Preservation of indigenous gastrointestinal microbiota is deemed to be critical for successful captive breeding of endangered wild animals, yet its biology is poorly understood. Here, we investigated cecal bacterial communities in wild Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) and compared them with those in Svalbard rock ptarmigans (L. m. hyperborea) in captivity. Ultra-deep sequencing ...

Existing empirical design tools have been developed from fair-to-good quality rock masses (RMR76 >50). This paper presents a focus of ground control research presently being conducted by the Rock Mechanics Group in the UBC Mining Department in incorporating weak rock masses (RMR76 <50) into existing empirical design relationships. An emphasis is being placed upon the updated span design curve/c...

The Geological Strength Index (GSI) system, proposed in 1995, is now widely used for the estimation of the rock mass strength and the rock mass deformation parameters. The GSI system concentrates on the description of two factors, rock structure and block surface conditions. The guidelines given by the GSI system are for the estimation of the peak strength parameters of jointed rock masses. The...

The effect of the length of ROCK (Rho-associated kinase) on its oligomerization state has been investigated by analysing full-length protein and four truncated constructs using light-scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation methods. Changes in size correlate with the kinetic properties of the kinase. Sedimentation velocity, sedimentation equilibrium and light-scattering data analyses revea...

Rectangular caverns are increasingly used in underground engineering projects, the failure mechanism of rectangular cavern wall rock is significantly different as a result of the cross-sectional shape and variations in wall stress distributions. However, the conventional computational method always results in a long-winded computational process and multiple displacement solutions of internal re...

Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) regulates neural cell migration, proliferation and survival, dendritic spine morphology, and axon guidance and regeneration. There is, however, little information about whether ROCK modulates the electrical activity and information processing of neuronal circuits. At neonatal stage, ROCKα is expressed in hypoglossal motoneurons (HMNs) and in their afferent inputs, w...

The serine/threonine kinases ROCK1 and ROCK2 are direct targets of activated rho GTPases, and aberrant rho/ROCK signaling has been implicated in a number of human diseases. We have developed novel methods for high-throughput assays of ROCK inhibitors that provide for quantitative evaluation of the ability of small molecules to inhibit the function of ROCK kinases in intact cells. Conditions for...

The Rho family of GTPases are involved in actin cytoskeleton organization and associated with carcinogenesis and progression of human cancers. We investigated the roles of Rho family GTPases, prototypes RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42, and the major downstream targets of RhoA, ROCK-I, and ROCK-II in testicular cancer. We quantified protein expression in paired tumor and nontumor samples from surgical spe...

Rock bolts, as a type of reinforcing element, are widely adopted in underground excavations and civil engineering structures. Given the importance of rock bolts, the research outlined in this paper attempts to develop a portable non-destructive evaluation method for assessing the length of installed rock bolts for inspection purposes. Traditionally, piezoelectric elements or hammer impacts were...

The knowledge of molecular control mechanisms underlying the basal tone in the intact human internal anal sphincter (IAS) is critical for the pathophysiology and rational therapy for a number of debilitating rectoanal motility disorders. We determined the role of RhoA/ROCK and PKC pathways by comparing the effects of ROCK- and PKC-selective inhibitors Y 27632 and Gö 6850 (10(-8) to 10(-4) M), r...