in the acute disease caused by bird polyomaviruses. The solution-state capsid structure of satellite tobacco mosaic virus was unexpectedly different than the previously solved crystalline structure. The conformational differences were accounted for by a shift of the capsid protein about the icosahedral fivefold axis. Conversely, the RNA core was consistent between solution and crystalline structures. The stable RNA core supports previous observations that the viral genome stabilizes the flexible capsid. Halophage CW02 infects Salinivibrio bacteria in the Great Salt Lake. The three-dimensional structure of CW02 revealed a conserved HK97-like fold that is found in all tailed, double-stranded DNA viruses. The capsid sequence of CW02 shares less than 20% identity with HK97-like viruses, demonstrating that structure is more conserved than sequence. A conserved module of genes places CW02 in the viral T7 supergroup, members of which are found in diverse aquatic environments. No tail structure was observed in reconstructions of CW02, but turret-like densities were found on each icosahedral vertex, which may represent unique adaptations similar to those seen in other extremophilic viruses.

Natural products have been a significant source of new drugs, especially in treating cancer, infectious diseases, hypertension, and neurological disorders. Although many natural metabolites have been screened and yielded pharmaceutically important drugs, many potential sources of natural product drug therapies still need to be investigated, including lichens. Lichens are symbiotic systems consisting of a filamentous fungus and a photosynthetic partner (an eukaryotic alga and/or cyanobacterium). Lichens produce an impressive variety of unique secondary compounds and have been used as ingredients in folk medicines for centuries. Demonstrated biological roles based on lichen chemistry include: antibiotics, anti-proliferative, antioxidants, anti-HIV, anti-cancer, immunomodulation, and anti-protozoans. Although North America is home to an impressive variety of lichen species, there is limited research to examine the biological potentials of these lichens. The core goal of this dissertation research has been to investigate some of the biological roles including, antibiotic, antioxidant, and anticancer potentials using lichen crude extracts and their metabolites collected from various locations in the United States. Antibiotic screening of crude extracts of 36 lichen species demonstrated inhibitory effects against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Generally, acetone extractions were found to be more effective than methanol extractions. It has also been shown that L. vulpina extract was bacteriocidal against MRSA with a relatively slow kill rate that disrupts cell membrane integrity and cell division as possible modes of action. Antioxidant screening of extracts from 11 lichen species, using the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay, showed that lichen extracts inhibited the oxidative degradation of the fluorescent molecule (fluorescein-sodium salt) by the oxygen free radical initiator AAPH (2,2'-azobis(2-aminidopropane) dihydrochloride Acetone extracts as well as pure compounds from lichen species showed cytotoxic effects against Burkitt's lymphoma (Raji) cells and a colon cancer cell line (HT29 and SW620). They decreased proliferation, arrested cell cycle at various stages and force the cell to undergo apoptosis. The tested extracts or pure compounds were not toxic to normal cells. In colon cancer apoptosis took place independent of casapase-3. The results of this dissertation showed that lichen compounds merits for further investigation.

It was found that the measurements captured by confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy had a statistically significant difference for bovine tissue. There was not a statistically significant for porcine and poultry tissue. The intent of the study is to perform a comparative study to examine efficacy of two distinct technologies for a singular purpose: tissue surface roughness characterization. The two technologies compared are a confocal reflectance microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The comparison was made by comparing two surface roughness parameters [Ra and Rq] within ImageJ. The study examined three different animal species [porcine, bovine, and poultry] to highlight if different tissues presented alternative conclusions for the efficiency of either technology. Additional analysis was produced comparing two cutting methods [Kleen Kut versus conventional], as well as six different poultry processing technique combinations.

Frozen, thawed and osmotically-dehydrated highbush (HB) (Vaccinium corymbosum) and rabbiteye (RB) (V. virgatum) blueberries were analyzed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe microstructural differences in their skin. Rabbiteye blueberries of both frozen, thawed and osmotically-dehydrated treatments, had thicker skins than highbush blueberries. Rabbiteye blueberries, collected from local farms, packed and blast frozen (PBF), had thinner skins than individually quick-frozen (IQF) blueberries. Washing berries prior to freezing had no effect on skin thickness. Sensory analysis of samples determined there were no differences (p > 0.05) between PBF and IQF methods and species with respect to skin intactness, grittiness, sweetness, and blueberry flavor. IQF berries obtained from one farm had tougher skin (p ≤ 0.05) than other berries regardless of treatment. RB were rated lower in juiciness and higher in grittiness than HB berries whereas LH berries were rated lower in shriveling and higher in skin intactness.