RenegadePharmacist

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Scott Walker thinks you aren’t going to vote on June 5th.



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Walker’s plan to crush the Democratic Party



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ikenbot: Triton: The Outer Most Ocean in The Solar System A new day dawns on Triton. It’s going to be a cold one, much like the last. And the one before that… and every day since the moon settled into its present orbit around Neptune. Even the volcanoes here spew out cold gases and liquid water rather than hot magma. But below the frigid surface, which registers a temperature of -235 °C, there’s something more clement: a liquid ocean. At first glance, Triton seems to be just another icy moon – a featureless, barren world spinning around Neptune, the outermost planet of our solar system. But Triton is different. For one thing, it orbits Neptune backwards, moving in the opposite direction to Neptune’s rotation. It’s the only large moon in the solar system to do so. Satellites can’t form in these “retrograde” orbits, so Triton must have begun life elsewhere before being captured by the gas giant. It looks a lot like Pluto, and probably came from the same place – the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt, close to Neptune. The Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Triton in 1989, sending back images of the moon’s frozen surface. They revealed signs of cryovolcanism – the eruption of subsurface liquids which quickly freeze when exposed to the cold of the outer solar system. As such, Triton joins a short list of worlds in the solar system known to be geologically active. Its surface ice is unique, too: largely composed of nitrogen, with some cantaloupe-textured terrain, and a polar cap of frozen methane. Continue.. Via cwl Zoom

ikenbot:

Triton: The Outer Most Ocean in The Solar System

A new day dawns on Triton. It’s going to be a cold one, much like the last. And the one before that… and every day since the moon settled into its present orbit around Neptune. Even the volcanoes here spew out cold gases and liquid water rather than hot magma. But below the frigid surface, which registers a temperature of -235 °C, there’s something more clement: a liquid ocean.

At first glance, Triton seems to be just another icy moon – a featureless, barren world spinning around Neptune, the outermost planet of our solar system. But Triton is different.

For one thing, it orbits Neptune backwards, moving in the opposite direction to Neptune’s rotation. It’s the only large moon in the solar system to do so. Satellites can’t form in these “retrograde” orbits, so Triton must have begun life elsewhere before being captured by the gas giant. It looks a lot like Pluto, and probably came from the same place – the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt, close to Neptune.

The Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Triton in 1989, sending back images of the moon’s frozen surface. They revealed signs of cryovolcanism – the eruption of subsurface liquids which quickly freeze when exposed to the cold of the outer solar system. As such, Triton joins a short list of worlds in the solar system known to be geologically active.

Its surface ice is unique, too: largely composed of nitrogen, with some cantaloupe-textured terrain, and a polar cap of frozen methane.

Continue..


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sciencenote: Dopamine has been recognized as an important modulator of central as well as peripheral physiologic functions in both humans and animals. Dopamine receptors have been identified in a number of organs and tissues, which include several regions within the central nervous system, sympathetic ganglia and postganglionic nerve terminals, various vascular beds, the heart, the gastrointestinal tract, and the kidney. The peripheral dopamine receptors influence cardiovascular and renal function by decreasing afterload and vascular resistance and promoting sodium excretion. Within the kidney, dopamine receptors are present along the nephron, with highest density on proximal tubule epithelial cells. It has been reported that there is a defective dopamine receptor, especially D1 receptor function, in the proximal tubule of various animal models of hypertension as well as in humans with essential hypertension. Recent reports have revealed the site of and the molecular mechanisms responsible for the defect in D1 receptors in hypertension. Moreover, recent studies have also demonstrated that the disruption of various dopamine receptor subtypes and their function produces hypertension in rodents. In this review, we present evidence that dopamine and dopamine receptors play an important role in regulating renal sodium excretion and that defective renal dopamine production and/or dopamine receptor function may contribute to the development of various forms of hypertension. Since the discovery in 1964 that dopamine produces natriuresis and diuresis (12), a tremendous amount of progress has been made in understanding dopamine-mediated effects on renal and cardiovascular function Dopamine Deficiency in Human Hypertension. Deficiency in renal dopamine synthesis and/or secretion has been reported in various forms of human hypertension. Urinary dopamine excretion is lower in salt-sensitive hypertensive patients than in normal subjects or non-salt-sensitive patients on high sodium intake . Suppressed dopaminergic activity has also been shown in the prehypertensive stage of primary hypertension . Reduced dopaminergic activity has also been observed in young normotensive subjects with an apparent family history of hypertension before any evidence of hypertension emerged . The exact mechanism for the renal dopaminergic deficiency in the human primary hypertension is not known. However, a defect in L-dopa-decarboxylase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of L-dopa to dopamine, has been reported in a subject with a family history of hypertension . Other studies have shown a decrease in both the renal tubular uptake of L-dopa and the conversion of L-dopa to dopamine in a subgroup of salt-sensitive hypertensive patients . Because the suppression of renal dopaminergic activity has been observed in young normotensives with a family history of hypertension before any manifestation of the disease, it has been suggested that renal dopaminergic deficiency may contribute to the development of hypertension  Via Science :)) Zoom

