University of California, Irvine

About: University of California, Irvine is a education organization based out in Irvine, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 47031 authors who have published 113602 publications receiving 5521832 citations. The organization is also known as: UC Irvine & UCI.

Mechanisms of pulsed laser ablation of biological tissues.

Abstract: Author(s): Vogel, Alfred; Venugopalan, Vasan | Abstract: The mechanisms of pulsed laser ablation of biological tissues were studied. The transiently empty space created between the fiber tip and the tissue surface improved the optical transmission to the target and thus increased the ablation efficiency. It was found that the structure and morphology also affect the energy transport among tissue constituents.

A global synthesis reveals biodiversity loss as a major driver of ecosystem change

Abstract: Evidence is mounting that extinctions are altering key processes important to the productivity and sustainability of Earth’s ecosystems 1–4 . Further species loss will accelerate change in ecosystem processes 5–8 , but it is unclear how these effects compare to the direct effects of other forms of environmental change that are both driving diversity loss and altering ecosystem function. Here we use a suite of meta-analyses of published data to show that the effects of species loss on productivity and decomposition—two processes important in all ecosystems—are of comparable magnitude to the effects of many other global environmental changes. In experiments, intermediate levels of species loss (21–40%) reduced plant production by 5–10%, comparable to previously documented effects of ultraviolet radiation and climate warming. Higher levels of extinction (41–60%) had effects rivalling those of ozone, acidification, elevated CO2 and nutrient pollution. At intermediate levels, species loss generally had equal or greater effects on decomposition than did elevated CO2 and nitrogen addition. The identity of species lost also had a large effect on changes in productivity and decomposition, generating a wide range of plausible outcomes for extinction. Despite the need for more studies on interactive effects of diversity loss and environmental changes, our analyses clearly show that the ecosystem consequences of local species loss are as quantitatively significant as the direct effects of several global change stressors that have mobilized major international concern and remediation efforts 9 .

Establishing and maintaining healthy environments. Toward a social ecology of health promotion.

Abstract: Earlier research on health promotion has emphasized behavior change strategies rather than environmentally focused interventions The advantages of integrating lifestyle modification, injury control, and environmental enhancement strategies of health promotion are substantial The author offers a social ecological analysis of health promotive environments, emphasizing the transactions between individual or collective behavior and the health resources and constraints that exist in specific environmental settings Directions for future research on the creation and maintenance of health promotive environments also are examined

Evolving gene/transcript definitions significantly alter the interpretation of GeneChip data.

Abstract: Genome-wide expression profiling is a powerful tool for implicating novel gene ensembles in cellular mechanisms of health and disease The most popular platform for genome-wide expression profiling is the Affymetrix GeneChip However, its selection of probes relied on earlier genome and transcriptome annotation which is significantly different from current knowledge The resultant informatics problems have a profound impact on analysis and interpretation the data Here, we address these critical issues and offer a solution We identified several classes of problems at the individual probe level in the existing annotation, under the assumption that current genome and transcriptome databases are more accurate than those used for GeneChip design We then reorganized probes on more than a dozen popular GeneChips into gene-, transcript- and exon-specific probe sets in light of up-to-date genome, cDNA/EST clustering and single nucleotide polymorphism information Comparing analysis results between the original and the redefined probe sets reveals ∼30–50% discrepancy in the genes previously identified as differentially expressed, regardless of analysis method Our results demonstrate that the original Affymetrix probe set definitions are inaccurate, and many conclusions derived from past GeneChip analyses may be significantly flawed It will be beneficial to re-analyze existing GeneChip data with updated probe set definitions

The molecular logic of endocannabinoid signalling

Abstract: The endocannabinoids are a family of lipid messengers that engage the cell surface receptors that are targeted by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the active principle in marijuana (Cannabis). They are made on demand through cleavage of membrane precursors and are involved in various short-range signalling processes. In the brain, they combine with CB1 cannabinoid receptors on axon terminals to regulate ion channel activity and neurotransmitter release. Their ability to modulate synaptic efficacy has a wide range of functional consequences and provides unique therapeutic possibilities.