[quote=Endocrinology]
[b]Norepinephrine[/b]
Norepinephrine (abbreviated norepi or NE), also called noradrenaline, or 4,5-β-trihydroxy phenethylamine is a catecholamine with multiple roles including those as a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It is the hormone and neurotransmitter most responsible for vigilant concentration in contrast to its most chemically similar hormone, dopamine, which is most responsible for cognitive alertness.

[img=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Norepinephrine_structure_with_descriptor.svg/180px-Norepinephrine_structure_with_descriptor.svg.png]
[img=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Norepinephrine-3d-CPK.png/180px-Norepinephrine-3d-CPK.png]

Areas of the body that produce or are affected by norepinephrine are described as noradrenergic. The terms noradrenaline and norepinephrine are interchangeable. One of the most important functions of norepinephrine is its role as the neurotransmitter released from the sympathetic neurons to affect the heart. An increase in norepinephrine from the sympathetic nervous system increases the rate of contractions in the heart. As a stress hormone, norepinephrine affects parts of the brain, such as the amygdala, where attention and responses are controlled. Norepinephrine also underlies the fight-or-flight response, along with epinephrine, directly increasing heart rate, triggering the release of glucose from energy stores, and increasing blood flow to skeletal muscle. It increases the brain's oxygen supply.

Norepinephrine is released when a host of physiological changes are activated by a stressful event. In the brain, this is caused in part by activation of an area of the brain stem called the locus coeruleus (LC). This nucleus is the origin of most norepinephrine pathways in the brain. Noradrenergic neurons project bilaterally (send signals to both sides of the brain) from the locus coeruleus along distinct pathways to many locations, including the cerebral cortex, limbic system, and the spinal cord, forming a neurotransmitter system. The effects of these noradrenergic neurons are manifested in alertness, arousal, influences on the reward system, and influences on decision making.[/quote]

Zachary entered the dark, smelly back room of the abandoned grocer to begin work on his carriage. His bag was packed lighter than usual, and he felt much better because of it. He was amazed how easy it felt to walk around the city without a large burden of parts and tools in his bag. Zachary pushed aside a shelf of packing trays with fruit which had decayed beyond recognition so that he would have a reasonably amount of spare floor space.Then he took out a trap core, encased in its crude gadgetry. Zachary had built each one slightly differently, so they would be distinguishable. The functional components were virtually the same, but the grip was made differently. Checking the trap core, Zachary pointed it at the floor and pressed the button. In a pulse of red and a gush of air, tools, cores and spare parts clattered onto the floor.

Before he could pick up the tools he needed to get a plan together. Taking out a lamp and some paper, Zachary began planning, frequently crossing between the salvaged carriage, skyway unit and the shelf he was using as a desk. Taking stock, he found that most of the engine of the carriage was still in place. He could replace what couldn't be hammered back into place or what little was missing. The hardest part would be gathering the right kinetic cores. The chassis was quite beaten up, but a little panel beating, a few steel L-beams and some welding would put that straight. The trickiest part would be to adapt the skyway unit so that it would make it climb up steel surfaces, such as the Wall. This was what most of his written plans were. He would need to extend the skyway's bridge and grip so that it would affect all the area under the carriage. Perhaps the trickiest part would be to make it so that the skyway doesn't merely stick the carriage to the Wall but allow it to move as well. For this he considered putting some kind of drive mechanism in the skyway bridge, make it rotate underneath like a conveyor belt. The details were complicated, and the engineering more so, and he went through numerous ideas, but eventually he found a plan which he felt would work.

Putting down the pencil and picking up his tools, Zachary began work on fixing up the carriage's structural failings. It was partially crushed, so those sections would have to be almost completely rebuilt. He also worked on flattening the many dents in the bodywork. He made a trip outside to grab some scrap metal, and eventually the carriage could almost be mistaken for a working carriage- if one squinted and the light was dim and one didn't expect it to move. But as Zachary looked at it wiping the grease off his hands with a greasy rag he was pleased, as now it was structurally sound and it would be able to withstand the abilities that Zachary will eventually install with in it.