sciencenote:

Dopamine has been recognized as an important modulator of central as well as peripheral physiologic functions in both humans and animals. Dopamine receptors have been identified in a number of organs and tissues, which include several regions within the central nervous system, sympathetic ganglia and postganglionic nerve terminals, various vascular beds, the heart, the gastrointestinal tract, and the kidney. The peripheral dopamine receptors influence cardiovascular and renal function by decreasing afterload and vascular resistance and promoting sodium excretion. Within the kidney, dopamine receptors are present along the nephron, with highest density on proximal tubule epithelial cells. It has been reported that there is a defective dopamine receptor, especially D1 receptor function, in the proximal tubule of various animal models of hypertension as well as in humans with essential hypertension. Recent reports have revealed the site of and the molecular mechanisms responsible for the defect in D1 receptors in hypertension. Moreover, recent studies have also demonstrated that the disruption of various dopamine receptor subtypes and their function produces hypertension in rodents. In this review, we present evidence that dopamine and dopamine receptors play an important role in regulating renal sodium excretion and that defective renal dopamine production and/or dopamine receptor function may contribute to the development of various forms of hypertension.

Since the discovery in 1964 that dopamine produces natriuresis and diuresis (12), a tremendous amount of progress has been made in understanding dopamine-mediated effects on renal and cardiovascular function

Dopamine Deficiency in Human Hypertension.

Deficiency in renal dopamine synthesis and/or secretion has been reported in various forms of human hypertension. Urinary dopamine excretion is lower in salt-sensitive hypertensive patients than in normal subjects or non-salt-sensitive patients on high sodium intake . Suppressed dopaminergic activity has also been shown in the prehypertensive stage of primary hypertension . Reduced dopaminergic activity has also been observed in young normotensive subjects with an apparent family history of hypertension before any evidence of hypertension emerged . The exact mechanism for the renal dopaminergic deficiency in the human primary hypertension is not known. However, a defect in L-dopa-decarboxylase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of L-dopa to dopamine, has been reported in a subject with a family history of hypertension . Other studies have shown a decrease in both the renal tubular uptake of L-dopa and the conversion of L-dopa to dopamine in a subgroup of salt-sensitive hypertensive patients . Because the suppression of renal dopaminergic activity has been observed in young normotensives with a family history of hypertension before any manifestation of the disease, it has been suggested that renal dopaminergic deficiency may contribute to the development of hypertension 


Photo 150Notes
scinerds: Antibiotic Overuse May Increase Superbug Evolution Rate By flooding our environment with antibiotics, people may alter a little-appreciated but profound aspect of bacterial evolution: the very pace at which it occurs. Bacteria may evolve more rapidly and more radically than just a few decades ago. This proposition is still a hypothesis, but it’s an intriguing one. While drug resistance is a well-known consequence of antibiotic use, a global acceleration of bacterial mutability could make drug resistance more common and shape pathogens in unpredictable ways. “Human activities might be altering the fundamental tempo of bacterial evolution,” write geneticists Michael Gillings of Australia’s Macquarie University and Hatch Stokes of the University of Technology in a June Trends in Ecology and Evolution paper. Via Scinerds Zoom

scinerds:

Antibiotic Overuse May Increase Superbug Evolution Rate

By flooding our environment with antibiotics, people may alter a little-appreciated but profound aspect of bacterial evolution: the very pace at which it occurs. Bacteria may evolve more rapidly and more radically than just a few decades ago.

This proposition is still a hypothesis, but it’s an intriguing one. While drug resistance is a well-known consequence of antibiotic use, a global acceleration of bacterial mutability could make drug resistance more common and shape pathogens in unpredictable ways.

“Human activities might be altering the fundamental tempo of bacterial evolution,” write geneticists Michael Gillings of Australia’s Macquarie University and Hatch Stokes of the University of Technology in a June Trends in Ecology and Evolution paper.


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decaturjim: Three dimensional structure of the Ebola virus The causative agent of viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and a potential biological weapon, Ebola virus is presented here in beautiful, three dimensional form. The Ebola-encoded structures are shown in maroon, while human cells are shown in grey. This model was based on 20 years of virology data, X-ray analysis, and computation biology techniques. Via Rational Discovery Blog Zoom

decaturjim:

Three dimensional structure of the Ebola virus

The causative agent of viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and a potential biological weapon, Ebola virus is presented here in beautiful, three dimensional form.

The Ebola-encoded structures are shown in maroon, while human cells are shown in grey. This model was based on 20 years of virology data, X-ray analysis, and computation biology techniques.


Video 1601Notes

erosum:

Stephen Colbert Interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson (youtube)


Via erosum

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Recall Memo: June 5: Governor Walker Steals a Billion Dollars from Wisconsin.

In their Saturday morning coverage of the Recall Gubernatorial Debate, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel included this quote from Governor Walker:

Walker said the law change has led to savings for taxpayers – his administration has pegged those at more than $1 billion from workers having to pay more for benefits and schools being able to rebid insurance contracts.

“The facts are the facts. Our reforms are working and putting more people to work,” Walker said.

The governor’s administration has determined the savings to state taxpayers at $1 billion. I am not sure how accurate this number is. I imagine economists, statisticians, and political hacks could have a field day parsing this all out. And I am guessing that if the administration erred it was on the high side. Just a feeling that I have. But when these numbers get bandied about, there is always a flip side to the coin. If this is heads, let’s discuss tails! (and for sake of discussion I am using the billion dollar figure even though I know that not all of the ‘savings’ came from wage deductions. But just like the governor’s staff, I like the sound of it).

So, our state, county, municipal, and educational taxing authorities saved a billion dollars for taxpayers. This was simply through transferring their costs to their employees. Understood…not going to argue the value of this change here!

That’s HEADS, here’s TAILS:

That’s $1 billion not being spent at food and grocery stores all across Wisconsin.

That’s $1 billion not being spent at department and specialty stores all across Wisconsin.

That’s $1 billion not being spent at restaurants and bars all across Wisconsin.

That’s $1 billion not being spent at gasoline stations all across Wisconsin.

That’s $1 billion in deferred home and auto maintenance all across Wisconsin.

That’s $1 billion not being spent on cultural and recreational activities all across Wisconsin.

That’s $1 billion not being donated to charity, religious, or non-profits all across Wisconsin.

That’s $1 billion being cleanly stolen, right off the top of an already suffering economy in Wisconsin.

OK, wait for the irony:

AND that’s $1 billion that is no longer subject to state and federal income taxes.

AND that’s $1 billion that is not generating any state sales tax, gasoline tax or license and permit fees across the state of Wisconsin.


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    Recall Memo: June 5: Gov. Walker Invents Budget Surplus Ahead of the Vote

    On May 10th, Governor Walker’s Administration released projections that indicated a budget surplus of $154.5 million before the end of current biennial budget period. This is in direct opposition to a previously expected deficit for the same period of $143 million.

    There is only one problem with that…it’s a flat out fabrication made possible by reneging on actual campaign promises and actually enthusiastically kicking the can down the road.

    And despite his fervent claims to care about the economic health of the average hardworking Wisconsin taxpayer…his actions will cause increased interest costs and additional difficulties balancing future budgets.

    Governor! YOU’RE NOT WORKING…

    Anyway, here’s the article from the May 11, 2012 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the announced surplus and here’s the pertinent portion…third graph in if you want to find it quickly:

    A large chunk of the surplus is realized by delaying payments that will ultimately cost taxpayers more in interest

    And to add fuel to the fire, the Governor has a few loose threads still missing from his budget (from the same article):

    The budget numbers released Thursday do not account for a sizable shortfall in the state’s health programs for the poor that Walker’s administration says it will deal with through increased efficiencies and spending cuts.

    And if you needed any further proof that Representative Robin Vos is a pure ideologist hack (from the same article):

    This is a great example of how honest budgeting pays off,” said Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), co-chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.

    Anyway, briefly changing the subject, isn’t it amazing that MJS can openly write about this nonsense and then re-endorse Scott Walker for governor


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    Walker to Deer Hunters: Pay Up or Get Lost
    MAY 17, 2012 by BARBARA WITH in BADGER DEMOCRACY, BARBARA WITH, CITIZEN MEDIA, ENVIRONMENT, GOVERNOR, LEGISLATION, UNCATEGORIZEDwith 127 COMMENTS

    Deer hunting may soon join open government and good schools on the pile of Wisconsin traditions trashed by Scott Walker.

    Each November, hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites take to the woods to hunt, thinning our large herd of white tailed deer. A love of the hunt crosses all social and economic boundaries. Indeed, in the politically polarized environment of present day Wisconsin, deer hunting is one of the few activities that stirs passions strong enough to make many of us set aside our differences and share a few days with our fellow citizens, without regard to their political opinions.

    If Walker has his way, management of State resources, including deer hunting, will fall to private corporations.

    If Walker gets his way, all of this will change.

    As reported in Lodi Valley News, Walker has hired Texan Dr. James Kroll to serve as Wisconsin’s “deer czar,” a position that gives Kroll considerable power over Wisconsin’s deer management policy. Kroll is an outspoken proponent of game farms, and an opponent of public lands and public game management, which he is on record as describing as “the last bastion of communism.”

    The public lands Kroll despises include the state parks, state and national forests, and other publicly held property that hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites—particularly in the northern part of the state—rely on for deer hunting. Hunters on public land may be surprised to discover that Walker regards their annual trek into a state forest as a radical left wing activity akin to marching in a May Day parade in Red Square. But so it is.

    If Kroll gets his way, public land hunters will get the shaft. The deer herd no longer would be managed as a public resource, but as the private property of wealthy landowners. Wisconsin will become like Europe, where hunting is the privilege of the wealthy.

    Kroll’s view fit in nicely with those of DNR secretary Cathy Stepp, a Walker appointee who already has suggested that public lands be sold.

    What this means for hunters is that the management of the state’s deer herd could be sold or contracted to management corporations likeJohnson Timber, who already owns Summit Lake Game Farm on the southern edge of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation, and vast tracts of timber land. Joe Hunter would have to buy his hunting tag (and perhaps make a bid on it) from a private game management firm for his deer, grouse, turkey, wolf, berry picking permits, etc.—in a monetized way—in order to exact the highest commercial value. The Game Management Unit, which encompasses timber company and other private, county and state park lands, would profit. They would also have their own Game Managers police force issue your license. In this way, the State would reap the benefits by taxing the net Income after expenses and be out of the business of managing the fish, deer, and other resource gathering rights.

    To people who do not own land, or who cannot pay for access to other people’s land, Walker and Kroll’s message is simple: tough luck.


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